Sian took one more look over their arguments brief. She had poured over every word but she thought one more time couldn't hurt. Her and Melissa had to make their presentation together on Monday after all.
"It's done!" Melissa groaned as she came out of the kitchen area.
"But…" Sian started looking up at her. Melissa was carrying wine, and two glasses.
"Wine! It's done!" Melissa demanded and then poured two glasses. She offered one to Sian.
"Fine" Sian said as she as closed her laptop and took the offered glass. She might as well she shrugged.
Sophie had dropped her off at Melissa's since she needed the car for errands. Jack had gone with her-thank god. Kevin and Sally were still in Paris so they were still stuck with the kid. After some rough patches though they had made it thru the week without killing him or each other.
Jack was a good kid though, that Sian had to admit. He was just loud and demanding in that Webster way that could be exhausting but also endearing. It was a real kick to hear him and Sophie banter back and forth. Jack already understood that being a Webster meant that you had to be able to verbally hold your own. Even at 5 years old.
It had been nice, in a way, to see what it was like for her and Sophie to play "mommy". Sophie really took to it. Sian could really tell how much it lit Sophie up. She had always been great with kids. It made her becoming a teacher such a perfect fit. Sian watched her go thru and sound out every word with such incredible patience. It spread this comforting warmth through out the blonde's body.
However it turned out that no matter how fit Sophie was, she was rubbish at football. The tried taking Jack out one day on the Red Rec. It had been a disaster with Jack running circles around the both of them.
In bed, exhausted, they both noted that they'd have to make sure that they either had a girl or see if they could recruit a mate like Chesney to do sports stuff. It just wasn't something that they could do.
She also made quite the MILF in her girlfriend's eyes. It was well hot.
With Sophie gone for the afternoon, and no work shifts, Sian had decided to take up a chance to put the final touches on their brief. Melissa was a good mate as well. It was easier dealing with her then most of the fellas in their classes. At least she knew that Melissa wasn't going to hit on her, or worse be weirdly afraid.
It was made very clear early in them working together, that Sian wasn't Mel's type at all. Strangely enough, it turned out that Sian was too femme. "Sorry, I like them in leather" the brunette had laughed at the time.
"So if you and Sophie have been together forever…" Melissa started. Sian groaned and rolled her eyes as she took another sip.
"…Then why aren't you two married? She finished quirking an eyebrow.
"Well prosecutor, we nearly did if you must know" Sian answered. The wine had loosened her tongue a bit. She didn't really like talking about it, but then again since her and Sophie are back together she decided that it didn't have to be a big secret. In fact the more that she talked about it, the easier it was to let go.
"Oh really! Why didn't you?" Melissa said with glee.
"Too young for starters and I found out that Sophie was lying to me" Sian admitted.
"Must have been an important lie" Melissa led her on.
"Yeah well, when you kiss another girl, then I'd say it is" Sian snapped back.
"No way! If that happened to me..." Melissa smiled "Well actually it has happened to me." She shrugged, "But she's grossly devoted to you, that makes no sense. "
"It's a long soppy story, but I did leave her though…for a while" Sian summed up. She was relieved when she heard a phone ring. She didn't feel like going over it all. Apparently it still hurt her a little. In the past she had spent night after night tormenting herself with her own version of what had happened. Her solution of a new place and spending time in other people's beds hadn't cured it either. She hadn't enjoyed it in hindsight; rather it had just filled something inside her that had been uncomfortably empty.
"Yours!" Melissa yelled in a singsong voice.
Sian went to grab it, noticing that the number was unrecognizable. She answered it.
"Yes…This is Sian Powers…Oh god…" her voice jumped from normal to heightened panic so quick it made Melissa stop in her tracks. "Okay…I'll be there as soon as I can…" she hung up the phone. She instantly went to grab her purse and started rifling thru it.
"What is it?" Melissa stopped.
"MY KEYS" Sian said frustrated. She dumped her purse out in anger then a sob escaped her chest.
"Sian what's going on?" Melissa demanded standing next to where Sian seemed to be frozen except for her labored breathing.
"I don't have my keys because Sophie has the car," Sian said dejectedly. Her shoulders slumped and her hands went to her face. "I have to go, but Sophie had the car" she repeats shakily.
"Go where? Whut?! You're not making any sense," Melissa said with growing horror.
"Hospital, need a cab to the hospital, Soph's been in a car accident" she managed to string along a series of words finally.
Sian pounced on the desk. She had gathered herself a bit in the cab on the way over, but her emotions were still all over the place. The blonde had barely even been able to pull it together to focus on paying the cabbie. All she could think about was getting to her Soph.
"Webster! She and her little brother came in an ambulance" the blonde stuttered out between panting breaths.
