A/N: Thank you Leah and Bonnie Sveen Fan for your reviews! They always make me smile :)
The next morning was chaotic, even by Katy's standards. No sooner had she arrived home after dropping the children off at school and nursery than she received a phone call from the school asking her to go and pick Ricky up. Asking why they'd called her rather than Jack got her snappy comment that they had tried to ring him and got no answer.
By the time they arrived back in Albert Square, Ricky had perked up and was practically bouncing with energy. She sighed, ushering him inside and resigning herself to working from home until Glenda returned from wherever she'd disappeared off to or Jack reappeared.
"Katy? Can we go to the park?"
"No." She frowned at him. "You're supposed to be ill."
"Well can I have chips for dinner, then?"
"No!"
"That's so unfair!"
"You are supposed to be ill." Katy reminded him, arching an eyebrow. "Unless you want me to take you back to school and tell them you're faking it, you can pipe down right now. Watch some telly or something like a normal kid skiving off."
There was a long pause. Katy thought she would be able to get a few things done, but before she had managed to read a single email she was aware of her brother's presence beside her. With a deep sigh, she turned her attention on the eight-year-old.
"What?"
"Where's Dad?"
"Hmmm?"
"I heard them calling him, but then he didn't answer so they called you."
"Oh, he's working, sweetheart." His older sister assured him gently. "He'll be round soon enough. 'Til then, you can hang out with me, OK?"
He nodded and retreated to the sofa with the remote. Katy didn't have the heart to tell him to turn the volume down, thinking about the expression on his face when he'd told her that Jack hadn't answered the school's calls. She knew that expression; it was the face of someone who was wondering whether they had been left completely on their own.
Chewing on her lip, Katy decided to bombard her father with texts until he finally got back to her. She doubted whether it would have any effect, but it was worth a try. Either way, Jack would be highly annoyed by the time he came to pick Ricky up.
Finally she got bored of texting without hearing anything back. Katy made Ricky lunch, abandoning work in favour of watching a film with her little brother. Spending some time alone with the boy was an eye-opener. Normally there was at least one other person with them – usually more – so the siblings didn't get much chance to talk to each other properly.
Katy found out more about Ricky in the couple of hours before their father finally turned up than she had in the years previously. She was also given an insight into how things had been in the time she'd been away. Ricky screwed up his nose as he told her about Jack fancying their nanny, before telling her about Max and Rainie moving in with them.
"I'm sorry I went away." Katy said softly, pulling him into a sideways hug.
"It's OK." Ricky shrugged, snuggling into her side. "You're back now and you're not going away again, are you?"
"No, baby." She dropped a kiss onto the top of his head. "I promise you. We're not going anywhere."
They lapsed into silence, watching the film Ricky had chosen, until the buzzer alerted them to someone on the doorstep. Shooting her brother a reassuring smile, Katy went to open the door, guessing who would be outside.
"Where the hell have you been?" She demanded as soon as she let her father into the flat. "I've been trying to get hold of you since this morning. They sent Ricky home ill and no one knew where you were!"
"Is he OK?"
"Yeah, he's fine now." She assured him. "Wanted his dad, though."
"I had a bit of business to deal with."
"Like what?"
"Nothing you need to worry about."
"Dad–"
"I said don't worry about it." Jack snapped, pushing past her. "I'll take him home… get him out of your hair."
"He's fine where he is." She told him, folding her arms irritably. "What's going on?"
"I said it was nothing, alright."
Narrowing her eyes, Katy folded her arms and fixed him with a knowing look. "It was about Mel, wasn't it?"
"What?"
"This is something to do with Mel and that psychotic son of hers." She snapped. "So what? You're more interested in their problems than looking after your own kids now?"
"Of course not!" He looked outraged at the suggestion. "She just… she needed my help and I…"
"What, she fluttered her eyelashes at you and you were powerless to argue?"
"Leave it out."
"What then?"
"It was serious, OK?"
Katy shook her head, scowling. "No. It's not OK. Your son needed you but you were too busy fussing over hers."
Huffing in frustration, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, they're in trouble, alright. Hunter, he…"
"He what, Dad? Couldn't finish the level on his video game?"
"He was involved in his step-dad's death, alright?"
Katy's eyebrows almost shot off the top of her head. "He what?"
