"It's not much to look at but it's home." Sam ushered Jo through to the lounge, taking her jacket and hanging it in the closet before joining her.
"Mum? Is that you?" A disembodied voice startled Jo.
"This is maybe not such a good idea." Sam held a hand up trying to fend off Jo's objections.
"Hi sweetheart, I know I should have phoned you first but something came up at work." Sam called out to her daughter just as she appeared in the doorway, heavily pregnant and looking more than ready to get her bundle of joy out into the big wide world. Sam kissed her cheek fondly, patting the young girl's belly lightly. "Abi, this is Jo Masters, we work together. Jo, this is Abi, my daughter and Bump, my grandchild-to-be."
"Hi Jo, shall I put the kettle on?" Abi had inherited some of her mother's traits, a keen eye for details being one of them. In an instant, she had taken in Jo's red-rimmed eyes and nervous stance, taking her for another waif and stray that her mother had decided to take under her wing.
"That'd be great love, thanks." Sam answered for both of them, turning back to Jo who looked as though she might make a run for the door any second. "Like mother, like daughter eh? If in doubt feed 'em liquid! Take a seat, make yourself at home." When Jo made no move to sit, Sam approached her worried that Abi's appearance might have formed a new defence in Jo's mind.
"She's pregnant." The words were so quietly spoken that Sam was not sure she had heard correctly.
"Abi? Yeah, she's due any day now." Jo simply shook her head, silent tears coursing down her cheeks. A shuffling of feet in the doorway drew Sam's attention to Abi's return. She halted the girl from entering any further into the room with a small hand gesture, invisible to Jo. "You mean Tessa? Tessa's pregnant?" Sam thought she could feel no more empathy with her stricken colleague than she already did but this news took the wind from her sails. Jo nodded miserably, the realisation of the extent of Tessa's betrayal finally hitting home with a killer punch. Sam watched the colour drain from her face as the taller woman pursed her lips together. "Ok…this way…it's ok." Sam whisked her into the downstairs loo just in time as Jo lost much of the meagre contents of her stomach. All the while Sam stayed with her, holding her hair out of her face and murmuring encouragement and support to her.
"Sorry Sam," Jo croaked after the dry heaves had subsided.
"Don't, you have nothing to apologise for." Sam wrapped Jo up in a warm hug, wanting to offer as much support as she could.
"You're really good at this, I get the impression you've had recent practice." Jo tried to make small talk, embarrassed at finding herself curled up in her sergeant's arms on her bathroom floor.
"Yeah Abi's had a tough time of it. It's passed now fortunately but it did take it's time." Sam spoke quietly, all the while stroking Jo's head, trying to lull her into a more relaxed state. "Do you feel up to something to drink now?" She felt Jo's head bob against her chest, aware of the ache caused by the loss of contact when Jo pulled away to allow them both to stand. They emerged from the toilet to find that Abi had put on a CD quietly as background music and was busy fixing herself a sandwich.
"Hey can I get you guys anything? Mum, I've got to eat and run – I'm meeting Sarah at three – but I've time to make you some sandwiches before I go." Sam smiled warmly at her daughter, grateful for her not fussing overtly over Jo, even though Sam could tell the curiosity was killing her.
"What do you say Jo? Feel like something to eat? A cup of coffee and a sandwich?" Sam made a move toward the kettle as she spoke.
"I'm not really hungry at the moment, thanks. A black coffee would be great though." Jo felt like she had been kicked in the gut, promising herself mentally that she was never going to get involved with anyone again if this was how it felt to break up.
Abi moved out of the kitchen having furnished herself with the concoction to satisfy her latest craving. She felt one of her mother's lectures coming on about the need to eat – she had been on the receiving end of that look she had on her face many times in the months after Hugh. She flashed Jo what she hoped was a supportive, good-luck kind of look before making herself scarce.
"Jo, please, you need more than black coffee to sustain you. When was the last time you had something to eat? Let me get you a slice of toast or something at least? A biscuit to go with your coffee?" An unfamiliar weariness was creeping into Jo's face, normally so vibrant and focused, her eyes suddenly glassy and dull. Sam decided that she wouldn't push her too hard, not wanting to make an issue out of something so trivial as food, knowing that she would eat when she was hungry enough, just as Abi had done.
"I don't really remember to be honest. A while ago I guess. I don't think I could stomach anything other than liquid at the moment though, sorry." Jo's eyes were downcast as she took the mug of steaming black coffee from Sam.
"Not to worry, maybe when you've had a few hours sleep you'll feel more like eating. Shall we go and sit in the other room with these?" Without waiting for a response, Sam moved through into the lounge sitting at one end of the huge plush sofa. Jo sank into the other end with a sigh, her eyes fluttering slightly as the cushions embraced her inviting her to give in to her fatigue. The two women sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, each lost deep within their own thoughts.
"Did you know that she was cheating on me? Today I mean, when you told me you'd found her." Sam had expected this question to come up, maybe not so soon but she had been wondering how to explain to Jo why she hadn't forewarned her.
"Yes. We had a tip-off from one of Simon Evans' neighbours to say a woman fitting Tessa's description had been seen going into his house with him. Zain went round with a couple of uniform and found them both in a state of undress. He persuaded Tessa to come to the station and talk to you. He phoned me and told me what he'd found out. I wanted to warn you but I wasn't sure you'd want to hear it from me. And then Zain arrived back and you flew out of the office before I could say anything more…" Sam paused momentarily before adding, "I'm so sorry Jo, no one should be put through what she's put you through over the last few days."
"Apparently, it was going on for months, since we fought when I was undercover in prison. I asked her to marry me that week, she told me she'd think about it, we never spoke about it again. Every time I tried to raise the subject she'd distract me someway or my phone would go off. She says I drove her into his arms, that I'm too married to the job to really care about her. I could have coped with knowing she had had an affair, I almost expected that at some point, she's not really one for monogamy, but to gloat that she was pregnant with his child, that was cruel." Sam stayed silent as she listened to Jo open up, a rare occurrence for a woman whose private life was strictly that, private. She conveyed her support by stroking a hand down Jo's arm, a little surprised when Jo's façade collapsed. The warm-hearted blonde pulled her friend towards her, wrapping her in an embrace meant to shield her from any more pain. Sam focused all of her energy into the hug, aware only of this woman's need for release and comfort. Absentmindedly, she dropped a series of kisses onto the top of Jo's head as she cradled her. They remained locked together for quite a while until Jo's breathing evened out as she surrendered to the sleep she so desperately needed, relaxed enough by Sam's embrace to allow herself to succumb. Sam waited a short while longer, to make sure she wouldn't disturb Jo by moving, before extricating herself and lying Jo down fully on the couch using a couple of scatter cushions as a pillow. Quietly, she retrieved a blanket from the bathroom cupboard, and used it to cover Jo up. Crouching by the side of the sofa, Sam smiled ironically at the song playing on the CD Abi had chosen.
"And the tears come streaming down your face, when you lose something you can't replace.
When you love someone but it goes to waste, could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you."
'Yes, Jo Masters,' Sam thought to herself, 'I will try to fix you.'