*Thanks again for all the lovely reviews! I was so unhappy with the last chapter but I think it's because I'm not used to writing over such a long period of time. I got all muddled up and the chapter just didn't flow as nicely as I would have liked it :( I hope this one is better and I hope you all enjoy it! Thanks for reading and please, please review! :) I think I mentioned earlier too that I'll be incorporating snippets from actual episodes and putting my own spin on it and also interpreting scenes we've seen in trailers.*
The last ten days couldn't have gone any slower. If she'd had to lay in self-pity for one more day she feared what she would've become. But, thankfully, it hadn't come to that. Checking her makeup in the rearview mirror of her car she took a deep breath before stepping out and heading into the hospital. She had those 'First Day' jitters frolicking in her stomach. Sometimes, ignorance really was bliss. Her mind was 100% on returning to work today but catching sight of Dylan a few steps ahead reminded her of those God awful bruises on her arms and thighs. She didn't for one minute think Dylan had anything to do with those, he wasn't that type of person at all but he might have some more answers for her. Her heart dropped as she strutted through the hospital entrance, this was it. Bruises fade she thought to herself and hers certainly had, they were almost gone now, they had that horrible yellow colour that old bruises get. But they'd definitely faded, it was almost as if they'd never been there and that's exactly how she was going to continue to perceive them. They never happened. She doesn't recall how they got there and nor does anyone else for that matter, and now they're practically gone, so in her mind that's exactly it, they never happened.
"Welcome back." His warm smile made her feel at home as soon as she laid eyes on him, dragging her out of her own argumentative mind.
"Morning Charlie." She returned the smile as she opened her office door, inviting him to follow her.
"You're looking a lot more perky. How are you feeling?"
She looked like she honestly had to think about it for a split second but answered as quickly as possible to avoid sounding unsure. "Yeah, you know what? I think some time off was exactly what I needed."
"Good, I'm glad to hear it." He hovered in the doorway, wanting to question her some more on her overall welfare but decided against the idea when Sam brushed past him and entered her office too.
"Oh, please, do come in." Her sarcasm bounced off him, almost as if he was immune to her iciness by now.
"Never thought I'd say this but it's good to have you and your sharp wit back with us, Connie."
"Good, because there's more where that came from." At this point Charlie was struggling to tell if this was playful ex-fuck-buddy banter or whether they were actually being serious. So, that was his cue to disappear.
"Right, well those patients aren't gonna sort themselves." He smiled. "It's good to have you back, take it easy today Chief." She returned the warm smile as she sat behind her desk but it soon faded when Sam closed the door behind him. The silence was deafening.
"Connie, we need to-"
"When were you going to tell me?" She beat him to the punch, her eyebrows raised expectantly as she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.
"Tell you what?" The way his voice jumped in pitch at the end of his question told her that he knew what she was talking about.
"Please." She scoffed. "I'm not stupid, Sam. I know Grace is talking again."
"Ah." He clenched his teeth lightly before taking a seat on her office couch. She looked hurt and he didn't want to make this any worse than it already had to be. "I went 'round to yours to tell you, but you weren't in and I tried calling you, I don't know how many times but you never answered. I did try, Connie."
She cringed regretfully upon remembering. "I have a new number, I forgot to tell you." There was silence as she swallowed her pride in preparation to apologise. "Sorry."
"Since when?"
"Last week, some delinquent kept calling and hanging up so I changed my number." She rushed her sentence whilst shaking her head irritably, not wanting to discuss such unimportant crap when they could be talking about their daughter. "So there's nothing wrong with her speech?"
"Her speech is completely fine."
"So then what was the issue? Was it psychological?"
"Not as such." He danced around the topic again, hoping she wouldn't notice but who was he kidding? She's Connie Beauchamp, she notices everything. Judging by her unimpressed face and raised eyebrow that was his signal to just spit it out and have it over with. "Look, she was angry and frustrated. I think she was just channelling her feelings the only way she knew how to at the time."
"By refusing to speak to anyone?" The disbelief rang out in her tone.
"No." He corrected. "By protesting and not communicating with anyone she felt was to blame."
