We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Emmerdale or River City
Chapter 5
Bolton sat down on the bench, dabbing at himself with a towel. He was slightly out of breath after that last session. The guy was big, and good. He chuckled to himself and glanced at the time. He didn't have any more sessions until this afternoon. He supposed he should go and grab something to eat. He'd call on Whitney, she said she wanted to be mates: mates went for lunch.
He grabbed a quick shower and changed before strolling along to her shop and cautiously going inside.
He smiled as he saw Whitney at the counter. "All right?" he asked as he leaned on the counter and grinned at her.
Whitney jolted out of her zombie-state and looked at Bolton , a smile beginning to light her features.
"Hey, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad to see you of course," she told him.
Bolton smiled. "You eat food, I eat food, I'm hungry, you look like you need a break," he shrugged. "Lunch?" he asked with a grin.
"Sure, let me just close up," Whitney agreed. She locked the door and flipped the sign to "closed". Jodie would be back soon enough and had a key.
"Come on up. Mum brought me a shepherd's pie last night and I could use some help eating it," she told him. She didn't want to admit she didn't have the money to go out. Besides, it did need to get eaten. Bianca seemed to think Lauren and Whitney were capable of eating huge amounts of food, not that they couldn't, but they hadn't even managed half the pie.
She headed upstairs and pulled the pie from the fridge and stuck it in the oven to heat it up and then flipped on the kettle. She went back into the front room and gestured at the rack where she'd hung the clothes for the show. "I got them done this morning. Took me all night, but I did it."
Bolton followed her upstairs and grinned at the sight of the finished rail of clothes. He went over and carefully looked through them, being cautious enough not to damage them in any way. He grinned up at Whitney.
"They look fantastic," he told her and sniffed the air. "And that food smells good, too," he added as he wandered over to her fridge.
"You got anything to drink?" he asked her as he opened the fridge and looked inside.
"There's some water and juice in there," Whitney told him. "I put the kettle on."
She trailed into the kitchen and pulled two mugs from the cupboard and put them on the counter. "Sorry," she said as she edged past him, putting a hand on his lower back to keep him from bumping into her. She opened the oven once she got past him and put the pie on the stove top and then reached for plates.
"I think it's ready," she said and grabbed out a large serving spoon from the drawer. She dished herself out some of it and then handed the spoon to Bolton before digging into another drawer for forks.
"How's it going at the gym?" she asked curiously, trying to come up with conversation.
Bolton grabbed the carton of juice from the fridge and nodded at her.
He grabbed himself a glass, poured himself some juice then sat down at the table. He took the spoon from her and dished himself up some food.
"S'good," he grinned at her. "I'm really enjoying it, then with the odd DJ job on the side, it's fun," he smiled at her as he took a large mouthful of shepherd's pie. "What about you? Excited for this thing?" he asked with a gesture at the clothes rail where her designs were hung up.
"They should book you in at R&R, they could use a good DJ there, the one Roxy had picked is terrible," she grinned.
She blew out a long breath at his question and put her fork down.
"I am, but I'm also scared to death. So much hangs on this thing going well. I mean, what you're going to do sounds great, it really does, and I've coordinated the clothes with the music, but just everything is riding on this," she broke off, she didn't want to admit how badly off she was. She pushed her plate away and leaned back in her chair as she picked up her tea and sipped it.
"I spoke to the bank this morning and I have an appointment Monday morning, if all goes well Saturday, I'm in," she finally said, trying to keep the desperation from her voice. She licked her lips and took another sip of tea to keep from saying anything else.
"Yeah?" he grinned. "Great, I'll look into it," he smiled at her.
He nodded at her. "Listen, you'll do fine!" he told her. "Combination of my music skills and your fashiony stuff, you're all set," he smiled "So don't even worry about it, because dwelling on it isn't good for you Whit, as long as you've done the best you can do then that's it, there's no point in making yourself ill by worrying over it," he advised her.
He shovelled more food into his mouth and swallowed.
"I know, but this could do so much for me," she sighed. She got up and picked up her plate and scraped the remains of her lunch into the bin and put her plate in the sink. She got the juice from the fridge and brought it over to the table to refill his glass.
"I just really appreciate you doing this for me," she said as she put the juice down and put a hand on his shoulder. "You and everyone being so supportive, it means a lot."
She gave him a small smile and patted his shoulder awkwardly and looked down, slightly embarrassed. She really wanted to give him a proper thank you, but thought she probably shouldn't.
"Yeah well, if it doesn't happen this time around then just keep the designs and try again," he said with a shrug. "Just don't give up," he added with a smile.
He smiled at her. "Hey, what are friends for," he said with a toothy grin as he looked at her, he knew that she just wanted to be mates and he could deal with that. They got along as mates, they got along really well.
He looked up at her and smiled as he reached out for his glass and took a long sip before polishing off his food.
"So, got any pudding?" he asked her.
"Yeah, well I don't know when there might be another chance like this. It was a total fluke I got invited in the first place," she said with a sigh.
She half-smiled and leaned against the table at his question and lifted her hand. "I think I have some biscuits," she giggled. "But we don't keep a lot of sweets around here," she told him. "So I hope that's okay," she added as she leaned down to pick up his plate. She glanced involuntarily at his lips and then quickly at the plate and picked it up. She swallowed hard and straightened up, his plate in hand.
He shrugged. "So stop stressing and think positive," he said to her.
Bolton frowned slightly as she turned around. Had she just...he was pretty sure she had just looked at his mouth. He grinned to himself.
"Biscuits are fine," he shrugged and then frowned. "Don't you live with another girl? I thought girls always had chocolate in their homes?" he asked curiously.
Whitney reached into the cupboard and got the biscuits out and showed him the package. "Chocolate biscuits," she told him with a grin and opened it before handing it to him so he could get one out.
"Ahhhhhh," he said knowingly as he eyed the biscuits. "I'd best not eat all of your stash then," he smiled at her. "Wouldn't want to deprive you and Lauren of chocolate."
"Yeah, well, we can get more, the shops still sell them you know," she teased.
She sat back down. "I'll just be glad when it's over," she sighed and took a drink of her tea.
Bolton grinned. "I bet you'll be ecstatic when it's over," he said to her as he picked a biscuit from the packet and started to munch on it.
She nodded at his remark. "I'll be relieved when it's over, I'll be ecstatic if it's a success," she corrected and gave him a cheeky wink.
Bolton pulled a face at her.
"If you do get it we'll go out for a Congratulations Drink, if you don't then we can drink until you can't remember what happened," he smiled at her. "Either way, we will be going out for a drink after your show," he told her.
"Deal," she nodded. "Either way, I'm sure I'll feel like drinking," she added wryly. She stood up and took one more biscuit from the package before picking it up and taking it back into the kitchen to put it away. She walked back over and leaned against the table.
"So, guess you have to be getting back," she remarked. "Thanks for cheering me up though, I really needed it."
"Good, we can get a group of us or whatever you want" he smiled at her as he finished off his biscuit.
Bolton shrugged at her. "I didn't come to cheer you up, I came to get out of the gym, being around a load of sweaty man for most of my day isn't the best thing ever," he smiled at her as he stood up and pulled her into a hug. "But I'm glad I've cheered you up," he murmured.
Bolton realised he was probably holding onto her for too long and pulled away from her a little and let her go. "I'll see you later, let me know how your show goes," he smiled at her. "Text me or whatever when it's over and we'll go and get that drink."
Whitney leaned into the hug and held back a sigh. She liked being held by him very much, and it had been a long time since she'd been held.
She chuckled at his remark. "I don't imagine it's pleasant," she agreed. She did her best to hide her disappointment as he let her go.
