Disclaimer not mine

Have one more day of uni left so hopefully a little more time to write.

Sisters

"Hello." Ronnie stepped into the small hospital room where Kate had spent the last few days.

"Hello." Kate smiled.

"Jake not here?" Ronnie raised an eyebrow.

"He doesn't live here, you know." Kate shrugged as she stepped back towards the bed.

"You'd never guess." Ronnie smiled as she sat down. "Did you hear about Beth?"

"Remanded in custody." Kate sighed. "Yeah, I heard. Look, you, Alesha, Matt, Wes, Jake you can all say what you like but Beth would never have meant to kill me. She just wouldn't. It's the drugs."

"It was the alcohol with me." Ronnie sighed. Kate raised an eyebrow. She knew Ronnie didn't drink at all. He sighed heavily and looked away.

"Eh?"

"You are still new. I forget sometimes that you and Sam haven't been around for ever."

"What?"

"I was a drunk. Almost cost me everything. Did cost me my marriage, my relationship with my girls. Until I was clean at least. Did alot of things I ain't proud of. I'm sure Beth would say the same. But it isn't up to you to keep protecting her. You haven't got to keep blaming the drugs. It's not the drugs. It's the fact she keeps choosing to take them."

"You don't understand."

"Maybe." Ronnie nodded. "But I never had the alcohol poured down my throat. I did it meself."

"Ron."

"You have to stop protecting her. Because, luv, I know she aint gonna protect you."

"She's my sister."

"Yeah." Ronnie nodded. "She is. And to be honest I'm worried about her. Someone put her up to this. Someone knew you were in that flat and that you'd help her."

"Yeah, Beth."

"Not just Beth." Ronnie sighed. "You know she has a boyfriend? One of the most well known heroin pushers in West London."

"What?" Kate glared at him.

"Frankie Morgan. Little toe rag. I arrested him more times than I've had bags of crisps."

"That many?"

"Oi." He smiled at her. "You know how to wound a bloke. But yeah, he's scum and if she owed him money then she would have been pretty desperate. Natalie and Sam are looking into him now. See if we have any concrete way of linking him to your assault."

"Ok." Kate sighed.

"But it doesn't mean Beth is going to walk away. Attempted murder is attempted murder."

"Ron, what if it was diminished responsibility? If she was that scared of him. If this Morgan is.."

"Oh for God' sake!" Jake snapped as he walked back into the room. "The woman bludgeoned you over the head. She knew what she was doing." He ran a hand through his black hair before shaking his head and walking out of the room. Kate swore as Ronnie paused.

"He's right Kate." Ronnie paused. "And you don't need me to say it, but he's a good un. And he thinks the world of you." He got to his feet as Kate nodded once. "Think about what I said. What if she had hit you slightly harder? Slightly more to the left? What would have happened to him? To Jake, if she'd killed you?" He squeezed her hand before stepping out of the room in search of Jake.

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"She didn't get bail." Alesha announced as she walked into her living room. Matt looked up from his position on the sofa and smiled. Lucky was wedged into his side purring as Cameron slept across his chest. The baby stirred slightly at the sound of his mum's voice but stayed sleeping.

"He wont sleep tonight now." Alesha sighed. Matt shrugged his shoulders.

"So? He was tired now."

"Whatever." Alesha yawned. "You can stay up with him. I'm in court at 8 tomorrow."

"Aw, that's ok innit, mate?" He kissed his son's head as the cat stretched. "No bail?"

"No, remanded in custody. Ronnie and Natalie were there. Mentioned a Frankie Morgan? Beth's boyfriend."

"Yeah. Sam found his name when he was going through what the Drug Squad decided we could look at." Matt spoke quietly. "One of the biggest drug dealers in West London. A nasty piece of work. Drugs have been trying to put him in prison for years. Always manages to find a technicality."

"Julian doesn't represent him, does he?"

"I wouldn't be surprised." Alesha groaned. "So, maybe Beth did have a partner in crime after all."

"That's what Ronnie thinks." Matt sighed, knowing his friend would have to find a way to prove or disprove his theory.

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"Oi. Slow down." Ronnie stated as he walked towards the younger man. "What was that all about?"

"Leave it Ron." Ronnie pulled his collar closer to him as the wind cut through his coat.

"Nah, you are as frustrated with that girl as I am. But you know family loyalty. It's all that blood is thicker than water stuff."

"Load of crap." Jake sighed. "You know it and I know it. You've got daughters."

"And they fight like cat and dog at times." Ronnie smiled as he thought of his girls. "But they don't have the hatred in them that Beth clearly does. Mind you, me and their mum have been a bit more interested in them than Kate's parents were in her and her sister."

"Families Ronnie. You can't choose them." Ronnie nodded. "Why? Why is she standing up for her?"

"Because she always has." Ronnie stated calmly. "Habit. It's a habit to her as much as the drugs are to her sister. Now get back there and help her break this habit." Jake raised an eyebrow. "And don't look at me like that. We all know there is something between you two." He turned and walked away, leaving the younger man stood in the hospital car park.

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"Frankie Morgan." Angie walked across the office towards Natalie and Wes as she spoke. "Has been out of prison for two years. Looks like he met Beth at a rehab place in the North of England."

"Great." Matt yawned, knowing Alesha had been right. Cameron had been awake very early.

"So what now?" Sam asked as he sipped his coffee.

"Now." Natalie paused as she looked at her team. "We find out where he is, we bring him in for questioning on the suspicion of conspiracy to murder."

"With what evidence?" Sam asked. Ronnie and Wes exchanged glances.

"We are only asking him to help us with our enquiries. We do this by the book." Natalie stated as Ronnie and Matt left the office, hoping that there would be evidence enough to charge him when they did bring him in.

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A/N more soon x