She had asked a few questions, the same as everyone else such as were other children safe and Hardy had looked directly at her, giving a lengthy answer not just to her but to the cameras and everyone else in the room.
She thought better of going after him and rushed back to the newspaper office and went to her desk to type everything out and handed it to Maggie. It was getting late but the editor wanted to make a start but the news came on and they all stopped as the TV presenter handed over to the news conference from earlier that Rose had attended. It was then that the whole town knew exactly what had happened that morning and it hit every single person like a ton of bricks.
Just before they left, a woman walked into the office and came up to the desk, most of the others had already left. Rose went to see who had come in this late.
"Can I help you, the office is about to close."
"I'm Karen While from the Daily Herald. Any chance I can get a desk here?"
Rose sincerely doubted it as Maggie came forward. "Maggie Radcliffe, editor. Sorry, we're a busy operation and if I give you a desk then everyone else who comes down here will want one. If you're staying, there's a hotel across the road."
The woman thought this was going to be a real friendly town. Maggie went back to her office and Karen thought she would try and make friends with the young woman behind the desk. Rose wasn't having any of it, Karen White was Hardy's number one enemy and if she was going to help him, she was not going to get friendly with this reporter.
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Alec Hardy had just got back from the press conference, he had been to his hotel to change for it, not that he had seen any point in it but he had made the effort. Who had been that blonde woman who had asked him questions? The same woman he had seen on the beach earlier that morning and she had been staring at him again. He hoped it wasn't a friend of that Karen White, he'd seen her sneak in at the last minute, she had got there fast but being a vulture, she had probably flown down but how had she got to know? He thought only press from the town and neighbouring ones had been informed, she must have bugged the Police station.
Rose went back to her apartment, calling to get some food on the way back and later on, she watched a repeat of the statement Alec Hardy had given earlier. The more she watched him, the more he looked like the Timelord. She would have to get over this, if she was going to make it in the newspaper business.
The following morning, Hardy was walking Danny Latimer's paper round, he had set various tasks for the team, finding the missing phone and the skateboard. He had noticed a woman walking a dog as he approached a hut on top of the cliff he found himself on and also noticed a CCTV camera, they both needed investigating.
Rose and Maggie were working on the story and she had set up a book of condolence on the counter, Rose had printed out a poster to put in the window with most people in the office already signing it, including Rose who hadn't known the boy or his family but she cared about people, that was what she did, with or without The Doctor.
Rose thought back to Karen White, thinking how she could protect Alec Hardy against her. She knew Maggie had taken an instant dislike to her and it would be easy that if the woman wrote something damaging about him they could countermand it so Rose was going to go see Hardy and tell him that if he wanted to talk to the press, The Echo would do things properly.
A few days later though, she still had not got the chance to speak to him but she was doing some digging and came across something she thought might be of interest to the Police and as Maggie had asked her to cover the press interview the Latimers were going to give, she saw her chance. She took notes during the brief interview and waited outside for Miller and Hardy.
"DI Hardy, can I have a word?" It was the first words she had spoken to him.
Hardy told Miller to get into the car but she stopped. The woman that he had seen hanging around outside the Police station, at interviews and on the beach was addressing him. He thought that somehow she knew him or thought she knew him but until arriving here, he was certain they had never met before unless she had covered the Sandbrook case or she was in collusion with The Daily Herald reporter.
"I'm Rose Tyler, from The Echo and I have something for you." She handed him a folder. "It's information about that woman, from the caravan site, only in these reports, she goes under a different name. Thought you might be interested." She didn't want to tell him why she had been digging, Maggie had heard something about her and told Rose she should pass it on.
Hardy took the folder and handed it to Miller. "Really Miss Tyler, we have a murder investigation to get through, we don't have time to follow people who are going by different names." Miller handed the folder back to her without even looking at it.
Hardy just looked at her, then at Miller, shook his head and got into the car. So much for that then. Then he opened his window.
"Miss Tyler, if you're so interested in this woman, bring us something concrete, like she's involved in this investigation, then we'll talk."
The car drove off, leaving Rose standing in the car park and unknown to her, the woman in question was watching her. Rose got back in her car and drove home, parking around the back of the glass and chrome building.
Hardy got back to his hotel, what was it about that reporter? He couldn't stop thinking about her now but he didn't want to make it obvious. He had seen her several times and earlier was the first time they had spoken, not getting off to a very good start. His DS had persuaded him, well not persuaded, twisted his arm to accept a dinner invitation and he wasn't looking forward to it, what would he say to her and her husband? They would probably talk shop all night. He wondered where this reporter lived, she wasn't staying in the hotel.
