26th September 1977

You'd actually be amazed how easy it is to stay out of someones' way in a police station, even if they work at a desk within spitting distance.

I left early for work this morning. As I opened the bedroom door Sam was lying outside. What is wrong with the spare room? Anyway, he must have been sitting with his back to the door and eventually gone to sleep. I stepped over him and was out of the house before either of them stirred.

Phyllis was on earlies. "Blimey Annie, you wet the bed?" She asked as I crept in out of the rain.

"I thought I'd get an early start." I said.

She nodded knowingly. "Still got the Guv as a house guest then?"

I rolled my eyes in answer and made my way to CID.

Before long the kettle had boiled and I was half way through my first cup of tea. I had a plan. In police work, like any other job there are boring, mundane and downright dirty jobs that need to be done. As a result they tend to get piled up until somebody annoys the Guv enough and gets allocated them. I was going to do those jobs. It meant that for most of the day I would be in filing in the dark, dusty records office, out and about speaking to people who basically were time wasters and painstakingly picking through evidence bags and witness statements. Most important, I would not be in CID.

Things were going to plan. I'd finished a whole load of filing without being discovered and had gone out to see a Mrs Smith who claimed the man upstairs had trained his cats to mug passers by.

I had just taken her statement and stood up to leave when the room began to spin. I must have blacked out because when I came to I was slumped in my chair with the lady tapping my face. She looked terrified.

"Um… I'm sorry." I said trying to shake off the dizziness. I felt sick to my stomach. "I'm sorry, could I please use your…?" She must have known what I meant because I was quickly directed through to the bathroom. As I crouched there over the bowl my stomach heaved again emptying the contents entirely.

When I felt a little better I came out to find the worried Mrs Smith hovering outside the door. She handed me a glass of water sympathetically.

"They're sending someone." She said.

"Hmm?" I gulped the water gratefully. "You didn't phone an ambulance!"

"No dearie. I phoned the nice lady at the police station. She said that I wasn't to take any of your nonsense and to keep you sitting down until the car arrives."

"Oh… you didn't need to do that Mrs Smith, I'm fine really."

She smiled knowingly. "I was just the same dear. You best wait for them to pick you up. You don't want to go out there wiv them cats about, it's not safe."

How embarrassing, to be collected by police car and driven back to the station. It was only a ten minute walk. Phyllis was waiting for me, her face full of concern. She immediately ushered me into the medical room.

"We never would have known where you were Annie luv. What if you'd been in real trouble, passing out like that! I've been trying to raise you on the radio?"

She handed me a damp cloth. It felt good against my skin.

In my haste to stay out of the way I had switched it off.

"The boss has been virtually turning the place upside down looking for you." She continued. "I thought he was going to start searching the bloody lockers. He's on the verge of getting every copper out combing the streets."

"Don't tell him I'm here." I pleaded.

She nodded. "Trouble in paradise eh? Well I can't really hide you, what do you want me to do, stick a lampshade on your head and pretend you're part of the furniture?"

I smiled weakly as my stomach decided to do another impression of a washing machine.

"Look it's none of my business Annie luv, but I take it there were words last night, not helped by the Guv having moved in to yours?"

There was not much got by Phyllis.

"Your fella was tearing the Guv off a strip as I 'happened' to walk by CID this morning. No way to treat Annie after all she's done, etc, etc." She explained.

"He was?"

She patted my hand. "The boss is not a bad lad. He just gets torn in all directions sometimes. And then of course there's that ignorant sod Carling. If his nose was any further out of joint he'd be able to stick it up his own backside."

"Ray?" I was confused.

"Been put out since the Guv came to you after his troubles…Loving that that he and the boss were having a falling out, no doubt thought it would be handbags at dawn again. Stirring bugger…"

"Please tell me they didn't come to blows again." I leant back against the wall and closed my eyes.

"Nope. And this is not something I say lightly luv, but I think the Guv was actually… sorry." She whispered the last word.

I looked at her in amazement. "You're kidding! Now I know I'm light headed."

"Not that he'll ever admit it… look, let me go get the boss…"

I shook my head. "I'll be fine in a minute."

"He can take you home. Have you been to see the doctor?"

She took my hand, an unusual thing for Phyllis to do. "I think you know why you're not well luv?"

For some reason I felt my eyes filling up with tears. She patted my hand kindly. "You stay there. No running off anywhere. I'll go and get him."

I took a deep breath. My nausea was easing now and I was so angry with myself for being so weak. What was I going to say to Sam? This was hardly the opportune moment. The last time I spoke to him I was hysterical and frustrated. I threw him out of our bed!

"Annie! Are you ok? I've been worried sick!" He came into the room like a whirlwind gathering me up into his arms. "Where have you been? They said you were ill, what's the matter, why didn't you have your radio on?"

"Hang on, hang on… one thing at a time. Give the girl some air." Phyllis admonished.

"I was a little faint that's all." I said as he pulled away. He took my face in one hand. "You look pale. Did you eat something… you didn't eat that curry in the fridge because believe me…"

I smiled. "No I didn't eat any curry. I'm fine honestly."

I saw Phyllis raise an eyebrow.

"She fainted and she's nauseous?" She said. "I hope you were paying more attention when you got her into this?"

Sam looked from me to the WPC in confusion.

"Oh for goodness sake… and you call yourself a bloody detective!" She snapped before striding out of the room.

You could almost see the realisation as it hit him. He gazed into my face, wrinkling his nose slightly with a smile. "Annie? Tell me..."

I didn't know what to say. Actually I couldn't speak. The words caught in my throat. All I could do was nod.

Suddenly I was being hugged to within an inch of my life, kisses being planted across my face. "That's wonderful, it's amazing!" He stepped back looking at me with the most stupid grin. "You're ok though? I should take you home. You should go home now. Put your feet up. I'll make you dinner, what do you want… you can have anything?"

I laughed. "You're babbling."

"I… don't… care…" He said kissing me between each word.

"You found her then?" The Guvs' gruff voice interrupted. We hadn't heard him come in.

"Yep." Sam was still grinning like an idiot.

"Look, Cartwright…" He began.

"You've come to kick me out?" I said.

"Not yet... I'm more kicking myself out... It's time." He opened a bottle and poured me a glass. I managed to read the label before the smell hit me… crème du menthe.

My stomach immediately went into spin cycle. I leant over and heaved into the sink. I could hear the Guv in the confusion.

"I thought birds liked this shit?"

Sam was holding my hair back from my face as I was sick. Hardly the most glamorous position to be in.

"It's not the drink Guv. I think she probably accepts your apology."

"What's up with the dozy plonk then?"

I didn't have to see it to know the look on Sams' face, utter joy.

"We're having a baby."

Alex looked up from the diary in shock. No-one had ever mentioned a baby. In fact it had been said… there were no kids. That sent a chill through her. Had Annie lost the baby and lost Sam in the process, causing him to fake his death to escape? This was a puzzle that just kept twisting and turning. There was no option, if she wanted answers, she just had to keep going until the bitter end.

A/N And dear readers so do you. Please, please, please… just an 'I'm still reading it' will give me encouragement. It's hard not to veer off character when you are so absorbed. I'd really appreciate any comment or if anybody seems wildly out of kilter. I've tried to study the characters and you all know them. Some feedback guys... please... Thank you.