Her eyes widened at his words. "What do you mean, let you know? You're supposed to be one of my models, or are you not doing it now?" she gasped, nearly in a panic. Surely he wouldn't desert her after he said he'd help. She stepped close to him and put her hands on his arms. "The whole club thing hinges on you being my DJ," she reminded him as she looked up at him.
Bolton chuckled at her and nodded. "Duh!" he pulled a face at her. "Chill out, Whit, I'll be there, wouldn't miss it," he told her. He chuckled again and patted her shoulder. "I won't miss it Whit, I promise okay," he smiled.
"Now, I've gotta get back to work," he said. "See ya!"
Bolton waved at Whitney as he left her shop and dashed off down the street and towards the boxing club.
"Then don't mess with me like that," she huffed. She followed him downstairs and watched him leave.
"So, what were you two up to then?" Jodie wanted to know.
"Nothing," Whitney told her. "We're just mates," she said, trying to keep the disappointment from her tone.
"Right," Jodie snorted and went back to organizing the racks.
Whitney sat down behind the counter a moment and then got up and went back to sewing, the things for the show might be done, but she had a couple of orders to fill.
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Rowan lifted herself up and kissed Ray.
"Glad we sorted out where to put that stuff," she joked and kissed him again. "Now, I have to get downstairs. Come down when you're ready for lunch," she said and reluctantly climbed from the bed and got dressed. She went into the bathroom and stifled a laugh at her hair before brushing it out and pulling it into a tail.
She poked her head back into the bedroom. "And can you pick up some milk?"
Ray frowned at her as he leant up onto his elbows "You want me to get up out of this wonderful bed, get dressed, go all the way to the shop just to pick up some milk?" he asked with a grin and then shrugged. "Sure," he agreed as he laid himself back down.
"Hang on," he said as he raised his head again. "When do you want this milk for?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.
Rowan snorted laughter. "All the way to the shop? You lazy thing, it's just over there," she gestured in the direction of the shop with a shake of her head. "And yes, I expect you to and I need it fairly soon as we're almost out downstairs. We need some up here, too," she added.
"Now, you better get up and get dressed before I get tempted to get back in there with you," she told him. "And I just can't do that today," she added with a sigh.
There was always something, it seemed, keeping them from fully taking advantage of Ray's days off, especially when it was a day the twins were at nursery so they had the house to themselves.
Ray sighed over-dramatically and heaved himself out of the bed and grabbed at his jeans. He pulled them on and kissed her cheek as he passed her, grabbing his top from the floor as he went.
"So, how much milk would you like me to get for you?" he asked her. "Just so that I come back with the right amount and don't have to go back for more," he grinned as he kissed her properly.
Rowan considered his question, but lost her train of thought when he kissed her. She shook her head slightly to clear it and tried again. "I've got a delivery coming tomorrow, so a couple of gallons for the restaurant should be fine," she told him.
He turned and looked back over his shoulder at her as he slid his shoes on. "Am I getting the kids today?" he asked her.
She paused before leaving the room at his question. "No, Chris will bring them home usual time. Unless you want to pick them all up," she told him and walked back into the front room. She grabbed her phone and put it in her pocket.
"Right, see you downstairs," she called over her shoulder and hurried down so that Syed could leave.
Ray nodded and followed her downstairs, making sure he had his wallet and grinned as he headed out the back door.
Ray went to the shop and got the milk for the restaurant and a couple of pints for the flat. He trailed back to the restaurant and heaved the milk onto the counter top for her and put the small bottle on the side as he went and put the milk in the big fridge for her.
He picked up the smaller bottle and grinned at her.
"S'laters" he grinned as he went back upstairs.
Rowan smiled back at Ray and watched him as he walked away.
"Earth to Rowan," James said from behind her and Rowan started and looked at him.
"Sorry," she said and blushed.
He put the ticket up on the rail.
"Don't go burning the food now because you're distracted, unless it's you figuring out how you're going to tell him you're running away with me," he teased.
Rowan shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Will you stop? You're going to get me in trouble," she huffed and gave Trevor a punch in the shoulder. "And you stop encouraging him."
"Sorry, boss," Trevor said through his laughter.
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Ray put the milk into the fridge and wandered into the bedroom. He sighed as he reached into his bedside drawer and pulled out the small box. He'd bought her an engagement ring, nothing fancy because he knew she didn't like elaborate jewellery. It was just a simple white gold band with a small diamond resting on top. He snapped the box shut and pushed it into his pocket. He'd go downstairs once it quietened down and see if she would marry him. He was sure she would, he'd get down on one knee and propose, she'd say yes. She loved him. She kept telling him that she loved him.
Ray glanced at the bed and sighed heavily. He hoped she'd say yes. He grabbed the quilt and remade the bed neatly before going back downstairs and looking at the crowd in the Restaurant, he wanted to do this with as little audience as possible.
Rowan caught sight of Ray lurking and let a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. She hurriedly finished the order she was working on and went over to him.
"Sit down if you're hungry, I'll make you lunch," she told him. She looked up at him and smiled and then gave his backside a small push. "Go on, after today I think you probably need refueling," she taunted and winked at him before turning and going back into the kitchen.
At least lunch was almost over, a quick glance at the floor made her realize she would probably be able to sit and eat with him at this point. Most of the people were finishing up their food and getting ready to go back to work.
Ray smiled at her.
"Seeing as you insist," he smiled back at her and made his way to sit down at a table. He sighed as he fiddled with the box in his pocket subtly. He watched her cooking and smiled absently. He grinned as he watched people leaving gradually. Good, it would mean less people around when he asked her. Because he intended to. And he wasn't entirely comfortable with an audience.
Rowan quickly cooked up two Philly steaks for herself and Ray and carried them out to the table. She put them down and went to get them drinks. She dropped gratefully onto the seat across from him.
"Short lunch rush, but a bit mad," she told him with a sigh and popped a chip into her mouth. Her eyes scanned the room and she made a gesture at Nora to let her know that she and Mercy could take breaks. Nora nodded and tapped Mercy on the shoulder and gestured towards the kitchen.
"So, did you get the bed moved back in there okay? We'll have to put a couple of rails upstairs, to hang the twins' clothes on. I don't see the point of trying to manage getting wardrobes up those steps," she remarked and then set to eating her sandwich.
Ray pulled his hand from his pocket and started on his food absently, nodding along to her as she spoke. He realised that he was going to be required to respond and swallowed his mouthful.
"Yeah, it's fine" he said with a smile at her.
"That shouldn't be too hard, we can get a couple from the DIY Store and just fix them to the wall," he said. "Easy," he added.
Ray glanced around, no customers, staff all hidden in the kitchen. He smiled and dug in his pocket, he clasped his hand around the box and pulled it out as he grabbed Rowan's hand and carefully made her drop her cutlery.
"Ro, " he started quietly. "I..." he frowned and sighed at himself in frustration. "Please, Ro," he said as he pressed the box into her hand. "Marry me," he asked her hopefully.
Rowan felt her chest tighten as Ray grabbed her hand and pressed a small box into it. She licked her lips and swallowed and looked at the box. She swallowed hard again and opened the box, the ring was lovely. But why did he have to keep on with this? Why couldn't he stop asking?
"It's…it's lovely," she managed to choke out. She began to blink rapidly, but couldn't stop the tear she felt slip down her cheek. "I can't do it," she whispered and raised her eyes to meet his.
"Ray, I love you, you're everything to me and I fully plan to spend the rest of my life with you, but I can't….I can't do this," she whispered.
She sniffed and blinked back more tears. She felt her skin go hot then cold as the tightness grew in her chest. She stood up and put a hand on his cheek. "I….I just wish you'd understand that I just can't…get married….I just can't."
Syed noticed something going on in the dining room and he gestured the others over. "Is he proposing again?" he whispered.
"Looks like it," remarked Nora. James stood behind them and frowned.
Ray's face fell and his heart plummeted. He watched her face and frowned as she started to cry.
