Walking out his office, Ted spotted Steve and motioned for him to join him.
"What's going on, sir?" Steve asked.
"Kate's husband is currently downstairs dumping all her belongings there," Ted explained.
"He can't be within 100 metres of her," Steve pointed out. "He's breaking his restraining order,".
"I will inform him of that," Ted said as he headed to the stairs with Steve by his side.
Kate was in the little kitchenette area with Josh and saw the two men depart briskly. She wondered what was going on.
"Mark," said Ted as he descended the stairs with Steve. He knew the man from old AC-12 socials. "You can't leave all this here," he instructed, indicating the rather large pile of boxes on the floor. "This is a working police office," he pointed out.
"Well I don't want her stuff in the house anymore,".
"You can't leave it here," Ted repeated. "And on top of that you are currently breaking your restraining order. I am obliged to report it if you don't leave imminently,".
Mark dropped his current load of Kate's things. "The slag is here then?" he asked.
"Mark, please don't use that sort of language-" Ted begged.
"KATE?!" Mark hollered, ignoring Ted's calm request.
Up in the main office area, Kate heard her husband calling her name. Josh heard it too and Kate saw fear in his eyes. At least she knew where Steve and Ted had gone.
"KATE!" Mark hollered again.
"She's not gonna come, mate," Steve said to Mark, getting his first real look at Kate's husband.
"I'M LEAVING ALL YOUR CRAP HERE FOR YOU!" Mark persisted in shouting.
Kate noticed that most of her colleagues were staring at her as her dirty laundry was aired by her husband. She had to do something. "Stay here, ok?" She told Josh as she put him back on the chair he had been occupying all day. "I'll be back soon," she promised as she walked off to the atrium.
Mark caught sight of her as she walked in to view on the top floor. "Ahh, there she is. My lovely prostitute of a wife,".
"What do you want Mark?" Kate asked standing at the half way point on the stairs. She felt fairly safe. There were the security barriers between her and her husband that would be very difficult to cross. Not to mention the gaffer, security guards and of course Steve present.
"Thought I'd give you all your stuff," Mark said. "And I want to see Josh,".
"You can't," Kate retorted. "Not unless it's supervised,".
"I bet you love that don't you, you bitch! I want to see my son!".
"Enough!" hollered Ted, breaking up the spat. He really didn't want a marital squabble played out in front of all of AC-12. "What are we going to do about all these belongings?" he asked, getting back to the main problem at present.
Steve thought of an answer and turned to security. "Can you get it shipped to the Kingsgate apartments lads?" he asked. It would be pretty cramped but they would find room for Kate's belongings.
The mention of Steve's address switched on a lightbulb in Mark's head. That was the name of the apartments where his mate had been cleaning windows. "It's you isn't it?" he asked Steve. "You're the one who is shagging my wife!" he continued before launching himself at Steve.
It all happened so quick that Steve didn't see Mark's fist until it collided with his nose, sending blood all over Steve's face and down his shirt.
"Steve!" cried out Kate as she ran down to the atrium level where Steve was now on the floor as Mark kicked him in the abdomen. "Mark! Stop it!" she cried out as she tried to pull Mark away.
Ted looked on in horror before pulling out his phone and calling for assistance.
"Get off me!" Mark roared before pushing Kate away with such force that her head hit a concrete pillar behind her. She slumped to the floor unconscious.
"Kate!" cried Steve as he made to go over to his partner.
"You stay away from my wife!" Mark shouted. pushing Steve away from Kate's crumpled form on the floor. Steve landed on the floor very hard on his backside, pain shooting up his back.
"DADDY! NO!" Josh's little voice echoed around the building.
Mark stopped his assault and saw his son standing on the halfway point of the stairs where Kate had just been. He had seen his father hurt both his mum and Steve after disobeying Kate's order to stay put.
"Alright Josh?" Mark said as he jumped over the security barrier and started ascending towards his son. AC-12's security guard quickly followed before being pushed down the stairs by Mark. Josh saw the incident and took a step back as his father approached, grabbing on to the handrail for protection. "It's alright Josh," Mark said when he saw Josh cowering away from him. "I'm not going to hurt you," he promised. "Your mum and all these people are trying to stop me seeing you," he explained as he held his hand out to Josh. "Come with me and we'll go somewhere together," he promised.
"I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to let you do that, Mark," Ted said authoritatively.
"What do you know, old man?!" Mark spat down to Ted before turning back to Josh. "Take my hand, Josh!" Mark urged angrily. Josh stood rooted to the spot. "I SAID TAKE MY HAND!" Mark bellowed, knowing he was running out of time. In the distance a police siren could be heard and Mark knew it was for him. "STOP FUCKING ABOUT JOSH!" Mark said as he lunged up the remaining steps to where Josh was stood.
As he got closer to Josh and towered over him, Mark could see the little boy shaking. There was pure terror in his eyes and as Mark glanced further down his son's body he saw a wet patch appear on his son's shorts which grew in size before a little puddle appeared at his feet. Mark realised that he had made his son so scared that he had wet himself. Shame washed over him as he realised what he had done. He had never intended for his son to be scared of him.
The fight left him and he gave up. He sat on the top stair letting the AC-12 security guard approach him and handcuff him before handing him over to the police officers that had now arrived in answer to Ted's call.
Steve watched Mark being led away from his position on the floor. His back was throbbing in pain which had prevented him from moving. He glanced over at Kate. She was showing signs of life after the gaffer had gone over to check on her. He really wanted to check on her himself but one look at Josh and he knew that the little boy needed him more. Kate would want that as well.
Very carefully, Steve manoeuvred himself off the floor and climbed the stairs to Josh. "You alright, mate?" he asked as he approached.
Seeing a familiar kind face was Josh's undoing and he started crying. Instinctively Steve picked him up and hugged him, ignoring the pain in his back and the fact that Josh had wet himself. "It's gonna be alright, mate," Steve promised the little boy.
"Josh!" Kate called out after hearing her son's cries. She sat up, intent on going to her son but the world span badly with her change of position and she had to acknowledge the fact that she wasn't going to be able to get to him. She saw Steve with her son and relaxed. Hopefully Steve's hug was providing as much comfort to her son as they did to her.