Alex and Grace arrived at the hospital, but not before the police had. Neither he nor Grace had really stopped to think of the consequences of their plan. They had spent the two hour car journey mostly in silence, surprised and alarmed to find Stevie was in the hospital, and frustrated that the hospital would give them no information.

The plan had worked, it could not be denied, they had found Stevie.

"Let me know please when you find her. I wish to pray for her soul. She would want that. You wouldn't begrudge the poor girl prayer at a time like this would you?" Grace had said to the constable as she flashed her sweetest smile.

The plan had worked a little too well.

"I overheard something, in the confession….about a terrible crime." Grace had told him. "It's a sin for me to repeat this. Things uttered to a priest in confession are sacred." She had led him along, making him feel he had worked hard to pry the truth from her. "But surely there must be justice, Don't you think? Our Lord is a Lord of justice." She had told him. He agreed wholeheartedly.

In the hospital waiting room, realising they would not see Stevie any time soon, Alex and Grace had not much to do but argue about whose fault this mess was.

"It was your stupid idea, I don't know why I listened to you." Alex told her

"My idea? Oh it's all my fault is it? You went along with it." She defended herself. "You're the one that went over the top."

He punched the wall with his fist. Yes he had gone too far. He wanted to make sure the police took him seriously, that they believed him, that they would look for Stevie and not see thorough him. He was so determined to fool them, knowing that they would not look for her just because he had fought with her and she had taken off.

"It's difficult for me to talk about." Alex had said painfully when the police rang him. Less than an hour after Grace had finished her story his phone had rang. He and Grace had been staring at it, waiting for it, and he had rehearsed his lines.

He hadn't expected it to go this far. He only wanted to be with her. He hadn't looked beyond that. The future didn't mean much to him, he didn't have one. He hadn't stopped to think about the mess he would leave behind for Stevie. He had been surprised to find Michelle at the hospital. She and Stevie were far from close, and as the minutes went by his anxiety increased, imagining all the possible scenarios. His own illness grieved him, but thinking of Stevie sick or hurt tore at his heart in a whole new way.

Finding Stevie had not been enough. What good had it done for him, or for her? It was worse somehow to know she was just down the corridor, so close but out of his reach. She will hate him, when she realises the things he has said to the police. She wont understand why. He needed to explain it to her. There was so much he needed to explain. More than that he needed to know she was ok. He could face his own frightening future, but he could not face something happening to her. Knowing she was sick but not what was wrong or how to help ripped his heart even further. This morning he had thought things could not get worse. He was learning fast, there is always room for things to get worse. But he promised himself that if Stevie was ok, he would be happy for that. He wouldn't complain about his own fate or the cruelty of his life being taken. He just wanted for her to be alright. And he wanted, so badly, for her to be in his arms right now.

"I didn't mean for the whole case to be re opened, I just thought they'd make some enquiries." Alex said finally, more to himself than to Grace.

'I have found out some devastating news" Alex had said slowly. '"My wife, she was involved with my fathers murder." He didn't feel bad dragging his dead father into it. Or slandering Stevie's name. He would tell the police it was all a mistake as soon as they led him to Stevie. 'She framed an innocent person.' Alex went on. He had said too much. Far too much. But he honestly didn't think about the consequences.

~

Stevie answered the questions with mild amusement. She knew the questions before the police asked them she had heard them so many times before. It made no sense to her why they were here. She hadn't been alarmed to see them. Even when they started questioning her. She was confident in Sandra's guilt and her own innocence, and confident the world believed that now. It didn't occur to her to panic at being questioned about Harry's murder. All her negative energy was focused on Alex, there was no room for nonsense like this. In fact it was entertaining being visited by the police, a break in the monotony of hospital routine. And the police found her calm manner highly suspicious.

It was only when they mentioned Alex that her heart began racing.

"We've spoken to your husband, Mrs Ryan."