"Of course." She nodded and looked down, frustration growing again. "It's all my fault, how could I forget?"
"Connie, nobody apart from Steph Sims is to blame for this." Those words reassured her only slightly. "I imagine Grace is just displaying some attributes she inherited from you." He smiled when she gave him a cold look. "She's feeling angry and is on the attack." She went to speak but he cut her off before she had the chance. "Just like you would be if you were in her position. Am I right?" The ringing silence told him that he was indeed correct, which prompted him to stand up. "She asked if she could see you this weekend for her birthday, I said it was a possibility, depending on how you were feeling. She knows you've been off work."
"That works for me, so long as she's feeling up to it too of course." Although she was extremely happy that Grace wanted to see her, she hated that it was all down to Sam now. Playing responsible parent and amateur mediator between Mother and Daughter like this.
"Good, I'll let her know." He headed towards her door as she rose to her feet and followed him out. "She tried messaging you too, but I guess you wouldn't have got them with your new number?"
"Yeah, sorry, I'll uh, I'll send you my new contact." Her demeanour changed within seconds, it was such a drastic turn around that even Sam noticed as he was walking away, he paused his movement whilst looking back at her.
"You okay?"
"Hm?" She jumped back to the moment. "Fine." Waving him off she turned on her heel and followed Dylan down the next corridor. Sam looked beyond confused but shrugged off her weird behaviour and continued on with his journey upstairs.
She managed to catch him up at the next nurses station. "Ah, Connie. Nice to see you in such a sober state." This is where a normal person would smile and let the other know that they were joking but Dylan was socially backwards, almost similar to herself but she liked to think her behaviour was more icy and less awkward. Which it definitely was.
"Ha." She tried to act lightly considering her situation was rather the opposite. "Funny."
"Yes, that's usually the main intention of a joke. But not always." He'd began to blather in the awkward silence but there was a short pause. "Jokes can be used to make a point of something to someone or-"
"Dylan." She cut him off sharply. "Just out of curiosity, what exactly happened that night?" Her eyes darted around, careful of who was in earshot of their conversation.
"Well, I already told you." He looked irritated that he even had to think about it again let alone remind her of the night's events. "I was walking Dervla, as I normally do at that hour, and there you were. Staggering around like a newborn giraffe."
She rolled her eyes with embarrassment. "Right, and there was nobody with me or near me?" The frustration in her voice was becoming more evident.
"No, like I said, I think you'd fallen over, given your head a good knock and then I found you."
"And you took me back-"
"Back to my boat and showed you to my room." He reassured firmly. "And then I slept on the sofa and didn't see you again until the next morning when Dervla let herself in to go and see you." She contemplated everything he just said as he remained focussed on the file in front of him. "Why?" The short and abrupt question took her by surprise.
"No reason, I just wondered if anyone had perhaps seen how I fell or if I was with anyone." She spoke gingerly, not wanting this information to become public, but it's as if he had read her mind.
"Nobody knows." He continued reading, almost completely ignoring her presence next to him now. "Y'know." He waved his arm at her. "About your escapade that evening or where you spent the night."
"Good. I'd like to keep it that way." The relief washed over her nicely, this was one awkward conversation she couldn't wait to forget about. "Thanks." It was almost a chore for her to say thank you sometimes and this was one of those times. Hearing him grumble in response she headed off to grab some patient notes and get on with the day. She needed to keep busy and bury herself in work.
/
"Did she say anything?" Duffy's voice was at a low whisper in the staff room.
"No, nothing." Charlie frowned and looked back at his wife. "But she seems upbeat, you know? Back to normal and it's nice."
"Yes." She agreed cautiously and he could sense a but coming. He was right. "But if you have reason to believe she was harmed that night, surely you should tell her."
"I think she knows."
"So she was attacked!?"
"No!" Charlie spoke urgently and winced at the volume of her voice, warning her to hush. "I think she was aware of the bruises and can draw her own conclusions." He saw her brows furrow with confusion, prompting him to explain. "I saw her looking over her arms after she collapsed. She knew they were there and I'll let her handle it. I'm not interfering anymore, it only causes more drama. For everyone."
