A/N: We are almost there... *hands out tissues and tea (or stiff drinks if desired)*

CHAPTER 43

"Good morning, Alec," Emily greeted him cheerfully. Her radiant smile brightened up the room and Hardy did his best to return it. It wasn't very convincing.

"So, how have you been?" she inquired while she smoothly stuck the ECG leads on his chest.

Hardy sighed. "Do you want to hear the truth?"

A wry smile played over her lips. "That bad?"

He raised his eyebrows and his gaze drifted upward to the ceiling. There were no tiles to count. "I tried to go for a walk. Made it about halfway down the block. Ed's wife came after me and dragged me home like a child."

"Oh, but that's great, Alec." Emily's enthusiasm was genuine.

"You're kidding, right? Next you're telling me I'll run a marathon in a week from now." He hid behind sarcasm because he didn't have a better way to deal with the horror of how crippled his heart disease had left him.

"The messenger who inspired the marathon race did most likely die of cardiopulmonary collapse after he ran that distance, so you'd be in good company." She cocked her head. Her expression was perfectly serious.

Hardy narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "'S not funny," he growled.

Smirking, she said, "For someone who recites Hamlet in a nightdress with a monkey skull, you have a poor sense of humor."

"What? How do you –" He broke off and cursed Duncan under his breath. Emily sniggered.

"Seriously though, it is progress that you made it out of the house. Three days ago, you were barely able to go to the loo by yourself."

Hardy's face showed his doubt, but he was willing to let it go. "If you say so."

She pulled the sticky leads off of his chest, together with whatever hair remained after all the abuse he'd endured the past week. Her helping hand eased the pain when he sat up. Slowly, he put on his shirt.

"What's going to happen next?" He drawled out the syllables, his Scottish accent strengthening with his anxiety. He fidgeted with the buttons and they stubbornly resisted his attempts at pushing them through the holes.

"We have to wait. You're not stable enough to have any procedures done at this moment. I'm sorry." The regret in her eyes was hard to take. "I'll get you the information for some cardiac rehab programs you could benefit from. The events of the past month took a serious toll on your heart. It needs time to recover."

He abandoned the buttons and looked up. "Can it?"

She wasn't quick enough to hide her concerned expression. He'd noted it already and he didn't need an answer.

"I see," he muttered.

"No, it's not what you think, Alec." She was trying to make up for the fact that her face had given her away.

He crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. "It's all right. 'S not your fault. I should have taken better care of myself. I've got no one to blame but myself."

"This is not about placing blame. You finally succumbed to a disease that could have killed you decades ago. The enormous pressure you've been under was the final trigger for it to surface. It's over. You need to focus on healing so that we can help you."

It sounded so simple coming from her. He couldn't bring himself to burst her bubble. If Ashworth walked free, nothing was over.

She came closer and placed her hand on his shoulder as she always did. "Are you still staying with Ed?"

He nodded, chewing at the inside of his cheek. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to go.

"Have you spoken to your daughter yet?" Her quiet question carried so much weight that it made him cave in under it.

"No." He avoided her searching eyes.

"You're not going to tell her, are you?" she stated, disappointment lacing her words.

"I can't," he sighed. "Tess and I... we're separating and if I told Daisy at the same time that I have this bloody heart condition, she'd never forgive her mother."

"Alec, she needs to know. What if you die in the next weeks or months before we can risk the pacemaker insertion? Do you really want her to find out when it's too late?" Emily was harsher than her usual gentle demeanor and it wasn't lost on Hardy.

"That's the whole idea, isn't it? She can't hate her mother when I die. It's as simple as that. Nothing else. And if that means I can't tell her about the heart, then I won't." He smiled sadly at Emily.

She wasn't ready to give up yet. "Don't you think that if she hears about it then, that she'll be mad at her mother for not telling her earlier?"

Hardy pinched the bridge of his nose. "Not if she thinks it was me who didn't want her to know. She can direct everything at me and preserve her relationship with her mother."

"That is so bloody stupid that I can't even...," she trailed off, too upset to continue.

