Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Emmerdale or the plotline surrounding Charity's past abuse. I am merely borrowing them for entertainment purposes, no profit is being made nor sought from this work. Credit goes to the incredible team who write, produce, edit, film and perform in this show for bringing such amazing storylines to life.
Trigger warning: This story deals with historical sexual abuse and non-consensual sexual touching of a major character. If this is something which triggers you, this is not the story for you.
Author's Note: And finally - I've not written for a long while, never for Emmerdale before so feedback greatly appreciated and if you can't be kind, at least be constructive! There may be a part two to this, I'll see how it pans out.
The Game's Up
"Charity, did I or did I not warn you about going after me? Seems the message didn't make it through that thick head of yours. You think you can use my family to get at me, to hurt me? Well two can play at that game. If you won't listen to reason, maybe you'll listen to action instead. Nice place your girlfriend has. She's a feisty one, I can see why you like her." Charity's blood ran cold as she listened to the message left on her voicemail, the chillingly hostile tone of DI Mark Bails voice reducing her to an older version of her teenage self; broken, scared and powerless. "I'd let her say hello but she's a bit tied up right now. She seems to be under the impression that I did some unspeakable things to you back in the day. You been filling her head with your nonsense, have you? Still harbouring your sick fantasy of me and you, are you? As if any decent, honest human being would ever have wanted anything to do with a scrawny, filthy whore like you. Not to worry, I'm happy to re-educate the lovely Vanessa, show her the kind of man I really am. Once I've finished with her, she'll know what a destructive influence you are and will never want anything to do with you again." The implied threat to Vanessa's wellbeing was all it took for Charity to flee The Woolpack as though the hounds of Hell themselves were on her heels.
"Charity! I swear to God, you are the worst business partner and employee known to man!" Chas hollered after her, missing the haunted look on her cousin's face or the way her colour had drained as the message played out.
Ross and Moses called out to her as she swept by on her way to Tug Ghyll but their greetings went unacknowledged, her sole focus on protecting the woman who had seen her at her lowest ebb but still found a way through her armour and into her heart. Tracey, too, watched her sister's girlfriend march towards the cottage, noticing the stormy expression and fearing the two were in the midst of another rocky period. Surreptitiously, she followed on behind, ready to intervene should her sister need her to.
Reaching the front door of the cottage she had come to think of as a home from home, Charity raised her fist to hammer on the wood only to find it swinging open at her first touch.
"You took your time. Close the door, you're the only audience needed for this," Bails voice warned, having utter faith it would be his prey and no one else barging in to his trap.
"Vanessa?" Charity hollered, ignoring her gut instincts to run as fast as possible away from her nemesis. Self-preservation was an afterthought, her only concern for her lover's safety and wellbeing.
"She's otherwise occupied right now. Don't take my word for it, come and see for yourself," the man who had made her life miserable taunted, drawing Charity into the lounge. Her breath caught in her throat, a strangled sob, at the sight of her girlfriend pressed tightly against the sadistic policeman's front, eyes watering in a mix of fear and pain. A strong hand was wrapped around her throat cutting off just enough air to subdue and silence her without risking her falling into unconsciousness. Her hands were hidden from view, clearly bound behind her back, by his handcuffs Charity suspected, remembering his particular penchant for using those.
"Ness, babe, I am so sorry he's dragging you into this," Charity began, stepping towards the pair.
