Chapter One
Broadchurch
Ellie Miller wasn't surprised when there was a knock on the door as she stopped packing and walked to the door. The precinct had send over some officers to keep the press away after someone told them that her husband, Joe, was Danny Latimer's killer and she sighed, opening the door.
"Hullo," Former DI Alec Hardy said as she looked at him and saw the tired look in his eyes.
"Uh, hello, I thought you left," she said.
"No," he said then looked down and Fred walked over, looking up at him. "Who's this?"
"Oh, you haven't met," she said then picked up Fred and held him in her arms. "This is my youngest son, Fred. Fred, can you say hi to Alec?"
"Hi, Awec," Fred said and Alec gave him a slightly blank look.
"How old is he?" Alec asked.
"He's a little over a year," she said then gave him a concerned look. "What's wrong?"
"Can I come in?" he asked and she stood back, letting him come in. She closed the door while he nodded his head to Tom then sat on the foot of the bed. She placed Fred down as he walked to Alec then turned around, sitting between his feet. "I…I decided….I…"
"Does this have to do with….your problem?" she asked as she sat down next to him and he nodded his head.
"What problem?" Tom asked.
"Alec is…."
"I'm sick," Alec said then glanced at Ellie.
"What's wrong with you?" Tom asked.
"I'm nae sure if you'll understand, but I have what's called heart arrhythmia. It means my heart's not beating correctly."
"Can you get it fixed?"
"Your mum asked me the same thing. Aye, I can get it fixed. In fact, I'm on my way tae the hospital."
"That's great," Ellie said then saw the look in his eyes and sighed. "Um, Tom, can you look after Fred for a bit?"
"Sure," Tom said as they got up and headed for the door. Ellie closed the door after they left the room as she looked at Alec and he looked at his feet.
"What aren't you telling me?" she asked when he sighed, reached into his pocket and took out a folded piece of paper.
"Now, before I give you this, I need your promise that you will nae use this until after I'm…Until the operation is over," he said and she gave him a blank look.
"What is it?"
"It's the number for my daughter's smart phone," he said then handed her the folded piece of paper. "Do you promise?"
"Wait, you want me to call your daughter and tell her?"
"That's exactly what I want."
"Why didn't you call her?"
"I tried, but I couldnae get the words out," he said as he went to leave when she touched his arm and he looked at her.
"Alright, I'll do it," she said as he nodded then started walking away, stopped and held onto the wall. She half ran to him as he placed his forehead against the wall and she saw the sadness on his face. He closed his eyes for a few minutes then opened them and looked at her. "Stay right there."
"I'm…."
"Stay!" she said then went down the hallway and a few minutes later she came out of the room with Tom and Fred. Sighing, Alec stood straighter as she gave him a concerned look and they went down the hallway.
Ellie watched as the nurse smoothed the sheet down and Alec looked at the ceiling. There were three other men in the room as she walked toward the bed and smiled at Fred sitting on the chair, looking at the lights moving on the heart monitor. Tom was standing next to the chair as Alec looked straight ahead and was miserable.
"Did the doctor say when you're going to have your surgery?" she finally asked.
"He wants tae do some tests so it's the day after tomorrow," he said then sighed and blinked his eyes a few times.
"Are you scared?" Tom asked and he looked at him. In all his years as a DI he had never met a braver kid and he nodded his head.
"Well, we have to go now," Ellie said. "You promise not to leave?"
"Aye, I'll be a good boy," he said as she smiled then picked Fred up and they headed for the door. "Um, can you do me another favor?"
"What is it?" she asked, adjusting her hold on Fred.
"Can you tell Reverend Coates that I want him tae come and see me?"
"You're not his favorite person right now."
"Just tell him that I'm…That I really need tae talk with him," he said and she saw the seriousness in his eyes.
"Ok," she said as Alec watched them go then looked at the heart monitor and sighed.
Tom and Fred watched a dvd while Ellie stood at the window and looked at the darkness. She knew that Alec would be furious, but she couldn't stand the thought of his daughter finding out after the fact about what was going on when she slid out into the hallway and took her smart phone out of her pocket. She had saved the number when she pushed the button and held the smart phone up to her ear.
"Hello, who is this?" a young girl's voice asked and Ellie sighed, half closing her eyes.
"Hello, this is DS Miller. I am calling on behalf of DI Alec Hardy."
"What's wrong? Has something happened to him?"
"Yes," she said then sighed and told her what was going on. She also talked with his ex-wife, Tess, then ended the call and leaned against the wall. Sinking to the floor, she placed her hands between her knees and tears trickled down her cheeks.
