A/N: I just want to clarify something, when something dramatic is happening every chapter it's because I'm only charting specific story-lines like they would happen in the series if it was really airing like this. So, in between these individual stories other stories would take place featuring other characters, I'm just not telling those stories; the same would be happening during these stories, other stories would be taking place at the same time but this would be Hannah's story. So, yes it might be a bit dramatic and a bit full on but it's just my style of doing it - I like to chart each chapter like a compilation, I actually use compilation videos on Youtube for inspiration such as "Every scene from series X episode XI featuring [insert character]" so I just write that video essentially featuring Hannah's scenes or scenes pertaining to Hannah's story. I apologise if it's felt a bit unrealistic and full on, I've tried to chart the passage of time throughout the story and have it a bit broken up but I'll try and make it more clear that a lot of time is passing between each of these parts in Hannah's story.
Chapter 16 - Confrontation
Christmas was a particularly difficult time for everyone in the hospital with the reminder of Fredrik's actions the year before looming over them all. Henrik and his daughter were both on edge and her newly disclosed relationship only heightened the tensions between them. Hannah let herself believe that things were alright between all of them but she knew that Henrik was still uncomfortable knowing about her new relationship with his old school friend.
Hannah tried her hardest to remain positive over the Christmas period, to make it special for Danny, but things were strange and Danny could sense the tension in the air despite her best efforts. John began to travel again for the trial to find potential candidates now that things were beginning to move forward again and wanted Hannah to accompany him but she was unable to leave Danny or her father behind at that time of year. Whenever he was in the country John stayed with Hannah or she stayed with him and they didn't squander their time together, they gradually knitted together as a family and Hannah let herself be happy in the rare moments when she felt that bliss she knew was special to her relationship with John.
Shortly after the new year Hannah began to get a strange sense like something was wrong, like there was someone watching her from the shadows in the early nights or lurking around the corner in the hospital. She felt uncomfortable being alone but she didn't dare allay any of her fears to John, she didn't want to worry him when the kinks in the trial were just beginning to be ironed out and he was so close to having everything in a good position again. She couldn't let herself ruin this time for him but she didn't feel entirely safe at home by herself and she definitely didn't feel like Danny was safe. She managed her nights so that Danny stayed with her father more and she was alone in the house, that way he would be safer and she didn't raise any suspicions for John or her father who just suspected that she was stressed from work and needed some more time to herself.
It was during one of these nights that Hannah was feeling a little insecure about being alone and was considering joining Danny at her father's but couldn't make up her mind. It was snowing outside and the wind was howling through the streets making the lights flicker occasionally. She wandered from room to room, checking that all the windows and doors were properly locked against the horrendous weather. She pulled her hoodie tightly around herself and poured herself her usual glass of wine with a shaking hand, but nothing could steady her nerves.
John was in France and she knew that calling him would incur terrible phone bills as well as an admission of defeat, but she needed to hear his voice. She unlocked her phone and found his name, looking at it for a moment for comfort before calling him. He answered on the second ring.
'Hello?' he sounded tired and she realised it was a little later there.
'Sorry, did I wake you up?' she asked, unsure whether she should make her excuses and leave him to his night, he must have been tired from working too, but his answer was quick.
'No, no, I was going to go to bed but to be honest I'm glad to hear your voice.' he said and she smiled, settling down into the sofa.
'I just wanted to hear your voice too, how's everything going in France?' she asked and she heard him sigh.
'Everything's going well, it just feels strange not having you here, you'd be better at dealing with the people.'
'I don't speak a word of French...'
'I don't mean the language, I just mean the people. I can deal with people on occasion but it's tiring having to adhere to the necessary skills of social interaction all day every day.' he complained and Hannah smiled, comforted by his complaints.
'Didn't you have to teach once upon a time, professor?' she asked and he laughed.
'Yes, and I got out of that field as quickly as I possibly could.' he replied, Hannah opened her mouth to reply with a smile but she was stopped short when there was a sudden bang from the direction of the front door.
Her smile fell in a second and was replaced with a look of fear.
'Hang on a second...' she muttered and could immediately sense the concern from the other end of the phone.
'Is everything alright? Hannah?' John asked as Hannah stood up and went to the front door. She kept the phone pressed to her ear, using his worried words as a crutch and a source for her bravery. She unlocked the door and looked out into the pitch-black night; the council had a new energy saving initiative which meant they turned out street lights after a certain time. That, combined with the heavy snow, meant that Hannah couldn't see anything whether something or someone had been there or not. She stuck her head out a little and looked around but convinced herself she was making it up and sighed as she closed the door again and walked back through to the living room.
