Day 8! Thanks to all of those who reviewed! LONG chapter today! No. 44 requested by casualtyislife and some ideas given from totti10! Thanks Amy! Bit early today as I'm heading out the door as I type this so sorry for any errors as I've barely had a chance to proof read but didn't want to keep you waiting! Enjoy XxX

44. "I'll drive you to the hospital."

"Reets I'm home!" Iain called out as he slammed the door behind him. The unusual sound of silence greeted him. Rita would normally have the radio going or the tv on when he got home.

Iain dropped his keys in the basket by the door as he shrugged his jacket off.

"Rita?" Iain called out once again, looking down the hall to see if he could see her.

Rita slowly poked her head around the kitchen door, resting against it.

Iain noticed her eyes straight away, red and puffy with faint streaks of mascara cascading down her face.

"Reets, what's wrong?" Iain asked, discarding his coat on the floor he made his way over to her.

Rita fell into his arms, her legs giving out from under her.

Iain holding her tight, his strong arms wrapping around her back, pulling her into his chest as she sobbed. His hands making circles on her back as he tried to comfort her.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to feel..." Rita muttered, her words muffled as she spoke into Iain's chest.

"It's ok, tell me what's happened." Iain told her, whispering into her hair, next to where he presumed her ear was.

Rita sighed, the tears still falling, she pulled away from Iain's chest so she could try and explain.

"I- I got a phone call..." Rita started, her voice catching as she spoke.

"Shh, it's ok, I'm here. We have time. Look. Why don't you go sit on the sofa, I'll make you a drink, we can talk properly." Iain suggested.

Rita nodded. Her legs just about able to carry herself, she made her way into their living room, Iain watching her sit before going to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.

Rita curled up on the sofa, her knees hugging her chest, the tears ceasing to fall any more. The hatred back, her memories clouded with spite, sorrow gone. She sighed.

Iain returned carrying two steaming mugs and a packet of biscuits under his arm. Setting them down on the coffee table he took a seat next to Rita on the sofa.

"I'l sorry. I don't know what happened. It's nothing." Rita muttered, picking up the tea her boyfriend has made.

"Rita, whatever happened, that wasn't nothing. I don't like to see you upset, I want to make it all better." Iain said, a hand on Rita's knee. "You said you had a phone call, who was it from?" He asked.

Rita sighed. She knew she should tell Iain but didn't want to burned him. She wanted to tell him. She took a sip of her tea before replying.

"It was my mum." She stated simply.

"Rita that's great, she called you!" Iain exclaimed.

Before they had moved in together Rita had told Iain about her past, how she had dated Mark, how she had married him. How her parents didn't approve and she hadn't seen or heard from them since the day of her wedding, apart from a card the day Mark went to prison, reading "congratulations".

Iain had done the same, he told Rita of his useless mother and of the sister who practically raised him.

Rita's eyes turned sad again and Iain's excitement from hearing that Rita's mum had reached out evaporated.

"Reets, what did she say?" Iain asked, his voice full of concern once again.

"She- she..." Rita tried, the bitter memories gone as she thought about her life before Mark. "She told me my dad has had a heart attack." Rita managed to say, her face once again flooded with tears.

"Oh Reets." Iain sighed. Pulling her into his chest, hugging her as she stained his white t shirt black.

"I don't know what to do." Rita spoke through tears. Her voice raising in volume with every word, "I want to see him, he's my dad. But he wasn't there. He's my dad and he wasn't there when my life went shit. He was celebrating. He had been right all along. He was my dad and he let me suffer!" Rita screamed, angry tears replacing the sorrowful ones.

Rita screamed.

She didn't know what to do. Iain stroked her back, he knew he had to remain calm despite feeling almost as angry and torn as Rita and he had never met her parents.

Biting her lip, Rita buried her head into Iain's chest. Shouting and screaming as she tried to understand her emotions. Tears falling in a continuous stream. Iain always there. Holding her tightly and repeating that it would all be ok; that he was there.


It took over an hour, both cups of tea had been discarded where Iain had set them down. Rita's voice hoarse and quiet yet the tears fell as fast, her head still buried into Iain. Iain still stroking her back, still repeating that it would all be ok, that he was there.

"Thank you." Rita whispered, her voice weak from her screams.

"Anytime," Iain told her, "I'm always going to be here."

"You mean that?" Rita asked, she knew Iain was one of 'the good guys' as Zoe had told her before she left, but with her past issues of trust it was hard for her to believe it.

"Absolutely. I love you Rita Freeman, one day I hope you will be Mrs Dean but for now, let's see what we're going to do about your parents." Iain told her. He knew he wanted to marry Rita, he'd spoken to Dixie about it on the phone a week before, he also knew that Rita needed to know he was serious about her, it was the only way she would trust him fully.

Rita smiled, hearing Iain say he wanted to marry her one day, took the pain away for a moment. She had him, she didn't need anyone else.

"I don't know." Rita confessed.

"Well, did your mum say where they were?" Iain asked.

"Kings in London."

"Do you want to go?" Iain asked.

"I don't know." Rita repeated. Her eyes sore and red, she had run out of tears.

"Ok, can I help you decide?"

Rita nodded, she didn't trust her voice.

"He's your dad. You only get one and despite the fact he may have left you alone, he needs you now. He may have done you wrong but that doesn't mean you have to do him wrong." Iain explained. "You know about my dad. He was non existent. The first I ever heard about him was from his funeral invitation that was posted through my door five years ago. I never got to know him, but I found out he changed in his final years, got off the booze and was planning to come find me." Iain sighed. "I'm not trying to say that your dad will have changed, but I would have given anything to know my dad, even though he was probably just as shit as my mum, he was still my dad.
"Your mum called you, she wouldn't have done that if she didn't care about you or think that you deserved to know. They've big done you wrong, they don't deserve to know you. You're amazing, they have an amazing daughter and they don't know it, that's their fault. But you can show them, you can show them that you made it through all that shit they weren't there to help you with. You can show them how you don't need them.
"But most importantly I don't want you to regret not going. If you don't want to go, we can sit here all evening and all of tomorrow, I'll call in sick and spend the entire day watching Friends with you. If you do want to go, I'll take you right now. I'll come with you to see your dad and I'll stand by you through everything, no matter what. You can show your parents that you've bagged yourself a pretty damn good boyfriend soon to be fiancée and that you are amazing.
"I don't want you to regret anything, but whatever you decide, I'm going to be there every step of the way."

Rita looked up at Iain, her tears had stopped and her eyes were set on his. She stared at him for a few moments, taking in everything he had just said.

"I want to go." Rita whispered, Iain's words helping her to realise that this could be her last chance, she knew heart attacks were serious, she knew the survival rates. She had to go see him. If it went badly she would have Iain. If it went well, she would have Iain.

"I'll drive you to the hospital." Iain nodded without a seconds hesitation. He pressed a kiss to her salty lips and pulled her in for s hug.

"Thank you," Rita sighed, "I couldn't have done this without you."


Hope you enjoyed todays! New one tomorrow! Thanks, Milly XxX