Chapter 9

So it's rather a lengthy update tonight split across multiple chapters... (I have things written as Christmas Eve and want to be able to post it tomorrow!) So I hope this isn't boring you and that you enjoy it! Please review with any comments or improvements you think I could make. Thank you for the support so far!

Connie left the hospital early with no explanations to anyone other than 'not feeling well' to Charlie who knew she was lying.

She lay on the bed staring at the ceiling as her phone rang from the bed beside her. She didn't check who it was, just let it ring because right now she didn't want to speak to anyone. Instead she got up and wandered downstairs into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of wine and a glass from the cupboard before pouring herself one, taking them both through to the living room.

After drinking through the first bottle she got up and went through to the kitchen to find something else. Connie pulled out another bottle not caring what it was and poured it into the glass. She swallowed it in a mouthful and poured another. Leaning against the side she felt the tears running down her face again as her eyes fell on the photo frame lying on the table where she'd been sat.

Connie picked up the picture of Grace, Elliot, Sam and herself from her bedroom and looked down at it. She tipped the remaining alcohol in her glass down her neck before glancing at the image again. She threw the frame against the wall before sitting down beside the table and drinking from the bottle rather than using the glass.

Jacob gave up trying to ring her seeing as she wasn't going to answer him. "Charlie, did Mrs Beauchamp say why she went home?" He shook his head sitting at the table opposite Jacob in the staffroom. "Said she wasn't feeling well but I know that wasn't true." He stood up and went to leave the room but stopped. "If you wanted to go check she was alright I'd tell Rita you needed to be somewhere, you'd be doing us both a favour putting our minds at rest." Charlie smiled nodding as he left, leaving Jacob to grab a jacket and leave the staffroom.

He tried phoning Connie again as he walked out of the hospital not expecting an answer. He was about to hang up when the ringing stopped. "Connie?" "What do you want Jacob?" He let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. "What's going on you just disappeared-" "Stop pretending like you care, okay you don't need to." The line went dead as he sighed putting his phone in his pocket and began jogging in the direction of her house.

Connie leant against the wall of the empty living room with her head resting back. She felt sick and tired of finding herself in this position. Drinking until she forgot everything in her life hoping that somehow when she woke up everything would be back to how it was. While sitting there she heard someone banging against the glass of the door before they called out. "Connie! Connie if you're in there just let me in."

She slowly pushed herself up from the floor before pulling her hand back in pain. Glancing down she noticed the smashed glass of the frame and the small trickles of blood that were beginning to paint the palm of her hand.

Again she pushed herself up and made it to the front door. Leaning against it and the wall she listened as Jacob spoke. "Please, Connie let me know what's happening and that you're okay." She messed with the key in the door and twisted it until it finally unlocked. As the door opened Jacob stepped up and in as though he was worried she'd shut it before he had the chance to say anything.

He noticed her tear stained face before she turned to walk away from him. Although she was walking it was noticeable she was struggling. Jacob closed the front door behind him before following her further into the house. Connie stood in the kitchen and grabbed a tea towel wrapping it around her hand to stop the blood and to stop Jacob from seeing it. She could feel the tears building up again as she dropped her head and sniffed. "Why are you here shouldn't you be at work?"

"Shouldn't you too, not at the bottom of a bottle?" He looked from the empty wine bottle to her leaning against the side. His eyes fell to the room behind him as he noticed an almost empty bottle of vodka on the table. He looked across the floor before seeing the smashed glass of the picture frame against the bottom of the wall. "Connie…"

Jacob stepped into the kitchen as she turned and moved away from him. She walked past him and into the living room picking up her glass. "What are you doing Connie?" She looked into the glass before drinking some. "You really want to know? My only daughter doesn't want to see me. Happy now? Got what you wanted?" He sighed following her again and stopping across the room from her. "Why would I be happy? And what use is drinking, it's not helping anyone is it-" "And what am I supposed to do Jacob!? Because right now I don't see what else I am meant to do."

Connie slumped down onto the sofa with the glass still between her hands. Jacob moved closer to her and bent down to rest in front of her. "My little girl doesn't want to come home for Christmas and I'm supposed to be okay with that?" He took the glass from her hand before noticing the blood seeping through the towel.

He placed the glass down on the table before holding onto her hand. "Connie, I never said that you should be okay with it but talk to me because I do care." He carefully unwrapped the towel from her hand but it was difficult to see her hand due to the amount of blood. "Con-" "It's fine, I just cut it on some glass." She went to pull her hand back but Jacob stopped her. "Let me sort it out okay?"

She faintly nodded as he stood up and went to the kitchen getting various things to clean it up. He did everything so carefully and she barely felt a thing. "Have you got a first aid kit anywhere? Stupid question…" he smiled slightly as Connie raised an eyebrow and pointed to a cupboard behind him.

A little while later and Connie was sitting on the sofa with a blanket around her shoulders and her knees held tightly to her chest. Jacob had cleaned the glass from the floor and gotten rid of all the bloodied tissue. Returning to the room with a glass of water he held it out to her before sitting beside her.

It was a difficult site for Jacob to see as she'd always been the strong leader. "Wishing you didn't come now?" Connie had turned to face him as his eyes moved to meet hers. "Why would you think that?" She wrapped the blanket around herself before feeling herself well up again. "I wouldn't blame you if you did, I mean not exactly the same person you slept with is it?" Jacob moved closer to her before taking her cut hand in his.

"You're right, you're not the same woman I slept with… You're so much more than that." He felt her hold onto his hand while he was speaking before he shifted his weight so she could rest her head on his shoulder. "You're beautiful Connie and you don't need to be strong all the time, not in front of me."

Connie sat up again running hand through her hair before standing up. "I'm going to get upstairs, you better get back to the hospital before Rita kills you." She walked upstairs and into her bedroom removing the left over make-up and changing into some warmer clothes. Jacob sat downstairs taking his phone from his pocket and calling someone back at the hospital.

"Don't worry about it, as long as everything's okay I'll let them know." "Thank you Charlie, I'll be in for my shift tomorrow morning." He put his phone back into his jacket pocket before climbing the stairs up to her bedroom. The door was closed and as he opened it she looked up from where she was sitting in the middle of the bed. "I thought you'd gone."

He walked to the bed and sat beside her gently putting his arm around her shoulder and letting her lay back with him. "I told Charlie to tell Rita I needed to take some leave for the rest of the afternoon." She moved to rest her head against his chest as he kept his arm around her holding her close. "Just sleep and if you want to talk later then we'll talk but for now just rest." He gently kissed the top of her head before going quiet and letting her sleep.