They both stared at the photo for what seemed like an eternity and then Lynn looked up at her son, he had a certain expression on his face, it was filled with sadness.
"Who's that then Dale?" she asked, wiping her eyes
"She was called Kerry," he said, tears welling up in his green eyes.
"Was?" she replied unaware of what her son actually meant. There was another short silence until Smithy broke it.
"She got killed last year, this physco shot her in the chest, she died in my arms"
"Were you close to her?"
"Yeah she...she was my girlfriend until that piece of scum killed her, she was pregnant" hiding his head in his hands he froze for a while then composed himself.
"Anyway I'm not here to talk about me am I. Do ya still love him?" there was no reply so he pushed the issue further.
"Do ya mum, it's a simple answer you either do or ya don't" the anger was building up inside him; the more she hesitated the more angry he got.
"Don't do this to me Dale, you know how I feel"
Smithy looked at her, his expression burning straight through her very core, he couldn't take it how could she love him? She loved the very person that took out his anger on him, the nights when he got drunk he would persistently question his son's masculinity. 'C'mon Dale go on hit me or are ya' u puffta?' kept racing round in his head, just one of the endless taunts his dad called.
Inhaling that stuffy air which seemed to fill every hospital corridor he pivoted on his foot and slowly walked out of the ward staring at the cream lino.
Gina sat their clock watching, she hated the last half an hour of her shift, and it just seemed to crawl by. She was looking forward to a large glass of the finest whisky but thought it best to wait until she went down the local. Tapping the blue biro against an A3 sheet of paper, the phone went.
"Hello, Inspector Gold speaking" she said in a slightly disgruntled manor, a phone call normally meant more work.
During the course of the phone call her facial expression changed somewhat, towards the end all colour drained from her weary face.
She finished the phone call with an abrupt 'OK I'll be there'.
Breathing in she put her hand over her mouth and shut her eyes,
' I guess that whisky will have to wait a little while' she muttered to herself.
Slowing standing up she grabbed her black coat, slung it over her and walked out of the door.