"Yeah… Mel asked me to help but I got in touch with a couple of my ex-colleagues and–"
"You ratted him out?"
"Running away wasn't going to do him any favours." Jack pointed out. "He needed to face up to his responsibilities."
"I'm guessing Mel isn't going to share that view." Katy pointed out. "She's gonna be furious."
"Yeah, she is." He agreed, nodded weakly. "Look, Katy, I…"
"Leave Ricky here." She sighed. "I'll get Amy from school and they can stay here tonight. Just… do what you've gotta do, Dad. I can't deal with any drama at the moment."
Jack laughed. "You're normally the one causing the drama."
"Yeah, I know that. But right now I've got too much on my plate and with Mum and Aunty Rox not here, I–"
"Not here?" Jack's eyebrows furrowed. "Katy, they're not not here. They're gone. They… they died. They're not coming back."
"I…"
"You do understand that, don't you, darlin'?" He asked more gently, looking at her with concern. "You know that they're not coming back?"
She rolled her eyes before pushing past him and avoiding making eye contact. "Of course I know that. I'm not stupid. Now go and deal with the situation you've caused and I'll look after the kids."
When she had offered to look after Amy and Ricky while Jack sorted things out, she hadn't been expecting him to up sticks and head off to France with Max. Not wanting to disrupt his younger children's routines, he had left Katy very little choice but to agree to look after them while he was away, leading to them temporarily moving into the flat. Six children under one roof barely left any time for Katy to get over to the bar and deal with things there.
She finally got away for a couple of hours, meeting with Ruby Allen to discuss the opening night event and overseeing the final alterations to the plan the workmen had drawn up of the remodelling. With the date Katy had set for the opening drawing closer, she was starting to get nervous. Glenda had tried to calm her down, to reassure her that everything was going to be alright, but her granddaughter was reluctant to believe her.
Dot had requested that Katy accompany her to Dr Legg's funeral a couple of days after Jack's departure. The young woman had considered refusing, reminding her grandmother that she hadn't ever met the man and that she had a lot to do, but she couldn't bear to see the expression on Dot's face if she did that. Instead, she joined Sonia and Bex in order to support the old woman.
"Grandma? Are you ready?" Katy called, letting herself into her grandmother's house. In response, Bex poked her head out of the living room door. "Alright? Where's Dot?"
"She's upstairs." The teenager replied, looking slightly concerned. "She says she's not feeling up to it. Mum's up there trying to change her mind."
"If Grandma says she ain't going, then she ain't going." Katy pointed out, knowing how stubborn the old woman could be when she was in the right frame of mind.
Footsteps on the staircase alerted them to Sonia's presence and she shook her head by way of greeting. "She won't come. She's given me this… she wants me to read it on her behalf." Glancing at her cousin, she held it out. "Maybe you could–?"
Katy shook her head. "No chance, Son. She asked you. It should be you. I didn't know him at all. I'm only really here for Grandma."
Sighing, the older woman nodded and ushered Katy and Bex out of the house. Stuart accompanied them as they headed to the ceremony. When it was her turn to speak, Sonia met Katy's eye, smiling tightly as her cousin nodded at her encouragingly.
Despite the fact that she hadn't known Doctor Legg, Katy found herself getting teary eyed at the words the older woman was saying on their grandmother's behalf. She thought back to all the people she'd lost over her lifetime and, without her permission, her mind wandered to what people would say at her funeral.
As it drew to a close, they headed out of the temple sombrely. Each of them was deep in thought, mulling over what had been said. Katy thought that her grandmother might be disappointed that she hadn't made it to the funeral, wondering whether she'd be able to persuade her to leave the house at all, whether for fresh air or company.
"Any news on when Uncle Jack's coming back?" Sonia asked, pushing her arm through her cousin's.
Katy shook her head. "Nope. Apparently he's having a lovely time with Penny."
"And how are you?" The older woman pressed, looking at her closely. "You're not pushing yourself too much opening the bar, are you?"
Shaking her head again, she smiled. "I'm fine, Son, honestly. I know the drill; the second I feel ill, I'll go and see the doctor."
"You better."
Laughing, the blonde informed her cousin that she needed to check in at the bar before joining the others at the Vic for the wake, leaving them at the door and heading away in the direction of Turpin Road.
