A/N: As always, thanks to everyone who's reading and commenting. The next chapters should be out faster now that I'm done with October Blues (unless I get distracted with this other little story that's fogging up my brain, sigh). DI Alec Hardy is doing some detecting… a big THANKS to hazelmist for taking all the time to sift through my silly mistakes.

CHAPTER 23

Almost an hour later they brought in Lee Ashworth. Hardy refrained from lurking impatiently in the booking area. Instead he irritated his staff with pacing aimlessly through CID, fidgeting with files and office supplies on people's desks, pausing now and then to stare at the whiteboard, only to resume his restless journey. They all were used to it and stayed out of his way as much as they could.

DC Swenson had been chosen to be thrown in front of the proverbial wolves. She approached him on one of his breaks in front of the whiteboard.

"Sir, we might have an issue."

When he spun around, he found her red-faced and scowling.

"What is it now?" he snarled.

"The duty solicitor called in sick and his substitute is stuck at court. Lee Ashworth doesn't have his own legal advice, so we –"

"Are you telling me, we can't question him because our solicitor's got the sniffles?" Hardy's voice carried through the whole room and yet again made the chatter stop.

He had to give credit to Swenson, she didn't duck or flinch. She stood her ground, explaining calmly, "I think it might be more serious than the sniffles – his wife called from A&E, because he couldn't call himself. Regardless, the fact remains we don't have anybody. Ashworth entered the station at 13:57 so we can hold him until tomorrow in case we can't produce another solicitor this afternoon."

"Ach, for God's sake, this is ridiculous." Hardy resisted hitting the whiteboard. His team didn't need more unraveling from their boss. He closed his eyes and rubbed his fingers over them.

"You better get on it now and bring me someone who can hold hands with our suspect. Don't make me do it myself, do you hear me?" he pressed through his clenched teeth. He retreated to his office only to be once again welcomed by the feeling of being trapped. He snatched his coat off the hook, made sure he had his phone and pills, and ran off. Halfway out the door, he hollered into Swenson's general direction, "Call me as soon as you have someone."

His feet carried him to the same place they had twice already on this infuriating day. He stood in front of the bench, trying to calm down.

"DI Hardy?"

Hardy closed his eyes and suppressed an exasperated sigh. He really needed to come up with a different spot to hide. It was clearly too easy to find him here.

"I'm not talking to you, Ms. White," he hissed while turning around.

Karen's smug grin greeted him. "But we've got a deal – I didn't mention the Ashworths and you'll give me an exclusive," she purred.

"You've got nerve. You dragged my family into this after I asked you not to. Do you have any idea what you did? Your wretched colleagues ambushed my daughter and me in front of my house. I swear if they go anywhere near her again, I don't –"

"Ah, look at you. All riled up over protecting your little girl. Aren't you cute?" she piped. Then her eyes narrowed and her expression changed. Gone was the grin and the corners around her mouth hardened.

"You chose, DI Hardy. Work over family. I told you it would be either story – your past or your present – and you asked to protect the present. I upheld the end of my bargain. If you entertain the thought of breaking yours, you might regret it. Who did you arrest today?" Her voice was sharp, devoid of her usual syrupy niceness.

"Are you threatening a police officer?" Hardy countered. He was surprised how calm he sounded, considering he was boiling inside. "Because you might want to think about that. It's a serious offence in case you need a reminder."

"Stop playing games with me. You have nothing to prove any of this. It's my word against yours and who do you think the public will believe? The diligent journalist who's raising questions and trying to find answers that the people want to hear or the secretive detective who has a dark past and can't find the child killer?"

She looked him straight in the eye, confident in her every move. Hardy loathed the truth behind her statement. She was right, nobody would ever listen to his side of the story, unless it was told by one of them.

He let out a deep breath and lowered himself onto the bench. "I can't tell you, not yet," he sighed. "Not until official charges are made. You know that."

She sat down next to him. "I could share my thoughts with you and all you have to do is deny it or stay quiet."

He snorted. "That's not really different from me telling you, is it now?"

She shrugged. "Technically it is."

"I'm not going to do that. Do with me whatever you want. I'll give you an interview when all is said and done. But before then, I won't comment, either way." Hardy was firm on his stance. He couldn't compromise an investigation just to protect his reputation. Slander and lies would come, no matter how much he cooperated or not. It would be naïve to believe the press would ever keep their promises.

