A huge thank you to all of you who have taken the time to read and to review this – nice to know there are still readers out there despite my neglect! Hope you enjoy this chapter too and as always, I own nothing but the original characters and the plot in this thing, I'm just playing with the rest of them so they don't get scared in the storage boxes they've now been stuck in following the end of filming on The Bill .
Feel free to leave as frank reviews as you like, all feedback is gratefully accepted. For those readers who'd like to see a Sam/Jo relationship, usually I'm with you completely, but just for this story I'm exploring their dynamic as friends instead. (Shameless plug alert) If you want some Jam loving, take a look at some of my other stories, plenty of Jam there (end shameless plug)
"Can I see her?" The words tumbled from Lucy's lips in an emphatic rush, her need to see for herself that Jo had indeed survived the operation and was at least on the first tentative few steps towards recovery evident in her tone.
"As soon as she is settled into ICU, a nurse will be along to fetch you. You will only be able to stay with Ms Masters for a short while but you will be able to see her, yes. Don't be alarmed if Ms Masters is unresponsive, we have her on strong pain medication which will make her very drowsy." The young surgeon turned to leave, having passed on all the information he currently could regarding the patient's condition and progress.
"Thank you and please, thank the rest of the staff who have taken such good care of Jo today. We really are very grateful to you all," Lucy called after his retreating back, earning her a genuine smile over his shoulder and a gentle nod.
Sam sat behind her desk, staring out of the blind-shuttered window without seeing anything of the world beyond the glass. The morning had passed her by in a blur. The few reports she had signed and the brief interactions with her colleagues had all happened on autopilot as her brain struggled to deal with the varying implications of recent revelations. Between the missing child case, her confusion around her burgeoning feelings for Lorna and Jo's operation, Sam's mind was in turmoil and the constant motion of it left her disoriented and nauseous. She didn't know who to turn to, whom she could trust except the one person she currently couldn't talk to about it – Jo. For the umpteenth time, Sam checked her mobile in case by some miracle she had missed Lucy contacting her with news. She slammed the device down on the desk in disgust when she saw there was nothing there; no text message, no missed call, nothing but her screensaver gazing back at her tauntingly. Suddenly her office door was opened even as the intruder was knocking.
"DC Webb, to what do I owe this dubious pleasure? I do believe it is customary to knock and then await permission before entering someone's office!" Sam's tone was sharp, brooking immediate grovelling apology.
"Sorry Guv but I think you will want to see this as soon as possible. A new video of Dawid's just gone up on that website." Sam was out of her chair before Mickey had finished his sentence, striding behind him to where the video was being played in the incident room, away from prying eyes.
"What do we know?" Sam demanded as she entered the room.
"The new video went live on the website a couple of minutes ago. I've been in touch with my contact at CEOPs and they are trying to get a trace on the location of the computer that was used to upload it. He said he'd get back to me as soon as he found anything. The room in the video looks identical though to the last one so assuming it wasn't filmed at the same time, it's hopeful Dawid hasn't been moved – which means whoever has him either doesn't know we're looking for him or feels confident enough that we have no idea where he might be not to need to move him to a new location. The tech guys are going over the video now, looking at the background, trying to identify any landmarks that might be visible in this one that weren't in the other." Grace spoke rapidly eyes averted from the screen and grateful, as were all the rooms occupants, when Mickey paused the playback and shrunk the images of abuse from view. Sam was inordinately grateful to Grace for her quick action, knowing that all that could be done to analyse the video was already being done.
"Mickey, how far have you got with those possible locations Jo identified based on Izzy's statement and sketches?" Sam turned her attention to the sandy-haired man who had fetched her from her office.
"It's slow going Guv, the details Izzy could give us were great but still vague enough to throw up loads of possible locations. Without something else, we're searching for a needle in a haystack." Mickey's voice held a note of regret as he admitted they were still no closer to narrowing down where Dawid could possibly be being held and abused.
"Well let's look again at what we do know; we're looking at some kind of building that is either remote or soundproofed enough to allow this to go on undetected, that building is within the line of sight of a construction that is topped by a dome bearing a cross, given the timeframe between Dawid disappearing and the first video being uploaded to the website, it is highly likely that he is still within the London boroughs somewhere. Have we got anything at all off any of the CCTV cameras in the neighbourhood? Any cars which haven't been tracked down and identified yet? Where are we with finding out about Graham Jenkins?" Sam paced along the front of the conference-style table firing questions at her team, willing them to find something, anything, to enable them to stop the young boy's suffering.
