He did though but had never said anything, assuming the baby wasn't his and she'd had a relationship while she'd been away twice but since she wasn't showing much he guessed it was the second time. He had wondered why she hadn't gone back to tell the man, who he guessed was the detective who had locked up three killers but another one had got away.
When Rose had seen him off, he thought he'd best not say anything.
"I'll miss you Rose," he'd told her as they hugged, being careful he didn't crush her. "Look after that brother of yours and I understand why you won't go with me, really I do."
"Thanks. Will he be happy to see you?" Rose wondered.
"I expect so, unless he's changed," John had smiled. "If he has, I expect it will make things easier?"
"Will ya ever come back?" she'd asked him, a tear now in her eyes.
"You don't need me, you're getting on with your life. Rose, you did the right thing, stopping the wedding. We were only doing it for your mother, I know that."
"I'm glad we realised," Rose tried to smile. "Give him my love."
"I will, he'll want to know what's been going on. I won't mention the getting married bit," he smiled back.
"Yeah, he'd cringe at the thought," Rose had cheered up. "Bye then, look after yourself."
That was the last she'd seen of him, not wanting to see him disappearing and the noise the cannon made. She'd given up active duty and had settled in an office job, sorting out and processing any new arrivals but it was soon time to give that up as well. Her mother had tried to get her to go tell Alec but she'd refused so far.
"Rose, ya should be with him," she'd been told again with less than a month to go. "Don't bring the baby up on ya own, don't be like me sweetheart. I know I had no choice but you have."
"Mum, I don't even know where he is," Rose had used the excuse. "If he's still in Broadchurch, it'll be freezing down there."
"That's not gonna be any colder than it is here," Jackie laughed. "Ya should have told him when ya found out that killer had walked free."
"Yeah, great idea Mum, that would have really put him off," Rose complained.
"Get Jake to find out where he is," Jackie then suggested, hating seeing Rose was being so stubborn. "He can see how Alec feels about seeing you again. Then someone can drive ya to where he is."
"I don't think it's a good idea to travel too far Mum, I'd have to change hospitals and stuff," Rose tried to get out of it.
"Listen here Rose Tyler, stop making up excuses," Jackie then told her. "Get Linda to help ya pack, ya can come back for the baby stuff and bring him with ya."
"Mum, he might not even want to see me," Rose replied.
"Ya said that last time and ya stayed," Jackie disagreed. "Now do something before it's too late."
Rose reluctantly picked up her mobile and found Alec's number. It had been months since they'd spoken and a lot of things had remained unsaid, mostly Rose returning the sentiment Alec had whispered before she'd left that morning.
As for Alec, it had been a lonely few months and nothing had changed in Sandbrook. Daisy was just about talking to him until one day, they were talking about Tess still being mad about the trouble the teenager had got into with some friends.
"Think about going back to Broadchurch with me," he'd told her one Saturday. "I can get a transfer back."
"You said there's nothing to do there Dad," Daisy had reminded him.
"I know I did but there are other places to visit. Why don't I see how soon I can go back?" he asked.
So now, he knew he probably wouldn't get a very good reception from Ellie Miller if he did go back plus there was a new chief, who called him a few days later.
"Didn't you leave on medical grounds?" he was asked.
"Yes but I was reinstated," he argued. "I want to bring my daughter back with me or at least get her to agree to join me."
"I see then? Let me check if our budget will cover it, we're supposed to be getting an increase to train young officers on the job, I feel it's really important to train them while they're young," the chief replied. "I was hoping to take two or three on in the new year."
Alec thought he'd get away sooner than that.
"Well can you call me when you decide?" he wanted to know.
"If you're still interested?" she agreed. "It won't be until the new year though."
He sat in his small office, wondering if he should apply somewhere else and fished his mobile out of his jacket pocket when it rang. Then he stared at the name – 'Rose'.
He'd had to admit to Daisy that he'd met her before he'd moved back to Sandbrook but not that they'd been involved and he'd also not admitted who Rose was. If he had done, Daisy would probably start talking to him properly but he wanted her to do that without the promise of meeting the Vitex heiress.
"Rose," he greeted her. "It's good to hear from you."
"Hi Alec. Where are you? I mean apart from at work," she added.
"Still trying to get out of Sandbrook again," he admitted. "I never should have come back but you don't want to hear about that. So, how have you been?"
"Okay. John went off," Rose admitted, getting a twinge from the active baby.
If she was going to see him, she couldn't go to Sandbrook where his ex wife and daughter were. She knew he would never have told them of their short relationship.
"When you say he went off? Rose, is he out of the picture?" Alec wondered.
Rose wanted to say out of this world but thought she'd better not.
