I don't like ending fics on odd numbers, but there's only so long they can go on for :op

If Tomorrow Never Comes – Part 9

"Ma'am." Tony nodded at Gina as he passed. "How are you feeling?"

Inwardly Gina's blood was boiling, but she forced a tight, polite smile. "Fine."

"If there's anything I can do..." He said softly, "Please, don't hesitate to ask."

"I'm fine." Gina reiterated firmly. "Thank you." She continued past him, ignoring the respectful smiles and nods from the other officers, going through to the Sergeant's Office and all but slamming the door behind her. "I swear," She folded her arms. "If one more person is nice to me, I'll castrate them with a spoon…"

Smithy couldn't help a chuckle as he glanced up. "With respect, Ma'am." He smiled. "It was your choice..."

"Hmm," Gina pursed her lips, glancing around the office. "Have you been redecorating?" She asked, pulling over a bag from the corner of the room, lifting the rolls of wallpaper from it. "No matter how much you beg and plead, Sergeant, I don't think they'll let you have teddy bear's all over the walls." She said with a smirk, pulling out a border from the bag..

"Rebecca wants teddies…"

"…So Rebecca gets teddies." Gina finished for him with a smile. "You can spoil a child too much, you know!"

Smithy chuckled and moved over to the filing cabinet, looking over Gina's shoulder at the border. "That'd mean so much more if you didn't do exactly the same thing, Nana." He said with a wink.


"Oi!" Charlie set off down the corridor after Rebecca as she toddled off towards her father's office. "Come back here!"

Tony stepped to the side, chuckling as Rebecca shrieked and giggled, running past him.

"Grab her!" Charlie called out, smiling with relief as Dan appeared around the corner with Amber and Leela, grinning as he saw Rebecca, sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her back towards Charlie. Charlie smiled, rolling her eyes as Rebecca clung to Dan, burying her face in his cheek. "You're such a flirt, Rebecca Rosemary!"

"I've been meaning to talk to you…" Tony said softly, watching the girls and Dan coo over Rebecca. "Gina…"

Charlie's expression changed slightly and she looked up. "Yes?"

"How is she?" He asked, with obvious concern. "Really?"

"I can't answer that." Charlie shook her head slightly. "You'd be better off asking her."

"I do." Tony sighed. "She insists she's fine. Admittedly she's brighter than she has been in weeks, but still…"

"Then maybe she is." Charlie murmured softly, looking down the corridor. "You know as well as I do how stubborn she is. If she wants help-"

"She'll ask for it?" Tony scoffed softly. "We both know that's not true."

Charlie smiled slightly, before sighing. "She'll be ok." She assured him. "She's tough as old boots!"

"Recruiting them a bit young aren't we?" Gina appeared behind the small group, Amber's head dipping as she heard her.

"Naaaanaaaa!" Rebecca waved, beaming at Gina, one arm looped around Dan's neck.

"Someone's got an admirer." Gina smiled, watching Rebecca, taking the hand she offered.

"She's got-"

"Casper." A voice boomed from the doorway of the sergeant's office. "Off my daughter!"

Charlie couldn't help a giggle, watching Dan attempt to put Rebecca down. Rebecca pouted and clung on for dear life, before scowling up at him, kissing his cheek as she landed on the floor, turning to see where Smithy was.

"Dear god, I hope the girl never wants a boyfriend." Gina rolled her eyes, watching Rebecca toddle to Smithy as he crouched to her level, showing her inside the bag Gina had been looking in previously, passing her the test paper of the border.

Rebecca looked critically at it, running it over in her hands, before beaming at Smithy and attempting to eat it.

"Does that mean she likes it?" Leela chuckled.


"When are you going?" Smithy scratched his nose with the end of the paintbrush he was holding, attempting to hold the mobile phone between two fingers so as not to cover it in paint. "No, that's fine – course I can."

"I wasn't going to ask." Gina sat at the dining table, sighing as she fiddled with her car keys, "But the car won't start, and the best a taxi-"

"Really, Gina!" Smithy cut her off, passing Charlie the paintbrush he was holding. "I'm glad you asked."

Charlie sat back on her haunches, tilting her head to watch Smithy as she cleaned his paintbrush on the side of the tub. "Dale?" She mouthed, watching him.

