Chapter Four

Tony has tried to follow Ste however he was told to back off in less polite terms. His next port of call was 'The Hutch'. He was hoping to bump into Cheryl again for he wanted to speak with her. Thankfully for him, she was still there. Cheryl was cradling her son Jacob for some much needed comfort.

"Cheryl...Can I have a word?" Tony asked her; standing in the doorway; she gave a small sigh.

"You go...I will look after Jacob" Nate reassured her.

She gave an unenthusiastic nod, gently passing Jacob over to his father. She supposed she had no choice but to listen to what Tony has to say. No doubt he will be wanting to discuss Ste; he has been here for him all this time after all. Cheryl followed Tony out as the two took a little walk away from the restaurant.

"Ste has gone off into town to calm down...I'm sorry, I really am but he was so lost after Brendan's arrest; the least you could have done was stuck around for a bit" Tony insisted to her.

Cheryl shook her head; if only he knew then he would understand why she didn't. She wiped away another tear.

"I couldn't have" Cheryl tried to explain; more tears falling down her face.

"I don't see why not...I understand your dad's death was a shock to you but it didn't mean you had to leave Ste in the lurch" Tony paused when he saw her starting to cry again. He quickly changed his tone of voice to a softer tone.

"I'm not having a go...I just care for Ste"

"I do too despite what people may say or think" Cheryl told him.

"How long are sticking around for this time? I mean...I think you should go before he comes back, you're only making things worse for him; you being here is just too much of a painful reminder" Tony insisted; finally taking his leave; she watched him go.

She was thinking.

...

Eoghan hated being stuck in that house; he could barely get time to himself due to the amount of people living there. So he told Cheryl and Nate that he was going out for some air and told them not to wait up. He just wanted to let off some steam; due to not being there since his sister's funeral; 'The Loft' didn't hold the same importance to him as it did for his friends. So that's where he was heading, he made his way up to the main part; sitting on the club stool. He ordered a drink from Grace.

"Can I have the same please?" a blonde-haired woman next to him asked; Mandy Morgan. She was married to Luke.

He gave her a small smile as Grace passed her the second drink.

"Finally, someone my own age" Eoghan piped up; she gave a small laugh; nodding in agreement.

They were a lot of 20-somethings out tonight; Eoghan raised his glass up slightly. Clinking it against hers.

"Are you Irish?" Mandy then asked him.

"Yeah...does the accent give it away? Erm...my sister use to live here a while ago; I'm just on a flying visit with a friend"

"I see; I don't think I ever met your sister; what was her name?"

"Lynsey Nolan...she died some years ago now"

"Oh I'm so sorry" Mandy quickly responded; the mood changed slightly.

"Don't worry about it; you weren't to know...what are you doing out on your own then?" Eoghan asked, changing the subject.

"Fancied a change of scenery"

...

Eoghan and Mandy had been having a good half an hour chat; Eoghan enjoyed her company. They looked at each other for a moment as Eoghan leaned in for a kiss. Much to his embarrassment; she leaned back. Rejecting his advances, she was not willing to cheat again. Luke didn't deserve it.

"I'm sorry...I must get back" Mandy told him; he put his head down on the bar; feeling so stupid.

Grace had witnessed the whole thing; she gave a small smirk as she watched Mandy leave.

"I wouldn't feel too bad about it...Mandy is a bit of a cheater; have a free drink on me" Grace declared; passing him another drink.

"Thanks" Eoghan replied with a sigh.

...

Meanwhile in a very dodgy part of Chester, a very disoriented Ste found himself in some sort of drug den. He was given some methamphetamine as he sat down to inject himself with it; he forced the needle into his own arm. He leaned back on the dirty couch; falling asleep on it. He has never felt so low before in his life...

...

TBC