CasualtyFanForever81: Thank you :-)

Ltfl: That is true. I'll have plenty more stories to come, I hope you like them just as much as this one :-)

Chapter Forty-Two

Iain and Lily made some lunch at home, before heading out to the local shopping centre. It was a Saturday and there was always free parking at the weekends, so they were able to stay for as long as they liked without having to worry about the cost. The only downside was that it was incredibly busy.

As they entered the centre, Iain felt Lily reach out and give his hand a tight squeeze and he sensed that she was beginning to feel anxious.

"Hey." He leaned in and kissed the side of her head. "You're safe, okay? I promise."

Lily forced a smile and nodded at him. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Come on, where shall we go first?" He asked her.

They decided to look in Selfridges first, mainly because they knew they'd manage a good couple of hours in there. It had everything from clothes to jewellery, and Lily even saw a new necklace that she liked the look of.

"That looks really nice on you," Iain said, as she tried it on and examined herself in the mirror.

"It's just a shame that it's eighty quid," Lily laughed, carefully undoing the clasp and taking it off. "It's lovely though."

"I'll buy it for you," Iain said. "Think of it as a good progress gift."

"Iain, it's too much," Lily said. "Besides, you already got me that lovely book."

"You are my girlfriend, and you deserve to be treated," Iain said, leaning in and planting a kiss on her cheek. "I'm buying it. No arguments."

Lily smiled, unsure of what to say, as Iain handed the necklace over to the salesman behind the counter. The two men stood chatting, the salesman telling Iain how lucky he was to have a woman as beautiful as Lily, and Iain nodding and agreeing with him the whole time.

Lily hovered nearby, taking a look at the rest of the jewellery whilst waiting for Iain to finish up. She lifted her head and glanced across at the clothes section where a man was browsing at a few of the jackets. He looked familiar but Lily couldn't quite work out where she knew him from.

As she drew closer, she noticed.

"Okay Chuckles," Iain said, walking over with the necklace all wrapped up in a neat little bag. "Where to next?"

"Um...I...I want to go," Lily stammered.

"What?" Iain frowned. "But we've not been here long."

"I want to go!" Lily practically shouted in the middle of the store. "Please," she added in a quieter voice, her lower lip wobbling as tears stung her eyes. "Please Iain," she cried. "It...It's Archie."

"What?" Iain asked.

He wrapped an arm around his girlfriend and followed her gaze. When he noticed that indeed the man she was watching was Archie, his heart dropped and he felt like storming over there and giving him a piece of his mind.

"Please can we go?" She sobbed. "I just want to get out of here. I can't breathe."

"Come on," Iain sighed, knowing that making a scene in the middle of Selfridges would just upset her more. "Let's go."

As soon as they arrived home, Lily stormed straight into Gem's bedroom and made her way over to the window. She stared out into the street and ran her hands down her face, trying to remember what Mary had advised her to do during a panic attack. She placed a hand on her chest and took a deep breath, wiping a few loose tears away from her face.

"Are you okay, Lils?" Iain asked, slowly following her into the room. "We were having such a nice day. Don't let Archie ruin it for you, yeah?"

"For a moment, I'd forgot all about him," Lily whispered. "And then seeing him there brought back all these memories, and reminded me of what he'd done. I can't breathe, Iain!"

"Just remember what Mary and Connie both told you," Iain said, walking over and giving her shoulders a comforting rub. "Come on, take a breath."

"I can't," Lily cried hysterically.

"Lily," Iain whispered softly. "You're stressing and that isn't good for the baby. Come on princess, calm yourself down for me."

"Why was he even there?" Lily asked.

"It was a shopping centre, Lily," Iain had to laugh. "Loads of people go there. Come on, it was one time and he didn't even see you so please try and put it out of your head okay? I'll put that necklace on you. You'll get to show that off at work tomorrow."

Lily nodded faintly and began to anxiously chew on the end of the sleeve. Iain leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, making sure that she was okay before speaking.

"Can I get you anything?" He asked.

"You've done enough," she said quietly. "Honestly, you shouldn't have to deal with my breakdowns."

"I don't mind," he said, rubbing at her neck. "Now, can I get you anything?" He asked again.

"Just a glass of water please," Lily croaked out.

Iain nodded and gave her shoulder another rub before leaving to go to the kitchen. Lily sniffed and took a nervous breath, slowly following him out. The two of them stayed silent. Iain grabbed a glass and ran it under the tap, and Lily shakily opened one of the kitchen drawers.

"What do you need?" Iain asked, cautiously watching her.

Lily slowly brought a knife out of the drawer. It was as if she was in a daze, unable to realise that Iain was standing nearby, as she went and held it to her wrist.

"Lily, no!" Iain shouted, slamming the glass down onto the counter so that he could lunge forwards and grab the knife from her. "What on earth do you think you're doing?" He shouted, holding her against his chest. "Lily," he whispered, sighing and feeling bad for the way he'd shouted. "I'm sorry. Don't ever scare me like that again though."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, clinging to his shirt.

"Ssshh, don't speak," he soothed. "You're safe."

"Archie," she managed, her face buried deeply into his chest.

"Come on," he sighed, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Look. I'm going to ring Mary, okay? I'll see if she can see you sooner for an appointment. I think you need it."

"Iain, I'll be okay," she pleaded with him.

"No, you won't," he said. "I care about you and our baby, and I think today has really shaken you."

Lily nodded and pulled away, staring into his eyes. She looked to the knife that was now laying on the floor and down at the wrist that she was about to slice into. She gulped and a rush of guilt overcame her.

"I'm so sorry, Iain," she said, a single tear escaping and rolling down her cheek.

"Hey, you're okay now," he said. "And that's the main thing. You still have so many obstacles to overcome Lily, but that's why I'm here. To help you."

So only a couple of chapters left. I will be sad to see this story finish x