Part Five
�Sarge� Cathy exclaimed as she saw June
�It�s so good to see you back, it has not been the same without you�
�It is nice to know I have been missed�
�Well having you back will stop Brandon�s reign of power�
�Oh thanks� June laughed �If that is the only reason you are glad I am back then I would have stayed at home and looked after the kids�
�I didn�t mean it like that, any way how is the baby of your brood�
�Why don�t you go to his office and ask him Cathy, he is in his office�
�I think the baby might be more on the ball than the DI is on occasion�
�You have hit the nail on the head there, my husband maybe a good detective but for a source of gossip he is a complete waste of space�
�Well how about I make a cuppa and fill you in on all the gossip�
�That sounds fantastic and then you can really tell me what things have been like with Brandon in charge�
�It is amazing how quickly the view can improve around her�
�DI Carver, what can I do for you� June smiled as Jim sat on the corner of her desk
�Absolutely nothing, I just thought I would come and see how you were doing, you ok�
�Yeah, I�m fine, it�s like I have never been away from here�
�Well I�ve missed you around here, missed watching you walk out of my office and the way the curves of your body sway as you walk away�
�Will you behave yourself, we have a six month old with a streaming cold at home as a permanent reminder of the last time you sweet talked me in this office�
Jim moved closer to June so that no-one else could hear their conversation
�Well I could not help it, you looked so sexy�..each time I come into this office I can hear you screaming as your body gave in and succumbed to my charms�
�You have a high opinion of yourself you know that�
�Yep, that is why you love me�
�Someone has too, have you just come in to do your best impression of a garden gnome and annoy me or are you going to help me with this huge pile of paperwork and post�
�Well that is one thing I can delegate as DI I leave the post for other people, I m just trying to get some information on a court case tomorrow, any way we have to leave you with some excitement in your job� Jim stood up and made his way over to Cathy
June sat opening her mail as Jim chatted with Cathy and Brandon, she looked at a hand written envelope marked private and confidential and was curious as to it�s contents. She opened it and began to read it�s contents. Jim watched as his wife�s face change as she read the letter in her hands, as their eyes made contact he could see tears in her eyes.
He started to walk towards her but she ran from her desk before he could reach her
�June�� he shouted after her
�Is the sarge ok� Brandon said as he and Cathy saw the concerned puzzled expression on Jim�s face
June locked the cubicle door as the tears streamed down her face as she read the opening lines of the letter again
Jim gingerly opened the door to the ladies toilets, he could hear the sobs of his wife, seeing the coast was clear he approached the cubicle
�Babe, what�s wrong, what�s happened�
June unlocked the cubicle door and handed the letter to Jim
�I knew this day would come, it�s from Robert�
�I don�t know what to say�.lets go somewhere more private and talk� he said as he scanned the letter
�I want to be on my on for a while, is that ok�
�Yeah, you know where I am if you need me�
�Thanks�
�I love you�
�I love you too� she kissed him �What would I do without you�
�You would manage, now come on before someone comes in and starts a rumour about the DI lurking in the ladies loos�
�You should be so lucky� June laughed
June�s hand trembled as she dialled the number which was written at the top pf the page, she looked at the screen of her mobile phone, unsure whether to ring it or not she pressed the green button and took a deep breath as she waited
�Is that Gabriel?��.My name is June, I received your letter��I�m sorry about that, I�ve been off work for a few months and only got the letter today���I appreciated that it must have been hard for you to write, it has taken me an hour to get the courage to ring you����..that would be great�
Jim placed James� car seat on the table and lifted him out in attempt to pacify him as Alex hopped from foot to foot, desperate to tell her father about her day at school and slightly curious to why her mother had not picked them up from the childminder
�Where is mum� Ash asked as he threw his school bag onto the table, closely followed by his cycle helmet
�She will be back later on, something has come up�
�Great, she was going to take me�.�
Before he could finish Jim snapped at him
�Ash, mate, just drop it something important has come up, just go and do something useful, like your homework�
�Don�t take it out on me if you have had an argument with mum�
�Ash for once in your life don�t give me any backchat and just do what I have asked of you, don�t you think I have enough to deal with with James without you chucking your toys out of the pram too�
�All I did was���Ash grumbled as he walked out of the kitchen
�Alex, honey, why don�t you go and play whilst I see to your brother�
�Ok� she smiled as she went to go into the conservatory to play
�Mummy will be back won�t she daddy�
�Of course she will be� he notice the concerned expression on his daughters face �Don�t worry sweetie, daddy didn�t mean to shout at Ash and Mummy will be back I promise you�
�You look frozen, where have you been?�
June kissed him as she sat next to him on the sofa
�Just walking, thinking, are the kids ok?
�Yeah, Alex was a bit worried that you were not coming home, but she was fine when she went to bed, James has just gone back to sleep, that cough is still bothering him, Ash is sulking in his room as I shouted at him as he was going on about you taking him somewhere�
�It was only to get that footie shirt, where are Joe and Beth�
�Beth is at some student nite at a club and Joe is at Emma�s place, I doubt if we see them before dinner tomorrow night, I think Beth was going to stay at Simon�s anyway tonight� He put his arm around her �You ok?�
�Yeah I think so, I�ve spoken to him, we are going to meet up on Friday�
�How do you feel about it, It is a big step to meet him and however much I want to support you through this I know that there are some many things that I can not help with�
�I know, but you are a great support to me, you were so brilliant when I first told you about it all those years ago and were a great help to me and together we but a lot of ghosts to rest and now I need you with me to help me put the last ones to rest�Now he has made contact with me and I have spoken to him I can do that�
June looked at James asleep in his cot
�He looks worse, perhaps I should ring Gabriel and explain�
�Don�t be silly June, you have to meet him, if James gets worse I will ring the GP�
�You sure�
�Yes, now don�t worry, you have waited far too long for this moment, you have to put yourself first for once, your son needs to meet you�
�Why do you always have the right answers�
June walked over to where he was sat
�I�m so sorry I�m late Gabriel�
�It�s ok, it�s so good to finally meet you, I have so much to ask you, can I get you a drink�
�White wine would be good�
�Thank you so much for agreeing to meet�
�You have 5 children?, How do you cope I find it hard enough with 2�
�I don�t know now I think about it, my husband is fantastic with them all, Jim and I have been together nearly 21 years, he is in the force too, he is Detective Inspector at Sun Hill, we celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary this summer�
�How old are the children� Gabriel was fascinated to here more about his half-siblings and his step father
�Beth is nearly 19, she is doing psychology at uni and surprise surprise she wants to be a copper too, Joe is nearly 18 and he is a mechanic, Ash is 14 � and doing his GCSE�s, Alexandra is 5 going on 30 and then James is the youngest and 6 months old�
�Blimey��does Jim know about me?�
�Yes, he has always known about you, he helped me deal with the heartache of giving you up�
�I know that this will be harder for you, not that it is going to be easy for me, but I would like to get to know you and for you to get to know me and my family�
�That would be fantastic, I would like you to meet Jim and I know he would love to meet you too,��.. I don�t think it is right for you too meet the kids yet, Beth, Joe and Ash deserve to know the truth about you, they are owed that�
�That is fair enough, it was had enough for you to tell me the truth about my existence but I know that it is a different thing to tell them�
�Thank you for being so understanding, do you realise that your children are older than my youngest two�
�Nothing like a complex family tree is there�
The cab turned into June�s road and she briefly noted that ambulance parked near the end of the cul-de-sac
�Looks like one of your neighbours has been taken ill�
�Yeah� she replied not yet fully aware of where it was parked, as they got closer she noticed the exact position and she had a deep feeling of fear rip through her body