"Peter this is madness!" Leanne said to him upon returning to their flat, having dropped Simon off at Ken and Deirdre's for the night.
"Lea," Peter sighed as he turned to face her, "try to understand; we have a better chance of catching him if we go now."
"But why? Why does it have to be you Peter? Leave it to the professionals!"
"The professionals? The professionals, Leanne? The ones who let him slip through their fingers? The ones who are still convinced she's making it up? You saw Malone's face when you said Carla called you. She still thinks it has something to do with me and her and this ridiculous story Frank has spun about us trying to set him up!"
"And does it?" Leanne shouted, the words escaping her mouth before she could think. Realizing her mistake she brought both hands to her mouth.
He looked incredulously at her, "Oh I don't believe this!" he stated grabbing his packed duffel bag and furiously zipping it closed. He paused and faced her again, "You know, you are really showing me your true colours Lea and it ain't pretty!"
"I didn't mean that-"
"No. You know what? Yes, you did! At least admit it, eh?" He turned to head into the bedroom but then spun to face her once more, his agitation getting the better of him, "You are incredibly hypocritical do you know that?" he began walking towards her, anger fueling his steps, "You stand there and you turn down your nose at Carla for having feelings for me when you had an affair with your ex! I didn't have the affair Lea, you did. And this whole mess, this whole bloody mess is down to that!" He turned back to his bag. "I can't do this anymore…"
Leanne collapsed on the arm of the sofa. "What are you saying Peter?"
"That this never would have happened if I had just followed my gut!"
"Oh, and what was that?" Leanne shook, her voice raising on near hysteria, "Peter, you can't just say sommit like that and then say nowt!"
"That we shouldn't have gotten back together after the fallout at the blessing, okay?" he spat as he turned to face her, his arms flying out beside him, "I never forgave you for the affair! Alright? Is that what you wanted to hear? Well, there, I said it! I took you back for Simon's sake, and I tried to get past it." He saw the pain etch across Leanne's face and he took a step back to quell his anger, but he still could no longer hold back, "I tried to move on, Lea. Really, I did. But I can't. And yes, I had feelings for Carla, and I just pushed them down and buried them because I really wanted this to work for Simon's sake; I didn't even see her after the blessing fiasco until June…June, Leanne. And you sat there on your moral high horse, treating her like a piece of scum, and I blindly supported you. I pushed her back and I fought my feelings for her again. I wanted this marriage to work so much for Simon's sake that I pushed her towards Frank; thinking that if she got married to him that all our problems would be solved…I pushed her into agreeing to marry him when she wasn't ready; do you not get it Leanne? He raped her because of me." His eyes filled with tears at his revelation. "He raped her because of me." He repeated in a low whisper.
Leanne sat, eyes brimming with tears. She should be furious at his confession over his feelings for Carla, but all she could feel was guilt; Guilt for her role in this mess. Vilifying Carla while acting like she was a saint. They both made mistakes, heck, it was why they were such good mates in the first place. They could both be as good as each other, and just as bad...
She closed her eyes and exhaled a shaky breath. Maybe had she not been so insufferably stubborn and forgave Carla, they could have tried to repair their fractured friendship. Maybe she would have been her shoulder to cry on when her mother died, not Frank. Maybe, if things were different, she never would never have fallen so deep into Frank's orbit.
"Don't you see Lea, I have to go to Scotland, I have to right this wrong. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to her again and I just sat here twiddling my thumbs."
"And what happens when you get back?" she choked through her tears.
Peter sighed, knowing he had to be honest but still not wanting to open this can of worms, "I don't know Leanne. But this," he pointed back and forth between them, "this isn't working and it wasn't before Frank's attack on Carla. It wasn't working before June. It wasn't working since October - since you and Nick and that flamin' bar - and I think that as much as you don't want to admit that, you know I'm right: deep down, you know that. I think we've been pushing forward for Simon's sake, and it isn't fair on any of us."
Leanne stared at a spot on the floor; she had to agree with him though it broke her heart to do so. They had more problems than not in their tumultuous relationship. Their one shining beacon was Simon. She closed her eyes and the tears cascaded down her cheeks, he would be devastated when he found out.
Peter knelt in front of Leanne, placing a hand under her chin until she opened her eyes and looked at him, "Lea, I know that you love me, and you know that I love you. But I think we both have to face the reality that we are both in love with other people..."
