Zoe placed the phone down, before sighing heavily. Why were banks so hard to deal with? Why were clients so awkward? Why was this place falling apart? It seemed two people wanted that answer.
"Zoe." Matt said as he burst into the room. "We need to talk."
"What about?" Zoe asked, turning round in the chair, Matt closed the door and rushed to her, he sat beside her on the oversized chair.
"This place. It's falling apart. What the hell is going on? Everyone tells you everything!" Matt exclaimed.
"Matt you can't ask me to break confidentiality." Zoe sighed.
"I know, but you must have some idea!" Matt moaned. "I can't stand this. There's something wrong with Alice, there's something up with Danny and Olivia's moping too. Dupe is acting all weird, Carolines just health freaking."
"You're right. But you know, I only know two of those problems. I can't tell you yet Matt - it's not my place to say their news. But, well… as for Danny. Matt, you'll have to talk to him." Zoe rested her head on his shoulder and rubbed his knee with her hand. "He's your best friend just as much as Dupe is."
"I know. I love you Zoe." Matt smiled.
"I love you too." Zoe grinned as they shared a long and deep kiss. As they pulled away, Matt wandered off to find Danny. He was going to get to the bottom of this.
Olivia was walking slowly across the grass when Dupe finally managed to catch up with her. He was looking everywhere for her, and he'd finally found her.
"Liv!" He shouted, she stopped and turned to face him, he noticed she seemed quite upset.
"Dupe." She muttered.
"Are you okay?" Dupe asked, his gentle nature coming out from it's harsh outer shell.
"Just tired, not in the best of moods, don't worry about me, you okay?" She asked.
"Fine." Liv began to walk off but Dupe stopped her. "Liv wait."
"What's up?"
"You need a break, and I know that you and your Gran are close and well I want to pay for you two girlies to go and have a pampering! A weekend away!"
"Is she so annoying?" Liv laughed.
"No I love her!" Dupe exclaimed. "But she's not having the best of times either, so well, I want to surprise her with it, will you go, please?"
"Yeh sure." Liv smiled, giving Dupe a hug. "But I gotta go find Evan."
"Okay" Dupe smiled as he plodded off happy as the kid who gets the best football at school.
Zoe was once again hopping around her crutches, she was determined to find Alice. This had gone on long enough in her opinion, the only thing was Alice just was not about. She retired back to the house and after overcoming the challenge of stairs got herself somehow into the kitchen where Charlotte was sat happily playing on a game.
"Hey Charlie." Zoe smiled.
"Zoe!" Charlotte grinned giving her a soft hug, Zoe returned the hug chuckling slightly.
"You don't know where your mum is do you?" Zoe asked, picking up Charlottes 'family project' and flicking through it.
"No." Charlotte saw her handling the papers. "What you doing?"
"Looking at his, I like your mum's profile! Ahh Danny's!" Zoe smiled.
"Wait, I've not finished!" Charlotte tried to grab the paper back, but it was far to late, Zoe had seen it.
"Wow, Charlie, I didn't realise you'd started calling Danny dad." Zoe whispered handing her the incomplete project back.
"Well I do." Charlotte snapped.
"Hey, no need to get up tight Charlie. There's nothing wrong with it, in fact, I think it's amazing, sweet and well, it's the truth." Zoe grinned patting her arm. "There's no shame in calling him your dad, he is your dad. Anyone can be a father kid, but it takes someone special to be a dad!"
"Thanks Zoe." Charlotte smiled, as she watched Zoe force her way onto her feet.
"No problemo!" Zoe said in an Italian accent causing Charlotte to laugh.
Alice was sat on an old fallen tree, a gun by her side. She sat staring into the distant bush. She noticed a hyena rush by, she cautiously picked up the gun. She hated those damn animals. They always meant trouble.
Her mind was consumed with Danny. She couldn't decide, tell him, don't tell him. Go it alone, see the doctor. It was all too much. She loved him more than this world, but was that really enough? Did he love her back that much? Of course he did, he married her, but then again people change their minds don't they? Alice stamped her feet angrily. Why did she keep thinking like this? What was placing these doubts in her mind?
The rhetorical questions weren't helping any, she sighed before standing up and clambering into the Jeep, she might as well get back. She hadn't even told anyone she was going, she just needed some thinking time.
"Danny!" Matt shouted as he stormed into the animal hospital.
"Matt, are you okay?" Danny asked raising his eyebrows.
"No! I want to know exactly what's going on Danny! All I know, is that something is not right! This place has so much tension you can cut the atmosphere with a knife!" Matt waved his hands extravagantly as he spoke. "So get speaking Danny."
"Matt, I really don't… there's nothing wrong." He finally said, though Matt just folded his arms and shook his head.
"There's something deadly wrong Danny, particularly if you can't see that Alice is upset about something. Something is not right Danny. You're up to something." Matt said, suddenly his face turned harder.