Those words cut right through her. Your husband. Mrs Ryan. But still it didn't quite click for her. The police noticed her change in demeanor and attributed this to a guilty conscience, and fear that her secret had been discovered.

"Your husband has told us what really happened to his father." The police said slowly.

Stevie looked back at them confused. What really happened was no secret. Sandra had confessed. Stevie didn't have anything to add to the conversation and sat waiting for what came next.

"Your husband has told us about your involvement in Mr Harry Ryan's death, and that you coerced another person to confess to the crime, taking advantage of her unstable mental condition."

She suppressed the urge to laugh in that brief moment before it all sank in. It was when she realised they were serious that things began making sense. Under normal circumstances she would have been enraged. She would have proclaimed loudly her innocence, and dismissed it all as rubbish. Sandra was guilty. It was an accident, but one Sandra was responsible for. But her only thoughts were for Alex.

Things fell into place. His absence in Argentina, the strange way he was acting. He believed she had been responsible for his fathers death. She had, in a way. She remembered arguing with Harry that day, and the guilt she felt. She remembered confessing that to Alex. Did he hold that against her? Had he all along? Or did he believe truly she had lied and Sandra was taking the blame for her? How could he have married her if that's what he thought? To get her to confess? To gather evidence to see her convicted of murder? Is it something he just decided today? Or maybe when he was in Argentina it was something he and Nick came up with together?

She had no answers and didn't need them. All that mattered was that he thought she was a murderer. He believed she had killed his father. There was no turning back from that point. There was no way to fix it or change it. That was it.

It wasn't the police and their accusations that taunted her, it was that Alex had started it. Alex who she loved with her whole heart, Alex who she gave her heart to, Alex who she thought knew her and believed in her, Alex thought she was capable of this. It was that which made it impossible to stop the tears that fell. Again this made her look more guilty than anything else, but she had no control over it even if she had been concerned with it. Michelle stepped in at that point and demanded the police leave. They had left, but promising to come back to continue their questioning.

Stevie closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. She wanted to hide forever, from the police, from Alex, from what her life had become. She didn't want to think or talk, only for all of this to disappear. She reminded herself over and over that for the baby she needed to survive this, to fight for her innocence and to be strong even though she felt she would die without Alex at her side. She wanted to explain to Michelle that she was innocent, but she realised she did not have to. Michelle knew it. Her sister who had been estranged for 15 years and had no reason to believe in her, she knew the truth. Stevie may be foolish and stupid at times, but she was not capable of cold blooded murder. Why couldn't Alex see that?

"Alex is here." Michelle had told her. "He wants to see you." Michelle had seen him only briefly where he was begging her to tell him that Stevie was alright, pleading with her to let him in to see his wife, and asking her to tell Stevie that he loved her. She dismissed him, she had no time for him. She had been happy to hear about the marriage and he seemed like a wonderful guy who made her sister happy. But now she was not so sure. He had brought only misery. And to accuse Stevie of being involved with a murder was unforgivable, especially at a time like this. But his sad eyes had got to her, and she felt she had to tell Stevie he was here. "He said he loves you." Michelle passed on the message. He had seemed so sincere when he said it. Stevie did not respond, pretending to be asleep, but Michelle knew she had heard. Michelle wasn't sure what to do or say, or how to make everything ok. She wanted her sister to be happy, to have a family and settle down, but things never quite seemed to workout for Stevie. Trouble followed her around from the day she was born.

Michelle kept talking, unsure of what to say or do, but wanting Stevie to know she was not alone. "Don't worry, I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding. It will all be ok, you'll see." Michelle wondered if it was true, but she said it.

"Your friend is here." Michelle kept talking. "She wants to see you too. The nun."
She hadn't thought of her sister as the religious type, but maybe it was a good thing to have some faith in something at a time like this.

"What nun?" Stevie asked as she opened her eyes, confused and momentarily distracted from Alex.

"Your friend outside, Sister Mary Grace."