Truth?

"Ovarian cancer." Alesha stared at her friend. "Is that a definite?"

"Yeah." Natalie nodded.

"How long have you known?" Alesha still couldn't believe it. Natalie sighed heavily, she knew it was a shock. It had been a massive shock to her but it she knew it was her friend that would take it badly.

"A couple of weeks."

"What?" Alesha paused. "Weeks?"

"I wanted to get my own head around it first. And the kids have been having their own issues, Lou is teething, we have a high profile murder case. Looks like there's more suspects than bloody Cluedo." Natalie sat down on the sofa.

"Treatment?"

"Surgery. - remove the ovaries. Puts me straight into the blimmin menopause. But then I'm about the right age for that." Natalie shrugged. Alesha sat down as Cameron stirred. Alesha handed the tired toddler his teddy bear as he settled back to sleep.

"That boy will sleep anywhere." Natalie smiled.

"Like his father." Alesha paused. "So? Surgery."

"Yeah. Total removal of ovaries, womb and all that gubbins." She sighed. "Then chemo if its spread."

"Ok." Alesha wanted to cry but knew she had to keep calm for her friend. She knew how much it had taken her to tell her; the last thing she wanted was to upset her.

"But what about Ronnie?"

"I can't." Natalie paused. "I've tried to tell him. I just can't."

"Natalie Chandler, mum to two boys, the matriarch of MIU. Cut her in half and see copper written through er. Caught murderers, rapists, looked evil in the eye." Alesha paused. "Don't tell me you're scared of Ronnie?"

"Course I'm not scared of him. I love him."

"Then tell him."

Natalie closed her eyes. "I can't. I can't let him see me waste away, go through chemo- go bald, have all the crap that goes with it." Alesha sighed. She knew she wasn't going to convince her that none of that would make a difference in the way Ronnie felt about her.

"When's the op?" Alesha paused as she heard the front door click. Natalie was oblivious as she shrugged.

"Next Monday."

"So? You have to tell him something. You can't just vanish."

"Who's vanishing?" Both women fell silent as Ronnie appeared in the doorway.

Xxxxxxx

"You think it's got more to do with Spencer than Liam?" Joe asked. Angie nodded. The rest of the office was abandoned - with Sam off to collect his son and Matt already on his way home.

"The kid was just a teenager. He was killed for a reason. The way he died." She shook her head. "It's like something from the mafia."

"His alibi didn't add up." Joe paused. "He's got a history of violence."

"Spencer has a history of domestic violence."

"His girlfriend died in suspicious circumstances. " Joe agreed. "He's got more questions against his name than anyone else. We should talk to him."

"Yeah not now though. Justine is waiting for me." Joe nodded.

"Fair enough. I'll give you a lift." Joe closed the file on his lap. "Cmon."

Xxxxxxx