'Everything's fine, I just thought I heard something. No, Danny's at my dad's. It was probably a cat or something, poor thing, the weather's terrible.' she relayed to John, a little calmer, she had forgotten to lock the front door again and as she re-entered the living room there was a louder crash from the hallway and her head snapped around as her feet froze to the spot.
'Hannah?' John called down the phone, all sleepiness had gone from his voice, he was alert and worried now. She ran back out into the hallway and the door was wide open, swinging slightly on its hinges, it clearly had been thrown open in haste.
'Hannah what's going on?' John was asking but Hannah was frozen to the spot in fear.
'I think there's someone in my house.' she whispered as her heartbeat began to pick up and her breathing quickened.
'Get out of the house, just get out right now.' John was saying, his voice calm, masking the panic he felt on her behalf and the frustration he felt at being completely unable to help. Instead of heeding his advice Hannah rushed forward and slammed the door shut before pressing her back to it. John could hear all the sounds she made but had no assurance that she was following his advice, he needed confirmation of what was happening.
'Hannah, are you out? Talk to me!' John was close to shouting down the phone but Hannah couldn't bring herself to reply as her eyes roamed over the possible routes the intruder could have taken.
'Who's there?' she called into the house but nobody replied. 'Hello?' she then called and immediately felt foolish as she realised that nobody who had broken into her house would reply when she called out.
'For God's sake as well as mine, Hannah get out of there. I'm booking my flights now I'm coming back.' John said down the phone and she could hear him typing furiously at his keyboard. 'There's a flight in an hour, get out, get to your dad's.' he instructed and she ignored him, focusing entirely on the seemingly empty house.
She heard a creak from upstairs and footsteps and her feet acted before her head could. She hurtled towards the stairs and began racing up them. John could hear the unmistakable sound of her running and began to talk to her again, urging her to escape, but she could hardly hear him.
She had to know who had been terrorising her for so long and why. When she reached the top of the stairs all the lights were turned out, something she never did, she always kept the landing light on, a force of habit for Danny.
'Who's there? What do you want?' she called but her voice trembled this time as the fear began to leak into her bravery. Nobody responded and even John was silent now, she kept the phone clutched in her hand but drew it down away from her face as she switched on the flashlight feature.
She wanted to switch on an overhead light but the closest switch was further into the darkness. She took a couple of shaky steps forward, her eyes straining to see through the dark and heard a smash of something breaking.
'Hannah, please...' she could hear John's emotional voice from the phone as he evidently heard the smash too, but she couldn't turn back now. Her fingers found the light switch and she took a deep breath before flicking the switch.
A tall figure was stood a couple of metres away from her, in the doorway to her bedroom, holding a photo which had been enclosed in a frame but was now crumpled in his fist. The figure wore a black hoodie and a bandanna around his face, it was unmistakably a man. Hannah didn't need to see his face to know who it was, Tony Langdon, the man who had stabbed Danny.
They stared at one another for a moment before he lunged at her suddenly. She screamed and dropped the phone as he grabbed her, he didn't do anything more than throw her hard against the wall to disorient her and then hurry off down the stairs. She heard the sound of the door being thrown open and slammed again from downstairs and she knew he had fulfilled his mission, he was gone but she didn't know if he would return.
She sat on the floor with her back pressed against the wall, hugging her knees to her chest and hyperventilating as tears she had no control over poured down her cheeks. Why hadn't he done anything worse? What did he want with a picture?
Slowly, the world around her came back into focus and she became aware of John's voice from the phone, it sounded like he was crying.
'Hannah? Hannah please talk to me, tell me something, anything...' he pleaded and she managed to reach forward with trembling hands and pick her phone back up, the screen had cracked.
'I'm here, I'm okay.' she said in a small voice and heard him breaking down on the other end of the phone. 'He's gone, but I know who it was and I think he might come back.' she admitted and she heard him taking deep breaths to calm himself down.
'Go to your father's.' He ordered her and she didn't disobey this time. She couldn't drive in this weather and she couldn't bear to waste any time in that house where she was a sitting duck so she simply pulled on her shoes and a coat and set out into the snow.
It took her an hour to reach her father's house and when she did she had to bang on the door for a while before a light finally switched on to reveal her father in his night clothes.
He opened the door with a look of irritation which melted into concern as soon as he saw his daughter's pale face and blue lips.
She recounted her story to him over a cup of tea and didn't hold back the details that she'd felt threatened for over two months. She didn't realise that she had been sat there so long when her phone chimed again and John had texted her to say he had landed despite the bad weather and that he would be at her father's within the hour. She entreated her father to go back to bed but instead he insisted on calling the police and Hannah knew that this wasn't going to go away any time soon.