"Ah ah ah, you're going to sit in that hideous chair and watch, since you seem to have developed a bit of a habit of doing that lately. So now, you'll get to watch me toy with what's good in your life, like you've been trying to use my family against me. If you so much as twitch, I'll break her neck and make it look like you've done it. I gave you so many opportunities to walk away, so many chances for this not to end badly for you but you just can't help yourself can you? Always were like a dog with a bone. So this, Charity, is all your doing, you've pushed this situation to this point. Contemplate that while I show your girlfriend what being with you results in, how you drag everyone down to the gutter with you in the end. You're poison, I should have done the world a favour and killed you years ago when I had the chance. Not like anyone would have come looking for you or mourned your death." As he spoke, Bails trailed his free hand over Vanessa's body, tracing the curves of her breast and testing its weight in his palm before continuing lower. He easily unfastened her jeans, forcing his hand inside and passed the barrier of her underwear. The smaller woman bucked violently against the intrusion, demonstrating her unwillingness to participate in the assault despite her lack of oxygen. She brought her leg up, aiming a kick backwards but only succeeding in unbalancing herself and allowing her captor to wrap his leg around hers, effectively immobilising any further attempts to escape. The predator grinned, an expression of pure malice adorning his face. "Fight all you like, that just makes it more fun for me. I'm going to show you what you're missing and that useless,spineless coward who claims to care for you is going to let me. Then you'll see her for the self-serving pathetic waste of oxygen that she really is." His hands continued to grope and fondle her in the most intimate way, clearly intent on forcing compliance from her unwilling body. "Hate to break it to you, Charity, but she's already getting wet for me. Did you know she likes it rough? She's getting off on being dominated while you stand there watching, doing nothing but watch. No one will ever care about you, or what you say. Everyone can see right through you, through your lies, your manipulation and deceit, see you for the pathetic, scrawny, useless tart you always have been. Fancy clothes and make-up can never mask the ugliness that lies within you." Vanessa's eyes never wavered from Charity's, locked on to witness the tumult of emotions rapidly cycling through her expressive orbs as the barbs hit their mark. She watched the shutters come down, the walls of self-preservation slamming into place as her lover's face hardened into a mask of indifference and arrogance.
"You think you know me so well. I already told Vee a hundred times that it's just a bit of fun between us. You think sexually assaulting her is going to cause me some kind of what...a breakdown? You think I care about anyone else enough to give a damn if you subject them to a fraction of what you did to me?" Charity growled, refusing to sit and be cowed into inaction. "She's just a pleasant distraction, someone to scratch an itch and keep the bed warm 'til the next meal ticket comes along. Don't kid yourself that you're doing this to try and hurt me. You're doing what you always did, taking what you want. You saw her, she's attractive and unavailable to you so you just couldn't let her get away with that could you? So how much is her silence worth then? How much will you throw at it this time to make it go away?"
"And there she is. Once a whore, always a whore, looking for the next gravy train to cash in. Will she be worth more to you if I pay her, set her up with a wad of cash for you to spend?" Bails spat, continuing his assault regardless of his prey's assertion that she was unaffected. "If you truly care so little about her, why are you here? Why come running to her aid?" Vanessa continued to buck and squirm in his grasp as best she could, trying in vain to dislodge the unwelcome fingers which were pressing against her clitoris and making her body respond in ways she truly did not desire. The blonde vet caught the momentary flash of an apology in the expressive green eyes she had come to adore.
"Saw an opportunity to take you down, didn't I? I mean, me? I'm nothing, a cheap, worthless tart whose word is as reliable as a smacked out coke-head's would be. But her, she's a vet, a single mum, a pillar of this community who has morals and standards and a voice that people listen to with no axe to grind with you. Once she tells people what a disgusting rapist you are, your bosses will have no option but to take her seriously. She has no reason to lie, no history with you and, apart from being a casual intimate acquaintance of mine, no reason to hold a grudge against you. You think you hold all the power here but all this does is show you're running scared and this time, you've caught yourself in a trap of your own making. See, before I came in here, I started a voice recording on my phone. So this whole thing, I have it and will share it with your bosses, your colleagues, your wife and every vulnerable young woman you ever claimed to have helped if you don't get your filthy hands off her." Charity's voice had dropped as she spoke, fierce determination colouring her tone and her confidence growing as she dropped her bombshell.
"And I should believe you, why, exactly?" Bails sneered, stepping up his attempts to force an orgasm from his captive.
"Because she also brought reinforcements," Cain stated from the direction of the backdoor, pure steel in his tone. Behind him, Pete, Rhona, Frank, Tracey and Moira stalked into the kitchen, startling Charity as much as it did Bails, who twisted around yanking Vanessa with him as he did so.
"Get your dirty hands off my sister," Tracy squawked indignantly, mortified to have again been taken in by another abusive man.
"If you don't get your hands off my daughter, I will break both your arms…" Frank added coolly.