He had received a report a few days ago from the same reporter via the newspaper, about the newsagent, Jack Marshall and they had brought him in for questioning, having to let him go since there was nothing to tie him to this case but trouble had brewed. Rose had been to ask him questions, outside the sea brigade hut and had taken him to one side. If she hadn't been a woman, he would probably have knocked her out cold but he had restrained himself and warned her never to come near him or his shop again. A local plumber had seen the altercation and word had soon spread, resulting in the man taking his own life.
Maggie has been a bit annoyed with Rose but was just as guilty for telling her to go get his side of the story. Rose was not pleased with herself when it was all over the daily papers, including theirs that the man had been hounded by half the men in town.
Two nights later though, Hardy had sort of half enjoyed his meal at the Miller home and made his way back to his hotel. He had just opened the side door and saw the woman with the dog from the caravan site and she had shouted a 'Goodnight' to him from across the road. Suddenly, his focus went, everything was becoming blurred as he got upstairs as quickly as he could but on entering his room, desperately trying to fumble for his pills, the pack was empty. He got himself as far as the bathroom door and collapsed.
The next thing he knew, he was laid down and someone was holding his hand. Rose had gone to his hotel in the hope of talking to him and had persuaded the hotel owner that he was expecting her. Miss Fisher had no reason to believe otherwise but had tried calling his room and got no answer.
"Sorry Miss Tyler but he's not answering and he wasn't at dinner earlier. Perhaps he's still working?"
"Yeah, he must have forgotten he asked me to drop by this evening, he said after nine." It was already nine thirty.
Just then the phone rang. "Yes Mrs Taylor, I'll go up and see what he's throwing around his room, he's usually quiet."
Becca Fisher turned to Rose. "Seems he's in after all, the woman below just complained about a loud bang coming from the room above hers which is Hardy's room."
"Well can I come up with you then? If he doesn't want to see me, you can throw me out."
Becca Fisher agreed and the two women went upstairs. Hardy's room door was unlocked, Becca went in first and shouted "Hello" but got no answer. Then she saw some legs on the floor of the bathroom and dashed inside, crossing to where she saw Hardy lying on the floor, a small pool of blood by his head. She shouted out to Rose "Quick, get an ambulance."
Rose dialled 999 and asked for an ambulance to come to The Traders Hotel, getting the room number and was asked some questions. Becca checked his pulse, he was breathing but it was shallow and where the blood had come from. Rose said he had probably hit his head as he had fallen. Then they asked his age and personal details, Rose replying she had no idea, she was just visiting the hotel and they had found him lying there.
Becca asked Rose to stay with him. "You stay here, I'll go let the ambulance crew in. He'll need someone here if he comes around in case he has a serious injury. I wonder why he collapsed?"
"I'll stay with him, you go down. Can I call you Becca? I'm Rose."
The other woman nodded and left the room. It was then that Rose spied an empty blister pack with an unpronounceable name of a medication on the back. He had clearly passed out because he had none left but why hadn't he got more from a local GP? Surely he could have transferred if he was staying in the town. She picked the empty pack up, she would give it to the ambulance crew so they would know what his problem was.
Rose heard a noise and the ambulance crew came into the room. They checked his pulse again and Rose handed the empty blister back to one of the men. "I found this beside him, maybe that was what caused him to collapse."
The man nodded and helped his team mate get Hardy onto a stretcher. Rose turned to Becca. "I'll go with him," she whispered as she followed them out and waited for the lift.
One of the crew asked who she was as she got into the waiting ambulance parked outside but she ignored them pretending she was upset and grabbed hold of Hardy's hand. "He'll be ok won't he? He forget to get his prescription, I told him to get it but it he didn't."
Rose hoped she was putting on a good show. She found his wallet and saw a picture of a young girl, probably his daughter, she had read up about him, out of curiosity of course. She was brought back down to earth.
"Sorry but who are you exactly?" a nurse asked her as the ambulance door opened and Hardy was being taken out and looking at Rose who was still holding his wallet, thinking she was just an opportunist looking to steal the man's belongings, as if she would be in the ambulance with him if she was.
"His wife," was all she could think of.