The adrenaline began to wear off and Hannah grew tired which quickly turned into exhaustion but her father refused to let her rest until the police had been called and were on their way. She began to doze in the chair she curled up in and Hanssen watched her face as her eyes began to droop and a slight bruise began to form on her forehead. He didn't understand why she was being targeted, and he didn't understand why the man who was targeting her had done nothing worse than steal a picture, if he wanted her dead surely, she would be dead by then? None of it made any sense but Hanssen was grateful that his daughter was alright for now.
When John arrived he barely knocked at the door, he rushed in and Hannah's eyes snapped open as the commotion of his entrance awoke her. He appeared in the doorway disheveled and covered with a light dusting of snow, Hanssen beginning to protest behind him. The police still hadn't arrived so Hannah was as yet not allowed to go to bed but the moment she saw John her tiredness dissipated and she jumped to her feet, crossing the room and hurrying into his arms before he could say a word.
He held her tightly and she ignored the icy cold stabs of the snow as she breathed in his natural scent, glad to have him back in her arms again even if the circumstances were dangerous. Hanssen watched in stony silence with a steeled expression, he still didn't entirely approve of his daughter's new relationship and this late night intrusion didn't add much in John's favour. His own relationship with John had deteriorated since he found out that his friend was dating his daughter, it made work like difficult and his personal life painful but he tried to keep a calm face most of the time for Hannah's sake.
Once Hannah pulled away slightly John turned his attention to her face, he took her cheeks in his hands to hold her head still and observed the bruise on her forehead.
'Do you feel any signs of concussion? Fatigue or grogginess? Do you feel nauseous or unwell at all?' he asked rapidly and she smiled a little as the doctor in him came out.
'It's three in the morning, John, of course I'm bloody exhausted.' she countered and then poked at his chest playfully, 'and hello it's nice to see you too.' she tried to joke but her voice was small. John humoured her with a smile before pulling her back to his chest.
'I was so worried about you, I had no idea what had happened, I had no idea how you were. You have no idea how it felt to be on the other end of the phone, knowing you were in trouble but not being able to do a thing. I've never been more scared in my life.' he muttered into her hair as he closed his eyes and rocked her gently back and forth. There was a knock at the door and Hannah gently disengaged herself from John and led him over to the sofa, sitting herself beside him whilst her father showed in the police.
The initial formalities didn't take long and soon the policeman was asking Hannah to recount what happened to her, she took John's hand for support and Hanssen stood in the doorway, feeling excluded.
'I've felt for the past couple of months that someone's been watching me, following me, but I wasn't sure if it was just me being paranoid so I just brushed it off. I had a suspicion after my son, Danny, was attacked that the man who attacked him might be following me; he got away but I was responsible for identifying him as the man the police were looking for connected to all the stabbings going on in Holby. I wasn't sure until tonight but I know it was him, I don't know why he didn't try and hurt me, he just wanted me out of the way but he didn't try and kill me like he did my son. I don't understand, but I'm not sure I want to.' she explained slowly and John gave her an encouraging smile but he was secretly unsure why she never told him any of this and it hurt him a little to know she had been keeping this from him. 'What happened tonight?' the policeman asked and Hannah took a deep breath.
'I heard a noise, I went to check it out but there was no-one there. I forgot to re-lock the door and someone, Tony Langdon, came into my house. He went into my bedroom and took a photograph out of the frame, he took the photo with him. I don't even know what photograph it was or why he took it. I met him on the landing and he grabbed me and threw me out of the way before leaving again, then I came here.' she explained, much faster than she had begun.
'You say you believe you and your son are targets because you found out he was affiliated with the stabbing cases? Do you believe you might need police protection?' he asked and John's anger flared up at the same time as Hanssen's did, but Hanssen was faster at speaking.
'Her house was broken into and you don't think she needs protection?' he asked angrily and Hannah gave him a warning look.
'Of course, we just want to ensure that we can do our best to protect Hannah, but we have limited resources so we need to see if we can work something out which gives you all some better protection.' the policeman explained calmly and Hanssen opened his mouth to reply but this time John was faster.
'She'll move in with me.' he determined and she raised an eyebrow at him.
'Will she?' she asked in an amused tone and he looked at her like it was the most obvious solution, Hanssen had been moments away from suggesting that she move back in with him and still believed that it was the most logical option.
'Both you and Danny can move in with me, I have loads of room.' he said and Hannah still looked unsure, 'It's a logical step and we're practically in that situation already. It seems silly that we haven't taken this step already.'
