We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, or Emmerdale
Chapter 35
Ffion followed Rowan out to her car and they set off for the village. Ffion told her where the B&B was and Rowan followed her directions. She saw the Quattro, but there was no sign of Jack's car.
"Where's Jack's car?" she asked as they walked up to the B&B.
"He took it over to the garage," Ffion said and gestured in the direction of the garage. They went inside and Ffion went into the dining room, leaving Rowan at the desk. Val hurried over.
"Yes, pet?" she asked.
"I need to get a room for tonight. My sister is in the hospital and she and her husband were staying here," she began.
"Oh, is that the one that looks like Declan?"
Rowan nodded.
Val furrowed her brow.
"But you're American and she sounded like she's from Birmingham," Val said in confusion.
"Nevertheless," Rowan said and smiled. "I really could use a shower and change of clothes."
"Of course, sorry," Val apologized and quickly got Rowan sorted. Rowan hefted the small bag and headed upstairs.
She took a quick shower, put on some clean clothes and went downstairs. She saw Gene and Alex just finishing up breakfast and gave them a small wave as she sat with Ffion.
"So, you're sure you don't want to come back?"
"Yes, I just can't," Ffion replied. "I've got everything sorted so I can stay here though," she said.
"Especially with Jack and Lyss wanting you to take care of the cottage," Rowan agreed.
"Yes, that's really quite nice of them."
Rowan nodded and finished up her breakfast.
"Well, why don't you show me this café and then I'll go back to the hospital."
"I'll get started sorting out the cottage, so if you could let them know," Ffion asked and Rowan nodded.
The two walked over to the café.
"Nice," Rowan commented.
"Well, thank you very much," Bob said from behind her and Rowan turned.
Rowan smiled.
"You must be Bob," she said.
"How did you guess?" he grinned.
"Ffion's told me you stole away one of my best employees," she joked and he chuckled.
"I only did it cause she wouldn't leave me alone."
Ffion shoved her hands in her pockets and blushed.
"Well, you'll find her well worth it," Rowan assured him. "Okay, I have to get back, I'll see you later," she said to Ffion and went back to her car, leaving Ffion and Bob in conversation.
She walked back to the B&B, climbed into her car and set off back to Hotten.
She pulled out her phone and quickly called Ray. She needed to let him know what was going on and he should be awake by now.
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Roxy lay in bed, stewing in her anger. Stacey had taken Sean's body and neglected to mention anything. And she wasn't answering her phone! Roxy was furious. So furious that she was awake at a ridiculous time in the morning. She rolled onto her side and gathered the duvet around her, she just wanted to say goodbye to Sean but Stacey was going to rob her of that. A tear rolled down her cheek, how was she supposed to move on if she wasn't going to get the closure that she needed? It wasn't fair.
Roxy made sure she was quiet, she could hear JT's breathing next to her and she didn't want to wake him. Poor JT, he'd had to put up with so much of her baggage. She thought it incredible that he hadn't left her yet. Most guys would have gone by now, especially with everything that JT had had to deal with. She was glad that he had stayed. But she was so angry at Stacey. She'd called 3 times yesterday and texted twice.
Roxy growled as she got out of bed and grabbed her dressing gown. She couldn't sleep and she wasn't going to risk waking JT. She went through to the kitchen and quietly put the kettle on as she sat down at the kitchen table and dialled Stacey's number again. She didn't care that it wasn't even daylight yet, she wanted to say goodbye.
Stacey looked at her phone...Roxy calling again! She sighed and glared at the phone for a few minutes before finally picking it up.
"What do you want, Roxy? Haven't you done enough already?" she snapped.
Roxy had to stop herself from jumping up and celebrating when Stacey answered her phone at long last. She listened to Stacey's tone of voice and felt her anger bubble up once more.
"You took your time answering," she growled. "Why the hell did you take Sean?" she demanded to know. Roxy stood up from the kitchen table and wandered over to the door and shut it with a sharp snap. She was going to try to stay as quiet as possible but precautions seemed like a good idea.
"I took Sean because he's going to buried here, near his family. And I really don't have to explain myself to you, everyone else has already spent years thinking he was dead, thanks to you. So there is honestly no reason for you to worry about it, is there?" Stacey sneered. She was in no mood to put up with Roxy's arrogance.
"I'm his WIFE, Stacey! I have every right to say goodbye to him!" she snarled down the phone.
"Wife?" Stacey scoffed in disbelief, her tone colored with disgust. "Some wife! You already said goodbye when you told everyone he was dead. Now I have to mourn my brother AGAIN…and his own mother can't even come to the proper funeral because she's already mourned him. You can't even imagine what this would do to her. Oh, right, wait, you don't bloody care, because nobody matters except Roxy Mitchell!" Stacey cried and snapped her phone shut. She couldn't believe the nerve!
Roxy gaped at the phone as Stacey hung up. She clenched her fists and refused to let herself cry. Not over this. She rubbed her fists over her eyes to banish the tears before they fell and stood up. She glared at her phone and left it on the table as she went back to her room. She made an effort to stay silent as she crept over to her side of the bed, shed off her dressing gown, and crawled back into bed. She sighed as she buried her face in her pillow.
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Alex gently shook Gene awake. She glanced at the clock as she finished getting dressed and shook him gently once more.
"Gene," she said quietly. "Gene," she repeated a bit louder once he didn't move.
She moved away from him, muttering to herself as she grabbed her hair brush and ran it through her hair. She glanced over at Gene again and kicked the bed in another attempt to wake him up.
She had decided to go back down to London with Gene now that Alyssa had Rowan and Jack with her. She didn't feel she could be much use anyway, and she was anxious to see that Molly and Sam were both alright. She sat down on the bed next to Gene's still sleeping hulk and prodded him.
"If you don't get up soon you're going to miss breakfast," she murmured.
Gene's arms shot out and he grabbed Alex around the waist and rolled, dragging her over onto him and then rolling on top of her. He looked down at her and grinned.
"I am awake, woman," he growled playfully and kissed her before rolling back to stand up. He chuckled, winked at her, then went into the bathroom to have a shower.
Alex grinned back at him as he disappeared into the bathroom and heaved her now bedraggled self off the bed. She sighed lightly as she smoothed out her clothes and fixed her hair, then glanced at the bed and decided against making it up. They would only strip it once they were gone. She made sure all of her things were packed in her suitcase and set about folding Gene's clothes up as she waited for him to finish in the bathroom.
Gene came out of the bathroom and finished dressing. He noticed the neat pile of folded clothes and glanced at Alex.
"Thank you," he said and picked up the clothes and shoved them in the case.
"Let's go eat, then, I'm starved," he remarked and hefted his bag and headed out.
Alex chuckled to herself as she zipped her suitcase closed and followed him out after giving the room one last sweeping glance to make sure they hadn't left anything.
She heaved her case downstairs behind her as she made her way after Gene into the dining room and set it next to her as she sat down.
"Do you want to call into the hospital to see how Jack and Lyss are doing before we go?" she asked him softly.
