Time Flies
A week had past since the Barlow's had discovered the truth. It had been exactly two weeks since Leanne and Nick had spent the night together. It was bizarre how quickly time was going by and surprisingly, Leanne didn't mind.
In the flat, Eva mindlessly pushed her cereal around her bowl. Leanne came over with a fresh cup of coffee for her sister.
"Hey, come on, chin up." Leanne said, nudging her little sister to eat her breakfast before going to the hospital again to see Jason.
"How can I? My ex is seriously ill in a coma and his attackers are still out there!"
Leanne sighed and gave Eva a hug. Nick had found out from Sarah-Lou that Callum had his gang attack poor Jason. Eva had already found out about Callum being responsible but it didn't make things any easier. Eva's stomach turned at the thought of Jase dying, especially when she still had feelings for him.
"I'm going to the hospital, I'll see you later," Eva sniffled, grabbing her handbag and leaving before Leanne could talk to her.
"Argh Eva!" Leanne called after her as she darted out of the flat and hailed a taxi over the road at Streetcars.
Nick wasn't working the shift with Leanne today which made her feel disappointed. It was great getting to walk with him to work in a morning and spend the day in his company. Although, Leanne did smile to herself at the thought of them going to the counselling today. A smile? Wow, that was the first time in ages she'd been able to genuinely smile and not fake it for the benefit if others around her. Yes, she knee why she was going to these sessions but who was the one that would drive her there? Who held her hand when she needed comforting? Leanne knew the answers to her questions and the thought of him made her grin even broader.
"Morning Leanne!" Liz shouted from the Rovers.
"Hiya, you alright?"
"I'm good thanks love! Now what's brought that beautiful smile of yours back!?"
Leanne blushed and replied, "Well, just everything in general! It all seems to be on the up Liz!"
"Aw, I'm dead happy for you, that's wonderful!" Liz grinned as Leanne smiled again and said her goodbye before heading towards the Bistro.
However, Simon stormed over and he looked angry.
"Hiya Si," Leanne smiled as he avoided her eyes, he seemed infuriated by something.
"Hiya?! Is that all you have to say? Why didn't you tell me about you and Nick?"
Leanne paused and stared at the boy stood before her. Had Nick gone and told him? Then the penny fell. Carla. That bitch. "What do you mean, me and Nick?"
"That you had a fight with Carla over Nick and she had you arrested!" Simon shouted as David and Kylie watched on, curious as to what was going on.
"Who told you that?"
"I over heard Tracy saying how things had been tough on you lately to Grandad. She said you got arrested and you went crazy at Carla! Oh and Auntie Tracy hates me because of you! Me Dad has said Grandad can't let me do anything with my mates as I'm grounded. It's all your fault, I hate you!"
"Simon!" Leanne shouted, touching him to try and calm him down whilst Kylie and David listened.
"No!" He bellowed, shoving her off and running down the street towards the bus stop.
Kylie closed her mouth and turned to David next to her, "Did you see that?! What the hell?"
"It's just kids in't it? They all have their moments, don't they?" David asked, trying to lead his wife towards work as Leanne walked into the Bistro.
"Hmm," Kylie replied, suspicious of what she had just witnessed.
Leanne could hardly process Simon's sudden change earlier that day.
She had been so foolish just assuming that one session of counselling would have just fixed it all. But seriously he had done a complete u-turn. He'd lashed out at her in his most violent attack yet and he had appeared remorseful afterwards and keen to admit his mistakes. Now? Well it felt as though she was back at square one.
The quiet Wednesday lunchtime past quietly and so Leanne decided to text the one person that could save her from giving up.
Leanne:
Hiya. Hope you're okay. Bistro is dead quiet and something has happened with Simon. I need to talk to you Nick. XXXXXXX
Sure enough, a reply came through straight away. She couldn't even put it into words how much she wanted to be with him at that point. To cry and explain her situation and for him to hold her, protecting her from the never-ending storm of misery that was taking hold of her life.
Nick:
Of course, why don't you come to my flat now? Steph can manage. I worry Lea. Xxxxxx
Leanne didn't even bother replying to Nick. It was a rhetorical question really. He knew she'd be coming to his anyway. Not that he didn't enjoy being with her of course. But spending time with her by comforting over her Simon crisis wasn't exactly what either wanted from the other. A fresh start and getting back together again was what sounded better to both of them.