'And what about when you're out of town or the country, like you were tonight?' Hanssen asked curtly and Hannah bowed her head, she had expected this confrontation. 'The most logical solution is that Hannah moves back in here.' he added and Hannah sighed as she looked at the policemen.
'Either way it looks like "she's" moving.' she said with a slight smile and the policeman gave her a tight smile in return.
'We'd like to go and check out your house if that's alright?' he asked and she nodded, getting up to retrieve her keys from her coat pocket.
'Are you alright if I don't go?' she asked, there was a look of fear in her eyes and the policeman nodded with an understanding smile, he doubted she would ever go back to that house by herself. The police left and Hannah was caught in the middle of her father and John.
'Listen, you both promised me I would never have to choose between you but I have to do what's best for both me and Danny right now.' she said after they had sat in silence for a few minutes. 'I'm sorry, dad, but it is logical for me to move in with John given our relationship. That being said, when he's not going to be there, we'll come here. Don't worry, I won't be alone ever again, I promise.' she told him firmly and he was disappointed but did his best to hide it. Secretly, he had been looking forward to an excuse to have his daughter back in his home and these results were hard for him to bear, he didn't want to feel like she was drifting even further away.
Hannah moved in with John a mere few days later, explaining to Danny how it wasn't safe for them to be alone anymore and they needed John's help to protect them. She didn't want to excite Danny or frighten him but she thought that it was best to be honest with him in this instance rather than lie to him and have it all come out later anyway. She wanted to make sure Danny understood the situation but also that he trusted her. Hanssen sought solace at his rejection in Roxanna who assured him that Hannah was growing into a mature adult and needed to be allowed to take steps in her relationship even if her father disagreed with it; she had to be allowed to grow up or else things would end badly with someone saying something they regretted. After his comforting talk with Roxanna, Hanssen saw the importance of letting Hannah grow and did his best to hide his discomfort at the thought of John and Hannah living together.
This living arrangement only served to bring Hannah and John closer together than ever as they found that they worked together perfectly and didn't run into any snags in living together. Sometimes, admittedly, John struggled a little in getting used to having a small child around the house, especially when he was trying to work, but he was so enamoured with Danny that he did his best to make the best of some bad situations. Hannah did her best to keep Danny out of John's way and stop him from interrupting him but he was a seven year old boy who needed entertainment and he constantly sought the attention of his new father-figure whom he admired so fondly.
John took on this role with relish, he tried to act cool like he did about everything but Hannah could see past it all and saw how he reacted towards playing the father with Danny. She knew that he had never had the chance to do this before and this was his last chance at a family and it warmed her heart that he attached himself so strongly to her and Danny, she was only excited to see where it would all lead to. John tried to put off the trips as much as possible, but as the trial began to regain some of its initial momentum there was no denying that he needed to spend time away from home. When he was abroad or even just away for the night, Hannah and Danny stayed with her father as she had promised and the truth was that Hannah didn't feel safe in her own home. She hated the feeling and wished it could be any other way but it was the way it was and there was nothing she could do about it. She felt safe in her father's house, her childhood home, the place that she and Danny had known to be their's for the longest time.
A month passed and life began to sink back into its regular monotony, Hannah and John were growing comfortable and accustomed to one another, Hanssen was slowly accepting their relationship better and Roxanna was genuinely happy for them. Their next landmark was Valentine's day.
It was a big day and both Hannah and John were scheduled to work, Hannah didn't think that it merited anything more than a dinner together but eventually even forgot about that in the hectic nature of everyday life, but John wanted to make it special. He was fully aware that he wasn't getting any younger and he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life as part of Hannah and Danny's family. Hannah might have still been young but John was mature and he wanted to take the next step in their relationship before things got too late; he knew how he felt and what he wanted and he didn't want to keep putting off the inevitable when he knew it would bring them both nothing but happiness.
So, he made a Valentine's day plan, something which could be implemented on the hospital premises without requiring too much flair. He wanted to keep it simple and just between the two of them: for it to be romantic but not extravagant. He bought the fanciest box of chocolates he could find, knowing Hannah would appreciate that more than anything else, then he found the ring. Of course, he knew her ring size, he was just good like that, it was one of his character qualities. His plan needed to be executed at work, he knew it would be the only place he would have the nerve to go through with it. So, he took out the middle chocolate in the box and placed the ring in the box, wrapping it back up securely and taping down the sides carefully to ensure that she wouldn't guess what was coming. Then, all he could do was wait for the big moment.