If they hadn't long since crossed the boundaries between patient and doctor, Hardy might have been offended. But not now, not after all that she'd done for him. She'd always encouraged him to talk to his family, especially his daughter.

"Daisy is the only thing I have left, and I want her to be happy when I'm gone," he pleaded for her understanding. Apparently though, she wasn't the one who lacked comprehension.

"You don't get it. If you die, she won't be happy. Because you'll be gone," she argued angrily.

"But at least she'll have a parent she loves and doesn't resent." Not like him who had hated his father for what he'd done to his mother.

There was a long silence until Hardy gathered all his courage. He stepped up to her. Placing his hand on her elbow, he asked timidly, "Can I... Can I give you a hug?" He wasn't sure if that was overstepping the boundaries, but it felt like the right thing to do. She looked up at him with wide eyes, shuffling from one foot to the other. Then she nodded. His long arms wrapped around her.

He held her tightly and whispered in her ear, "Thank you for all you've done. You saved my life. Your father would be proud of you."

When he let her go, she wiped at her teary eyes. He tugged on one of his burning ears and smiled. A faint blush made her look even younger.

"When do I have to come again?" he distracted from his own awkwardness.

"End of next week." She scribbled the date on a business card and told him to make the appointment while walking out.

"I'll see you then," he said his goodbye and left before either one of them could get soppier.

The taxi cab took its sweet time and he paced slowly up and down the sidewalk. She had saved his life, a life that was in pieces. This afternoon he'd tell his daughter another lie about his health and that her parents were splitting up. He hoped she'd forgive him one day.

Daisy and Tess were waiting for him in the kitchen. Tess had warned Daisy that her father might look a bit the worse for wear. Or at least that was what Hardy assumed Tess had shared with Daisy.

Hardy stopped at the doorway, leaning against it and taking in the sight that used to warm his heart. Now, it was unbearable to see them huddled together at the table. They hadn't heard him come in. He cleared his throat and their heads came up.

"Dad!" How he had missed hearing those three letters. Daisy jumped up and ran toward him. He braced himself for the impact, using the doorframe as support. Her body hit him hard. The familiar scent, the shape, the warmth – it was too much, and his heart stuttered. He winced and inhaled sharply, slouching more against the wall. Tess had noticed. She'd stepped up and put a hand on Daisy's back.

"Sweetheart, give your Dad some room to breathe," she said gently, her eyes locked with Hardy's. There was more kindness in them than he'd seen in a long time. He looked away, placing a soft kiss on Daisy's head. Then he carefully loosened her tightly wrapped arms.

"Darlin', your Dad's a bit banged up. Gotta be gentle with your old man," he whispered into her ear. She looked up. Smiling, he wiped her tears away with his thumb. "Your mother and I have to talk to you about something important."

He pushed off the doorframe and led her to the table, his hand resting on her shoulder. He sat down slowly and Daisy glanced at him worriedly. Tess took a chair next to her, leaving him facing the two of them. He couldn't help but feel like being put on the stand.

Daisy was still staring at him. He put on the most encouraging expression he could.

"'M fine, Daisy," he reassured her.

An angry frown crept onto her forehead and she turned to her mother.

"Why didn't you tell me Dad had an accident right when it happened?" she yelled at Tess. Her anger was tangible and Hardy felt awful about the story they'd come up with.

"We didn't want to worry you," Tess explained weakly.

"You lied to me!" Daisy exclaimed. "You said he was too busy with work to call me. And all this time he was in hospital. You didn't even go there. How can you leave him hanging like that?"

Hardy flinched. This was exactly what he had meant to avoid. With a heavy heart, he embarked on what he knew would hurt their relationship, but he hoped would save Tess and Daisy's instead. "Darlin', I told your mother not to say anything to you."

"Why?"

"Because I thought you'd be too upset about it. It was my decision to keep it from you," he answered, looking her in the eye. His words were true, although they didn't apply to his invented car accident.

She glared at him. "I'm not a child any more, Dad. Mum always says you can't wrap your mind around that and I guess she's right."

The disappointment in her voice was a direct hit and Hardy dropped his gaze. Yet another stab from Tess. A week ago, he would have been puzzled, but now it all made perfect sense.

