Abi stared at her, aghast. 'You can't be in labour! You… you just can't!'

Breathing deeply, Sheelagh answered, 'I can't turn it off! Sweetheart, I need you to call an ambulance, I'm not having another baby without a midwife.' Apart from flinching at the word 'sweetheart' the young mum hadn't moved. 'Abi, please! If you… What you said about the way you feel, if it's true then you'll get me to the hospital.'

Finally, she got out her mobile. 'I'll call but I can't come with me.'

'And I need Sam.'

Abi nodded. 'Fine.'

'Alan, you ain't doing yourself any favours,' Terry said quietly whilst leaning against the wall. Sam, now beside him at the back of the cellar, was looking at their surroundings from the new angle and with the added pressure of having a pistol staring her in the face. 'There's an armed unit upstairs; it's only a matter of time before they realise we're missing.'

'Unless they want your blood splattered on the walls they won't make a move.' Alan Tricott was as cocky as middle-aged villains could be, the very way his hand rested around the gun showed his practice with weapons. That was unnerving.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated in her pocket. What a time for a text message! Luckily, Tricott was too focussed on Terry and the pounding footsteps upstairs so she slipped her hand into her pocket, ready to withdraw the mobile at the first opportunity.

Terry continued with his argument, 'You've never killed anyone. Yeah, you've sprayed a few bullets around but not with intent. I don't think you wanna start now.'

Tricott, hearing the echoing voices at the top of the stairs, moved back to listen. Sam took the opportunity to read the text, surprised to find it was from Abi's phone. It simply read, 'Sheelagh in labour. Get to the hospital.' Her sharp intake of breath was heard by both Terry and Tricott, the latter noticing the phone and rushing forward. 'Trying to be smart? Give me that.' Taking it, he read the text. 'Who's Sheelagh?'

Sam swallowed. 'Nobody.'

'I asked who's Sheelagh?'

She glanced at Terry. 'My partner. She's pregnant.'

Tricott started laughing. 'I'd never have put you down as a dyke!'

Her throat tightened, her initial instinct was to hit him, how dare he mock her relationship when Sheelagh was suffering through labour on her own? Well, perhaps not completely alone. The message had been from Abi's phone, at least that meant Sheelagh had someone; despite the fact that Sam didn't have a clue what Abi was doing there.

After a minute Tricott pocketed the phone and looked back over. 'What's she like, this Sheelagh? Fit? I mean before the sprog anyway.'

Looking to Terry who nodded his head slightly, Sam answered, 'She's perfect. All you could want in a woman.'

'Sounds delightful, I must say.'

'You ain't married, are you, Alan?' Terry asked. 'What, was it too much hassle?'

'Something like that. Anyhow,' Tricott said, redirecting his attention back to Sam as he stepped forward a foot or two. 'I wanna hear more about your missus.'

On her right she saw Terry edge away. With a flick of her hand she gave him her approval and tried to relax slightly. 'What do you want to know?'

'Well, if you wanted to give me some of your more intimate details…'

'You know, it's not a topic I want to pursue.'

Tricott tutted. 'Pity.'

Terry continued his movement unnoticed while Tricott lifted his head to the ceiling. Sam, meanwhile, let her mind race towards the hospital where Sheelagh was probably asking for her, wondering why she wasn't there, possibly getting angry and stressed. That was no good for her or the baby.

'I've always wondered why a woman would wanna be with another. What's the attraction?'

Sam fought to repress her anger. 'I suppose it's different for everyone.'

'I'm not asking everyone.'

'I'd rather not answer that.'

He approached, leaving Terry at a ninety degree angle. While Sam kept Tricott's attention her fellow officer started to move slowly then tried to dive on the suspect. Sam ducked quickly as Tricott swung the gun around peppering the wall with bullets. Throw back against a pillar, Terry fell to the floor limply.

'I shouldn't be here.'

Sheelagh glanced at her only other companion in the room, a surely midwife who was tapping the blood pressure machine. 'You said you wouldn't wait for the ambulance, you said you wouldn't come with me in it. You've got this far.'

Abi shook her head. 'You don't understand.'

'Then tell me! Just, please, don't leave me here on my own. After Niamh…'

'Alright, I'll stay,' she relented. 'Till someone gets here.'

Sheelagh nodded, relieved. 'Okay, you wanted to tell me what I don't understand. Go ahead, distract me.'

Abi stayed silent for quite a while. 'You know what it is, you know I've got feelings for you.' The midwife raised an eyebrow.

'You think you do, that's all.'

'Sheelagh, I'm not a kid! I thought I'd loved people but this is different. I can't be near you anymore, not while you're with her.'

'She's your mother, Abigail! Deep down, you know that this is just an infatuation, jealousy over how happy she is with me.' Out of the corner of her eye Sheelagh saw the midwife's eyebrows rocket. 'Sam and I are in love.'

'She'll just hurt you! That's all she can do, no matter how much she tries or what she wants, she's incapable.'

Sheelagh frowned. 'This is still about your mum.'

'No, we sorted that out! She's trying with me and Bel!'

'That's why you won't see her?'

'It's you I didn't want to see!'

'Why, Abi?' Sheelagh demanded. 'And don't give me any of this love rubbish!'

'Sheelagh, it's the truth!'

'No, you think it is!' Feeling a contraction she rode it out, her mind numb with concentration. When she looked at Abi again, she said, 'What is it you see in me?'

'I don't want to discuss this.'

'Are you physically attracted to me?'

