'What do you think this is, Life on Mars?!' joked Gill as she leaned back on her pillows. Janet and Rachel just smiled knowing their boss really didn't begrudge them a drink after the day they had all just endured.

'Where's Julie?' Gill asked.

'Still stuck with Karen Zalinski, I shouldn't wonder.' Janet answered, remembering how Julie had told her, trembling, that she was off to keep the Assistant Chief Con, in the loop.

'Poor Slap!' Gill exclaimed, 'Just what she could do without.' Gill sighed as she readjusted her pillows and tried to get comfortable.

'Yeah...' Janet said, thoughtfully. 'Who'd have thought Julie Dodson was afraid of anyone?' Janet had seen how Julie wanted nothing more than to escape and come to Gill's party. She'd seen the desperate look in Julie's eyes.

'Have you ever been face to face with Karen Zalinski?' Gill quizzed.

Janet's face said it all.

'She's one scary lady!' Gill said. 'Still, she shouldn't keep her long. I would have thought she'd have told Julie to go by now.'

'Has she not texted you, or phoned?' Rachel thought it odd that Julie had not made any contact with Gill.

Gill turned to look at her phone, previously discarded on the bedside table, next to the gin. There were plenty of messages, and missed calls, but none from the woman she so desperately wanted to hear from. Gill didn't want it to show how much she wanted to hear from Julie. She wasn't sure she wanted to admit to herself how much she longed for Julie at that moment. She was aching for her best friend to be here with her; to hold her and soothe her and tell her that everything would be alright. Yeah, and the rest! The little voice in her head was screaming at her. Gill wasn't sure when her feelings for her best friend had started to change, but they had mutated and coalesced into something much more than just friendship. Gill reached over and downed the glass of gin and tonic in one. Judging by the state of Gill and the amount missing from the bottle, Janet and Rachel deduced that this was far from her first. Grabbing the bottle and standing somewhat unsteadily. Gill remarked.

'I hear there's a party downstairs that we're missing!' She walked out onto the landing, pausing to slip her feet into impossibly high heeled shoes, and then tackled the stairs, Janet and Rachel behind her, hoping she didn't stumble.

Once downstairs the trio dispersed. Gill went to suggest to Dave that he went home, as he was now looking very much the worse for wear whilst Rachel went to grab a quick fag in smokers corner in the back garden, and Janet went to offer her congratulations to the happy couple, who looked like an advert for young love. Had she and Ade ever felt like that? She remembered their engagement party, with fondness. What on earth had happened? There was no use dwelling on the past, she thought as she looked up. Gill caught her eye as she was wrestling with Dave, trying to get him into the hallway. Janet went over to help her friend.

'Hi, Dave.' Janet said as she took the opposite elbow to Gill, and succeeded in guiding the extremely inebriated Dave into the hallway, as he only half protested. ''M not ready to go yet!' he slurred.

'I've called a taxi.' Gill said by way of explanation, and just then Janet heard a car horn tooting and opened the front door to reveal a taxi at the end of the drive. Janet and Gill manoeuvred Dave down the path and bundled him into the taxi. As Gill was giving the driver the address of Dave's mum, and enough money to cover the fare (although Janet couldn't think why Gill was paying Dave's way) Janet looked down the street. She was sure that the car parked a few houses down on the opposite side was Julie's, but if it were, where was the woman herself? She looked round, but could see no sign of Julie. She realised that the taxi was long gone and Gill was heading back to the party and she hurried to catch up with her friend.

Once back inside Janet mingled for a while then went to find Rachel, thinking she really ought to go home to Taisie and Elise.

'Think I'm going to head off. Get home to the girls...and my mother.' Rachel screwed up her face at the mention of Dorothy. Janet's mother did not like Rachel, and the feeling was mutual. 'D'ya want a lift? Janet had not had a drink, since the glass of wine she'd had at the pub with Rachel that afternoon.

'Nah.' Rachel replied. 'Now I've crashed the party I might as well stay for a bit! I'll get a taxi later. Thanks, anyway.' she continued as she leant in to kiss Janet goodnight and give her a hug. 'We're... we're alright ,aren't we, pal?' Rachel asked looking a little worried, biting her bottom lip. She really had missed Janet since the falling out.

Janet smiled her reassurance. 'We're good.' she reiterated. 'I'll phone you tomorrow. Maybe go out for lunch?'

'Sure.' Rachel said, and Janet headed over to Sammy and Orla and then to Gill to say her goodbyes.

'Have you heard anything from Julie?' Gill asked as she walked with Janet to the front door.

'Nothing.' Janet confirmed, looking at her phone.

'Me neither.' Gill sighed. 'It's not like her, after something like this. I've left her three or four messages. She surely can't still be at work?'

'I'm sure she'll be in touch soon.' Janet said with more conviction than she felt. She didn't mention that she thought she'd seen Julie's car earlier.

.

'I'm sure you're right.' Gill said. She looked so disheartened that Janet asked if she were going to be OK.

Gill looked up and Janet could see the tears in her eyes. 'I'll be fine.' she reassured her friend. She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, and Janet knew she was not being sincere.

'Come here.' Janet pulled Gill into a tight hug, and Gill broke down sobbing in Janet's arms. Janet held her tight soothed her and suggested that Gill go back upstairs to lie down.

Once upstairs, Gill raced to the bathroom as a wave of nausea descended on her, collapsing on the floor and leaning over the toilet bowl as she vomited over and over again. Janet knelt beside her ailing friend and boss, uttering soothing words,smoothing her hair back and keeping it out of the way. Finally the retching stopped and Gill came up for air. She took a few deep breaths after spat out the last of the bitter bile that had come up. Janet looked at Gill's tear stained face, mascara running down her cheeks as she continued sobbing. Janet reached for a wash cloth, wringing it out and gently applying it to Gill's face, wiping away all the ruined make-up with the tears. She knew she didn't want to be anywhere else. Over the years the two friends had done this for each other, when one of them had had more than they could handle.

'Oh, Gill.' Janet said as she helped her to the bedroom. She knew Gill had had a very distressing day, but her gut told her that there was more to it than just just the whole Helen Bartlett situation. 'Hey, what's eating you, eh? You can tell me.'

Gill collapsed on the bed, and allowed Janet to take off her evening dress, and ease her under the covers. Gill said nothing, but Janet saw that tears were still sliding silently down Gill's cheeks. Janet smoothed her hair back, trying to comfort Gill. She resolved that she would stay with Gill all night and hopefully speak to her in the morning to find out why her friend was so distressed and see if there was anything she could do to help.

Janet hastily texted her mother so she wouldn't worry, hoping the text alert would not wake Dorothy. Janet was sure she would understand; she knew something about Gill's ordeal after all and she would understand why Janet didn't want Gill to be alone tonight.