"I don't understand though, Rowan, you keep telling me you love me and that you want me with you forever, and we've got the twins and everything's good. You haven't given me a reason, Ro, you just keep rejecting me and turning me down every time!" he told her. "And I don't see why you won't marry me!" he said, his voice slightly shaky as he took her hand from his face and held it.
"Why can't you, Ro? Why can't you get married to me?" he asked her quietly as he squeezed her hand "Because every time you say no to me it hurts, and although you say you love me it makes me feel like you don't," he said to her.
She reached out and grabbed a chair and put it down and sat next to him.
"Ray, you know I've been married once and I know, I know you are nothing like Brian," she told him. "You saved me from him. But, Ray, he still sometimes haunts my nightmares and the whole marriage thing…I can't help but associate it with him. It terrifies me, even though I know it shouldn't. It's just an association I can't deal with and I'm not sure I'll be able to change it."
She wrapped his hand in both of hers and met his. "Please, say you understand," she half-begged.
"She doesn't look very happy about it," Syed observed.
"She says no every time he asks," James told him. He hoped this time, Ray would just give up and go, then he could have Rowan to himself.
Ray sighed and lifted her hands to his mouth to kiss them. He pulled her chair closer then lifted her onto his lap and hugged her tightly. "Ro.." he sighed "Brian's gone. He's never coming back," he told her softly.
"Rowan, I'm not going to hurt you, I'm never going to do anything to hurt you!" he told her as he held her face in his hands. "Please, Ro, please!" he begged her. "I want the whole shebang!" he told her. "I love you, Ro!" he said as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Surely the best way to get rid of your fears is to face them?" he added.
Rowan searched his gaze. She could feel herself welling up again and swallowed hard. She knew he wouldn't do to her what Brian had done. Hadn't they been together long enough for her to see that? She felt herself blinking rapidly to stop the tears from falling again and took a slow, deep breath. She could feel herself shaking, but she wasn't sure why….fear….maybe…joy….possibly. She bit her lip and looked at the box a long moment before picking it up. She kept her eyes on the box as she opened it and with a shaking hand, removed the ring from the box. She put the box back on the table and then pressed the ring into his Ray's hand.
She licked her lips, swallowed hard and raised her gaze to meet Ray's as she lifted her still shaking hand between them. She shifted her eyes to her hand and then back to meet his eyes and gave him a small nod, unable to trust her voice at that moment, and let a small smile curve her lips.
Ray's eyes widened as he looked at her. "You sure?" he asked her as he slid the ring onto her finger. A happy smile split his face and he hugged her tightly before pressing his lips to hers. She said yes! Finally! He couldn't believe it.
Ray broke the kiss and cupped her face, his grin as broad as it could be. "Thank you!" he told her breathlessly as he beamed at her. He glanced around the empty restaurant and smiled slyly at her.
"So, we celebrate?" he asked her as he squeezed her gently.
Rowan bathed in Ray's joy and did her best to push her fear aside. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
Her laughter at his remark pushed away the last of her nerves and she widened her eyes at him.
"You really are insatiable, aren't you?" she whispered and smiled. "I'd rather not do anything in front of them, however," she told him and nodded her head slightly in the direction of the kitchen, where she knew they were all watching.
Ray shrugged. "I'm merely taking advantage of the situation," he told her with a chuckle and glanced over at the kitchen. He sighed heavily. "Fine then, we'll have to go upstairs!" he said dramatically and winked at her.
She slowly turned her head and looked at the open door of the kitchen. Surely enough, they were all crowded in the doorway. She held up her hand to show off the ring.
"I've surrendered," she announced.
Ray frowned at Rowan's choice of words. "It was hardly a war, Ro," he whispered to her as the others came over. He looked at the bottle of champagne, half with pleasure and half with irritation. This would only delay their time alone together. Mind you, a celebration wasn't a proper celebration without some form of alcohol.
"About time," Syed called over, causing Rowan to blush.
He walked over to them and pulled a bottle of champagne from behind his back and gestured at Nora, who was carrying over glasses.
Rowan turned to Ray. "I feel like I'm outnumbered," she said to him with a small laugh.
James hung back and said nothing although he raised his glass of champagne with the others. No one noticed the smile on his face was hard-edged and fixed or that it turned to a grimace the moment he turned to go back into the kitchen. How could she marry that great oaf? He'd speak to her, change her mind. Trevor was going out of town this weekend, which meant James would have several hours in the morning to be alone with Rowan. Surely he could change her mind. She clearly only said yes because she'd been pressured. He'd make sure she knew that he would help her get rid of Ray and then she would be happy with James.
He gladly took a glass off Nora and kissed Rowan's cheek languidly as his glass was filled up.
"Different sort of surrender, acuisle," she whispered back and winked at him as they gathered around. She considered getting off his lap, but realized she should probably wait. Clearly what they'd got up to that morning hadn't slowed him down. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and gave him a wicked half-smile before turning back to the others.
"Thanks, Sy, everyone," she said after she'd taken a sip. She put the glass down and tried not to blush under Syed's knowing look as he picked up his orange juice.
She sat waited until she noticed things had gone back to normal and then stood up.
"Just clean up best you can and don't worry about getting everything. I'll get it later. We need to finish upstairs so just go ahead and close up. We don't usually get anyone in late on Mondays anyway," she told Syed and he nodded. She looked at Ray and caught his gaze before deliberately picking up the glass of champagne that was hers and taking a larger sip. She put the glass back down and headed for the stairs and went back up to the flat. She could already feel the wine heating up her belly as she rushed up the stairs. She toed off her trainers and quickly yanked her top off over her head. She hid behind the door and fought to pull her jeans off while listening for Ray coming up the stairs. She finally tossed her jeans aside and leaned against the wall and put her hand to the door so she could close it behind Ray when he entered the room.
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Alex looked at Gene as he left and sighed as she returned to her desk. At least someone was taking Sammy out of Nursery early today. Though she wasn't sure that letting Gene go was such a good idea, especially seeing as last time he got so worked up about it.
She shook her head to herself and picked up her pen once more.
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The woman at the desk looked up and met the angry gaze of Mr. Hunt.
"Mr. Hunt, we are doing everything we can to stop the bullying. We make sure to keep the boys separate from your son, and split them up from their little group to encourage them to socialise more with the other children," she said.
"We've also informed the parents and have had words with all of the boys," she explained as she caught the eyes of one of the girls who had come out. She took a look at Gene then nodded. Minutes later, Sammy hurtled out of the door, his bag swinging from his arm and he attached himself to Gene's leg happily.
Gene leaned over the desk and narrowed his eyes at the woman.
"I'm not sure you've done enough. So, you can tell them from me, DSI Hunt that I know who the boys are now. And if this business does not stop, I'll have all of them locked up as young offenders. Asbos at age 5," he said and tutted. Gene bent over and swung Sammy up into his arms. He gave the woman another look and then headed out of the nursery.
"We're going for lunch and then to the park, how does that sound Sammy-boy?"
He carried his son to the car and drove them to a café near the flat for burgers and chips and then to the park.
The woman watched Sammy leave with his hulk of a father and sighed as she jotted down a note to remind her. She eyed Sammy's delighted face over his fathers shoulder as they left and sighed. The little boy hadn't smiled like that all day.
Sammy grinned eagerly and nodded. "Yes!" he beamed at his Dad.
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Lucy hid out in the bathrooms; she simply could not show her face like this. She looked down at her paint-covered uniform and sighed. She grabbed up another paper towel and finished wiping the paint off her face. She was completely humiliated, but it was also interesting how they'd got that paint thing to blast paint on her when she opened her locker. She was just glad she had stopped using her locker, although all her spare uniforms were at home.