"I still think you should tell Sam." The sincerity in her voice made him feel warm. This caring, beautiful woman was his wife and he still couldn't believe it. His own thoughts made him smile. "What?" She smiled back, enveloping him into a hug before turning serious again. "Please, tell him." She begged. "Then, if anything did happen, he's aware too and it's not all on your shoulders. We've enough to be dealing with right now with Robyn and baby Charlotte."
"Okay." He finally agreed.
"Promise?"
"Yes, alright, I promise. I'll tell him this afternoon." He laughed at her niggling on at him before their affectionate embrace was interrupted.
"Alright love-birds?" Jacob's smile lit up the room as he spoke. "Aren't we doing any work today?" He laughed, opening his locker beside them.
"Definitely working today, Connie's back." She checked her uniform watch and cringed before pecking Charlie one last time. "And I'm already late, catch you later, fellas." She called out kindly as she quickly left the room.
"She's back?" The cheer in his voice vanished suddenly.
"Yeah, it's her first day back today." He came away from leaning on the table, following in Duffy's direction out of the doorway. "I don't know what's going on with you two at the moment but save it for another time, yeah? It's her first day back and she's had a crappy few weeks. Let her settle in a bit first." His paternal instincts were kicking in and he wanted to shelter Connie from any unnecessary grief.
"Of course." He smiled. "It's all business, Charlie. I'll see you out there in a bit."
Truth be told, he was hurt. She'd shut him out instantly without hesitation and it upset him that it was that easy for her. That and the fact that she obviously didn't need him, he felt like he was crumbling without her and that bothered him the most. He still felt so strongly for her, that explains the the jealousy he was feeling about Sam all of a sudden. He wasn't a threat before but now he seemed closer to her than he himself was. Of course, their relationship would always be on a different level given their history and the fact that they have a child together but still, he really thought she was The One. How wrong could he have been? He let his mind go blank once he'd finished rummaging in his locker. Slamming it shut angrily when he was done. Give him strength to get through this shift without seeing Connie, Sam or Dylan.
/
All afternoon Charlie felt like he'd been watching Connie's every move. Acting as her guardian angel in disguise without her knowing. She really did seem back on top form and it eased his mind a little. He still had Duffy's voice in his mind, encouraging him to tell Sam. It made a lot of sense really and it'd be a load off of his shoulders if someone else could share that load. That's even if there was anything to all of this, it could have easily been someone trying to help her up off of the ground that night, or anything along those lines. The sight of Sam marching past was his chance to bite the bullet.
"Mr Strachan? Can I have a word with you? In private." He motioned to the nurses office down the corridor. Sam looked a little unamused but headed towards the office anyway without a word, only opening his mouth to speak once they were both inside with the door closed.
"What can I help you with, Charlie?"
"Actually, it's about Connie. I'm a little concerned."
"Right." He politely prompted the nurse to get on with it without actually having to say exactly that.
"The night she was admitted, she had a number of harsh markings and bruises on her arms. They looked like hand marks. Neither myself or Louise got a proper look at her, she refused a routine examination but her arms were pretty marked up."
"Did you ask her about them?" Sam's mind was ticking, Charlie could almost see it working away inside his head.
"Yes and to no surprise, she couldn't remember how she got them." He sighed aloud. "I just thought you should know. I mean, she seems completely fine but I'd rather you knew as well, you know? Just to keep an eye on her." The way he was speaking almost sounded like he was trying to apologise, for no reason.
"No, no you're right." Sam reassured him quickly. "I'm glad you brought it to my attention. Thanks, Charlie."
"Not a problem, don't mention it to her though. I just wanted you to be aware."
"Of course not, she'll have my head on a plate if I even question her about that night so I'll be leaving that topic well and truly alone. I'll keep a close eye on her though."
They both thanked one another again before getting back to work, all the while Connie was out on the floor shouting orders as she normally would. Living comfortably in her bubble of blissful ignorance.
/
The next week flew by faster than she could have anticipated, call her stupid but she was actually marginally nervous about this birthday breakfast at Sam's house. She hadn't seen Grace in over 3 weeks due to her moving in with Sam and then obviously her own unforeseen medical issues. Her throat felt constricted as she rang the bell to be let in. The air was brisk today, her breath was visible before her each time she exhaled. Holding her scarf close to her chest she waited patiently, her heart skipping a little when she heard movement on the other side of the door. It opened quickly.
