Life after regeneration

Chapter 3

Rose had gone home that night and her mother noticed there was something wrong.

"Come on Rose, cheer up love.  I know it's been difficult since Ryan was lost.  Did you take that job Pete offered you or did that Mickey Smith talk you into going on another mission?"

"No, I took the job and that's not like me, you know it isn't Mum but since no-one has proved the right universe has been found, I'm staying here.  I might just take a break though, maybe next weekend I'll go off for a few days."

"On your own?"

"Yeah, I need time to think Mum, sorry.  Anyway, where's Tony?"

All weekend, Alec couldn't settle in the hotel, he felt like he was caged in, that he needed some space so on Sunday morning, he took a walk down to the harbour, since there was really nowhere else to go and came to the caravan site.  Maybe he could take one for a few weeks, until he decided if he was staying here or not.  Then he saw a blue chalet at the other side of the river and wondered if he could rent that instead.  He knew he couldn't do anything about it until Monday and when he got to the office he would look it up.  He thought he may as well take a look while he was out though, there didn't seem to be anyone around to ask about it.

It was then he decided he really did need a car, even though he wasn't familiar with the area and made his mind up he'd ask for one on Monday.  He went back to the hotel, getting his key from Becca, who was still trying to ignore him, though what he'd meant to have done to her, well apart from chat her up on his arrival, he didn't know.

What was really bugging Becca was the fact Mark Latimer had started taking an interest in her the other night when his daughter had been helping out at a function and he'd come to pick her up early and they had been talking, which was why she'd been annoyed when the detective arrived and had tried to get her to stay in his room because she'd fancied Mark for a long time and knew his marriage was going through a rough patch.

"Are you in for dinner?" Becca asked him.

"Yes, since it's included.  Do you know anything about those riverside chalets by any chance?"

"No idea, why?  Are you thinking of leaving so soon?  You just got here."

"I need my privacy, I don't like being stared at every time I go into the dining room."

What he really wanted to say was he didn't like her giving him the cold shoulder every time he went to get his key so he thought he may just keep it on him next time.  He went to his room and switched on the TV, wishing now he'd stayed out a bit longer and once he started work he would calm down hopefully, he didn't like sitting around doing nothing, it wasn't him at all.  He didn't know why he felt like that, this feeling deep down was telling him he should be constantly on the go and keeping himself busy so that's what he was going to do from tomorrow – keep busy and only go back to the hotel to sleep or hopefully find somewhere furnished to rent.

He was glad though that Tess hadn't rung back and hopefully she would leave him alone for now.  How was he supposed to explain to her he didn't remember her?