Chapter 10
Jim strolls into the bar smiling, "Luigi, the usual thanks" he scans the room and his heart sank and he saw Lucy laughing with Gene on a table by themselves. She looks up briefly and averts her gaze from him quickly.
His face fell. "On second thoughts, forget it." he turns on his heel, steps outside and leans against the wall. He looks up to the skies and heavy drops of rain begin to fall on his face.
He begins the walk home, hands deep in his pockets and head bowed low. If it was possible he hated Gene Hunt even more. Again he had seduced another woman, with what he had no idea, but it looked like another one had fell hook, line and sinker. In a way he was relieved, this way she wouldn't be poisoned by him.
He walks back into his flat that seemed too cheerily clean, he threw his drenched coat over his desk chair.
He picks up the paper he had written on in his previous trance of 'amour', takes out his lighter, flicks it then watches the paper curl and twist and drop to ashes on the desk.
He sat on his sofa where he drifted off to sleep.
The dream returned.
This time he wasn't watching himself holding Lucy in his arms, he was watching Gene embrace her, and this time he didn't wake up.
Jim wakes up the next morning to the sound of birds. "Oh get lost" he shouted out loud. He rubs his head and takes off his glasses which had been pushing into his face painfully. He sits up, stretches and slumps against the back of the sofa.
Faint stills of the nightmare he had flash through his head. He clenches his fists. It's 6:17. He sighs, puts on the kettle and gets dressed.
At 7:30 on the dot Jim arrived at Fenchurch East.
Lucy had come in an hour early; she'd had nightmares of her own too.
After Gene had taken her home she was left to think about what he had said about Jim, and had decided that he was just being overdramatic, she'd spoken to Jim, he wasn't that bad, and even if they had disagreements, it was no business of hers. She fell asleep happy that she'd made a mature decision that would work out well for everyone. Yet, as soon as she hit the pillow her good mood was stopped by her nightmare. She was in a hospital bed; her dad was sitting beside her, holding her hand. A nurse was holding a mirror.
"Its time." The Nurse utters.
She sat silently, her dad nodded and squeezed her hand. The nurse began to unwrap the bandages, she watched the tears fall down his face. The nurse hands Lucy the mirror, she heard the scream, and she could still hear it when she woke up.