Cain had just shut up the garage for the night, finished with work until Monday, when he strolled into The Woolpack for a well deserved pint. He'd been working double, covering for his nephew while he recovered, although he was going to make sure that Aaron made up for all the time off when he got back. He wasn't going to get away to lightly. He took a seat at one of the bar stools and caught Diane's eye once she'd finished serving Moira and John.
"Pint please, Diane." Cain ordered drumming his fingers twice on the bar.
"Coming right up." Diane chirped before she began to take a glass from the shelf.
"Thanks." Cain muttered when she placed the cold drink on the bar in front of him. He gave her the correct amount of money and took the drink to a quiet table by the door. He was glad of the peace and quiet, after the constant barrage of customers and Clients.
Unfortunately though, the quiet bubble he'd found by the door away from others didn't last long. Betty walked through the door and saw him instantly as she scanned the pub nosily.
"Cain! How's chastity?" The older woman asked as she stepped closer to the table.
Cain raised an eyebrow as he sat down his drink. Chastity?
"I don't know how I would be if I ever had a son who told such horrible lies like that! She must be mortified." Betty continued. "I dare say I'm not surprised-."
"Betty, What are you talkin' about?" Cain interrupted, already thinking the woman had lost her marbles.
"Your Aaron, telling tales about that young lad in the paper." Betty explained looking disgusted as she thought about it. "He should be ashamed!"
"Sorry, Betty I still don't follow." Cain laughed lightly. No doubt that old woman was running on about Aaron's thuggish ways. Right now, they seemed well in the past.
Betty pulled a face. "Haven't you seen the paper this morning?"
"If I had, I wouldn't askin' what you're talkin' about." Cain said shortly.
"Well your Aaron is all over it, AGAIN!" Betty managed to say before it clicked and Cain was out the door.
He forgot about his well earned pint in The Woolpack and marched over to Debbie's, flying through the front floor and ripping the newspaper off of the coffee table. He feverishly scanned his eyes across the front page, taking in what Betty had been running on about.
"Dad, what are you doing?" Debbie asked as she came downstairs startled by her dads, noisy entrance as she had been putting Sarah to bed.
"Shh!" Cain snapped as he concentrated on the words.
"So you've seen it then?" Debbie asked, ignoring her dad's request to remain quiet. "It's not true is it, any of it?"
"Of course it's not!" Cain hissed as he searched his pockets for his phone.
"He's sick." Debbie commented. "I hate to think what Aaron's going through right now."
Cain ignored his daughter as he headed into the kitchen, paper still in hand and dialed an important contact.
"Alright mate! . . . Yeah, it's me, Cain." The older mechanic voiced when his call was answered. " . . . Remember that favor you owe me. . . . . ." Cain laughed as he listened to his old friend on the other end. ". . . .Yeah and I expect you heard. . .-course not! . . . I need you to track him down for me, watch him for a while. . . . yeah. . . thanks mate."
"You're not serious?" Debbie scolded, knowing exactly what her dad had in mind.
Cain shot her a look.
"Your stupid, you know that?" Debbie seethed. "He's not going to thank you for it. . . you're only going to make things worse."
"That's where you're wrong." Cain corrected as he walked past her and took a seat on the sofa.
"You can't solve everything with violence." Debbie continued. She didn't want her family involved in violence and crime again.
"Just watch me." Cain snapped throwing the paper back onto the coffee table.
"Dad, you'll be the one getting into trouble." Debbie tried again. She knew her dad had a soft spot for her younger cousin, Aaron.
"Trust me, I won't. It's him who will be in trouble." Cain told her, chewing the side of his index finger. "He cannot get away with what he don't to him or her." Her, meaning Chas, how it's all effected her.
"And he won't." Debbie argued. "If you go about it the right way."
"We tried that! Remember!" Cain yelled. "And look where that got us!"
Debbie sighed. "There's no point talking to you like this." She said marching over to the front floor. "I'm going to The Woolpack, meeting Katie for a drink. Sarah's upstairs asleep, try not to wake her. I won't be long."
Debbie grabbed her coat and pulled it on over her shoulders as she made her way outside into the cold October night. She tugged her phone out of her jeans pocket and sent a quick text to Katie asking her to order in a white wine ready for her. She was just tucking her phone back in her pocket as she climbed the entrance steps to the pub, stepping aside to allow Alan Turner to pass her on his way out. Instead he stopped in front of her and began to ask about the article that most of the village had most probably read.
"I couldn't help but see the article this morning on your Aaron. . .clearly it's not true, is it?" Alan queried careful not to upset anybody.
