By Gayle Quigley
Characters: PC Des Taviner
Sergeant Sheelagh Murphy
Patrick Murphy
Inspector Gina Gold
Superintendent Adam Okaro
PC Honey Harman
PC Gary Best
Des trudged slowly into work that gloomy morning. �Awrite Des?� shouted Gary. �Eh yeah ta Gary,� he mumbled back. He noticed his gloom and left him to it. Gary knew it was best to leave Des alone when he was upset, unless he wanted a punch! Flashbacks of the night before kept popping into Des� head. Sheelagh had broken up with him, told him it was over. Over? How could it be over? He was in love with her, and he knew that she loved him too. They belonged together, that was a fact. He changed into his uniform and walked slowly out of the changing rooms with his head down in a mood. �PC Taviner?� A gorgeous blonde appeared. Des looked up from the ground. It was Sheelagh.
�Sarge? What can I do for you?�
�Des I need you to come with me down to the bookies on Church Street. There�s been a report of a burglary. So c�mon, lets go.�
�Yeah I s�pose,� mumbled Des again. He was hoping she would say sorry and that it was all a mistake breaking up with him.
Sheelagh started to walk quickly towards the yard, with Des following slowly behind. In the area car they sat in silence for a moment before Des finally drove away. The only sound during the whole ride was that of the radio crackling. Feeling uncomfortable with the chilling silence, Sheelagh tried to think of things to say, but she didn't dare speak them, as she knew Des was upset, and she didn't want to upset him even more. Sheelagh wasn�t usually one for keeping her opinions to herself. Usually she expressed them in a clear and polite manner, but not today, not at that moment. She didn�t know what to do or say.
The day went by very slowly. They spent their time visiting the regular customers of the bookies as well as certain people who were not in favour of the bookies and made it clear to the owner. Sheelagh and Des had also made their suspects feel awkward because of the way they were acting together. She would say one thing and he would either ignore it because he was still in a mood , or would contradict her. He knew he shouldn�t because she was his commanding officer, but he couldn�t help it. He just didn�t want to agree with anything she said. Especially the things she had said the night before.
Finally, the end of the shift came. Des was all changed ready to go home when PC Harman shouted him back.
�Des! Des come �ere!� hollered Honey.
Des cringed at the squeaky sound of her voice and turned around. �Yeah Honey what is it? Can�t you see I�m busy?� Des shouted back.
�Des do me a big favour please? Gonna take these reports to Sergeant Murphy�s office for me? I would but my Fletch is already waiting outside y�know, and I gotta go,� Honey pleaded.
�Aye awrite Honey. See you tomorrow then.� Des said, with a slight hint of happiness in his eye. This meant more time with Sheelagh, he was happy.
�Thanks Des. See ya,� Honey shouted as she ran down the corridor.
Des walked up quickly to Sheelagh�s office and stared at the door for a moment before knocking.
�Come in,� Sheelagh shouted.
�Erm these are for you. They�re from PC Harman.�
�Thanks you Des,� Sheelagh said quietly and without looking at him. She couldn�t make eye contact with him too much. Every time she looked at him, her love for him grew stronger and temptation became even more unbearable. Des noticed this inability to make eye contact. He couldn�t bear it any longer.
�Look Shee, we need to talk. This is serious. I mean you cant even look at me can yer?� Des snapped. Sheelagh stood still and thought. She knew they needed to talk.
�Ok, ok. Sit down,� she replied in a very soft tone.
�I love you.�
Sheelagh was startled.
�No you don�t. Don�t be silly Des. Its lust you feel, not love! Don�t be silly!� she quickly answered back, her mind in a spin and her heart a flutter because of those three words.
�I want an answer Sheelagh. Why did you break up with me all of a sudden eh? Why are you being like this? Why? Tell me,� Des asked her. She stuttered a couple of times and then stopped to think.
�Its me 23rd Anniversary, ok? I�m sorry. That�s why I�ve been off with you,� she snapped back. She was angry, upset. It was written on her face, and her voice wass full of anger.
�You what? Oh right,� Des shrugged. �So what?� he thought to himself raising his eyebrows. She was more upset now that the anger had gone. She could never stay angry with Des for long. It was her one weakness. Des stood and thought for a moment. He needed her to admit her feelings for him. He moved towards her slowly. Sheelagh panicked, knowing that if he came any closer she would end up grabbing him! He continued to approach her slowly. Sheelagh started to move back until she had reached the wall. Des had cornered her. Now she had to talk.