"Are you family?" the desk attendant asked.
"No, I'm her girlfriend! Someone called me so just let me know where they are. Now" Sian said firmly.
"I'll have to see if that's okay since you're not family, just hold on a minute" the old battle-axe turned away.
"OH NO YOU DON'T" Sian heard behind her. Between the clicks of the heels and the voice she didn't even need to turn around. You always heard Rosie Webster coming before you saw her.
"I am family and you're going to let us both thru those doors to find out what's happened to my little sister and brother" Rosie Webster roared. Her voice was so high pitched it could have shattered the sound barrier. Everyone in their vicinity seemed to whip their heads toward them. Later Sian swore that all she could hear was the snapping of necks.
"Now young lady, there's no need to raise your voice" the desk attendant said while she answered the phone. She hailed a doctor with a smile on her face that was as phony as a clown.
"Still Waiting" Rosie said impatiently.
"She's still in surgery. You'll just have to wait. Someone's on their way out" the old lady pointed towards the waiting area.
"Ugh! Hospitals" Rosie groaned with disgust.
"Well at least where's Jack Webster? Is he okay?" Sian asked in a panic. That little boy had to be okay. Sian couldn't bare it if that boy with his million questions who liked cars and football wasn't all right.
The battle-axe hit some buttons on her keyboard. A little too slow for Rosie's liking, as she starting drumming her nails on the counter top.
"Okay he's in ICU so the doctor will take you to him in a moment. Please sit" the woman pointed toward the waiting area.
Rosie led the blonde over to a pair of chairs. Sian slumped into the seat as Rosie lowered herself down beside her. She put her arm around the younger girl's shoulder as she placed her head on it.
"Now come on. My sis is tough. She'll be fine. It'll all be all right," Rosie said quietly into the blonde's ear.
At first she had been hesitant to call Rosie at all, but now she thanked god that she did. The two of them had been on thin ice since Rosie had humiliated her in California. Sure it had been for the best in the end, but still Rosie refused to admit that it had been unnecessarily dramatic. Still Sian knew that while Rosie was a barmy cow most of the time, that she loved her sister, even if it was in her own selfish maddening way sometimes.
Since then they had been dancing around each other, sticking to dealing with each other when it was absolutely necessary. Avoiding each other when they could. Sian knew that it put a strain on her partner, but Sophie just dealt with it. Sophie always believed that time would heal most wounds. Sian didn't know what Rosie had been doing in Weatherfield at all, but she was grateful for it. Webster's always had one first reaction to any crisis: Shout and Fight. Sian had needed that today. She tended to crumble when it came to Sophie ever being physically hurt.
It all brought her back to when Soph had fallen. As she had watched her sleeping in that hospital bed at 17 years old it had nearly been too much for her to bear. As she sat there, she had come up with a way that she could have prevented this accident for every bruise and cut on Sophie's body. There had been an ache in her chest for at least a month afterward. And it had taken her a long time for her to even be able to touch Sophie's body again. The first time that she had seen her body covered with bruises like that she had audibly gasped. Her hands shrunk away. At first Soph had looked so hurt but then she smiled. Pulling Sian to her she had whispered "Baby, I'll be fine, just don't ever leave me" and the blonde had melted.
"Webster!" Sian lifted her head having been brought out of her thoughts. Rosie raised her hand and signaled the young doc with an authentic northern "Oi!" The doctor looked nice enough as he explained that Jack was just getting stitches and they'd see him in a moment. Sian sighed in relief.
But Soph had lost her spleen so she was still under morphine. However the doc had assured them that she'd be okay without it. Everyone was more concerned with her poor spine. A car had wrecked it before and now they were afraid it had happened again.
Rosie asked the questions while Sian just let all the info sink in. Sophie was going to be all right. And that was the most important thing.
The doc scurried off as fast as he had emerged. Both lasses let out a sigh of relief at the same time. They both looked at each other and let out a chuckle.
"See I told you. My younger sis…she's tough as nails. Much tougher than me" Rosie smiled at the younger girl.
"Should we call Kevin and Sally?" Sian asked hesitantly.
"No we'll just wait a little while longer. You know my dad and mum, they'll want to jump on the next plane to make sure Soph's okay" Rosie shrugged. "Might as well give them a little bit more of a honeymoon aye?" Rosie finished.
Sian accepted that. She didn't really want to have to deal with telling them anything yet. Her parents would just get all shouty and she was already exhausted.
"Look I know that we don't get on, but I think for Soph, that we should just bury it aye?" Rosie said tentatively.
Sian took in a deep breath. For Sophie.
"Okay you dozey mare!" Sian smiled grasping Rosie's hands.
It was all going to be all right. Sian finally felt as if she could breathe.