Jim
awoke in the rovers without Liz, though he felt they should have been
together. They should have woke together enjoyed married life that
day. But all chance was gone.
Getting up he was sure he had never
felt so lonely in his life. How could she have done it to him.
Had
he not been on his best behaviour with her since he had come out. He
had not been paranoid, he hadn't doubted her once.
It was all so
unfair.
Putting on a shirt and jeans he headed down where he saw
Violet, Betty, Sean and the twins all getting ready for the shift
.
"We can go if you want." said violet. She had been
there yesterday. It couldn't be easy for him right now.
"No."
he shook his head. He had to go on as if nothing had happened. As if
he had not just lost the love of his lie to a low life scum bag.
Though by the sounds of things Liz sill wanted him and not
Vernon.
"Did yer see yer mother yesterday?" he asked the
boys and they nodded.
"She was
pretty low!" said Steve.
"Is she going to bed coming
home today?" he asked and they nodded.
Right, he thought to
himself. That was ok. She could have the big room and he would go in
the spare. He couldn't be with her like that right now.,.
"I
can go pick her up if you too have other thing stuff to do, so I
can." He said. He wanted to go get her any way.
"Alright"
said Steve.
"Good." He said to them finally. "Any one want a
brew?"
-
Liz was shocked when she saw it was Jim and not one
of her sons who had come to get her.
"How are you feeling?" he
asked. The tension could be cut with a knife.
"Pretty
sick." She admitted. "With myself."
"Not here Elizabeth."
He said under his breathe. They would talk about them, when they got
back. "The baby?"
"Its doing ok, but I have to get more
rest, and avoid stressful situations." She laughed. How was she
meant to do that?
"Alright then." He said as he went over to
her and helped her off the bed.
"Are we still together Jim?"
she asked.
"I dunno Liz. Things have changed so much now. I
don't know what is going to happen between us any more." He could
here how broken he was just in his voice.
She nodded guessing
that was a fair reply.
-
Amy was still with her dad while all
this was going on and it couldn't have upset her more.
Her
nanny was ill and her grandpa was upset, worse still her dad and her
uncle were telling her nothing.
"I am not a kid. " the six
year old said.
"Amy, you really are hunny." Said Andy as he
gave her a hug. "What you have to understand is nanny Elizabeth and
Grandpa Jim are going through a really, really bad time right
now."
"Does this mean I wont get to have a new aunt or uncle?"
she asked.
"No kiddo the baby is fine but I may mean that the
baby lives with nanny Liz and granddad has to visit or vice
versa."
"That won't be nice for the baby though." Amy
protested. She wished she could live with both her mum and her dad
and it was unfair she couldn't.
It was just then that the door
opened and her grand parents back from hospital walked in.
"You
alright mum?" asked Andy.
"yeah I am love, just I'm a bit
tired. I might go up for a bit of a rest." She said and Jim
nodded.
"I can do you a brew if you want." he offered.
"No,
its ok Jim. I need a bit of sleep." She said to him and she didn't
want him, running about after her any more. It was not fair on
him.
Walking up, m she took off the suit she had worn to the
ceremony yesterday. It had been every thing she had dreamt of.
Every
time she thought on it though she just felt so guilty that it made
her feel physically pain.
She had thrown so much away in the
moment she had succumb to Vernon.
Steve waned down to the Kabin.
His mum and his dad needed some milk and despite her betrayal it
seemed Jim was unable to leave his mum, not while she was in such a
state. He had to be there for the baby's sake he said. Just encase,
till Liz relaxed a bit more.
Opening the door he sighed. Then he
heard it gossiping. He should have known.
"Well it was always
going to happen with that woman as the bride. She's a hussy, always
has been."
"Don't be so
unkind." Bit back Rita. "You can tell she loves him, it just
didn't go to plan." He said.
"Yes of course it didn't she
got caught."
Steve
felt his blood race as he released they were talking about his mum
and his dad. They had no right to!
"Oh Norris you are a scenic,
just cause your marriage didn't work out." Said Rita.