"Suit yourself then. I have other sources. And rest assured I'll be the first to knock on your door when you charge Lee Ashworth." Her smug grin met his angry face and it grew wider with her pleasure of showing off.

"If you fuck up the investigation with your sensationalistic reporting, then that's on you Karen," Hardy said coldly. He had nothing else to add. He slowly pushed his body up, using his knees and thigh as a crutch to get to his feet.

Karen tilted her head and looked him up and down, a different type of curiosity mirrored in her eyes. "Are you all right? You look a bit worse for the wear these days."

Hardy was ready for this. She had a sharp eye and it was only a question of time until she would find the opportunity to quiz him about his health.

"Contrary to common belief, we actually put a lot of work into finding the responsible party. I don't know about you, but I haven't had much time to sleep or eat these past weeks. It's a good way to lose a few pounds. You should try it some day. Oh, wait, you can't – it only works if you actually have a conscious to keep you up." He hoped he had put enough sarcasm in his words for her to swallow the lie.

She huffed. "Trying to be witty again? Maybe you should leave that up to the professionals, DI Hardy, and focus your limited abilities on doing your job."

He didn't dignify her comment with an answer and just walked away. As usual her piercing stare bore a hole between his shoulder blades.

Hardy busied himself getting paperwork in order while they were waiting for the solicitor. At least they had reassurance that one would be available later that day. He had dodged Tess when he came back from the park but the lingering hurt feeling was nagging him. His eyes fell on his phone. He picked it up and pulled up their text messages chain.

He typed "I'm sorry" and then quickly deleted it. Then "We should talk". Again he erased the letters one by one, this time more slowly. He went back to "I'm sorry" but didn't send it. He huddled over the mobile, one hand holding onto it like a life line, the other cupping the back of his head.

A message came in: I can see you brooding over your phone. Do you want to talk?

He looked up and found Tess standing in his doorway, smiling shyly at him. He nodded and beckoned her to come in. She closed the door behind her and sat down on his sofa, as far away in the room as she could. Or maybe that was just his interpretation.

There was silence for a few moments and then they both said "I'm sorry," at the same time. Their eyes met for a long time. Then he stood up and took a seat next to her. He hesitantly reached for her hand, afraid she'd pull away. She didn't.

"Tess, I…" He stopped, not knowing how to put his feelings into words. He wasn't any less hurt by what she'd said but the anger had gone. All that was left was sadness over what they had done to each other. He longed for the closeness they used to share but he didn't know how to bridge the ever growing gorge between them. Hanging his head, he studied his thumb that was rubbing over the back of her hand.

"Daisy asked me this morning why we're arguing all the time. I didn't have an answer for her. I don't even have an answer for myself," Hardy began slowly. He didn't really know where he was going with this, but at least he was trying.

"She said that?" Tess sounded surprised and distraught alike.

He nodded, finally looking at her. Her blue eyes were dark and watery. She remained silent.

"We can't do that, fight in front of her. We can't drag her into this, Tess. Please?" he pleaded with her, voice cracking. It was her turn to nod.

"Alec, I need to –"

His door flew open without a knock and Swenson burst into the room. When she saw the two on the sofa, Hardy holding his wife's hand, both with tears in their eyes, she couldn't hold herself back and muttered, "Fuck, I did it again, didn't I?"

Hardy let go of Tess' hand when Tess stood abruptly. He dragged his fingers down his face, scrubbing away whatever tears there might have been.

"Yup, you sure did," he sighed while watching her face take on a crimson shade. "What is it this time, Swenson? It better be good."

"The solicitor is here," she announced.

Hardy jumped to his feet and rushed out of his office. Swenson moaned when he almost knocked the wind out of her, pushing past her at the door. He was vaguely aware that Tess was following him. His heart rate was up and by the time he reached the elevator to go down to the interrogation rooms, he was feeling lightheaded. Tess was right behind, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Alec, are you up for this? You look a bit pale," she asked quietly, making sure he was the only one who could hear her. His hand closed around the pills in his pocket. The elevator door opened and they both stepped in. They were alone and he weighed his options. He needed to take his medication, even if it was only to be on the safe side, but he wasn't sure how she would react. This was not the moment he wanted to listen to another lecture about his health.

"You should take your pills, if you need to. I'm not going to hold you back or prevent you from questioning Ashworth. You should finish what you started." Her blue eyes encouraged him and the corner of his mouth curled up.