She glanced at her watch. She was almost done for the day, she could no doubt sneak away she reckoned. If she got caught, she would show them what had happened and say she'd had an accident. The last thing she wanted to do was grass the others up. She still hoped it would stop. She pulled off her uniform shirt and wadded it up and put it in a plastic carrier bag and then pulled on her jacket and zipped it up. She slung her handbag over her shoulder and left the bathroom. At least she'd got all the paint off her face, though she was sure there was still some in her hair.
She kept her head down and hurried down the hall, and distractedly ran right into Chris.
"Sorry," she muttered and glanced up at him.
"It's all right love, hey, what happened to you?" he asked as he caught sight of the paint in her hair and noticed her uniform shirt in the plastic bag she was carrying.
"Oh, nothing…just had an accident. I'm heading out home now, so it's fine. My own fault," she told him.
"Look, if people are bothering you, well, it's a bit much if you know what I mean. Pranks are normal, but I have to wonder if things….."
"It's fine, really, sir, I'm fine. You're kind to worry about me, but you don't have to," she told him and hurriedly snapped her mouth shut before she said anything else…like what she'd overheard his wife and his mate discussing. "I have to go," she said and pushed past him and half-ran down the hall.
He watched her go and walked purposefully back to the main room and over to Alex's desk.
"Ma'am, I really think you should talk to Trainee Beale's superiors and find out what is going on," he told her shortly.
Alex looked up at Chris and frowned. "I spoke to her and she told me not to get involved," she murmured to him as she stood up.
"You think there's something really wrong going on?" she asked him.
"I just ran into her, she'd just been in the ladies'. There was paint in her hair and it looked like she'd cleaned some off her face and her uniform shirt was in a plastic bag, looked like it had paint on it too an all," he told Alex and watched her stalk off. He pitied whoever was on the receiving end of that temper.
Shaz looked at Chris and frowned as she moved over to his desk and set down a mug of tea on his desk and smiled at him "What's getting at you Chris?" she asked as she perched on his desk and glanced over at Ginger for half a second before looking back down at her husband worriedly.
"Nothing, Shaz, it's nothing," he replied. She'd already pooh-poohed the fact that Lucy Beale might be getting worse than usual hazing, he wasn't about to start going on about it again. "I need to go get the kids, need us to pick owt up?" he asked as she grabbed the car keys from his pocket.
Shaz frowned at him and shook her head. "No, nothing springs to mind," she told him as she carried on studying his expression.
"Are you sure you're okay, Chris? You look...worried," she told him.
"Shaz, I'm fine I said. I'm going now," he said sharply and strode out of the room. He sighed as he unlocked the car and climbed inside. He hoped he hadn't caused more problems for Lucy Beale, she already had enough.
He drove to the nursery and picked up the kids and then headed for the restaurant to drop off the twins.
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Alex marched briskly down the corridor into the main office and opened it without knocking. She stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips looking at Sergeant Blake. "Care to tell me what's going on with Lucy Beale?" she asked him coldly.
Sergeant Blake looked up. "I hadn't heard there was a problem with PC Trainee Beale," he replied shortly. "Or is it yourself that has a problem with her? She's my trainee and she's doing a good job so far," he told her.
Alex narrowed her eyes at him and folded her arms. "I haven't got a problem with her, but I think the way that she's being treated by your staff is unfair and uncalled for!" she snapped at him. "As the officer in charge it's your job to do something about it, and I suggest you do it quick!" she half-growled at him.
"I wasn't aware there was anything wrong with the treatment of Trainee Beale, she's certainly said nothing to me," he snapped back as he stood up. "So why don't you tell me exactly how she's being treated. Bear in mind, ma'am, that such things are normal with trainee officers."
He put folded his arms and waited for her answer, knowing the eyes of the other officers were on him, but not caring. He wasn't going to bow and scrape just because she was married to DSI Hunt.
"Such things are not normal to the extremes being taken where Lucy Beale is concerned!" she scowled at him in reply. She hated trying to talk to people that weren't in CID; they were always so disrespectful and arrogant.
"She doesn't seem to have said anything to anyone, but members of CID have noticed that things are being taken way too far," she added angrily. She didn't care that the rest of the officers had gone silent to listen to their conversation, she was a DI and she was going to be taken seriously!
Sergeant Blake frowned at Alex. "I'll look into it, but if Trainee Beale still says there's nothing going on, then there really isn't much I can do. If she says there's nothing then I have to take her word for it don't I, otherwise, it looks like I don't trust her at all. How would that look, for me not to trust a fellow officer?"
He cocked his head at Alex.
"Maybe whoever has seen all this supposed 'worse than usual treatment' simply has a soft spot for her? She's a lovely girl after all," he suggested.
"Or maybe there is some substance to what he's saying!" she snapped back. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Just watch out for her Blake, she's still only young after all," she told him and turned around and glared at the group of PCs that were still listening to their conversation.
"I watch after all my officers, DI Hunt," Blake shot back. "And Beale is a police officer in training. If she can't handle a little hazing and some practical jokes, then maybe she should find another profession."
"Haven't you lot all got work to be doing!" she snapped at them before marching back to her desk in the other office.
He narrowed his eyes as he watched Alex stalk away. Bloody CID sticking their noses in.
Alex scowled and looked up at Shaz and Ginger. "I really hate that Blake!" she said darkly.
Shaz looked at Ginger and shrugged.
Ginger's eyes widened and he met Shaz' gaze and shrugged back. He wasn't any wiser as to what Alex was on about than Shaz, clearly.
/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\
Ray sat with Rowan on his lap quite happily while he drank down his glass of champagne. He grinned at the others as he put his empty champagne glass down and eagerly followed after Rowan. He smiled as he headed towards the bedroom, no doubt that where she would be. He hoped that's where she was. He grinned as he looked around the room; he saw the clothes on the floor and frowned slightly at the absence of Rowan.
"Ro?" he asked as he pulled his jumper off and dropped it onto the floor.
Rowan watched Ray walk into the flat and go to the bedroom. She bit back a smile and pushed the flat door closed and flipped the latch before leaning against the door.
"Yoo-hoooo," she called out and then posed against the door with her arms behind her back and lifted one foot and put it against the door.
Ray turned and grinned broadly at the sight of Rowan standing there not wearing a stitch. He shed his trousers and underwear before he reached her and swung her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom before toppling with her onto the bed. He grinned at her and smiled.
"So, did you just say yes because they were all watching us, or was it because you really do want to be my wife?" he asked her as he ran his hand down her body slowly. He raised his eyes to her face curiously as he shuffled a little closer to her and lifted his body on top of hers. He dropped his lips to her neck and pressed a trail of kisses along her shoulder.
Rowan closed her eyes and sighed at his touch. She slid a hand into his curls and made him look up from her shoulder.
"Ray, I told you why I couldn't….but you made a good point. I can't help thinking Gem would likely have tanned my hide if I kept letting that fear get in my way. I'm still nervous, I'll admit it, but I'll do it for you, Ray. Besides, what if you got tired of me saying no and decided to leave, I couldn't bear it. You and the twins mean everything to me," she told him softly and pressed her lips to his.
Ray sighed into the kiss and slid his hands into her hair as he broke the kiss.
"I'd never leave you Rowan, never," he told her as he kissed her again. "Where else would I find someone I loved as much as I love you?" he asked her with a frown as he kissed her again. "Stop talking crazy..." he mumbled against her lips.
Rowan smiled against his lips. "How about I stop talking and start screaming," she purred and raised an eyebrow at him as he looked her over.
Ray pulled back and looked down at her with a grin. "Now where to start..." he wondered aloud with a smile at her.
"Don't take too long to decide, the twins will be home soon enough," she reminded him.
