Right you lucky lot - You've got a Gene Genie special coming right up.
Chapter 7
Gene was sat at Alex's bedside, his eyes heavy and his colourless face was slightly covered with stubble. Gene ran his fingers through his light brown hair, looking around at anything before settling on the lifeless breathing body.
"Can you 'ear me Bols? I 'ope you can.
"Bolly, you've been stuck inside your own 'ead for a month now; you must be driving your self insane!" Gene let out a sigh. "When are you going to wake up? It's 'ell not 'aving you 'ere, I actually miss your psychology babble.
"I bring good news, they don't think I shot you deliberately but I'm still suspended until further notice. They 'ave some posh bloke standing in as DCI and another as DI; CID hate the both of them. I've not 'ad a lot to do now I'm not clearing the riddling streets of London scum, visit you nearly everyday, go to Luigi's and catch up with our CID lot. Though Shaz won't look at me and only talks to me when she has to. Ray is taking it hard, 'e doesn't get on with DCI Grant. Can't say that I blame 'im.
"You attract a lot of visitors, you know. Sometimes I see Shaz coming out of your room. Chris told me that she thinks you can 'ear 'er talking to you, like you did to 'er when Hollis stabbed 'er. So I'm givin' it a shot, she woke up for you and I'm 'oping that you wake up for me. Luigi comes too, heard him a few times talking to you in Italian, I expect you understand everything that he is saying.
"That Evan bloke is a damn good lawyer though. He doesn' come an' see you, won't say why. Did you two end badly or something? Must still care for you if he has 'friends' looking out for you.
"Look, it's just a quick visit today Bols. I'm going to Luigi's tonight. Evan is coming too. I'll see you tomorrow, or perhaps tonight if things finish up early."
-----=^_^=-----
Gene sat at Luigi's bar, sat on a stool drinking a tumbler of single malt scotch whiskey.
"Signor Hunt, you've got to stop blaming yourself."
Gene grunted and pointed to his empty glass.
"Very well." Luigi sighed objectively but refilled the glass all the same.
"Leave the bottle, and bugger off." Gene said half-heartedly.
The now grumpy Italian mumbled something as he slammed the bottle onto the counter and walked away, still mumbling. Gene knew that Luigi's mumbles weren't English, but understood it perfectly. If anyone had said the same thing to him to his face and in English, he would be making them spend a night in the cells.
It was six by the time the CID gang arrived at Luigi's, DCI Grand and DI Gordon, knew that they weren't welcome, so they didn't follow the gang across the road to Luigi's.
"Guv? You joining us?"
"For the last time Ray, I'm not your 'Guv' any more, call me 'Hunt' or if you're lucky I might even let you call me 'Gene'."
Ray just looked at him in surprise.
"Luigi, two bottles of your house rubbish and four pints."
"Make that three pints – I'm not having one." Shaz said.
Gene looked at her, shocked that she actually spoke to him. "We'll keep it as four love; it's nearly six-thirty, Evan will be here soon."
"Evan? That bloke who was shagging DI Drake?" Ray asked.
"Ray! How can you say that? Ma'am wasn't shagging him."
"And how exactly do you know that?"
"Well--"
"Will you lot please shut your gobs? I don't give a toss about the bloke, but its Friday night and I've invited him for a drink. He may be posh git but that posh git helped me avoid prison. So you lot can bloody be grateful that he saved my neck so I'm able to drink here with you lot tonight. Comprende?"
"Evening." A strong voice came from behind Gene, who was stood facing his ex-team. Shit. Did he 'ear that?
"Evan, got you a pint. Come and sit over 'ere."
"Thanks Gene."
"I believe you've met this lot?" Gene gestured towards the gang.
"Briefly, not since that day."
Of course, that day, the day the Price's were blown to kingdom come. "Ah, Well. This is Ray." Gene nodded towards Ray
Ray gave a grunt in return as Evan said "Hello."
"Chris." Chris held out his hand and shook Evan's.
"How you doing mate?"
"Very well thanks Chris."
"And this is Shaz." Evan looked away from Chris and with a sparkle in his deep brown eye's, met Shaz's.
"Hi Shaz." Evan said with a smile upon his lips.
"Hi Evan." Shaz replied, shooting him a killer smile.
Breaking the gaze, Evan said to them all, "I can't stay long; Alex is at a friend's house, she's coming home at 8."