"Yeah, go on then, you probably should," he told her and smiled at Val as she came over to take their order.
Alex didn't order anything to eat, but just had a coffee. She drank it quietly as she watched Gene eat. She couldn't eat, and she didn't understand how he could eat no matter what the situation was. She shook her head with a small smile.
Gene glanced up from his food. "Aren't you going to call the hospital?" he wanted to know.
Alex looked up from her coffee and nodded. "In a minute," she replied quietly as she watched him eat. She sighed as she pulled out her phone and dialled the number of the hospital. She tapped her thumb against her mug as she waited.
She lifted her head as the phone was finally answered.
"Hello."
"Hello ICU, can I help you?"
"I just wanted to inquire about Alyssa Rimmer, she was admitted yesterday evening after a mugging," Alex explained.
"Yeah, she's unconscious at the moment but apart from that she seems okay," the nurse explained.
Alex sighed and nodded "Thanks" and put the phone down
"Lyss is still unconscious," she told him with a sigh as she dropped her phone on the table and picked up her coffee mug again.
Gene nodded and noticed Rowan come in to join Ffion for breakfast. He waved, but kept eating.
"We'll leave as soon as I'm finished. The sooner back the better."
He quickly ate his way through a slice of toast.
"Have you checked on Molly?" he asked.
Alex looked up to see who he was waving at and smiled at Rowan and Ffion.
Alex looked up at his question and shook her head. "Not this morning, no, must have slipped my mind," she sighed and fired off a text to Molly.
"Hope all is okay? xx"
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Rowan sighed and put her phone down. No answer. Ray must be busy with the twins. She'd talk to him later.
When she returned to the ward, Jack was in near-hysterics.
She quickly grabbed him and made him sit down.
"Jack, Jack, you have to calm down," she told him.
"She's still not awake, something might be wrong. They've taken her for an MRI," he said brokenly and buried his face in her shoulder.
She could think of nothing to say. She simply put her arms around him and tried to soothe him as he cried.
Rowan was relieved when Jack finally sat up and after a whispered "thank you" he went in search of the bathrooms.
Jack stood in the bathroom and scrubbed his face again. Why wouldn't she wake up? He shouldn't have fallen asleep last night, then he'd have gotten to talk to her. She had to be okay.
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Ffion hefted her bag and dug the keys for the cottage from her pocket. The place would need furniture. She would have to see how much money she had saved aside and get herself at least a bed, and some dishes. Jack and Alyssa would want to furnish the place on their own. She let herself in and went upstairs and looked at the bedrooms. She bypassed the largest one, Jack and Alyssa would want that, and chose the next largest and dropped her bag there before wandering around the rest of the cottage.
She gave a small smile and then left the cottage, making sure to lock up behind her, and began to wander around the village. She couldn't bear to go back to the hospital, not yet.
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Peter looked around the front room and grimaced. He went in to Molly's room.
"Any idea what time they're going to be back? That front room is going to take some cleaning," he told her. They should have had the small party at his house, he forgot how clumsy Fatboy could be sometimes.
Molly looked around and shrugged. "No idea," she sighed as she surveyed the mess.
"Come on, the sooner we get this all cleaned up the sooner we can relax" she sighed as she went and started picking up the empty bottles and glasses. For such a small party there was a lot of glasses lying around! She was just glad that Sam hadn't seemed to bothered by the noise. She had refused to get drunk, not with her little brother to keep an eye on.
Her head snapped up at the sound of her phone and she dumped the bottle she was holding in the bin as she dashed to her room to grab her phone.
"All good :) Wat time you home? x" she sent back and pocketed her phone. She went back into the front room
"That was Mum, I just asked what time she's expecting to be back" she smiled and grabbed her phone out as it beeped again. She snorted at Alex's text.
"Why? What have you done?"
She sighed and sent one back "Nothing, just curious :)"
She looked up at Peter. "Mum's paranoid," she giggled as she glanced around the room and began to tidy up again.
Peter shook his head and helped her clean.
"Probably should have done this at mine," he muttered as he went to find something to clean a spill up from the carpet.
Molly smiled at him and let loose a small chuckle. "Yeah, but if we did this at yours then we would have had the problem of finding somewhere for Sam to sleep," she smiled at him.
"We've got Bobby's old cot, I could easily have got it out. At least we wouldn't be trying to clean up after Fatboy," he sighed. "I feel bad for Mercy marrying him," he joked.
Molly grinned at Peter. "He's not so bad," she smiled back at him as she grabbed up the last of the bottles and dumped them in the black bin liner.
"Right, now just the room to rearrange and we're pretty much done," she sighed as she went towards the sofa to put the cushions back in place.
"Good, I'm tired. Why don't you finish up and I'll make us some food. How long do we have until they're back?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen.
Molly checked her phone and shrugged. "I'm guessing a couple of hours if they haven't left yet," she said with a small smile as she finished tidying the room.
Molly glanced over at Peter as he went around her kitchen and walked into her brothers bedroom to pick him up. Molly dressed him and set him with his Weetabix at the kitchen table
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Ray grunted as the amplified wailing from the twins woke him. He pushed himself off the sofa and groaned. Never again was he sleeping on that sofa, his back was killing him. He heaved himself into a standing position. He stumbled along to the bedroom and picked up the wailing child, cradling her to his chest as he made his way into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle out from the fridge and went back to the sofa, coaxing her to start drinking from the bottle.
He delved into his pocket with one hand and pulled out his phone. He smiled at the text from Rowan and fired one back.
"We're all good here. How's Lyss? xx"
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Rowan dug her phone out of her bag and saw the text from Ray.
"Not sure. They've taken her for an MRI scan-she's not woke up-Jack in bits," she sent.
"Took room at B&B for tonight-oh and Ffion not coming back. Got a job & staying here and looking after the cottage Jack & Lyss bought xx"
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Ray looked down at Rowan's texts and his eyes widened.
"How you doing? x" he sent back. If Jack was in bits then Rowan wouldn't be far behind. He wished he had gone up there with her, but he understood that the twins were supposed to his priority now. He sighed and looked down at Claire.
"Your Mam will be back soon," he told her as he rocked her gently. "Til then you're stuck with me," he said to her. "So no acting up," he said with a sharp nod.
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The nurse looked around for Jack and spotted him. She walked over and made sure he was sitting down. "Mr. Rimmer, the MRI scan showed some blood vessel damage near the fracture in your wife's head. She's in surgery now, the surgeons will do their best to repair it, though she will be put into a drug-induced coma to allow her body to repair itself," she explained to him. "We'll be moving her from ICU and up to the Neurosurgical Ward once she comes out," she told him.
"Am okay…being strong for Jack. Never seen him like this," Rowan sent back.
She winced as Jack grabbed Rowan's hand and squeezed at the nurse's news.
"How long?" Jack asked, his voice rough from crying and barely above a whisper.
Rowan squeezed his hand back and tried to ignore the fact that it felt like he was going to crush her fingers.
