She took a deep breath and entered the building, it sent shivers done her spine which she could not explain, last time she had been here she was two years old, she was now fourteen.
��Excuse me?�� she said with a soft welsh lilt ��I�m looking for Tony Stamp?��
Robbie turned round and stopped suddenly as if she had seen a ghost
��Does he still work here?�� she continued
��Yes... I will see if I can find him, can I take a name?��
��Aimee��
��I�ll be back in a moment��
Robbie rushed into the canteen ��Ma�am have you seen Tony anywhere?��
��Not recently, what��s wrong you look like you have seen a ghost��
��I have Ma�am, a girl has just come into reception looking for Tony��
��And why should that be so shocking��
��She is the spite of June Carver and her name is Aimee��
��Aimee Carver, is she on her own��
��Yeah��
��Right you go find Tony, I will go and see Aimee, I thought this day would come��
��Aimee Carver?�� Gina asked as she watched her turn round and smile ��Robbie is just trying to find Tony, I�m Gina come through��
��Thanks, how come you knew my surname, I didn�t tell her?��
��She knew your name as soon as she saw you, you are the spit of your mum, Robbie thought she had seen a ghost, I take it Jim does not know that you are here��
��Of course not, as far as dad is concerned I am shopping in Swansea��
��What has brings you here then Aimee��
��Hopefully to find some answers��
��What has Jim told you about your mum?��
��I know that she was murdered and that no-one has ever been convicted for killing her, that really upsets dad, I have been asking him things recently and every time he changes the subject... All I want to know is what sort of person she was, what she and Dad were like back then... I have a huge gap in my history... I keep getting told that I look like mum but I can never get anymore information than that, please help me Gina�� Aimee begged tearfully ��For the past ten years I have listened to Dad cry himself to sleep��
��I�ll try, I think Tony may be more helpful than me, he knew them both for longer, he knew them as individuals, most of the time I knew them they were a couple��
��Last time I saw Tony was my 8th birthday, he and Dad had a huge argument, Tony has given me a photo album of mum and Dad went absolutely mental����Tony was upset when you and your dad left, we all were, we all thought that Jim was getting there, he was beginning to smile again and was dealing with things, then all of a sudden he announced he was moving to Cardiff, Tony felt so betrayed as he had no prior knowledge of Jim��s plans, they did sort things out though, we used to get regular updates about you, I think there are probably still some photos around her somewhere... then Tony went to see you on your birthday like he usually did, he had worked on that photo album for months, he asked everyone if they had any photos and ever one brought some in, he was so hurt when he came back, he would not tell us what had happened, all he said was that he would not be visiting again, Jim had told him to stay away... It hurt everyone here, Jim and June were such a central part of this station, they were Sun Hill, they had both been here for so long... Your mum was quite a woman, we often had heated arguments over various issues, she was extremely feisty... Jim and June were such a double act, they were so right for each other, they were made for each other, I know that sounds corny but it was true, wherever one was the other was not far behind, we where all surprised when they informed us they were in a relationship, we were all surprised as it was so glaringly obvious that we never realised...��
��Aimee, what are you doing here�� Tony came over to her ��Where�s your dad?��
��At home, he doesn�t know that I am here... he wont talk to me Tony, he won�t tell me about mum��
��He has his reasons��
��Why are you defending him Tony? , I can remember that argument, he said some horrible things to you and you still defend him?��
��Aimee he was upset, I don�t hold it against him, you know how difficult he can find it around your birthday��
��Yeah... but why wont he��
��He is going to be upset that you have come here without telling him, what do you think this will do to him, honesty works both ways Aimee��
��Jim Carver��
��Jim, it�s Gina Gold��
��Gina, this is a surprise, what can I do for you��
��Aimee has turned up at Sun Hill��
��What? She is in Swansea shopping��
��She arrived here about an hour ago, she is upset, she wants to find out about June, she said she came here for some answers, you need to come up here��
��I can�t, I can�t go back...��
��Jim this is not about what you want, you have a fourteen-year-old daughter who is deeply angry and upset with the world, who does not know who she is, she just wants her dad to be honest with her, fill in the gaps��
��I can�t give her what she needs Gina��
��Jim you are the only person who has all the answers�� what would June think if she knew that you were not telling her daughter about her��
��If June was here then it would not be an issue��
��Jim if June was here Aimee would not be in this mess, you have to face up to things, it needs to be sorted before things go that far that Aimee feels she has no father as well as a mother��
��It�s going to take me a while to get there��
��That�s fine, Tony and I will stay with here till you arrive, we can stay and support you��
��Thanks Gina��
Dusk had set in by the time Jim had arrived at Sun Hill, he took a deep breath as he approached Gina, who was outside the front of the station smoking, for a brief moment Jim felt like that none of the pain he had been through had happened, like time had stood still and he and June where still together and life was perfect.