"Just gimmie about half hour," Smithy started moving round the room. "Gotta have a shower, we're decorating 'Becca's room."

"I don't want to disturb-"

"Gina." Smithy interrupted again. "Really, I don't mind. I'll pick you up at yours at about 10 past."

"Right…" Gina smiled tightly. "Thank you."

"Not a problem." Smithy said warmly, ending the call. "Gotta go out." He said, bending to kiss Charlie's cheek, "Gina's got a hospital appointment."

"She has?" Charlie blinked. "First she's said..."

"I don't think she'd told anyone." Smithy peeled off his paint splattered t shirt. "She only rang 'cos her car's playing up."

Charlie nodded, running an eye over Smithy's chest, smirking as he mock scowled. "I'm not just some piece of meat." He mock tutted, leaving the room.

"You're not?" Charlie feigned shock as she followed him to the bathroom. "Oi – don't get paint over the wall." She scowled, gently slapping his backside.


"Thanks for…" Gina stopped as she looked Smithy over, biting her lip to hide a smirk. "…Nice." She nodded.

"Gina?" Smithy blinked, frowning at her expression.

Gina chuckled and climbed inside, pulling a compact mirror from her bag, passing it to Smithy. Smithy looked almost confused, before opening the mirror, staring in almost horror at his hair.

"Pink suits you." Gina smirked, watching as Smithy attempted to style his quiff to hide the worst of the paint splatters. She took hold of his arm and turned it gently to show him the streaks down his arms from where Charlie had crept up on him whilst he was concentrating and attacked him with the paint causing a full scale paint war. "Looks like there's more over you than there would be on the walls."

"It won't bloody come off…" Smithy sulked, reaching behind him for his jacket.

"Work on Monday." Gina bit back several comments, settling for pulling her seatbelt on.

Smithy muttered under his breath, starting the car, driving them both to the hospital.


"What does that mean, exactly?" Gina leant forward.

"The signs and symptoms of the cancer have been fading satisfactorily throughout each check up." The doctor in front of her smiled. "The combined treatment has a higher success rate of killing the tumour, and also keeping the cancer away, stopping it from reoccurring." The doctor continued explaining the success rates.

"So…?" Gina attempted to follow.

"So." The doctor shuffled Gina's notes, flicking through them as he glanced back up. "You are in remission."

"…Remission?" Gina stared at the doctor. "…It's gone?"

"Of course you will have to have regular check ups, and the first sign you suspect something-"

"But it's gone…now…?" Gina stared.

The doctor smiled and nodded. "..It's gone, Ms Gold."

Gina sat back against the chair, looking from the doctor to the notes and back again, looking a mix of shock, terror and relief. "Thank you…Th-thank you." Gina stammered, attempting to concentrate as the doctor explained follow up treatment, taking the leaflets offered.

"I'll give you a few moments to collect your thoughts." The doctor stood up, squeezing Gina's shoulder as he passed. "Do you want me to send your friend in?"

"Y-yes…thank you." Gina stammered again, looking to the door as the doctor beckoned Smithy through, closing it after him.

"Gina?" Smithy looked concerned as he took in her expression, immediately thinking the worse. "Gina, what-"

Gina stood up, moving closer to Smithy. "It.." She swallowed, "It's…it's gone."

"Gone." Smithy watched her, tilting his head. "The-"

"Cancer." Gina looked up, her eyes glittering with more life in them than before, her cheeks already regaining colour from her smile. "It's gone!"

Smithy's expression registered somewhere between ecstatic and concern, blinking almost as Gina pulled him into a hug, the two of them stood in their own world, Smithy tightening his grip on her as he held her close.


Charlie paced the living room as she waited, having had a garbled message from Smithy about 'on way back – put kettle on'. She summarised from that, that nothing bad had happened, but still couldn't work out why Smithy had sounded like he did. She looked up as the car parked, almost running outside, stopping as she noticed Gina inside, noting Gina's non-attempt at hiding her smile.

"Gina?" She blinked, a smile flicking over her own lips. "What's happened?"

Gina said nothing, climbing out the car, wrapping Charlie into a hug.

Charlie looked stunned, but none the less, returned the hug, looking at Smithy's beam as he climbed out the car. "What's going on?"

Gina pulled her head back, grinning almost. "It's gone." She said simply.