"And I'll take your legs," Cain supplied stepping closer, his face as mask of menacing intent. Vanessa may not have been his favourite person but he had less time for any copper than her, especially one intent on wielding his power for his own personal gain. "See, me and Frank have both been on the wrong side of the law and you don't scare us."
Moira stepped forward too, surprising everyone as she continued approaching, her advance putting the now trapped DI on the back foot. Without breaking stride, she punched him square in the face, following through with a firm squeeze to his own genital region for good measure. "You don't get to lay a hand on another woman without her consent for a single second, ever," the Scot stated coldly, wrenching Vanessa away from him as he shielded himself from any further blows. Rhona rushed forward to collect her friend, realising that Charity was too stunned to be of assistance, gathering her into her arms and whispering words of reassurance to the shaken woman.
Pete joined Cain and Frank in crowding in to the fallen DI's personal space. "Why don't you take a seat? Your colleagues are already on their way. Be thankful that Rhona insisted on calling them. We'd have just made you disappear, made sure you suffered every bit as much as any and every woman you have ever laid a hand on without her consent and then buried what was left of you in a pit so deep you wouldn't be found 'til after we're all pushing up daisies," the farmer cautioned, making it clear that he would have no qualms in participating in a kangaroo court.
"We all saw what you were doing to Vanessa so don't even think about denying it. You won't wriggle out of it," Rhona spat, still holding her best friend close, who only had eyes for Charity. The bar owner remained silent, eyes downcast and looking for all the world like she was the guilty party.
"Charity...look at me," the blonde vet whispered hoarsely, her throat raw from the vice-like grip she had been subjected to. The landlady merely shook her head, turning to flee from the room. Vanessa broke free from Rhona's arms easily, barking for them to get the handcuffs off her wrists, flashing her friend a grateful smile as soon as she was free before bolting after her girlfriend. She stopped sharply at the sight of Charity bent double just outside the front door, emptying the contents of her stomach into the foliage. "Oh Charity," Vanessa murmured softly, tentatively reaching out and placing her palm against the other woman's back between her heaving shoulder blades. Though she flinched, Charity learned from her previous mistake and didn't push the shorter woman away.
"I am so sorry," the landlady breathed through a broken sob. Straightening up, she turned towards Vanessa but wrapped her arms around her own waist as though shielding herself, bracing herself for the hate which she expected to come her way.
"No!" Vanessa barked firmly. "You don't apologise for that, for him. None of that was in any way your fault, your responsibility or your doing so you don't apologise for it. You did what you needed to do, said what you needed to say to goad him into incriminating himself. I know the truth of what he did to you. I know the truth of who you are. And I know that what we have, the bond we share, is more than a brief casual fling to both of us. Unless you push me away and shut me out right here and now, you have nothing to be sorry for. I am proud of you, for holding your own and not letting him win again."
"How did they know?" Charity asked, avoiding acknowledging her lover's reassurances and still steadfastly refusing to meet her gaze.
"I don't know but what matters is that they did and now there are many witnesses with no ulterior motive to testify to what sort of man he is." Charity glanced towards Vanessa, eyes straying only far enough to spy her still unfastened zip on her jeans, a brutal reminder of what she had just endured and yet, there she was, still offering platitudes to Charity in an attempt to soothe her soul.
"Oh God," the blonde barmaid groaned as another wave of nausea washed over her. Fighting it down, she stammered, "he..he...you shouldn't have had to go through that...because of me. It's always because of me. I told you I'd hurt you, being with me would hurt you. I never imagined, never would have wanted…"
"Hey, shush," Vanessa interjected. "Of course you didn't. What just happened, we'll deal with it together ok? But I need you to understand and believe that I don't, won't ever, blame you for it. All it did was prove to the other people in that room what I already knew - he is a monster who doesn't belong around women full stop, vulnerable or not. He is the only one who should feel any kind of shame or self-loathing. Now, will you please come back inside because when the police arrive, I'm going to need your support to tell them what happened in there." Vanessa reached a hand out towards Charity, letting it linger between them as the landlady decided whether she would take it or not. The sound of sirens rapidly approaching seemed to spur her into action as she grasped the proffered palm, pulling the shorter woman in close to her and wrapping her up in a tight embrace, which she sank into as she felt it returned just as fiercely.
