"I'm sorry again about this morning."
She looked up from where she had been pushing food around her plate and frowned, "This morning?"
"The argument we had about me staying out late last night."
"Oh…that. I'd forgotten all about it to be honest. Pales into insignificance compared with what happened today. Not that…not that I'm saying you not getting the promotion isn't significant…" Trailing off, she turned her gaze back to the plate in front of her, though he noticed that she didn't eat anything. When he had got home that evening, he had found her already there, sitting on the couch looking washed out, but she had said that she was fine and then disappeared off for a long bath whilst he had made dinner. Watching her now, however, he couldn't help but feel concerned.
"You sure you're all right?"
"I'm fine."
He waited for her to say more but was met only with silence. "It's natural to feel the way you do after what happened."
"Is it?"
"Of course. It was a traumatic experience. You could have been killed…"
"It's not that." She sighed heavily and put her fork down onto her plate. "It's not about what happened in the house."
"What is it then?" She met his gaze and he saw uncertainty there, an unwillingness to unburden herself. He knew she was thinking about Stewart, and, for a moment, contemplated changing the subject, the way he always had done whenever he and Julie had found themselves engaged in a similar conversation. Then he remembered how both those marriages had turned out and changed his mind. "Chris?"
"I don't know how to tell you."
"Tell me what?" She said nothing and he felt a slight panic rise in his chest. "Tell me what?"
"I just…"
"You know you can tell me anything."
"Can I?"
She looked at him somewhat despairingly and he fought down the urge to get angry, something telling him that it wouldn't help in that moment. "Yes."
She put her head in her hands and rubbed them over her face. "I don't know if I imagined it or not."
"Imagined what?"
"Norris."
"What about him?"
She sighed again. "When I got back to the nick, he wanted to talk about what had happened. Reminded me that it had been my idea not to pick up Mr Patel last night and that questions would be asked about that given what happened today."
"Well, you must have expected that. But it'll just be internal. It's not as if Kim Reid's going to be descending on you from MS15 over it."
"I know but…" she trailed off. "The thing is that he said he had seen emotions in you today that he hadn't expected."
He shifted in his seat, well aware of what he had displayed that morning, and how it would have made him look to the other man. But, somehow, that didn't seem important anymore. "Yeah well…I'm not ashamed of that. I thought I'd lost you at one point."
"He said that, given you were with me, married to me, well…it must mean that…"
"That what?"
"That I must have something pretty special between my legs."
He laughed before he could stop himself, it being the sort of thing he himself might have said. Indeed, he probably had said it, or at least thought it, at one time or another. "Well, you do."
She stared at him, "And you think it's all right for him to say that to me, do you?"
"Well, no but I suppose you can't blame him for being jealous of what I've got." It was meant as a light-hearted comment, in an almost clumsy way, as a compliment. The look on her face suggested that she had taken it as anything but, however, and he instantly tried to backtrack. "Not that I mean anything by that, it's just…"
"You're all the same," she scraped her chair back from the table and stood up. "All of you."
"Hang on!" he got to his feet and followed her as she made her way out of the kitchen towards the bedroom. "What he said might have been inappropriate…"
"Might have been inappropriate…?"
"All right, it was inappropriate. But you've been in the job long enough to know that sometimes people, men, say things like that and don't mean anything by it."
"Right, I see," she turned to face him. "So, I'm supposed to just smile and giggle like a schoolgirl whenever a man in authority makes some crude comment at my expense, am I? I thought this was supposed to be the nineteen nineties. I thought women were supposed to be treated better than that!" He thought back to what had been asked of him by the interview board about his view of women in the job and started to wish he had just kept his mouth closed. "I suppose you're not bothered then that, in attempting to reassure me that he would support me in whatever internal investigation takes place over what happened today, he basically told me I needed to sleep with him!"
Her words brought him up sharp. "You what?"
"You heard me."
"What did he say? What exactly did he say?"
