He paced up and down his cell occasionally banging on the hollow metal door if the attention he demanded wasn't given; of course after what he had done that attention wouldn't be granted by anyone in custody or the station. Occasionally the custody sergeant would shout at him to be quiet but other than that he sat there, fermenting over the recent events.

Within half an hour of him being put in the cell he was retrieved by two CID officers who ushered him into an interview room. On course he passed PC Noble, a quick sneer in her direction clarified to the other officers just what type of man their old colleague had been living with.

Once in the interview room he sat directly opposite DC Walker and DS Turner, no solicitor was present; neither officers knew whether this was because he was sure he would not need one or because he was a solicitor himself.

"Mr Porter you do understand why you have been arrested" Kezia stated,

"Yes I do but ask her yourself and I bet she will tell you I had nothing to do with it. She's clumsy, you know she fell down the stairs once she wants to be careful" He replied, not an ounce of guilt in his words.

"Ah, she fell did she?" Stuart asked, certain that this was far from the truth.

"DS Turner, I do believe you questioned me for another offence and I'm a very busy man so if you don't mind." He seemed so sure that he would out of the station within the hour that he began to grate on both officers patience.

"Did you or did you not assault Kerry Young?" Kezia questioned firmly.

He stood outside intensive care looking through the window, it had been so long since they both spoke that Smithy thought entering the room would be invading her privacy. The last time Smithy had seen her started of her spiral of self destruction for she had been suspended from work. At the time he would have given anything to protect her and care for her and that made it hard for him to understand why she was with a man like this. She looked peaceful when she slept; Dale often looked at her for she always meant more to him than a fling. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her flinch her hand, to make sure he stayed outside for a few more seconds. When it became apparent that she had woken up he quietly entered.

"Well, Well, Well PC Young" He smiled, in the hope to cheer her up. It panged his heart to see her like this and he had to admit that she was looking a little worse for wear.

"I'm not sure you can call me that anymore" She replied, giving a wan smile.

"Kerry" There was no need for him to elaborate for she knew exactly what he meant.

Brushing a tear away from her cheek she looked away,

"Don't Smithy".

"You could have come to me, this isn't like you. You're tough as old boots why do you let him do this to you, you deserve better." He wanted to prove to her just how much but she wasn't listening.

"No. No I don't Smithy, I don't deserve anyone. You don't understand Smithy, you cant walk back into my life 2 years later and think you understand how I'm feeling because trust me you have no idea."

"Then let me understand"" He went to move his hand closer to her but she backed away.

"You don't need my problems to deal with Smithy; I'm a big girl I can look after myself." She shed a tear when saying this, she dearly wanted him to help but she knew he probably had moved on.

"Really? When I saw you lying there I've never felt more shocked and more worried than ever before. I want to help you Kerry it's my job to and I want to."

"Remember the time in the back of the panda car?" She asked,

Smithy smiled and replied with a 'Yeah', finally she was opening up he thought.

"Well that was the Kerry you knew, I'm not the same girl" Her tone turned cold and she pursed her lips.

"Well I think she is in there somewhere. The Kerry that would twist me around her little finger, the girl that broke my heart a thousand times over, the girl that I loved dearly; the girl I care for still." That was all he could say to try and make her understand just how much he felt about her.

The enormity of it hit her in the face, it hurt to hear. If only this had been said a few years back the previous events may not have happened and she wouldn't have turned into the detached unloved little girl that she was.

"Well thank you for trying to find her but I don't think she's there." She smiled, swallowing her tears.

"What are you scared of exactly Kerry, because it's not him I know." He wondered why she came across like this; pretending to hard but secretly dying on the inside.

"I'm scared of this Smithy, people promising me things and not being able to keep them. People taking advantage of me, people hurting me; I cant live like that." She cried.

"What and you don't think he's doing that to you now? I don't know what else I can say to make you realise how special you are. You're gorgeous, you're intelligent, you're loveable and you were my best friend and I miss that so much. And although you might not think it, I'm hurting as much as you are; the day you left was the day my heart broke. I'd never met anyone like you before Kerry and since you left I still haven't, but I guess if you're so sure you've changed then I'm talking to the wrong person. Because the person I'm talking to can't see how beautiful and precious they are.

And with that he kissed her on the cheek and left…