"Thanks, love." He quickly pulled out the blister pack and dry swallowed two tablets before the elevator doors opened. They stepped out together, ready to take on Lee Ashworth.

Lee Ashworth didn't look at them, when they entered. He was wearing the white overalls he had been handed after being booked. His face was impassive and he stared ahead, hands firmly planted on his thighs.

Hardy sat down opposite him and took his time to arrange the case file and tape recorder. Ashworth still didn't make a move.

"Start of interview of the suspect Lee Ashworth. Time is 4:07 P.M., on Monday April 30th 2012. Present are DI Alec Hardy, DS Theresa Henchard, the suspect Lee Ashworth and his solicitor…" – he squinted at the sticky note that Swenson had handed to him – "Geoffrey Wilson."

Hardy paused briefly and glanced at Tess. She nodded ever so slightly. "Mr. Ashworth you have been cautioned upon time of arrest, however for the sake of the tape, we will go over everything again. Lee Ashworth, you have been arrested on the suspicion of the murder of Pippa Gillespie on April 14th 2012 and in connection with the unlawful disappearance of Lisa Newbery on the same day. You do not have to say anything. But, it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand?"

Ashworth stayed mute until a deathly glare from Hardy sprung his solicitor into action. He bent toward his client and whispered something in his ear.

Ashworth moved in his chair and growled, "I do." Then he crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared Hardy down.

Hardy wasn't impressed. He'd been in this position too many times for it to be in any way intimidating. He contemplated his first move and decided to cut to the chase right from the start.

"Mr. Ashworth, previously you have stated that you have no connection to Pippa Gillespie. However, we have found evidence that you have been in her bedroom, a fact that you deny. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Lee huffed. "I told you before. I have nothing to do with any of this. I've never been in Pippa's bedroom."

"And how do you explain that we found your hair on her pillow?"

"Why don't you ask Ricky Gillespie? Maybe he put it there."

"Mr. Ashworth, what motive would the father of the murdered girl have to put your hair on his daughter's pillow?" Hardy countered.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask him? Have you brought him in for questioning yet? Or are you totally fixated on me?" Ashworth snapped at Hardy, leaning in closer. His solicitor put a steadying hand on him and he seemed to relax.

"What was your relationship with Pippa?" Tess chimed in.

"I didn't have a 'relationship' with Pippa. I used to drive her to school and other activities. Everything else is a figment of your depraved mind," Ashworth sneered at Tess.

"How about Lisa then? Her mother thinks you were flirting with her," Hardy quickly followed, leaning forward and placing his hand on the file folder.

"What's your obsession with me having a thing for teenagers? I've told you several times already, I've never had a relationship with Lisa."

"Where's Lisa, Mr. Ashworth?" Tess added before Ashworth could take a breath.

"I have no knowledge of her whereabouts. I haven't seen her since that weekend – " Ashworth suddenly stopped.

"Oh, so you did see her the day she disappeared?" Hardy's eyes didn't leave Ashworth's face.

Ashworth didn't reply.

"If I were you, I would very carefully consider this answer," Hardy said quietly.

Ashworth's solicitor pulled his client over and they had a quick whispered debate. Hardy leaned back in his chair and stole a glance at his wife. She was focused on the task and didn't notice his smile. He loved watching her work.

Ashworth cleared his throat. "I saw her briefly when I came home. She was just arriving at the Gillespie house to babysit Pippa that night. We said hello and that was it. I haven't seen her since then."

"What time was that?" Tess asked.

Ashworth seemed to contemplate his reply. "I think around five o'clock. Give or take fifteen minutes. As I said, around the time I reached home." This was consistent with his previous statements, although he'd never mentioned that he had actually talked to Lisa.

"Pippa writes in her diary that she liked spending time with you, especially on outings with her parents. That's a bit more than just driving her to school, wouldn't you say so?" Hardy changed topic again.

"I'm not going to dignify any of these accusations with a response."

"Fine. It's your prerogative not to answer. Where were you on the evening of April 14th?"

"At home. Having dinner with my wife. And before you get into that again, we had steak and potatoes and then we watched telly together," Ashworth said mockingly.

Hardy's lips curled up in a cold smile. He leaned in and let his long fingers rest on the table. "Is that so, Mr. Ashworth? We have reason to believe that you're lying about this. That in fact your wife followed through with her original plans of wanting to go out for dinner."

