Chapter 13
It's been a few weeks now, since Neil confronted Phillipa.
Andrea is at work finishing up before she leaves for the day. Clearing her desk and shutting the computer down, she grabs her jacket and handbag before making her way out the small law firm office.
Neil is sitting in his own office listening to Phil Hunter and Suzie Sim update him on a case.
The phone on his desk starts to ring, Neil tries to ignore it concentrating on what Phil is saying but the phone continues to ring.
"Just a minute Phil, I'd better get this." He says, with a roll of his eyes, reaching for the phone.
"Yes?" He says down the phone. "Phillipa" He says letting out an exasperated sigh, on identifying the caller.
He continues to listen to what she is saying.
"No, I've already said I can't have Jake." Neil responds to the phone getting more and more wound up as the conversation goes on. "Look I'm busy, you'll have to ring me later Phillipa" He says finalising the conversation by replacing the phone.
"Problems guv?" Phil asks,
"Just Phillipa being awkward." Neil sighs. It's no secret at the station that Neil is divorcing Phillipa, although no one there knows of Neil's baby daughter and reconciliation with Andrea.
"Right Phil, about this robbery."
Andrea is now on her way to collect Annabelle from the nursery, checking her watch she notices that she is running late.
She decides to take a short-cut and instead of walking alongside the main roads to get to the nursery she cuts through an alley. Annabelle's nursery normally kick up a fuss when Andrea gets there late and the last thing she wants is a confrontation, and as it is, it's getting late. Darkness is already starting to form.
She walks quickly down the narrow alley, checking her watch once again for the time. She's half way up the alleyway when she hears footsteps behind her. Glancing over her shoulder she notices a young lad a way behind her. She carries on walking quickening her pace slightly, she knows from her experience as a police officer you can't be too careful these days.
Coming to the end of the path, her mobile phone starts to ring. Sighing she stops, searching through her handbag for her phone, it's probably the nursery ringing.
As she fishes out her phone she doesn't hear the footsteps of earlier come up behind her.
The next thing she knows is a hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn round in surprise.
"What?"
A fist makes contact with her face and out of nowhere another young lad appears, grabbing her bag from her. Andrea trying to keep hold of her bag is then dealt a blow to stomach. As she falls to the ground, the boys run off with her bag leaving Andrea lying on the ground sobbing.
She pulls herself up into a sitting position, body hunched, head held low, shaking from the shock of what's just happened. She goes to find her phone but of course it's not there, it's still in her bag she'd just been pulling it out when the first boy had approached.
Hearing footsteps again she sees a middle-aged woman approach.
"You ok?" The lady asks, noticing Andrea in her slightly battered state on the ground.
Andrea shakes her head, unable to talk, still paralysed from shock.
"What's happened?" The lady asks concerned.
"They…" Andrea swallows, "they took my bag… and my phone." Andrea stutters out before bursting into tears.
The lady who stopped, from that moment takes charge, calling for an ambulance and trying to comfort Andrea.
"Is there anyone else you want me to call for you?" The lady asks.
"Neil … Neil he'll have to get Annabelle, my daughter."
"Okay, you know Neil's number?"
Andrea nods and recites Neil's mobile number. A number she knows almost by heart.
Neil is in his office, sitting at his desk working through a pile of paperwork when his mobile rings. He rolls his eyes, knowing his luck it will be Phillipa harassing him again. He takes his phone out his jacket pocket and seeing a number he doesn't recognise, decides to answer it.
"Hello."
"Err…Hello. Is that Neil?" A woman's voice asks.
"Who is this?" Neil asks, not in the mood for being messed around.
"My names Laura Brown, Andrea asked me to call you." The woman says.
This causes a puzzled frown to appear on Neil's face. "Andrea? Excuse me what's going on?"
"She asked me to give you a message, she's been mugged, and she's at Berkley
Hospital. Oh yes and she wants you to pick Annabelle up, would that be right."
"Andrea, you said she's at hospital. She is alright?" Neil asks immediately concerned
"Yes, just a bit bruised and shaken up I think."
"Okay right thank you for calling." Neil grabs his car keys and makes his way out through CID. "Phil, I've got to go out for the rest of the day, you're in charge!"
"Right, Guv?"
"Something important's come up." Neil responds giving no more explanation than that.
Neil arrives at Berkley Hospital, Andrea's local hospital, straight after picking Bella up from nursery. He would have rather have gone to Andrea first but wasn't sure how long the nursery was open for.
He asks at the reception desk where she is and makes his way to find her.
Andrea sitting on a hospital bed, still shaken up. She been discharged, alright apart from a black eye and slightly bruised. She looks up as Neil approaches.
"Neil!"
Neil comes up, Annabelle in her carrier in one hand. Setting her down, he pulls Andrea into his embrace.
"Hey, it's ok." Neil says as she starts to cry in his arms. He tightens his arms around and presses a kiss against her hair. "I'm here now."
Once the tears have stopped, Andrea pulls herself out of Neil's arms. "I just want to go home."
"Okay" Neil says looking into her eyes, still very concerned about her. "Have they discharged you yet?"
"Yeah." She says, looking down at Bella. "She okay."
"She's fine. It's you I'm worried about." Neil's says pushing her hair out of her face. "Let's get you home shall we."
Andrea nods and gets up helped by Neil who takes her hand in his, the other hand holding Annabelle's car seat.
They arrive back at Andrea's flat, and Andrea curls up on the sofa, while Neil gets Annabelle a bottle before putting her in her cot. Coming out of the bedroom, he settles down next to Andrea, who snuggles up to him.
A thought comes to Neil's mind. "You've spoke to the police."
"Yeh the local ones. Why you going to get Sunhill after them, I doubt they be worried about anything happening to me, after what I did."
"I was worried." Neil says.
Andrea just nods.
"And yes if you hadn't of spoken to the police I would have made sure you did. I'm not prepared to let anyone get away with hurting you."
Neil untangles himself from Andrea and gets up off the sofa.
"You not going are you?" She asks worriedly on the verge of tears again.
"No of course not." Neil says picking up on the note of panic in her voice. "I'll stay the night if that's what you want."
"Yeah" She whispers lying back down on the sofa, causing Neil to be even more concerned.
"You hungry?" He asks.
"No." comes another whispered reply through the tears that have started to fall again.
"Well I am. I'll make us a little something and you can eat it if you want. You should eat something."
"I just want to go to sleep and wake up and pretend today was just a bad dream." There's no stopping the tears now.
"Come here." Neil falls back on the sofa next to her, taking her back in his arms again. She buries her head against his chest, letting the tears fall.
"I'm sorry." She whispers.
"You've got nothing to be sorry about." Neil tells her, gently stroking her hair. "I love you, you know. I love you so much."