Her eyes roamed around Katie's dark bedroom. She could just make out the shapes of Katie and Tom, both of whom seemed to be asleep.

Earlier, as Gordon had tried to persuade them to go to bed, they had insisted that they didn't want to be alone for the rest of the night, both becoming quite tearful, clinging to their father, and, much to her surprise, to Jill aswell. After gentle persuasion from Gordon, contradicting her declaration that she didn't want to intrude a moment longer, Jill stayed. And so it ended up with Katie and Tom on Katie's bed, and Gordon and Jill on a small, squeaky, uncomfortable camp bed pushed into the corner of the room. The two constables were downstairs with the kettle and biscuit tin, keeping watch

Her eyes wandered again, focusing on the lamp shade on the ceiling, highlighted by the shaft of moonlight sneaking through a gap between the curtains. She finally settled on the side of the bed which was on her eye level, and then closed her eyes. Sleep however, stubbornly refused to come, resting just out of her reach. Her mind refused to relax, she just kept going over the events of the evening, guilt and anger very much at the forefront of her mind, but still there was fear; of what could have happened and what might still happen. She shuddered involuntarily and her eyes snapped open again.

She felt Gordon shift behind her, and his arms snaked their way around her. One brushed her wounded side and she flinched, drawing a sharp intake of breath. "Sorry." He murmured and moved it, so his hand rested on her thigh. His other arm held her to him so she could feel his chest against her back, feel his heartbeat.

She shifted and snuggled as close as she could to him. She reached for his hand and intertwined her fingers with his. His thumb on his other hand rubbed soothingly on her leg. His lips were in her hair then they moved to kiss her gently on the back of her neck, before they were removed, and Gordon moved to lean on his elbow. She, letting go of his hand, shifted partially onto her back so she could gaze up at him, his arm beneath her. His hand left her leg to caress her cheek. "You okay?" He whispered, holding her close to him.

She nodded, murmuring "yes" as she did so.

He stayed leant up for a few minutes before he lowered himself back beside her.

"Don't worry," he whispered after a while, "The police will find out who did this." But that was what was worrying her the most.


Jill awoke, for a moment disorientated. At first the only thing she knew of was the excruciating pain on one side of her face, the side she was lying on. She soon realised where she was. There were no sounds in the room apart from the soft breathing of the three other occupants. It was still dark so she guessed she hadn't been asleep for long. She tried shifting position, the camp bed made for one groaned as she moved. She stilled, not wanting to wake anyone else up. Gordon mumbled something and shifted his leg, but apart from that, all was still.

She tried to stretch her stiff limbs but the confined space prevented it. The same as it prevented her from lying on her back. She couldn't lie facing Gordon her other side either, else she would have her weight pressed onto her injured side.

Sighing, she eased herself into a sitting position, the springs squeaking again, and she lowered herself to the floor, leaning her back against the metal bar making the edge of the bed. It was the least painful position she could be in, although it couldn't be classed as comfortable; the hard floor and the metal bar pressed against her spine could have done with being softer.

She sighed again, resigning herself to the prospect spending the rest of the night awake on the floor. That was until she felt a hand brushing the top of her back, and heard Gordon's concerned voice. "Can't sleep?"

She twisted to see him raised up on one elbow. The hand on her back moved to her shoulder and she rested her cheek on it briefly before shaking her head. "It just hurts." The pain, the tiredness, the events of the evening and her inability to sleep culminated within her to make her embarrassingly a little emotional, and she was subsequently ashamed to sound like a child whining. Gordon didn't seem to mind though. He just sat up, his back against the wall and patted the bed. She rose and settled between his legs, sinking against his chest. He pulled the duvet around them and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

Despite herself, a stinging tear escaped from under her eyelid, and once that had, many more followed. She tried to hide them from Gordon, and even though he couldn't see, he seemed to sense it, and tightened his hold on her. Either that, or he felt the increasing dampness of his pyjama top. She snuggled down further in his arms and finally left out some of the tension the evening had created within her. Although of course, she couldn't properly relax; too many emotions swirled and mixed within her, tangling to make one big mess of worry. But, she tried to push it to the back of her mind. Tried to focus on the feel of Gordon's protective arms, his solid, yet yielding torso, absorb herself in the steady rhythm of his heartbeat and the gentle rise and fall of his chest and allow it to lull her to sleep.

And finally, she was comfortable.