Disclaimer still not mine
Home?
Mickey stared at the ceiling as he thought about the last few days. He had been exhausted when he had been at the hospital but now, back at home his mind was working overtime. Sighing he closed his eyes, trying not to think of how things had changed. Emma was going to be fine. He had been with her when she had been spoken to the doctor. Now he was alone in his room while Ash and Stacie sat in the living room talking. Sean, Albert and Danny had gone down to Eddie's bar to see Carole and Eddie. A quiet knock at the door startled him from his thoughts. Second later Stacie popped her head around the door.
"Mickey?" He opened his eyes to see his heavily pregnant friend in the doorway.
"Hi."
"The meeting went well, we've got him. It's just a matter of moving on to the finisher." She stayed in the doorway as Mickey sighed. The con was the last thing on his mind.
"Good."
"Can I come in?" He nodded as Stacie stepped into his bedroom. "You ok? Emma?"
"They say she is recovering." Mickey sat up. "Physically at least."
"And you?" Stacie spoke quietly. "Having me around, like this." She pointed to her baby bump. "Can't help."
"Stacie." He sighed heavily. "I'm fine, I think. Now I know she is going to be ok. And having my two best friends here helps. Honestly."
"I was thinking, maybe I could get Ash to come away with me for a day or so. So that Emma isn't confronted by." She closed her eyes as Mickey blinked.
"No. She isn't going to be like that. I know Em. She would hate you to leave now. Please, I have no idea what I am doing here, I need you and Ash to stick around."
"Michael Stone." Stacie squeezed his hand. "You must have it bad, if you are able to admit you need help."
"Yeah." Mickey nodded. "She's the one. She really is."
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Emma winced as she moved around the bed. She had never been so exhausted in her life. Being a patient on a High Dependency Ward was not exactly restful. The nurses were lovely and the lights were low but the incessant beeping of machines hooked up to her and the other patients kept her awake. She couldn't stop her thoughts straying to the rest of the team and wondering how the con was going.
"Emma? Do you need any painkillers?"
"No thanks." She smiled slightly as she saw the nurse walk towards her with the drugs trolley. "Can I use the phone? I need to call my brother."
"It's late." The nurse watched as Emma glanced down. "Ok, but be careful. You haven't been very good on your feet since you came out of theatre."
"Ok." Emma smiled as she headed towards the payphone outside the nurses' office. She had no intention of calling Sean. It was Mickey she needed to speak to.
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"We're really going to hand all this over to the police?" Danny asked. "Are you certain? I know Nikki has helped us before but she's still the police."
"Yeah." Ash nodded. "Yeah, but I knew 'er old man. He was a grifter. No way she'd hand us over." Albert picked up his drink as Eddie crossed towards them. The bar was exeptionally quiet but Carole and Eddie didn't really care.
"I was planning on closing before midnight." Eddie raised an eyebrow as Ash ignored him.
"Mickey's mind isn't on the job and we have enough evidence to go to the police. Anonymous tip off?" Albert suggested. "It would keep us out of it and stop that scum conning any more young girls."
"We wont make any money." Danny stated. "You know, this is how we make our cash?"
"Some things are more important." Sean snapped. "Like my sister, for one. Yeah, I think we should let Ash talk to Nikki. Let this one go down the legal route."
"Right then." Ash finished his drink. "Home."
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Stacie smiled as Mickey's mobile phone rang. She squeezed his hand again before getting up and walking out the room. Mickey sighed as he picked up the phone.
"You should be resting."
"I missed you." Emma answered honestly. "I just wanted to say goodnight."
"Well, goodnight." He smiled as he breathed the words down the phone. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah." Emma cradled the phone. "I want to come home. I want to get back to work, be normal again."
"Yeah." Mickey smiled. "I can't wait to have you home, forget about work for a while. Ash is taking what we found to the police on this one." He could practically feel Emma's eyebrows raising as he spoke.
"What? We worked so hard on that. Lancaster deserves worse than prison." She paused. "How? How can we keep our names out of it? Mickey? I don't think I'm up to another run in with the police."
"Don't worry. There wont be." He sighed. "It's going to be ok, I promise. I just need you well enough to come home. Everything else will be fine. I just need you to get well."
"I will." Emma sighed. "I am."
"Good. Now rest." He paused as Emma smiled. "Oh and Em."
"Yeah, I love you too." Emma replaced the phone and headed out to the rest of the ward, ignoring the beeps and hums of the machinery in the unit before crawling into bed and falling asleep. She'd be home soon and she knew what she had to do.
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A/N Maybe 1 more chapter and an epilogue. Please review