"Better check he's still breathing and not bleeding all over your couch after Moira's punch, I guess!" Charity quipped, trying to steel herself but unable to prevent the tremor which ran through her body.
"Together, yeah? We'll do it all, together," Vanessa responded with grim determination as she too prepared herself mentally to face the man who had touched her in a way she would never have invited him to. Her stomach churned and her heart pounded but she needed to remain strong, to remain stoic in front of Bails. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing his actions had affected her and she wished her girlfriend could do the same but now that the Pandora's box of Charity's past was open, she wasn't sure it would be humanly possible, even for someone as awesome and amazing as the ex-prostitute, to appear unmoved by the manipulation and abuse she continued to suffer at the hands of this man.
"Ness, before we go in...I need you to know….I...I didn't mean any of it, what I said to him in there," Charity began, cradling the shorter woman within the circle of her arms.
"I know…" Vanessa interrupted only to be silenced by her lover.
"No, please let me say this before I don't." When she was content that the diminutive blonde wouldn't make any further attempts to speak, Charity continued, "you know I'm rubbish with feelings and talking about them but I need you to know that I more than flamin' well like you, ok? I don't know when and I don't know how but you've gone and made yourself important to me, right up there with Debbie and the boys and my grandkids. And the timing may be completely inappropriate but I just felt like after what I said in there, in case you had any doubts at all about me meaning any of that, that you should know I…"
"Excuse me Miss, we've had a report of a disturbance at this address?" The police constable strode up the path, letting himself in through the gate to Tug Ghyll.
"That's right, I've just been assaulted, sexually assaulted by Detective Inspector Mark Bails. The witnesses, except Ms Dingle here, are all inside, as is DI Bails," Vanessa spoke clearly, calmly despite her insides churning quickly enough to make butter. She flashed Charity an apologetic glance, before telling her, "we'll continue this later, yeah, but Charity?" Making sure she had the other woman's attention, she told her, "I more than like you too." She watched in satisfaction as a tiny smirk appeared on her lover's face, underestimating how much the barmaid appreciated the affectionate teasing. Charity offered Vanessa her trademark wink before escorting her lover inside on the heels of the police officers.
"Thank God you're here, this mob detained me and that one assaulted me," Bails exploded as the uniformed officers appeared in the lounge, pointing at the scowling Scotswoman who looked for all the world like she would repeat the favour given a fraction of a chance.
"Citizen's arrest, mate. You shouldn't have had your hand down Vanessa's knickers," Cain snapped, defending his partner's honour.
"Detective Inspector Mark Bails, I have to inform you that a serious allegation has been made against you therefore you are under arrest on suspicion of sexual assault. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. You will be interviewed under caution and given your opportunity to provide your explanation of what has occurred here tonight. My colleague will escort you to the car, we'll extend the professional courtesy of not placing you in handcuffs but understand that if you give us any grounds to have to restrain you, we will do so by any reasonable force necessary. Do you understand?"
"Of course I bloody understand, you idiot. I'll have you directing traffic for the rest of your career for this," Bails snarled tersely in the young constable's face as he stalked towards the front door. "And as for you, no one is going to believe you no matter what comes of this so you can wipe that smug smirk off your face," he spat at Charity as he passed her.
"You've failed. Regardless of the outcome, you've failed. You see, I have someone who knows the worst about me, has seen my darkest secrets, and still shows me nothing but care and kindness and acceptance. Can you say the same about your wife when it gets back to her just what kind of low life you are?" Charity goaded, pride and confidence blossoming as Vanessa made clear that she concurred with the other woman's statement by pulling her in close and placing a tender kiss against her well-defined jaw.
"Let's go, shall we, Sir?" the young officer nudged his superior towards the door, keen to avoid any escalation in the conflict. Tension was palpable in the air but he deferred to his colleague, who had more years on the job, about a decision to call in additional support or not.