Ray smiled at her and nodded. "We'll go with your idea then," he grinned at her as he moved his hands to her hips and pressed his lips to hers then peppered small kisses down her neck until he reached the swell of her breasts. He showered them with attention using his mouth and his hand. His other hand made a slow teasing journey down her body. His journeying hand reached its goal and he stroked her gently, teasingly. His head moved back up to hers for a moment and he stole a kiss from her before inserting his finger into her, he teased her gently as he moved back to her breasts, then began to kiss his way down her belly. He kept going slowly down her body and then replaced his hand with his tongue and lips as he drew small circles on her hips as he held her down gently.
Rowan slammed her head back into the pillow and gasped…oh, he hadn't done this in awhile. They rarely had the time anymore. Her breathing quickened and a long, low moan escaped her lips as she dug her fingers into the bedclothes. She'd say yes more often if this was the result!
She couldn't hold back the scream as she felt herself go over the edge.
Ray grinned as he raised his head and crawled back up her body. He kissed her softly as he smiled at her and moved her legs slightly as he carefully thrust into her with a groan. He opened his eyes to look down at her and his hand slid down her leg to pull it up over his hips. He closed his eyes as he moved and her name left his lips in a small gasp.
He buried his face in her neck before turning his head and planting kisses where his lips were. She had finally agreed, he felt so happy! He increased his pace as he moaned into her neck and pulled his head back up to look down at her as his hands settled on her hips.
Ray's name left Rowan's lips in a moan as she felt him inside her. She moved with him and wrapped her other leg around him as her fingers dug into his shoulders.
She met his gaze and lifted her head to brush her lips to his. "I love you," she gasped out and buried her face against his shoulder as she felt herself getting close.
She felt her body suddenly give a convulsive shudder and she shrieked Ray's name as she came.
She closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath as her body twitched. She took one hand from his shoulder and swiped it across her eyes with a rasping sigh. She caught sight of the clock out of the corner of her eyes. The twins would be home soon. She slid her hands into Ray's hair and kissed him hard.
"You are amazing," she breathed after she broke off the kiss. "But there will be children here shortly, so we have to stop now, much as I am very reluctant to do so," she told him.
Ray panted as he held himself above her and smiled with a nod.
"You wanna tell them we're getting married now? Or sometime later?" he asked her as he pressed another small kiss to her lips.
"Ummmm, let's have an early dinner and then tell them, otherwise we may never get them settled down," Rowan told him.
/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\
Chris led the twins up to the flat and knocked at the door since it was locked.
Rowan looked over at Ray and quickly pulled her shirt on over her head and fastened her jeans. She hurried into the front room and let Chris in and greeted him and her children.
"Thanks, Chris."
"Sure," he replied.
"Is something wrong?" she asked him. He seemed off.
He quickly shook his head. "Nowt, I'm fine," he told her. "Best hurry home with this one," he said and gestured at Olivia and beat a hasty retreat before Rowan could ask anymore questions.
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Whitney looked at her watch and wondered where Lauren was, she usually came home straight after work. She got up and locked the shop and then checked her phone. No messages. She half-smiled…Lauren would be at the pub. She quickly dug out the box where she kept loose change and put enough in her pocket to buy a drink and then hurried to the pub. Sure enough, there was Lauren. She went and sat next to her friend.
"I think it's his day off today," she said as she sat and ordered a vodka tonic from Tracey.
"I know, but I thought maybe he might stop in, you know. I got to talk to him at the restaurant earlier today at lunch, convinced him to give the place another go."
"And I'm guessing it worked?"
"I think so. He's really nice, Whit, I asked him and Annie to come out with us this weekend."
Whitney nodded. "I'm sure I'll be drinking, whether I'm feeling like a party is another story."
"Oh, Whit, it's going to be brilliant. That Bolton is amazing; asking him to help was genius."
Whitney blushed. "Yeah, he's a great mate," she admitted. "He stopped by the shop and had lunch with me today."
"Really? And….?"
"And nothing, we just ate some of that shepherd's pie Mum made for us and had a bit of a chat, that's all."
Lauren sighed and shook her head. "I despair of you Whit, I really do."
"I don't want to ruin things, do I? He's made it clear we're just mates, I can live with that."
Lauren shook her head. "Maybe I should talk to him, see if I can find out how he feels?"
"NO!" Whitney gasped. "You better not and Molly better not either. I knew the two of you were planning something!"
"No, we weren't," Lauren disagreed, her tone overly innocent and Whitney frowned.
"Don't make me call Molly," she threatened and Lauren laughed.
"Go ahead," she dared and took a sip of her drink. "Well, I should get back. I have one more order to finish before Friday when I need to get myself psyched up for the show on Saturday so I better get busy."
She got up, drained her glass and headed out of the pub. She walked over to the Minute Mart and got a pint of milk for in the morning and glanced in the direction she knew the gym was in with a sigh.
She'd wanted Bolton to do a lot more than hug her, she had to admit. She wished he had, but it wasn't going to happen. They were "just mates". She sighed heavily and turned to head back to the flat.
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Alyssa finished her movie and glanced at the time. Still no Jack. She sighed as she dropped the empty ice cream tub onto the floor and let the spoon drop into it. She pulled her clothes off and grabbed her pyjamas from under her pillow and changed into them. She snuggled under the covers as she started another movie and grabbed her glass of wine. She sipped it and pushed her worry for Jack aside. He'd be home.
She grabbed her phone off the side and looked at her texts. Nothing from Jack. She bit her lip.
"Let me know you're okay!"
She put her phone next to her leg on top of the covers and took a larger gulp of her wine as she distracted herself with the movie.
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Jack winced as his eyes slowly opened. He slowly slid his hands over the soft female for next to him and turned his head to take in the soft fall of blond curls on his chest. Blond curls? But Alyssa's hair was red! Where was Alyssa? He quickly sat up and immediately regretted it as a shaft of pain shot through his skull. He grabbed his head and moaned and then looked down at the woman next to him. He remembered now. It was Annie from the pub. She'd been kind enough to help him to the B&B and he'd…..he sighed and felt guilt wash over him. He'd cheated on Alyssa. The fact they'd had a row and it looked like Alyssa might leave him was no excuse!
He quickly slid from the bed and into the bathroom where he splashed cold water on his face. He looked at himself in the mirror and frowned. Bastard, he said to himself and grimaced at himself in the mirror. He had to get out of here. He had to see Alyssa. He had to get to work. He caught a whiff of the smell of beer radiating from him and realized he needed a shower first. He quickly got in the shower and began to scrub himself furiously, trying to scrub away everything from the night before.
/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\
Annie awoke to the sound of the shower running. Last night had been truly amazing! She hadn't had an experience like that in a long time! She sat up and began to gnaw her thumbnail. How could she do this to Charlie though? Convince him to move all this way and then first opportunity, shag someone else. She quickly stood up and pulled on her clothes. She needed to get home to the flat and try and convince Charlie that everything was okay. She paused a moment. But should she? Charlie wanted to go home anyway. Maybe this was for the best?
She shook her head. She needed to talk to Charlie and sort this out. She pulled on her shoes and crept out of the room. Probably best she didn't disturb the man in the shower. She slipped quietly out the door and moved as quickly and quietly as she could to the door of the B&B and slipped out, she never saw Kim standing at the top of the stairway and watching her go.
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Rowan opened her eyes and blinked as she yawned. She was sore, but it was a wonderful sore. Ray had locked the bedroom door after they'd put the kids to bed and with an unprecedented amount of stamina, had proceeded to ravish her nearly all night. She felt completely wrung out and completely and utterly sated and satisfied. She'd barely been able to keep up with him. She hadn't thought agreeing to marry him would affect him quite that way. She glanced at the clock. She was going to have to get moving!
She carefully untangled herself from Ray and pulled on her dressing gown with a wince. Yes, definitely sore. She padded down the hall and into the bathroom, hoping a long, hot shower would go a long way towards easing some of the aches.