"Just
what I was thinking." said Steve as he appeared making them both
look rather embarrassed.
"Oh Steve. How's your mum?" asked
Rita.
"She's recovering." He said as he shot a look that
could kill at Norris.
"And, the baby?"
"Well its still
there so it's a relief,. She hasn't lost it." he reassured
Rita.
"Send her my love." She told him as he paid for his
milk.
!"Will do."
-
Liz woke at six that evening
hungry. She had slept a lot of the day. It was time to get up.
Going
down and straight in to the back room she saw it was for deserted,
for which she was grateful, and she wondered in to the kitchen.
Making her self the tea that Jim had offered her early, she took
it through to the sofa with a bit of toast and sat down.
She
wished she knew what was going to happen now. Every thing had been
going to well for her. Why had she had to go and screw it up?
It
was then the door opened to reveal the man who should have been her
husband by now.
"How are yer feeling?" he asked her
worriedly.
"Not wonderful but better than was I guess." she
said to him. "and guilty." She admitted. "If I could turn back
the clock Jim, you have to know I would."
"I do, I do
Elizabeth but you see I was trying to figure out when all this went
on." he said and she shut her eyes in pain. He had done the math.
He had put two and two together and he had ended up with four. "You
see we've been together every night since I've been out, except
when I was burying me dad." He said and she couldn't look at him
for guilt.
"I didn't plan it to happen I didn't want it to
happen Jim it just did." She said to him.
"Right." He
nodded knowing his worse fears were confirmed. "Was it in our bed?"
he asked trying really hard not to let his temper get the better of
him.
She said nothing.
"Some times actions speak than words.
Aye?" he asked as he got up and left the room.
What he had left
of his had now been broken.
-
The next day Liz got up on time,
put on her face and went down to open up. She had hid long
enough.
She had hated awaking though to find Jim wasn't there.
She hated him being in the spare room and not in there.
"You
should be resting." He reminded her as she walked in to the bar.
"I
want to face every one. Show them that I'm ok, and so the baby."
She said and he nodded.
"Alright but go put your feet up till we
open." He asked and she nodded.
"Thank
you." She added, just as she left.
"For what?" he questioned
her.
"Not leaving me, you would have every right too. most men
would has have been gone by now." She added.
"Do you remember
the night of the party, when I got home?" he asked. She nodded.
"I
promised you I would never leave you again, so I did." He told her
and she nodded understanding.
"Thank you any way Jim. You're
a prince."
-
Liz decided to go out for a bit on the
night shift so at seven she braved the bar. Every one fell silent as
coronations street scarlet women came in to view.
"What can I
get you derider?" she asked her friend trying to act normal as the
bar stared at her.
"G&T please Liz." Deirdre said
supportively to her friend.
"Coming right up!" She said as
she went to get it,
Every one marvelled at how Liz and Jim still
seemed together. Every one had thought he would scarper. His boys
were proud of him for the way he was taking care of there mum. He had
had a moment of weakness, but that was all it was when he had gone to
the river.
She was doing well on the shift.
Till Vernon and
Michelle came in. She clearly knew, and she looked furious.
"You
COW LIZ!" she said to her. Jim was intensely on the defence.
"Don't you dare talk to her like that." He said to her. No
way was he going to let a gobby little cow like that say those
things. Especially to a pregnant women.
"What the hell are you
doing sticking up for her? You have been betrayed to mate." She
reminded him.
"Thing is she I love her. And I am not going to
let you talk like that to her when she is pregnant." He added.
"The brat probably isn't even yours." She accused Liz.
"It'll probably be Vernon's. My Vernon's."
She was
really pushing Jim to his limits now. He loved Liz. He promised her
to look after to her.
"It is." He said to her as he wrapped
his arms round Liz's bump, holding her for the first time since the
wedding, despite the anger he felt for her in those moments. "now
get out. You're both bared." He told them.
Vernon shook his
head. "I have to talk to you Liz." He wanted to be part of the
child's life if it was his.
"No you don't. This is Jim and
my baby. Not yours. So leave us in peace. Its like Jim said, you're
both barred."
