"PC Keane do you actually mean to tell me that THAT is an acceptable way to behave in front of new recruits!" Gina shouted, referring to Emma's actions which led to them having to drop a credit card fraud case against a well known con's wife. "You haven't been pulling your weight recently, although you are showing both Beth and Sally a perfect example of how not to behave. Showing up late, hung over and in need of a serious attitude adjustment will get you up on a disciplinary sooner than you think." Gina finished nastily.
She took a step closer to Emma who was still fixing her gaze firmly on the floor. "Do you understand me?" She said, her words dripping with sarcasm. Emma flinched and backed herself into the wall, her worried eyes flashing around the room looking for an escape. Her lip quivered as images of the many violent encounters with Matt flooded through her mind.
"Oh don't even bother with the tears PC Keane 'cause I'm all out of sympathy for you. Get out of m y sight and take yourself off home, I can't have you working like this." Gina said harshly.
Emma turned and fed from the office. When she'd closed the door behind her, she sank against the opposite wall and several tears trickled down her pale cheeks.
"PC Keane…Emma?" Smithy said worriedly as he stuck his head around his office door. "Come in here a minute." He added ushering her into the room on seeing her tears. "Is Gina getting to you again?"
"She just hates me so bad." Emma replied softly, her tears falling faster now she was forced to think about it. Only a few months previously, Gina had been showing Emma a world of support and securing charges against Matt. Never once believing the evidence which had stacked up against Emma.
"I'm sure she doesn't hate you. You're just going through a rough patch and it irritates her that your performance as a good officer is suffering. She can't be seen to condone some of your current behaviour because then she runs the risk of the new recruits copying you. I know something else is troubling you…fancy sharing?" He asked concernedly.
"I…I don't know what you're talking about." Emma stuttered guiltily. "I'm fine I just hate Gina blaming me for…for…for everything." She added, trying to cover up her blunder quickly.
"Yeah yeah okay you don't have to spill if you don't want to." He said soothingly, sweeping her into a hug. She tensed, remembering how Matt had once done that ever so calmly, and then kneed her in the stomach. Smithy felt this and he released her quickly, backing away from the terrified figure. "Take care Emma." He said softly as she left the office.
Emma blinked back the tears as she put her uniform back in her locker and took a last look in the mirror at her swollen, red eyes and mascara-streaked cheeks. Wiping her face the best she could with the back of her hand, she left the changing rooms and disappeared out the back exit.
As she reached her house, she was glad she didn't live too far from the station as her tears were now obstructing her vision, making it dangerous to drive. After letting herself in through the front door she let out a sob and collapsed on the sofa, grasping the waiting vodka bottle and downing a large gulp straight. It burned the back of her throat and she was satisfied by the pain. She couldn't undo Billy's death but she could ease the hurt by inflicting some of the pain up on herself.
Still crying, she reached under the sofa and picked up a photo album. She flicked through the pictures of her and Matt until she paused on one where Emma and Will and Lewis were standing about chatting animatedly while Matt was scowling with his arm wrapped protectively round her. That was Matt all over; he didn't get her friendship with the guys. Everything was sinister so he had to be in control. Always in control.
Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to suppress the awful memories of the many times he had inflicted severe pain on her. One particularly horrible beating flashed in front of her eyes and she shrank back into the sofa as though it was all happening again.
She'd picked up the phone while speaking to Matt as a new message had been received. "Pay attention when I'm talking to you." He'd commanded but still she didn't look up. "I said pay attention!" He screamed striking her hard on the side of the face with the palm of his hand. Emma whimpered, clutching her raw cheek as he snatched the phone from her hand.
Hey Emz tonight was good we should do it again soon. See you tomorrow for more of the same? Love ya xxWill
A thousand possible scenarios whizzed through Matt's mind but they all mounted up to the same thing. Emma had been meeting up with Will behind his back and that warranted a punishment. Sinking his foot into her side she collapsed on the floor and lay looking up at him. Matt showed little mercy at the best of times so he did not respond to her silent pleas.
"I…trusted…you." He said menacingly between kicks. Emma remembered little else about that encounter as she'd passed out shortly afterwards and woken late the next morning in the same position and with bruised ribs. Something as innocent as coffee with a few friends could turn so easily into the fuel for a violent argument with Matt. She didn't know what to do any more…she just didn't know.
Emma shook herself back to the present and downed another glass of wine, having almost finished the vodka. A wave of nausea brought her shakily to her feet and she crawled upstairs to the bathroom. Sitting in front of the toilet she retched bringing up some of the alcohol which if she thought had burned badly enough on the way down, it was nothing compared to the pain felt when choking it back up.
Emma sat being sick almost continuously for half an hour before she coughed again and choked up blood. Terrified by what she saw, she scrambled around for her phone. As she reached out she felt a hot, sharp pain shoot through her side as though she was being stabbed and she collapsed on the floor shaking violently.
Through the pain she managed to close her fingers around her phone and dial 999. "Ambulance." She said breathlessly to the operator.
"Can you tell me what's wrong please?" A cheerful voice said over the phone.
"My n…names PC Emma Keane from S…Sun Hill. I…I've been sick for over 30 minutes…oww…non stop." Emma panted, the pain in her side getting worse. "L…last time I coughed up….blood and it feels like…like I'm being stabbed in the side. I'm shaking and…and I can't stand…" Emma cried.
Feeling the contents of her stomach rise again, she was sick once more before passing out on the carpet, leaving the worried girl listening on the end of the phone.
A shortish fic from me...will only be a few chapters please review if you want to see more of it...it does get happier so don't worry :P xxpip
