Chapter 22
Jim had been right. It was two nights after the day if the wedding.
The effect of seeing Judy on the floor so close to death on his daughter had been huge.
She was scared witless by the image and it was haunting her dreams unsurprisingly.
"Daddy!" it was five in the morning and the second time that night she had awoken from a horrific night mere.
Jim who had been just wanting for the call, really not feeling tired having so much to mill over in his mind was in his daughters room as soon as he could be. He couldn't believe the events of that had taken place. He knew id she died, it'd destroy Gary.
"Its ok," he said as he picked her up and settled her in to his lap. "Its ok." he said again reassuring her.
She was so tense as she say in his arms though. He didn't think she had ever been so up tight. She just couldn't relax.
"Do you want to tell me what happened in your dream?" he asked but she shook her head. Talking about it was the last thing she wanted. She didn't want to even think about it. She just was content to be held. Just to be comforted.
"No." she said simply as she shook her head.
"Ok then. Well that's ok. But you can if you want too." he promised.
"I know, I can, but I don't want too. Dad I - I do want to ask some thing though." she said sleepy still.
"Shoot kiddo."
"can I go and see mum?" she asked. Never since everything that had gone on with Judy she had just wanted to see her mother so much. Liz was the only thing that would make all this bearable. She was so desperate to see her. "I miss her so much dad."
"I know you do." he nodded.
If he was honest as did he. It had been eleven months now. Eleven months since she had been gone. And he still we wished some days that she would just walk back in to his life and come home, say she had made a mistake. He wanted that so much, but it was not going to happen he didn't think.
Neither of them had ever stayed away from each other for so long that he was sure. Maybe she was really over him.
"Can I go dad?" she begged him.
"I'll ring mum later on. When it's a godly hour hey?" he said with a chuckle. "Do you want to try and get some more sleep? Do you think you could sleep again tonight?" he asked gently.
She shook her head quickly she didn't want too. She didn't want to risk another nightmare.
"Well come on then. Let's go have a drink and put a video on hey?" he suggested,
"I think that's a good idea." she said and she got up and went down stairs slowly.
Due to her recent lake of sleep, rest and upset Katie was even more shaky than usual.
She wouldn't be back to school for a while yet he thought, she wouldn't get through the day with out falling asleep on her feet. She wouldn't be able to cope in the class room, and would be for ever making mistakes which would only tire her out and upset her more.
No, he'd send her to Elizabeth for a week to recover. She'd be fine then.
At ten that morning, he decided to ring his ex wife. It was time she knew what had gone on.
"I can't believe she saw it all." was her reaction at first.
"Neither could I so I couldn't. When I got back from the wedding."
"I bet. Well how is she now?"
"Tired and upset. She wants to come and see you.'" he told her.
"Well why don't you come and drop her off for the week tonight. I can get the time of work." she said to him.
"Are you sure Michael wont mind?" he asked.
"Who cares if he does? Our little girl comes before him."
-
Liz spent most of the day after she had got to the call getting ready for her daughter to arrive.
She went in to the spare room and she put fresh sheets on the bed, opening the window to get some fresh air in and went to the shops to get her favorite dinner in. she was going to spoil her rotten.
It gave Liz a good feeling inside to know she had asked to come and see her. That when she was in trouble it was her mother she wanted. After that all she had to do was wait, and time passed slow.
Liz ran to the door as soon as it went.
She opened it with joy to find her daughter there.
"Good I have missed you." she said as she embraced her on sight.
"I missed you too." she said as they hugged glad to be back together. It had been a too long separation for the mother and daughter.
As they pulled apart Liz's eyes landed on Jim.
"How are you?" she asked.
"Good. I'm well. Just delivering our little stinker to you." he teased his daughter.
"Well come in you two. Do you want a tea Jim?" she asked.
"That'd be nice." he said as he looked for Michael.
There were plenty of pictures of him about. Most of them with Liz he saw. Pictures of them at nights out cuddling, or smiling. There was even one of them kissing.
"You two are getting on ok then?" he asked.
"Not so bad," she nodded, her eyes ever straying back to her child. It had been hard on her. Even though it had only been two months since she had came down for summer, she had missed her so much.
He was surprised though. She sounded so indifferent to it.
How ever it was clear there was only one person on here mind at that moment.
"Come on then you, let's get your coat off madam." she said to Katie.
As she took her coat off as she was told Katie couldn't stop smiling at here mother, it was so good to see her again. She did as she was told; removing her jacket and giving it to her mum who put it on the back of one of the kitchen chairs.
"How does some lemonade sound young lady."
"Good!" Katie nodded.
"Yeah. And we have spag bowl for dinner." she told her.
"How long till Uncle Michael back from work."
"Not till late to night darling. You're going to have to wait till the morning to see him I think." Her mum informed her.
"Ok, can I go play?" she asked.
"Of course you can!"
Katie run off in to the living room and Liz smiled at Jim as she went on getting them to cups of tea.
"She's pale." she commented.
"She has had a lot to deal with." he sighed.
"She'll bounce back." she comforted him.
"She shouldn't have too." He said mournfully. She read his face and knew from his eyes what he was thinking.