The whole morning he could hardly focus on his work, on Keller the Valentine's day festivities were overwhelming so he tried to focus on lab-work but he couldn't focus on anything at all. His eyes kept straying to the box of chocolates and his mind kept imagining Hannah's reaction when she found the ring in the middle of the box. He knew she would come down when she could, when she had the time and when she was ready, and he had to stop himself from fabricating an excuse to call her and summon her to the lab.
Finally, closer to lunchtime than he would have liked, Hannah appeared in the doorway. She looked exhausted, she hugged her hoodie around herself tightly and there was tiredness in her eyes.
'Hey, I have about half an hour before my next elective is scheduled so you don't have me for long.' she smiled wearily and his heart began to beat in his chest with nerves.
'Well that's plenty of time for you to open my gift!' he smiled and handed her the box. The moment she took it her eyes brightened and a smile crept over her face.
'Oh, it's Valentine's day, I completely forgot!' she exclaimed as she looked at him with a smile of gratitude.
He waved his hand and shook his head as he dismissed her self-reproaches. She put her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek before pulling him into a tight hug as thanks. He hugged her back but he was impatient for her to open her gift so he could get his nerves out of the way, he'd not been so nervous about something in his whole life and it was even making him a little irritable.
'I hope my dad doesn't have plans and can take Danny tonight, I completely forgot about it all with everything going on. I'm sorry, I'm going to ruin Valentine's day.' she pouted as she pulled away but rested her head on his shoulder and kept her arms wrapped around him as she looked down at the box of chocolates.
'Oh, it's nothing, it's nothing special...' John tried to sound calm and unaffected but he actually thought he could potentially throw up he was so nervous.
'You might have to make do with a muffin from Pulse's as a gift from me.' Hannah smiled and he kissed her forehead.
'It's no matter, really. I'm just an old romantic like that.' he said quietly and Hannah laughed a little. She reached out towards the box and picked it up, ready to reveal the real gift inside and John prepared himself to give the speech he had rehearsed a hundred times in front of the mirror and when there was nobody else around. Her fingers played with the edge of the wrapping as she admired the handiwork on the box and John had to keep himself from taking the box from her and ripping it open himself, his fingers itched to complete the action.
'I really shouldn't...' Hannah said, putting the box back down, John didn't miss a beat before he picked it back up and handed it back to her.
'Just one, one won't hurt will it? It's good to keep your sugar up while you're working on the wards, I know how hard you work yourself.' he attempted to persuade her and she considered again.
'I don't suppose one would hurt...' she replied and once again toyed with the edges of the box. In the moment when she appeared to make up her mind to open the box and John prepared himself for the reveal, her pager bleeped in her pocket and she had to put it down again to check it. John's heart sank as he recognised the look on her face.
'Oh God, a patient's arrested I have to go.' she said bluntly and made for the door as she shoved her pager back in her pocket. She almost got to the door before she turned back suddenly and ran to him, she planted another hasty kiss on his cheek before turning again and running towards the door.
'See you later, love you!' she called over her shoulder and John sighed in response, there was no point in replying she was already gone. He looked down at the box and pushed it away from himself gently, his nerves would have to hold up and his mission would have to wait.
By the time Hannah had got back up to Darwin the patient was in theatre, being kept stable but desperately needing the surgery they had come in for. Abigail had managed to procure the day off and Frieda was in another surgery so it lay down to Hannah to scrub in and save the day. She enlisted Fletch's help as the scrub nurse and Nicky assisted her and after a few setbacks they managed to bring the patient around without too much difficulty. It was easier than Hannah had anticipated.
She felt good about herself, it was rare that this happened but today she was feeling confident, like she was imbued with some kind of luck. She had a strange optimism that today was going to be a good day. She allowed herself a moment of respite before moving onto the next case as she sank into a chair in the nurse's station and turned her attention to the next stack of notes awaiting her notice. Frieda had emerged from her own surgery a few minutes before and was sat beside her.
'Got any plans for tonight then?' Hannah asked by way of conversation and was met with a sarcastic glare, she smiled in response. 'Come on, no vampire boyfriend tucked away? Or girlfriend, I don't know...' she smiled and Frieda rolled her eyes.
'I am quite content with a night spent reading a good book rather than spending time adhering to a stupid holiday with stupid traditions.' she replied drily as she picked up her file and Hannah returned her attention to her own with a grin. 'We're not all as lucky in love as you are Ms. Hanssen.' she added as she made to move away from the nurse's station.
'No, we're not.' a male voice said and Hannah looked up suddenly and jumped out of her chair as there was a scuffle and Frieda's file fell to the floor. Suddenly, Frieda was facing her with wide eyes, an arm around her shoulders to keep her in place and a thin blade pressed to her throat at the hand of Tony Langdon.