The nurse gave Jack a sympathetic look.
"Until the Doctor believes her ready to wake up," she said softly.
"If you want to follow the signs for the Neurosurgical Ward," she said as she pointed to the signs above their heads. "And ask the Ward Sister for your wife when you get up there, she'll point you in the right direction," she said kindly before leaving them.
"She's got blood vessel damage-she's going into surgery. She'll be in a coma," Rowan quickly sent off to Ray after the nurse had left.
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Ray frowned at Rowan's text and cradled Claire as he stood up and carried her back to the Nursery. He changed her and dressed her out of her pyjamas, then leant down and swapped her for Denis who was now wailing for attention.
"Come on, little guy," he said softly as he heard his phone beep again. He carefully balanced Denis in his arms as he grabbed at his phone and gulped.
"She'll be okay?" he sent back as he took Denis through to the kitchen to feed him.
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Jack's shoulders slumped as the nurse walked away. Rowan quickly put a hand on his arm.
"They're taking care of her Jack," she tried to reassure him. "Let's go get you something to eat and then we'll go see Lyss when she's out of surgery," she suggested.
"I'm not hungry!" Jack snapped and jerked away from her and stalked off down the hall.
Rowan watched him go, then closed her eyes and sighed. She wanted to stay here and support Jack, but he clearly wanted to be alone. She wouldn't push it. She wouldn't leave. She couldn't do that, not now, but she couldn't stay at the hospital right now. Not with Jack acting the way he was. She went back outside and sat in her car and wished for a cigarette.
She took her phone out of her bag and read Ray's text.
"I hope so. Jack isn't doing well tho." she sent to him. "Don't know what to do."
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Ray sighed at Rowan's text "I'm on the other end of the phone if you need me xx"
He pulled the bottle away from Denis once he'd finished and went and got Claire, too. He carefully held the two twins as he sat on the sofa and looked from one to the other.
"Well, your Aunty Alyssa is poorly, and your Mam's gone up to see her, and your Uncle Jack's not doing so well," he told them. "There, now you're all caught up with family events," he said with a short nod and started to hum to them softly.
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"I know. xx," Rowan replied and stuck her phone back in her bag and then drove back to the village. She left her car in front of the B&B and began to wander through the village, it was quite lovely she had to say. She could see why Jack and Alyssa had decided to buy the cottage.
She sat down on one of the tables outside the pub and took a few pictures of the village and began to message them to Ray.
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Ffion wandered over to the garage.
"Hi, Debbie right?" she asked and Debbie nodded.
"Mr. Rimmer asked me to come and pay you and take his car back to the B&B. He's sorry he can't come himself, but he and his wife got mugged last night. She's…..she's in the hospital, she's pretty badly hurt," Ffion said, trying to keep calm.
Debbie nodded and touched Ffion's shoulder sympathetically. "Here," she said and led Ffion over to where the invoices were and handed her Jack's. Ffion looked at the amount and then pulled the money from her pocket and handed it over.
"Odd question, but do you know a good place to get some furniture, not too expensive?"
"There's some decent shops in town, yeah. What do you need?"
"Just some bedroom stuff, bed, a dresser or chest of drawers would be good, too," she said.
"Hmmm, I've got an old couch that's in good shape, but that's it," Debbie told her with a shrug.
"It's okay. I'll find something, hopefully from someplace that delivers," she said. She flashed Debbie a smile. "Thanks."
She got into Jack's car and drove it to the cottage and parked it. She hadn't driven long enough to feel comfortable driving all the way to town. She wandered over to the pub and went inside to get some lunch.
Ffion sat in the pub and toyed with a burger and chips as she went over her bank statement to see if she had enough money to get herself a bit of furniture.
Ffion leaned back in the booth and sighed. She wished Rodney was around, she could use a distraction. She saw Carl's brother Jimmy, but no sign of Carl. She probably shouldn't go there again anyway, though she would pick Carl over Ryan.
She ate another chip and wondered what to do with her day. Maybe she should go into town and see about a bed at least. She would need someplace to sleep tonight.
When Alex was ready, Gene loaded their things into the Quattro.
"Let's go home," he said.
Alex nodded as she climbed in and fired off a text to Molly to say that they were on the way home.
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Jack wandered the hospital. He hadn't meant to chase Rowan away, but he just wanted to be alone. He'd apologize to her later. He finally headed back in the direction of her room and went inside. He looked at the bandage wrapped around her head. She'd be livid when she woke up to see they'd shaved some of her hair. He allowed himself a small smile before sitting down next to her, taking her hand and beginning to talk to her softly. She had to come back.
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Ray smiled as he received a multitude of pictures from Rowan and looked at them curiously. He went and put both Denis and Claire down for a nap and sat back on the sofa to look at them in more detail. Wherever she was, it was beautiful.
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Alex climbed out of the Quattro once they got back to Albert Square and opened their front door carefully. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Well, I was expecting chaos," she smiled at Molly and Molly looked around and grinned at her Mum.
"What? You mean you thought that I would make a mess of the house?" Molly gasped in mock horror, then grinned. "To be fair we did, but we cleaned it all up, too," she smiled.
Alex grinned and headed over to pick Sam up, she wiped his mouth and smiled at Peter and Molly.
Molly looked at Alex sceptically. "You look happy?" she commented and Alex smiled. "Well, I have reason to be," she shrugged and looked over her shoulder to look outside at the Quattro then turned back to Molly.
"Oh, just so you know, Alyssa and Jack got mugged and Lyss is in hospital," she said, her face instantly falling. "Rowan's gone up there and they say that Alyssa's going to be okay, but we don't know when she's coming out," she added. "So if Jack isn't back tomorrow or forgets to call the school then you can tell them why," she said.
Molly nodded slowly. "What happened?" she asked.
Alex sighed. "She got knocked out or something and she's got this head wound, and a slash across her shoulder," she said, biting her lip.
Molly nodded. "But she's going to be okay?"
Alex nodded. "That's what we've been told," she said quietly and hugged Sam.
"I better get to the chippy," Peter said quickly. He bent and pressed a quick kiss on Molly's cheek and put his lips to her ear.
"Let me know if you decide to ask," he said in her ear and gave her a look before nodded at Alex and leaving.
Alex looked at Peter curiously as he left and then turned her gaze back to Molly.
"What was that about?" she asked.
Molly turned and looked at Alex. "Peter and I have been talking about me maybe moving in with him," she said tentatively.
Alex nodded slowly. "Do you want to?" she asked.
"Well, I dunno, it depends if you'd rather I stayed here," she said as she turned to face Alex properly.
Alex smiled. "Molls, if you want to move in with Peter then move in with him. You're only a short drive away if you do, and we'll keep your room here," she smiled.
"What about Gene?" she asked.
"What about him? You leave him to me Molls, though he might want to talk to you about it," Alex shrugged.
Molly nodded. "I just don't want him bullying Peter more than he already does. Peter's already scared of him," Molly grouched.
Alex chuckled. "Yeah, but he's getting bored of that, because Peter gives him such a poor reaction," she smiled.
