by M A Comley
The alarm went off on the oven. She opened the door to see if the chips were ready and switched it off. Then she promptly closed the oven door again to keep the chips warm while she finished off frying the steaks. They were a little thicker than normal, and therefore, her timings were slightly off. Either that, or she was so used to Tony cooking that she was losing her instincts in the kitchen.
“Poor Sean. Tell him he knows where I am if he needs any extra help. We still owe him big time for having faith in our mission to get Charlie back all those years ago.”
“Yep, I’ll do that, hon.” Despite what she told Tony, the need to keep him away from Sean was immense. She had no idea how she would react if they were in the same room together, let alone how Sean would feel if that were to happen. “Okay, I’m about to serve up. The steak is finally cooked. Can you lay the table for me, love?”
Tony hobbled across the floor, made it halfway and cried out in pain. Lorne dropped what she was doing and ran to help him. She eased him back in the chair, ran back and turned all the burners off on the stove. Then she returned to her husband’s side. Sweat was pouring down his forehead, and her heart went out to him. He never complained when he was in pain, so she knew his leg must be killing him. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but we need to take your trousers down and have a look.”
He smiled in spite of the pain. “You’re right, but that damn steak smells too good to be ruined. I’m all right for the moment, as long as I’m sitting down. Sorry, love.”
“For what? Don’t you dare be sorry. I’ll grab the knives and forks and dish up then, if you’re sure. I’m worried how much pain you’re in, love. Can I get you one of your painkillers?”
Tony reached into the bowl in the middle of the table and extracted a packet. “I have them here. Can I trouble you for a glass of water?”
Lorne kissed him on the cheek and ruffled his hair. “It’s no trouble.” She filled a glass of water, rushed it back to the table then returned to serve up the meal. What is it about a man and his stomach? Nothing, not even swathes of pain, will get in the way of them filling their bellies sometimes.
After their meal had ended, Lorne insisted Tony drop his trousers so they could inspect his wound. What he revealed almost made her dinner resurface. When Tony removed his prosthetic leg, there was blood seeping from his stump. Lorne gasped. “Jesus, Tony, that looks really bad. We need to take you to the hospital.”
“I think I’ll bathe it in salt water and leave it for an hour or two. I’m sure it’ll be fine in the morning.”
“Are you kidding me? You almost collapsed with the pain. I really think we should take you to see a doctor now.”
“And I insist that we don’t. You know how I feel about wasting the doctors’ valuable time. Let’s do things my way and reassess the situation in a couple of hours. It only hurt because I walked on the damn thing. If necessary, I can leave my leg off and use my crutches for a few days to let the wound heal.”
“You’re a stubborn bastard at times, Tony Warner,” she said through gritted teeth and narrowed eyes.
He kissed her on the lips and winked. “Yeah, but you love me. Just think what your life would be like if I wasn’t in it, causing you stress.”
“Luckily enough, I do love you, and you’re right—I can’t imagine what my life would be like if you weren’t in it. All right, we’ll play things your way if that’s how you want it, on one proviso.”
He tutted. “Go on. I’m not going to like what you’re going to say next, am I?”
“I doubt it. I want you to ring Joseph and tell him that you’re taking the day off.”
He sighed heavily and nodded. “There’s little point in me arguing with you. Okay, I’ll ring him. He’s going to be narked as hell because we’ve just taken on a missing persons case ourselves.”
“He’ll just have to plod on without you for the day. That’s all. Do you want me to ring him for you?”
He chuckled. “I’m not a child, and you’re not my mother. I think I can handle it myself, love.”
“Okay.” Lorne reached across the table for his mobile and placed it in his hand. “There’s no time like the present. I’ll get the salt water and make a cup of coffee.”
Tony took the phone from her hand and poked his tongue out at her.
She listened to his side of the conversation while she carried out her chores.
“Sorry to let you down, mate. I’ll be back with you again on Thursday. I promise… No, this isn’t a ploy for me to get some extra time off at Christmas. How could you even think that? Okay, good luck. Keep me up to date on how the case is progressing at the end of tomorrow if you would. Sorry to let you down. You know I wouldn’t if circumstances were different. Cheers, mate.” Tony ended the call and threw his phone on the table. “Cheeky bugger thought I was trying to wangle extra time off just because it’s Christmas.”
Lorne chuckled. “Oops, guess he doesn’t know you that well after all.”
“The twerp has really offended me. Since we started working together, I’ve never pulled a sicky, even when my leg has been giving me real jip. Shit your thanks, as my gran always used to say.”
Lorne carried the two mugs of coffee and the bowl of warm salted water to the table and sat down beside him. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to be off with you, love. No one, not even me, has any idea what bloody pain you have to contend with on a daily basis.” She returned to fetch the cotton wool they kept alongside the first-aid kit in one of the cupboards.
Tony tore off a wad and dipped it in the bowl of salted water then, gritting his teeth, applied it tentatively to his wound. “Jesus!”
Lorne reached out and rubbed his arm. “Can I do anything to help?”
“Sod the coffee. You can get me a large glass of whisky instead.”
