A/N: When I originally wrote this story, they hadn't mentioned Alec' ex-wife or daughter's names on the show so I called them Jackie and Alexandra. Since we now know their names are Tess and Daisy, I updated the story to keep them as canon characters. I know I didn't have to, but…. I might change one other part of the story later on.
Chapter One
A soft beeping sound alerted him as Alec Hardy looked down at the screen and pushed the buttons. Sweat made his Ironman t-shirt stick to his chest and back as he kept running and his jean shorts clung to his thighs and bottom. He was wearing his white converse sneakers as he looked down then at the screen and the soft beeping sound grew louder.
Four years ago he nearly died from heart arrhythmia and having a pacemaker implanted in his chest was enough of a wakeup call for him to take better care of himself.
When his cardiologist told him a year ago that he was taking him off the strict diet he was on and he could start cardio-rehab, he spent three months trying to find a treadmill he liked and went twice a week to the local gym. He never thought himself out of shape, but he did admit he felt better than he had in a long time.
The treadmill started to slow down as he went from a mild run to a slow walking pace then stopped and looked down at the screen. Checking the readout on the small screen, he noticed that his heart and pulse rates were normal as he sighed and removed the plastic clip from the tip of his left index finger and removed the wristband from around his right wrist.
Picking the towel off the floor, he wiped his face and neck when a chirping sound made him turn around and look at the kitchenette island. Placing the towel around his neck, Alec walked to the kitchenette island when he opened his laptop and looked at the screen. On the screen was a picture of his former DS and sometime friend, Ellie, and her two sons, Fred and Tom, and he tilted his head to one side. They were smiling while kneeling next to a small sand castle and he brushed the hair out of his eyes while a small smile appeared on his face.
The video chat icon was blinking as he moved his finger over the touch pad and the cursor moved toward the video chat icon. He tapped his finger on the touch pad as the video chat window appeared and he waited for the laptop to connect to the video chat. The screen crackled for a few seconds when a blonde haired woman appeared on the screen and she softly smiled at him.
"Hello, Tess," Alec sighed.
"You sound a little winded. You ok?" his ex-wife asked with concern in her voice while he placed his elbows on the kitchenette counter top and looked over his shoulder at the treadmill then back at the screen.
"Aye, I was just on the treadmill," he said and she softly giggled. "What's so funny?"
"I bought you a treadmill for your birthday, remember?"
"Aye," he said with a nod of his head. "Bloody thing ended up where we placed the laundry basket and wet towels."
"Yeah," she said when he noticed the look on her face and blinked his eyes a few times.
"What's wrong?"
"What makes you think there's something wrong?"
"You havenae called me in a year and that was tae tell me the time for Daisy's birthday party," he said in reference to their daughter, Daisy.
"Yeah, well, I just thought I'd warn you."
"Warn me?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face. Before she could say anything, a soft knocking sound filled the air and he turned to look at the door. Lightly pushing off the kitchenette island, he walked to the door as the knocking sound happened again and he looked through the peephole. Frowning, he moved the deadbolt back when he opened the door and leaned on the doorframe.
"Hi, Daddy," his daughter said as he blinked his eyes a few times and tilted his head to one side. Like her mother, Daisy Hardy had blonde hair, but she also had his chocolate brown eyes and those eyes were red from crying. A pair of suitcases sat near her feet as he looked down at them then at her and she brushed some hair from her eyes. Before he could move, she slid her arms around his waist then placed her head against his chest and he looked down at her. "You stink."
"I was on the treadmill," he said softly when she left go and he stood back to allow her to come in. She placed the suitcases on the floor while he closed and locked the door and leaned against it, crossing one ankle over the other. She walked to the kitchenette island when she looked at the laptop and Tess looked at her.
"Hello, Honey," Tess said and Daisy sighed, leaning against the kitchenette island. Alec kicked off the door when he walked closer then looked at the laptop then at Daisy.
"Will someone tell me what's going on?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest.
"Do you remember Jack?" Daisy asked in reference to her boyfriend, Jack Daisyngton. She had met Jack while she was at medical school and both of them were studying cardiology. Alec knew that he was the reason she was studying to be a cardiologist and he nodded his head. "We're not dating anymore."
"What did he do?" Alec asked as he felt his heart thumping hard in his chest and anger bubbled inside him. Daisy must have noticed the anger in his eyes as she sighed and brushed the hair from her face.
"I knew this was a mistake," she said then started to walk toward the suitcases and he gently grabbed her arm to stop her. She looked at him as his face softened and he moved her toward him then held her by the shoulders.
"Dinnae let this stop you," he said while pointing to his chest and she placed her hand against him, barely feeling his heart beating. "Tell me what he did."
"It was my fault really," she said then looked down and he lifted her chin up. She knew that there were a lot of women who would melt if he looked at them with those worried eyes as she sighed and balled her hands into fists. "We had a row a month ago and…"
"And?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. Memories of his parents' rows echoed in his head as he sighed and Daisy gently stroked some hair behind his right ear.
"It was the usual rubbish. He accused me of being more concerned about my studies then him, but I told him he was wrong. I love…loved him, but he kept insisting that I had to choose between me being with him or me becoming a doctor," she said and Alec looked at the laptop. Tess seemed to be thinking the same thing as she sighed and he barely nodded his head. Both of them knew that, besides his ill health, Alec was also more married to his job then her and that was what led to her affair. It was that affair that compromised the Sandbrook case and Alec sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.
"What happened after you broke up?"
"I decided to concentrate on my studies and stayed away from him. But, last night, when I came back early from study group, I found…."
"Let me guess. You found him in bed with someone?" he asked and Daisy gave him a slightly shocked look. She forgot that he used to be a DI so he would be able to tell what she wasn't saying and she lowered her head, nodding.