Maybe it was in his imagination, but Hardy could have sworn Ashworth paled and was breathing faster. Tess moved in her chair and Hardy felt reassured in his suspicion. She must have noticed it too.

Ashworth didn't say a word. Eventually, Hardy had enough.

"Lee? Do you want to answer that question?" he prompted him sharply.

Ashworth's solicitor pulled him close and after another brief back and forth, he let them know that his client preferred not to comment.

Tess used the pause in the flow of the interview to push over a photograph of a smiling Pippa.

"Have you seen this pendant before?" Tess pointed at the small piece of silver jewelry around Pippa's neck.

Ashworth looked puzzled. Then he took a closer look and his expression changed.

"Maybe. I'm not sure. It looks familiar enough." He shrugged and leaned back in his chair.

"Have you been to Portsmouth recently?" Tess continued with all their unanswered questions.

"Never been there. Why?" Ashworth seemed genuinely confused.

"Have you ever noted any one loitering on the estate?"

There was a brief hesitation. "No, I haven't. Heard some people mention something though. That's all I know."

Ashworth seemed sufficiently at ease for Hardy to take over from Tess. They were a good team in the interrogation room, often seamlessly picking up where the other had left off or led them to.

"Did you kill Pippa Gillespie?" Hardy's voice was low and neutral. It was a question that he had to pose even if he was sure that Ashworth would deny it.

"No, I did not." It sounded convincing enough.

"Did you have anything to do with Lisa's disappearance?" Hardy went down the list.

"No." Ashworth was more animated now.

"Did you kill Lisa Newbery?" The next check box.

"Absolutely not," Ashworth snarled at him, surprisingly emotional.

"Who do you think did?" Hardy asked on a whim.

This time Ashworth's face definitively went pale. He pressed his lips together and crossed his arms over his chest again. It took him a few seconds to compose himself.

"No comment," he eventually replied.

And that was the last they were able to get out of Ashworth that afternoon. No matter how differently they tried their questions, he stayed mute until Hardy had enough. It wasn't going to take them any further.

"Interview terminated at 5:38 P.M. Lee Ashworth remains in custody of South Mercia Police constabulary and will be escorted to the holding area."

Hardy got up slowly, pushing himself off the back of his chair. He was exhausted, but hoped the people around him wouldn't notice. Tess took the tapes and accompanied Ashworth out of the room. The solicitor couldn't leave fast enough. Hardy collected the file folder. A photograph slipped out and fluttered to the floor. Pippa's beautiful face smiled at him. He slowly stooped down and stared at the girl's features. His finger's brushed lightly over the photo. Then he picked it up, fished out his wallet and placed the picture carefully inside. He closed the wallet gently and pocketed it, his hand resting over it. Whatever it would take, he would get justice for her and not rest until it was all said and done. And then the girl in the photo and her ghost would be able to find peace.

Hardy returned to his office. It was probably time to go home, but he couldn't shake his restlessness yet and so he stayed. Tess and Thompson were dealing with the arrest paperwork. The tapes for the interrogation wouldn't be transcribed until tomorrow to be presented to CPS together with all their evidence against Lee Ashworth. He wasn't sure if they had enough to charge him or not. Claire Ripley's missing statement didn't help. He wished he could have convinced her today that she needed to tell him what happened that night.

He was nibbling on the forgotten lunch that Daisy had packed him. Better than no dinner at all. Swenson had left the records from Ashworth's booking process on his desk. He glanced over them briefly and then moved on to meticulously documenting his encounter with Claire, as well as his statement about Ashworth's interview. They would be able to hold him for twenty-four hours, maybe thirty-six if CPS was so inclined until they either had to charge him with an offence or let him go.

CID was almost empty and it was dark outside by the time he had finished his paperwork. Tess had left her desk. He had no idea when and he was disappointed that he had missed her. He leaned back on his chair and let his eyes close for a moment. It had taken them a bit over two weeks to make an arrest. Considering the circumstantial nature of their evidence it was surprising they had a suspect at all, let alone that CPS went for an arrest warrant. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly while stretching his cramped up legs. When he opened his eyes, his gaze fell on the folder with booking proceedings again. He grabbed the papers and dragged himself to his sofa.