She couldn't respond to him, so she simply stared into his soft brown eyes and sighed as he brushed the tears that fell down her face away with his thumb.
"You were one of the best things that's ever happened to me. You are a beautiful, selfless, loving woman, and a fantastic step mum to our Si. But love, we can't do this right now. Right now I have to get to Scotland before Frank does something we may not be able to fix. But while I'm gone you have to think…I mean really think Leanne…what do you want? Not what Simon wants…you! And I'm going to do the same. And when I come back, we'll have a proper talk about it, okay?"
She nodded before standing up and enveloping him in a hug. "Peter, please be careful!"
"I will." He stated as he pulled her into a tighter embrace and kissed her cheek. She pulled away and walked into the bedroom, as tears gushed down her face, and closed the door behind her.
Peter stared at the bedroom door for a long moment, before grabbing his passport and the duffel bag. With one final glance to the bedroom door, he exited the flat.
Gary and Ciaran were waiting outside the pub, along with Michelle, Maria and Kirk.
"Hey, I managed to book us tickets into Edinburgh. Train leaves in an hour." Ciaran said
"Is that where you'll start looking for her?" Kirk asked
"No, we'll be renting a car and heading to Glasgow," Ciaran answered
"Why Glasgow?" Maria asked
"That's where she had her meeting with the suppliers. Aidan lives about 30 minutes outside of the city." Michelle sniffed
"Yeah, and I sent me mates a picture of Carla, and a photo of Frank I found off the web. They also live just outside Glasgow. Plus, Michelle said Ryan is at uni there, so he may be able to help as well. It'll be a good place for us to base ourselves out of to start since it's not too far of a journey from Aidan's." Gary informed him as Steve pulled up in a taxi to take them to Piccadilly Station.
"Are you sure you won't get lost, you know, going from Edinburgh to Glasgow at night?" Kirk asked
"I grew up in Glasgow, Kirk," Peter stated, "Trust me, I know my way around..."
As they said their goodbyes, and filed into the cab, Peter glanced once more at the Bookies and the woman that now stood in front of its door. He gave her a smile and a wink, before climbing into the cab himself.
As the cab drove off, Leanne sighed and walked over to Michelle and Maria.
"I can't believe this is happening. I never should have convinced her to go," Michelle sobbed, "I'll never forgive meself if he hurts her again." Maria pulled her into a hug, and Leanne laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You can't think like that Michelle," Leanne sniffed, trying to keep her voice strong, "Carla's a fighter…"
"I thought so too," Michelle whispered into the crook of Maria's arm, "But you both know what it did to her. She barely survived it the last time…"
"Peter will find her, 'Chelle." Maria assured her, "And when he brings her home, we'll all be there to help her through it and make sure Frank is brought to justice. Once and for all."
Dennis and Marcus sat in a bar in Glasgow's city centre. Enlarged photos of a smiling, dark-haired woman strewn across the table next to their pints of beer. Another set of enlarged photos, these of a man, stationed on the other side of their glasses.
"She's fit, I tell you." Marcus said looking at the photo of the woman and taking a sip of his beer, "I can see why he won't give her up that easily."
"Doesn't excuse what he did though." Dennis retorted popping a chip into his mouth.
"Well, of course not. But he must love her, in his own sick way, to follow her out here? Risking going to prison for breaking his bail conditions?" Marcus shook his head, "He's got balls I tell you. When is Windass and his mates coming in?"
"Train arrived in Edinburgh about an hour ago, I reckon. They've grabbed a rental car and are on their way out here, Windass will text me from a burner phone when they're closer. They'll drop their gear off at a nearby hotel and then meet us here and start hitting up the hospitals; if she got injured there's a chance he may have taken her to one to check her out." Dennis stated.
"Do you really think he'd risk taking her to a hospital?" Marcus shook his head, "Nah man. He's probably hid up in some seedy inn somewhere, trying to keep a low profile."
"Yeah, and we'll be hitting those too. Who knows how far he's gotten too by now. He won't be heading back to England, too risky. The coppers would have sent his photo out to Scottish Police by now, it's only a matter of time before the media get a hold of it," Dennis grabbed another chip, "nah, he'll be staying somewhere in the general vicinity, you mark my words." He looked to the door and gave a nod to acknowledge the two men that just walked entered the bar. "Hey, James and Phil are here." As the two men approached the table, Marcus and Dennis stood up and clasped forearms with their friends.