"He better stop soon," Molly grumbled.
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Rowan stood up and began to wander around the village. She headed back towards the café and took a picture of it to send, and then went to the cottage Jack had bought and sent a picture of that.
She headed back to the pub and decided to get some lunch. She'd go back to the hospital after. She ignored some of the looks she got and ordered some food from the lovely Scottish lady behind the bar. She saw Ffion and went to sit with her.
"I'll go back to the hospital after I eat," Rowan told her.
"Can I ride with you? I need to go into town?" Ffion asked and Rowan nodded. She took a sip of her lemonade and toyed with her phone. Ffion looked at it.
"I've been sending pictures of the village to Ray, I think he's jealous and not just because I'm off somewhere by myself and he's stuck with the twins," she managed to joke. Ffion smiled.
"I just need to get at least a bed. No point staying in the B&B when there's the cottage to get sorted," Ffion said. Rowan nodded.
"Very true."
She smiled at the overly tall man who brought her the food and set about eating.
"Good food, think you're up to the challenge?" Rowan asked.
"I think I'll be fine. Bob is going to rent out the space to Ella, that's Declan's ex-wife, she's going to open a nail bar," Ffion told her.
"So, instant custom right next door, very useful."
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JT waited until lunch was over and then went upstairs to find Roxy.
"So, did you ever get hold of Stacey?" he asked her. He hated seeing her so worked up, but today she had been silent and it unnerved him.
Roxy nodded and scowled. "She hung up on me," she mumbled. "She's not going to let me see him, or go to his funeral. She won't tell me anything and just yelled abuse," she added with a sigh as she looked up at him.
"What am I s'posed to do?" she sighed hopelessly.
"Well," JT said, reluctant to point out the obvious. "You did already tell everyone he was dead. I hate to say it, but she has a valid point," JT said. "Not that I'm saying you shouldn't go, you should get to say goodbye. Maybe try again, apologize to her, can't hurt."
Roxy looked up at him and frowned but held back her anger. She looked at him and nodded once before standing and leaving the room to get her phone from the kitchen. She quickly fired off a text to Stacey.
"I'm sorry. I need to say goodbye to him again. Please. Roxy."
She sighed as she sat back against the seat and twirled her phone in her hand as she waited patiently for a text back.
Stacey read the text and frowned.
She thought about it for a moment and then texted back.
"After we've gone I will tell you where," she sent back.
Roxy sighed in relief at the text
"Thanks," she sent back and put her phone down.
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Alex sighed as she lay back on the bed. Alyssa was still in hospital up north: still in a coma. She sighed as she looked over at Gene as he slept. She was worried about Alyssa, and Jack. This was clearly tearing the poor guy apart. She hoped for Jacks sake that Alyssa woke up soon. She was fidgeted silently as she glanced at the time, it was ridiculously early, but she was having trouble sleeping thanks to her constant worrying.
She was missing Molly being around too. Since she had moved in with Peter the flat had seemed ridiculously quiet, and void of sarcasm, music and their semi-daily arguments. She missed Molly, but she had Sam and Gene. She also missed girly nights in with Molly when Gene went to the pub. But she would cope. She sighed quietly and looked over at Gene again. She stood up off the bed and padded through to the bathroom to get a shower, there was no way that she was going to be able to get back to sleep.
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Jack sat on the couch in the front room of the cottage and stared at the wall. Ffion had been slowly buying furniture for the place, using pictures cut from magazines of what Jack knew Alyssa liked. Two weeks and she still wasn't awake. He wasn't sure he could cope much longer. The villagers had all been very nice and sympathetic, Declan had been a rock.
He missed Rowan, but she had children to take care of and had only been able to stay the one day. She also had to deal with the shortage of staff Ffion's leaving had caused. So he was making do with Ffion. At least she seemed to have settled down, though he was pretty sure she was juggling more than one man, she seemed to be being discreet about it to avoid any more fights.
He watched as the sun began to rise and cast patterns from the window on the wall. He stood up, went to take a shower and then left for the hospital.
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Ffion heard Jack leave and sighed. What a miserable time the past two weeks had been. She was glad to help Jack get some furniture, but he was practically a zombie. She left her room and padded to the bathroom to get ready for work. She was beginning to love working at the café. It was so much more laid back than the restaurant back home and the recipes Rowan had given her seemed to be going over well. Even Marlon had been pestering her for the buttermilk biscuit recipe; she had steadfastly refused to share.
She gave her hair a final brush after drying it and hurried to work, smiling cheerfully at Bob as she entered the café. She was really enjoying working with Bob. He was funny and warm and she had half-considered seducing him, but decided against it. They had to work together and she knew that would be a mistake if things went pear-shaped. She had Carl and she had Rodney and she was being very careful. Rodney, fortunately, was the soul of discretion and didn't seem bothered that they weren't exclusive; he didn't seem the sort to be tied down anyway.
She busied herself making a batch of biscuits and the sausage gravy Rowan had taught her to make and made idle conversation with Bob.
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Whitney hurried out of the house to catch the train to school. She was really beginning to hate being in the house alone. At least Molly came to visit her often; they hung out a lot more now that Molly had moved onto the Square with Peter. No one had seemed surprised when it had happened and Jane seemed over the moon about it.
She bolted across the platform, narrowly making her train and managed to grab a seat. She piled her things in her lap and fished out the paperwork for a project they were doing and her jaw dropped in shock, then she shook her head. That couldn't have been Bolton she'd just seen walk down the platform, but it had certainly looked like him. She blew out a long breath and smiled inwardly. As crazy as she was about Brett, Bolton had stuck in her head.
She bent to her paperwork, keeping half an ear open for her stop. Whitney hurried off the train and into the building, she was very nearly late.
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Max checked to make sure Jane wasn't in the café and then went inside to get two coffees and a cake. He thanked Bianca and then headed for the salon.
He tapped on the window when he saw Tanya was in there working. He nodded at the door and mouthed "kids" through the window so she would talk to him. He hated doing this to Jane, but he couldn't seem to keep away from Tanya. Any excuse he would stop and talk to her and he often found himself walking past the salon in hopes that she might just come out and talk to him.
Tanya looked up at the tap on the window and raised her eyebrows at Max. She nodded and told Maddie to man the desk until she got back. Tanya walked out of the Salon and shut the door behind her quietly and moved over to Max.
"What's up?" she asked as she looked at him. She had noticed him being around a lot more recently and wondered why. She assumed she was just noticing him more, maybe because she knew Jane was seeing him and she was looking out for her friend. She knew what Max was like. It wasn't because she was missing him. And if she was missing him it was only because she was missing Rhys and Max was the only major bloke in her life. That was all.
"I just wondered what the plan was for Oscar this weekend?" he asked her. "Oh, here, got you this," he said and held out the coffee. It was just the way she liked it.
Tanya took the coffee and smiled at him. She took a sip and her smile broadened slightly.