She made the same walk down the street she did earlier that day. Only this time she was the opposite of what she had been just hours earlier.
Liz saw her again and shouted, "Hey, we should stop meeting like this!"
Leanne didn't even raise a smile for Liz. "Yeah, sorry Liz," a distracted Leanne replied. Liz frowned, confused and uneasy.
"Lea," Nick opened the door of his flat and led her in.
"Thanks, I know this is a nuisance me coming around all the time but I couldn't cope not telling you," Leanne sat on the sofa next to Nick, who was resting his head on his hand and facing her.
"It's fine Lea, I want to know you're okay. It breaks my heart seeing you this way. Now tell me, what happened with Simon?"
Leanne stared into the distance, retelling it to Nick in her own time.
"I felt on top of the world when I went out this morning, really, I did. Then I saw Simon. He had a go at me and started shouting all this stuff about Carla and the arrest and that Tracy has fallen out with him. She has come down hard on him and so has Peter. He told Ken not to let Si go to any football practices or anything else. He's taken out his frustration and anger on me and I don't blame him," Leanne sobbed helplessly. Even when she did try to make amends and fix his issues with a counsellor it made little difference. Why was this her life? She sat, gazing at the pictures on the shelves in the flat. Nick could tell she was miles away.
"It will be alright though Leanne. We have a counselling session later on and we can tell Kathy about this... well this new setback. It is going to be okay Lea. You have me, Eva, Ken and Tracy to support you. You'll never be alone because I'm here to protect you from this."
"There's only so much you lot can do. He's obviously having difficulty getting used to everyone knowing what he's been doing and they've only known seven days! Imagine what he'll be like in two months? A year? Other people will probably find out soon too and he'll freak out again. I don't know if I can cope with being in Weatherfield anymore Nick."
Nick's eyes immediately filled with tears. "So what do you mean? Please don't say you're thinking of leaving?"
"Well I can't cope with life here at the minute! I feel like I'm living all of the past, all of my mistakes and everyone else's. Everyone else that ever let Simon down. Why can't this all just go away?!" Leanne held her head in her hands as she vented her frustration at her life.
Nick desperately grabbed her hand. "Please Lea, I can't let you go and leave, don't go because of Simon. Stay."
"Why? If I moved away I'd being doing everyone else a favour!"
"You wouldn't Lea! I don't want you to leave!" Nick yelled as Leanne's eyes met Nick's teary eyes. She felt guilty when she looked at him. She couldn't leave, not when she felt the way she did about him.
"I'm sorry Lea, I didn't mean to shout. I... I just couldn't bear to lose you again not when I know there is still a chance for you and me."
"I'm sorry Lea, I didn't mean to shout. I... I just couldn't bear to lose you again not when I know there is still a chance for you and me."
Leanne turned to him and looked sympathetically. "I'm sorry too, can we just forget about what I said?"
Nick nodded and they embraced. "Let's go to get Simon, yeah?"
"Yeah," Leanne tearfully smiled as she stared over Nick's shoulder.
Eva had returned and saw Nick with Leanne, walking to his car to get to Simon's school to take him straight to counselling. She glanced at the looks on their faces and sensed something was wrong straight away.
"Is everything alright Leanne?" Eva asked, her eyes flitting between Nick and Leanne.
Leanne sighed, "We have counselling in an hour. We're just going to pick Si up from school and then take him." Leanne looked down in the dumps again and Eva stared at Nick for answers.
"Simon had a go at Leanne this morning as he's been punished by Ken , Peter and surprisingly Tracy. She's come down the hardest on him," Nick explained as Eva hugged her sister.
"Well I'm always here Leanne," Eva reassured her before letting the two leave before they would be late.
The journey to counselling was nowhere near as optimistic as it had been just two weeks ago. Leanne and Nick were so impressed by Simon's mature behaviour that they agreed they only need to go to visit every two weeks. Now? Leanne wanted to increase it to every week as he had significantly changed despite being punished and his family being horrified.
Leanne watched Manchester zip by as Nick drove his car. Nobody spoke and it felt as if no-one was breathing. It made Leanne dread the session even more. They needed to spark some sort of conversation and fast!
"How was school?" Leanne asked.
"Like you'd care," Simon muttered as Nick tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Leanne noticed immediately.
"Simon! Don't talk to me like that!" Leanne shouted.
"Why? Are you going to assault me too?!" Simon was taunting her and Nick could barely hold it in.