�Don�t touch me Des,� she said with a hint of warning in her tone.
�Why not?!� Des cocked an eyebrow and asked.
�Because I don�t want you,� she responded, clearly lying.
�Oh yes you do� Des said as he kissed her softly on the lips. It was at that moment Sheelagh�s heart nearly stopped. She was breathless. One kiss had left her dazed. Sheelagh looked deep into Des� eyes and opened her mouth to speak.
�I love you too, Des, I love you too.� she replied proudly. Des was stunned. She had finally admitted her feelings for him. He was overcome with happiness. He felt like a teenager again. He grabbed Sheelagh and started to kiss her neck gently. She grabbed hold of his back and pulled him closer�
PC Best was still on duty. He had a mountain of paperwork he had to do for Sergeant Murphy. He needed a fag break so he took a walk outside the front of the station.
�Erm��PC Best isn�t it?� a quiet child-like voice asked. Gary turned around to see who it was.
�Yeah? Oh, are you Patrick Murphy? The sarge�s hubby?� Gary asked. He remembered him slightly from when Patrick had been arrested for assault.
�I was wondering if it would be possible to collect me wife? Its our anniversary today ye see and I�ve got the limo sitting across there waiting for her to get in it. She was meant to finish ages ago so I�m here to force her to move it!� Patrick joked.
�Um sure, yeah.� Gary said. He took him into the front office and buzzed to get into the main building.
�I�ll take you along to her office Mr Murphy.�
�Thanks lad,� Patrick mumbled as he followed Gary.
Sheelagh and Des were still �debriefing� in her office with no idea that Patrick was in the station. They were going crazy with each other. They were both undressing each other whilst kissing against the filing cabinet. They were too busy to hear the knock at the door, not realising that Patrick was outside. He knocked again. Hearing noise, he decided it must be her. �Oh well,� he thought.
The door flew open����SURPRISE!!!� he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Sheelagh and Des nearly had a heart attack. Patrick stood there for a moment analysing the scene. Clothes everywhere and that �Taviner guy that worked for Sheelagh� had lipstick on him. Patrick lost control and slapped Des. Sheelagh jumped in and tried to pull them apart. Gary took a few moments to come to terms with what he had just witnessed, but soon was trying to help Shelagh pull the two men in her life apart. Inspector Gold came running into Sheelagh�s office to see what was going on. Finally, Des and Patrick were separated. Gary cuffed Patrick with the help of Sheelagh. As Gina went to arrest Patrick, she was stopped by Sheelagh.
�Ma�am, let me please,� Sheelagh said, with such anger in her voice.
�If you�re sure Sergeant Murphy,� Gina replied, quite shocked.
�Patrick Murphy I�m arresting you for assaulting a police officer. You do not have to say anything but what you do say may harm your defence or something you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.�
�Sheelagh? What are you doing? You�re me wife, me wife I say. How could you do this to me?� Patrick wailed.
�Put him in a cell PC Best,� Sheelagh ordered.
Gina and Gary took Patrick away. Patrick was screaming and crying like a little girl. His appearance was deceptive. Looking at him you wouldn�t think he would hurt a fly, but he had a temper. He had a hell of a bad temper. As Sheelagh knew from years passed by. Sheelagh quickly turned to Des, he was lying propped up in the corner. Sheelagh took one look at him and broke down in tears. She went over and sat down beside him. He held her in his arms, just like he had done when she was kidnapped, and whispered to her �It�ll be alright.�
�Oh Des, I�m so sorry. This is all my fault.� Sheelagh sobbed.
�I love you too�..� Des replied. Sheelagh called for an ambulance. Des needed to be looked at. Patrick had indeed hurt him. She couldn�t believe how bad Patrick�s secret temper was. She then went back to Des. Gina didn�t want Sheelagh to go with him, but no way was she staying. So when the ambulance came, Sheelagh got in it anyway, to Gina�s disgust. She didn�t understand the love between Des and Sheelagh. She thought it was just a �romantic liaison�.
A little while later Des was being checked out at the hospital, with Sheelagh by his side. An hour or so passed before Des was finally allowed to go home.