"'M sorry," he mumbled.

"Whatever," Daisy snapped and crossed her arms over her chest.

Tess put a hand on her elbow, but she shrugged it off. Tess found his eyes and he nodded. It was time. There was no reason to drag it out.

"Sweetheart, your Dad and I… we've been having some problems," Tess began. Daisy's eyes widened and flicked back and forth between them. Hardy stayed silent. He had no words.

"What does that mean? That you've been fighting a lot?" Daisy asked.

"That's part of it," Tess confirmed. Daisy looked scared and Hardy's heart fell.

"Daisy, your father and I will be separating," Tess stated simply but firmly, despite the tremble in her voice. Hardy suppressed a choked noise. It was the first time he'd heard it too.

Tears started to well up in his daughter's eyes. "Dad?" she cried and he was reminded of all the times she'd been hurt and had looked to him for consolation. He couldn't give her any.

It was the worst moment of his life.

"'M sorry, darlin'," he apologized softly. "It's not your fault. I love you and your Mum loves you, and this has nothing to do with you. We're…" He faltered. What could he tell her that wasn't a lie?

"We're not good for each other any more," Tess finished his sentence. He hung his head. It was too painful to look at them. For very different reasons though. Tess' stoic expression hurt, but Daisy's desperate face was killing him. His heart stuttered, skipped a few beats, and then after a long pause picked up with a thud that nearly took him down. He moaned and slumped onto the table.

Bollocks. If he passed out right now, it all would have been in vain. All the lies, all the effort, and his whole plan would go down the drain because Daisy would hate her mother for leaving her ill father. He willed his body to hang in there and lifted his head.

They both stared at him with wide eyes. "Alec?" Tess questioned with more concern in her voice than she'd had when he had told her the first time that something was not right with his heart. The irony of the situation distracted him enough from the pain in his chest to be able to talk.

"It's okay," he rasped. "Feeling a bit dizzy. I hit my head in the accident." He made up another excuse on the spot and hoped that Daisy would buy it. She squinted at him, but then turned her attention back to her mother.

"What do you mean by you're not good for each other? You're my Mum and Dad, you've been together forever and all of sudden you don't like each other any more? I don't understand," she sobbed, her tears flowing freely now.

Tess blinked away some of her own tears and reached out to stroke Daisy's hair. Her smile was full of sorrow for their child. "Sweetheart, we've grown apart. It's sad and we both didn't want for that to happen, but it did. We've thought about this for a while, and it's best for us to go our separate ways."

Hardy was screaming inside as he listened to Tess. He hadn't thought about it for a while, but she must have. Five months. She'd been cheating on him for five bloody months. He pressed the heels of his hands on his eyeballs in a desperate attempt not to lose composure.

"Does that mean we have to move? I don't want to -"

Hardy lifted his head and faced his distraught daughter. "Daisy, I'm leaving," he cut her off roughly. "You and Mum will stay here. But I'm -"

He never got a chance to finish his sentence. As soon as he'd uttered the words 'I'm leaving', Daisy thrusted her chair back so hard it fell over and stormed out of the kitchen. She thumped up the stairs and the slam of her door echoed through the house.

Hardy sat at the table and stared at the imperfections in the wood. They swam out of focus, blurred by his tears and his failing vision. The world around him started to collapse and shrink in on him. His mind went blank, and he realized too late that his heart wasn't able to handle the onslaught of his daughter's anguish and fury. He slid off the chair, having lost anything to hold onto. Emptiness was filling him, surrounding him with the promise of ending the pain. He was drowning, and this time he didn't fight it. Until a hot burning pain on his face jolted him back to the surface. His eyes flew open and he gasped for air.

"Don't you dare fucking die on me, Alec Hardy!" Tess hissed in his ear and slapped him again. His head jerked to the side with the impact of her hand.

"Where are those bloody pills?" she muttered and patted him down. She fished them out of his pocket and shoved two into his mouth. "If you don't swallow, I'll slap you again," she threatened. Her fierce blue eyes were the only thing he could focus on. He gagged down the tablets and tried to stay awake. His head was cradled in her lap and she stroked his hair. A tear fell on his forehead and then another on his cheek. It mixed with his own and they cried together until the storm inside stilled and his heart could find the strength to go on.