She sat down on the edge of the bed. "He said that I must have something pretty special between my legs, that he was my DI, that he could protect me and that he would expect some gratitude for it. I don't know about you, but I take that as him suggesting that I sleep with him."
Anger flared in his belly. "That bastard."
"So, you don't think I'm reading too much into it?" she asked, looking up at him. "You don't think I misunderstood?"
"I always thought Ferguson was the letch in that nick, but clearly Norris is at it as well!" he raged, ignoring her. "Bastard, thinking that he could…"
"Frank…" she got to her feet and stood in front of him. "Do you think I misunderstood him?"
"No, I don't."
"What should I do?"
"I know what I'd like to do! Go down there first thing in the morning and knock seven shades of shit out of him!"
"That's very noble of you, but it wasn't what I was thinking." She paused. "I should take it to Ferguson and make it official, I know that, but…what are the chances of him believing me or doing anything about it?"
"Slim to none. At best he'll tell Norris to watch his language, at worst you'll be made out to be some sort of troublemaker."
"As if I'm not considered that already. I'm betting he only suggested it because he thought I'd be up for it given our history."
"Look," he said practically, his mind working overtime. "You don't need him to protect you. You know why you made the decision that you made and, ultimately, he backed you. All you have to do is be honest, and no-one can criticise you for that."
"So, what, I go in tomorrow and tell him thanks but no thanks? Then what happens? He starts to make my life a misery? I'm only just in the door, just starting to find my feet, getting some respect and he's going to ruin it all in the space of ten minutes. All because he's in a position of power and thinks he can abuse it." Her eyes reddened and she moved past him over to the window.
Her words struck him more than he might have considered they would, and he found himself sitting down on the bed. Were he and Norris really so different at the end of the day? He'd never used his position to get a female colleague to sleep with him, but he knew he'd used it in other ways, with other people. Funny how he'd never really seen it in himself until that moment, despite what others had alluded to in the past. "Is that what you think about me?"
She turned back to look at him, surprise marring her expression. "What? Of course not. You never did anything inappropriate when it came to me, you know that."
"Maybe what you're thinking about Norris is what other people think about me then, like Viv. All that stuff about taking advantage of you when you were vulnerable. Isn't that what he's doing?"
"You're not like him, Frank. There's absolutely nothing to compare what happened between us with what he's suggested. There was…I don't know…an element of malice in the way he spoke to me. Like he wouldn't take no for an answer." She visibly shivered. "It almost made me feel as though, if I was alone with him, I'd be in danger, and that's a terrible thing to say about someone. I've always had him pegged as being rude, dismissive and disinterested, not someone who might…" she shook her head, "and that's why I don't know if I've just picked this up all wrong."
"You haven't. Trust your instincts, they're usually right."
"So, what do I do?"
"Doctor," he said, seizing on a solution, temporary though it would be. "First thing tomorrow, get yourself down the GP's surgery and get a sick line. No-one's going to question it given what happened today and that'll give us some time to consider what to do next. Like finding you somewhere else to go."
"What, another nick?"
"I'll talk to Meadows. It's been three months, so maybe he can persuade Brownlow that you should come back to Sun Hill."
"I doubt it," she made a face. "Besides, a sick line's not going to stop the investigation into what happened today, is it?"
"No, but you won't be able to take part if you're sick and that bastard Norris won't be able to get near you, in any way shape or form." He paused. "I still think a viable option is for me to show him exactly how I feel about him coming onto my wife though."
"Well, that won't help your chances of promotion, will it?"
"Suppose not, but it would make me feel a whole lot better though." He paused. "Come on, you look knackered. Get into bed and I'll bring you some tea." She smiled gratefully at him, and he turned away to head back towards the kitchen, feeling his blood boil inside.
