AUTHORS NOTE: So who thought I'd be giving you a quick happy ending to this story? WRONG! I'm going to drag it out a little bit more. Let's give Stuart some more turmoil seeing as he's not in our show anymore :(

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters

[Smug Find]

"Daddy," Ronan asked as she allowed her father to wash her face clean from ice cream while she clung onto the rag doll that the detectives had found for her in one of their stockrooms, "is everything okay?" She asked quietly as she tried to read her father's face. Ewan smiled as he looked up at her. He should have known better than to try and hide anything from their perceptive little one.

He sighed as he stopped wiping her face and flashed her a tired smile, "baby, daddy is in a little trouble but Uncle Burke, Auntie Jackie and Uncle Robbie are all going to help him, okay?" Ewan didn't know if she'd understand this but he needed to try. He needed her to understand that with them on the case her daddy would be okay because he believed that too.

"Is it that mean woman that's hurting daddy?" She said knowing that she shouldn't say anything because that was her technically admitting that she'd eavesdropped into an adults conversation which she had been told on many occasions was a naughty thing to do. Ewan just smiled as he pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her cheeks that now tasted like the wet one he'd used to remove the ice cream.

"She's trying but your daddy is strong and won't let anyone..." he stopped talking as his mobile phone went off with the theme that he'd set to Robbie's phone. He flicked his phone open and didn't even have chance to say hello before Robbie said that they'd found him and that they should get to the hospital as soon as possible. "Send me a photo." He said bluntly before hanging up the phone and looking back at his daughter. "They've found daddy, baby. We'll go see him in a minute but first I have to go do something. Is that okay?" The little girl nodded her head and went to sit down patiently on one of the chairs as Ewan moved down the corridor where he slipped into the interrogation room.

"I have nothing more to say to you," Val whispered in a tired tone of voice and Ewan was impressed that she knew it was him seeing as she had her head resting in her arms. Ewan, however, didn't listen and moved to take his seat again.

"Oh Valerie, you don't need to say anything because you see..." Ewan's phone buzzed in his hand and he flicked it open, his face pained as he saw the state that his husband was in before turning the phone round, "they found him." He admitted causing her to look up, her trembling hands reaching out to take hold of the phone.

"That can't be possible... No. He needs to die. He needs to die so you suffer, you bastard." She shouted angrily, her hand slamming the phone down on the table as she glared at him. "This wasn't meant to have a happy ending." She snarled as she slapped Ewan's face, her nails taking some of his cheek with her but he didn't even flinch at the pain.

"Sweetheart," the gangster tone was back and he didn't even notice, "The happy ending is knowing that you'll never see the light of day again. You'll die old in jail," he stood up before leaning in so that his next sentence couldn't be heard by the cameras, "or if I have my way, you'll be lucky to survive a month in jail. It might be a woman's prison but don't doubt my lack of contacts." He promised before leaving the room, her screams of anger following him down the corridor but he couldn't help but smile as a wave or relief washed over him.

"Daddy," Ronan said coming over to him with a tissue, "the bad woman hurt you!" She said dabbing at his cheek but Ewan didn't even say anything. He just scooped his daughter up into his arms, pressed a kiss to her cheek and then carried her out to the car park where a police car was waiting for them so he could take them to the hospital.

"What's happening?" Ewan demanded the minute he saw the three detectives, his face ducking out of Jackie's reach as she tried to examine his face and just glared at Burke as if expecting him to have the answer. The man's face was grim and Ewan didn't have it in him to hear anything bad. He couldn't allow for the woman to win. He couldn't. He needed to apologise to his husband, tell him he loved him and more importantly tell him that he wanted him to adopt Ronan so that she was all his. "Don't ignore my question. I demand to know what's going on."

"Ewan," Jackie said taking hold of the man and leading him away as Ronan was starting to feel the distress as she clung onto Robbie's hand. "Stuart lost a lot of blood and he didn't have any food or water for days so his immune system has kicked in." She explained causing Ewan to stare at her in confusion. He didn't care about all this. He just wanted to know if he could go speak to his partner.

"Can I go speak to..."

"He's in a coma, Ewan. The doctor's say it's touch and go." She whispered to him before looking down at his feet. "They also believe that if he does wake up, if, then he might have amnesia because of the events he went through."

Ewan didn't let Jackie finish her sentences as he rushed into Stuart's room, his heart breaking at how small he looked in the hospital bed. The torture that the woman had put him through was apparent from the now cleaned and bound wounds that decorated his arms, the black eye and tiny cuts around his face causing him to wince as he walked over and took hold of his husband's hand. "I love you. You have to wake up. Please." He broke down in his tears, his face in the crook of Stuart's neck as he just let his emotions take control.

TO BE CONTINUED...