The next week Aaron decided that he wouldn't be spending all day everyday cooped up inside Smithy Cottage. Even if it would take forever to get down the street to the Village and tire him out before even got anywhere, he was still going to get out. He had several months stuck with crutches to help to get around, so he was going to have to get used to them sooner or later. He hadn't told Jackson what he intended to do. The older man found out by Moira that she'd seen Aaron hobbling down the street to the café or to The woolpack, meeting up with Adam or Victoria when she finished school. He wasn't too pleased either when he was told Aaron was getting around a bit now. He couldn't help but worry for the younger man. He was a walking accident half the time and he hated to think Aaron could topple over in the street or worse. He couldn't be hundred percent sure Aaron was okay when he was off gallivanting while he worked.

And he was right to be worried. Especially when he received a phone call from Adam.

"I'd hoped you were kidding me when you called!" Jackson shot at Adam as he entered the Barton's kitchen. He'd been at work, halfway through carrying a plank of wood from his van to where he needed it to be, when Adam had called him. He hadn't been at all happy when he was told by Adam that Aaron had fallen over outside in one of the fields. He hadn't a clue what they were doing up there and he hadn't asked. He'd quickly ditched everything at work and came as soon as he heard.

"Yeah, so do I mate." Adam sighed showing Jackson through into the lounge wear Aaron was sitting. The teen was sitting on the sofa, his legs stretched out in front of him on the other sofa cushions. Even from where he was standing he could see the backs of Aaron's trousers caked in mud, he didn't expect Moira to be best pleased when she found the two lads had covered her sofa throw in mud from the fields.

"So what actually happened then?" Jackson asked as he sat down on the coffee table in front of Aaron.

"Look I'm fine!" Aaron protested. He hadn't been too happy when his best mate had called Jackson. He'd only slipped over, no big deal.

Jackson raised his eyebrows and scoffed. "Yeah, you said that last time."

"Honestly Jackson I'm alright!" Aaron argued frustrated that Jackson didn't believe him.

"You still haven't told me how you ended up in the mud." Jackson snapped when neither Adam nor Aaron had come forward to explain.

Adam let out a nervous laugh. It took a lot to get Jackson this annoyed, he was usually easy going. "It's a funny story really. . ."

"Really? Cause at the moment I'm not finding any of it funny." Jackson shot at him causing the younger man to shrink away back in to the kitchen.

"I'll leave you to explain this one Aaron." Adam said as headed to the kitchen.

"What a mate you are!" Aaron called after him.

"Well . . ."

"I went with Adam into the fields with Clyde-." Aaron started.

"Please don't tell me Clyde pushed you over. I did tell you it was a matter of time before he-."

"No, he didn't!" Aaron snapped, angry that Jackson was blaming Clyde once more. He knew he didn't like Clyde that much, but there was no need to assume the worst of him. He was a gentle giant. "I slipped over!"

"What were you doing going in fields in the first place?" Jackson demanded.

"Like I said earlier, I went with Adam." Aaron hissed growing frustrated once more.

"Let me take a look at your leg." Jackson ordered already kneeling on the floor to get closer to Aaron so he could reach better.

"What? No! I'm alright. My leg's fine!" Aaron reminded him.

"Sorry Aaron, but I can't take your word for it." Jackson said going to pull Aaron's trouser leg up. He just wanted to know for sure Aaron's leg was okay.

Aaron quickly grabbed Jackson's hand and slung it back to him roughly. "You're not a doctor Jackson!"

"Look guys, if it helps I don't think Aaron hurt himself when he went down." Adam commented from the kitchen doorway.

Jackson glared at him.

"I knew this would happen." Jackson sighed sitting back down on the edge of the coffee table.

"What do you mean you 'knew this would happen'?" Aaron mimicked childishly.

"I just knew that something bad was going to happen." Jackson explained. He knew it was silly of him to be so protective over the teen, but could anybody blame him?

"You can keep me locked up in that house forever you know!" Aaron shouted at Jackson. "I've got to go out sometime and not just when you're with me."

"Yeah I know that. . ." Jackson breathed. It was the last thing he wanted Aaron to feel was suffocated by him.

"Then why are you being like this for!"

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry Aaron." Jackson sighed. "It's just I don't want to see you get hurt again."