"Well, I don't mind if you want to have him," she shrugged. "Alyssa's still in hospital so I need all the staff we've got at the Salon right now until she gets back," she sighed. "In fact, I'm going to need you to look after him this weekend if you can," she said with a sheepish smile.
"Not a problem, Tan," he said and smiled. Yes, he had missed her.
"So, how are you?" he asked, trying not to sound awkward.
Tanya smiled at him. "Thanks, Max, I appreciate it," she told him.
Tanya shrugged and sighed. "Tired. Busy. Sometimes feel like banging my head against the wall," she said, but smiled at him. "But I'm coping," she added and took a sip of her coffee. "How's everything with you?" she asked back.
She noticed that they didn't seem to talk anymore. She sighed inwardly, consequences of a bad marriage and a spiteful divorce.
"All right. Abi is still seeing that Jay," he grouched. "And now Phil Mitchell thinks he's some kind of sports promoter, he's going to put a boxing club in that empty building. Jay will be there all the time. I don't like the idea of Abi with some loser boxer," he added with a sigh.
Tanya smiled. "What does it matter who she's seeing as long as she's happy?" she said. "Yeah, he's a Mitchell, and Max, I do understand why you're not happy that she's seeing Jay, but Abi's happier than I've seen her in ages! So why ruin it?" she told him.
Max frowned. "She's my daughter and I have to look out for her," he said slightly defensively then sighed.
"I better get back to the car lot. No telling what Darren's been up to," he joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. He leaned over and gave Tanya a peck on the cheek and then headed over to the car lot.
"Where's my coffee?" Darren asked in a slightly jealous tone.
"You want a coffee, then go get your own," Max snapped and sat down.
Darren frowned and went outside. Max was so touchy lately.
Tanya waited until Max was out of sight then pressed her hand to her cheek where Max had kissed her. She shook her head and went back into the Salon, holding the coffee.
Maddie gave her a knowing look and Tanya frowned in response "What?"
"That looked cozy," Maddie commented.
"He's my ex-husband, I was making sure he could look after Oscar while I'm working, that's all," Tanya replied flippantly.
Maddie nodded slowly, the sly gleam still in her eyes as she headed back upstairs. Tanya shook her head and glanced at the coffee once before setting back to work.
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The nurse caught Jack as she spotted him coming through the doors onto the ward. The guy was now well known on the ward, he was in here every day to just sit next to his wife and talk to her. Every day without fail for two whole weeks. She felt for him, they all did, but his devotion was admirable. She was glad to see him now, it meant she got to tell him before she finished her shift.
"Jack, I think you might have a pleasant surprise this morning," she smiled at him and patted his arm with a wide smile. "Her hand twitched at around 4am and her eyes opened about 20 minutes ago," she told him and gave him a gentle push. "Go on," she encouraged as she nodded in the direction of Alyssa's room.
Jack's eyes widened at the nurse's words and he sprinted down the hall. He almost burst through the door, but chose to open it quietly instead. He peered in and rushed over to the bed and grabbed Alyssa's hand.
"Lyss?" he whispered.
Alyssa looked up at Jack as he said her name and she smiled at him as she squeezed his hand in response.
"Heya," she said hoarsely as she studied him closely. She reached over with her other hand and cupped his face. "You look tired, Jack," she said, concern filling her voice as she looked at him.
Alyssa sat back into her pillows and looked at him, her hand still holding his tightly. "She said I'd been out for almost two weeks," she said as she looked back at him. "How're you?" she asked him, her eyes fixed on his face.
"Yes," Jack nodded. He leaned over and stroked her brow and kissed her forehead.
"I'm so glad you're awake, I've been so worried about you," he said and pressed her hand to his cheek.
He kissed her lips and smiled.
"I'll have to let Rowan know," he gasped and quickly got his phone out long enough to text Rowan: "Alyssa's awake," then turned his attention back to Alyssa.
Alyssa watched him as he texted Rowan then leant forward and slid her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. She could only imagine what he'd been through, and if she was honest, she wasn't sure that she wanted to know. Nearly two weeks she had been unconscious for! She pulled away and looked at him, the bruises on his face she remembered him having the last time she had seen him were fading, almost completely gone.
"So, what's happened while I've been out of it?" she asked curiously as she let go of him and snuggled back down in her bed. "Because you're going to have to fill me in on everything I've missed," she smiled.
"I haven't really been paying attention to anything but you," he replied honestly. "Ffion has been helping put furniture in the cottage, I've been staying there since it's ours. The people in the village have all been very kind and understanding, asking after you when Ffion drags me out to eat something. I think she's tired of acting like a mum," he gave a wry chuckle.
"But the cottage looks nice. I didn't want to properly decorate until you could do it. The furniture looks nice though. Rowan calls or texts several times a day. She's been worried sick."
Alyssa sighed and reached for his hand and squeezed it again. "Oh, Jack," she said softly. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have aggravated him but my temper flared and I couldn't stop myself," she said and squeezed his hand again.
"Oh, Lyss, it's their fault for mugging us in the first place. They seem to have vanished, however. I guess what happened scared them completely away, but the police are watching to see if they come back. If they do, they'll get arrested right away," he told her.
"Yeah, but if I hadn't lost my temper then he might not have hurt me so bad and then you wouldn't have been so worried!" she said.
"So you've told Ffion that she can live in the cottage," she commented ."You're already decorating and filling it with furniture," she grinned. "The nurse told me earlier that you'd been here everyday," she added. "You didn't have to Jack, I was in a coma," she sighed. "I don't think I knew you were there," she sighed apologetically.
"Not completely decorating, no, just some furniture, things you would like." Jack folded her hands in his. "I had to come, Lyss, I had to."
"I can't wait to see it," she smiled at him. "I bet you've got some brilliant stuff," she beamed at him.
"Well, I know your taste well enough, don't I? So I just cut pictures from magazines and gave them to Ffion and she went and bought the stuff. I'm afraid I was a bit of a zombie," he admitted.
Alyssa smiled at him. "You should know my taste, we did spend ages arguing over what to put in the house," she smiled.
"We certainly did, and I loved every minute of it," he told her.
Alyssa looked at the ceiling. "I want to go home," she said. "I feel...eurgh," she shrugged and looked back at him.
Jack chuckled. "Well, we'll have to see what the doctors say. I doubt they'll let you go home today. But surely, soon," he said hopefully.
Alyssa sighed and pulled him into another hug, she rested her head on her shoulder.
"I don't think they will either," she sighed and then pulled her head off his shoulder.
"If you've been up here then who's in charge of the school while you're not there?" she asked. "Have they got a temporary head in or is it just your deputy watching over stuff?" she asked.
"My deputy is perfectly capable of handling things in my absence. If there was a crisis they couldn't handle, then they would call. I'm more worried about Whitney burning the house down," he joked and then pulled her tightly against him.
"I've been in touch with your dad. I'm not sure how he found out. I'm thinking he probably called the house and Whitney told him. He refused to say. When I've decided that I've hugged you enough I'll send him a text and let him know you're awake," he told her and then buried his face in her shoulder and held her tight.
