Okay, here I go again :D It has been really relaxing to write fanfics, almost like a therapy or meditation! :D

...

They sat there, waiting for any news of Nick. It had been almost two hours since they had taken him to the operation room. Phil had stayed with Kate because he knew Kate needed some company. She was biting her nails and looking at the blank space in front of her.

Then the doctor came out of the operation room.

"Are you relatives of the patient?" He asked.

"Yeah, I am his wife and PC Bellamy is his colleague. He needs to know too." Kate immediately stood up and she was really eager to know his husbands condition.

"Okay. The operation went fine, but the shot pierced right trought his ribs so he needs a lot of rest before he can get back to work",the doctor told them,"and he also lost a great volume of blood but I think the transfusion succeeded so right now we just have to wait."

"Can I see him?" Kate inquired.

"Not right now. We are moving him to recovery room and he needs to have a little sleep. But I think that if you come back after two hours you may see him."

"Thank you, doctor." Phil said, relieved to hear Nick would be okay.

Kate was really relieved to hear her husband was going to make a full recovery. She wanted to see him as soon as possible but she knew she had to wait. Meanwhile she could go and have a cup of tea somewhere nearby.

...

"Nick is going to be alright. The doctor said hovewer that he needs a lot of time to make a full recovery." Phil informed their sarge.

"Well, it's good we found him so soon. Did you find anything related to James Malton?" Sergeant Blaketon asked.

"Nothing special, but I think Nick tried to tell me something but I insisted him not to talk. He said something about that man planning something, but I think even he didn't know what." Phil said. They were silent for a moment but then Alf figured something out.

"I think it was too easy for us to find him. I mean, he was still pretty close to the police house. Don't you think he should have hid him better if he didn't want us to find Nick? It seems pretty weird to me at least." Sergeant Blaketon though for a little while.

"Maybe he was only tryint to buy some time when we were looking our constable?" He suggested.

"That could probably be the case. Should we start to check Malton's backgrounds if he would have something connecting him to Aidensfield?" Alf asked and Blaketon gave him a nod of agreement.

"That would probably be for the best. Both of you, put away that paperwork for a while! We need to find out what he is planning!"

"Yes sarge!" Phil and Alf said: they were really happy to do something else for a while.

They started to check James Malton's backgrounds and made a few calls to his relatives. They found out he had spend his childhood in an old farm and he had had a really bad argument with his neighbour's child. They had fought over which one of them could marry one girl. The girl had died in an accident. But it was apparent he was still angry to his neighbour.

"Where does this neighbour live or work nowadays?" Phil asked and Alf picked up a phone to make a call. After a while he reported:

"He works at the local bank! We need to get there as fast as we can!"

"Well what are we waiting for then?!" Blaketon shouted and they set off.

...

Nick was starting to wake up. He felt a little dizzy because of the medication but he was still able to feel a very familiar hand holding his hand.

"Hello Kate" he said,"or actually Kates" he added when he saw the little girl standing besides Kate.

"How are you, Nick? You scared us you know." Kate asked worried.

"I am fine. Maybe feeling a little odd because of the medication but I don't have any pains." Nick informed and felt relieved to be free again.

"Yeah I think they gave you a good dose of painkillers but they said you are gonna make a full recovery", Kate told Nick," but you need to rest, okay? Do you need anything from home?"

"Not now at least. I will inform you if something comes to my mind. Do you know what's going on at police station?"

"I don't know much. They recognised the criminal though. His name was James Malton if I remember correct. This little girl had seen him coming out of the other car in that head-on collision."

"Well but it won't concern me for a while. Thank you Kate, both Kates, actually." Nick joked and took more comfortable position and soon he fell asleep.

...

Meanwhile police appeared near the local bank. They went inside and saw nothing special in there.

"Excuse me, is Paul Herrison here?" Sergeant Blaketon asked secretary.

"Yes he is, but he is in a meeting at the moment. Is it something important?" The secretary asked politely.

"Yes it is something rather important. Could you take us to the meeting room if possible?"

"Of course. Hold on a second." the secretary said and asked them to follow her. She knocked the door sligtly.

"Yes?" They heard an answer from the other side of the door.

"Here is Sergeant Blaketon and PC Bellamy. They would like to meet you now." It was silent on the other side of the door.

"It's...not really possible I am afraid. Could they wait for a little?" The secretary turned to face constables and Blaketon nodded.

"Okay, they will be waiting."

They went back to the lounge. Sergeant Blaketon took out the file of James Malton and asked the secretary if she recognised him.

"Yeah, he went to the meeting room with Mr Harrison. Why do you ask?"

"He is a criminal and he probably has got a gun. We have to evacuate the building quietly so that he won't suspect anything, okay?" Blaketon adviced and the secretary nodded.

They started to evacuate the building and took everyone out. Sergeant Blaketon informed other policemen about the situation, explained their plan and went back inside.

...