Note: Just so Kia doesn't get confused ;) In this one – Rebecca is about 10 months old.
It's All About You – Chapter 7
"So?" Neil pursed his lips, one finger resting on his cheek as he stared back at Claire. "You have little more than a kid mouthing off about running from a copper!"
"Well, Guv-" Mickey started before Claire had chance to answer. "If you give me five minutes with him, I'll-"
"Be up for GBH." Claire shook her head, cutting Mickey off. "I know you want this result Mickey, but that's taking-"
"Want a result!" Mickey scoffed. "Charlie's a mate!" he insisted. "She's one of us who was assaulted doing what we all do day in day out! She's lost a baby for gods sake, but then again." Mickey paused and sneered at his two senior officers. "Can't expect you to care about emotions and friendships can we! You loose all sense of empathy and caring when you rise above the rank of Sergeant!" With that, Mickey turned and stalked out of the office, slamming the door behind him, ignoring Neil's order for him to come back.
"So." Charlie stretched her arm out slowly, before looking down at her bad arm. "How long till I can be out of here?" She asked the doctor.
"A little while yet." The doctor chuckled, pulling the blankets back as he leant in, looking at her leg and checking the pot, before pressing his hands against her hips to check her pelvis, frowning as she yelped and batted his hands away as a reflex.
"I can't be a little while!" She frowned. "He won't cope without me…last time he was left unsupervised he turned his work shirt pink after putting it in with one of his sodding football socks.
The doctor laughed, making notes on the clipboard in front of him, glancing to the side as a nurse appeared. "Your husband's outside." The nurse smiled, folding the covers back over Charlie.
"Don't call him that." Charlie couldn't help but giggle. "He'll get scared and think I've been saying things about getting him to propose."
The nurse smirked, before shrugging. "Maybe it wouldn't hurt to give him a few hints." She said with a knowing wink, pushing the curtains back each side to let Charlie see Smithy stood in the doorway, attempting to balance an excited Rebecca, a bunch of flowers, a box of chocolates and a balloon, looking as though he was about to drop at least one of them.
Charlie smiled instantly as she saw him, allowing herself a small smile as her she felt her heart lurch, blinking innocently as Smithy looked suspiciously down at her as he lowered Rebecca onto the chair beside the bed, arranging the other things on the bedside table. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing." Charlie batted her eyes at him, looking at Rebecca as Smithy tied the balloon to the headboard.
"B'oon!" Rebecca pointed at the foil helium filled balloon floating above Charlie's head with the words 'Get Well Soon Mummy' written on it. "B'oon!"
"Clever Becca." Charlie reached out her good hand, taking Rebecca's. "Did you pick it!"
"B'oon yes b'oon!" Rebecca beamed, clapping her hands.
"She wanted to get you a Tweenies one." Smithy lifted Rebecca up, sitting her on his lap. "She wouldn't stop whinging-"
"Until you got her one." Charlie finished in unison with him, chuckling.
Smithy grinned slightly, before shrugging, leaning forward as he brushed his lips against Charlie's letting them linger, earning himself a kick in the ribs and a distinctly annoyed 'OI!" from Rebecca as she was squashed.
"Claire!" John called from the opposite end of the corridor, hurrying along to catch her up.
"John?" Claire turned to face him, blinking as he launched himself at her, kissing her quickly, before stepping back as though he'd done the most normal thing in the world. "I thought-"
John smiled impishly, gesturing around the empty corridor, before leaning in for another, frowning as Claire stopped him by raising her hands. "Have you seen Mickey Webb?"
"Small bloke?" John said with an easy grin. "Blonde, yappy, cockney twa-"
"The very same." Claire mused, rolling her eyes. "Have you seen him?"
"Not since I got back from the flats yesterday…honestly, you'd think he was running this investigation the way he shot questions at me, anyone-"
"John." Claire held her hands up again. "If you see him, tell him I'm looking for him."
"What's he done now?" John raised an eyebrow, frowning slightly.
"The DI's not exactly pleased with him..." Claire pursed her lips. "He thinks Mickey's too involved, what with his relationship with Charlie and Smithy, Mickey keeps sounding off-"
"That's what he does best." John shrugged.
"Manson wants him off the case." Claire leant in closer, ignoring John's knowing smirk. "And you and I both know that he won't roll over and accept that."
"You be good girl." Charlie hugged her daughter closer, reluctantly letting go as the buzzer to signify the end of visiting time sounded again. "Mummy's misses you."
"Bibi mummy." Rebecca waved up at her, giggling as Smithy tucked her under his shoulder, kicking her legs.
"Love you baby." Charlie smiled sadly, before looking to Smithy. "And you." She said, cupping his cheek as he kissed her, squeezing her eyes tightly closed. "Love you." She whispered into the kiss.
"Love you." Smithy deepened the kiss further, before pulling back and resting his forehead on hers as the buzzer sounded for the final time. "I'll be back tomorrow…." He whispered, stroking her forehead. "Get some rest."
Charlie nodded and watched as he turned and walked towards the door, waving as he turned back, watching Rebecca swing by his side, giggling and waving for all she was worth, before sighing heavily as they disappeared from sight.
"Chaz." A soft voice appeared from the other side of the curtain. "Can I come in now?"
Charlie blinked and rolled her head to try and see the person in the doorway, smiling slightly as she saw the figure getting closer. "Micks." She smiled, wrapping her good arm around his neck as he leant in and kissed her cheek, hugging her gently. "You've just missed Smithy, it's the end of the vis-"
"I know." Mickey admitted, sitting in the seat vacated by Smithy, "I saw…didn't wanna intrude." He shrugged, closing the curtains to keep him out of sight. "I just needed to see how you are."
Charlie smiled, using her good arm to gesture to herself. "As lively as ever." She forced as a joke, before her hand found it's way to Mickey's, listening as he filled her in on the case.
"I don't remember…" Charlie screwed her face up, deep in concentration. "Dan and Amber were here…" She scratched her head. "And Gina, Gina took the statement yesterday…I couldn't tell her much…"
"You did your best." Mickey soothed, leaning closer, glancing occasionally at the curtains each time it sounded as though someone was coming.
"I just…I can't see his face." A tear eased itself from Charlie's eye, rolling down her cheek. "I try and picture it…he seemed to familiar at the time, but…but I just can't…"
Mickey squeezed her hand, stroking his thumb over it. "S'alright." He smiled sadly. "Hopefully it'll come back…" He said, brushing a tendril of hair from her eyes. "And we'll be able to nail who did it."
"Thanks Margaret." John waved his hand to get Claire's attention, "And you'll hurry the results through?"
"John?" Claire moved closer, catching the end of his conversation.
"That'd be fantastic, thanks." John hung up, turning to Claire. "There's a match." He said, moving to the fax machine. "The forensic team have been running checks on the DNA found from where Charlie was thrown from – on the bar where the blood from her hands was found was hair matted in with the blood, it must have been from when Charlie was grabbing at whoever and the bar to try and hold on….."
Claire nodded, watching John as the fax machine started, moving in to see what was being printed.
"The DNA from the hair matches perfectly with the DNA from under Charlie's fingernails…" John said, looking smug as he showed Claire the printout.
"Do they have a match?"
"Yes." John said, his smug grin growing further.
"…Are you going to tell me?"
"Even better." John took her arm, leading her out the room. "I'll show you."