She helped him to his wobbly feet and led him to the door. They sat together on the stairs, waiting for the taxi cab.

"When the day comes, will you take care of her?" he asked with a trembling voice, unable to hide his fear. His elbows were resting on his knees and his hands dangled between his legs. It helped to breathe, sitting leaned forward like that.

Her arm curled around his back and she rested her head on his slumped shoulders. "Oh, Alec. Of course I will," she whispered, her quiet voice choked up with tears.

"Will you tell her, I love her, always?" he asked, hoping for Tess to use the words that his daughter knew meant goodbye. He felt her nod against his body. Her other hand squeezed his tightly and they sat in silence until his ride arrived. She helped him into the car and brushed his hair out of his face. Her fingers trailed along his temple and lingered for a moment. He looked up at her and their eyes met.

"Goodbye, Tess," he said.

"Goodbye, Alec," she echoed.

Then she closed the door gently. He didn't look back when the taxi drove off, but he watched her in the side mirror as long as he could.

Tess didn't move until the car was long gone. She'd said goodbye to her husband of almost fifteen years, leaving him in his darkest hour. She'd hurt him so much that he might never forgive her and she hated herself for that. The guilt over betraying Alec was weighing on her heavily. There was no excuse for what she'd done. One day she hoped she'd be strong enough to apologize to him for accusing him of driving her into the arms of another man. She hung her head in shame, wondering for the millionth time what had happened to them. The love she'd once felt for this man had withered away and would never come back. She wished it could have been different. Having to tell their child was the worst moment of her life. On this day, she'd not only said goodbye to Alec, she'd said goodbye to their family and it broke her heart. But not as much as it had broken the heart of the man she once called her soulmate. Eventually, she turned and slowly walked toward the house she couldn't quite call home any longer.

Hardy told the driver to take the long way home. If he couldn't drive himself, maybe being in a car could help calm him. He stared at the buildings and cars that were passing by. It didn't bring him any solace. Not this time. He'd lost everything, and his only hope was that his desperate plan would work out and Daisy would be taken care of. Tess had promised. He didn't need to hear her say it, although it had made it easier. They had said goodbye. He already missed her, despite everything that had happened. The streets blurred with his tears and he thought back to a day weeks ago when he'd cried in his car for the first time in an eternity. He'd felt it then, but hadn't been able to name it. Now he could: a broken heart. The corner of his mouth pulled up to a sad smile. Daisy would be horrified by the degree of soppiness, but it was the most fitting thing that came to mind. The odds were against it, but he hoped that one day he'd be able to tell her that his heart was mended.

He told the driver to take him back to Baxter's house. He sneaked inside, seeking solitude after his long day. It didn't last very long.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Baxter had stuck his head in.

Hardy buried his face in a pillow and grunted "No". The mattress moved under Baxter's weight. Then there was tug on the pillow. He held on tighter.

Baxter sighed. "Fine. We don't have to. I brought you my laptop so that you can distract yourself and work on those case files we talked about. You'll have to set up a new account with a new password to get into the database. Have you done that before?"

Hardy peeked out from beneath the pillow. The undertone in Baxter's voice had caught his curiosity.

"I have a remote access account. Why would I have to create a new one?"

"Erm... we all had to recently. Security I guess." Baxter was a surprisingly bad liar.

Hardy tossed the pillow aside and sat up. "I assume you have a reason for not telling me the truth?"

"Seriously? Why would I lie to you about this?" Baxter stood, running from Hardy's scrutinizing stare.

"I dunno. That's why I'm asking," Hardy snapped, losing his patience.

"Alec, just do what I told you to and let it go. Would you please?" Baxter pleaded exasperatedly.

Hardy glared at him, but was willing to concede. He didn't care too much about the IT shenanigans of the constabulary. He snatched the laptop, embracing the idea of distraction. The screen brightened and the familiar logo of the South Mercia Police Force flickered to life.

"How did she take it?"

Hardy's fingers stilled over the keyboard. He didn't move his eyes from the insignia of the place that was his second home.