"Sorry, Connie. I didn't mean to keep you waiting." He stepped back, opening the door wider and allowing her to enter. "Let me take those." He motioned to her coat and scarf with his spare hand.
"Thanks." Shrugging out of them she smoothed her blouse sleeves down and followed him through to his kitchen. She couldn't help but smile at the sight before her. She'd never seen him in a cooking apron before. "That's quite a look you're sporting."
"Oh, please don't?" He laughed. "You're as bad as your daughter, she's been giving me grief all morning." This was nice, laughing with him as opposed to being at each other's throats. "It's my Mum's-" A familiar voice echoed from the kitchen, masking the last of Sam's sentence as she came to a stand still in the corridor. "Ah." He started. "I was going to tell you sooner, I promise-"
"Please tell me that's not your Mother I can hear." She knew damn well it was but this was her way of letting him know she was royally pissed off.
"She'll be on her best behaviour, I've already read her the riot act and if she starts anything I've warned her that-"
"That what?" She hissed. "You'll kick her out? Banish her from her own Granddaughter's Birthday celebration?"
"Look, this isn't about you, or me or her. Today is about Grace and she wanted her here. We're adults, let's act like it and it'll be over in no time. She has to leave at twelve anyway. Can you manage two hours with her, for Grace?" He was speaking firmly but she already knew she was going to put up with it, for Grace's sake.
"Let's get on with this then." She motioned her hand to the kitchen door, urging him to keep going. His grateful nod was just noticeable as he opened the door. Here goes nothing.
"Look who's here." He sang.
"Hi sweetheart." She gushed happily and hugged Grace tight, rubbing her back affectionately. "Happy Birthday!"
"Thanks, Mum." Grace pulled away slowly. She looked so well and she was stood up by herself. "I'm sorry-"
"No, none of that today." She smiled and hugged her again. "I'm just glad you're okay." Her words were whispered out as she tried to control her emotions.
"What's in the envelope?" Sam queried, watching the two reunite.
"Oh, yes." Connie was suddenly reminded of the envelope she was clutching. "This is for you." Grace took it slowly, her movements were still a bit stilted but she was doing so much better than the last time Connie had seen her. All three of them watched her peel open the card and immediately start bopping on the spot.
"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God." She squealed and wrapped her arms around her Mother's waist again. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome." She kissed her on the head and rubbed her shoulder, accidentally making eye contact with Audrey.
"So, what is it?" The older woman questioned inquisitively but Connie knew she was getting ready to strike.
"Meet and greet tickets for One Direction!" Grace beamed excitedly before Connie even had chance to reply.
"I won't have to tag along and beat any famous pre-pubescent boys off of you will I?" Sam joked, making everyone smile.
"No, Dad." She laughed. "They're not pre-pubescent."
This could be okay Connie thought to herself, she just hoped Audrey didn't start anything that she'd have to finish. Half an hour in and things were going smoothly, the two women still hadn't uttered a word to one another but Sam had offered Connie a seat and was almost done icing Grace's cake. He'd done it all himself and she was honestly impressed. He'd put so much effort in, it warmed her heart and made her smile.
"Glass of bubbly, Connie?" Audrey's offering finally broke the ice, she wasn't sure if it was a test to see if she would accept a glass of alcohol at half eleven in the morning or whether it was a genuine offer. "No, thank you." She smiled. "I'm driving." Sam was monitoring their interactions, ready to jump in if needed. Grace didn't need the tension and nor did Connie with her own medical woes. Technically she was still not out of the woods and hadn't finished her course of treatment. She was just supposed to be taking things slowly.
"Right." He interjected. "I think my masterpiece is finished." He had icing on his cheek and flour in his hair but dare she say it, he'd done an amazing job. Better than anything she could have made. Laying it in the centre of the table he looked at Grace for a reaction. Her mile wide smile was the perfect response.
