Danny's mobile suddenly began to ring intolerably. He looked down to Alice who shrugged her shoulders. As Danny reached out for it, the man stood in the doorway began to move.
"Stay where you are." Alice told him bitterly.
Danny who had answered the phone looked up and gulped.
"Er, you better speak to Alice..." Danny said quietly. He handed Alice the phone and watched Alice nervously, he continued to dress her wound. He HAD to dress that wound because Alice was not going to be happy. In fact, she was going to be decisively furious! Rowan had not chosen the best time to turn up!
"He what?" Alice squeaked in shock as she listened to Vanessa's emotions unravel through the phone. Danny saw it. The dreaded darkening of the eyes, the anger flashing through her. "Oh, I'm gonna personally castrate him with a pair of hot wires!" Alice growled. "I'll ring you later."
"Alice." Danny said quietly and rather unconvincingly.
"This better be good Rowan..." Alice warned standing up, ignoring the pain in her lower back where the dressing pulled slightly. "Upping and leaving your wife and kids really wasn't your brightest idea!"
"How do you think I feel?" Rowan exclaimed, "I go to try and get some extra funds to keep Mara afloat, and I get back to see the place in the hands of some American businessman!"
"Well if you hadn't upped and left without a word, maybe Rowan... just maybe, Vanessa wouldn't have panicked and sold up!" Alice suggested, her tone openly hostile and sarcastic.
"She was in town!" Rowan protested.
"Oh, so you couldn't wait an hour to say, hey Vanessa, I'm going away to get some money for us? Get real Rowan, did you consider your little girls in this?" Alice asked angrily. Her fists clenched.
"I did it for them!" Rowan argued. "I have the money..."
"Well good flaming use it is now!" Alice shouted gesturing wildly. She winced as she felt pain course through her lower back.
"Sit down Alice." Danny told her. "Alice!" He repeated her name, she did so moodily. Danny turned to Rowan. "Rowan, I think it's best you leave."
"I have nowhere to go." Rowan said quietly, half annoyed and put out by the fact Danny, of all people, was telling him to leave!
"You have the money, there's a B&B in town, you could even go to Mara." Alice snapped back.
"What if I book here." Rowan replied smiling.
"No." Danny replied. "Sorry Rowan, but you are not what Alice or anyone else in the family needs right now."
Rowan stood quietly. He took in Danny's appearance for the first time. He noticed the cut on his head, and he'd also noticed he wasn't moving his left arm at all. He realised they'd had some form of accident, a bad day maybe. Danny had been putting a dressing on Alice's lower back.
"Can I come round tomorrow?" Rowan asked.
Alice immediately scoffed and shook her head looking at the table.
"Fine, but only if you go to the B&B, I'll pick you up." Danny told him. "The rest of the family need not be bothered with you."
Rowan nodded and left, he knew Danny's patience was beginning to wear thin. The minute Alice heard him go she looked up to him.
"Why'd you say he could come?" Alice asked him.
"Because Alice, he's your brother... it's either than or thump him one. Anyway, you wanted to castrate him didn't you?"
"He deserves it!" Alice exclaimed. "Hot wires, nice and mes..."
"Yes thank you Alice!" Danny put his hand up, she laughed at the tortured look on his face.
"Why do you men all get so... I dunno, uptight about things like that!"
"Painful!" Danny reminded her. "How would you like certain assets of yours removing in that way?"
"I wouldn't like it, but you don't see me wincing at it. It's official, all men and wimps!" Alice grinned. She turned as she heard a small child's laughter.
"Mummy! Daddy!" Lyndon shouted as he ran into the kitchen.
"Hey!" Danny grinned, "You had a nice day not at school?"
"Yeh! Caroline took me shopping though! She bought me some crayons and a pad. When she went to have some tea, I made you and mummy this for your bedroom." He grinned, holding up a small piece of paper obviously torn out of a book.
"Wow thank you!" Alice beamed, "Look at that! You're nearly inside all the lines! Well done!"
"That's amazing Lyndon! Well done son!" Danny grinned proudly, ruffling his sons hair. Lyndon who had made his way onto Alice's knee was smiling happily, lapping up all the praise. "Shall we go put it up in mummy and daddy's room now?"
Lyndon nodded before frowning. He noticed his dad had a cut on his head.
"Daddy, what you done to your head?" Lyndon asked, Alice had to stop herself laughing at the look on his face. God, he was such a mini Danny when it came to his expressions!
"Well son, you see, mummy and daddy were in the bush and a nasty animal tried to hurt us, but daddy looked after mummy and stopped the nasty animal, but we both fell over!" Danny told him.
"Wow! So you're a hero?" Lyndon asked in amazement.
"Thanks son." Alice muttered, Lyndon didn't hear her but Danny did who laughed.
"I suppose I am!" Danny said smugly, they'd reached Danny and Alice's bedroom. Danny let Lyndon choose where to put it. He pointed to their wardrobe.
"It's so he can look outside. He's a giraffe, he likes looking around." Lyndon told his parents. Danny nodded and placed it on the wardrobe. Lyndon smiled and clapped happily.
(x)
"Super Sam! Ner,ner,ner,ner... Super Sam!" Matt was making Sam fly through the air whilst singing 'Super Sam' to the tune of Danger mouse. Zoe was watching them from where she was sat. Sam was going to bed soon. This was the best way to tire him out when he wasn't in the mood for bed time. Playing with him. "Tired?" Matt asked as she saw his son's eyelids droop. Sam nodded and so Matt walked off to put him to bed.
Zoe reached over the phone. She wanted to talk to Alice before indulging in her chillax time with Matt. She pressed 4... thank god for speed dial she thought to herself. Soon she was engrossed in a conversation with Alice about what was happening between Rowan after she'd told Alice her own news.
"No way! So he just left one day whilst she was in town with the kids to go apparently get money, which made Vanessa sell up because she was scared and couldn't get in touch with him and then he returns?" Zoe exclaimed in shock.
"Yeh! Unbelievable!" Alice replied. "Danny's got him coming round tomorrow as well."
"Why?" Zoe asked.
"So I can castrate him." Alice said seriously.
"Did Danny not shrivel up?" Zoe asked meaning his expression, it was only when she heard Alice's relentless laughter that she realised what she said. "NO! I mean get that look of pure torture!"
"Zoe please, stop!" Alice said breathlessly. "He did cringe slightly, we ended up kinda having a bit of a tease about it. Conclusion – men are all wimps! I mean, he said how would I like my boobs to be taken off via hot wire. I was like well I obviously wouldn't like it but I'm not acting like I'm being physically hut!"
"Totally agree!" Zoe nodded. "I mean, come on. It's not actually happening."
"I know!" Alice laughed.
Matt walked through and tilted his head as he saw Zoe talking on the phone.
"Ah Alice, one must go, ze fiancée demands that one chillaxes!" Zoe sighed.
"One understands completely. One's husband is trying to persuade one to put the blower down, he's curling my hair naturally!" Alice laughed.
"Dear girl! If it wasn't for my promises to my man, I would help you stay in the phone!" Zoe laughed, "Seeya Alice."
"Bye." Alice put the phone down.
Zoe looked to Matt. He smiled and took her hand, lifting her up. She kissed him chastely before allowing him to lead the way. He led her to their bedroom.
"On your stomach please, ze vest top off." Matt beamed.
"Oh no Matt... no..." Zoe told him a wicked light in her eye.
"Don't be crude!" Matt told her as she did as she was told.
He gently rubbed some oil into his hands before moving his hands over her back. She felt herself relax as his hands moved over her back. Hmm, she should be tired more often!