He knew it probably wouldn't end well, if he migrated over there, but his body was too tired to hunch at the desk any longer. He laid down and allowed himself to relax his tense muscles for a few minutes before he started to read through the report. Everything seemed pretty standard and handled properly. He scanned the list with Ashworth's belongings – wallet with credit cards, bank card, twenty-three pounds and various papers; a small Swiss army knife; house keys; a mobile phone; sun glasses; his tools for work and a tool belt; jeans, T-shirt, work boots – nothing stood out. He read over the list again. Something was bugging him but he couldn't put his finger on it. He stifled a yawn and tried to keep his eyes open. It was time to go home. The thought of having to wait for a taxi because he didn't have his car was irritating him. He dragged himself up and trudged over to his desk to make the call. He played absentmindedly with his now useless car keys while he waited impatiently for someone to pick up on the other side until sudden realization struck him.

The car keys. Ashworth had no car keys on him when he was arrested. Hardy hung up the phone before he got connected and rushed back to the list with the belongings. It confirmed what he was thinking. Only house keys, nothing else. Hardy was sure he had read somewhere that Ashworth owned a car. He frantically searched through his notes and the file. There it was. Lee's license plate number and Claire's. They each had their own vehicle. If Ashworth had his own car, where were the keys? And even more important, where was the car?

He almost threw something at the screen of his computer because it seemed to take an eternity for the traffic police database to load. He needed to check the license and registration to verify ownership.

"Come on, come on, come on," he muttered between clenched teeth, while impatiently moving the mouse around. Once he had reached the correct site he punched in the number. When he saw the result, he jumped up, toppling over his chair. Ashworth had reported his car as sold three days after the murder.

In his hurry to get to his phone he knocked it off his desk and by the time he finally got the traffic division on the line, his heart was letting him know he needed to calm down. He barely could hold onto the receiver as his hands were starting to feel numb. He quickly popped two of his pills and proceeded to report his findings to the sergeant in charge. A search warrant was put out immediately. When he hung up the phone, the tension was falling off of him and he could feel all energy leaving him. Fortunately, he was already sitting on the floor after retrieving his phone from under his desk. He closed his eyes and waited for the medication to do its job, taking care to breathe in and out in a controlled fashion. Once he felt strong enough to get up he dragged himself to the sofa and collapsed onto it. Exhaustion was drowning everything out and he gave in.

"Alec? Wake up."

Tess voice filtered through his sleepy mind. He forced his eyes open. She was hovering over him. He sucked in some air and pulled himself into a sitting position. His neck was stiff and his chest ached.

"What're you doing here?" he slurred his words.

"I was finishing the arrest paperwork when I saw light in your office. Why are you not home yet?"

"The keys. There were no keys. The car –" he tried to explain but she interrupted him.

"Alec, you're not making any sense. I better get you out of here. I thought you'd be gone by now so I told Daisy to come home instead of staying at her friend's house."

Hardy frowned. "She's by herself?" That thought woke him up quickly and he struggled to his feet. He had to hold on to Tess for a moment to overcome the spinning sensation that came with the sudden change in position.

"Jeez. Are you all right? Are you not feeling well?" she questioned him.

"'M fine. Only a head rush. Don't look at me like that. It's not the heart," he lied smoothly, releasing her shoulder.

"If you say so. Were you talking about your car just now? You never told me where it is. I should probably go and pick it up. Dave could take me and I can leave my car here."

"Dave's still here?" Hardy wondered out loud.

"Yup. We were finishing up together," she hurried to explain.

"Oh." It was still confusing to Hardy why both had to stay late and take care of the paperwork that could easily be done by one person.

"So, where is the car then? I'll get it on my way home and I'll get a taxi in the morning. I'm scheduled for the early shift."

"Two streets away from Daisy's school, on Hickory Road." He handed her his keys, his eyes lingering on them.

"Ashworth didn't have his car keys on him when you made the arrest," he stated quietly.

"So?" Tess wasn't paying attention, fidgeting with attaching his keys to hers.

"He had sold his car three days after the murder," he continued. When her head snapped up and she met his eyes, his lips slowly curled into a broad grin.

"Oh my God, you're brilliant!" She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. Surprised by the sudden onslaught of affection, he lost balance and fell backwards on the sofa, pulling her down with him. She landed on his chest, her face less than an inch from his. He moved lightly towards her, wanting to kiss her so badly that it hurt. She quickly scrambled off of him, before he could free his arms from under her body and hold her back. She must have seen his confused face, because she shot him a shy smile and took the hand he was holding out for her.

"Alec, I –" she hesitated.