"Shut up Simon!" Nick roared at the boy in the back. "I may not be your Dad or be with your Mum anymore but if you speak to her like that again I'll make sure you regret it!"
Simon rolled his eyes and remained silent the rest of the way to the session. They stepped out of the car and Nick headed inside first as Simon turned to Leanne and aggressively remarked, "I wish she had pressed charges on you. I hate you and I want you to get out of my life."
Leanne froze as Simon walked in, un-remorseful and uninterested at how much he had intimidated Leanne again. She slowly entered the room, looking obviously frightened. Nick frowned.
"Hello again Leanne!" Kathy smiled, pointing her to her seat. "How are we all today?"
She faced no response as Leanne gazed off into the distance. Her stomach turned as she heard Simon speak, "Well, Leanne got arrested last week."
Kathy gasped and turned to Leanne, "Are you alright?"
Leanne opened her mouth to speak but Simon took over, his fury building. "She's fine! Carla's not though because Leanne assaulted her all because Carla was interested in Nick!" Simon pointed to Nick who was sat next to him, looking absolutely enraged. Kathy's eyes moved to Nick.
"Sorry, erm, I don't think this is really relevant Simon," Kathy tried to reason with him and stop his abomination of Leanne but there was no preventing him from continuing to pour poison into the session.
"Oh no it is! You see, Leanne isn't my real Mum. My real Mum died when I was little and Leanne married my Dad. But Leanne had already been married before to Nick... well, she'd also been a prostitute in between marrying the two..." Simon began, pointing between the two grown ups sat on either side of him.
Nick interrupted him, he looked furious as Leanne was humiliated. "Simon! Stop it!"
"No!" Simon roared. "I want you to know what she is really like!"
"Si, please, stop it," Leanne pleaded desperately.
Kathy looked very uncomfortable too. "Could we stick to your issue here Simon."
"I only have an 'issue' because of her! She's a dirty, lying, ugly, vile prostiute that will marry any man!" Simon spat before throwing his chair across the room. Leanne flinched instinctively as Nick and Kathy watched on, horrified and disgusted.
Nick understood it all even more. Having witnessed the outburst in the meeting felt as though he was watching an attack on Leanne but now she had been completely humiliated in front of the woman who could fix it all. He just wanted to love her and hold her in his arms, whispering reassuring things until her tears stopped and the nightmare went away. That dream was fading and the nightmare was continuing to haunt them all.
"I'm so sorry Kathy, I think we're going to have to call this a day," Nick said as a shocked Kathy nodded, both rushing to help a terrified Leanne up of the floor where she had sat and broken down in tears.
"Oh god, Leanne I'm so sorry," Kathy looked emotional and very caring despite getting her £75 for the session that had only lasted fifteen minutes, not sixty.
"I just want to go home," Leanne whispered, she sounded broken and it took Nick back to that night exactly fourteen days earlier where she cried and told him everything when Simon attacked her in the Bistro.
"Okay Lea, come on, thanks again Kathy. I'll be in touch," Nick helped Leanne up with Kathy's assistance and led Leanne to his car.
Simon, was already stood outside the car, expecting a lift home. "Take me to Grandad's. I'm not staying any longer than I have too." He ordered as Nick finally vented his frustration at Simon.
"What the hell is wrong with you, you, evil child! We've always been there for you when your Dad cleared off to bloody LA with Carla and through everything! I treated you like my own and so did Leanne! I am disgusted at you and I hope you're misersble with the punishments you are getting... you deserve it all!" Nick bellowed, gritting his teeth as Leanne sat in the car with the two yelling outside of it.
"I hate you both!" He screamed, getting into the back of Nick's car and buckling his seatbelt.
Well, the twenty minute drive home to Coronation Street was just as silent as the journey there.
Simon opened the car door and immediately darted for No.1, unlocking the front door and slamming it shut behind him.
Nick unbuckled his seat belt and looked at Leanne, "I am going to phone Ken later Lea, he needs to know about that before. That was disgusting."
Leanne wiped the tears away before meeting Nick's eyes, she didn't want him to see her broken and defeated yet again.
"I can't do this Nick. As soon as I think things are looking up there's another set back, each one more upsetting than the last one. How can we find a way back? He hates me and I feel as though too much has happened for us to repair it."
Nick looked at his hands, trying to formulate an appropriate solution to the problem.