That bastard Norris. Who did he think he was? Did he really think that she wouldn't come home and tell him what had been suggested? As the kettle boiled, he mused on the situation. Was it some sort of test? A test of his commitment to her? Was Norris expecting him to go down there all guns blazing or to do nothing, and did one option put him in a better light than another? Whilst he was tempted to make his feelings known to the other man, he was also savvy enough to realise that it would likely do her no favours and scupper his chances for promotion. No, there had to be a better way of dealing with it.
"Here, I brought you some biscuits…" he trailed off as he entered the bedroom again, finding her already fast asleep under the duvet, her body rising and falling steadily, calm at last.
22 October
"That must have been a very frightening experience."
"It was," she said, "that's why I just feel as though I need some time off."
"Understandably," the doctor smiled sympathetically. "People don't often think about how these situations affect them mentally, rather than physically. You weren't hurt, but you're still affected."
"Exactly." She watched as the other woman signed the sick line. "Police officers often don't want to admit that or feel as though they can't."
"And that's not how it should be, in any job. But for police officers especially, how can you do your jobs effectively if you're not 100% well yourselves?" She smiled and handed over the sick line. "I've given you two weeks to start with. You don't need to take the full time if you don't want to, but the police can't question you about coming back until the time's up. If, after that, you feel you need longer, come back and see me."
"Thank you."
"I see from your records that you've had counselling in the past. That was organised through the police?"
"Yes."
"Well, it might be something to think about again, especially if you feel particularly affected by what happened."
"Thanks, I'll think about it." She paused, the other matter that had been playing on her mind coming to the forefront. Would it be stupid of her to ask about it? Had the doctor been male, she might have chickened out, but given that this woman appeared, on some level, to be sympathetic and approachable, there didn't appear to be any harm in at least asking. "There…uh…there was another thing that I wanted to ask you about."
"Yes?"
"Well, I've been trying to get pregnant for the last three months and nothing's happened and I just wondered if that was, well, normal or not."
"You're having regular unprotected sex? Eating well? Getting plenty of rest?" She nodded. "Then you're doing all the right things. You're young, so there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to conceive. Sometimes it just takes longer for some couples than for others. If you find that nothing's happened by next summer, you might want to come back and see me again. We can arrange for some tests to be carried out on you and your husband." The doctor smiled. "Try not to dwell on it too much. Often it can happen when you stop consciously trying."
"Ok, thank you." Rising from the chair, she left the room, making her way back through the reception and out into the biting morning wind. It made sense, she supposed. Not everyone could fall pregnant just at the drop of a hat, but she couldn't help but think it really should have happened by this point. Perhaps it was some sort of punishment for all the years she had been on the pill, desperate to prevent herself falling pregnant by Stewart.
Musings on the matter were replaced in her mind however as she made the journey towards Barton Street to hand the sick-line in. She could only hope that she didn't run into Peter, or indeed anyone, and that it would be a quick in and out job, but as she pulled up outside, she clocked John making his way to the front entrance. For a moment, she prayed that he would go in without seeing her, but he turned his head and caught her eye, and she knew she had no choice but to get out of the car.
"Morning Sarge," he greeted her as she made her way over to the door.
"Morning John."
"Can we catch up about what happened yesterday?"
"Uh…" she paused as he held the door open for her.
"Sorry, maybe you don't want to talk about it."
"No, it's not that, it's just…" she looked down at the note in her hand, carefully secreted inside an envelope, away from prying eyes. "Look, I'm only here to hand in a sick line."
"Sick line?"
"Yeah, just for two weeks, just because…" she trailed off, wondering how or even if she should, try to explain it.
"I understand," he said. "It must have been pretty hellish in there once the fire started so…I don't blame you. I'd probably feel the same." He paused. "I wanted to say thanks."
"What for?"
"For getting me out of there. And…I suppose I should apologise, for going." He looked at her sheepishly. "DI Burnside wasn't too happy about the fact I left you in there."
"Ignore DI Burnside," she replied. "I did the right thing telling you to leave and you did the right thing in leaving. He knows that, deep down, he was just…scared, I suppose."
"Yeah well, can't blame him."