Alyssa wrapped her arms around him and clung to him tightly, she rubbed his back gently as she breathed him in. She was starting to feel tired but she didn't want to go to sleep, she'd been unconscious for nearly two weeks and she didn't want to sleep. She wanted to stay awake. What if Jack panicked when she fell asleep that she would fall back into a coma? She didn't want him worrying any more about her.
Alyssa lifted her head off his shoulder and stroked a hand through his hair. "Are you done hugging me yet?" she asked with a smile. "Because, I'm wondering when we're going to move on from the hugging to the kissing," she said to him.
"Oh, well in that case," he murmured and quickly pressed his lips to hers.
Alyssa sighed as she finally broke the kiss and stared up at him as she let herself fall back into her pillow. She laced her fingers with his and squeezed his hand gently. "I feel sleepy now," she smiled at him as she settled down and gazed up at him.
"I promise to wake up," she added with a small smile as she pressed a kiss to his hand.
"Make sure you tell Dad," she added with a yawn as she let her eyes close again.
"I will," he promised. He watched her until she had drifted off and then sat and watched her awhile. He finally took a deep breath and left the room to call her father and tell him Alyssa was awake.
Jack drove back to the cottage and rummaged through Alyssa's bag and took out some clothes to wash for her. She would want to have clean clothes to wear home. He also stopped at the café and told Ffion the good news, drawing an ecstatic shriek from the girl which caused everyone to look at her. Not that she cared.
Jack carefully folded the clothes once they were dry and put them in a carrier bag before setting off back to the hospital.
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Ray rocked Claire gently. She wasn't waking up so often but he knew what to do when she did. If he got up it meant that Rowan could spend more time sleeping. He knew that she was still worried over Alyssa, and she had every right to be. But he was doing everything that he could to help her through it, even if it meant him getting up in the early hours of the morning to tend to the wailing twins. He sighed when Claire finally fell back to sleep and he gently placed her next to Denis in the cot. He looked at the pair of them for a moment and a small smile graced his lips as he silently stood and just watched his sleeping children.
Ray sighed and quietly closed the door to the nursery behind him and padded back to the bedroom. He crawled back into bed next to Rowan and checked the time, no doubt that she'd wake up soon, she always woke up early. He gently put his arms around her and buried his face into her hair, inhaling deeply before relaxing against her and closing his eyes.
Rowan rolled over and burrowed into Ray's chest. She was not looking forward to his paternity leave being over. She liked spending so much time with him. She wanted even more though, for time to pass quickly, so they could be together again.
Ray's arms unconsciously tightened slightly around Rowan as she curled into him. He settled and kissed her on the top of her head before dropping off.
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Rowan's eyes flickered open at the sound of her phone beeping. She carefully slipped from Ray's grasp to grab her phone and read the text couldn't stop her shout of joy. She quickly snapped her mouth shut and glanced at Ray.
She then opened her phone and sent off texts to Alex and Ffion to let them know Alyssa was awake.
She smiled and burrowed down next to Ray again.
Her sister would be fine.
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Alex looked down at her phone as she sat at the coffee table and exhaled in relief at Rowan's text. Alyssa was awake. Finally out of her coma. Good. She smiled as she traced the rim of her coffee mug, maybe now she would be able to sleep without worrying.
She looked at her coffee and decided she didn't want it anymore, she left it on the table and padded back to the bedroom. She hadn't got dressed yet, only showered and her hair was still a little damp. It was still too early. She looked at Gene sleeping with his back to her and crawled back into bed and moved closer to his back and threw an arm over his middle as she cuddled into him with a small sigh.
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Ffion heard her phone beep and excused herself from helping Betty at the counter to read the text. She bit back a shriek of joy when she read that Alyssa was awake. She walked over to Bob and quietly told him the news and then went about making a bacon butty for Paddy, her face lit with a smile.
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Cries for feeding dragged Rowan awake and she quickly slipped from the bed. Ray had taken the early feed, only fair she should get up now and do it. She was spoiled now and soon he would be going back to work. Ray's mother was coming this weekend to visit and would be babysitting so they could go to the party. She would wear the costume even if Alyssa wasn't back and able to do so, but she hoped otherwise. She'd had so much fun the last time they'd done karaoke she found herself looking forward to doing it again, especially in the shocking outfits they would eventually be wearing. She would have Ray that night; he wouldn't be able to resist her. She would see to that.
She smiled and went into the nursery to sort Claire. Denis was awake, but just gazed at her with his big blue eyes. He was going to break hearts, she was sure of it. She carried Claire into the kitchen and set the bottle to warming and then sat down at the kitchen table to feed her. When Claire was finished, she quickly fed Denis and then went to the bathroom to take a shower. She pulled on her dressing gown and went into the bedroom to find something to wear. She glanced at the clock and shook her head, she couldn't believe it was already almost lunchtime.
Ray's eyes opened a fraction as he heard Rowan's quiet clatter as she moved around the flat. He lay there peacefully, enjoying the calm while it lasted. It wasn't often that he took the morning feed: Rowan was always up so early, but with her worry for Alyssa on top of caring for the twins she had seemed much more drained than usual. He just wished that Alyssa would wake up soon, so Rowan could stop all her worrying. It was doing his head in, and meant that he was worrying about her more than normal, too.
He watched her come back into the bedroom and pulled his eyes from her and shut them again as she started to get dressed. He rolled over so he wasn't facing her. The sooner he went back to work the better, then he could get these thoughts out of his head. For a while anyway. Ray listened to her movements carefully and opened his eyes cautiously and sighed quietly when he realised that she was dressed. He was safe.
"Morning," he rumbled as he pushed the bed covers off him and stood up. He frowned at her as his gaze rested on her face. "You seem cheerful," he commented as he went to dig in the wardrobe for something to wear.
Ray smiled at the news and his arms wrapped around her as he grinned down at her. "That's good," he agreed and dropped a kiss on her forehead. He couldn't help but feel a little more relaxed, now Alyssa was going to be okay, Rowan was likely to be a lot less tense now. He was glad, he still felt a little uncomfortable trying to calm her down when she got upset.
Rowan's smile widened, first at the sight of Ray as he walked towards her, then at the thought Alyssa was awake.
"Alyssa's woke up. So yeah, I'm pretty happy," she beamed and flung her arms around him. She held him tightly and then looked up. "Hopefully she'll get to come home soon, but she's awake, she's okay."
"So, are you picking your mother up again or is she taking the train?" she asked.
"Well, I think that she's getting the train, she went on and on about me needing to stay here for you and twins and would not shut up," he chuckled. "So, I think she's getting the train, but I am going to double check and offer to pick her up again," he assured her.
"Don't push her though, Ray. If that's how she feels then that's how she feels. Besides, she's pretty tough, I wouldn't be too worried about her," Rowan giggled. She pirouetted down the hall to the kitchen. She couldn't wait until Alyssa got home.
Ray chuckled as he watched her twirl about and finished getting dressed.