"How is little Alex?" Shaz asked.
"She's doing really well. Thanks for asking."
"How old is she now?" Chris asked, trying to get involved in the conversation.
"She's nine."
Gene could no longer bear it; what Ray and Shaz had been arguing about.
"'Ave you been to see her yet?"
Evan stopped smiling and looked at Gene who had just taken a large gulp from his pint.
Evan let out a sigh. "Gene. I don't go and see her for my own reasons."
"Don't you even care about her? You two were so close."
Evan, now slightly aggravated. "Of course I bloody care about her! I don't think there is anyone here who could care more about her here."
"Then why don't you—"
"Why don't I go and see her? I don't go because she is too much like my little Alex. I know, it's crazy, it's mad, it is even impossible but they are the same person. It's like they share their soul. I don't know how and I know I'm a lunatic to think that. So the reason why I don't want to go and see her, it is because I don't want to see her with wires coming out of her. It's not the way I want to remember her. I want to remember the last time I saw her; a beautiful woman in a green dress, full of life and quite obviously in love and she had or still has everything in front of her."
Everyone was gobsmacked by what was just said, even Gene.
"So you weren't shagging her?" Ray broke the silence.
"Bloody hell! Of course I bloody wasn't. There was a time though. She is also so much like Caroline. I loved Caroline with all of my heart. But I soon realised that she was in love," Evan looked at Gene. "and I saw that she wasn't Caroline, she was Alex."
"In love with who?" Chris questioned.
Gene felt his heart race, don't say. Don't say!
"It's not my place to say Chris."
"Oh, go on. She's not exactly here is she?"
Shaz gave Chris a smack on his arm.
"How can she be the same person though?" Ray asked.
"Luigi! Where's our house rubbish?"
"Coming right up Signor Hunt."
"I'm going to the loo baby." Shaz whispered in Chris's ear.
"Ray, I don't know. I really don't know."
Luigi bought the bottles of house rubbish and wine glasses.
"You sound just like her you know. She was always talking bollocks that doesn't make sense." It would fit in to what she said 'I'm from the future'. And 'my parents died in 1981' and her close relationship with Caroline. And if she and little Alex are the same then , her godfather is—OH IT IS TOO MAD!
Gene poured out the wine into the glasses. Held his up and encouraged the others to do the same.
"Where's Shaz?"
"She's in the loo."
"Bloody women, take their time don't they!"
"Cheers, To the Alex's?"
"The Alex's." was said in unison.
Evan had a mouthful of his truly awful cheap wine.
"I've got to get going now. We'll have to do this again. Bye."
"Bye." Gene said back.
"See ya." Ray and Chris said before going back to their conversation.
Gene watched Evan walk towards the exit before returning to the acidic wine.
Evan walked past the exit and towards the toilets, of which, Shaz was coming out.
"Shaz."
"Evan?"
"Can I speak to you for a sec?"
"Yeah sure, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just wondered, where did you put the tapes?"
"Oh, they're at my flat. Why?"
"I need them."
"Oh."
"Urm, can you get them here, or to the station? Without Chris knowing?"
"I—urm."
"Well. When you've found a way of getting them to me, ring this number." Evan gave Shaz his business card. "Don't tell a soul about those tapes."
"OK."
Evan nodded and then walked out of the exit, leaving Shaz stunned and slightly confused – What was on those tapes and why were they so important? Shaking it off, she put Evan's business card in her bag and made her way back to the table.
"You took your time love. Everything OK?"
Shaz just gave Chris a look.
"I still think he was shagging her." Ray accused.
"Oh for fuck's sake Ray. Were you not listening to him?"
"Yeah, course I was. It's just how can he feel like that if he wasn't shagging her."
"Oh. My. God." Shaz said under her breath as she stood up. "Chris take me home."
"But love—"
"Chris!"
"OK." Shaz walked towards the door. With a shrug of the shoulders and a glance at both Ray and Gene he stood and followed Shaz out of the door.
"Wonder what's up with her."
"Yeah…"
"Look Ray, I told Alex I'd go and see her, and urr, it's getting pretty late."
"Right Boss."
"I'm not your bleeding boss."
"Alright, Alright."
"Sorry, it's just –"
"Are you going then?"
"Yeah." Gene stood up, swayed a little and walked out of Luigi's without a backward glance.
TBC...
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