"So what are we eating this morning?" Even just her voice grained on Connie. Trying not to show any sign of irritation she studied the cake Sam had made instead.
"Well, Birthday Girl requested pancakes and Belgian waffles so that's exactly what we've got." He started dishing food out, smiling gratefully when Connie stood up to help him.
Another half hour passed and still things were going well. Only one more hour until the witch leaves she thought as she glanced at Sam's kitchen clock.
"Need to be somewhere?" Audrey threw the question at her from over the table.
"No, no, not at all." She smiled in a sickly sweet fashion, straightening her knife and fork once she'd finished eating. "Thanks, Sam."
"Dad, Hugo wants to come over and watch a movie when we've finished eating."
"Whatever you want, your Birthday your say." He finished his last mouthful and smiled when she stood herself up slowly. Her crutches were in the doorway. She still needed them for long distances, which became apparent when she grabbed them to move into the sitting room. "I'll bring some snacks through when he get's here!" He yelled after her and nodded when she yelled a loud Thanks Dad back. Suddenly the room fell silent. Grace had been talking a mile a minute the whole time they were eating, it was so nice to see her happy and progressing again but now she'd left the room Connie felt like her security blanket had been snatched away. She still had 45 minutes until Audrey left.
"Sam tells me you've had a couple of weeks off work?"
"Mum." He warned immediately.
"It's fine, Sam." Connie blinked in his direction gratefully before looking to Audrey. "Yes, I just needed some time off."
"I assumed you would have spent some time with Grace since you never have any-"
"Okay, who wants coffee?" Same spoke over the top of his Mother, giving her a clear hint. It obviously worked because she had a salty look on her face and sat back with her glass of Champagne.
"I'll give you a hand with these." Connie grabbed the rest of the plates and followed him into the kitchen where she began washing them.
"Don't worry about that, I can do it later."
"It's fine, actually it's the least I can do. You've put so much effort in today, never had you down as a baker." She smiled, even more so when he ripped the apron off and tossed it aside.
"If anyone finds out about that, I'll know who to look for." He laughed and started drying the plates she'd washed.
"Since when have you two been so chummy?" Their heads turned in her direction as soon as the words left her mouth, smiles fading simultaneously.
"Mum, please." Sam begged. "For Grace, let's just all act civilised. If Connie and I can do it then anybody can." His voice was at a low whisper. "I thought you had to leave at twelve?" His attention quickly moved to the clock realising it was almost ten past.
"Oh, that was for gardening club." She huffed. "It's been cancelled because of the rain." She motioned to the window where it could be clearly seen that the weather outside was horrific. Not only cold but now belting down with rain. Connie's body tensed, now knowing that Audrey was staying. Her head was starting to throb as it was and now she had to put up with her for the rest of the day. Even Sam looked slightly disappointed.
"Right, maybe you could help Grace put that DVD on and I'll bring a cup of tea through for you when I'm finished in here?"
She smiled as sweetly as she could. "Thanks for breakfast, darling. It was delightful." As soon as she'd left the room Connie's body relaxed again. She didn't realise up until now how physically tiring it actually was to restrain herself from making bitchy, sarcastic comments. It felt like a workout.
"How are you feeling?" He jumped straight to it as soon as they were alone together.
"Fine, still a little fatigued but fine." Avoiding eye contact she finished the last plate and grabbed herself a glass of water. It was pill time, and she had a whole handful to take.
"Meds helping?"
"I assume so." She answered between popping each one into her mouth and swallowing. Things suddenly felt awkward again and she didn't know why. As soon as anyone questioned her about her wellbeing she felt herself clam up, partially because she wasn't fine at all but she was deluding herself into thinking that she was in order to put on a convincing act. So far it was working a treat, she'd even forgotton about the night of unknown events and everything surrounding that evening. Up until now of course, when Sam asked her if she was okay. That's when she'd get short with people and push them away, their general concern was ruining her perfect performance. Sam sensed he'd hit a nerve and backed off immediately, good job he knew her so well.
The next two hours were drab but at least Grace was having fun, they were all sat in the living room and her favourite movie had just finished. Little Hugo was there too and had kindly brought Grace some chocolates for her birthday and Connie some flowers as a get well soon gift. He explained how he'd saved up his pocket money especially.
