Your Love Is King – Part 7
"It'll be alright…"
Charlie barely lifted her head to snort incredulously; dropping her hand to Smithy's hip, taking care not to go near the large bandage across his abdomen. "I don't want you in here no more."
"Chaz." Smithy rolled his eyes. "I'm fine here, really."
"You at least deserve a guard on the door; I'm not having you get hurt again."
"I'll be out soon-"
"I don't care!" Charlie interrupted. "Some crazed lunatic seriously has it in for us." It sounded almost like a plot for a film, Charlie thought, looking up at Smithy. "I don't want anything to happen to you." She whispered, kissing the tip of his nose.
"And I don't want anything happening either." Smithy ran his fingers through Charlie's hair, fiddling with the ends as she snuggled closer. "But we need to be careful, for Becca and the baby's sake as much as anything."
Charlie nodded, closing her eyes as tears started to drop from her eyes, pushing her head into Smithy's shoulder so he didn't see them.
"Does she know?" he asked as Charlie shook her head. He sighed and moved his hand to cup the back of her head. "Don't cry…" he looked down, stroking her hair. "It'll be ok, I promise."
Neil removed the yellow hard hat, throwing it onto the floor as he shrugged off the fluorescent protective jacket. "It's completely gutted." He shook his head. "Not a chance of saving anything."
"So whoever it was knew that they were doing." Jack folded his arms, looking thoughtful.
"Guv." Neil nodded, stepping aside to let the SOCO team through.
"Any idea what the device was?"
"Some remains of what looks like a timer, we'll know more when the results are back."
"And that'll be?" Jack looked impatient.
"As soon as possible, I've called in favours…" Neil walked back towards his car, getting in. "I'll call as soon as I hear anything."
"Guv!" Dan hurried over, stopping in front of Jack. "The neighbours at the back of the properties over looking the houses said they saw a man in the garden not long before the explosion."
"Did they give a description?"
"Not a lot to go on." Dan frowned. "They said they knew the police had been around, and thought it was just another of the officers till the explosion. Said he was wearing a black coat, just made him look like a copper…"
"Anything else?"
"Didn't pay that much attention." Dan shook his head.
"Male…" Suzie raised her eyebrows. "Narrows it down to half the population at least."
"Y'think?" Tony looked thoughtfully at Reg, "Nah, it's most likely some criminal who's got it in for Smithy."
"They're going to extreme measures." Cass frowned, sitting at the table beside them, glancing round the canteen.
"Maybe he's upset someone big time." Gabriel almost smirked.
"Charlie's terrified." Cass sighed. "Saw her just before she went in the hospital this morning, she was trembling."
"Last thing they need with the new baby." Reg mused, thoughtfully biting into his sandwich.
"How far is she now?" Roz asked, picking at her chips.
"Almost 6 months." Cass sipped her drink.
"She should be taking it easy." Roz frowned as Cass nodded.
"Bit difficult when you have no home to relax in." Reg observed.
Tony exchanged glances with Sheelagh and June, sighing.
"What if it's not Smithy that they're after…." Amber looked thoughtful.
"Eh?" Tony blinked. "Smithy-"
"Maybe it was meant for who ever opened the door…as a warning." Amber shrugged. "The house was blown out, maybe it's Charlie, they could have thought she was in…"
"A warning for what?" Cass tilted her head.
"I dunno!" Amber shrugged. "But it's obviously bad."
Charlie wiped her eyes gently on the edge of the blankets, looking up at Smithy. "What are we going to do?" she almost whispered.
"I'll sort something out…" Smithy smiled tightly.
Charlie sighed and dropped her head back onto his chest. "You can't." She shook her head. "We dunno who it is, what they're after…." She sat up slightly and squeezed his hand. "I need to do this. You always look after us."
"That's what I'm here for…" Smithy sighed, linking his fingers through hers.
"Not this time." Charlie leant forward and kissed him. "This is where I take over." She wiped her eyes, and forced a smile. "I can look after us all."
"Charlie, you don't have to try and –"
"Shush." Charlie pressed a finger over his lip. "Don't interrupt me." She smiled weakly, settling back against him.
"Yes ma'am." Smithy forced a chuckle, resting his head back against the pillows.
"Gina said we can stay with her." Charlie looked thoughtful. "Least till you get better. I'll call the insurers and see what we get from the house and contents insurance. Gina's sorting the time off for me, so I can look in some estate agents and see what's around, and then when you feel up to it, we can go look at some places together."
"One step at a time." Smithy sighed, "Need to find whoever's doing this first."
"We will." Charlie nodded quickly, the fingers of her free hand curling tightly around Smithy's tshirt.
"Nana?"
"Becca?"
"Where's daddy?"
Gina cuddled the little girl on her lap tighter and looked down. "Daddy's still in hospital."
"Why?" Rebecca frowned, "Has mummy had 'Cack?"
Gina couldn't help but chuckle at Rebecca's pronunciation of her brother's name, shaking her head. "Not yet, sweetheart."
"Daddy said I can go see 'Cack when he's here." Rebecca nodded emphatically. "When he's in the hopital." She frowned slightly, "I don't like the hopital."
"No?" Gina looked down. "Why not?"
"They got daddy." She pouted. "I want my daddy." Rebecca' bottom lip quivered and she sniffled.
"Daddy'll be here soon." Gina cuddled her tighter. "He's ok…really."
"Is 'Cack there?"
"No sweetheart." Gina kissed Rebecca's forehead as she looked up. "Jack's not there, not yet."