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Alyssa woke groggily and pulled the duvet closer around her before snuggling backwards. She frowned when she hit nothing but more duvet. She turned her head and looked at the empty, untouched space in the bed next to her. He hadn't slept here last night. She sat up sadly and grabbed her phone from the side: no texts either. She bit her lip worriedly and rang his number. Voicemail. Alyssa shut off the call. She hadn't heard his phone ring anywhere in house either. He hadn't come home.
Alyssa felt cold all of a sudden and gathered the duvet even tighter around her. He hadn't come home! What if something had happened to him? He hadn't been good when she left him; she'd left him riled up, upset and angry! What if he'd gone and done something stupid! She jumped out of the bed.
"Jack?" she called out hopefully as she dashed down the stairs and checked every room. Nothing. She sighed heavily and ran back upstairs to grab her phone. Still nothing. She rang his phone and got his voicemail again.
"Jack, please call me and let me know you're okay! You didn't come home last night! I'm worried," she said and ended her message. Alyssa sighed and fell onto the sofa, she glanced over her shoulder at the clock on the mantelpiece and felt queasy. Her appointment at the hospital was in a few hours. She hoped Jack called her before then. She hoped he came home before then!
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Ray shifted as he felt Rowan's warmth leave him. He opened his eyes silently to watch her leave the room and stretched out luxuriously in the bed. She had agreed to marry him and overcome her fears. He felt so happy! She wouldn't want a huge wedding, something small. She didn't like massive occasions. They would do whatever she felt comfortable with doing; so long as they were legally wed he really didn't care. Even just him, Rowan, the twins and a few friends would do nicely. In fact, that's all he wanted.
Ray sighed as he heard chattering coming from the twins room and he grabbed up his pants and dressing gown before venturing out towards the twins' room. He peered inside and raised his eyebrows.
"Who's awake and wants to watch cartoons in the big bed while we wait for breakfast?" he asked quietly
The twins' heads swiveled towards their father's voice.
"ME! ME!" Claire shrieked and Denis simply raised his hand and bounced excitedly before climbing off the bed.
Claire saw Denis heading for their father and quickly slid from her bed and raced across the wood floor and slammed into her father, quickly wrapping her arms around him. She shot a smug look at Denis, who ignored it and simply gave his father a brief squeeze and a smile.
"I go down," Denis informed them and began to carefully climb down the steps using the handholds to the side of each step that his mother had insisted be put on to help the twins climb up and down.
Claire looked at her father and gave him a sunny smile and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You smell like cin-mon, like Mummy," Claire informed him.
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Rowan finished in the shower and hurriedly dried off when she heard Ray climbing up the steps to the twins' room. She rushed into the bedroom and hurriedly pulled on some clothes and had sat down to pull on her socks when Denis walked into the bedroom.
"Mummy," he greeted her and Rowan picked him up and swung him up into the air as she dropped to her back on the bed.
"Pumeeedown!" he shrieked as she held him up over her head and grinned up at him. She teased him by leaning to one side and almost putting him down and then moving so he was held up in the air over her again as Denis shrieked with laughter.
"Okay," she finally said. "What's the magic word?"
"P-peeease," he gasped between laughter and she finally put him on the bed.
"What do you want for breakfast?" she asked him.
"Bacon!" he crowed and she chuckled. As bad as his father. She flipped on the TV and handed Denis the remote before going into the kitchen and getting breakfast started. She pulled out her phone after tossing the bacon in the pan to cook and sent off a text to Alyssa.
"How went appointment yesterday? I hear nothing from you!"
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Jack quickly dressed in last night's clothes and left the room. He nodded at Kim, who gave him a look he couldn't translate. He shrugged it off and put the key on the desk before heading out the door and walking home.
He quietly let himself in and strode quickly up the stairs. He carefully peered into the bedroom, no Alyssa. He almost felt relieved. He quickly shed last night's clothes and got dressed in clean ones. He went into the bedroom and gave himself a quick shave and brushed his teeth before bounding back downstairs to put the kettle on, once again not thinking to look in the front room as he passed it.
Alyssa looked up sharply as the door opened and she listened to footsteps going upstairs. Jack's footsteps. She sat silently and let herself calm down, he was home. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back onto the sofa and sighed in relief.
She looked up as his footsteps passed the front room and she stood and followed him to the kitchen. He didn't look injured. Good. She marched up to him and punched his shoulder.
"Do you have any idea how worried I've been!" she said. "You stay out all night after we've had a row and don't bother replying to my texts or answering my calls! I thought something had happened to you Jack!" she told him, her little tirade ending in another relieved sigh and she closed her eyes.
She opened them again and stared up at him. "Where the hell were you Jack?" she asked him, her anger fuelled by her dissipating worry. She could hear her phone bleeping in the other room where she had left it and ignored it for now.
Jack looked at Alyssa in surprise. He thought she'd walked out on him.
"You left without a word; I didn't know what to think. I went to the pub and got drunk and stayed at the B&B," he told her shortly and poured the water into his mug. He spooned sugar into his mug and then turned to lean against the counter and look at her steadily.
"So, what now?" he asked her. He vaguely heard her phone beeping and wondered who it was, but chose to say nothing. He simply sipped his tea and waited for her reply.
Alyssa frowned at him.
"And not replying to my texts? I trust you have a reason for that!" she added as she folded her arms. "I sent you, what? 4 texts? And called you at least twice Jack! Were you trying to drive me out of my mind with worry because if you were then you almost succeeded!" she told him as she watched him with a morose expression.
Alyssa shrugged. "I haven't really thought about it, Jack! I've been too worried about you to even think about it!" she told him and looked at him properly, taking in his clothes. "Seeing as you're dressed for work you may as well go," she said quietly.
Jack pulled his phone out of his pocket and tossed it down in front of her. "It's dead," he told her sharply.
"I don't know why you're getting so angry with me; you're the one who walked out of here without a word. I didn't know where you went or what you were doing, but that didn't seem to bother you."
She went and sat at the kitchen table and sighed as she rested her cheek on her fist. Her gaze flicked over to him and she simply sat and stared at him silently for a moment. "You're right about what you said yesterday, I don't know what you're feeling," she said after a while. "But I do know what I want, and I want this to be over so that we can forget about it. And, Jack, I just can't deal with this if you're there, too," she told him. "I don't know how to explain to you in a way you'll understand," she sighed.
He watched her sit down and then drank down the rest of his tea. He put the mug on the counter and folded his arms and looked at Alyssa.
"Fine, I guess I'm going to work then. There's no point in me hanging around and trying to find out about things that don't seem to concern me that have to do with my wife who doesn't seem to need me. That's fine," he said flatly and grabbed his car keys from the hook and slammed out of the house. He didn't have his phone, but what was the point? It was dead and he didn't have time to wait around to charge it.
He climbed into the car and listened to the tires squeal as he pulled away from the house quickly and drove away.
Alyssa looked down at the phone in front of her hand immediately regretted her accusatory tone; she looked up at him apologetically. She was sorry for the anger, but not for being worried about him!
Alyssa watched him go with a heavy sigh and winced as the door slammed behind him. She picked up his phone and pressed the buttons aimlessly as she looked down at it, why couldn't he understand? She sat up and grabbed the phone charger from the top of the fridge and plugged it in for him before going back to the front room and grabbing up her own phone. She saw the text from Rowan and paused before replying.
"Going back to the hospital today. Ectopic," she sent back before pulling her knees to her chest and resting her chin on them as she clutched her phone in her hand. She felt like she wanted to cry, but for some reason the tears just wouldn't come.
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Ray watched his son climb down the stairs with a fond expression on his face before turning his attention to Claire. He chuckled as he picked her up.
"Well, yeah, I suppose I do," he grinned at her. "It happens when I spend the entire night hugging your Mam," he explained as he made sure Denis was all the way down before setting Claire back on the floor and watching her climb down. He waited until he knew that she was safely at the bottom before going down as well.