"No…" she glanced over towards the front desk and suddenly realised that the less people she had to talk to, the better. "Listen John, would you mind giving this to the DI for me?"
"Don't you want to tell him yourself?"
"No, I'd rather just get in and get out." She held the note out to him. "Would you mind?"
"No, of course not," he replied, taking it from her. "Anything else you want me to tell him?"
"Uh, no," she replied. "The line's for two weeks so, I'll be in touch once it's up to let him know if I'm coming back."
"Right," he looked at her somewhat quizzically, as though confused at the thought that she might not return. "I'll let him know."
"Thanks, I appreciate it." Without waiting for any further conversation, she turned and headed back out towards her car, walking hurriedly as though Peter might accost her at any moment. Fortunately, there was no sign of him as she pulled back out onto the main road and headed towards home.
XXXX
"You're kidding."
"Nope."
"He actually said that?"
"According to Chris he did."
Ted leaned back in his chair and raised his eyebrows. "How did she take it?"
"Not well, as you can imagine. Neither did I, when I heard about it."
"And do you actually think he meant it as some sort of threat?"
Frank shook his head, "I don't know. I don't know what he was thinking, but it's certainly the impression he gave her. 'You want my support; you'll have sex with me. And why shouldn't you? You've had sex with your other DI, why not with me?'"
"Bastard."
"You're telling me." He'd been unable to think about little else since she had revealed the story to him, though she had looked a little brighter when she had left to go to the doctor that morning.
"So, what's she going to do about it?"
"She's gone off on the sick. That should buy us a bit of time to think through our options and give me a chance to work on Meadows in allowing her to come back here."
"That's never going to happen."
"Why not? It's been a couple of months now, the dust has settled…"
"There is no way that Brownlow is going to go back on his decision. You can't just transfer an officer then bring them back a few months later on the QT."
"Why not? She's a damn good officer and there's no way they would have transferred her if it hadn't been for all this business with me. I reckon they'd be jumping at the chance to have her back. Plus, you know how much Brownlow loathes Oliver."
"Yes, he does, so he'd be more interested in seeing Chris take this all the way rather than just let her slink back here."
Frank sat back in his seat and shook his head. It didn't matter how many obstacles were put in his way; he knew what the course of action was now. Get her out of Barton Street and back to Sun Hill. It was simple, effective and solved all the problems, even if not everybody could see the wisdom in it. "I'm not having her work with a DI where she's looking over her shoulder all the time wondering if today's going to be the day that he throws her over his desk."
"Then she needs to report it."
"Oh, come on Ted, we both know how these things work. She'll never be believed! And even if she is, nobody's going to do anything about it."
"I think you're clutching at straws," Ted said, getting to his feet. "But I admire your tenacity."
"It's my middle name."
"Could have fooled me."
He chose not to take the other man to task or seek to continue the pointless conversation. Ted wasn't the person he had to convince after all. Meadows needed to be first, then Conway and Brownlow. Fortunately, he had seen Meadows come in earlier and he had appeared, on the face of it, to be in a good mood, so there seemed no time like the present.
"Morning Frank," Jack greeted him when he knocked the door and was permitted entry. "How are things looking today?"
"Fine Guv," he replied, "though there was something I wanted to speak to you about."
"Fire away."
"It's about Chris."
Jack looked up, "Is she all right?"
"Not really, Guv, no."
"Why, what's happened?"
"When I got home last night, she was in a bit of a state and I thought at first it was just to do with what had happened yesterday with the fire but, well, it turned out to be more than that." He paused to gauge the other man's reaction as Jack nodded slowly. "Anyway, she disclosed to me that something had happened when she got back to Barton Street yesterday involving her DI there."
"Peter Norris?" Frank nodded. "What about him?"
"Well apparently, according to Chris, he told her that there would need to be an internal investigation into what happened yesterday, mostly to do with her handling of the arson case up to the point of the hostage situation, only he said that…well…alluded to the fact that…"
"That what?"