"What do you think? She ran out on me as soon as she heard that I'll be moving out. I couldn't get a word in." He snapped the laptop shut and shoved it aside.

Baxter was leaning against the wall, observing Hardy thoughtfully.

"Don't look at me like that," Hardy snarled. He scrambled to his feet and started circling the bed like a caged animal. Baxter was still watching him. Then he picked up Hardy's coat and tossed it at a surprised Hardy.

"Come," he ordered him and left the room.

Hardy had no idea what Baxter had in mind, but he felt so trapped in the room that he followed without protest. Baxter got into the car and so did Hardy. They rode in silence until Hardy figured out where his friend was taking him.

"No. I don't want to go there," he objected when Baxter turned onto the small road that would take them to the river.

Baxter hit the brakes hard. Hardy was out of the car before Baxter could even stall the engine. He made it about a hundred yards down the gravelly path before he collapsed against a tree. Baxter ran after him, shouting, "You're already there, Alec. You never left."

When Baxter had caught up with a panting Hardy, he continued, "You never told me what happened that day you pulled Pippa from the river and you don't have to. But I see it eating away at you, and not going there isn't going to fix things. You either face it or you'll keep on running from it. It'll only grow bigger and bigger until it's going to crush you. Do you hear me?"

Hardy slid down the tree, curling in on himself. His long arms wrapped around his head and he tugged his knees as close to his chest as he could. If he could only contain himself this one time, maybe he'd have a chance at not falling apart.

Baxter plopped down next to him and pulled him against his solid body. "You can do this, Alec. I know you can. It will take time and it will hurt, but you'll get through this."

Panic was rising in Hardy. "I need to get away from here," he rasped.

Baxter pushed him away gently and found his eyes. "I've talked to Duncan. We both think it might be a good idea for you to stay with him for a bit so that you can rest and clear your thoughts. Things might get ugly here if the press digs deeper. It might be better if you were out of their reach."

"But what about Daisy?" The despair in his voice made Baxter cringe.

"She can visit or you can come up here. You'll have to see Emily anyway,' Baxter suggested.

"Can't I stay with you?" Hardy begged.

"Of course you can. But as you said, I think you need to get away from it all. And while you're at my house and in Sandbrook, you're too close. You won't find the peace you need."

It almost made sense. "But I'd be running."

"Sometimes running is all right," Baxter encouraged softly. "To find a safe spot to regroup. And after that happens you can come back and we'll figure everything else out."

Hardy leaned against the tree, tilting his head back. The light of the setting sun flickered through the thick roof of the lush green leaves. The day was ending. A new one was coming.

He picked himself up, rejecting Baxter's hand and using his thighs as leverage instead. He could do it on his own. "I'll get my things in order at the station and then I'll leave," he said.

Baxter nodded in agreement. Hardy stumbled over the root of the tree and Baxter's strong arm caught him. Hardy shook him off as soon as he had found his balance.

"Don't push me away," Baxter said quietly. "I know you can do it, but that doesn't mean you have to."

Hardy looked into the caring eyes of the man that had become so much more than his mentor and superior. Then he nodded and placed his hand on Baxter's shoulder. Together they walked back to the car and away from the river.

Saturday passed slowly. Hardy busied himself with fixing his documentation. It was unnerving that he'd fall asleep every time he worked on it. He hated how debilitated he was. When Emma pointed out that he'd gone from thirty minutes to being able to work for almost two hours, he looked at her in surprise. He hadn't noticed. She patted his back.

"It's a process, Alec. Use your stubbornness to your advantage without pushing yourself too much," she said with a smile.

"I'm not stubborn," he growled in mock indignation.

Emma chuckled. "I'll tell my Dad. He might get a laugh out of it. He could use one."

Hardy frowned at her. "How is he doing?" Sudden guilt over the mess that he had dragged Baxter into washed through him.

Emma shot him a sheepish glance. "He's okay. Tired and grumpy, but all right. I think he's embracing the need to figure out a plan B."

"Plan B?" Hardy was just as confused as when Duncan had mentioned it.

"You know, what to do if you don't die. You did think about one, didn't you?" Emma asked suspiciously.

