It's All About You – Part 12
"Fresh air!" Charlie scoffed, kicking the ground as she pulled her jacket tighter around her, dithering slightly in the cold wind whipping round.
Smithy finally reached her, pulling her into a hug as soon as he stopped, kissing her tenderly.
"I'm sorry…" Charlie whispered into the kiss. "I shouldn't have done that."
Smithy shrugged, a trademark smirk flicking over his lips. "She deserved it." He smiled, hugging her again.
Charlie closed her eyes and chuckled. "Only just stopped myself swearing at her."
Smithy grinned and stroked her hair. "That's my girl."
"It should have gone in her favour." Jonathan stood beside Gina, his hand over his mouth as he spoke so only she could hear as they watched Smithy and Charlie together.
"Jonathan…" Gina tutted.
"I know…" Jonathan's lip curled into a smile. "But a display of emotion like that, detailing all the facts that may or may not come up…" He glanced back inside. "The jury will be hard pushed to overlook it."
"Let's hope not." Gina murmured, looking thoughtful, smiling as a hand discreetly curled over hers, squeezing it gently, before being pulled away. She turned and watched Jonathan leave almost smirking to herself.
"Chaz!" Mickey called over, hurrying across to the entrance of the court, his shirt still untucked, flapping in the window under his suit jacket.
"Micks!" Charlie beamed on seeing him, wrapping her arms around him as soon as he stopped, hugging him tightly.
"Court is now in session, you may be seated."
Charlie looked nervously in Smithy's direction, swallowing hard as he attempted to smile reassuringly at her.
"Charlotte…" Jonathan stood up, smiling at her. "Before the court broke, you were describing what had happened…"
Charlie nodded, holding the bar in front of her tightly.
"Can you explain for us the implications of your injuries, now that we understand how you received them?"
Charlie looked at Jonathan for reassurance. Jonathan smiled and stepped back so Charlie could see Smithy. "…It means…" She stammered. "There's a chance, because of the way my pelvis was broken …cos it wasn't a clean break…there's a chance it'd never be strong enough for me to have another child."
"You were pregnant…"
Charlie nodded again, biting the inside of her lip. "Three months."
"Did you want more children…?"
"Yes…" Charlie fiddled with her engagement ring. "We already have a daughter…Rebecca. She's almost a year old. We've talked about having more. And then when we found out I was pregnant…" Charlie dropped her head, looking down.
"Would you have continued at work….?"
Charlie nodded. "I love my job." She looked up. "I love the thought of working with my partner, having something like the MET behind us, the security of the job there, letting us know we have something to leave to our family." She sighed, shifting awkwardly as her back started to hurt. "But I might not be able to continue now…not after this, I can't walk more than a little distance, I can't stand up quickly, I certainly can't run after someone and arrest them." She moved a hand to her back, rubbing it gently. "I can have a desk job." She looked at Jonathan. "Sitting behind a desk doing paperwork day in day out." She sighed. "Hardly the same as what I signed up for."
Charlie squeezed Smithy's hand as she settled beside him as John started to give his evidence, looking across at where Benson was stood in between two police guards, as if almost noticing him for the first time. She'd been part of enough trials to know what happened and had made herself ignore the box whilst giving her evidence.
Benson shifted slightly, and caught Charlie's eye, smirking almost at her. Charlie tensed and slunk closer to Smithy, wrapping her arms around his waist.
Smithy looked down and kissed her forehead, wrapping his arm tighter around her. "You alright?"
"Y-yeah." Charlie nodded, shifting again. "Fine…" she said, clearing her throat.
Smithy smiled and squeezed one of her hands, looking back at John.
"Dead…" Benson mouthed at Charlie, smirking again. Charlie set her jaw and attempted to stare him out, before snapping her gaze away, pushing her head into Smithy's chest.
"Guv." Claire frowned at Neil as he walked through. "What's going on?"
Neil glanced up, picking up certain files. "Claire?"
"Aren't you at court?" She asked, moving to his doorway.
"Picking up some more information on Benson's known associates." Neil moved round his office, selecting certain files. "To pass onto uniform, something of an incentive…"
"On the day of the court case?" Claire pursed her lips. "Guv, if they think you're interfering…"
"It's not interfering." Neil shrugged, "It's a way of catching the others responsible." He picked up the files, leaving the office, Claire looking thoughtfully after him.