�Shee? You ready to come home with me now?� Des asked her, raising an eyebrow.
�Yeah love, I am.� She was calmer now that she had come to terms with what had happened earlier.
�You need to get some stuff from yours first though. Go home and pack your bags, after all Patrick is in custody, so he won�t be there� replied Des.
�Ok.�
�Do you want me to come with you?�
�No, I�ll be fine on me own. I�ll come round yours as soon as I�ve got me stuff.�
Sheelagh got up, gave Des a lingering kiss and slowly left the room. She didn�t want to get a taxi to her house and walked the long journey instead. It gave her time to think. Think about her new life with Des, and think about how she was going to tell her kids that she was leaving their da.
When she finally arrived back at the house, nobody was home. They were all still at the restaurant, but she didn�t know that. As she turned the key in the lock, she had a feeling of emptiness and resentment. Never before had she seen Patrick react like that. He was usually so quiet and calm, when just a few hours ago he had attacked someone she loved. Sheelagh went straight upstairs and started to pack some things into an old suitcase. She was just about finished when she heard someone come in. She shouted down to see who it was. Nobody answered. She was certain someone had came in though.
�Hello? Who�s there? Siobhan love is that you? Fintan? Declan?�
Sheelagh became concerned. Who was downstairs? It couldn�t be��Patrick, could it? No. He was in custody, wasn�t he? Sheelagh picked up her suitcase and began to walk down the stairs. She heard a loud crash coming from the kitchen as she neared the bottom of the stairs. She froze. There was someone in the house. She walked into the kitchen slowly to have a look around. She didn�t like the silence, it made her very uneasy. All of a sudden, somebody grabbed her and held her hands behind her back. Sheelagh struggled, tried to scream, but they stuffed a dishcloth into her mouth.
�Why love, why?� the man said.
It was Patrick. How had he got out? Surely Smiffy hadn�t given him bail?
�Look what you�ve done to me Shee,� he said as he spun her around, still holding her tightly. �I�m a mess. You�ve pushed me over the edge, you�ve pushed me too far this time. I�m a jealous man and you know that. The men are always looking at you. Think how I feel. I suffer when they look at you. Well now its your turn. I�m not someone you can just push around now. No, you�re turn to suffer, love,� he said with such sarcasm in his voice.
Sheelagh didn�t know what to do. She needed to scream and shout, but she couldn�t. She knew what she had done to Patrick. She had tipped him over the edge. He wasn�t Patrick anymore, he was�..someone else. Sheelagh shivered at that thought.
�Now, move.� Patrick threatened as he pulled her into the living room by the arm. �Stay here until I think about what am gonna do. I�m off out. But before I go��
Patrick moved towards her slowly. He had something behind his back. It was a rope. One thought entered her head, but she tried to dismiss it.
�This will keep you here till I get back. The kids can stay at their Aunties for a while.�
He went behind her and tied her hands to the radiator pipes. She struggled to make it awkward for him, but she was weak after her tiring day and lost the battle against him.
�See you later dear,� he smirked as he left her, alone and emotionally wrecked.
Meanwhile, Des was just leaving the hospital. He arrived back to his flat to find that Sheelagh wasn�t there. It had been a couple of hours. �I wonder what�s happened?� he thought to himself, deciding to call her mobile.
Back at Sheelagh�s house, she sat crying silently in a heap on the floor. Suddenly her mobile started to ring. It was in her jacket pocket, but she couldn�t reach it because of her hands being tied. She struggled and fidgeted to try and get her phone. She was desperate. It could be Des that was calling her, she needed to answer her phone. The ringing stopped. She began to cry even more.
Des couldn�t figure out why she hadn�t answered her mobile - he knew she had it with her. Becoming increasingly worried about her , he decided to go round and check she was ok at the house. He grabbed his leather jacket and car keys, and left his flat in a hurry.
Arriving at Sheelagh�s, he rang the doorbell. �Sheelagh? Shee love?� he shouted through the letterbox. She shouted back but she was too weak to shout loudly, he couldn�t hear her cries for help. He shouted once more and then decided she must have left and maybe gone for a walk before returning to his.
Des went back to his flat. Two more hours passed. He was frantic with worry by this point. His mind was full of questions and terrible thoughts. �Where is she? What�s she doing? Is she ok?� he thought to himself. He decided it was time to do something. He had been trying her mobile on and off for the last hour and there had been no reply. He went round to the station and reported her missing to Gina Gold.