"Thing is," he said as he followed her out. "I'm not bothered whether she chooses to go on the train or ride with me, I just don't want her thinking that it's hassle for me to go and pick her up," he said. "Which I've told her but she's still insisting she'll use the train."
Rowan whipped around and strode close to Ray and stopped in front of him.
"I know you've told her, acuisle, and I know she's still insisting. So let her ride the train and instead, think about what I intend to do to you," her lips curved into a wicked smile as she briefly pressed herself against him then she turned and went back to rummaging in the fridge for ingredients. She huffed out an annoyed breath.
"I'll have to get some things from downstairs," she told Ray and looked him up and down in appraisal before heading out the door. She put her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles. She hated to wind him up, but he needed to leave his mother alone and it was the easiest way to distract him.
Ray gaped after her as she left the room and stifled a groan. This was so unfair. He sighed heavily and went to the nursery to sit in the twins' room for a bit to watch them sleep. He knew that it would calm him down and he needed to. He couldn't wait for Halloween.
He looked at the twins and listened to the sound of their breathing as he sat in the rocker. "You two don't know how bloody difficult it is," he grumbled. "And don't repeat that word in front of your mother, you don't swear," he added sharply to them, keeping his voice low so as not to wake them.
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Whitney sat on her break, leafing through the property section. She liked to keep an eye on the prices so she would know how much she might need. Very careful spending had meant she was putting a decent sum into savings. She hoped to have enough by the end of school to get a premises. Just two more years and she'd be done. She just wished Brett would stop going on about investing. She wanted this to be her own, no one else involved in that way.
It was easy now, gently pushing his offers aside, but it was getting tiring. She sighed and flipped another page and made some notes.
Brett spied Whitney and meandered through the crowds towards her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and looked down at what she was reading.
"That one," he said decisively as he pointed to one of the more expensive properties. "Right on a main high street Whit, you'll get loads of business," he grinned at her as he dropped a kiss on her cheek and sat down next to her.
"And if you buy it now then you can get someone to run it while you're still at Uni," he added casually. "Problem solved."
"I can't afford to buy it now, Brett, besides, I don't want to get someone to run it, especially not when I'm going to design a lot of the clothes I'll be selling there," she said, sharper than she'd intended.
"There's no rush," she added. Did he think she could do nothing on her own? She wondered if she was becoming a "project" again and sighed inwardly. She didn't want to be a project again.
"Yeah, but if you buy it now then it'll be earning you cash while you're still studying and you'll have a steady income when you go to run the place and design more stuff to sell," he told her. "It makes good sense to start as early as possible," he shrugged. "We already know that your stuff sells."
"Besides, you can afford it! I've already told you I'll give you whatever you need to start up as an investment. Then just give me a small percentage of the profits," he said. He didn't understand why she was getting so touchy over this! It was perfectly simple and it was a good idea. But she was rejecting everything he said! It was beginning to get really frustrating.
"And I'll be working twice as hard trying to get things done for the shop and for school. No, Brett, the shop can wait," she argued, keeping her tone even, although his pushiness was beginning to irritate her.
"I know what you said, Brett, but can't you understand I want to do this on my own? I don't mind hiring help, but as far as the rest goes, I want this to be mine, okay?" Why couldn't he see she wanted to do this on her own? She had liked the way he treated her in the beginning, when she'd had no confidence, he'd believed in her. Now, she knew what she could do and she'd become a lot more confident, especially with friends like Molly and Lauren who kept encouraging her to believe in herself.
Now she was finding Brett's "help" to be almost condescending.
Brett shrugged at her.
"I just think it would be a good idea, that's all," he told her. She didn't have to get so defensive about it! He watched her for a moment then shrugged. She'd come around and see it was a good idea, or that he was fairly sure.
"Well, I'm always here if you need me, Whit, and I don't mind helping you with this" he said supportively, keeping the irritation out of his voice. Why did she have to refuse everything he offered her? It was only money, and if she took it to start her shop then he would get a percentage of the profits until he got paid off and then would still be getting money from it after that. He was perfectly willing to do that because it worked for him in the long term.
She hadn't seemed to mind his help when he was helping her with the stall and broadening her horizons, now she just didn't want to know. It was beginning to really irk him.
"I know you think it's a good idea, of course you do," Whitney replied, unable to keep the fact that she was upset from her voice. "Helping me out and all was great when I really needed the support, I appreciated it, but now it's like you can't even see I have a mind of my own, and I do, Brett. This is my life, this is what I want and I don't want someone acting like I have to be carried. You treat me like I'm some little helpless thing who can't do anything and you throw your money around like you can buy anything, but you can't buy me, Brett. I'm tired of it."
She stood up and snatched her paper from the table and walked away. She hadn't wanted to be so mean, but she just couldn't take it.
Brett gaped after her as she walked away. Buy her? He didn't want to buy her! He didn't need to bloody buy her! He was trying to help, and he had money, and that was the way he could see himself helping her. He folded his arms and watched her walk away with a frown. He didn't throw money around. Well, if she wanted to act like a spoilt child then she could. He would just ignore her until she came out of her temper tantrum and apologised.
He sighed and pulled his laptop out of his bag, opening it unenthusiastically and drumming his fingers on the surface of the table as he waited impatiently for it to load up. Maybe he'd just buy her a premises for her shop anyway. Maybe that would be a good way to get to forgive him. It wouldn't be buying her if it was a gift surely? Brett sighed and pushed the thought away, he'd look into it. Maybe.
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Whitney stormed to the train. She would just miss the afternoon, she didn't care. She was in no mood to put up with Brett's condescension any longer than she had to. She got back to the Square and made a beeline for Molly's. She needed to talk to her best mate. She slipped through the gate and began to knock on the door.
Molly looked up at the knock on the back door and got up from the table. She moved through the kitchen and opened the door to see Whitney.
"Heya, Whit," she smiled as she opened the door wider and let her friend inside. "What's up?" she asked curiously as she followed Whitney into the front room and pushed her coursework out of the way so that they could talk. "Shouldn't you be at Uni?" she asked, puzzled.
Whitney walked inside and heaved a great sigh.
"Brett is doing my head in," she blurted out in exasperation. "It's like I can't do anything now without his help. I don't need his money or a nursemaid, but he just won't stop. I had to leave before I punched him. He won't listen to a word I say, as if my opinion doesn't matter at all. In his eyes, I'm just being an ungrateful, stroppy cow."
She dropped into a chair and put her face in her hands.
"I'm at my wit's end, Molls," she groaned.
Molly patted Whitney's shoulder gently. "Tell him to back off?" she suggested. "Do you want me to have a word?" she offered and looked up as the bell went.
"Oh," she muttered. "Kurt said he'd come round to talk me through this essay," she said. "Hang on," she said as she left Whitney at the table and hurried to the front door.
Whitney shook her head.
"He wouldn't listen to you anymore than he'd be willing to listen to me," Whitney replied.