"Oh Jim, no you can't be blaming yourself for all of this. How were you too know how ill Judy was?"
"I wasn't. But I should never have gone to that wedding. I could see she was in a state."
"So you left her in the care of an adult whom she loves and respect, who said she was fine. None of this is up to you."
"I can't help but think it is. I'm her father. It is my job to protect her." he reminded her.
"And you do your job well." she said to him.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Positive."
Some how it was comforting to him to know that she thought so. When she had left he had tried to forget the twenty odd years that they had spent together, but it wasn't that easy. So many of his happiest days had been spent in her arms. And the thought she still knew just what too say to make hi feel better in himself again was haunting him.
"I think I should go."
"And I think you should drink your tea first!" she disagreed with him
Didn't that just some them up though. The only things that they had ever agreed on really were that then kids had to come first and that they loved each other.
Everything else between them had been a war. But it had been a war worth fighting. A war he had wished he had won.
"So is Michael with a client?" he asked as he let her win….this time.
"Yeah. He has had a few tough cases lately so he has to work late to try and get them motivated." she explained.
"I see." He said wondering if it was his clients or their wife's he was with.
"Yeah well I don't mind It gives me a bit of peace and quiet to be with her on her own for a bit tonight " she smiled. "What time do you put her to bed normally now days?"
"Eight." he told her.
"I'll try to stick to that then if not a bit earlier. Try to keep her routine going." she nodded. "I think is good you have got her in to one. She's needed it for so long and I never gave it to her. I should have."
"We have always done the best with the circumstances we have been given. Half the time it was our fault that we were I them but we never set out to hurt her." he said as he realized it was his turn to comfort her.
"You are going to do fine with her!" he said.
"I hope so. You must be looking forward to the break." she said to him.
"Yeah I guess I am. Gives me a chance to have a bit of a drink. I haven't really had one in while. Not like I used to any way."
"That could be seen as a good thing." she laughed.
"Yeah. I guess it could." he said.
"So how's our little Romeo." She said changing the subject. "Whose Steve seeing at the moment?" she smirked.
"No one though he faces his chance with Nina in the coroner shop now, I don't know. He's going to move back in though I think. The building work isn't going as well as he would have liked and he asked to come back." he told her.
"Well. You two will have fun this week with out a referee."
"We are a lot better than we used to be." he defended his relationship with his younger son.
"I should think so to. You know if you want you can stay and have tea with me and Katie." she told him. It was nice talking to him like this. She wanted him to stay.
"Nah. I have to get back and the longer I leave it the harder it is going to be to go."
"True." She nodded.
Within five minutes he had finished his tea and he went in to thuggish living room.
"Right wee lass I am off." he said as he found his daughter playing quietly as she said she was going to be.
"ok." she said as he hugged him.
Kissing her on the fore head he smiled.
"You be a good girl for mum yeah? And I am going to be back for you in a week's time. You feel better yup?"
"I will do." she nodded as she hugged him close.
"Good. I love you Katherine."
"I love you too dad."
-
"Do you want a story before bed.?"! Liz said. It was seven thirty and Katie had already asked her mum to take her up to bed.. She could barely keep her eyes open.
"N but can you sit with me till I am asleep. I don't want to be on my own." she said to her.
"I think we can do that baby." she said as she lead her up .
Settling her in, Liz sat by her side and wrapped an arm about her.
"Mum, what are we going to do tomorrow?"
"I don't know. We'll have to see how your feeling and what uncle Michael is up to. Maybe if he is working we can go out and doing some shopping, yeah?" she asked.
Katei nodded. She had missed shopping with her mum. That sounded good.
With in minutes she had been soothed in to dreams but it was not going to be so easy for her mum.
She was deep in thought about the girl's father.
What really got to her was what Jim had said about how it had been his job to protect there daughter. It hadn't just been his, it had been hers too and for the pasts year she had not even been there for her full time.
It wasn't as if Liz hadn't kept up contact. She had rang her twice a week and she had seen her at weekends and half terms but it wasn't enough.
If you were a parent to a child and a real parent then you were always there for them just as she had been for the boys and just as Jim was for her.
Maybe it was high time that she went back to Weatherfield. Her daughter was going to be growing in to a young women in a few years. She was going to have to be close to her then. To help her go through every thing a girl growing in to a women did.
Jim… he was such a good father to her.
He always had been. She thought it odd how she had connected so well with the boys when he had found it hard with her and he had been the exact opposite.
Still it wasn't like she and Katie didn't get on. When she was at Michaels, she and her daughter got on like a house on fire. In fact they always did as long as she and Jim weren't arguing.
-
Gary, Jim and Steve sat in number eleven with a drink each.
With Katie away and visiting hours over and Judy in the hospital they had nothing to do but drink. Gary had dropped the kids of with the Duckworths for the night, so he had a free evening to spend with the boys
"Well I have to say son as much as I love your wee sister it isn't half nice to have a night off." said Jim to Steve.
"Mum will take good care of her."
"I know." said Jim with confidence.
It was nice to know she was in safe hands and he was able to relax. But only for a while. He didn't want her gone for too long.