"You did what?" he asked with anger in his eyes as Ellie stood near the bed and he breathed hard and fast through his nose. "Miller, I told you that you were tae call her AFTER my operation!"
"Yes, you did, but I felt that she a right to know! If it were me, I would have wanted Tom and Fred to know!"
"But I'm nae you!"
"Did Reverend Coates come to see you?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Aye, he did. I apologized for being an arsehole and he forgave me. We talked aboot a lot of things, even prayed a bit, then I asked him…Well, I asked him if it would be alright if I was buried in the cemetery even if I wasnae from his perish."
"What did he say?"
"He said it would be alright and he would even do the service at the funeral."
"That's good, but I don't think you're going to die."
"I might," he said when the door opened and a woman and a young girl walked in the room. Ellie saw the look in his eyes as the young girl ran to the bed and carefully wrapped her arms around him.
"Daddy," she said softly as he hushed her and kissed the side of her head. He stroked her hair while the woman walked closer and stood by the bed.
"Hello," he said.
"Hello," she said then looked at Ellie. "You must be DS Miller."
"Yes," Ellie said with a nod of her head as Daisy sat on the edge of the bed and took his hand.
"Did they do the tests yet?" Daisy asked.
"Aye," Alec sighed and rubbed his eyes with his finger and thumb. Ellie saw the look on Tess's face as she walked to the door then stopped, looking back at them. She felt terrible for staying as she watched Tess gently hugging him and, for the first time since he was over at her house for dinner, Alec smiled.
"How long have you been like this?" Tess asked and he looked like a child who was about to be scolded.
"It's been eighteen months or so. It only got bad aboot a month or two ago," he said and she gave him a stunned look.
"Wait, that was around the time….You were sick while working on the Sandbrook case?"
"Aye," he sighed and she rolled her eyes.
"Why didn't you say something?"
"Mum, please, you're upsetting him," Daisy said.
"No, Honey, it's ok," he said then looked at Tess. "I was afraid that I would lose my job if I had said something and I was right. I'm done."
"This is my fault," Tess sighed.
"Um," he said as he looked at Daisy and squeezed her fingers. "Do me a favor and go get me a soda."
"You can't have that," she said then saw him looking at her mother then nodded, getting off the bed. She walked to the door when she looked at Ellie and Ellie opened the door. She closed the door after Daisy left the room and looked at Alec looking at the ceiling.
"Sit," Alec said as Tess sat down next to him and he took her hand. "This was nae your fault."
"Yes, it is. If I hadn't had the affair…."
"I agree that was a dumb thing tae do, but it was my decision tae take the blame when your car got broken into and the locket was nicked. If I hadn't then you wouldn't be a DI now."
"I just keep thinking of all the arguments and fights we had afterwards. It got so bad that we ended up…"
"Aye, and at the time, I thought it was a good idea for us tae get divorced," he said and she stroked the side of his hand with her thumb.
"Do you regret it?"
"Of course I do," he said with a sad look in his eyes and she moved closer, kissing his lips.
"I'm sorry."
"So am I," he said.
"Dumbo," she teased and he smiled.
"Bitch," he teased back when Daisy walked back in the room and headed for the bed. "Miller, can you come over here please?"
Ellie walked to the bed as he looked from Tess to Daisy to Ellie then sighed and half closed his eyes.
"When are they going to do the surgery?" Daisy asked and he opened his eyes.
"Nine thirty tomorrow morning," he said with a sigh and Tess squeezed his fingers. "I want all of you tae be there."
"Even me?" Ellie asked and he gave her a tiny smile.
"Aye, Miller, even you," he said with slightly bugged out eyes and Daisy softly giggled. The nurse came over and told them they had to leave as Tess and Daisy kissed his cheeks and Ellie held the door opened. She looked at him as he gave her a blank look then nodded his head to assure her that he wasn't going anywhere and she smiled, leaving the room.
"Ah, Miller, there you are," Alec said with a goofy look on his face and she smiled, taking his hand.
"You have to forgive him. He's dopey," Tess said and he frowned.
"You got the wrong dwarf. I'm Grumpy. Ask Miller," he said then giggled and half closed his eyes.
"Daddy," Daisy giggled and he smiled up at her.
"I am," he said when the interns brought over the gurney and he looked at them. "Ah, there's my ride."
"Behave," Tess said as she kissed the top of his head and tapped the tip of his nose with the tip of his finger.
"My chest itches," he said with a pout and scratched his chest. "Why did they have tae shave most of my chest hair off?"
"It'll grow back," she said as he sighed and nodded his head. She kissed his lips then told him she loved him and he smiled.
