"What do you mean?" James replied, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. His heart was racing; this was his worst nightmare coming true.

"That's all they said, Jean's been attacked, she's been taken to the John Radcliffe." Robbie answered, repeating what he had already said after hanging up the phone a few moments previously.

"We need to go, we need to get there," James said, turning and rushing from the room at speed.

"Wait up lad, we will go but just slow down a bit." Robbie called, not understanding why James was in such a terrible hurry. Yes the news had been a shock and he hated to think of his boss laying hurt in a hospital bed, but he was a little confused by the strong reaction of his sergeant.

He met Laura on the stairs looking equally confused. "Where's James off to in such a hurry? He nearly knocked me over and he looked positively ghost like."

"Jean's been attacked," Robbie announced, we are going down to the JR to see what the situation is.

Laura looked worried too, "I'll come" she said, turning on her heels and walking quickly down the stairs with Robbie behind her.

"I'll drive," Robbie shouted at James, "you don't look in a fit state to."

James didn't argue, he just wanted to get to Jean in the quickest way possible. So many thoughts were racing through his mind. Who had attacked her? Why would they want to? But worst of all... was she alright?

"Just hurry Robbie, we need to get there and see if she's alright." James ordered, looking out of the window, not wanting either of the two of them to see the panic in his eyes. He was trying to stay calm, trying not to give the game away, but it wasn't proving easy.

Laura looked at the young man sat in the passenger seat. Even though she was behind, she could see him wringing his hands together and she could sense the tension ebbing from him as Robbie made his way slowly through the heavy traffic on Oxford's streets. This was certainly not the reaction of a man worried about the welfare of his boss, she thought.

"James," Laura began softly, "is there anything you want to tell us? You seem very stressed. I mean we're all worried about Jean but I can't help thinking it's more than that."

He turned his head towards her and she saw the panic in his eyes. He was blinking back tears and suddenly the desperation to tell someone the truth and for them to understand consumed him completely.

"I... I've been, um, we've... I've been having a relationship with Jean, about eight months now. Her husband moved out about six months ago and that made things easier but with work, we can't say anything and well now this..." A tear ran down his face and Laura reached forward and squeezed his shoulder.

Robbie looked so shocked Laura had to remind him to concentrate on the road. "I didn't see that one coming," he said quietly. "Eight months, you'd have thought I'd have sensed something."

"Yeh, well you know what Jean's like, ever the professional." James put his hand on Laura's which was resting on his shoulder. "I needed to tell someone, it's been bad enough having to keep quiet but after that phone call... she will be alright won't she?"

Laura thought he looked more like a little boy than a grown man in his thirties. She wanted to hug him and tell him that everything would be alright but she knew that wasn't fair. Until they got to the hospital and found out what the situation was she couldn't reassure him that Jean would be fine. And Robbie knew more than anyone that there was a chance that she wouldn't be.

Robbie pulled up at the hospital, telling James and Laura to get out while he went to park the car. James dashed inside and Laura did her best to keep up with him.

"I need to see Jean Innocent," he blurted out to the lady at the reception desk, "we were told she'd been attacked."

"Are you a relative sir?"

"Yes... no... sort of, look is she alright? How bad is it?"

"Look, take a seat sir, I'll get someone to come and speak to you." The receptionist smiled reassuringly.

"I just need to know she's okay, that she's alive." James turned reluctantly and sat on the nearest chair, Laura sitting by his side and squeezing his hand tightly.

"She's a strong woman James, if anyone can get through something like this it's her."

He wanted to believe her, he desperately wanted more than anything to believe that she was just the other side of that wall, giving the doctors and nurses hell for keeping her when she needed to be at work. Robbie joined them and then, after what seemed like an age, a doctor approached them.

"Mr...?" he began.

"Hathaway," James replied, "how is Jean? Is she alright? Can I see her?"

"Her son is with her, Mr Hathaway. She has suffered quite an ordeal but she's alive and she's regained consciousness. She's started talking but she's still a little disorientated. She is asking for James, is that you?"

"Yes, yes it is. Oh, thank goodness she's okay."

Laura felt his body relax for the first time since they left the station.

"Chris, knows about us," he said, letting go of Laura's hand and standing up from the chair. "He's the only person who does. Jean told him a month or so back. He's been very good about it."

Laura nodded, "you go see her, we'll wait for you here."

James followed the doctor along the corridor and into a small room where he was faced with a frail looking, badly bruised Jean, lying on the bed. She smiled weakly when she saw him and he had to fight the urge to just burst in to tears. "Hey you," she whispered, trying to sound cheerful.

"Oh baby, I'm so glad to see you, I was so worried when Robbie told me, I..." he wrapped his arms round her gently and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm okay James," she reassured, "I think it probably looks worse than it is."

Chris Innocent stood up from the other side of the bed. "I'll give you two a few minutes," he announced, leaning down to kiss his mother's cheek.

"You don't need to Chris," James replied, smiling at the young man next to him, seeing that he looked as pale and fraught as he himself felt.

"It's fine, I need to make a couple of calls and I could do with a drink. I'll bring you one back."

As he left, James turned his attention back to Jean. "I think I actually stopped breathing. When Robbie said those words it was like someone had sucked all the air out of the room. I had to get to you, to see if you were alright. I was so scared. I never want to feel like that again." He squeezed her hand tightly.

"I'm sorry James, Chris was going to phone you, but it all happened so quickly and he said the same, that he just wanted to get here, he didn't even think. I'm so glad you're here though."

James reached over and rubbed his thumb gently across her cheek. "Who did this Jean? Do you feel like you can tell me what happened?"

The pain in her eyes as he asked the question was agonising. It broke his heart but he needed to know that she really was okay and what's more he needed to catch the bastard who'd done this to her.

"I'd been with the Chief Constable at lunch. I'd parked on the other side of the park and as it was nice I decided to walk through. I was just walking through the small alleyway when I felt someone close behind me and..." her voice had started to crack and tears were running down her face.

"It's okay baby, I promise nobody will ever hurt you again, not while I'm alive to protect you. If you don't feel ready to talk about it then we can wait, I just need you to be alright."

He stood up, leaning over her and holding her gently, trying not to hurt her anymore than she was already hurting.

"I'm okay, really I am." James sighed, even now he knew she was desperately trying not to show any sign of weakness.

"It's okay not to be you know," he replied, looking into her eyes. "Look, Jean, did he... you know, did he..."

"No, she said confidently, "he tried to and I really thought he was going to but I managed to fight back."

James had never felt so angry, yet so relieved, before in the whole of his life. The thought of someone touching her, hurting her, was almost too much to take and he was desperate to get his hands on the man who had done this.

"Laura said you'd be alright because you were strong. She was right." He smiled at her lovingly.

"Laura knows?" Jean asked, a fresh look appearing across her face, this one a little panicked.

"Yes, I had to tell her and Robbie. I was sick with worry, they could tell I wasn't a man worrying about the well being of his boss. To tell you the truth, it was a relief to say it. They won't say anything, we can trust them."

She smiled at him. "I'm so glad you're here. As soon as I woke up I just knew I needed you to hold me and make things better," she whispered.

"I will always be here to make things better...always. I'll do everything I can to make sure this man gets locked up" he replied lovingly.

He held her and Jean knew that whatever she had been through, and whatever happened to her in the future, he would always be there to make it better. He would always love her and do whatever he could to protect her. The last few months had been the best of her life and she loved James Hathaway with all her heart. She trusted him and he was her soul mate. He kissed her gently and she felt the pain of the day begin to slowly lift from inside her. She knew then that everything really was going to be okay.