"What? I'm…"
"You're not?!" Matt yelled, he shook his head. "No. You…Just no Danny!"
Alice finally arrived back at Leopards Den, she wasn't in the mood for anything really. She wandered down to the animal hospital to hear Matt's raised voice.
"Just sort it Danny! Oh, and when you can be straight with me, let me know!"
"Matt - you don't understand!"
"I understand perfectly well Danny! But I'm not going to stand here talking to you if you won't admit it! Come on Danny, what the hell's going on in your mind?"
She hid round the corner quickly as she saw Matt stomp out. She walked into the animal hospital a couple of minutes later to see Danny leaning on the silver operating table.
"Danny?" Alice quietly said she placed her hands on his arms, but he didn't respond.
"Where've you been?" He snarled, Alice frowned, she didn't understand why was he being like this?
"I just needed time to think that's all." Alice replied. "I didn't think it was against the law."
"Well maybe if you told someone instead of just wandering off!" Danny replied, Alice took a step back from him, her eyes beginning to mist up.
"Oh so, maybe we should remember that one Danny, I mean you're quite good at doing that yourself!" She snapped. "I mean, what if you're not with Sonia and Lora, or the other guests, you're off somewhere else or with the animals. Where's the you and me time? Oh, I forget there isn't any! Unless we start to count the what, rushed hugs, and quick kisses we sometimes share?"
Alice stomped off angrily, she made her way to the house and flung herself into her room.
Danny felt awful, he cradled his head in his hands as he felt a couple of silent tears seep through his eyes. Why had he said those things to Alice? He loved her, what was he doing? Maybe she was right. Maybe he was just utterly self obsessed, and maybe he just needed to cut ties.
He knew rushing after Alice would make things worse, he sadly went about his chores when Sonia came in.
"Danny are you okay?" She smiled sweetly. Danny smiled back.
"Not really." Danny replied.
"What's up?" She asked, a little overly sweet.
"Argued with Alice, my fault." He mumbled.
"Bet it wasn't."
"No it really was." He sighed. "Anyway, see you later, I'm off to go say sorry."
Sonia smiled smally before walking off back to Lora, 2 days, it's all he had to last.
Zoe noticed an upset Matt stomping in to their room.
"Matt?" She asked.
"Why Zoe? Why!" He sat down on the bed. "What's he doing that for?"
"Doing what?" Zoe asked.
Matt just gave her one look, Zoe immediately clicked on. "No way… not Danny! No, he wouldn't, he couldn't, he can't be… did he say that?"
"No, but come on, add the two together!" Matt stood up and engulfed Zoe in a hug, she happily slid her hands into his jeans pockets, unable to get her arms around him due to her crutches.
"We'll have to sort it." Zoe said.
"Why?" Matt asked.
Zoe hit him playfully on the head. "Because we do!"
Matt just laughed and kissed her, he went to take her hand before realising she had crutches.
"Damn those bloody things! I wanna hold your hand!" He laughed.
"Later." She promised flashing him a huge grin.
Danny gently opened the door, Alice was led on the bed, staring blankly at the wall, she didn't even bother to look up to see who had come in, she automatically assumed it was Danny, and if it wasn't she couldn't care less who saw her like this.
"Alice." She heard his gentle northern accent pierce the silence as he locked the door. "I'm sorry."
Alice continued staring at the wall, she was deeply upset. Danny scared her when he acted like this, it just wasn't Danny. She didn't understand, why was he doing it?
"I know I shouldn't have said those things to you Alice, but well it's only because I love you, I'm sorry, I'm not searching for excuses, but I'm tired, but it makes no difference, I still shouldn't treat you like that."
Alice slowly sat up, she wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve, she stared straight at Danny.
"I… Danny, I love you more than anything, but you…" She stopped. Danny moved closer to her but remained standing, she looked up at him once more. "I'm scared."
"I didn't mean to scare you." Danny mumbled.
"I didn't meant to be nasty." Alice cried as he sat beside her. "But, I was… Danny, do you really love me? Do you still love me?"
Danny started straight ahead… he squeezed Alice's hand.
"Alice I love you more than anything in this world!" Danny exclaimed gazing into her sea blue eyes, he was telling every word the truth.
Alice smiled and kissed him lovingly. "Im sorry"
"Me too." He grinned kissing her once more.
As they rolled over, Alice began to run her hand up his chest, but Danny began to stand up, Alice raised an eyebrow at him.
"Sorry Alice… need's must!" Danny kissed her hand, before walking out the bedroom.
Alice looked at the clock, 8pm, she wandered off to Charlotte's room, quickly saying goodnight, what's an early night she thought to herself as she slid into bed, feeling for the first time in a long time, alone.
Hope this chapter wasn't too confusing.
xx