Brassic (on hold)

Episode six - P4

Gary heard the insistent ring of the service bell at the entrance and breathed deeply to calm his nerves before meeting Terence McCann.

"Hello. Believe you have a friend of mine. Vincent O'Neill." Terence McCann said as soon as Gary walked out.

"God rest his soul." Gary said softly as he bowed his head in respect.

"I'd like to see him." Mr McCann asked him.

"Are you a relative?" Gary asked normally.

"No." Terence McCann said in a no-messing sort of tone.

"Then I'm afraid..."  Gary began to deny access to see Vinnie but got cut off by Stephen McCann.

"We were close friends. Perhaps just this once?" Stephen McCann said playing his part.

"Give me a moment to prepare him." Gary said in agreement, "Also his girlfriend Charlotte is sat with him. She's utterly distraught." Gary told them sadly, leaving them to wait in the entrance area.

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"I can feel myself... I can feel myself breathing! I can feel it!" Vinnie said panicked to Lottie as he sat in the coffin patting his chest.

"Think dead." Kath told him, trying to calm him down as she push him to lie down.

"I'm thinking dead, Kath! It's fucking freaking me out! Chest going up and down, I'm having palpitations, legs twitching. He's gonna know. He's gonna take one look at me. This is idiotic." Vinnie said feeling really stressed, "He's gonna..." Vinnie began to say until Cardi shoved a piece of cloth over his mouth.

"Shh." Cardi said quietly as Vinnie began to fall asleep, "I knew this would happen. Chloroform." Cardi informed them as Gary came rushing in.

"You'll be alright, love" Kath said reassuring to Lottie who was staying in the room with Vinnie.

"Thanks." Lottie said as she began to tear up from the stress and seeing Vinnie lying in a coffin looking dead.

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Lottie was sat in a chair next to the coffin when Terence McCann walked in. She was leaning her head on the rim of the coffin whilst stroking Vinnie's face softly as tears fell from her eyes. She looked up when she heard the door closed to see Terence McCann stood there looking suspiciously at Vinnie.

"Hello Mr McCann." Lottie said softly and tearfully after clearing her throat and standing up as Gary moved to stand beside her for comfort.

Terence McCann ignored Lottie as he walked closer to inspect Vinnie's body, he leaned down to blow out the tealight candles that surrounded the coffin. Lottie and Gary watched on anxiously along with the others who were watching through the security cameras. Mr McCann first leaned over Vinnie's face to try and listen for any type of breathing but stood back up when he heard none. He then lifted one of Vinnie's eyelids to see if it would give him a reaction as Lottie stifled a sob at what she was seeing. He then checked Vinnie's pulse on his wrist and held his arm up high and dropped it to see if anything would happen.

"Are you happy, now?" Lottie asked him tearfully after what she just watched.

"May he rest in peace." Terence McCann said to her as he ignored her question and left. As soon as he was out the door Lottie sunk down on to the chair and cried in relief.

"Hey, it worked." Cardi said happily as he walked into the room with Nigel, hoping to cheer her.

"Yeah." Lottie said tearfully, but with a smile on her face as she got up to hug him. "Just the funeral left to do." She said as she stroked Nigel's head softly.

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Tommo held Lottie's hand for comfort as they walked through the streets of Hawley for Vinnie's funeral procession to the crematorium. Lottie sat next to Jim in the front row and smiled softly when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, after he saw her tearful eyes as they listened to the fake funeral service for Vinnie. She saw Ash elbow Cardi when he began to laugh as they watched the coffin go behind the curtain.

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Everyone made their way back to the pub for the wake which was really a celebratory party. Lottie stood by the bar smiling happily as she watched Vinnie throw confetti that was in his fake urn as everyone cheered around them and the music got turned on. Vinnie looked around for Lottie after talking to Dylan when he couldn't see her with everyone else. He then saw her stood by the bar talking to Tommo and walked happily over to her. Once he reached them, he hugged Lottie from behind which made her lean back into him before Tommo walked away.

"Come with me." Vinnie whispered in Lottie's ear before he grabbed her hand to lead her down a hallway and into the side alley outside.

"What's wrong?" Lottie asked him once they got outside.

"I just wanted to say. I'm sorry for all this mess, sweetheart." Vinnie said softly to her as he held her face in his hands.

"You know I would do anything for you Vin. I love you." Lottie told him as she grabbed his hands that cradled her face and kissed them gently.

"I know, but I can tell it took a toll on you." Vinnie said as he lent his forehead on hers.

"It all worked out though. We'll stay in the weed grow for a few weeks and it will all just be a funny story to tell the grandkids." Lottie told him with a bright smile on her face, trying to persuade him of the same.

"I love you." Vinnie said quietly to her as they stared deeply into each others eyes.

"I love you." Lottie said as they closed the gap and shared a love-filled kiss, only for it to get cut short by Dylan shouting Erin's name. Both Vinnie and Lottie looked around the corner, their eyes widening in disbelief when they saw what looked like Jake proposing to Erin.

"Oh, God. Let's go back in." Vinnie said quietly before he led Lottie back into the pub.

Both Lottie and Vinnie were sat at the bar with a pint of beer when Vinnie's phone began to ring.

"Hello?" Vinnie answered when he pulled his phone out.

"Hello, Vin. It's Terence. So, tell me... How does it feel to be dead?"  Terence McCann asked from the other end of the phone causing Vinnie to go into shock. Lottie looked to Vinnie concerned by his silence, but got distracted by the sound of her phone pinging. Lottie pulled her phone out to read the text, her own face being filled with shock at what it said:

Don't worry your safe. It's Vinnie I want.

- Terence.

Vinnie saw what the text said and was relieved at what it said, but Lottie looked worriedly to Vinnie, wondering about what was going to happen next.