"Yeah, a while now, no chance he's coming back. I thought ya'd be back in Broadchurch, I fancied getting some fresh air."
"Rose, you can't keep doing that to me. You broke my recently mended heart when you left last time," he reminded her. "I thought you realised that?"
"Yeah, I know Alec but ya said I had to be over John. I am over him, for a while now," Rose assured him. "Well, if ya not in Broadchurch then?"
"Rose, I have a one bedroom flat, Daisy stays over every other Saturday and sleeps on a make-up bed," he replied. "She talks to me but sometimes things don't go so well."
"Sorry. I know ya wanted to make things up with her. So, ya trying for a transfer? Are ya going back to Broadchurch?"
"Aye, I suppose it's better than trying another town?" he wondered. "Why are you asking Rose? I can't spend a few days with you and let you go off again. Besides, there's a new chief there now, she may not be all that keen to have me back," he recalled the conversation he'd had.
"I went back on the train last time, I was too upset to drive all the way back," Rose admitted.
"So, if I go back and you come to see me? How long will you stay Rose? Letting you go twice was the biggest mistake I ever made. I know things were difficult and we met at a bad time."
"Yeah, I guess we did?" Rose had to agree, thinking this wasn't making things easier to tell him.
He had the right to know she was due in a week or so and this wasn't helping.
"Alec, can we meet? Can you come up here this weekend or is it the week you see Daisy?" she asked him.
"Well I could put her off, she may want to go shopping with her mother anyway, it will probably be a relief to her," Alec replied, thinking it must be important if she was asking.
"No Alec, don't do that," Rose insisted. "It can wait I suppose? Leave it until after the holidays then?"
"Rose, I will come and visit you, you would not be calling if it was not important. Text me your address then?"
Rose sent her address though Pete was never happy about her giving her address out.
"Dad, can you talk to your friend in the police commission?" she then asked Pete. "Can you get Alec back to Broadchurch?"
"Rose, I know I play golf with one of the commissioners but to request someone a transfer?" Pete questioned her. "Will you go back to Alec if he moves back there?"
"It depends how he takes the news," Rose replied. "Can ya at least get your friend to ask the new chief to consider taking him back?"
"Okay, I'll give him a call but I'm not promising anything," Pete finally agreed. "Don't say anything to Alec, he has to think he got the job on his own."
"I know Dad, how can I tell him? I've still not told him about the baby yet," Rose replied.
Alec wondered what was so mysterious that she had called him out of the blue and wanted to see him. He thought he'd best get cancelling Daisy's visit out of the way first as he got a message from Rose, who had put her address and joked he had best memorise it and delete it. He sent one back, hoping she'd take 'what message' as a joke back.
He hoped Daisy would be out of school and able to talk.
"Dad? Do you have any news of moving yet?" she asked.
"Not yet but soon, I hope. Daisy, can we change the weekend? I know you were coming over but something came up," he asked hopefully.
"Mum said you'd keep trying to put me off," Daisy sounded disappointed.
"That is not fair, when have I put you off? What about when she changes it for her convenience?" he wanted to know. "I need to go somewhere. I thought you may be going shopping?"
"Are you going about your transfer?" Daisy hoped.
"Not exactly. Remember I told you about someone I met in Broadchurch? Well I had a phone call about seeing her."
"After all this time Dad?" Daisy asked. "You're putting me off to meet her? Oh, well never mind about me."
"Daisy, don't be like that. Well okay, I'll try and put it back to next weekend," he had to agree, hoping it wouldn't put Rose off for good.
It was a risk but Rose seemed to understand Daisy was important to him. He ended the call and got Rose's number again. Rose would know he was going to put it off. Maybe if she'd admitted why it was urgent she spoke to him he might give her priority but would she make him choose between her and his daughter? He thought maybe he'd best leave it until tomorrow.
The next day though, Rose had stayed in bed and Linda, who had become Rose's carer for the duration of the pregnancy had tapped on the door and entered with a breakfast tray.
"Good morning Miss Rose, how are you feeling?" Rose was asked as she tried to sit up.
Linda put the tray down and went to help her.
"I feel like such a child," Rose replied, which she'd done every day she'd been off work.
"You can't help it," Linda just smiled. "Fancy some scrambled eggs and toast this morning?"
Rose made a face as she began feeling sick.
"You have to think of the baby," Linda reminded her.
"I don't feel too good, really," Rose insisted as she pulled another face.
"I'll go get your mother, see what she thinks," Linda offered, not wanting to make a judgement that Rose might be going into labour early.
Rose laid back down again, feeling the baby moving as Linda went off. Jackie was just going downstairs with Tony.
"I think you'd best come and see Miss Rose," Linda insisted.