"To put it bluntly, Guv, he basically told her she would need to sleep with him if she wanted his support." Jack said nothing. "He inferred, apparently, that her sleeping with me should make her more inclined to want to sleep with him and, from what she said, he made her feel as though she wouldn't have much choice in the matter."
"That's a serious accusation for her to make."
"I'm aware of that."
"Peter Norris has got a fairly solid reputation…"
"Well, that's a matter of opinion."
"What happened at that house yesterday was obviously traumatic…is it possible that Christina misinterpreted what Norris said?"
"No Guv. You know Chris, she wouldn't make a mistake like that."
Jack sat back in his chair, "So what does she intend to do about it?"
"She doesn't think there's much that she can do. Reporting Norris to DCI Ferguson won't get her anywhere and she's convinced she won't be believed anyway, which you know as well as I do, is likely to be the case."
"So, what are you asking me to do about it?"
"I was hoping that you might see your way to convincing Conway and Brownlow that she should come back to Sun Hill. She's a good officer, you know she is, and there's no way she would have been moved on if it hadn't been for what happened between us. But the point's been made; we've had our official reprimands, she's been moved on…it's been a few months now and I don't see why there's any reason…"
"Mr Brownlow won't go for it."
"But you could tell him…"
"I'm sympathetic Frank, obviously, but this is the nineteen nineties, and we can't be seen to be promoting the value of women within the ranks on the one hand and not expecting them to step up to the plate on the other."
He frowned. "Meaning what?"
"Meaning, that if what Norris said is correct, then Chris needs to take a stand and report him. We're never going to shake off the old perceptions of being an old-boys network if she doesn't. Sneakily moving her back here might solve her problem, but it doesn't help in the overall grand scheme of things."
"I don't care about the overall grand scheme of things! I care about my wife being threatened by the person who is supposed to be her boss! I care about him trying to force her to agree to something she doesn't want to do and then potentially physically forcing her to do it anyway!"
"Hang on a minute Frank," Jack said. "Norris suggesting to Chris that she might want to have sex with him to help her out of a tight spot is one thing, but it's a massive leap to suggest that she's at risk of him raping her, if that's what you're alluding to."
"It is. Are you saying she's lying?"
"No, I'm not saying that, but given everything that happened yesterday, there's a strong possibility that she misinterpreted at least some of the context of what he said."
"And you think she should just go back in there, tell him she won't sleep with him and take her chances? You know as well as I do that even if it doesn't get as far as him physically forcing himself on her, he'll make her life there a living hell!"
"If that happens, then she has grounds to ask for a transfer through the Met grievance procedure and then it might be appropriate for Sun Hill to be considered as an appropriate place for her to go."
"I don't believe this…"
"Like I said, Frank, I'm sympathetic…"
"Oh, of course you are!" he sneered. "Only it's not your wife that this is happening to though, is it? It's mine!"
"Perhaps you should have thought about all this back when you decided to get your leg over. Your history isn't going to help her much if she does decide to take this forward."
"And yet you're still going to insist that she does." He got to his feet and headed for the door. "Thanks for your support Jack, thanks a lot!"
"Frank…"
He didn't wait to hear what the other man might want to say, instead slamming the door behind him and storming back into his own office in time to hear the phone ringing. "Burnside," he snapped, snatching up the receiver.
"Bad time?"
"No," he replied, instantly pushing down his irritation at the sound of her voice. "Well, actually, when isn't it a bad time? How did you get on at the doctor?"
"She gave me a two-week sick-line and I handed it in so…"
"Did you see Norris?"
"No, thankfully." She paused. "Did you speak to Meadows?"
He paused, weighing up the wisdom of telling her the outcome of the conversation and decided that, in her current state, it was better that he was more circumspect. "No, not yet. He's in meetings all day today so it might be tomorrow before I get a chance to. Are you all right?"
"Yes," she replied, in a tone he didn't altogether trust. "I'm fine."