Molly opened the door and smiled at Kurt. "Heya," she said. "Do you mind if we do this another time? It's just, Whit's having boyfriend problems and she really needs to talk," she explained quietly to him.
Whitney gave Kurt a small wave and went back to picking at her nail polish.
Kurt nodded. "Sure, I'm off College today anyway, just text me whenever and I'll pop round," he smiled at her. Molly smiled.
"Thanks, Kurt, I appreciate it" she said and reached out to give him a hug before he left. She waved him off and shut the front door and went back to Whitney.
"So, go ahead," she said gently. "Vent," she added with a small smile.
She took a deep breath as Molly sat down.
"I think maybe I should break up with him," she said in a soft voice. "Just end it and get it over with. I'm not bothered being single again, if it means I can be myself again."
Peter approached the house and frowned as he saw Kurt walking away from it. His frowned deepened. Why did she spend so much time with him? She'd told him once there was nothing going on, but he wasn't sure. She went shopping with him! She'd never asked Peter to go shopping with her. Of course, he was generally at work, but still.
He slammed through the gate with a bit more force than necessary and walked into the house.
He saw Whitney and Molly deep in conversation, which seemed to stop the minute he entered the room. Were they talking about him? He didn't want to think about it. He took in the looks on their faces and gave them the barest wave.
"Go about your business," he said and went up the stairs two at a time.
Molly looked at Whitney sadly and sighed.
"We need to go out this weekend," she decided. "Girls night out," she said and went into the kitchen to put the kettle on. She made two cups of tea and then set Whitney's in front of her, with a packet of biscuits.
"Just avoid him for a bit, see if he gets the message then," she suggested. "If talking to him doesn't work, then maybe the silent treatment will," she added as she grabbed a biscuit and nibbled on it.
Molly looked up at Peter and frowned as he went off upstairs. She sighed and shook her head as she turned back to Whitney.
"I'll try," said Whitney reluctantly and picked up a biscuit. "But I think I should just make a clean break. I don't think he's going to get the message from just a cold shoulder."
"I'm all for a girls' night out," Whitney agreed. "We could have Lauren and Mercy come along, too," Whitney suggested, her outlook improving. "There's Halloween parties all over the place, I vote we get some really nice costumes and find a party."
Peter listened from where he stood on the stairs. Girls night. He guessed the guys should get together then. He didn't really like Brett, but he could call Fatboy and they could go find something to do.
Molly nodded. "I'm so up for that," she grinned and glanced upstairs. "Peter's been really moody lately," she sighed. "He won't tell me why either," she added with a shrug.
"Besides, there'll be parties everywhere! It's Halloween! I reckon the club will be doing something anyway if we can't find anywhere else," she smiled.
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JT looked at Roxy in contemplation. The funeral had passed and Roxy had said goodbye to Sean for good. He pulled the small box from his pocket and walked over to her and quickly knelt before her.
"Roxanne Mitchell, would you do me the very great honor of making an honest man of me?" he asked her and held the box up.
Roxy simply gaped at JT for a moment, her gaze drifting from him to the ring he held up to her and back again. A bright smile lit her face and she slid the ring onto her finger quickly before taking his face in her hands and kissing him. She broke the kiss, breathlessly, and nodded eagerly.
"Yes, yes yes!" she grinned at him as she moved to hug him happily. "I will JT, yes!" she said excitedly.
JT lifted her up and spun her around.
"How do you feel about possibly going back home for a while? Not now, but sometime after we're married. My brother's house is pretty big and Amy would have loads of kids to play with, including my nephews. What do you think?"
Roxy smiled at him as he pulled her along. "Sure," she agreed as she laughed along behind him. They'd have to tell Amy too, that wouldn't hard, Amy already adored JT. Roxy sighed happily, life was good!
Roxy placed her hands on his shoulders and looked up in contemplation.
"Well, I'll have to find someone to man the club, Aunty Peg will be more than willing to keep on with the Vic" she said "And I think Amy would love it," she smiled. "She loved it last time we were there," she added.
"Then we'll have to get that planned, too," he smiled. "So, I've done the hard bit, now it's your part, the easy part, deciding where and when we do this," he told her and grabbed her hand with the ring on it and kissed the back of it.
Roxy raised her eyebrows at him incredulously. "Asking me to marry you was difficult?" she said. "I can't imagine why," she added as she studied him.
Roxy shrugged. "I don't mind where, I don't mind when, I don't mind how," she smiled. "Besides, I already got married once, you choose what you want to happen," she told him as she ran her finger down his nose.
"Something small and maybe pretty soon?" he suggested hopefully and grinned before dragging her from the room so they could go tell Peggy.
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Max walked slowly to the pub, casting a lingering glance at the salon. He didn't want to hurt Jane, surely she knew they weren't that serious. He hadn't expected to start wanting Tanya so much again, especially since she was single again.
"He's doing it again," Maddie commented as she watched Max looked longingly at the Salon.
"Hmmmmm?" Tanya hummed in response as she concentrated on fixing the rotas.
"Max," Maddie replied simply.
Tanya looked up and glanced out of the window. "Doing what again?" she asked, her curiosity hidden by the annoyance that coloured her tone.
"Watching the Salon, with a lost puppy look on his face," Maddie explained as she watched Max disappear from their view
Tanya snorted her laughter. "Max does not, ever, look like a lost puppy," she said with a shake of her head as she returned to her laptop. Maddie continued to watch Tanya for a few minutes then shrugged and went upstairs.
Max downed his drink and then looked at his phone in contemplation before quietly getting on it and ordering a bunch of flowers for Tanya to be delivered to the salon.
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Tanya looked up curiously as a man with an impressive bouquet appeared and came into the Salon.
"Can I help you?" she asked as she eyed the bouquet.
"Yeah, I'm looking for a Tanya Branning?" he asked.
"That's me," she replied, surprised and stepped forward to take the flowers. "Thanks," she added quietly as she set them on the desk
"Wowee!" Maddie said as she came down the stairs. "They for you?" she asked and Tanya nodded mutely. Maddie grinned. "Who're they from?" she asked, her voice taking on a teasing, sing-song tone. Tanya dug in the flowers, looking for a card.
She sighed. "No idea."
Maddie chuckled. "I bet I know who," she said conspiratorially. Tanya looked over her shoulder at her "No. No way," she said with a sharp shake of her head, then eyed the flowers again, biting her lip.
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Max left the pub and saw the delivery van parked over by the salon. The barest hint of a smile curved his lips before he turned to head back to the car lot.
Max sat at his desk and thought. He knew Jane and Tanya were going out for Halloween, girls only, besides he was supposed to be minding Oscar. It hadn't been hard to find out from Jane where they planned to go. He had chosen a costume and hidden it carefully and Dot had agreed to mind Oscar for him.
He wanted very much to have Tanya alone for five minutes. He was sure Jane could sense his distance, but she just seemed baffled by it rather than hurt. Of course, after Ian she no doubt was reluctant to commit too heavily.
He ordered another delivery, this time Tanya's favorite chocolates, and this time had it signed a secret admirer.