She followed the gurney he had been put on into the emergency room and was asked to wait outside, being handed his jacket they had taken off him in the ambulance so she took advantage of the time and found his driving licence, which at least gave his full name, his home address, which was now out of date and his date of birth. 18th April 1971. He was 42 and she was 26, a hell of an age gap, he was a lot older than even her ex boyfriend was. Still, better than when she was 19 and The Doctor was 900. That hadn't bothered her. Somehow, they had got round her age and birthday and they now coincided with her original of 1987 which made her actually older since there was a difference between this world and her own, this one running ahead, it was 2013 here and it made her head hurt thinking about it.
A nurse came out and crossed over to her. "We've taken your husband into recovery, he'll be ok - this time but he needs that operation, he might not be so lucky the next time. Were you in your hotel room when it happened?"
Rose couldn't lie. "No, I'd been working, I work at the newspaper, just arrived in town, we haven't found anywhere else yet." She was shocked to learn Hardy needed a potentially life-saving operation but she didn't know what for. She had to be careful or she would get kicked out.
"So can you give him more medication? He's not had time yet, I didn't know he was so low on it."
The nurse nodded. "We'll have to keep him in but we've already got him on it, he'll come round soon. Best be at his bedside when he wakes up."
Rose followed the nurse into a room and saw Hardy hooked up to some monitors, including a heart rate one and surmised his problem, he had a bad heart. How ironic since the man he resembled had two. She didn't know how long she should stay, she had to at least look the part so she settled down in the chair, thinking it was a good thing the nurse had not noticed neither of them were wearing wedding rings. She heard a moan from beside her Hardy was waking up. She grabbed his hand.
"Hi sunshine, how are you feeling?" she asked, putting his wallet into his jacket pocket before he noticed she was looking through it.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, noticing he couldn't move and he was hooked up to some machines.
He did not want this reporter to know he had a potentially fatal heart condition. Well not potentially fatal it would be fatal if he didn't take his medication. How could he have been so stupid not to have some more sent down from his own GP back home? Now she must know.
"You can thank me later. Me and Becca Fisher found you when the woman downstairs complained you were making a noise, lucky she did."
"How did you get in here?" He noticed she was still holding his hand.
He was thankful, he just didn't want her to think he was, she was the last person, well maybe not quite the last he wanted to know he had something wrong with him. Why couldn't it have been just the hotel owner and not the nosy town reporter? Still at least it wasn't Karen White, it would have been on the front page by now.
Rose smiled and let go of his hand. "I looked through your wallet, there was no next of kin so I told them I was your wife. The picture you have, is she your daughter?"
"What? What the hell did you do that for?" he said angrily. It was bad enough she was there and had seen him in a hospital gown, let alone telling the hospital staff she was his wife.
He tried to get up but Rose stopped him. "You're ill, you need help. Why didn't you have your medication?"
"It's Rose isn't it? Please, you can't tell anyone, this is my career. If anyone finds out, I'm finished."
She took his hand again. "Don't worry, I won't tell a soul, I swear. You have to get help, you can't keep on collapsing, you might not be so lucky next time, you could collapse while you're working."
Hardy seemed to relax. "What were you doing in my hotel room?" he asked, letting go of her hand. Her hand was warm and soft, it had been a long time since he had held any woman's hand just for the sake of it.
"I wanted to ask you for an interview and to ask you about Jack Marshall. It doesn't matter now, you need to get some rest, I'll get out of your way. I'm glad you're ok."
Hardy was thinking she was like no reporter he had ever met before. "Wait, it might look suspicious if you leave just yet. What did you want to talk about?" The woman may have just saved his life, he could at least hear her out.
Just then, two nurses came in. "We're going to move you to a side ward Mr Hardy. Your wife can follow."
Rose nodded, she was expected to go with him. She just hoped they wouldn't ask any awkward questions, like where their rings were and how long they had been married. Once they got him settled, Rose closed the door. It was late, almost midnight and she had come in the ambulance with him, her car was in the Trader's car park but she had told Becca it was there. She had been able to call her while they were moving him.
"Never mind about what I wanted to talk to you about, get some rest. If you like, I'll come and collect you in the morning. I'll be back at nine."
"No, make it earlier than that, I have to get to work, make it eight. Remember, please don't tell anyone."
"Don't worry, what am I going to say? You should be more worried over the hotel owner." Rose smiled at him. "I should really go now."
Rose opened the door. "Don't go discharging yourself before I get back, will you?"
Hardy held up his hand. "Scouts honour."
Rose let out a giggle. "See you in the morning, husband."