"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you? I can take a few hours leave and let them cope without me for a while if you want?" Sam fussed as she prepared to leave for work, worried about her daughter's impending visit to Long Marsh prison that day.
"Mum, stop worrying. We'll be fine. He's hardly able to do anything to me, he's in prison, watched constantly and we'll be surrounded by plenty of other people in case it gets out of hand." Abi's insides were a mass of squirming nerves, her mother's anxiety doing little to ease her own misgivings about agreeing to visit Hugh with Joey. Jo joined the two women by the front door, kissing her lover.
"I've got to dash, I don't want to be late, the new DI's a real dragon!" Jo grinned, wishing Abi luck and hugging her before dashing out of the door aided by a hefty clout on her backside from Sam, pointedly looking at her watch as she waited for Sam to join her.
"Call me as soon as you get out ok? I want to know how you get on. I don't care if I'm in a meeting with the Chief Superintendent or even the Queen, I'll have my phone on and be available to take your call." Abi nodded waving to Jo as Sam finally made it out to the car.
"She'll be fine Sam, she is your daughter after all." Jo reassured her lover as she manoeuvred the car they shared away from the house.
"Where that man is concerned, I'll never believe my daughter will be fine in his company. The sooner we can put this whole thing behind us the better in my opinion. I'm going to be on edge all day until I hear from her." Sam spoke honestly, watching her lover's profile as the brunette concentrated on negotiating the morning traffic. "You can't tell me that you won't be even the slightest bit concerned for Abi, knowing what he put her through."
Glancing across at her partner, Jo acknowledged, "of course I'll be concerned. But at the end of the day, Abi's old enough to make her own way in life now and I think she needs to do this so that she can move on."
"I know, you're right but it won't stop me from worrying. I can't help it, she'll always be my baby." Sam watched a shadow flicker across Jo's face at her choice of phrase. "You know we never did finish that discussion about your feelings on having children."
"No we didn't." Jo's tone made it clear that neither were they about to resurrect the issue.
"Why are you so determined not to talk about it?" Sam twisted in her seat, knowing that in a few minutes they would be arriving at the station and all hope of getting Jo to open up would be lost for hours.
"Why are you so determined to make me talk about it? What more is there to talk about? I answered your questions didn't I? Yes I'd like a child of my own, but as I said, when the time's right. Right now we have Abi and Joey to consider, both of them need your undivided attention. How do you think Abi would feel about having another baby in the house taking up your time? She is still adjusting to becoming a mother, she needs your support, not for you to be tied up with another child. And how strange would it be having a grandchild older than your son or daughter?" Jo sounded the horn at a driver who pulled out in front of her, muttering under her breath a string of curses.
"Is that really what bothers you, how it'll affect Abi?" Sam frowned, gripping the door handle as they took the corner into the parking area too fast, Jo seemingly in a hurry to get out of the car and away from the interrogation.
"I just said so, didn't I?" The brunette sergeant yanked on the handbrake and unbuckled her seatbelt, scurrying off into the building sporting an uneasy expression, leaving a bewildered Sam in her wake.
"Abi, good to see you." Hugh beckoned for the mother of his son to take a seat opposite him. "How have you been? Aren't you going to introduce us?" The older man reached out and ran a finger down his son's cheek, the young baby grizzling slightly at the intrusion.
"Let's get one thing straight Hugh. I'm only here to tell you to leave me alone. This is your son, take a good look at him because he won't be coming here again. You can't bully me any more, I'm not falling for your games again. No matter what you say about my mother, she is a good person and loves me unconditionally. When I think of what I put her through, what you made me put her through, it makes me sick." Abi sat rigidly in the plastic seat across the table from her abductor, refusing to meet his eyes for fear she would be drawn in once again.
"Abi, please, look at me. I'm not trying to make trouble for you. I just want to be given a chance to know my son. I've had treatment in here, I wasn't well when I did what I did. I'm not that person now. Remember how it felt when your mum refused to tell you anything about your father. Do you really want to inflict that same pain on our son? Must the children always suffer for their parents mistakes?" Abi attempted to block out the memories his words stirred within her, knowing in her heart that he was toying with her but unable to forget how much it had hurt her that her mother wouldn't reveal the identity of her father. "I'm not asking you to bring him every week, or even every month but just once in a while, if I send a visiting order, would you consider letting me see him? What have you called him?"
"Joseph Phillip Nixon." The young blonde ignored his previous question, choosing to answer only those he could not manipulate the answers for.
"Phillip? After DS Hunter I presume? Has he finally won Samantha over then?" Hugh tried to pass off his enquiry as nonchalant but there was an edge to his voice which did not go unnoticed by Abi.
"I always liked the name Phillip. My mother's love life is nothing to do with you," she answered bitterly.
"I'll take that as a yes then. He always was persistent, you have to give him that." Hugh continued digging for information, trying to wheedle Abi into letting more slip than she wanted to.
