Two chapters in one day ;o)
It's All About You – Chapter 9
"No!" Rebecca cackled, slipping out of Smithy's grip.
"Rebecca Rosemary Smith!" Smithy stood with his hands on his hip, causing Charlie to bite her tongue hard to stop herself from laughing and commenting. "Come here!"
"No!" Rebecca giggled, kicking her legs as she was picked up and swung over Smithy's shoulder. "Daaaaaaadadada!" She giggled, wriggling.
Smithy rolled his eyes and sat back in the chair beside Charlie's bed, moving Rebecca back round so she was sat in his lap.
"Hiya!" Rebecca beamed at her mother, waving one hand as she attempted to eat the other.
"Hiya." Charlie chuckled, glancing up as a doctor appeared.
"How long until the results are through?"
"Shouldn't be too long, Guv." Claire looked up and smiled at Neil. "They've promised to fax across the results as soon as they become clear."
"Good work." Neil forced out as lightly as he could, never comfortable with obvious praise, before turning and hurrying off as quick as possible to the relative safety of his office.
John and Claire exchanged smirks, each looking back at their work, Claire eyes drawn to the ring, still on the ring finger of her left hand.
"I'll give your husband-"
Smithy's head shot up as the doctor spoke and he stared wide eyed at Charlie, blinking. "Husband?" He mouthed.
Charlie chuckled and squeezed his hand as a part warning to stay quiet and behave, before grinning as the doctor mentioned her progress. "So it'll be off…"
"Next week if you keep this up." The doctor smiled. "Your arm's healing well, as is your leg, the fracture on your pelvis is taking slightly longer but that's to be expected. You're very lucky."
"I know." Charlie smiled slightly, her grip tightening around Smithy's hand, watching the doctor as he left the room. "Husband…" She chuckled.
"Have you-"
"No." Charlie chuckled more, shaking her head. "He just assumed."
Smithy's brow furrowed slightly and he looked thoughtful, looking at Rebecca as she wiggled on his lap, clutching the headphones from the side of Charlie's bed, trying to work out why she could hear faint music.
"Dale?" Charlie blinked, pulling a little on his hand. "What's up?"
"You owe me £400." John sat on the edge of Claire's table, grinning slightly down at her.
"I do?" Claire raised both eyebrows. "How so?"
"That." John nodded at the ring on her finger.
"Last of the big romantics." Claire sighed, almost reluctantly slipping it off her finger, putting it into John's hand, both of them aware it was stolen property and would have to have gone back either way, Claire still frowning at the way her left hand now felt empty, despite only having worn the ring a matter of hours.
John smiled tightly at her, noticing her expression, escaping downstairs to book the ring in and to look into stopping the payment on his card for it before Claire managed to trap him in what he saw as dangerous ground involving rings and white dresses.
"Sarge!" Duncan called out as the fax machine started, interrupting Claire's thoughts as she stood up, making her way over to it, attempting to read before it finished printing out, smiling as she found the right place. "Got him!" She grinned, carrying it through to Neil's office.
"Did the search bring anything up?" Neil asked, standing by the cell doors a little while later.
Mickey pulled a scrapbook from an evidence book dropping it on to the custody sergeants desk. Neil frowned slightly and moved to it, opening the first few pages, only to be confronted by a picture of himself cut out from the local newspaper. "What's this?" He blinked, flicking on a few more pages, seeing picture after picture of Sun Hill officers, some from newspapers, others taken from leaflets, even a couple of what seemed to be posed ones. "Am I missing something? He asked, turning to the last page, seeing a picture of Charlie and Smithy outside the station, both huddled together in the cold, obviously waiting for something, followed by one underneath of Charlie with Nick, getting out of the car, a red felt tip ring around them both.
"Craig Benson is known for his dislike of the police." Mickey sighed. "He and his group of thugs regularly make things difficult for the relief down there, dropping bricks and even a fridge once onto the bonnets of the cars, smashing window screens and the like. Sad thing is it's done from a height and the thugs have jackets with hoods on so it's hard to say who did it, leaving noone to be caught…and they keep getting away with it."
"Not this time." Neil pursed his lips, looking in detail at the pictures in front of him. "Do you think –"
"We're bringing in his known associates. If he doesn't name names, it's about all we can do."
"And of course he won't name anyone else." Duncan scoffed. "With all due respect guv, it's hardly likely that we'll get anyone else for this."
Neil scratched his head slightly, "Where's PC Klein?"
"Out on patrol?" Mickey shrugged. "Last time I saw him he was in the canteen."
"Go see Inspector Gold and get him in, at least till we've pulled in the members of the gang, just in case." He told Mickey. "Where's Sergeant Smith now?"
"At the hospital." Mickey blinked. "Something wrong?"
"Duncan, book this in, get John and Claire to interview Benson, let me know if anything comes up, no matter how small you think it might be. Mickey come with me."
"Guv." The two detectives nodded, each doing as they were told, Mickey going out after to meet Neil at his car, before the two set off to the hospital.
Charlie looked up as Smithy returned, looking suspicious at his large beam, looking even more suspicious at Rebecca's chocolate covered grin.
"What've you done?"
"Weeeee!" Rebecca giggled, Smithy pulling a face as he sat back down, rechecking her nappy, before giving her the rest of the cookie he'd been holding.
"Wasn't a wee." He grimaced.
Charlie couldn't help but giggle, "Finally got you housetrained. Only took 2 years."
"Very funny." Smithy rolled his eyes, putting one hand in his pocket, fidgeting nervously, his free hand around Rebecca.
Charlie grinned and moved her hand to his thigh, "My poor baby…" She murmured softly, smiling at him.
Smithy smiled awkwardly, clearing his throat as he leant forward, lifting Rebecca on to Charlie's stomach. "Chaz?"
"Yeah?" she smiled, lifting her hand to his cheek, gently stroking it.
"Will you…" He shifted slightly. "Could you…" He sighed and got off the chair, pulling his free hand from his pocket, kneeling by the side of the bed. "S'nowt posh, s'one of them that's got some sort of lip crap in it." He showed her a child's plastic ring in the shape of a butterfly, the wings opening up to reveal a small pot of lip gloss. "I'll get you a proper one like, but I thought this could do for the minute, just….why you crying?" Smithy blinked, looking at her expression. "What's up?"
Charlie chuckled softly, rubbing at her eyes as she looked up at him. "I love you." She whispered.
"I love you too…" Smithy smiled, still slightly flushed as he leant forward and brushed his lips over hers. "Marry me, Chaz. Please?" He asked, offering her the ring.
Charlie rubbed at her eyes as more tears ran from her eyes, holding Smithy's gaze as she nodded. "…Y-yes." She stammered.