DISCLAIMER: 'The Bill' characters depicted in this story is copyrighted to Thames Television/Pearson Corp
She lay slightly awoken. She blinked as her eyes got use to the bright hospital lighting, she could her the whispers of voices from outside the door and dim sounds of phones ringing, she could hear a constant beeping coming from the machines surrounding her. Questions lingered in her numb head; What had happened? Why am I here? Who else is in this way? Where is everyone and how did all the cards around her get there? First took in the scenery of her hospital room, the bed she lay in, the bedside desk next to her that had a jug of water and a half filled plastic cup next to it. A funny yellow television that was the wards patient entertainment, she was meant to be here for a while is they had installed cable she thought. Her eyes wondered around to a bag piled on the chair near the bedside.
Her clothes were inside. Not just clothes - her slippers, a toiletry bag filled so much that the seams were spitting and a small teddy bear, that she remembers from her childhood. The only people who knew about the teddy were her family. Why are they here? Who got hold of them? Are they angry? Where are they now? Questions trafficked her mind. She decided to examine her get well cards next, there were many so she must had been here a while. The first one she picked up was larger than an average card, and it had a small teddy bear with an leg in a cast, she opened the card. Hands shaking, she was still in a lot of pain, it numbed her body so finding the focus of the pain was nearly impossible, she looked at the card to find,
"Andrea get well soon, everyone is thinking about you - thanks for leaving us the paperwork, lotsa lurve the guys and gals form uniform XOX."
They had signed on the opposite page, messages of encouragement, everyone she could think of had signed the card. She put it back and picked up the one next to it, this one was smaller and had a fairy waving a wand. The inside message read,
" Andrea hope you recover soon, we are all missing your help with paperwork, don't take too long or we'll find someone else love from the best detectives in the world, CID XX."
There was a slim tear in her eye, what had happened that had made everyone sign a card, thinking about everyone she double checked the signatures, Neil hadn't signed it, nor had any other senior officer. Weird she thought. There were a few more cards, mostly from her family and friends up in Scotland. Bertha her best fiends had written a letter about current Scottish issues, how's people she know are getting along and the details of her latest relationship. There was a small footer at the bottom of the card,
"See you soon babe, I hate planes but I'll take one for you Love Bertha XX"
At this point Andrea was getting worried. She had no idea what was going on, there was two cards left, she stretched form her bed to reach them. The first one she grabbed was average size for a card and had a cat dressed up as a police woman on the front, she opened the card with trembling hands, the medication was wearing off she thought, as she opened the card her eyes instantly darted form one side of the card to the other. Searching for Neil, and there he was in the bottom left corner, a tiny message.
"Get well soon, enjoy the time off, DI Manson"
The other senior officers had signed it, Adam Okaro's message looked really long, so she read that next,
"Andrea, you are a credit to the force, luckily you only lost three of your nine lives. Hope to see you back - don't worry about work, Supt Adam Okaro."
This is weird she thought. The last card was at the bottom of bedside cabinet. It was mainly blank with a purple background and in bold was the traditional get well message, as she opened the card, as she examined the page she instantly recognised Neil's writing, he wrote like this when he didn't want anyone to notice it's his writing - it was in capitals. She read it from the top.
"Dear Andrea, Hope you get better soon, you are always on my mind from start of a day to the finish, I'm wishing and hoping you'll be OK and I hope that you'll be back on a near day. Love N. XX"
Poetry… from Neil! Now this was getting strange. The real world started to sieve back into Andrea's mind, she rang the nurse caller on her bed. One came almost instantly,
"Miss Dunbar you are awake!" The nurse turned back to the corridor, "Mary go get Dr Jones - Miss Dunbar in room four had just woken up." The other nurse nodded and walked off quickly.
A few moments later the doctor arrived with the young nurse tailing behind him. He made eye contact with Andrea and smiled.
"Miss Dunbar, you had all of us on the ward worried about you. We thought that you were not going to make it. I few days ago it was touch and go for a while." He spoke as he looked at her notes, once he had finished he softly smiled and sat by her side on the bed.
"How are you feeling? Any pains?" Andrea explained that she felt weak and numb, the doctor nodded and started to run a quick check-up.
As he was she examined him, he wore a white coat with his suit underneath. He had been busy today she thought. He had white wispy hair and small sideburns, his voice was deep and rough, but it matched his style. Like a old headmaster she wondered. "Everything seems OK so far Miss Dunbar, you have recovered very well!" He stood and talked to the nurse, Andrea glanced outside the door and saw Lance waiting outside - Guarding.
"Nurse, can you send in the policeman outside the door please?" The nurse looked back and forth at Andrea and Lance, she nodded and left along with the doctor. Lance entered with excitement,
"Andrea! Are you all right, I've been worried. We all have, I…" Andrea raised her hand to stop him talking. She sighed, "Lance I have no idea what happened or why I'm even here. Please tell me! Why have I got everyone worried." Lance looked shocked,
"No-one has told you about it?" Andrea winced as she sat up.
"Tell me Lance!" Lance sat down next to her " There was an explosion at the station, seven officers were injured, three killed and you in critical, they say that you were the only one to see who it might be, coz' they found you where witnesses have said they saw someone running away form the gates. In the yard." By now Andrea was really shocked, she gulped. "Who has been killed and injured Lance?"
He looked down, he didn't want to tell her in this state but knew he had to.
"Marilyn Chambers, Dean McVerry and Gabriel Kent died, Yvonne, Honey, Gary Best, Phil Hunter, Steve Hunter, Sergeant Smith and Tony were injured but some were in hospital and some weren't, they are all out now and some are even back out there!" Andrea didn't know what to do, she was relieved that Neil wasn't in the list but saddened that so many people had died and got injured. "Lance what about the others, how come so many were injured?" Lance gulped "Cathy Bradford had a bomb around her, only she didn't tell anyone so no-one could move. You came into the station around the back, because you were late. You were running into the Yard not to be any later, only to be very near to Cathy. Gabrielle, tried to calm her down with Suzie. Marilyn was returning after a chat with Reg by the gate, and as she wanted to avoid the super who was waiting out the front she went around the back.
So the only people in the Yard at the time were you lot. The other that had gotten injured had been a result of the explosion, you know damaged walls falling and cars flying. You are the only one who could have seen anything, the bomb squad said that it was sight activated, so someone put it on her and must had told her it was a dud to scare you all, and then they set it... The person was standing by the gates apparently, and as you were late for work, you must had come though the back and saw them standing there." Andrea was silent.
Then she cried.