�Des maybe she�s just out walking, you ever think of that?!� Gina laughed.
�No.� Des snapped back. �She said she�d be straight round to my flat once she had packed some things. Something has happened. I just don�t know what. I was thinking Patrick could have something to do with it, but then I remembered about his still being in custody.� Des continued.
�Ah�� Gina said quietly. �You see Des, he was granted bail this afternoon. Speak to Sergeant Smith about it.�
�You what?!� Des exploded with anger. �Doesn�t he know what Patrick done, what he is capable of doing now he has nothing to lose?�
�Look Des, let�s just stop and think,� Gina suggested.
�What?! No. I�m going to round to hers again to check she is ok. What if that Patrick has done something to her and she can�t answer me, what if, if�� Des stopped. The thoughts that were entering his head he didn�t dare speak.
�Ok, alright. We�ll go round there and check but first Des,� she was interrupted by a knock at the door. Superintendent Adam Okaro entered the room.
�And what�s going on here? PC Taviner, in trouble again?� he joked.
�Sir, we have a slightly delicate situation. You see we think that something may have happened to Sergeant Murphy. She arrested Patrick, her husband, this afternoon for assaulting a police officer and then he managed to get bail. Now we think he may have Sheelagh as we can�t get in contact with her and she was due to meet Des at his flat earlier this evening.�
�Due to meet you at your flat Des? Would you care to explain?� Adam said looking slightly puzzled.
�Look sir, basically Sheelagh and I are going to make a go of our relationship, so she is gonna live with me. She�s already left Patrick and the kids.� Des answered him back quickly, as he wanted to get his lecture over and done with so he could go find Sheelagh.
�Look I will deal with this matter later. The important thing right now is finding Sergeant Murphy. Gina, you and Des take the area car to Sheelagh�s house. I will meet you there soon. Ok, on you go.� Adam ordered.
Gina and Des hurried into the yard and into the car. Meanwhile, Sheelagh was still tied up back at her house. She was all out of tears and now full of anger and hatred towards Patrick.
�Sheelagh, you here?!� Patrick joked as he stumbled into the house. She could smell the alcohol off him even before he entered the living room. �Oh, there you are love. Let�s play, let�s play a little game shall we? It�s called, called revenge,� a very drunk Patrick stuttered. He had drank so much his speech was terrible. He just kept stammering and stopping to think about what his next word was.
�Patrick stop it. You�re drunk. You don�t want to do this,� Sheelagh pleaded, her voice full of concern.
All her life she had been looking after others, and now she needed someone to look after her but there was nobody. �Where was Des? Surely he must be worried by now,� she thought to herself.
Patrick moved towards her. She was unsure of his intentions. He was usually a very predictable man, but this wasn�t Patrick anymore. This was someone new, someone violent. He fell down beside her and grabbed her face. She shouted and tried to pull away but she couldn�t. His grasp was too tight. He started to pull at her clothes, at her top mostly. She knew what was going on now. She had been in this situation before. But she had been lucky last time, Des had came to her rescue. She shut her eyes and wished for Des to be here, for Des to rescue her and take her in his arms again. She opened her eyes once more. No Des. Patrick wasn�t getting bored of pulling at her. She continued to shout at Patrick and warn him off. He was getting more aggressive by the minute. She twisted and turned rapidly, trying to get him off, but it failed. He had managed to pull her jacket down and un-button some of her shirt. She felt a sudden feeling of emptiness and fear. Giving up shouting, Sheelagh shut her eyes and tried to blank out the rest of the world�
Des and Gina were on their way to Sheelagh�s. Gina drove whilst Des sat and prayed for Sheelagh to be safe. Each minute that passed was making Des more and more worried, upset and angry. Gina could tell he was in another world most of the journey as he just sat and stared blankly at the road.
�Des, are you ready?� Gina asked as they pulled up outside Sheelagh�s house.
Des was almost already out of the car before Gina had even parked, he just wanted to find Sheelagh. They pulled up at the pavement and got out of the car quickly. They approached the house with caution as they didn�t know what to expect. Gina rang the doorbell whilst Des had a look round the back to see if he could find a window with the curtains open, so that he could see into the house. Having no luck, he decided to go back round to where Gina was.
