Beep!

Beep!

Beep!

Beep!

Apart from the constant sound of the heart monitor, the room was deadly silent as Jack sat on one side of the small cot and Gwen on the other. Both were blank faced and pale, smudges under their eyes showed Owen how little the pair had slept since the accident. Squeezing Jack's shoulder he sat down next to him and nodded to Alice.

"No change then" he said wincing at how loud and uncaring his voice sounded.

Jack shook his head as his grip on Alice's hand tightened. Owen hated this. He hated seeing such a little girl look even smaller and deathly pale as she laid there on a plastic cot, wires sticking out of her arm. No life, no smiles, no loud squealing voice and no laughter. It was almost worse than death.

"Come on Gwen" Andy said gently as he tried to pull her out of her seat. "It's your birthday, you don't want to be in here, and I know it's hard and you don't want to leave her but you can't live in here"

"Andy's right Gwen" Owen said in an uncharacteristically soft voice. "You and Jack have been in here all visiting hours for the past week and there hasn't been any change. You'll be doing your exams next week and you need some sleep. Let me, Tosh and the two poofs stay with her. Mr and Mrs Harkness will look after her as well"

Gwen shook her head. "No" she croaked. "I have to stay, I have to be there to say sorry when she wakes up...i have to....i have to do something." She let out a sob. "It's my fault"

Jack looked up at her. "No it isn't" he said quietly. "Gwen this is not your fault! It's that sick psycho and when I get my hands on him I'll make him pay for every single disgusting thing he's done from following you and hurting Emma to what he did to Alice"

Owen looked warily at the side filled with stuff toys for Alice. The day after the accident a bouquet of white orchids were delivered with a message to Gwen from the stalker admitting to attempted murder of Alice. Jack had furiously smashed the vase and it took Mrs Harkness and Ianto to calm Gwen down and get her back into the room. The police were now investigating and have taken everything the stalker had given to Gwen and Jack; unfortunately they can't work out who it is because every message had been typed up and printed. The disadvantages of modern technology.

"Gwen. This person is a very sick and revolting and disgusting excuse of a human and it is all their fault. You are kind and sweet and gentle and beautiful those qualities would draw anyone to you. It's someone like them that would dare dirty that!"

Owen looked at Tosh in awe. For the time he had known her she had never gotten angry, scared yes, shy definitely, tearful most certainly and happy very rarely but angry? Never. But here she sat bright pink cheeks and eyes flashing with fury and actually speaking loudly with anger. It's almost like she had finally woken up from a deep slumber, like he has finally met the real Toshiko Sato after all these months and god she was beautiful.

Tosh stood up. "Ianto go and get a cake, after all the birthday girl needs a cake" Ianto smiled and nodded before leaving while everyone else stared at Tosh. She blushed. "Sorry was I being presumptuous?" she asked timidly reverting back to her shy self.

"No" Jack said smiling faintly. "You're right and so is everyone else. My baby girl is stable and will wake up the moment we catch this scumbag, I am sure of it. She might even wake up now just to wish her Mummy a Happy Birthday"

Everyone looked rather surprised at the last bit as Gwen smiled back at Jack and took his hand over the cot. "She'll make it, after all she's your daughter" she said firmly.

"Our daughter" Jack corrected.

Andy looked confused. "I thought she was some Italian chick's kid?"

Owen rolled his eyes. "Idiot" he muttered.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW

When Owen got home his Nana hurried towards him with a gleeful look in her eyes as she clutched an envelope to her chest. "How is the baby?" she asked concerned despite her happiness.

"Alice is stable but she hasn't improved yet" Owen said giving his Nana a one armed hug. "Good news is it?" he asked nodding to the envelope.

"I don't know you have to tell me" Nana said smirking evilly as she handed the envelope to him.

Owen took it carefully and paled at the sight of it. The long envelope with a familiar crest on the top right hand corner with curvy italics underneath. Edinburgh University. The place was brilliant for all various subjects particularly dentistry and medicine. To have Edinburgh University on your CV is equal to having Cambridge and Oxford. Owen had gone to an interview the weekend before last but had long forgotten it since Alice had been hospitalised. Swallowing hard he slowly opened the envelope.

Dear Mr Owen Harper.

We would like to congratulate you on having a secure place in Edinburgh University. We have found your grades to be adequate and your self a polite young man willing to learn.....

Owen could barely read the rest. He got into his first choice. Edinburgh University wanted him, Owen Harper local twat, in their university! He would be going to Edinburgh University!

A mix of pride and happiness took over him as he swept his grandmother into a bear hug and cheered in joy. "I got in! I got in Nana!" he shouted over and over again.

Nana clapped her hands happily. "Oh I knew it! My darling boy was always the brightest of them all! You shall do wonderfully in Scotland"

And then he landed on Earth with a loud bang.

Scotland.

He would be in Scotland. Hours and hours away from Cardiff. No one would be here to look after Nana and make sure she wouldn't have a nasty fall. No one would be here to help Jack take care of the little monster called Alice. And no one would be here to hold Tosh's hand.

Tosh who he had only just realised how beautiful she truly was.

"Nana" he croaked. "I can't go"

"Nonsense" she said sternly wagging a finger at him. "I have talked it over with Mrs Harkness and she has invited me to live with her and her family for the next three years. After that I'll look into finding a nursing home so I can rest and spend time with people my own age. So you have nothing to worry about with me and Alice, the pair of us can keep each other company and I dare say it would be nice to look after a baby again"

"Tosh" he whispered blushingly.

"She's a smart girl. I would bet all my bingo money that you'll end up in the same residence hall as her" Nana said grinning. "I like her. I wouldn't mind having her as my granddaughter in law just so you know"

"Nana!"

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW

"SUZIE! SUZIE GETS DOWN HERE NOW!"

Suzie Costello flinched as she heard her father's yells from downstairs. They were slightly slurred which meant he had been drinking again. She had tried desperately hard to stop him after her mother died but nothing stopped him. In fact her attempts made him resent her even more than before. He never liked her much and when her mother died he blamed her even though it was natural causes.

With a heavy sigh she continued to ignore him as she re-read her psychology notes for the exam in a couple days.

"I SAID GET DOWN HERE YOU STUPID UGLY BITCH!"

She looked up at her favourite photo and smiled sadly. "One day, I'll be free from him and we'll be together" she promised the photo. "Not long now. Just a few more weeks"

"I SAID NOW BITCH!"

Steeling herself for what was to come Suzie robotically put her notes away and left her room. Her face a mask to hide her emotions from her pathetic excuse of a father and her hands balled into tight fists so her nails could dig into her wrists and remind her what was to come in the future.

She had many plans and her father would be the first to be destroyed.