"Jenkins is definitely abroad, I spoke to him at his office in Germany yesterday. He confirmed that he listed his house for rental originally through an agency but then took it away when he caught them taking a larger percentage of the rent than he had agreed with them. He let it privately to a couple, Sandra and Adam Moss and as far as he knows, they still live there – he faxed me copies of the rental agreement he had signed with them and is willing to provide us with proof that he receives payments from Mr Moss of £650 per month in rent. Mr Jenkins claims they're model tenants, never give him any cause for concern and his brother, Michael, checks on the property regularly to make sure they're not trashing it – so I think it's safe to assume that Dawid isn't being held at Jenkins place. I ran a background check on him just to be certain though – no convictions, a couple of traffic violations but nothing that would be a red flag. Michael Jenkins, Graham's brother, is a similar story. A couple of petty theft charges when he was in his early twenties but he's been completely clean for the past 20 years or so." Mickey placed a couple of new photographs up on the board containing details of the Podowski case before continuing, "Sandra Moss, 26 years old, works as a nursery nurse at St Edward's, no prior convictions although her record did show that she was investigated for an allegation of cruelty against a patient in her care when she worked at a nursing home as a cleaner. No formal charges were brought against her due to lack of evidence but she stopped working there just after the allegation. Adam Moss is 34 years old, a self employed electrician. Now he does have a record stretching over the last sixteen years; a couple of theft charges, ABH for which he got a community order, public disorder, disturbing the peace, aggravated burglary and the latest is a wounding with intent charge which earned him a suspended sentence – due to expire in three months time."
"Grace, you and Terry pay a visit to Mr and Mrs Moss, see if they can shed any light on why so many children visit the house and what their connection is to Andrew Kirk. Mickey, see if you can do some more digging from this end on the Moss's; contact Sandra's past employers at the nursing home see if you can get a more candid description of what went on there, something that wasn't recorded in the official files, check Michael Jenkins out thoroughly before we dismiss him being involved. I want details of anyone who has any connection or access to that house. If needs be, I'll talk to DCI Meadows about authorising an obbo to keep the place under surveillance. Mickey, can you also have a word with the tech guys and see if there's any way they can search online maps of the area for landmarks matching those Izzy gave us?" Heads around the room bobbed up and down before the officers attached to them dashed off with renewed vigour. Sam took one final look at the incident board before returning to the quiet sanctuary of her office and sinking into her chair as she let her fears surface that there was nothing to be done to save Dawid. She wondered how far they would be allowed to run with the investigation before they started experiencing interference to prevent them from discovering uncomfortable truths.
Lucy re-entered the waiting room, in some ways grateful that Sam had been unavailable to answer her phone. The olive-skinned brunette didn't want to be outside for any longer than strictly necessary for fear the nurse might come looking for her whilst she wasn't there and she would miss her chance to see her girlfriend. She had left Sam a brief voicemail message letting her know that Jo was out of surgery and that it had gone as smoothly as they could have hoped to have done. She had barely had chance to sit down again before her name was called and she was escorted in to the intensive care unit, with reassurances that it looked a lot more dramatic than it really was. Jo was surrounded by machinery, all whirring and bleeping and measuring her vital signs. Her eyes were closed and her hair fanned out around her head in stark contrast to the blandly coloured pillow. A thin plastic tube fed oxygen through her nostrils – 'just a little extra assistance is all', the nurse had informed her. A canula was attached to the back of one hand into which a drip delivered a concoction of fluids. Despite all that and despite the grey pallor of Jo's ordinarily vibrant skin, Lucy could not help but think how beautiful she was and silently thanked whoever was listening for returning the brave woman to her side. Lucy took a seat on the opposite side to Jo's IV line and grasped her hand tenderly between both of her own, placing a gentle kiss against her knuckles.