"Right, let's start taking some names and contact details shall we, then you can all go on your way and leave me to take the victim's statement," the first constable advised, missing Charity's double take.
"Errr, I don't think so, sunshine. Vanessa told you she'd been sexually assaulted. She'll be talking to no one 'til a woman copper gets here, right." Charity was gratified to see Rhona nodding along in agreement.
"That's right, that's protocol, isn't it?" the vet prompted.
"You've no intention of following this up, have you?" Cain challenged. "You just want us out of here so you can talk Vanessa out of pressing charges. Well tough luck, we all saw him with his hand round her throat and the other inside the crotch of her jeans. Professional courtesy my arse, I bet Bails is out there now having a smoke and a right laugh with your buddy, isn't he? Well listen up, there are enough of us here willing to go on record about what happened so are you going to play this by the book or are you going to let that deviant scumbag ruin your career too?"
"We're not letting this drop. If you don't press charges, I'm taking it straight to Detective Chief Superintendent Wordsworth. I'm sure Janet would be very interested to know what kind of man she has on her taskforce supporting vulnerable women, many of whom themselves are survivors of sexual assault and abuse, not to mention the calibre of person wearing the uniform she values so highly," Tracy supplied, name dropping and willing to use her own good standing with the DCS to force her sister's assault to be dealt with as seriously as it deserved to be.
"No one is saying it won't be dealt with appropriately but I need to establish the victim's version of events before I can proceed with any actions necessary to escalate this," the constable backtracked.
"I'm nobody's victim, especially not his!" Vanessa exploded, understanding more clearly than ever why Charity was so vehement about asserting that fact. "He forced his way into my home, handcuffed me without any just cause and held me captive while he taunted Charity over the phone about what he was going to do to me to get back at her. He used me as a pawn in his power games over a woman he raped when she was still only a kid, fully believing that no one would doubt his word if he denied it because she was a teenage prostitute and he was a copper. He put his hand round my throat and squeezed making it difficult for me to breathe and impossible to speak. When Charity arrived, he continued to try to strangle me with one hand whilst groping my breasts and genitals with his other hand. He attempted to force me to orgasm by stimulating my clitoris but he failed to do so before Cain, Pete, Rhona, Tracy and my Dad arrived. When DI Bails realised he was outnumbered and there were multiple witnesses to his inappropriate actions, he released me. Rhona undid the handcuffs with the keys which Cain retrieved. Charity needed some air, I followed her out to make sure she was ok, then you arrived. There, that's my statement, that's what happened now if you could get a female officer down here, both myself and Charity will be giving statements about what that man has done - she doesn't talk to anyone without me beside her. Is that clear?"
The room was eerily silent for a moment, everyone stunned by the ferocity of Vanessa's outburst. Charity looked at her askance, wondering when she had agreed to give a statement at all and realising that despite Vanessa just having outed her history with Bails to everyone present, she wasn't at all angry. Turned on a little, absolutely. Swelling with pride, definitely. And something intangible that sat warmly in the middle of her chest, something she'd never felt before but decided she liked. It made her feel whole, important, respected - so many things she had strived for and never achieved before.
Cain, Frank and Moira were looking at her with renewed understanding, each of them recognising some of the triggers and altering their pre-formed opinions in light of the new information available to them. Rhona was wearing the look of a fellow survivor, a mix of respect and admiration colouring her features. Tracy's eyes were flickering between Charity and her sister, recognition dawning plainly as she suddenly blurted, "that's why you were warning me off him!" Receiving a nod of confirmation, she burst forward and swept both women into a crushing embrace. "I'm so sorry I was such a cow to you. I just thought, I dunno, you were being petty cos of him sending you down. I should have known Vee wouldn't have been onboard with that."
"It's forgotten, kid," Charity assured her with a shrug.
Pete remained stoically silent throughout, digesting the news he'd heard and wondering if Ross was at all aware of the struggles Charity had been going through recently - considering it unlikely that he would have noticed anything given his absorption in his own traumas. Still, his nephew's mother had clearly gone through something horrific and he couldn't help but harbour a newfound respect for her.