Katy frowned, pulling out her mobile as she neared the bar. She glanced at the name flashing on the screen and then stopped dead, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
"Nina?"
"Katy… I need your help."
The blonde bit her lip and leant against the wall, resting her head against the bricks and silently debating whether to get drawn into the situation that was evidently unfolding back in Wales. She had met Nina at the Oncology hospital, the older woman receiving treatment for cervical cancer. They had bonded instantly over their illnesses and attempting to raise their children at the same time.
Glenda hadn't approved at first, deciding that Nina was bad news after she'd appeared on Katy's doorstep with her son after a violent argument with her partner. She'd soon changed her mind and before long Glenda had started to view her granddaughter's new friend as part of the family.
"What's happened?"
"It's Jason."
Katy sighed, knowing that she couldn't possibly brush her off after that. "What's he done?"
"He hit Riley."
"You need to leave him." Katy told her angrily, clenching her free fist at her side. She briefly considered telling her to go to the police, before dismissing the thought. "How many times do I have to tell you? Now it's not just you he's battering."
"We need to get away. Can we come and stay with you?"
Rubbing her forehead tiredly she exhaled, unable to see a way around it. As much as she liked Nina, her friend was a trouble magnet. If Nina and Riley came to stay, she very much doubted that Jason would be far behind.
"Babe… can't you go to your mum's?"
"She said after the last time she was done." There was a pause. "Please? We've got nowhere else to go."
"Of course you can come down. I'll sort you out somewhere to stay. It'll only be temporary, though."
"Can I have a job at your bar?"
"Yeah, sure." Katy agreed tiredly. "Can you sort getting here?"
"I've got some money stashed that should cover the train fares."
Waving at the workmen as she made her way up to her office, shutting herself inside and dropping into her chair. "I'll sort the rest. Just… just get yourselves here, OK?"
Ending the call, she flopped back in the chair and covered her face for a moment. Then she stood up and left the office, hurrying out of the bar and making her way towards the Vic. She briefly considered going inside and showing her face at the wake, but changed her mind and crossed to her father's house.
Letting herself in, she went straight to the sideboard and began hunting for the keys to the flat she knew was empty in the building Jack owned. Her desperation grew as time passed and she still couldn't find them, knowing that Rainie would be less than impressed if she came back and found her hunting through their things.
Finally she found them. Triumphantly, she pushed the keys into her pocket and replaced everything neatly in the drawers, before leaving the house. Sending her friend a quick text to let her know that she had sorted them somewhere temporary to stay until they found somewhere else, she went in search of Glenda to let her know what was going on.
Finding her at the flat, Katy propelled her into the kitchen and closed the door so that their conversation wouldn't be overheard. She explained the phone call she'd received and the decision she'd made, earning herself a wry smile from her grandmother. From her reaction, Glenda was obviously pleased that Nina and Riley were coming to visit, but didn't say as much.
"Shall I go to the chippy and get dinner?" She suggested, seeing how tired her granddaughter looked.
Katy smiled gratefully. "That would be great, Gran, thanks."
Nodding, Glenda squeezed her arm affectionately, before leaving the room. Katy moved to switch on the kettle, leaning heavily against the counter and burying her face in her hands as she thought about the impact her friend's arrival on the Square might have.
"Is Nina coming to stay with us?" Ruby asked suddenly, her eyes wide and hopeful as Katy swung round to meet them.
Frowning, not having realised her daughter had eavesdropped on her conversation, Katy turned to fix her with a glare. "What have I told you?"
"Don't listen to other people's conversations." Her daughter robotically repeated words she had heard often. "But is she?"
"She's coming to work at the bar for a bit. I'm hoping Grandad will let her stay in one of his flats until she finds somewhere else to live."
"Is Riley coming with her?"
Katy nodded. "Yep, they're both coming."
"That's so cool! When will they be here?"
"A couple of days… next week maybe?" Her mother shrugged. "Right, can you tell the others to tidy up and get ready for dinner? Granny's gone to the chippy so she won't be long."
As the seven-year-old skipped away to follow her instructions, Katy sighed loudly. As the kettle clicked and signalled it had boiled, she moved to make a cup of tea, deep in thought. She had a bad feeling about the plan, but equally she couldn't just do nothing.
Hearing Glenda returning, Katy called for the children to come into the kitchen, trying to push her concerns to the back of her mind.