"What, love?" He pulled her down on his lap and wrapped his arms around her

"Ah, never mind. We can talk about it tomorrow." She wiggled out of his embrace. "We need to get you home so that Daisy isn't all by herself. She's probably wondering if we abandoned her." Before he could say anything she was already on the phone calling a taxi and was ushering him out of his office. Ten minutes later he found himself in the back of a car without even having had the chance to kiss her goodnight.

"Sir. Sir! Wake up. Please."

Hardy's conscious was pulled back from drowning by a pleading, scared voice that was yelling in his ear. He tried to speak but all he could do was cough. After the shortness of breath subsided and his body had calmed down, he was finally able to take in his surroundings.

The taxi driver was leaning into the back seat through the open door. The inside of the car was lit up by the red and white neon light of the A&E sign. Hardy moaned at the sight and glared at the man.

"This is not my house," he growled.

"Sir, I thought you were having a heart attack or something and as we were rather close to the hospital I brought you here." In his defense, the driver sounded genuinely worried and Hardy couldn't even fault him for it.

"'M fine. Just a nightmare. Sorry I fell asleep," Hardy explained.

"Are you sure about that? I have a cousin who gets these heart spells and he –"

A piercing glance shut the man up. "I'm not your cousin. Can you take me home now, please?" Hardy added, forcing himself to be more civil.

"I really think you should get checked out. You don't look well, if you don't mind me saying," the driver insisted. "I see a lot of people and you look like someone who's going to pass out any moment." The driver held the door open for him and gestured towards the A&E entrance. A security guard was watching the spectacle with a bored face. Hardy didn't know why tonight of all nights he was cursed with a taxi driver who felt the urge to develop a Samaritan streak.

"Listen, I appreciate your concern, seriously. But I don't need to go in there. Not tonight."

A skeptic frown was etched onto the man's face. Hardy looked the man in the eye and all he could see was genuine concern. Hardy sat up straighter, took in a deep breath and stopped fighting it.

"Trust me, I've been worse," he admitted. The driver's expression changed and he smiled sadly at Hardy.

"It ain't easy if you've a got a health thing, is it? The people who know are always too concerned and the ones who don't know think you're just an arse when you're ill. I got kidney failure, from diabetes. Every time I look funny my wife freaks out on me. And my buddies at work get upset if I miss a day at work when I don't feel well," the driver said, eyes lost somewhere in his own world. Then he focused his attention back on Hardy. "If you tell me, you think you're well enough to go home, I'll take you there."

Hardy closed his eyes for a moment and sincerely considered what the man had said. His heart had settled down and so had the vertigo. He felt drained but then he had felt like that the whole day. Daisy was waiting for him at home and that thought alone helped to ease the pressure inside.

He opened his eyes. "I think, I'm all right. As I said, I've had worse moments and it's already getting better. I just want to go home. Sleep in my own bed, not in the hospital. Be with my daughter." Hardy was rattled by the desperation in his own voice.

The driver nodded and smiled again. "I hear you there. Every time you don't have to go in is like a small victory, isn't it?" He got back into the front seat and they drove to Hardy's house in silence.

Hardy paid. He felt awkward about it but still added a handsome tip. He didn't want the driver to believe he didn't appreciate what he'd done. Money seemed too profane to express his gratitude.

"What's your name?" Hardy asked when the man came around and opened the door for him.

"Charles," the man answered with a surprised look on his face.

Hardy held out his hand. When Charles took it, he said with as much sincerity as he could put in his voice, "Thank you, Charles. For caring and understanding." Hardy smiled at him.

Charles gave Hardy's hand a tight squeeze. "You're very welcome. Make sure not to be too hard on yourself. And let people help you. I used to forget that part, didn't do me any good." He nodded and smiled. Then he climbed back into the car and drove off into the night.

Hardy stood and watched him leave.

"Dad?" Daisy's voice jerked him out of his thoughts.

"What are you doing out here? Come inside, it's cold. Mum called me to make sure that you go to bed when you come home."

Hardy was about to grumpily tell her he didn't need a babysitter, when he saw her worried face. 'Let people help you' – Charles' words echoed through his mind. There was a truth to them that he shouldn't ignore any longer. And instead of rejecting his family's concern yet again, he nodded, followed Daisy inside and let her take him to bed. He struggled with all the emotions that giving in to accepting help evoked in him, but the moment before he fell asleep, right after Daisy had kissed him goodnight and turned off the light, he felt comforted and secure for the first time since he learned about his illness. He hoped that Charles felt the same.