Aaron smirked and tried to fight back a little laugh.

"What?" Jackson snapped, this time not annoyed like before.

"You!" Aaron exclaimed. "You're like an old woman."

"Am not!"

"So are!" Aaron laughed as Jackson pulled a face.

"Where's Clyde anyway?" Jackson asked, he hadn't seen Clyde when he came in, changing the subject away from him being compared to an old woman.

"Outside." Aaron answered.

"Why?"

"Do you want to explain to my mum why everywhere would be covered in mud if we let him in?" Adam chuckled as he walked back into the lounge.

"No but, I think Aaron might have to." Jackson laughed. "Have you seen the state of his trousers?"

"No why?" Adam asked anxiously.

"Well. . . they're covered in mud." Jackson told him.

"Oh no!" Adam cried out as Aaron hopped to his feet.

"Oops." Aaron cringed noticing the muddy cream throw laid out on the sofa. "I think we should be going now."

"Hang on-." Adam called out as Aaron wasted no time hoping to the front door were he had left his crutches.

"See ya!" Aaron called back as he left quickly, leaving Adam to explain the throw to his mother.

"He is not getting in my Van!" Jackson told him leaving no room for any argument as they rounded the corner and saw Clyde tied up. The dog was soaking wet and covered in mud. "How on earth did he get that mucky?"

Aaron shrugged his shoulders. "He's a dog."

"Yeah I know that." Jackson said rolling his eyes.

"I'm not leaving him here." Aaron told him.

"Well he's not getting in my van like that!"

"I'll walk him home then." Aaron said without thinking.

"No you will not. It's at least a mile down the road and you would never last all that way on your crutches." Jackson told him. "Besides he'd pull you over."

"Here we go again . . . should join Betty and Edna down the pub later, you should." Aaron teased.

Jackson fixed Aaron with a pointed glare, before giving in. "Fine! He can get in the van, but you're cleaning it out!"

"Deal." Aaron said, knowing that Jackson wouldn't have him cleaning his Van out afterwards.

That evening Paddy, Hazel, Rhona, Jackson and Aaron headed down to the pub for a few drinks. The Woolpack was fairly busy, considering it was a Friday night. There had been no more mentions of heading into town since the last trip out. They had to make do with seats at the bar as the majority of the tables in The Woolpack were filled by other locals whilst others weren't easily accessible for Aaron with his leg.

"Can I get you another?" Diane asked Paddy as he finished the last of his drink.

"Eh, yeah, same all around please." Paddy told her looking to see how the other's were dealing with their drinks.

"Coming right up." Diane smiled as she went to pull another pint.

They'd already had a couple of pints each, not including Aaron who was still stuck with coke or orange juice. He wouldn't be soon though, another week and they were going to start to dwindling his medication down until it stopped. The last thing they wanted was for Aaron to be addicted to them. Not that he would allow himself to get dependant on them.

"I'm going to shoot myself if I have to go out on another call out for Mr. Solomon again!" Rhona cried exasperatedly after she finished retelling her terrible events of that afternoon.

"Frightened he might chase you again." Aaron teased with a huge grin on his face. He loved winding her up.

"No!" Rhona said quickly. "I just . . ."

"You just what?" Jackson asked, joining in.

"Oh. . . so you want to be chased." Aaron winked as Rhona began to get rather flustered.

"Of course not!" Rhona shot at him, pink creeping across her cheeks. "I-I just . . ."

"I-I. . .J-Just . ." Jackson started to mock making Aaron laugh.

"Admit it, you want a bit of 'Mr. Solomon'!" Aaron teased waggling his eyebrows at Rhona.

"You two. . ." Paddy half heartedly scolded them before deciding better of it. "I'm sure what Rhona and Mr. Solomon have together is more than what your insinuating."

Rhona swiftly turned round and slapped Paddy across the arm. "I'll have all of you know that Mr. Solomon is the only one holding any sort of feelings like that!" Rhona told them sternly. "I do not in anyway share those feelings at all. I'm simply keeping things professional."

"Yeah but . . . if you didn't have to be 'professional' you would wouldn't you?" Aaron pushed, enjoying watching Rhona squirm.

"Boys, behave." Hazel chipped in giving Rhona a helping hand. "Leave her alone."