��Good to see you, something never change��
��Yeah, well�� Gina stubbed out her cigar ��Aimee has given some people a few shocks, Robbie had the fright of her life when she arrived, she looks like June doesn�t she?��
��Indeed she does, she is exactly like June... like June was��
��Is that what makes things difficult for you?��
��Oh Gina... every time I look at her I see June looking back at me, when Aimee asks about her all I can see is June looking back at me so angry that I have not told our daughter about all good times we shared.... it hurts so much but I have not got the strength to do it, if she knows nothing she can��t experience the pain that I have all these years��
��You need to tell her this, you have to be honest with her, tell her what you see when you look at her, she has the right to know about June��
��I can�t do it on my own Gina, how can I support Aimee when I haven�t got any support myself... I have friends in Cardiff, but they didn�t know June, they don�t know about my other demons, I�m scared that if I tell Aimee about June that I will fall apart as I will have to admit my pain, I don�t want to be that vulnerable without people round me that knows what I have been through, I don�t want to be tempted to drink to ease the pain����
��Is that what is stopping you tell her, your fear of drinking?��
��Yeah, then I would be completely betraying June, she was always the one who would support me, be my voice of reason��
��I know it is not the same but Tony and I are always here for you, we are here for you now, we can all sit with Aimee together, help you tell her about her past��
��Thank you Gina that would be great��
��Come on, Aimee is in the canteen, she has been filling everyone in on what you have been up to, she is defiantly a live wire, wonder what June would have made of the blue highlights and piercings��
Jim laughed ��Those blue highlights are nothing, she dyed her hair purple last year and got suspended from school for a week��
��A bit of an individual then��
��Well she is June��s daughter��
��I�m so sorry dad�� Aimee hugged Jim ��I just didn�t know what else to do��
��Its ok angel, I think it is me who owes the apologies, I cannot keep ignoring things, hoping that you will get fed up of asking...I could not do this on my own, but Gina and Tony are going to help me try����Thanks dad��
��I first fell in love with your mum when I first met her in 1983, it was on my first day here, she was my puppy walker, I should have had the courage then to ask her out back there, not waited 19 years to make a move, I was amazed when your mum told me that she felt the same way about me since that day too, we spent so much time talking about it when we first got together��
��What was she like dad?��
��She was a fantastic woman, so caring, passionate about things she cared about, loyal, a complete individual, just like you angel, she was extremely argumentative when she wanted to be too...��
Gina laughed ��You can say that again��
Jim laughed ��Well you too did use to rub each other up the wrong way quite a lot��
��Your Mum did like to argue with those who stood in here way when she believed in things, I had many run in�s with her too and we were friends�� Tony said as Aimee smiled
��At least I know where I get my argumentative streak from��
Jim returned his daughter�s smile as he felt tears pricking his eyes, the realisation that he had been denying Aimee this knowledge for selfish reasons and that his little angel was turning into a caring and compassionate young woman
��You are so like your mum Aimee, watching you grow up has been so brilliant, yet so painful at the same time, each time you get a year older it means that June has been dead another year, not being there with her daughter for another year, seeing what I am seeing... It breaks my heart to see you become ever more like your mum every day without her being around... I didn�t mean to cause you all this, I tried to tell you about her so many times, but I could not do it, June helped me overcome all my problems, she helped me when I battled to give up drinking, she was the one continuing thing in my life, with her I knew I could face anything... I�ve been so worried that if I told you about her that you would feel pain like I had, I didn�t think about you, I was more concerned that I would fall of the wagon and you would have to cope with me turn into a drunk, I just wanted to save you that pain... but I was wrong, I�m sorry��
��Stop there dad, you have nothing to be sorry for, you only did what you thought was the best to protect both of us, I never once stopped to think
how this would be affecting you��
Aimee got up and walked over to Jim ��You have always done the best for me and I am so lucky to have you as my dad, you are the best and I love you dad��
Jim stood up and they hugged ��June would be so proud of you, you have turned into a wonderful, mature, caring young woman��
��June would be proud of the both of you, why don�t we have a wander around and we could fill in some more gaps for Aimee?��
��That would be great, thanks Gina��
��Right then where first?�� asked Tony
��The first day I came to Sun Hill I was so nervous, but as soon as I saw June my nerves disappeared, all I thought was how I could get this beautiful, confident woman to notice me and fall in love with me��
��How come it took you so long?�� asked Gina��I don�t know, we used to question this all the time, neither of us could find the right time to tell the other how we were feeling, we were best friends for so long before we got together neither of us wanted to ruin our friendship if things didn�t work out��
��Who made the first move dad?��
��We both did on separate occasions but nothing ever came of it, until the night of the fire, when all the lights went out we kissed, whilst the explosion ripped through the station we were in here, if we had not have kissed we probably would have gone to investigate and would have been killed, it took us weeks then to sort things out, we both felt so bad that so many of our friends had died whist we... anyway one night we went to the pub together to talk and I told her that I loved her, from that point on we never looked back, it was wonderful working together in CSU when we first got together, nobody knew we were together and we could get on with things without people watching every move we made��
��CSU? wasn�t that the unit mum set up?. Tony put a newspaper article into the photo album��
��Indeed it was�� said Gina ��Like you it was June�s baby. Both your Mum and Dad worked in that unit with such passion, they both believed that it was vital, it was it made a difference��
��Does it still exist?�� asked Aimee
��The Great CSU�� said Tony as they entered the office ��As you can see everyone has gone home, as rather sensibly they work normal hours��
Tony turned to Jim as he noticed Jim take a deep breath and close his eyes
��You ok mate��
��What��s wrong Dad?�� Aimee was now concerned by the pained expression on Jim�s face
��I�m ok��
��Dad tell me the truth, something serious happened in here��
��The day your mum was killed... your mum was not feeling well, she was pregnant, there was a shout and I offered to go, but June wanted some fresh air so she went... 20 minutes later it came over the radio that someone had been shot, the next thing I knew Gina was stood in front of me...��
��That was one on the worst thing I have done, having to tell you��
��Each day I came in here I could hear you say those words hence why I transferred to CAD��
Jim watched Aimee as she wandered around the empty office
��I was wrong to take Aimee away from here, away from Sun Hill, it would have been easier to stay, easier to deal with things, I would have not put here through so much pain, so much heartache��
��Why did you leave�� asked Tony
��I don�t know why I did, I thought it would be best to protect my daughter, by leaving I thought by moving I could, all it meant was that I could run away from things��
Aimee and Robbie came over to Jim
��We ready then Dad?��
��Yeah, if you are?��
��I think so, we can talk more at home, can�t we?��
��Indeed, sorry I put you through this��
��Don��t be stupid�� I��m glad I came here, it was exactly how I pictured it to be����Once visited, never forgotten�� said Robbie
��You could say that�� said Aimee ��Is it still ok for me to come up in the holidays��
��Of course, as longs as it is with Robbie��
��No problem at all, it will give Aimee the chance to do some more exploring��
��Bring back some more memories, I have a feeling that there are lots more to discover about my mum and dad��
��Indeed you have, they were like this place, once met never forgotten by anyone�� said Robbie