�Anything Ma�am?� Des asked.
�No Des, nothing. �Maybe this was a waste of� Gina was interrupted by a loud smash in the house. Des was already trying to break the door down before Gina could do anything.
�Sheelagh? Sheelagh?� Des hollered as he tried to break down the door.
With one final forceful shove, the door broke open. Des stormed into the house and into the living room to find Patrick on top of Sheelagh, raping her. He ran over to pull him off her. Gina came in immediately after and quickly went over to help Des get Patrick off of Sheelagh. Once they had got Patrick up, Gina cuffed him and arrested him for sexual assault. There was blood on the floor from the large cut on Sheelagh�s forehead. The was a vase smashed beside her on the floor, which must have fallen off the table and injured her. Des knelt down to Sheelagh, who was lying shaking on the ground with her blood-stained clothes ripped.
�Sheelagh love it�s me. It�s Des. C�mon love, sit up� Des said as tears started streaming down his face and onto her.
Sheelagh tried to sit up but she was too weak so he propped her up against him and held her. He noticed her hands tied behind her back to the pipes, and immediately untied them.
�Des�is that you?� Sheelagh whispered. �Oh god Des.�
Gina came back into the room. �Patrick is in the car. I�m taking him back to the station. I�ve called an ambulance already so go with her to the hospital Des,� ordered Gina.
�Just you try and stop me,� Des replied.
He stood up and helped Sheelagh to her feet. She was very weak so he had to hold her up. Slowly, he helped her walk over to the couch and lay her down. He stood and looked at her. He couldn�t believe what had just happened.
�If only I�d got here sooner,� he said. �This wouldn�t have happened to you. It�s all my fault,� he continued, as tears once again began to stream down his face.
�Des shhh,� Sheelagh whispered. �Stop blaming yourself for everything bad that happens to me,� she continued. Her strength was slowly coming back to her.
�Hello?� a paramedic shouted.
�In �ere mate,� Des replied.
The paramedics carefully helped Sheelagh into the back of the ambulance. Des followed, slamming the door shut on his way out of the house.
The drive to the hospital seemed endless. The paramedic was attending to Sheelagh by putting drips in her to keep her fluid levels up and cleaning the cut on her head. Des� job was to keep her talking, but it was difficult. He didn�t know what to say, so he talked to her about the first time he saw her and how much he wanted her.
At the hospital, Des sat patiently outside the room where Sheelagh was being checked over by a doctor. She had already been seen by a nurse and had stitches put in her head. He couldn�t start to imagine what pain she was going through. He only knew that he wanted to help her through it and be there for her anytime and anywhere.
�Mr Taviner?� A young blonde nurse appeared.
�Yeah?�
�Its about Mrs Murphy, she�s been checked over and is allowed to go home, but she must rest. She is still in shock, but generally ok. Her head is very sore too and we have given her painkillers which again, are a must. Will you be taking her home?� The nurse asked.
�Yeah, is she ready to go now then?� Des asked as his eyes brightened up.
�Of course, do you want to come in and collect her?�
�Yeah, thanks,� Des replied, smiling.
�Mrs Murphy, your chauffeur has arrived,� the nurse joked.
Sheelagh cringed at that name she had been called. �Murphy�, it just wasn�t her anymore. Her eyes lit up a little as she saw Des move towards her.
�C�mon love,� he said as he helped her to her feet.
�What would I do without you,� Sheelagh joked, rubbing her head.
Des and the nurse helped her out of the hospital to the car park where Gary Best was waiting to take them home. Sheelagh was carefully helped into the car by Des, whilst Gary flirted with the nurse.
Gary dropped them back at Des� flat. They thanked Gary and he left to go back to the station.
Once they were in Des� flat, they both collapsed onto the couch. Des wanted to put his arms around her and hold her close, but he was scared she wouldn�t want the physical contact at the moment. She knew he wanted to hold her, but was unsure. She thought for a moment and realised that she did want him close to her - she needed someone there to look after her. Sitting up, she moved herself closer to him. Des was unsure about what to do so he just sat quietly with her.
�Des, it�s ok. You can hold me you know. I won�t bite!� Sheelagh laughed.