The constable grudgingly took the names and contact details of the witnesses present, summarily dismissing them with assurances their statements would be taken in due course and advising them to present to the station if they had any concerns at all. Tracy remained, explaining that she lived with her sister. The PC stepped outside to request backup from a female officer to officially take Vanessa's statement and a CSI team as the house was officially a crime scene so forensic evidence would need to be collected.
"How did you know what was going on?" Charity asked, the question of how so many witnesses had magically appeared still plaguing her.
"I saw you stomping over here, thought you and Vee were fighting again so followed in case she needed any sisterly support. I was watching him through the window, saw him with his grubby hands all over her so went to get some back up. My first thought was Dad, Rhona and Pete were there to pick up Johnny - who's with Megan by the way so don't worry about him. We were all on our way here when Cain and Moira saw us just outside The Woolpack. Rhona told Moira you were in trouble, needed help and she and Cain followed on." When it was put so succinctly, it seemed to make complete sense, even though the landlady still couldn't wrap her head around so many people just dropping everything to help another on the say so of one person. That kind of support wasn't something she had ever experienced, despite being a Dingle. Her family were more inclined to assume the worst than come to her aid.
"Right, a female officer is en route. Do you need an ambulance, Miss Woodfield?" The enquiry was made through gritted teeth as though he had been reminded to consider her welfare following her ordeal.
"No, that won't be necessary. I just want to get my statement over with then I can go and take a shower," Vanessa replied tersely.
"I'm afraid we will need to take photographs of the marks around your neck and any other injuries, as well as collecting clothing and samples for forensic testing," the constable advised. "You'll be told when you are free to take a shower but it may be some time yet." A knock at the door drew their attention, Tracy moving to answer it as Charity remained with her arms around Vanessa's waist.
"Miss Woodfield?" a woman's voice drifted through the open doorway.
"Through this way," Tracy ushered, indicating which of the two blondes was the one in question.
"Thank you. Miss Woodfield, I'm Detective Constable Hannah Graham. I'm here to take your statement. Now, we can do it here if you prefer or we can go to the station and we can talk there. Whichever you would be most comfortable with. I do have to ask that I hear the details of the events of this evening from you so whilst you may wish for someone to remain with you to support you, I'd have to ask that they refrain from answering questions on your behalf."
"I'm going nowhere, babe," Charity assured as Vanessa looked to her. Their hands gripped one another tightly.
"I'll put the kettle on," Tracy suggested, moving towards the kitchen and making herself busy in an attempt to feel less useless.
The questions seemed to be endless as Vanessa was asked to explain in detail the events of the evening. As mention was made of the context of the feud between Bails and Charity, the detective asked whether Charity was willing to go on record about her experiences at the hands of the devious detective. The landlady looked torn, gazing at Vanessa with a pained expression.
"You don't have to, if you don't feel that you can, but whatever you decide to do, I will be here to support you and it won't make any difference to how I feel about you," the blonde vet asserted, her face testament to the sincerity of her words.
"Even if it makes no difference, even if no one believes me, it's time to speak up. You are so brave, so inspiring. You make me believe that I owe this to myself." Charity braced herself, taking a deep breath and keeping a vice-like grip on Vanessa's hand, she recounted the sorry tale of how she had been groomed by Mark Bails when she was just 14 years old, how he had taken her in, made her reliant on him and then subsequently abused her trust in the most despicable way. DC Graham was patient, allowing Charity the room to tell her story without interruption, only interjecting here and there to make sure she fully understood the details so they could be recorded accurately. Charity paused, looking directly at her partner before admitting the one thing that she had previously shared with no other living soul. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before but there might be evidence to support what I'm saying. Just after I turned fifteen, I gave birth - a little boy. They reckon I was about 32 weeks when I gave birth, I didn't have any pre- or antenatal care. I don't know what happened to him, I checked myself out of the hospital, left him there. Suppose he would have been adopted. Next punter I took, a few weeks after the birth, with the money he gave me, I bought some things for my boy, took 'em back to the hospital but I couldn't bring myself to go inside. I've still got them, in a box over at the pub. My wristband with the details I gave them at the hospital - false name obviously, a rattle, a tiny knitted hat that one of the older women made for me, a blanket, a tiny teddy bear." As Charity continued, giving details of the date, time and name of the hospital she had given birth in, Vanessa felt her heart breaking all over again for the poor child her lover had been, marvelling at just how strong a woman she had grown into despite her repeated traumas.