"Take it how you like." Feigning boredom, Abi shifted Joey in her arms, hoisting him up to look over her shoulder as he started to become restless, the unfamiliar environment unsettling him.
"And what about you? Is there another father figure in Joseph's life? Is that why you're reluctant to bring him here to see me? Afraid of upsetting the apple cart with a new boyfriend?"
"I don't want to bring him here because a prison is no place for a baby."
"Well that might not be a problem for too much longer. I've decided to appeal against my sentence. I've been talking to my lawyer and he feels that it was too harsh, given the circumstantial evidence against me was flimsy at best. He thinks I stand a good chance of reducing it by half at least, possibly even more with my good behaviour taken into account. I'll be sorry to leave in some respects, I've made some very interesting friends in here. It's been an enlightening experience." Hugh's words chilled Abi to the bone as it became abundantly clear why she had been asked to the prison. The psychologist was less interested in his son than he was in making sure news of his appeal reached Sam via her daughter. She couldn't believe that even now this man was still so hell-bent on making her mother's life a misery that he would consider using her own daughter again to score a cheap hit. The bell sounded for the end of visiting time, releasing Abi from her nightmare. She stood without wishing Hugh farewell, ignoring his requests to visit again soon. Once outside of the prison gates, Abi wandered to the nearest café, needing to sit down and calm her mind before phoning her mother.
"DI Nixon." Sam answered her phone, too busy to look at who was calling before accepting the call.
"Hi Mum, it's me." Abi tried to mask the nervousness in her voice, forcing a bright tone into the greeting.
"Abi, sweetheart, are you ok? How did you get on? Is he going to leave you alone now?" Sam closed her office door, glancing at Jo's desk as she did so, wondering where the DS had managed to hide all morning not having seen her since they had left the car.
"I'm fine Mum. I told him I wasn't going to take Joey to see him in prison again. I'm…coffee before I…back."
"How did he take it? Where are you sweetheart? The reception's terrible." Sam struggled to make out her daughter's words over the background noise.
"Mum…lawyer said…too harsh…appealing the sentence." The signal on the line kept breaking up interrupting what Abi was saying.
"Abi, tell me you didn't just say that Hugh Wallis is launching an appeal? Abi, are you still there? Hang up, I'll call you back, see if I can get a better line." Sam heard the line go dead, hoping that Abi had caught what she said. She dialled the number back straight away, growling with frustration at the unobtainable signal she received. Striding out from behind her desk, she sought to find Jo, knowing that despite their earlier dispute, the buxom brunette would want to know Abi had phoned.
"Ramani, have you seen Jo?" Sam fidgeted as she waited for the sergeant to answer, looking around the office as though Jo might appear from thin air if she looked hard enough.
"Not for half an hour or so. I think she's interviewing a suspect in that burglary case she's working on." Ramani answered, adding, "anything I can help you with Guv?"
"No thanks, Ramani." Without further elaboration, Sam left CID, checking with the duty sergeant which interview room Jo was in before knocking and poking her head around the door. "Can I have a word DS Masters?"
"DS Masters leaving the room. Interview suspended at 11.36am." Jo switched off the tape gesturing for Mickey to remain where he was. "Excuse me for a moment." Once outside the room, Jo took in Sam's nervous energy and guessed that she had heard from her daughter. "What's the news?"
"I think Hugh's planning on appealing his sentence. Abi's phone cut out when she was telling me, the signal kept breaking up but I'm sure that's what she was trying to say. I can't get hold of her to confirm it. Will you help me look into his case? Make sure he doesn't get out any earlier?" Jo caught Sam's hands in her own, all thoughts of their earlier hostility vanishing instantly.
"If that is the case, if he is appealing, you and I looking into it is only likely to backfire. Leave it to the lawyers, that's what they're paid for. Digging around now only runs the risk of making it look like you have something to worry about." Jo spoke softly, gazing earnestly at the woman who meant so much to her and yet infuriated her frequently.
"Maybe if I do, but if you were to do the digging… You weren't involved in the case first time round."
"But I am now. I'm engaged to you, I live with the chief complainant and the young girl who's abduction he's charged with. That makes me very much involved." Jo halted Sam as she turned to go, a sullen expression on her face and a look of determination which suggested she would find a willing volunteer somehow. "Sam, it's not that I don't want to, you know that don't you? But we don't want him winning on a technicality. Promise me you won't do anything rash, please? Trust that justice works." Jo wished she could take her partner into her arms, uneasy still about showing affection in plain view of their colleagues despite the vast majority knowing about and accepting their relationship.
A sudden rush of activity passing them brought an end to any mental debate Jo was conducting.
"Ah DI Nixon, there you are. There've been reports of an explosion close to Long Marsh prison. It's all hands on decks, we've all been summoned to show our faces and keep the ambulance chasers at bay." Gina chivvied uniformed officers towards the waiting vans and cars as Sam exchanged a look with Jo, not needing any words to express her worst fears.
"Call Abi, get her on the phone now!" Sam's face fell as an automated voice informed her that the number she was trying to contact was unobtainable.