Chapter Nineteen – Good News, Bad News

Mike Bradley grimaced as Doctor Bolton gently examined his hip. The swelling had lessened considerably, and he could walk unrestrained again, but it still hurt while being prodded.

"The hip looks good, Mike," Neil said in an upbeat voice. "How's the head?"

"Clearer," he replied with a smirk.

"That is good enough for me," the doctor said. "I'll not assign you to active duty without restraints just yet, no motor biking. However, paperwork, desk duty, patrol with a car is fine by me."

"Wonderful news, thanks doc," Mike said happily.

"Take care, Mike," Neil returned and nodded at him before slipping out of the examination room, heading for another patient.

OOOOOO

Phil Bellamy narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he saw the package in Alf's hand.

"I thought you said you were going to the post office?" he asked, nodding to the bakery bag in his old colleague's hand.

"Can't I do both?" Alf returned.

"Are we celebrating something?" Phil asked curiously.

"The end of the antiques thefts, DI Shiner leaving for London," Alf suggested as he retrieved a large donut with cream on top.

Phil was just about to give a sarcastic reply as the door to the station opened, revealing Mike Bradley in a crisp uniform. "Well, look who is back," he said his focus shifting from Alf's donut to Mike.

"You're looking at a guy with a clean bill of health," Mike replied happily.

"Really?" Alf asked, indicating the almost invisible limp, as he took a large bite of the newly bought sweet.

"Okay, maybe not full active duty, no motor biking, but everything else," he said and straightened as he walked over to his desk without a limp, ignoring the slight discomfort it caused him.

"So, are you ready for Miss McMara?" Phil asked.

Mike nodded. "Sure, go and get her and I'll meet you in the interrogation room," he said.

OOOOOO

Claude was feeling anxious, a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time, as he knocked on the door to Doctor Bolton's office over at Ashfordly General Hospital.

"Come in," a steady voice called from the other side.

Claude twisted the doorknob and walked in to find both Doctor and Sister Bolton waiting for him, both wearing grave expressions.

"Claude, have a seat," Maggie suggested with a faint smile.

He nodded.

"We've got the preliminary results and your cheese contains a rather large amount of arsenic," Doctor Bolton said seriously.

Claude chuckled nervously. "Arsenic?" he questioned. "That can't be right."

"I'm afraid it is," the doctor countered.

"Do you think I'm daft?" Greengrass asked in disbelief. "I may be many things but I'm not that. Why would I spice it up with such a thing?"

"You tell me," Neil Bolton returned.

"Maybe you had some standing on a shelf somewhere. Should the health inspectors arrive at your house they would stop your production immediately," Maggie said. "I'm not suggesting you did it on purpose."

"I don't keep arsenic inside, actually I don't keep such a substance anywhere," he muttered.

"In any case, everything you've delivered must be recalled," Doctor Bolton said seriously.

"Wh…what?" Claude stammered. "You can't do that," he protested.

"I'm afraid I can, Mr. Greengrass, and I will. We can't risk anyone else becoming sick due to your products," the doctor countered.

OOOOOO

"This day is getting better and better," Phil said cheerfully to Mike as they walked out of the interrogation room.

Alf looked up from the newspaper he was currently studying, wondering what it was all about, as Phil walked over to his desk and Mike walked away with Miss McMara.

"It turns out Mary McMara had a fall out with her granddad after her parents died in a car crash. She was sent down to her auntie and raised by her. She got into trouble in her teens and it was debated whether or not her auntie could handle the young woman alone. After almost being taken away to live with foster parents she calmed down. However, during that period of time she met Denny Jones who promised her a lot of money if she'd run some errands for him," Phil explained to his baffled colleague.

"I thought she said to you yesterday, when she was brought in, that she didn't know Denny Jones?" Alf said.

"Apparently she's done some thinking overnight," Phil returned. "Says she owes her auntie the truth."

"Anyway," Mike said as he came from the holding cells. "The offer of money came as a blessing since her auntie had some problems with gambling debts. She got to know both Denny and his little brother. Unfortunately some time later things started to go south and Denny was arrested and brought down for drug dealing. During that time Ted and Mary stroke up a friendship resulting in a legal, at least officially, toy manufacturing company. With right connections and some money they built up a renowned company and managed to bribe enough people to be able to pull off Denny Jones supposedly untidy death."

"Unfortunately Ted forget to mention to Mary that he smuggled things in the dolls and other toys," Phil added. "She didn't know."

"And then Charlie Chadwick was born," Alf let on sarcastically.