Debbie rolled her eyes. "Of course it's not. It's that sicko that needs the help!" She snapped before continuing into the pub. She spotted Katie sitting at a table near the bar with Ryan and headed over, taking up the spare seat where a glass of white wine sat waiting.
"Alan just corned me on the way in." Debbie let off as she shrugged out of her jacket and placed it on the back of her chair. "I suppose you've seen the newspaper this morning."
Katie and Ryan nodded. "He's just curious, they all are." Katie tried to justify their actions.
"Not everyone believes what they read." Ryan assured her.
"Well the majority do!" Debbie exclaimed before taking a sip of the wine. Over the top of her glass she could see Brenda, Betty and Laurel shooting a quick look her way.
"Problem?" Debbie called over to them as she set her glass down.
"No there's no problem." Brenda quickly stumbled as the other two turned back round. ". . .well, now you come to think of it. . ." She said after giving it some thought.
"What is it then?" Debbie snapped. She could figure it out in one guess.
"Oh. . .I'd be careful. She's got a nasty streak just like the rest of them, especially that Aaron." Betty muttered to Brenda, but not quiet enough for Debbie not to hear.
"Sorry, Betty?" Debbie shot at her.
"Oh nothing." Betty answered. "I was just telling Brenda a few truths. Your Aaron being one of them!" She added not being ashamed of her blunt crossed wires.
"And what are they then? Especially the ones concerning Aaron." Debbie demanded drawing most of the pub's attention by now.
"Now you come to ask, I think it's disgraceful!" Betty voiced, not cottoning on to the malice in Debbie's own tone. "Whatever happened to that lad when he were younger, has surely messed with his 'ead! No wonder he's off telling lies like that! What with his mother being a stripped and dumping him on his dad when he didn't really want him either. No wonder he's troubled!"
"Is that what you really think?" Debbie asked gravely, before turning to the whole pub as she stood. "Do you all think that? I know you do."
"Debbie. . . "Katie began. She didn't want her friend doing or saying anything she would regret.
The female mechanic shrugged off her friends warning. She needed to put people straight. It would break her Aunts heart if she heard was everybody was thinking about her son. "Just so you all know, every word in that article you read today is a lie. None of it is true!" Debbie told them all. "Aaron never lied about what happened. Why would he? That kid only tells the truth when it comes to stuff like that." She explained. "So if I ever hear any of you doubting his word again, you're going to wish you never had."
"She's right." Ryan announced. "Aaron would never lie about anything like that! Darren is the one you should be bad mouthing."
"Thank you Ryan." Debbie breathed exhausted before turning on Laurel. "And you I expected better. Not gossiping with the local busy body."
Shocked, Laurel didn't say anything. Instead she hung her head low.
"Come on Debbie, that's enough." Katie said from their table, placing a hand on her arm. "Ryan, order another round in."
Over at Smithy Cottage, with the Vases cleared up and in the bin. Aaron and Jackson were sitting in the lounge watching TV with Rhona. Hazel was still over at Bob's with the twins and Paddy had taken an urgent call out on Elderwood farm, a few miles down the road.
"So what happened to those Vases on the side?" Rhona asked just realizing they were missing as she went to put her mug in the sink.
"There was a slight accident earlier." Jackson covered up.
"Oh, as in an accident similar to the one my blouse was involved in earlier?" Rhona questioned from the kitchen.
"Not really." Jackson said as Aaron continued to watch TV.
"-Not that I'm complaining! I hated them." Rhona chirped as she wondered back through. "What's keeping Hazel? It's getting near midnight." She asked checking her watch.
"Who knows with her!" Jackson joked.
"I shan't be waiting up for Paddy. I'm knackered." Rhona yawned as if to emphasis her point. "I'll see you in the morning." She said before heading to her and Paddy's room.
"We should be getting to bed as well." Jackson suggested, as he caught Aaron yawning himself.
"I'm alright at the moment." Aaron told him. "You go up if you want."
Jackson raised an eyebrow. "I've been watching you struggling to keep awake all day near enough." Jackson commented. "Are you sure got any sleep last night?" He asked noticing the dark circles under Aaron's eyes.
"Yeah! I told you earlier." Aaron started.
"-Yeah, I heard. Doesn't mean I believe you." Jackson cut him off. "Come on, we're going to bed!" Jackson told him, not taking no for an answer. If he wasn't going to take care of himself than he would have to for him and if that meant treating him like a child then so be it.
Aaron rolled his eyes and glared at Jackson before tugging himself off the sofa and plucking up his crutches from the side. "C'mon on then." He grumbled as he headed for the stairs.
"Right behind you Livesy." Jackson smirked switching the TV off and flicking off the light on their way out.
A/n – Thanks for the feedback guys! Love to know what you think.