"Ahhh the life of the off-duty soldier eh James?" Phil joked as he went to the bar to order two more pints of beer.
"You're telling me man." James laughed, "always at the bar or chasing some skirt, while the rest of us gotta work 12 hour shifts!"
"Yeah yeah, I'll remember that the next time I'm dodging bullets in Afghanistan, mate!" Marcus laughed as he sat back in the booth. "So how was the drive in from Edinburgh? How is life at the hospital treating you two?"
"Ahh not too bad I guess. Got off shift at 10:00 PM, just gone 11:00PM now so all in all pretty good. I tell you, I'm actually looking forward to having this week off to visit my family. If I don't see another pregnant woman screaming bloody murder as she's wheeled into the hospital it won't be too soon!" James said as he took off his jacket.
Phil walked back over and removed his jacket before sliding into the booth, "yeah but there was this one couple this afternoon, phew! The blood man! My scrubs were destroyed! The girl, dead beautiful I might add, had this head wound-hey!" he grabbed the photo, "that's her…and that's the guy!"
"Yeah so it is!" James agreed as he picked up the photos, "Why do you have pictures of them?"
"Wait! This woman? You saw this woman at the hospital today?" Marcus demanded holding up the picture and pointing to it.
"Yeah man, that's her! She was barely conscious and the guy was beside himself, but that's her!" James confirmed. Dennis and Marcus exchanged glances. "What?" James asked.
"Guys, why do you have photos of these two?" Phil asked them pointedly.
"A soldier from Manchester that we met in Afghanistan, him and two guys are travelling out here as we speak looking for her. Apparently this guy," Dennis held up the photo, "was engaged to her, but she broke it off the night before the wedding."
"Ouch!" James winced.
"Yeah, so he raped her."
"Come again?" Phil asked
"Yeah, raped her. He was released on bail, and long story short she had gone out to L.A. to clear her head, then stopped over for a few days, just about thirty minutes outside Glasgow, for a business meeting and he followed her out here."
"I thought being charged with a felony means he has bail restrictions, like having to stay at a particular address, having to check in with the police periodically and ummm, oh yeah! Not approaching your accuser?" James asked, "How the hell did he slip under the radar like that?"
"That's what everyone wants to know."
"Wait…is she still there?" Dennis asked suddenly.
"I dunno, our shift ended just over an hour ago." Phil said.
Dennis and Marcus exchanged a look before James pulled out his mobile, "Hang on, I know who may help us!" he said, dialling a number on his phone,
"You best text Windass," Marcus stated as Dennis nodded and pulled out his mobile, "tell them not to bother dropping off their gear…"
After pressing the required extensions, James put the phone on the table and pressed the loudspeaker as a voice came through loudly
"Louise speaking,"
"Hey Louise, it's James Ewan…
"I thought you'd clocked off for the week? Shouldn't you be in Glasgow by now?"
"I did, and I am. Listen, is Dr. Gregory still in, Louise?" James asked as all four men leaned in closer to the phone.
"No, he left about 30 minutes ago." She said. Dennis angrily smacked the table and Marcus threw his head back and let out a sigh of frustration.
"Okay, Louise I need you to do me a favour," James said as he tapped his fingers on the table near the mobile, "I need you to check on that patient that came in today, you know the English woman? Head wound? She still there?"
"You know I can't be doing that, James-" she lowered her voice to a whisper
"I know Louise, and I wouldn't be asking if it weren't an absolute emergency. Please?"
"I don't know-" she answered warily
"Come on Louise, I helped your friend that time, remember? The one without insurance…?"
"Okay, okay," Louise exhaled and furiously typed on the keyboard, "you know I can get into a lot of trouble for thi-"
"It's important Louise, hurry up!" Phil snapped.
"Carla Gordon – moderate concussion; all vital signs normal; blood pressure normal…" She peered in closer to the computer screen, "Oh, hang on…"
"What?" James asked, his eyes meeting Phil's apprehensively
"Dr Gregory noted that she seems to be showing symptoms of post-traumatic amnesia –" Louise read,
"Amnesia?" Dennis repeated and Marcus dropped his head into his hands
Louise continued "-Says she was discharged an hour and a half ago into the care of her fiancée Peter Barlow."
Phil closed his eyes and bowed his head. Dennis and Marcus looked at each other,
"Shit."