"I'm impressed, Alf," Phil teased lightly. "The brothers split up as Denny took charge of the flourishing business and Ted, seeking a thrill, founded an antiques shop. He later befriended a few guys to help him with the supply," he added.

"At the same time there was trouble in the factory supply chain, causing the flow of money to stagnate and a strike back east to halt the company," Mike continued.

"No dope came in?" Alf guessed.

Mike nodded. "They decided to join forces, adding money from the antiques to found the toy manufacturing costs," he said. "Miss McMara, not knowing every part of the business, agreed to be a liaison between the two."

"Unfortunately, the more thefts the more interest from the police in the area," Alf deduced as he leaned back in his chair.

"Miss McMara thought it went a little out of hand and wanted out. When the office was raided and the lorry garage exposed by the police McMara agreed to use the old farm as a middle station before shipping," Mike explained. "That's when I saw the crates in the henhouse."

"She accidentally broke a doll in two when shifting the crates and found out what it was really about. She was on her way to leave the country for a while when I caught her up at the farm," Phil explained.

Alf shrugged waiting for his colleagues to finish their explanation.

"Now she feels it's time to come clean. She's prepared to make a deal with us, witness against the brothers and take the money on her bank account to restore Hillsdale Farm to what it once was," Mike said. "She will also see to it, under supervision of course, that the toy company will continue, this time as a legal firm."

"We'll just go and get Ted Jones," Phil let on triumphantly. "Miss McMara was kind enough to let us know his whereabouts."

OOOOOO

Nick stared at her, not comprehending. He looked at his beautiful wife and their newborn little daughter in her arms. It was a perfect picture of a mother and child until you started to scrutinize the picture and really look at it. Kate looked exhausted, her sickly parlor, Nick suddenly realized, had nothing to do with her giving birth to their child but to an illness. An illness so vicious that it would most probably claim her life. It felt like he couldn't speak, could not understand, didn't want to understand what she was trying to tell him.

"How long have you known?" he finally managed, an undertone of accusation and suspicion in his voice that he was unable to fully conceal.

Kate swallowed, obviously not quite sure how to tell him or even what to tell him. "I…got the test results back the day before yesterday, she said, her voice strained.

"Why Kate?" He said with a slight quiver. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't," she let on sadly. "I couldn't break it to you. I…" she trailed off and turned her head away, not having the strength to face him any longer.

Too much in a state of shock Nick didn't pressure her about it. He glanced down at his hands and sighed. He had walked into the room to have a moment with his wife and maybe hold his daughter, to be with his family, his world had been filled of joy and happiness. Now it felt like his world was slowly falling apart, like everything worked against him, against them.

His musings was broken as the newborn suddenly started crying. He got up from the chair he barely remembered sitting down on and walked over to gently take the baby, who rested in Kate's arms, to lull her to sleep and put her down on the small bedthat had been arranged for her.

Kate swallowed, her mouth dry and the tears threatening to trickle down her face, as she forced herself to look at Nick and their child, now in his arms. She was emotionally exhausted. "Nick, she whispered. "I was such a fool. I spoiled everything for you, I took you for granted…" she paused trying to gather herself. "I wasn't sure I wanted our baby. Then when everything started to get back to normal between us…Nick, you looked so happy, I didn't want to take it away from you," she managed.

He gently placed the baby on the small bed and turned to his wife. "Kate, you're everything I have," he said softly. "You have to fight this, we'll have to fight this," he reasoned.

"I don't think I can," Kate admitted and the sound of defeat in her voice scared him.

Nick tried to smile but he couldn't really bring himself to do it. He sat down on her bedside and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. Their eyes met for a moment but no words were spoken, both caught up in their own world of hurt, anger and despair.

Nick slowly rose and turned to walk out of the room. He hesitated and reached up with his hand to remove a tear from his eye before turning around, with a faint smile on his lips, to face his wife. "I have to take care of a few things, I'll get back later," he said.

Kate nodded and returned the faint smile by one of her own. "You do that, I'll be waiting for you," she replied.

Nick nodded and disappeared through the curtain, out in the corridor. He took a few steps in daze and then stopped trying to contemplate, trying to sort out everything he'd heard.

Sr. Maggie Bolton walked up to him and placed a gentle, comforting hand on his shoulder. He lifted his head to look at her and as he did so he saw his own sadness and hurt reflected in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Maggie," he managed. "I don't want to talk right now."

A tear escaped from the nurse's eye and she nodded. "I understand, I'll be here if you need me," she said softly.

OOOOOO

To be continued

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