�I didn�t want to stir up memories of, well, you know.�
�Look you won�t. Please Des.�
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. He began to think about the last few months. It all started with her kissing him in the car after a hectic day of chasing buses. Then they had slept together a couple of times, and then she broke up with him. That�s when he realised he was in love with her. He cringed at the memory of Patrick catching them in the office and shivered at every event after that.
The two lovers sat together for an hour or so before Des finally got up to make some tea.
�You want a cup love?� he asked.
�Yes please. I�ll come in and help you. I think I�ve rested enough for now.�
Des took her hand and led her into the kitchen. She pulled up a stool beside him as he put water in the kettle and boiled it. She watched him as he made her a cup of tea. It was only a little thing he was doing but she couldn�t stop thinking to herself how lucky she was.
�Thank you Des.�
�For what? I aint made your tea yet!� he joked.
Sheelagh laughed. He loved it when she laughed, she glowed so much like an angel.
�I meant for caring for me, rescuing me and loving me. You do love me, don�t you?� Sheelagh asked nervously.
Des looked at her and smiled. He hugged her and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. Then he kissed her neck a few times. �I love you Sheelagh,� he whispered into her ear.
Sheelagh grinned and took his hands. �Forget the tea, I think I need to go to bed.�
�Oh right, well um, I better make sure you get there alright,� Des replied, with the biggest grin she had ever seen, spread across his face.
�Well PC Taviner, come on. It�s your job to make sure I get to bed safely,� she grinned. She decided that she wasn�t going to let what Patrick did to her ruin her life. Her relationship with Des was a fresh start, and she was determined to make the best of it.
They went through into Des� bedroom. �Yes sarge,� Des said as he shut the door.
Des woke up with a start and turned his head to see the clock.
�6am? That�s all?!� he muttered to himself.
He turned back round to see Sheelagh lying fast asleep next to him, their bodies entwined. He had one arm wrapped round her, his hand stroking her hair and his other hand was holding hers. He leaned over a bit and managed to kiss her on the nose. He felt so content and happy just lying there with her. She stirred a little and then woke up. She opened her eyes fully and Des was the first thing she seen.
�Morning love,� she said smiling.
�Morning gorgeous,� he replied, kissing her gently on the lips.
�You alright love?� Sheelagh asked, as a big grin took over her face.
�Exhausted,� Des whispered, as he too ended up with a big grin spreading across his face.
�Good,� she whispered back as she got out of the bed.
�Where you off to?� Des said as he stretched.
�Get dressed maybe. Our shift starts in an hour!�
Des let a big sigh escape his lips and got out of bed. He quickly shoved on his uniform and went to the bathroom for a quick shave and a wash. Sheelagh decided to make some toast, as they both needed some food to replenish them of their lost energy.
Des came out of the bathroom to be greeted by the tasty smell of food and made his way to the kitchen. As Des stuffed his face, it was Sheelagh�s turn for the bathroom.
Eventually it was time to leave for work. Des handed Sheelagh a key and smiled at her, then kissed her forehead.
�Is this what I think it is?!� she grinned.
�Yeah. If you�re gonna be living with me then you�re gonna need a key love.�
A loving smile spread across Sheelagh�s angelic face and she pulled Des close to her and gave him a soft kiss on his lips. She then took the key and put it in the door, turned it till it clicked, put the key in her bag and smiled.
The morning seemed to be dragging on forever. Sheelagh was out on a �private call� and Des was interviewing a suspect who was not very co-operative. Finally it was time for refs. When Sheelagh arrived back at the station, she went in search of Des. She walked into the canteen and saw him sitting over by the window and immediately pulled up a seat beside him and took his hand for everyone to see. Kerry, Tony, Honey and Gary were sitting at the same table and immediately noticed them holding hands. Des was nervous but relieved. Finally, people were beginning to find out about him and Shee. He wanted everyone to know just how much he loved her. Sheelagh leaned against Des and smiled at everyone else. Everyone else was just staring at the couple and were gob smacked. Sheelagh began to feel uneasy and decided to try and start up a conversation.
�So, Honey, how has your day been?�
�Er�Fine Sarge,� Honey answered her back, nervously.
Sheelagh sighed at the poor response she had got.
�What about you three?�
�Fine sarge,� Tony, Gary and Kerry mumbled in harmony.
Sheelagh sighed again and let go of Des� hand.
�Des can I speak to you a minute in private please?� asked Sheelagh.
�Sure sarge,� Des said, anxious to know what she wanted to say.