"It was my roommate. They had been seeing each other since the breakup and she told me that she didn't think I was coming back until after the library closed," she said and he looked straight ahead. "Daddy, are you ok?"
No, he wasn't ok. His heart thumped harder and the anger roared through him like some sort of wild beast. He wanted to punch something as he balled his hands into fists then closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose a few times to calm his heart down.
"Daddy?" she asked when he looked at her and saw the tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I'm nae ok. I am fucking furious," he growled and wiped her tears away. His anger changed into regret as he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm nae mad at you. I'm mad at him."
"So am I," Tess said as he looked at the screen and knew the look on her face. He had been on the receiving end of her angry face as he rubbed Daisy's back and Tess sighed. "That's why I suggested she come and stay with you for a bit."
"And her headmaster is ok with that?" he asked, looking at Daisy.
"Um…," she said as he looked at the screen and Tess scrunched up her face while making a soft hissing sound.
"What?"
"We, um, we sort of lied to him," Tess said and he gave her a wide eyed look.
"What did you tell him?"
"We told him that I had to come here to look after you," Daisy said and felt his heart jump.
"Hold on. You told him I was sick?" Alec asked with a puzzled look on his face and Tess half smiled.
"Yeah," she said. "He knows about…"
"He knows that I have a heart condition and thinks I had an attack?" he asked as he let go of Daisy and started pacing. Tess admitted that she liked watching Alec while he paced back and forth then stopped and folded his arms over his chest. "I cannae believe you did that!"
"It was the only thing we could think of," Daisy said and he looked at her then snorted a laugh.
"Bloody marvelous," he said while shaking his head and both of them looked at him with confused looks on their faces.
"So it's ok if I stay?" Daisy said and he nodded his head.
"Ok then. Bye," Tess said then ended the voice chat and Alec turned the laptop off. He closed the laptop then looked at Daisy as she picked up the suitcases and headed for the small hallway. He watched her going into the guest bedroom when a knocking sound filled the air and he looked at the door.
"Now what?" he asked while walking to the door and looked through the peephole. Opening the door enough to see outside, he looked at the woman standing there and a wave of anger rumbled in his chest.
"Hello, Alec," Chief Superintendent Elaine Jenkinson said as he glared at her and she sighed.
"What do you want?"
"I would like to come in."
"No," he said then closed the door and frowned. He knew that he was ill, but she was the one who forced him to retire after finding out about his condition and he turned on his heels, heading for his bedroom. Daisy was using the guest bedroom and he was half across the room when Elaine knocked on the door again. Growling, he stormed to the door, opened the door and glared at her. "I said no!"
"I heard you. I really need to talk to you," Elaine said as he sighed and rolled his eyes. Wiping his face with the towel, he pulled the door open and leaned against the doorframe. Elaine glanced up and down at his body, but it was his shaggy, nearly shoulder length hair that surprised her. She knew Alec had a shaggy look, but this actually looked sexy and he titled his head to one side, giving her an angry look.
"What do you want?"
"Nice to see you, too," she said as she walked by him and he closed and locked the door. She looked around the room while he appeared next to her and she crinkled her nose. "You stink."
"I was using that," he said with a nod to the treadmill then crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. "You said you needed tae talk so talk."
"Aren't you going to offer me a drink?"
"No. Look, I'm sort of in the middle of something so just say what you have tae say then leave," Alec said as he walked to the refrigerator and opened the door. He took out a bottle of water when he nearly tore the cap off and slugged down some water. He didn't feel dizzy as much as angry as he closed the door and looked at Elaine. She was sitting on the couch as he walked closer and stood in front of her. She noticed how well he had filled out since she had seen him last and he glared at her. "I'm waiting."
"I see that you haven't lost your charm. Sit down," she said and he sighed, sitting on the other end of the couch. She turned to face him as he sipped on the water and she placed her hands in her lap. "I have come here to offer you your old job back."
"What?" he asked, squinting his eyes and a frown appeared on his face.
"I want to offer you your old job back. I mean you can't be happy just being a police consultant."
"No, I'm bloody bored."
"Let me tell you why I'm making this offer. If you aren't interested then I'll go," she said as he sipped on the water and looked at her with a blank look on his face.
"Go on. I'm listening," he said, placing his left arm on the top of the couch.
"I have been given the task of finding a new senior detective inspector for a precinct in a town that is not only going to lose its police department, but its SOCO and ME departments. It has nothing to do with budget cuts or anything like that. It has to do with the SDI they have now. He has turned into a tyrant. The head office has received numerous complaints and the SOCO and ME departments in this town are threatening to quit," she said and he gave her a blank look.
"And the only SDI you could think of is me?" he asked, sipping on the water.
"Yes, and the reason I picked you is because they'll listen to you."
"They will?" he asked as he got a puzzled look on his face and thought for a few seconds. If they would listen to him then it meant he had worked with them before. He had been consulting for a few nearby precincts, but they seemed fine and the only one he knew that was in trouble was…. "Hold on. You're nae talking…"
"Yes," she said with a nod of her head and he sighed, rolling his eyes.
"What do I have tae do if I accept your offer?"
"Well, you will need to see the department doctor…."
"Nae him again," he sighed and she softly smiled.
"If he says you're fine…."
"I'm fine. Believe me," he said and she saw a look in his eyes that made her believe him.
"The other thing is you need a haircut," she teased and he ruffled his hair. "I mean you look like the Ghost of Christmas Present from Nan's Christmas Carol."
"It's nae that bad," he said with a sour look on his face.
"Well, are you going to take me up on my offer?" she asked as he looked at her and took a long drink of water.