She shot out of her chair, ran into the sitting room and returned seconds later with a bottle of Famous Grouse. She poured a large measure in a glass and held it to his lips as he attempted to bathe his wound a second time. The drink eased his pain, and he managed to successfully clean up his wound within a couple of minutes.
They both stared at his stump, waiting for the blood to start seeping from the wound again but were relieved ten minutes later when no fresh blood appeared on the surface.
Lorne kissed him. “Looks like it worked, my brave, brave soldier.”
“Here’s hoping. Now, what’s for dessert? I fancy a piece of cheesecake,” Tony said, laughing when she shook her head.
“Actually, I was about to suggest you do the washing up now that your leg is obviously so much better.”
He glanced down at his leg. “Oh no, can you see that speck of blood? I better stay here for a while to ensure it doesn’t get any worse.”
Lorne dipped forward to check the wound. His laughter made her look up at him again. “You, sneaky bastard. You’ll do just about anything to get out of the washing up.”
“Hey, you’re the one who refuses to use the damn dishwasher. Not me.”
“Grr… maybe I’ll relent on that, one of these days. Why don’t I settle you in the lounge before I clean up the kitchen?”
“No way. I’ll stay here and keep you company. Umm… don’t forget to take the cheesecake out of the freezer before you start on the dishes.”
“Lemon or salted caramel?”
“Salted caramel sounds just the ticket to me. Thanks, love.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were both sitting on the sofa, tucking into their cheesecake, which was still frozen, just the way they liked it.
“What case are you working on, Tony? Can I help at all? Not that I’m going to have much time over the next few days, with Sean cracking the whip every so often during the course of the day.”
“A young girl. Similar age to the girl you’re investigating. She’s called Gillian Knot. She went missing around sixteen days ago.”
“And her parents—I take it that’s who you’re working for—have only just contacted you?”
He nodded. “There’s a reason for that. They found a note in her flat saying that she’d gone on holiday for a couple of weeks. When her parents hadn’t heard from her, that’s when they started ringing up her friends. None of them knew that she was planning on taking a holiday. The parents went back to her flat and searched around. Her suitcase was there. Her passport was inside. There was no recent stamp in it, meaning that she hadn’t gone away. When they looked at the note, they realised their daughter’s handwriting was different, shakier than normal, as if she’d written it under duress.”
“How awful for the parents to discover that. They must be so frustrated that they’ve lost two weeks.”
“They are. The mother is beside herself.”
“Maybe you can make some calls while you’re at home recuperating.”
“I thought about that. Seems like a good idea. I feel gutted letting Joe and the parents down.”
“Nonsense. You haven’t let anyone down. Do you want me to spread the word at work for you? Ask uniform to keep their eyes open at least?”
“That would be perfect. I’ll send you a picture of her via email. Maybe you can distribute that if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Brilliant. Why don’t you line up a movie, and I’ll go and get your phone so that you can do that now before either of us forgets.” She left the room and returned with his phone. He sent the image via email and then pressed Start on a film they had downloaded on one of the movie channels called Marine 2.
Once the film ended and she’d let Sheba out in the paddock for the final time, she returned to the lounge to find Tony asleep on the sofa. She ran upstairs to fetch the quilt and a pillow off the spare bed and took it downstairs. She carefully placed the pillow under his head and covered him with the quilt. Then she kissed him on the forehead and glanced down lovingly at the man who had completed her world since the minute she’d laid eyes on him.
~ ~ ~
The following morning, Tony called out to her as she came down the stairs to let Sheba out again. She ran into the lounge and found him struggling to sit upright. “Hey, what are you doing? Wait.”
“I can’t believe you left me here all night.”
She hoisted him upright and kissed him. “You looked so peaceful and pain-free when I came in from letting the dog out, I really didn’t have the heart to disturb you. Did you sleep well?”
“Don’t remember a thing. I’m a little stiff, though.” He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. “Any chance you can help me upstairs to take a shower?”
“Of course. How’s your leg?”
“A dull ache. A shower will do it some good, I’m sure.”
“I’ll wait around until you’re dressed before heading into work.”
He raised an eyebrow at her. “I’m not an invalid, Mrs. Warner.”
She wagged a finger at him. “Actually, you are. Humour me, love. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you while I was at work. Get showered and dressed, and we’ll settle you back down here, then I’ll shoot off. That’s an order.”
“What would I do without you to bully me—I mean, take care of me?”
She laughed. “I’d be lost without you too. Maybe I should tell you that more often instead of taking you for granted.”
“Don’t be silly. You never take me for granted. What a daft thing to say.”
“I’ll go and get your crutches. Be right back.” She left the room before he could see the tears welling up in her eyes. She swiped a hand to get rid of the tears and carried the crutches downstairs. She found Tony struggling to his feet in the lounge. “Sit down. Why take the risk, Tony? You’re so bloody impatient at times.”
He pulled a face at her and reached for his crutches. She aided his ascent up the stairs and sat on the toilet while he showered, then she helped him out of the shower and into the bedroom.
“Can you get my tracksuit out for me?”
Lorne removed the burgundy tracksuit and placed it on the bed beside him. “Can you manage to get dressed while I jump in the shower? If not, I’ll hang around.”
