Back in Town

Chapter 12: Post Trauma-Day Five

Post-Trauma Day 5

Alec Hardy came in to Liv's hospital room at 7am, on high alert for the possible presence of Jim Wright in the vicinity. According to the police surveillance team in Bridport, he still hadn't shown up at his home, and Alec had a feeling he was still hiding out in the vicinity of Broadchurch. On one hand, he hoped he had disappeared and would never come back, but on the other hand, he wanted him to make a stupid mistake and show up so he would be caught and get punished for his crimes. It was the only way he felt that he, and especially Liv, would have any peace of mind. Honestly, he wanted to make Jim Wright pay for what he had done to Liv himself. His fists clenched at the thought, but he closed his eyes and took a deep breath—all that would do is get himself in trouble—and if there was one thing he learned from Joe Miller's trial, it was to stay clean and above board.

He smiled as he looked down on Liv. After five days, the doctors were pleased with the results of testing Liv's ability to breathe on her own. The tube had been removed and she was off the ventilator. All that remained was a smaller feeding tube. There was still some bruising and swelling on her face, but she looked so much more like normal that he couldn't help but feel a surge of hope.

-*-*-

*Flashback – Month Five of Alec and Liv*

Olivia MacDonald growled and buried her face in her hands, elbows on either side of her laptop keyboard. This chapter was not coming easily to her. She took a deep breath and a long drink of water before starting to type again. She was typing away, having finally hit a groove, when there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" she yelled.

She heard the door creak open and close shut again, noises in the kitchen, then footsteps coming towards her. "You shouldn't let just anyone walk in. What if it hadn't been me?" Alec said as he leaned over, resting his hands on her shoulders, and kissing the top of her head.

She wasn't listening – she was too focused on the paragraph she had just tried to write. It was horrible. Again. Another growl escaped her, this one louder, and her hand slammed down on the table. "This is ridiculous! I couldn't write a letter right now if I tried, much less a bloody mystery novel! What the hell is wrong with me?!"

Alec's eyes went wide and he looked down on the woman in front of him. He released his hands from her shoulders, keeping them open as he backed a few steps away slowly. It's one of those days, he thought to himself. He sighed and moved to plop down on the sofa that was a few feet away from her desk. "Exhaustion maybe? You're overworking yourself. It's only been a few weeks since your ex was nosing around, and since then you've thrown yourself into every bit of work you can get. You've taken on another shift at the pub, you're visiting your publisher in London two days a week, or you're in here with your fingers stuck to those laptop keys. And they say I'm a workaholic!"

She frowned. "Speaking of which, what are you doing here? You're usually at the station by now." She sighed and rubbed her hands over her face, then leaned against them, her elbows propped on the desk again.

"It's Saturday," he said, as if that was enough explanation.

"Yeah?" she said, not following his train of thought, head still buried in her hands.

He sighed again. "I told you I was taking Saturday off so we could take Daisy shopping. You promised her you'd be there to help her pick out her dress for the prom. You promised me you wouldn't leave me to do it alone. And I promised Tess she'd have a dress that was fashionable but decent. If it were up to me she'd be covered from head to toe and not show an inch of skin. You have got to be there to help me, Liv."