Ray passed Claire and headed for the bedroom to see Denis with the remote. He grinned as he climbed back into bed and gently picked Denis up and set him amongst the pillows at the top of the bed, before making room for Claire on his other side. He looked at Denis and nodded.
"You're in charge, mate," he said to him as he settled himself in his bed.
Denis grinned at his father and gave Claire another smug look, which earned him a narrow-eyed glare from his sister, before settling back and flipping through channels looking for cartoons. Claire watched Denis for a moment and then flopped against her father with a sigh.
"Sooooo, I gets a pretty dress for married right?" she asked Ray and gazed up at him hopefully.
Ray looked at Claire and frowned thoughtfully.
"I hadn't thought about it really," he said to her with a shrug. "Ask your Mam," he suggested with a small smile as he turned his attention back to the TV and smiled at the cartoon that Denis had finally chosen.
Rowan quickly put together several bacon sandwiches, stacked them on a plate and put the plate and a mug of tea for Ray, coffee for herself and sippy cups of juice for the twins an the bottle of brown sauce on the tray and carried it into the bedroom.
Ray's eyes lit up at the sight of the bacon sarnies and he took his eagerly, disentangling himself from Claire to sit up while he ate.
"What did I miss?" Rowan asked and settled on the bed next to Claire. She handed Ray his tea, put her coffee on the bedside table and gave the twins their drinks before passing out paper plates with a bacon sandwich on each one. She put the tray down with the rest of the stack of sandwiches on it and began to eat.
"I was just asking Daddy if I gets a pretty dress," Claire told her mother. Rowan nodded. "I suppose you should have a new dress," she mused and glanced at Ray before taking another bite of her sandwich. She pulled her phone from her pocket. No reply from Alyssa. Odd.
He swallowed. "If Claire gets a dress then what about Denis?" he asked as he glanced over at his son and tilted his head at Denis as he considered him. "What d'you think Denis? You want to wear a suit like your Dad?" he asked.
Denis looked up at his father and nodded earnestly, then looked back at the cartoons as he took another bite of his sandwich.
Ray glanced at Rowan as she looked at her phone and frowned slightly at the look on her face. "What's up?" he asked her quietly.
Rowan turned to Ray. "Alyssa had an appointment yesterday and I've not heard anything from her about how it went," Rowan replied. "That's very unlike her and I'm really worried that something might be wrong."
Rowan noticed the time and looked at Ray. "Are you off today as well?" she asked him curiously. "Because if not, you better get a move on."
Ray grinned at Denis and ruffled his son's hair affectionately as he glanced at the cartoon on the TV screen.
Ray shrugged. "Everything's probably fine, she and Jack are probably celebrating or something," he told her with a suggestive look before returning to his bacon sarnie.
He sighed and nodded. "I am, yes, but it's also my turn to take these two and Olivia to Nursery, so I've got time," he grinned as he looked at the twins.
"You two need to move in a minute and start getting ready!" he told them.
The twins turned identical frowns on their father.
"You said toons!" Denis argued and Claire nodded vehemently in agreement. Rowan leveled her finger at each of them.
"No arguments. Finish your sandwich and go to the bathroom and get washed up then I'll be up to help you with the clothes while your father takes a shower," she ordered firmly, giving them each a stern look. Claire looked muley, but obeyed. Denis gave a small sigh and did as he was told, too.
Rowan heard the phone beep and quickly snatched it up. She read Alyssa's text and gasped.
"NO! Need me to go with?" she sent back. She couldn't let Alyssa go through something like that on her own.
She looked at Ray.
"She's going to the hospital today, she's going to have to have surgery," Rowan told Ray and bit her lip in worry.
Ray frowned at them as they left.
"If you're ready before me then you can come back and watch Cartoons until I am ready!" he called after them.
He lay back against the cushions as he rested the paper plate on his stomach and looked at Rowan.
"Surgery?" he asked and put the plate on the floor and shuffled closer to pull her against him "Why's she having surgery? What's wrong?" he asked her quietly as he hugged her gently.
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Alyssa looked at Rowan's reply text and sighed. She didn't want Jack there. Did she want Rowan there? She didn't know any more. She sighed as she fell onto her side and played with her phone. Jack was angry at her because she wouldn't let him come with her. She just couldn't have him there! She wasn't sure why not but she just couldn't have him there. She glanced down at her phone.
"I don't know. I'll probs come round later though."
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"Keep this to yourself, because I think Jack and I are the only ones who know. Alyssa's pregnant, that's why she was at the doctor yesterday. She's just texted me and it seems the pregnancy is ectopic, which means she has to have emergency surgery. She's going in this morning I would guess," Rowan told Ray quietly.
"She was so happy. I know she always said she didn't want kids, but she changed her mind when she found out she was pregnant. This has got to be a blow," she sighed and pressed her face into Ray's shoulder for a moment.
"I better get them ready," she told him, "and you better shower."
She heard her phone beep again and picked it up.
"Okay, but if you need me there, I'm there. Worried xx," she sent back.
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Kim stood for a few minutes and considered what she'd seen. Jack had come out of the same room as that woman. And just as obviously that woman had been up to some serious activity, Kim nodded to herself. What in the world would possess Alyssa's man to spend the night with another woman? She wondered if it had something to do with the way Alyssa had come into the salon yesterday, she'd obviously been furious about something.
Kim stared at the phone some more and wondered if she should call Alyssa and tell her.
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Lucy smiled and leaned back in her bed. Finally, a day off! A day away from the hassle and abuse her fellow officers seemed to see fit to heap on her. She knew why it was happening. She'd caused many of them a lot of bother when she'd been younger and they were unwilling to see that she might have changed. She would persevere, however. She had made up her mind to be a police officer and that is what she would do.
She checked the time and climbed from the bed. She pulled out her shorts and a t-shirt and after pulling on her trainers and scraping her hair back into a ponytail, set off for her morning jog.
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Whitney caught sight of Lucy jogging past and gave her a wave and smiled when she got a wave in return. She smiled as Lucy jogged up.
"I'm just getting a couple of coffees, what are you up to?"
Lucy shrugged. "Morning jog, and then who knows?" she replied. "See you later."
Whitney waved her off and headed into the restaurant and got the coffees and a couple of muffins. She was glad Jodie had offered to buy. She loved the muffins here. She thought Molly knew how to make them and wondered if she might convince her friend to bake her some if she paid for the ingredients. It was worth a thought.
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Lucy kept jogging and caught sight of Chris rummaging in his car. She jogged around the corner before he could see her and bit her lip as her pace slowed. He'd been so nice to her; she really should tell him what she knew. He deserved to know what a cheating bitch his wife was. But maybe she should pay first.
"Maybe, just maybe, I should take some revenge on her on his behalf," Lucy thought to herself. She gnawed the inside of her cheek as she considered the idea. It could be worthwhile. Then she could swoop in and pick up the pieces when he found out what his wife was doing. She barely nodded to herself and set off home.
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Charlie looked up as Annie entered the flat.
"You're back, I see," he said to her flatly.
"Yes, sorry, I got stuck helping a friend…" she began.
"Don't lie to me, Annie. I know exactly what you were doing. You went to the B&B with some drunk guy and spent the night with him. I'm not stupid, you know," he accused.
"I never said you were stupid, Charlie."
"Then don't treat me like I am."
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean it to happen."
"That hardly makes things better, does it? You convince me to move here with you and first chance you get, you're off with some other guy. How do you expect me to feel?"
"Charlie, please…" Annie pleaded.
"No, and the funny thing is, I was going to give up and then I got to talking over lunch with this local girl and she convinced me that I should give the whole thing another chance. She even invited the pair of us out this weekend with her and her friends; to show us how nice the people are here. Well, seems you already know. You've gotten very friendly, haven't you?"