Hardy's mouth gaped open. Shit. They hadn't. And knowing himself, he'd survive out of mere spite. They were screwed.

Emma saw his perplexed expression and started laughing. "Oh my god, you haven't. You guys are unbelievable. And my Dad of all people should have known better than to listen to the doctors. They always tell that you're going to die. You know how often they told me?" She shook her head in amusement.

It wasn't funny though. Not even in a ghastly way. He hadn't given one thought to what would happen if he made it. Fuck. He raked his fingers through his hair, scraping at his scalp. It was too late now. Things had been set in motion. The stutter in his chest reminded him that Emma's optimistic outlook might be wrong after all. He fished the pills out of his pocket and swallowed them absentmindedly. Something else registered with him.

"How do you know about... our plan?" He squinted at her. It wasn't something they'd been going around advertising.

She blushed. "Erm... I overheard my Dad telling Mum. It was unintentional, I swear."

Hardy sighed. "Right. You haven't told anyone, have you?" She was friends with Daisy.

"Of course not," she replied indignantly. "It's a shit plan by the way. I mean, noble and such, but still a shit plan."

"Excuse me?"

"Not telling Daisy so that she won't hate her mother. If I were her, I'd be so mad. You probably don't want to be around when she finds out about it."

"The idea is that I won't be," he stated drily.

Emma stared at him. Suddenly, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"I hope she gets to yell at you until your ears fall off," she whispered into his ear. Then she let go of him and stormed out of the room.

Hardy's gaze lingered after her. They were both wiping tears away.

"I hope so too," he mumbled under his breath when he turned back to fixing a case that was beyond fixing.

The following day, Hardy finished what he could get done remotely. He'd made sure his documentation was clear, concise and comprehensive. There couldn't be any mistakes or items left for question. Baxter took him to the office to complete his task.

It was late on Sunday afternoon and the station was deserted, exactly what Hardy had hoped for. He hadn't been back since that fateful Thursday evening, but Baxter had urged him to make sure everything pertinent to the case was squared away.

Baxter had dropped him off and had left him to himself. He was alone on the CID floor. The lights were dim in the main office and he had only turned on his reading lamp. Last time he'd sat on this chair, his wife was about to unleash hell upon him. He stared at her desk through the open door. It was cleared out already. All the pictures of him and Daisy were gone. He couldn't see Thompson's desk behind the partition. Propping his elbows on the wooden surface, he rested his face in his palms and then vigorously rubbed his fingers over his eyes and cheeks, dragging them down all the way to his neck. There was no need for procrastination. Baxter hadn't told him to clear out his desk, so he focused on going through all the files and paperwork that had accumulated throughout the investigation.

Three long hours later, his task was done. It had been the longest stretch of work he'd been able to handle since his heart had stopped. He was exhausted. It felt good though. He was almost sufficiently distracted not to think of Tess and Daisy all the time. He texted Baxter that he was ready to be picked up. Slowly, he pushed himself up and trudged over to the men's room. He passed by Craig Murphy's office. Light filtered through the crack underneath the door together with a muffled conversation. Hardy wondered what he could be doing here on a Sunday night.

When he came back to the CID floor, Baxter was waiting for him.

"That was fast. Have you been lurking around the neighborhood?" Hardy grumbled teasingly.

Baxter rolled his eyes. "No. Just staying close by because you can't be trusted."

"Seriously?" Hardy didn't even dignify his remark with an eye roll.

Baxter shrugged and grinned. "Are you ready? Louise has prepared some rabbit food for you. I assume you didn't feed yourself since you left our house earlier today."

"I'm not an invalid, Ed. I can take care of myself," Hardy sighed.

"Did you eat?" Baxter asked curtly.

"No," Hardy admitted and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Baxter raised his eyebrow and shook his head. He muttered something about Hardy being a lost cause and shooed him out of the main office.

They were waiting for the elevator when Baxter realized he'd forgotten his keys and hurried back. Hardy paced back and forth slowly, enjoying the fact that he could pace at all. A pinging sound announced the arrival of the elevator and the doors opened.

Dave Thompson paled at the sight of Hardy.