Tracy sat at the kitchen table, listening in rapt silence, shocked at the horrific history being laid bare. She was in awe of how much the other woman had been through and appreciated ever more the advice and support she had been given by Charity, fully understanding now that it came from a place of significant experience.
"Ms Dingle, thank you for being so candid and forthcoming. You have my word that this will be investigated thoroughly and we will look into finding the medical records pertaining to the night on which you gave birth. If we can request a DNA sample from you, then if we can find any trace of your son, we can confirm his parentage from that if he gives his consent to us taking a sample of his DNA too." DC Graham spoke gently, offering Charity her business card before continuing, "if you think of anything else that might be relevant or you experience any difficulties and need us to put you in touch with some support to get through this, please call me. I can only imagine how difficult it has been for you speaking about all this after so long and I can fully understand your skepticism given that a police officer is alleged to have been involved. But as I said before, regardless of who is accused of committing these crimes, it will be investigated fully and diligently with no presumption of innocence or guilt by anyone involved. The world has changed since you first tried to report it and with this information relating to your hospital admission and birth of a child, it will help us to corroborate your version of events. Would it be possible for a Scene of Crimes Officer to take photos of the items you mentioned, particularly the hospital wristband? We won't take anything away other than images of the items, but the details will help build a full picture of events for the timeline." Charity nodded, tears trickling down her cheeks, eyes everywhere but on her girlfriend who had remained silent throughout the admission that she had birthed another child.
"Right, well, unless there's anything else you want to share with me this evening, I'll be on my way. The SOCO's will take their samples and photos from you, Vanessa, then ask you to change out of your clothes so we can bag those for evidence too. Charity, while that's going on, would you like me to come with you to retrieve the items for your son? We'll get everything done that needs to be done as soon as possible, then we can be on our way and leave you ladies to get some rest." DC Graham beckoned the SOCO's inside indicating that they could begin their work with the victim. Vanessa for her part stood uneasily, arms wrapping around her stomach to hide her shaking hands. Her mind was in a whirl from the events earlier in the evening to Charity's latest bombshell. The landlady herself had cautioned Vanessa that she hadn't told her the half of what had happened to her. Listening to her laying it all bare; Bails initial rape, her detention at his hands in the flat, the introduction of 'friends' of his who paid him handsomely for use of her body, then another childbirth faced alone, abandoned.
Charity watched her girlfriend closely, seeing her swaying on her feet and rising to steady her, half expecting to be pushed away and brushed aside. Instead, Vanessa leant heavily against her solid form, looking into expressive green eyes for the first time in a long while.
"Stay? Please," Vanessa whispered desperately.
"I need to go and do this babe but I'll be as quick as I can and then I promise - I promise - I will be back and I'll not leave your side again unless you want me to, ok?" Charity reassured her, knowing if she didn't follow through with providing the evidence of her own assault now, she likely never would work up the nerve again.
"It's ok, Charity, I've got her. I'll stay with her til you're back," Tracy murmured, rising from her own seat and crossing to where her sister remained in circle of the former prostitute's arms. As Charity tried to extract herself, Vanessa clung on, her stoicism crumbling.
"I'm not running away, Ness. I'm not pushing you away or freezing you out." Charity's attempts to placate her partner failed to calm her, the other woman only being soothed when Charity's arms wrapped back around her tightly. Looking across to DC Graham, Charity requested, "could we go to the pub to get the box of stuff after forensics have finished here? Then Ness can come with me?"
"No," Vanessa asserted, gathering herself as her brain caught up with processing the turn of events. "No, you go do what you need to do. Tracy's right, she's here. I'll be ok." Voice wavering as she tried to keep a grip on her tumultuous emotions. "Charity, I am so, so proud of you. You are amazing and I think I know what you were trying to say outside, before so I'm just going to say this: I love you Charity Dingle, you amazing, wonderful, brave, incredible woman."