"Hey you, you did it. You got through the operation. You're so strong, Jo, so strong and so brave. I love you so very, very much baby." Tears pricked Lucy's eyes as she observed the comatose woman before her. "I don't know if you can hear me, sweetheart, but I want you to know that I listened to the song just like you instructed. I know that you and only you will be physically going through this and there are a lot of things that I can't share with you but you will never be truly alone. This is not goodbye, it will never be goodbye. For as long as you can stand to have me around, I will be here beside you and I will do everything within my power to help you get through whatever lies ahead. Not just the cancer but whatever lies beyond that too and everything in between; bad days at work, tough cases that get to you, disagreements with colleagues or friends, I'll be here for you." Lucy brought Jo's hand up to her lips once again, caressing her knuckles gently with her thumb before brushing her lips across them in a feather-light touch. "You're my heart, Jo Masters so don't you go getting ideas about going anywhere without me." The fingers of the hand trapped between Lucy's own fluttered slightly before giving a more obvious squeeze as Jo fought to let her lover know that she had heard her. With a beaming smile, Lucy whispered, "that's my girl," before leaning over the bed to place a chaste kiss against the brunette's lips.
"Hi Sam, it's Lorna." A soft Scottish lilt floated from the tiny earpiece Sam had clasped to her head.
"Hiya Lorna, how's your day going?" Sam was genuinely pleased to hear from the crime scene technician, despite her ongoing confusion regarding the depth of her feelings for the redhead.
"Oh you know, the usual; burglaries, break ins and the like. I was just wondering if you'd heard how Jo's getting on?" In truth, Lorna had been itching to call Sam simply to check that the other woman was alright. She had looked tired and strained that morning when they parted company, crumbling Lorna's resolve to maintain some distance from the diminutive blonde.
"Lucy left me a message earlier to say Jo came through surgery ok and the doctors are tentatively optimistic that they got all the affected tissue. Apparently, she's on ITU at the minute so only immediate family and Lucy are allowed to visit but they think she'll be back on a ward within 24 hours." Sam felt as though one portion of the weight had been lifted from her shoulders as soon as she had heard the message. She had immediately called Lucy back and left her a message asking her to pass on her love and best wishes to Jo and to let her know that she would visit as soon as Jo was feeling up to seeing people. She had ended the message by inviting Lucy over for dinner, knowing that the young woman had had an exceptionally stressful day and would undoubtedly neglect to feed herself if left to her own devices.
"Ah that's excellent news, Sam. How are you holding up? I know today must have been difficult for you as well." The gentle affection in Lorna's voice touched Sam deeply. She found she needed to swallow the lump in her throat before she could respond and even then, her voice was still a little thicker than usual.
"I'm better now I know she's ok but I won't deny that has seemed like one of the longest mornings of my life. Listen, how would you and Katie like to join me for dinner this evening? I invited Lucy over, I think the company would do us both good and I owe you for putting up with me last night." Sam's stomach fluttered in anticipation at the thought of spending a third consecutive evening in Lorna's company, albeit purely social on this occasion.
"Nonsense, you don't owe me anything. That's what friends are for after all; if you can't let yourself be free to be who you are with your friends, then who can you?" Lorna chuckled before asking, "are you sure you want to entertain an overtired twelve year old after the day you've had?"
"Of course I am and I'm sure, between the three of us, we can keep Katie suitably entertained. If she gets too tired, she can always lie down and get some sleep in Jared's room, you're both more than welcome to stay at my place tonight," Sam was quick to assure her friend, not wanting her to feel as though she could not come simply because Katie might tire quickly.
"Oh I wouldn't want to put you to any trouble. I'd love for us to join you for the meal but please don't feel like you have to accommodate us for the night as well." Lorna was caught in two minds, part of her longing to spend the entire night in Sam's company once again but a significant part of her also fearful of how much that thought enticed her.
"It's no trouble at all, the beds are freshly made up from after the last time Abi and Jared were here. How about you bring some overnight things with you and then you can decide once you're here? If you choose to go home, I promise I won't be offended but if you do find you'd be comfortable staying, you'll be perfectly prepared."
"That sounds like a very reasonable compromise, D I Nixon. Alright then, I gladly accept your invitation. What time should we join you?" Lorna conceded, grateful that Sam had offered her a compromise.
"How does 7.30 sound? I can't promise gourmet cooking but I can rustle up something edible at least. Is there anything that you and Katie like in particular that I can cook for you?" Sam wanted to make the evening special, to celebrate Jo's survival with those who cared about her.