“Go. I’ll be fine. I’ll take my time. If I’m struggling, I’ll wait for you.”
Lorne showered quickly and returned to find him pulling his tracksuit bottoms over his stump. “How does it look?”
“All good so far. The pain is far less than last night, which is a bonus. You get yourself ready. Time is marching on.”
Lorne glanced at the bedside clock, which read eight fifteen, and screeched. “Damn. I’m going to hit all the bloody traffic now.”
“Probably. I’m sorry for holding you up.”
She kissed and hugged him. “You didn’t. If it wasn’t for this case, I would call in sick and look after you for the day. However, with Roberts breathing down my neck, that’s not really on the cards. Ring me during the day, okay?”
“I’ll be fine. You go. I hope your day goes well and you get a break in the case.”
“Thanks, Tony. I’ll do what I can getting your missing person’s pic in circulation too. I promise.”
“I really appreciate that, but your case must take priority.”
“It will. It won’t stop me from helping you out, though. I’ve gotta fly.”
She tore out of the house, and five minutes later, she found herself snarled up in the traffic. She rang Katy on her mobile. “I’m running late. I’ll be there as soon as the traffic eases.”
“Thanks for letting me know. Take your time and drive carefully.”
Lorne ended the call and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. It was a whole hour before she reached the station. She hated being late—in fact, she rarely was. She ran up the stairs and into the incident room only to find DCI Roberts standing beside Katy’s desk. He turned to face her and folded his arms, giving her the impression he was up for a fight. Shit, just what I bloody need.
CHAPTER NINE
“I wasn’t aware that you had gone part-time, Inspector,” Roberts said harshly.
Lorne glared at him, taken aback by his snarky comment. “I’m sorry. The traffic was a nightmare this morning. There was a crash near my home, and it blocked both lanes for a while.”
His eyes narrowed. “Is that so? You won’t mind me digging into that scenario to check then, will you?”
Lorne shrugged. “If you’re not willing to take my word, then there’s nothing else for me to say.” She walked past him and stopped off at the vending machine to buy a coffee before heading towards her office.
“Stop right there, Inspector. I find it incredible that not only do you arrive late, but you also neglect to speak to your team when you arrive.”
Lorne’s eyes rolled up to the ceiling. She was furious he was speaking to her in such a sardonic tone in front of her team. She feared if she responded to his antagonism, she would regret her choice of words for months to come, so she continued into her office and closed the door. She took several sips of her steaming-hot coffee before Sean appeared in the doorway.
She held up a finger to warn him. “Take one step into this office, and I’ll be on the phone to HR in an instant.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ll have you for harassment, DCI Roberts—that’s what I’m talking about. You kissed me yesterday. I’d rather not have a repeat of that nonsense, if you don’t mind. I’m a happily married woman and intend remaining that way. And yes, I’ve told Tony all about the incident.” She hoped he didn’t pick up on the colour rising in her cheeks instigated by the lie she had just told him.
“What? You told Tony?” he asked, his voice leaving his lips in a shocked whisper.
“Yes, so you can cut the crap and give me a break. I’m late through no fault of my own. If you choose to disbelieve me, then that’s your problem. Not mine.”
His gaze dropped to the floor before he turned and left her office. Moments later, Katy appeared in the doorway. “Holy shitballs! What did you say to him?”
“Why?”
&
nbsp; “Because he looked a broken man when he left.”
“You heard the way he spoke to me in front of the team. That was below the belt and totally uncalled for. I don’t want or need him breathing down my neck every second of the day, Katy. You know as well as I do that I’m at my desk at least fifteen minutes before my shift is due to start every day. Where is he when I’m here early? Christ, the one day he turns up to seek me out early in the morning, I happen to be bloody late. Agh… Now all he’s succeeded in doing is put me in a foul mood.”
“All right, I hear you. But what did you say to him?”
“I told him that I would report him to HR if he stepped into my office.”
Katy sank into the chair opposite and covered her face with her hands. “Oh shit! You didn’t?”
“I bloody well did. Yes, we have a past together, but that in no way gives him the right to cross the boundaries. How would you have handled the situation if you were in my shoes?”
Katy dropped her hands and stared at her. “I have no idea. I sure as hell don’t think I would have travelled down your route, though, Lorne. Shit, that’s going to be like a red rag to a bloody bull now.”
Lorne shrugged. “Do I look bothered? He had no right kissing me yesterday. It caused shit between Tony and me last night because I was riddled with guilt.” She threw herself back in her chair. “Jesus, I wish I’d called in sick now, like I was going to.”
“Are you? Sick?”
“I’m not, but the same can’t be said of my poor husband. We were moments away from going to A & E last night because of his leg. He spent the night on the couch, suffering and in too much pain because his stump was bleeding. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t prepared to take any shit from Sean this morning. I was late due to the fact I was caring for my invalid husband, who insisted that I should leave him and come into work. I wish I hadn’t bothered now.”
“Jesus, Lorne. I’m so sorry about Tony. Why didn’t you explain the situation to Sean? He would have understood.”
“Because he didn’t give me a chance. He sniped at me the second he laid eyes on me, and I can do without that kind of shit from my boss.”
