Disclaimer not mine

Talk

"You know what happened to Kate?" Ronnie leant forward and stared at Beth. The younger woman sat back in the chair and glared at him. Arms folded, she looked the typical petulant teenager. Only she wasn't, Ronnie inwardly reminded himself. Beth Barker was a grown woman.

"Well?" Matt asked. "Your little sister is in a coma. Brain surgery."

"Yeah?" Beth sighed "Poor cow."

"More than that. Someone put her in the hospital. Beat the crap out of her, left her for dead. If it wasn't for 'er mate wondering why she was late for work Kate would be dead." Matt glared at the woman as Ronnie spoke. The tape recorder whirred quietly next to him. Beth shrugged her shoulders.

"She's got good mates then" Beth glared at the table.

"Yeah." Matt nodded. "She has. Now, why don't you tell us about the last time you saw your sister?"

"Gran's house."

"When?" Ronnie knew she was lying. The way she avoided looking him in the eye spoke more than any of her words could. "Because, Beth. I don't think that time at your Gran's was the last time you and Kate were in the same room. I reckon." He paused as he watched her. "I reckon you saw Kate the day she was attacked. I reckon it was you that picked up the photo frame and bludgeoned her with it."

"Head injury you said. Hit on the head."

"Yeah." Ronnie nodded before pushing his glasses further up his nose. "Yeah, with a photo frame. Head caved in, lucky she was alive when she was found. Thing is she was awake when she got to the hospital."

"Yeah, you said she was in a coma. Make your mind up."

"She was awake." Ronnie fell silent as Matt spoke. "Until her brain started to swell. What did they call it?"

"Raised intracranial pressure."

"That's it. Ronnie. Raised intracranial pressure. I'm no doctor but they said it's caused when the pressure inside the skull gets too much that the brain can't swell anymore. See the brain isn't like a muscle. When you sprain an ankle it can swell as much as it likes. The brain is different. It's in the skull. A closed box in an adult. No where for it to swell. Nowhere for the pressure to go."

"Am I supposed to cry? Beg forgiveness? What?"

"I want you to understand what hitting Kate with that photo frame did."

"Who says it was me?" Beth glared as Ronnie shrugged his shoulders.

"No one. Only our science guys are really good. And I mean really good. Even though you and Kate are sisters your DNA is different. It's easy enough to pick up Kate's DNA and match it to samples taken already. You have your fingerprints and DNA on record. Assault conviction in 2005? Remember."

"Bitch deserved it."

Ronnie and Matt exchanged glances.

"And did she? Kate, I mean." Ronnie asked. "What did Kate do to deserve it?"

####################

Jake ran a hand over his face as he listened to the rhythmical beep of the machines that surrounded Kate. He was exhausted. The neurosurgery had gone 'as well as could be expected' but he had no idea what that meant.

"Jake?"

"Oh. Hi." Jake looked up to see Natalie in the doorway of the room. "Morning."

"More like afternoon. You look like crap."

"Thank you."

"How is she?"

"Dunno." Jake looked back at the petite blonde. Kate's chest continued to rise and fall steadily as they sat next to her. Natalie noticed Jake's hand was gently holding on to hers. "The nurse sent me to get a shower and something to eat when they changed her dressings and checked her over."

"Ah probably a good idea." Natalie smiled."Last thing Kate needs is to wake up to you waiting away and stinking to high Heaven."

"Thanks." Jake rolled his eyes.

"There's been an arrest." Natalie stated. "Wes is on his way home from Kate's parents."

"Her mum is coming?"

"No." Natalie sighed. "I don't know the details but I get the impression that Kate's parents were a bit on the disinterested side." She watched the machine bleep.

"I could have told you that." Jake narrowed his eyes.

"Elizabeth Barker was arrested by the Drugs Squad last night. When we found out Ronnie and Matt went round there to talk to her. The forensics came back so we know it was Beth that attacked her. Alesha and James are preparing the case. I think we have enough for the CPS to proceed."

"Yeah? James better not mess this up."

"He wont." Natalie smiled slightly, the rivalry was always going to be there. "You know he wont."

Jake nodded as the machines changed their bleeping. He turned his eyes away from Natalie to the machines as he felt Kate weakly squeeze his hand.

"Kate?" He glanced back at his hand linked in with Kate's. "Did you see that?" Natalie nodded before getting to her feet.

"I'll get the nurse." Natalie hurried out of the room as Jake watched Kate's eyes flutter open.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N More soon