"Whatever." Aaron sighed returning back to his drink, still happy with winding the female vet up.

"Two large white wines please Diane!" He heard Holly exclaim as she rushed up to the bar, drawing his attention to her.

She didn't look right. Her eyes were huge and glassy. Not to mention she looked a little too . . . happy? He just hoped it wasn't connected to what he suspected to be going on.

"You look happy." Aaron commented over Paddy.

"What's it to you, can't a girl enjoy a night out?" Holly snapped at him as she drummed her fingers on the bar.

"As long as it doesn't involve anything else." Aaron sneered at her noticing how on edge she was.

"Oh give it rest will you Aaron!" She hissed as she handed Diane the money for her drinks and walked away.

"Aaron-." Paddy started not missing anything that had happened while he'd sat between them.

"Don't start Paddy." Aaron snapped, slipping off his bar stool and following Holly to the toilets where she was headed after leaving her drinks at her table with her new friend.

He waited outside the woman's toilets for Holly to come back out. Ready to pull her to one side and have a quite word with her, he didn't want to see her get messed up with drugs. He knew what it done to people.

As she came out from the toilets, Holly rolled her eyes upon seeing Aaron leaning up against the far wall by the bar doors. "Can't you just leave me alone!" Holly shot at him.

"Sorry, I can't and I think you know why." Aaron said as she headed for the pub doors.

"Just leave me alone!" Holly exclaimed reaching for the doors.

"No! You're gonna listen to what I have to say." Aaron demanded grabbing her arm to stop her from going any further.

As Holly tried to pull away a clear packet landed on the floor, from out of her pocket. Two small pills were visible. It was a race to be the one to snatch them up off the floor before the other. Even with one leg strapped up in splint Aaron still managed to get there before her. Snatching them up in his hand and holding them out of reach before she could.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't go through and tell you mum what you've been getting up to." Aaron threatened as he dangled them in the air.

"You wouldn't dare." Holly hissed, pure anger visible in her eyes.

"Oh I would." Aaron promised.

"You wouldn't understand." Holly told him reaching out to snatch them from him.

"Uh!" Aaron sounded snatching them further out of reach.

"Everything alright?" Jackson asked as he joined them, wondering what was going on.

Quickly, Aaron stuffed the pills into his pocket. "Yeah sound, just asking Holly if she could tell me if Adam has fixed his quad bike already." Aaron lied. Jackson didn't need to know. He had enough going on as it was with him, let alone another teen's problems brought into it all. He was going to deal with it himself. Jackson would only insist that he go to the Barton's. He couldn't do that to her, what Paddy done to him. It wasn't fair. They could sort it.

"Oh eh? Didn't know it was broken." Jackson said looking between Holly and Aaron suspiciously. "Besides you're not getting on that thing for a long while as yet."

"Yeah I know." Aaron sighed, glaring at Holly hoping she would have sense enough to play along.

"Yeah, he's fixed it." Holly said icily. "Now if you don't mind, Roz is waiting for me."

"Course not!" Jackson said, holding the door open for her. Once Holly was back in the bar, Jackson turned to the younger man. "Want to explain what that was all about?" Jackson asked still not believing the lie he'd just been fed.

"Like I told you, I was asking about Adam's Quad bike." Aaron lied again. He hated lying to his boyfriend, but he didn't want to expose him to this. It was too much to handle as well as everything else.

Jackson made a disbelieving sound in his mouth as Aaron glared at him. "Fine whatever."

"I'm going back inside." Aaron told him before he did.

He wasn't stupid. He knew something more had gone in between Holly and Aaron before he interrupted. He knew the two of them had history between them, but he had thought it had all been cleared and put in the past. So it wasn't anything to do with an old argument they had together from when they were an item. It had to be more than that. He'd never seen Holly look so angry before. She was always so happy and laid back, quick on her feet. He could have cut the tension between them with a butter knife. He would just have to try and work out the truth on his own.

A/N – Another update guys! Hope you enjoy this, I really am enjoying writing this. Had a little struggle halfway through with the update, but I sat here and was determined to overcome it today whatever happened! You guys were going to get your daily update, no excuses! I love all the feedback I've been receiving from you all, like I said before it helps immensely!