"What's wrong with her?" Jackie wanted to know.
"I think the baby may be coming," Linda admitted. "I could be wrong."
Pete had just gone back upstairs to see where Tony had got to.
"Tony, go with your father, I have to go see your sister," Jackie told him. "Pete, Rose might be early, get ready to call an ambulance, ya know where she's booked in."
Rose was beginning to panic.
"Mum!" she called out since the door had been left open.
"I'm here, stop yelling," Jackie told her as Rose called out again.
Pete was taking no chances and was already speaking to the emergency operator.
"Don't worry Mr Tyler, the ambulance is on its way," he was assured that they'd make an assessment and take her in if she is ready to have the baby.
He just hoped they wouldn't be long, he could hear Rose again.
"Tony, go to the kitchen and get Mrs Robertson to get your breakfast, I'll be down to take you to school," Pete insisted.
"What's wrong with Rose?" Tony wanted to know as a few of the staff were outside Rose's room.
"Craig, Lindsay, Nina, get back to work," he called to them. "Craig, get ready to take Tony to school if I have to stay."
"Yes Sir, Mister Tyler, I'll be ready," the man agreed.
"But Dad," Tony protested. "What's happening to Rose?"
"I'll explain later, don't miss your breakfast," Pete insisted, handing him to Nina.
Linda was putting some loose slacks on Rose then her dressing gown, Jackie saying it was a waste of time getting dressed.
"I've got a week yet," Rose insisted as she was helped out of bed.
"Well that baby ain't gonna wait another week," Jackie told her. "Pete is the ambulance on the way?"
Rose was helped downstairs by the paramedics who arrived and into the waiting ambulance, Linda handing the packed bag to Jackie as she got in.
"Mum did ya get my mobile?" Rose asked as she lay down.
"Never mind your phone, ya won't be needing it," Jackie laughed.
"Alec might call to say if he's coming up this weekend," Rose told her.
"Ya mean ya actually gonna tell him," Jackie laughed again.
Alec had got up early and thought he'd best call Rose before he went to work but he got no answer, thinking maybe she was on her way to work. If it had been important enough for her to call him, she wouldn't ignore him, would she?
Pete thought calling his friend should be put off but he'd promised Rose and it seemed more urgent if she was going to tell Alec Hardy the baby was his.
"Well Pete, I don't really now her that well, she's from another division," Pete's friend was telling him. "I did hear she's trialling a new program for new recruits, as in she's training them up to be detective constables without all the formality. She did quite well where she came from."
"I appreciate that Alistair," Pete agreed. "This detective, Alec Hardy is a friend of my daughter and he's trying to get back to Broadchurch. He's already applied but he's waiting. Could you see how she feels about having him back instead of new recruits?"
"Well I suppose he did reprieve himself?" Pete's friend admitted. "Leave it with me Pete, I'll give her a call but I won't mention your name, nor your daughter's."
"Thanks Alistair, I owe you a round of golf," Pete laughed, hoping things would go well and Rose would be pleased.
The chief in Broadchurch wasn't very happy to be getting a call from such a high ranking officer.
"Pardon me Sir but I already have three young officers in mind for the training," she was saying. "Am I to let them down?"
"No, keep one of them and think about getting a more senior officer back," it was being suggested. "There is more value in having a senior officer back in the area."
"Well one has been calling about coming back," she admitted. "I don't know him but one of my detective sergeant's does."
"Then I will leave you to it," she was told.
That got her wondering if Alec had friends in high places. Now she had to make a choice and she didn't like being put in that position.
Alec tried Rose's number again and still got no answer so he left her a message to call him back and that Daisy may or may not decide to stay at the weekend, rather that tell her he wouldn't be able to visit. Rose was being assessed and she was waiting for something to ease the pains she was getting.
"If you have something, you'll need help with the delivery," a nurse was telling her.
"Can't ya just take the edge off it then?" Rose managed to ask. "Mum, get dad to bring my phone, I need to call Alec."
"Sorry, no phones allowed," the nurse smiled.
"Then get dad to call him," Rose insisted to her mother as she propped herself up with her elbows.
"I will when he gets here," Jackie laughed. "Ya didn't even want to tell him before."
"I've thought about it," Rose admitted. "I should have told him instead of running away."
"Well at least ya admitted it," Jackie remarked. "If nothing's happening I'll go phone Pete."
"Rose wants ya to get Alec's number and call him," Jackie told Pete.
"I can't get in her phone Jackie, you know she locks it," Pete replied. "I'll call the police station in Sandbrook then."
Pete then made the call but was told Alec was out.
"Well pass a message to him," Pete told the sergeant. "Tell him to call this number."
He gave Jackie's number and hoped she would answer it.