Annie hung her head. She didn't know what to say. Charlie clearly wasn't going to forgive her.
"I never meant to hurt you. I just…."
"You just couldn't help yourself. It's just the way you are," he added snidely. He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
"Don't go!" she begged.
"I can't stay here with you Annie, not after what you did. You were the first…." he trailed off, unable to say more.
Annie felt tears began to track down her cheeks. She had been his first in just about everything now.
"Don't go back to Shieldinch," she asked softly.
"I don't know where I'm going to go, but I'm not going to stay here. I have to work today so I'll go there, beyond that, I'll wait and see. But I'm not sure I can forgive you, Annie. You knew how I felt about you. You know that I'd never…." he broke off and sighed. "And you knew I'd never had a relationship."
"I know," she said in a small voice.
He looked at her. He wanted to forgive her, but right now, the pain was far too raw. He hadn't realized it would hurt quite this bad. He turned and left the flat and walked slowly to the pub. He would decide what he would do and where he would go after work.
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Ginger slipped down the hall, past DSI Hunt's office, and moved quickly down the hall to the main office hoping no one would notice he was late.
He sat down at his desk with a sigh and grabbed the stack of files from his in-box, catching sight of something white falling to the floor as he did so. He frowned and put the files down and reached down and picked up the white envelope that had slipped from amongst the folders.
He turned it over and noticed his name was on it. He furrowed his brow and quickly opened the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper. He unfolded it and felt his jaw drop. Who had put this on his desk? He quickly folded it back up and placed a file folder on top of it.
"I know what you did," the typed note had said. He wondered what the note was talking about exactly and who had written it.
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Jack sat in his car in the parking lot of the school and stared at the building and all the kids streaming inside. He had thought one day his own son or daughter would be part of that milling crowd. Did he believe Alyssa? Or was she just having it terminated and telling him something else? He wanted to trust her, but she'd always been so adamant about not having children. Then, she changed her mind so quickly. He just couldn't fathom it. He let his gaze linger on the building a few more minutes and then started the car again and drove away. He stopped in front of the nearest pub. He would drink himself into oblivion.
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Kim walked slowly towards the salon, pausing to cast a glance at Alyssa's house. She shook her head and kept walking.
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Ray sighed as he nodded and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "She'll be fine, now she knows she wants kids they can try again," he told her with a small smile. He clambered off the bed and stumbled through to the bathroom and got into the shower. He was quick.
Ray came back into the bedroom and changed ready for work before grabbing up the paper plates left in the room and dumping them in the bin. He smiled as he looked around for the twins and grabbed himself a glass of juice from the fridge as he sat down on the sofa and waited.
"Hurry up! We need to go and pick up Olivia!" he called out.
Rowan shook her head. Ray wouldn't understand and she didn't want to explain to him that Alyssa's chances would be as small as Rowan's were.
She quickly hurried the twins along and called for Ray to catch as she bypassed the wait for them to climb down the steps by simply dangling them for Ray to grab. She hurried down and went with him to put the twins in the car.
She watched him drive off and then headed back inside to go and get to work in the restaurant.
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Alyssa sighed and sent one back.
"K"
She glanced at the clock and pulled herself up off the sofa and made her way up the stairs to get ready.
When she was finished, she stumbled down the stairs and grabbed up her phone. She pocketed it as she grabbed her handbag and left the house. Her appointment wasn't for a while yet, but she intended to walk to the hospital. That would take her some time.
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Shaz sat with Olivia on her lap as she watched Chris with an amused smile on her face.
"You really should get up earlier, Chris," she told him and sighed. "Come here," she said as she put Olivia on the sofa and moved over to straighten his tie. She smoothed out his collar and kissed his cheek with a small chuckle. "There's toast in the toaster," she told him.
Shaz returned to the sofa and Olivia crawled back to her lap. She settled her there and grabbed her toy dog from the floor. She stroked her daughter's hair and frowned at the clock.
"Ray's late," she noted with a small sigh.
"I did get up early, I just couldn't seem to move fast this morning," he griped and stood patiently while she fixed his tie.
He sighed and sat down to wait. They might as well go in together.
"He's not that late," Chris said. "Besides, it's his day off and you know he always runs slow on his day off when it's his turn to drive."
Ray herded the twins into the car and drove quickly to Shaz and Chris'. He left them in the car as he dashed to their front door.
Shaz smiled at Chris as she picked Olivia's bag up and hurried to the door. She raised her eyebrows at Ray who gave her a bashful look.
"There was bacon and cartoons, not my fault," he immediately told her as he held his arms out for Olivia and her bag. Shaz shook her head at him and looked over her shoulder for Chris
"I'm going to start the car, Chris!" she called into the car then turned back to look at Olivia. "Have fun at Nursery, sweetheart," she smiled as she kissed her daughter's forehead and then smiled at Ray.
Ray grinned back and carried Olivia to the car and settled her in the car seat before driving off the Nursery.
Chris followed Ray to his car to make sure Olivia had everything since Shaz was starting the car and gave Ray a slap on the back.
"Enjoy your day off, mate," Chris sighed and headed for the car. He climbed in and got himself belted in so that Shaz could get them to work.
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Ray dropped the 3 children off at Nursery then headed back to the Flat. If there was something wrong with Alyssa then Rowan was likely to be worried which meant that she would need him around. He waved at the kids through the window as he drove off back to the Restaurant.
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Kim went on the cake run and caught sight of Alyssa walking past.
"All right, Lyssa-baby?" Kim asked. She flashed an overly toothy smile at Alyssa, but it quickly fell away as she once again tried to figure out if she should tell Alyssa what she'd seen.
"So, your old man stayed at the B&B last night," she ventured, trying to sound casual.
Alyssa looked up at Kim in mild surprise. "Umm," she said as she tried to gather her thoughts.
"He mentioned something about that, yeah," she said quietly as she looked at Kim distractedly.
"Did you stay there, too?" Kim asked in an overly curious tone. "Only I didn't see you this morning when he left," she said and quickly snapped her mouth shut. She knew she should tell Alyssa. Any woman would want to know if her man was playing away, surely? She just couldn't seem to get the words out.
Annie sat on the bench in the Square and stared miserably at the ground. She had no idea what to do. Charlie would probably leave, without forgiving her and what about that man from the pub? She knew he was married, although it hadn't seemed to matter last night.
She sighed and stood up and started walking towards the cafe. A good cup of tea and maybe some chocolate would help, though she doubted it.
Kim caught sight of Annie walking in the direction of the cafe.
"Oh, my god, it's her," she blurted out before she could stop herself as she gaped at Annie, who was lost in her thoughts and walked unseeing past Kim and Alyssa into the cafe.
Alyssa looked back at Kim and shook her head.
"No, we had an argument and he didn't come home," she said glumly and then said no more. She didn't really want to tell Kim the details of what was going between her and Jack, Kim had issues with keeping her mouth shut and Alyssa didn't want her business spread all around the square.
Alyssa raised her eyebrows at Kim and looked after the blonde that had walked past: that new barmaid. She turned her gaze back to Kim.
"The new barmaid?" she asked, trying to inject some curiosity into her tone, and failing.
"Yeah, she was at the B&B last night," Kim blurted and then stood with her mouth hanging open as she realized what she was about to say and quickly snapped it shut. She cleared her throat.
"I better get back to the salon," Kim said in a nervous rush. How could she have been so stupid. She couldn't believe she'd almost blabbed. But Alyssa should be told!
Alyssa looked at Kim mildly and managed a frown
"Why is that such a shock?" she asked Kim curiously then shrugged when Kim ran off. She was happy to be rid of her. Alyssa was in no mood to try and work out what Kim was trying to say: in fact, she wasn't really bothered.
She sighed and continued on her way.
Kim glanced back at Alyssa and sighed. She should have told her, she should have.