"I think we should get you back to your flat and have a cup of tea before we start talking, don't you?"
Leanne nodded and they walked back to her flat in silence. But, Leanne knew Nick was right beside her as he joined her hand with his and walked proudly. He didn't give a toss if anyone saw them together anymore because all he wanted to do was protect Leanne and keep her safe.
"Here," he said, placing the cup of tea in her hands as they sat opposite each-other at her kitchen table. Eva wasn't home as she was working, so they were all alone and free to be themselves.
"Thanks," She smiled, sipping slowly and enjoying the sweet contrast to the depressing life she had.
"My Gran always says a good brew makes the world a better place," Nick said touching Leanne's hand. She chuckled and gazed into his eyes.
"She's right. It seems to ease the misery slightly. The wonders of a mug of tea eh?"
Nick smiled and laughed too. "It'll be alright you know. You have me and Eva to help you, even if things don't improve."
Leanne nodded and flicked her eyes up from her tea. "Everyone keeps saying it to me though and I honestly don't feel as though things are getting any better with me and Si."
"It might not seem that way now but these things take time, baby steps remember? He needs time to get used to things and for things to develop."
"I guess you're right, thank you."
"It's what any friend would do." Nick smiled, giving Leanne's hand a gentle squeeze.
"I didn't just mean that. Come on Nick, we kissed last week and we both told each-other how we were feeling. I know how I feel about you, I know that I..." Leanne started her declaration of her feelings for Nick but Eva burst through the door. Both Nick and Leanne panicked straight away.
"How was counselling?" Eva asked casually, putting her shopping away in the cupboards.
"Not great but I think Lea will tell you," Nick said, grabbing his coat and heading towards the door. "I need to go but I'll talk to you later Lea."
Leanne nodded and smiled at Nick. "Bye Nick," Eva kindly said, waving as he headed down the stairs of the flat and out of the door.
"How's Jason?" Leanne quizzed, trying to get the attention off her and Nick.
"He's getting better. He squeezed my hand earlier. It breaks my heart seeing him that way, I just want him to wake up and be okay." Eva sighed. Leanne sensed something was amiss. If she was still engaged to Henri she shouldn't have felt that way about her ex.
"Eva? Do you still love Jason?"
Eva went to deny it but she couldn't. "Yeah, I do. Seeing him in hospital made me realise how much I love him and miss him. I knew I was lying with Henri. I think that's why we ended the way we did." Eva revealed but Leanne had questions of her own.
"Ended? You said you and Henri were still..."
"I know! I lied alright! I felt embarrassed because he dumped me. He ended it because he knew I still loved Jase and he said it wasn't going to work out between us. That's why I came back Leanne."
"Oh Eva, you should have told me."
"What like you told me about you and Nick?"
Leanne stopped and looked at her sister. Oh, she had heard her and Nick talking. "How much did you hear before?" Leanne asked.
"All of it. God why did you not tell me you'd kissed? I knew something had happened between you! You should have been honest with me and said it was just a kiss!"
Leanne purposely avoided Eva's intense stare. "It wasn't just a kiss, was it?"
Leanne shook her head. "It was exactly two weeks ago today that Nick walked into the Bistro and saw Simon attacking me. He looked after me you know, brought me back here and made sure I was alright. I mean I was in a pretty bad way. Anyway, we got talking and we both said stuff and then we kissed. Well, we... we slept together."
Eva didn't look as surprised as Leanne had expected but she was still shocked nevertheless. "I thought as much! Do you have feelings for him? That's why you went after Carla isn't it?! Oh god, this makes so much sense!"
Leanne looked flustered, "Woah, one question at a time Eva! What is this Spanish inquisition?"
Eva laughed, "No, sorry. Well, do you have feelings for him?"
It was the first time she felt ready to admit it and she meant it all. "I do Eva, I think I'm falling in love with him all over again."
Hello again folks! Hope everyone is still enjoying the story! Please do keep reviewing because it is great to hear that people are enjoying all the work I put in!
I wanted to show in this chapter that Simon is still slowly getting on the right track and there are going to be some set backs for Leanne before he gets back to himself.
The next chapter should be up soon and it will have lots of Leanne and Nick drama, Eva, Jason, Simon and of course Erica and Carla will make an appearance too! Please do stick with my story because I have a huge chapter coming up and there will be lots of twists following the chapter!
Until I next update... happy reading! :)