"7.30's perfect. If you throw any kind of pizza down in front of Katie, she might very well decide she's moving in with you! I tend to limit her junk food intake but since it is a special occasion, I think we might be able to bend that rule this evening and it is something quick you can chuck in the oven when you get in from work," Lorna advised with a smile, not wanting Sam to have to do a lot of preparation as soon as she arrived home in order to be able to feed her guests.
"Pizza is do-able, will that be ok for you too or I have home-made lasagne in the freezer that I could do for us?" Sam knew she was spinning the conversation out longer than really necessary but the sound of Lorna's voice was soothing her troubled soul.
A throaty laugh sounded on the line. "Sam, if you feed me lasagne, especially home-made lasagne, it won't be Katie who's moving in, it'll be me!"
"Well that's settled that then; pizza for Katie and lasagne for us." Sam's statement earned her another hearty chuckle, a sound she realised she could very easily become addicted to.
"Don't say I didn't warn you when you find the two of us camped out on your sofa." There was a brief pause and then Lorna's tone of voice changed perceptibly, "I'd better go and let you get on with some work and I'll go and see if my tests have finished running yet. I'll see you later, Sam." Reading between the lines, Sam surmised that the Scot was no longer alone and needed to wrap up the call.
"Yes you will, I'll look forward to it. Don't work too hard!" Sam disconnected the call feeling distinctly better than she had all day.
Lucy reluctantly rose from her place beside Jo. The hospital staff had been exceptionally kind in letting her sit with the slumbering woman as long as she had but she knew that it was time to make a move. Leaning over her lover, she placed a series of gentle kisses across her brow and soothed her silky soft brown hair from her face. "I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart. Behave yourself now, I don't want to come in tomorrow and hear you've been chasing and flirting with the nurses all night, ok? I want you to save all your energy for when I get you home." Jo issued a heavy sigh in her sleep which Lucy opted to take as confirmation that she would behave. "Glad you know what's good for you babe. Sleep well. I'll miss you." Lucy tore herself away, trudging through the corridors and out into the bitter evening air. She pulled her mobile from her pocket and switched it on almost as soon as she left the hospital building. It fired up and nearly instantly the bell tone sounded signalling she had a message waiting for her. Reading it, she discovered that someone had left her a voicemail. She hit the button to call her message box and listened to Sam's voice declaring her delight that Jo was doing ok and asking if Lucy would join her for dinner. Despite how weary she felt, the thought of company appealed to her far more than the idea of going home to her own flat or indeed going straight to Jo's house which would simply serve to remind her of the woman she had had to leave behind in that sterile hospital bed. Glancing at her watch, Lucy was surprised to find it was a little after 7pm. She dialled Sam's number and waited for the older woman to pick up.
"Hi Lucy, everything ok?" Sam knew that the young woman would not take the question literally – not everything could be ok, not until Jo was well and happy once again.
"Hiya Sam, yeah everything's as well as can be. Jo's spent the entire afternoon sleeping, just the occasional moment where she stirred and let me know she knew I was there but she's stable and will be moved back on to the ward tomorrow as long as she remains the same overnight. They're going to scale back the morphine a little tomorrow too so she will probably be a bit more responsive, still groggy and undoubtedly uncomfortable but awake at least some of the time." The blonde woman listened to Jo's girlfriend, hearing the fatigue in her voice after their trying day.
"That's great news, love. How do you feel about having dinner with me tonight? I'll completely understand if you're too tired and just want to have some time to yourself but you are more than welcome to come over. Lorna, a colleague from work, and her daughter will be here, it'll just be lasagne…or pizza if Katie will share with you."
"As tired as I am Sam, I'd just really like to not be alone tonight. If it's not too late to say yes, would you mind if I joined you?"
"Of course not! Your timing is perfect. Lorna is due here at 7.30 so come on over whenever you're ready." Sam rattled off her address, knowing it wouldn't take Lucy many minutes to reach her home from St Hugh's.
"I'm just leaving the hospital now so I guess I'll see you shortly. Want me to pick up anything on the way? A bottle of wine or anything? Some juice or something for Katie?" Lucy felt awkward about the prospect of arriving empty handed.
"Just yourself and your appetite will be fine. Drive carefully and I'll see you soon." The women hung up, each pausing for a moment before rousing themselves to action; Lucy heading to retrieve her car and Sam sliding Katie's ham and pineapple pizza into the oven on the shelf below the lasagne which had already been baking for ten minutes.