"I should probably make a move." Audrey edged forward in her chair, checking her watch. "I'll just nip to the loo and then I'll call a taxi." As soon as the word taxi left her Gran's mouth Grace looked pleadingly at her Mother, urging her to offer the older woman a lift home. If it weren't for the fact that she'd do anything to make Grace happy, she'd never let that woman within 3 feet of her car let alone inside it. There was a couple of moments before Connie internally huffed before opening her mouth.
"I haven't had anything to drink, I can give you a lift Audrey." Sam almost choked on his piece of cake. Did Connie just offer to drive my mum home? He thought to himself in shock, waiting for his Mother's equally shocked response but nobody was ready for what was about to leave her mouth.
"With you? In your car?" She laughed. "Who knows which cliff we'll end up at the bottom of." She shook her head and continued walking toward the stairs. "A taxi is perfectly fine, thank you."
There was silence for what felt like an eternity.
She'd been holding her hate in all day and for a split second she actually thought she'd broken herself. She was furious at what this old woman just had the nerve to say to her but absolutely no words were coming out when she actually needed them to. Everyone was in pure shock. Even Sam's mouth hung open.
"Mum, don't listen to her."
"Yes, don't listen to her." Sam spat angrily in agreement with Grace . He was half expecting Connie to be the one to lose her cool today but never did he think his own Mum would say something so cruel, especially in front of her Granddaughter. "I'll go and have a word with her-"
"No, leave it. It's fine." Connie grabbed his arm, stopping him instantly. But he could tell by her voice that it wasn't fine.
"I told her to behave herself today." He shook his head, sadness washing over him when he saw Grace's face dropping. Hugo sweetly helped her up and grabbed her crutches.
"Can I see the presents you got now? You promised you'd show me them." He tried to remain upbeat, it half worked as Grace offered her mum an apologetic smile and stood to take Hugo upstairs. Sam wasn't sure what to say but before he could even think of something Connie was on her feet and grabbing her purse.
"Where are you going?"
"I, uh, I forgot." She stalled whilst heading through to the front door, grabbing her coat and scarf off of the stand. "I've got things to do, paperwork-"
"Don't go, Grace really wanted you here."
"I don't think it's a good idea." She shook her head and looked down. "I'll end up saying something I'll regret and I don't want to upset Grace-"
"Upset her?" They were interrupted as that bloody voice chimed down the stairs. Audrey was headed their way.
"Mum, don't start!"
"What?" She asked innocently.
"Thanks for breakfast, tell Gracie I said bye and I'll text her later." Connie hurriedly went to grab the handle but Sam put his hand over the door. After everything that'd happened with Elle's hearing and Grace's seizure she'd sworn on her daughter's life that she'd never let her angry temper cause Grace any harm or upset ever again. And she intended to stick to that.
"No, you're not going. You're not the one in the wrong." He shot daggers at his Mother. "I think you should go now, Mum."
"No, it's fine. I'm leaving, Sam." Her words were beginning to sound desperate as that familiar feeling started to rise in her chest. Her heart felt like it was going to pound right out of her chest. Whenever she was feeling like this her instincts became almost animalistic. She felt vulnerable, threatened and panicked. Confrontation was the last thing she wanted which was so unlike her usual self. When this happened to her she just wanted to be somewhere alone where she could concentrate on breathing regularly and not passing out.
"No." He repeated firmly, still giving his Mother a harsh stare but it was apparent she'd decided that she wasn't leaving either. The rest of their argument was a complete blank to Connie, the only thing she could hear was her heart beating loudly and her breaths becoming more and more erratic. This was a bad one.
"Stop it!" They were immediately silenced by Grace's furious yell from the top of the stairs. Their attention was on her for only a split second before Connie's frantic breathing was finally audible.
*Thanks for reading! This chapter was a lot longer than the others, I partially wanted to make up for Chapter 6 as I was really disappointed with that one and judging by the lack of reviews I figured you guys were too, I'm so sorry! I hope this one is more enjoyable! Please, please, please review! It encourages me to post more chapters! Thanks!*