Abi violently shook her head. 'I'm not talking about this.'

'If you loved me, Abi, you would. But the thing is, it's not love, is it? You want what your mum has, you want to be happy. You want someone with you. I'm here, I'm the perfect vessel for your emotions.'

Slowly, her eyes filled up. 'I wanted a family. I wanted to have what I didn't have for Bel. She needs more, she deserves more.'

'Sweetheart, she's got all she needs in you. And your mum, you know she adores you. The way she's been tearing herself to piece over the last month proves that.'

'I just want to be part of something, you know?' Abi questioned weakly.

As the young blonde fell into sobs Sheelagh pulled her close. 'You're part of more than you know. Your mum'd be delighted if she saw you here.'

Abi sniffed. 'Where the hell is she? You need her.'

'Well, for the time being I've got you,' Sheelagh answered with more certainty than she felt. 'She'll be here soon.'

The curtain twitched and Gina appeared, a frown on her face. 'I don't think that's likely to happen.'

Once again, Sheelagh panic started its rise to the surface. 'Why, what's happened?'

'She and Terry are being held at gunpoint by a suspected armed robber.'

'What? Gina, tell me you're joking.'

'I wish I could.'

Sheelagh examined the Inspector's face. 'Wait, what else is there? Don't try and fob me off, there's something else.'

Gina lowered her eyes for a moment. 'Alright. Shots have been fired.'

As Abi sank against the wall Sheelagh felt her son kick into action. 'No, not now!'

'He's fine! I didn't get him.'

Sam let out her breath, watching Alan Tricott prodding Terry with the barrel of his gun. 'He's unconscious then. Can I take a look?'

He looked over suspiciously then glanced at the gun in his hand. 'He shouldn't have moved, I wasn't going to…'

That cocky façade of his was fast fading. 'I know. But if the officers upstairs didn't know before they've sussed you now, you won't get out.'

'I'm not stupid! This is a long stretch, I've only just got out!'

'It's getting longer by the minute, Alan,' Sam said, looking over towards Terry. 'Come on, let me have a look at him.'

Tricott nodded, backing off to let her close. Sam quickly checked Terry over, finding a small head wound but nothing else. 'I think he's alright, just knocked out. He could do with medical attention.'

'If I let him go they'll have me!'

'Alan, come on! Be realistic! You're going down for this, it just depends how long you string it out as to whether you're looking at murder.'

'He's not going to die.'

'If you leave it long enough he might,' Sam replied. 'Head wounds are unpredictable.'

Tricott looked panicked, he gripped the gun so his knuckles went white and took a few steps back. 'Let me think, let me think!'

Closing her eyes, Sam pictured Sheelagh in a hospital bed, repeatedly asking for her, if she didn't already know what was going on. Sam prayed she didn't. 'I promised I'd be at the birth, you know. I told her wild horses wouldn't keep me away.'

'I'm sure she'll understand. It's all in a day's work, right?'

'You don't get it. I've let her down so many times, this might be the last.'

A flicker of remorse crossed his face. 'Not my best day, is it?'

'I think that was set in stone when you tried to commit an armed robbery. You must've known you'd be caught.'

He smiled. 'It's just a buzz, that's all. I mean, look at this place, I don't need the money, do I?' Sam shrugged her assent. 'I've got to live for something. With you coppers it's your job.'

Sam shook her head. 'It used to be. Somewhere along the line I discovered I had a family.'

'You and her have IVF or something did you?'

'No, it wasn't like that.'

Tricott seemed genuinely intrigued. 'What do you mean?' When she didn't answer, his voice tightened. 'You might as well tell me.'

'Alright. Sheelagh was raped. The baby's a result of that.'

'Gina, you must know more!' Sheelagh said, biting through the pain. 'What's the gunman like?'

'Sheelagh, I don't know! I wish I did!'

'Well, the shots! I mean, why can't CO19 go in?'

'We don't know what's down there!'

Abi seemed to be regaining some of her old gusto, pulling herself back onto her feet she took hold of Sheelagh's hand. 'Listen to me. Mum's gonna be okay, she's smart. I bet she's talking her way out of there right now, wanting to get to you. And when she does get here it'll all be okay and you're going to have this beautiful baby boy, my half-brother. And you know what? We'll live happily ever after.'

Sheelagh snorted. 'That's pretty idealistic isn't it, Abigail?'

'Well, I picked it up from you, didn't I? Me and mum both did. Stay calm for the baby's sake, that's what she'd want.'

Wincing through another contraction, Sheelagh the hand of her step-daughter. 'You've grown so much?'

'Yeah?' Abi raised an eyebrow and nodded to her stomach. 'I could say the same about you.'

'You've had it tough.'

Sam shrugged. 'You could say that.' Noticing Terry's eyelids flutter she quickly added, 'But so has everyone. What Sheelagh and I have been through means we're strong and I actually think that if you kill me she'll look after them all.'

'What, the baby and who?'

'Between us we've got four other kids and a granddaughter.'

'Hers?'

'No, mine. My daughter was practically raped too.'

Tricott was quiet for a moment. 'I'm not going to kill you.'

'You're just going to let me walk out?'

'Your mate was right. I'm no murderer.'

Sam swallowed. 'How about giving me the gun? So we can both get the hell out of here.'

He smiled ever so slightly as he dropped the pistol to the ground and backed away towards the steps. As Terry fully awoke Sam heard the shouts of the armed officers taking charge.

The DC touched the congealed blood on his head. 'What did I miss?'