Sheelagh got up and moved to another table. Des sat down across from her and took her hands.
�What�s wrong love?� Des asked, sounding very concerned.
�Them!� exclaimed Sheelagh. �Their treating us all different now. This is not what I wanted Des. I wanted them to be happy for us and accept that we love each other and want to be together,� she continued.
�Ok, ok love. I know what you mean. Look, how about we announce it down the pub tonight? Get it out in the open fully,� Des asked, hoping for an answer of �yes�.
�Yeah, sure.�
Des and Sheelagh returned to the table at which Honey and the others were sitting. Des knew it was up to him to make the first move.
�Listen guys, you lot wanna come down the pub after work? Have a bevy or five!� Des joked.
�Sure,� they mumbled, once again in harmony.
�Great,� Des replied.
As the day continued, Sheelagh was becoming more and more nervous about telling everybody about her and Des. She was also nervous about what she had discovered yesterday. Des was also growing nervous. Finally it was time to get changed and go down the pub. Sheelagh changed into her casual gear quickly and made her way to the front of the station to wait for Des. On the other hand, Des got changed slowly. His head was sore from thinking about what everybody was going to say. He knew he would get stick from some people, but he had came to the conclusion he didn�t care. He was in love with Sheelagh, and if anyone didn�t like that�tough! Eventually, Des was ready and on his way to the front of the station. As he walked out the main doors, he saw the woman he loved standing waiting, patiently. She looked gorgeous as always and Des felt so happy with his life. He crept up silently behind her and slid his arms around her waist.
�Ready gorgeous?�
�Ready as I�ll ever be,� Sheelagh replied, before giving Des a quick kiss on the cheek.
As Des and Sheelagh entered the pub, they squeezed each others hand tight and took a deep breath. Reg, Gary, Smiffy, Tony, Honey, Kerry and Cameron were sitting in the corner, obviously whispering amongst themselves. As Des and Sheelagh approached them and pulled up a seat, they stopped whispering and sat in silence.
�Alright everyone?� des said, trying to make conversation.
�Fine thanks,� everyone mumbled. A long uneasy silence followed.
�Oh for goodness sake, I can�t take this,� Sheelagh snapped. �Look as some of you may have noticed, Des and I are together. I love him and��
�And I love her,� Des interrupted.
Everyone looked at each other in shock.
�Well, congratulations I guess,� Cameron said, breaking the awkward silence.
�Yeah, good luck. You�ll need it sarge if your gonna be with him!� Tony laughed, as Des scowled right at him.
�Thanks Tony,� she laughed.
Sheelagh started thinking about whether now was the right time to reveal her discovery to everyone. Her heart said yes, but her brain was saying not yet.
�I�m going to tell them,� she thought to herself. �Em� listen everyone, I�ve kind of got an announcement to make. An important announcement,� she continued.
Des began to get worried, he didn�t know anything about an important announcement.
Sheelagh stood up and took a deep breath.
�Well, basically, I�m pregnant,� Sheelagh said proudly.
�What?!� Des shouted.
�I think you�re going to be a father Des!� Honey squealed.
�Are you sure?� Des said, still in complete shock.
�Yes. That�s where I was today; the doctors.�
Des stood up and took Sheelagh�s hands again.
�Give us two minutes everyone,� Des said as he dragged Sheelagh towards the door and out the pub. He leaned against the wall and stared at Sheelagh.
�Des? I thought you�d be pleased,� Sheelagh asked.
�Is the baby definitely mine though?�
�Yes. There�s no way it could be Patrick�s.�
On hearing this, Des leant off the wall and grabbed Sheelagh, pulling her close.
�Des?� Sheelagh asked, only to be silenced by a kiss.
�I can�t believe it Shee. This is great. I�m gonna do my best to make sure you and the baby have the best life, love.�
�I love you too Des,� Sheelagh said as she took Des� hand and returned inside to the pub. They were both very happy and excited about the baby and their new life together. They spent the night drinking to celebrate Sheelagh�s pregnancy; although Sheelagh was on drinks of the non-alcoholic kind.
That night, as soon as they arrived back at their flat, they immediately went to bed. Des� head was killing him, but as Sheelagh lay down next to him and held him close, all the pain disappeared. And soon enough, they both drifted off to sleep in each others� arms and dreamt of their new life together.
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