Disclaimer not mine.

Little White Lies?

"Guv." Shapps half jogged along the hospital corridor towards Janine. She kept her eyes on the floor as he reached her. The rest of the hospital seemed oblivious to what was going on around them. She closed her eys as seh felt her junior officer reach her.

"Guv?"

"What is it?" She sighed heavily.

"Kat and Hogg are going to interview Grovers and Griffiths has just confessed to providing an alibi for the scum and aiding and abetting."

"Good." Janine tried to smile but she knew it was fake.

"All the others are back at the station. SOCO are going over the cellar and we have his address now so we are sending teams over there now. We've got them. It's over." He watched as Janine nodded.

"Yeah."

"He will be ok, you know that?" Shapps spoke quietly as a young nurse walked towards them. Janine nodded once before turning to look at Shapps for the first time since he had arrived in the hospital.

"Yeah." She sighed slightly just as the nurse reached them.

"Are you with Richard Mayne?" The nurse spoke quietly. Shapps nodded.

"Yeah, my colleague is trying to get hold of his mum and dad but they're in Spain on holiday." Shapps explained.

"It's ok." The nurse smiled. "I think telling his fiancé how he is counts as telling his next of kin."

"Fiance?" Janine had no idea how the nurse had got that idea. Shapps smirked.

"Oh. Sorry, its just that an Ian Butchers phoned and said Richard's fiancé and friend were in the waiting area. I assumed."

"That's ok. You assumed right luv." Shapps lied as Janine tried to get her head around what Shapps and Butchers had been up to in the hour since she had arrived at the hospital. The nurse nodded before ushering both police officers to the small relatives room.

"The doctor will be able to give you more details but Richard will be in hospital overnight. The Bed Manager is trying to find him a bed on the surgical unit."

"Surgical?" Janine felt something inside her guts twist. Richard hated hospitals, always had done. She kenw there was no way he was going to agree to stay there.

"Yeah, because he sustained injuries rather than came in with an illness."

"Right." Shapps nodded. "'Ow is he?"

"Are you family?" The door opened to see a young doctor walked in. Shapps nodded.

"Sort of, we work with him and Janine here is his fiancé." Shapps only half lied. Janine nodded once while she clasped her hands, hoping that neither the nurse or doctor didn't realise she wasn't wearing an engagement ring. Her divorce had only just come through as it was.

"Ok." The doctor sat down. "My name is Dr Morrissey. I've looked after Richard since he arrived."

"How is he?" Janine spoke for the first time.

"We have sent him to have a CT scan on his head."

"Oh God." Janine was sure she was going to be sick.

"That's mainly because of the black eye he has. He also has a few broken ribs and we have had to pop a chest drain in as the broken rib went into his left lung. That may have been why he collapsed when you got to him. He's a very lucky man."

"Sounds it." Shapps answered sarcastically.

"On the face of it, yes he is." Dr Morrissey stated calmly. "The injuries suggest he was the victim of a serious assault. I am surprised he regained consciousness when he did."

"He's awake?" Janine wanted to scream at the doctor for not telling her that the moment he had walked in the room.

"He's groggy but yes, he woke up a short while after he arrived."

"Can I see him?" Janine didn't care that Shapps was hearing how worried she was. "I mean, if I'm not in the way."

"No, you wont be in the way. As soon as he gets back from scan I'll have the nurse come to collect you." The doctor smiled before shaking Shapps' hand and leaving.

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"Do you believe that?" Kat walked alongside Butchers as they headed back to the squad room.

"Nah, unbelievable." Butchers nodded. "He's sick in the 'ed."

"Indeed." Both officers stopped as they realised Hogg was just behind them. "But even so we will treat this as any other case. Is that understood."

"Ma'am." Butchers narrowed his eyes. For the first time Kat realised why the others disliked the woman so much. DSI Hogg literally made it clear she barely tolerated Janine at the best of times while her team were a mere annoyance. Now that they had the man in custody that had put Richard in hospital the woman was still as cold as ice.

"Thank you." She walked past them. Butchers rolled his eyes.

"Oh Ma'am?"

"Yes DS Butchers." She turned to face them both as Kat glanced between the two officers.

"I'll give Richard your best then, shall I?"

"Oh yes. Yes of course." She snapped before walking away. Kat glared after her as her heels clicked against the shiny floor.

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Janine stood in the doorway of the A&E resus room unsure if she should venture any further. Richard had been back from his scan for a little over thirty minutes before the nurse had been able to collect her. Shapps had been sent back to the station minutes earlier but in that moment she wished he had stayed behind.

"Mum?"

"Michael." Janine turned to see her oldest child staring at her. "How did?"

"Tom and the girls are with Lucy. They're fine. I heard on the news so I phoned the station. Kat told me Richard had been in an accident."

"Oh right." She nodded as her eyes filled with tears.

"Mum, was it an accident?" Michael waited as she shook her head. "It was a case, was't it? That big case you've had on?"

"Yeah." Janine's voice broke as Michael hugged her to him.

"Oh Mum." He hugged her. "You better stop crying before he sees you."

"Oh God." Janine wiped away a tear and nodded.

"Go on." He smiled. "I'll go and ring Lucy, Ellie will be chewing her ear off about this. You know what she's like."

"Yeah." Janine nodded before turning around and faced the doorway again. She knew Richard needed her, she just hoped he didn't blame her for what happened. Not when she blamed herself.

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A/N Not much more left. Please review. Next time Janine and Richard finally see each other.