Hardy froze at the sight of Thompson.

"DI Har-" Thompson began but was never able to finish his sentence.

Hardy punched him in the face. The force of his swing took Hardy forward and his cracked ribs protested. He toppled onto Thompson who fell back against the now closed elevator doors. Blood trickled onto Hardy's shirt. Thompson's broken nose was swelling. Hardy so wanted to land another hit, but he was already gasping for air. His heart pounded away erratically in his aching chest and he could barely breathe. His legs buckled, and to his utmost anger, he realized that fucking Dave Thompson was slowing his fall and supporting him.

"Get your bloody hands off me," Hardy croaked and elbowed Thompson hard into his side. Thompson huffed and let go. Hardy struggled to stay upright, his vision turning blurry. He blinked and figured he might as well end it right here and now. He aimed for another punch when strong hands dragged him away from Thompson.

"Sir, what are you doing?" Craig Murphy's boyish voice sounded disturbed.

"Keep out of this," Hardy wheezed and tried to free himself. He was too far gone to be reasonable at this point. Thompson's figure was spinning together with the room, and all that Hardy wanted to do was to land one more hit that would make his pain go away. He lunged forward, escaping Murphy's feeble grasp. Sadly, his tackle was intercepted by Baxter's sturdy body. Baxter caught Hardy against his chest and embraced his shaking friend.

"Let go of me," Hardy cried weakly.

"No, Alec." Baxter tightened his arms around him. "Murphy get Thompson out of here."

Hardy registered peripherally that Murphy led Thompson toward the men's room. The adrenaline that had kept him going left his body as quickly as it had come, and all strength seeped out of him. Baxter was still holding him, but his grip had eased into a gentle hug. Hardy sagged against his friend, sucking in one shuddering breath after the other. He couldn't calm down and neither could his heart.

Baxter tugged his head against his chest and cradled it in his arm. "It's all right, Alec. Don't hold it in. I'm here for you," Baxter muttered into Hardy's ear. A dam broke and angry tears came with the flood. Hardy's muffled scream echoed through the empty hallway.

Baxter held Hardy until the trembling stopped and Hardy had found some balance again. Eventually, he walked him out of the station with a strong arm wrapped around Hardy's shoulders. They rode in silence. When they reached Baxter's house, Hardy stalled Baxter before they went in.

"I really wanted to hurt him," Hardy admitted, his eyes cast down.

"I know." Baxter's voice was neutral.

"Thanks for holding me back." Hardy meant it.

Baxter smiled and patted Hardy's arm. "Don't mention it. You needed to let go." Then he tilted his head. "You hit harder than I thought you could with your skinny arse."

Hardy snorted. "I grew up in Glasgow. What do you think happens on the streets there? You're either fast or you hit hard. I could never run…," he trailed off and it dawned on him why. "Bloody heart!" he growled.

Baxter chuckled. "No, you don't run. And that's what I like about you." He nudged him toward the entrance. "Let's go eat."

Hardy nodded and followed his friend who had saved him from himself once again.

A/N: This chapter was incredibly emotional to write. The house scene left me in tears and even now that I've read it so many times I still cry. I hope you, my dear readers, will feel I did it justice as we all knew it was coming. Telling your child that you won't be living together any more is one of the hardest things in life to do. It's heartbreaking for everyone involved and the loss of that family rips you apart, no matter who is leaving who or why. There are no winners, everyone loses in the process. But sometimes it's necessary, and after the healing takes place, people might be able to see that. Maybe even Alec.

We are almost at the end of this part in Hardy's journey. But there is more to come... I want to once again thank HAZELMIST for all her patience, insight and support. She's currently suffering from feels implosion ("I CANT HANDLE THIS!DSAJFKLDJSAKFLDJSAKL"), but I paid her off with that scene she'd been waiting to read for months now as she knew Alec was going to punch Dave in the face. I have to admit, I did find it satisfying to finally write it ;-)

Thanks again everyone for sticking with this saga. As I said this part is closing but there are still gaps to fill about how he got to Broadchurch. And then there is "The Ocean Breathes Salty" where healing finally might take place. The last chapter should be up within the next days.