"Love you, Daddy," Daisy said then kissed his cheek and he looked at Ellie. Shrugging, she kissed the top of his head and he grinned, looking at the interns.
"Anyone else want tae kiss me?" he asked as they laughed then the interns carefully loaded him on the gurney and headed for the door. "Bye-bye."
They watched them lead the gurney out of the room then held hands and the door closed.
Hours passed as the three of them sat in the chapel when the doctor walked toward them and Ellie looked at him, standing up. She didn't like the look in his eyes when he sighed and sat down next to Alec' Tess.
"Is Alec…is he alright?" she finally asked and the doctor looked at his hands.
"The good news is he's alive," he said and Ellie frowned.
"If that's the good news, what's the bad news?" she asked and the doctor looked at her.
"He is in serious critical condition," he said and Alec' Tess held onto Daisy, who started crying. "I'll be honest with you. We had to restart his heart during the operation and he's slipped into a light coma."
"Will he…Will my dad wake up?" Daisy asked.
"We don't know at this point."
"But he's alright?""
"If he survives the next twenty-four hours," he said and Tess thanked him. The doctor left the chapel as Ellie sat down and took her hand. All of them looked at the cross on the wall then closed their eyes and started praying.
Alec was in the ICU for a month and Ellie spent time watching him from behind the glass. She had been informed that Children Services wanted to take Fred and Tom away from her and it was a miracle that she was able to keep them. Her sister had offered to let her and the boys to stay with her until she could figure out what she wanted to do, but she wanted to go home. After the house was cleaned and redecorated, she and the boys moved back in the house and Olly came over to watch the boys while she went to the hospital to visit Alec.
What worried her was the doctor telling her and Tess that the longer Alec stayed unconscious the less likely he would wake up and she started wondering if she would ever hear his voice again.
It was two o'clock in the morning when her smart phone woke her as she turned the light on then rolled onto her back, picking up the smart phone and pushed the button.
"Hello?" she asked then heard a soft sighing on the other end and frowned.
"M-m-miller?" a soft yet familiar voice asked and tears prickled the corners of her eyes.
"Yes, Sir?" she asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Get…your…arse…here…n-now," Alec said softly and she smiled.
"On my way," she said then ended the call and placed the smart phone against her chest.
The door opened as she walked in the room and Alec smiled at her with his eyes half opened. She had called Olly to come and stay with the boys as she saw the phone on the table next to the bed and Tess was sitting on the small bed near the window. Alec looked so tired and pale as Ellie walked to his bed and took his hand.
"Hello," he said a little breathlessly as he squeezed her finger and she smiled softly at him.
"Don't talk," she whispered and he sighed, looking up at the ceiling.
"Did…you…bring…any…grapes?" he asked as she softly laughed and rolled her eyes.
"No, I didn't," she said when he blinked his eyes then looked at her.
"I…hate…having…a…pace…maker," he grumbled then closed his eyes and she gently brushed the hair out of his eyes as he drifted off to sleep. He didn't let go of her hand as she looked at the heart monitor and tears rolled down her cheeks.
"No, no way," Alec said as Ellie walked in the room and was happy to see him sitting up.
"But the doctor said …," Tess said as Ellie stood next to her and saw the anger in his eyes.
"The doctor can sod off. I am nae staying here," he said and Daisy hushed him.
"Daddy, calm down or the nurse will come in," she said and Ellie gave them a confused look.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I want tae go home is what's going on," he said and folded his arms across his stomach.
"The doctor wants Alec to stay here while he's recovering," Tess said.
"I see," Ellie said and smiled.
"It's nae funny, Miller. I want tae go home," he grumbled then looked at the ceiling. "I hate it here."
"We get that," Tess said, brushing the hair from his ear. "What you don't get is you need peace and quiet."
"I can get that at home," he said, looking at her.
"Not with people still pissed off about what happened. They hounded you to the point where you had to come here," she said as he sighed and looked at Daisy.
"Dinnae you want me tae come home?"
"Of course I do," she said and kissed his cheek. "But, if you stay here, we could video chat."
"You'd do that?"
"Yes, every day if you want to."
"The thing is I'm nae sure where I'll be able tae stay. The room I had at Becca Fisher's place is gone. I cannae stay here."
"You could always come and stay with me," Ellie said and he gave her a serious look.
"I thought you were leaving."
"I'll stay if you do. So, do we have a deal?" Ellie asked as he thought for a few minutes then wiped his face with his hands and puffed out a breath of air.
"Deal," he said as they shook hands and she softly smiled at him.