Wait For Me

Letting Go

Connie sat waiting as the chatter rose gradually, her eyes darting across the room scanning it for the person she was waiting for. She didn't realise how her chest tightened in anticipation, her breathing shallow as she found herself seeing flashes of the crash playing before her eyes.

The clashing of metal caused her eyes to dart up in the direction of the door. She took a final deep breath building up all the courage she could but it didn't matter. As soon as her eyes found her she found all the upset and devastation was enough to keep her steady.

Jacob rushed out of the ED with Charlie's agreement knowing that Connie was going to need someone as soon as she was out of that place. He had told her it would do no good, that it would only end in more tears but he also knew what she was like. What he wasn't aware of, was the inner turmoil it would bring out in Connie at the truth she still kept tightly to herself.

Her movements had slowed when she saw who who was sat at the table waiting for her. She hadn't had any visitiors, but this was the last person she had expected to see before her now. The hint of a small sickening smile taunted at the corners of her lips as she took a seat opposite the other woman.

"What do you want Connie?" She clenched her jaw finding that she was angrier than she had anticipated being, but it wasn't the only feeling running through her. The anger prevailed, but only because she hated how this woman was able to make her feel so scared. Keeping some distance, she leaned against the back of the chair, a levelled glare given in her direction.

"I want you to plead guilty." Her words were bitter, no emotion behind them as she looked at the reason for her daughters heartbreak. "Spare Grace from the trial..." Steph held her hands together on the top of the table as she leant a little closer. "It was an accident." She spoke somewhat genuinely, although Connie wasn't blind enough to believe her lies. "No it wasn't..." Her voice was quieter, softer as she spoke the truth they both knew.

Knowing that her anger wouldn't get her anywhere, she took a lighter, more sadistic approach. "You might only get three years-" "Ah right, and miss Carmel growing up?" She nodded as she spoke before Connie was quick to cut her off. "You almost killed my daughter do you ever think about that? Not failing to mention the child you did manage to kill in that accident."

Connie felt sick at saying the words. No matter how hard she tried to pretend that they hadn't all been that close to disaster, speaking what she had always known made it become too real for her. "You wouldn't stop- You wouldn't be reasonable-" Connie picked up on the only emotions being in reference to her own daughter and took it as her opportunity to make her point clear.

Keeping a sly glare on her face, she leaned further into the table so that she were closer to Steph. Keeping her voice low, Connie spoke the words she knew would get a reaction from the woman before her. "I will do everything I can to keep you from your daughter, just like you've done to me..." Connie remained where she was as Steph watched her before lunging forwards, hitting Connie across the cheek. "NO!"

Steph shouted out as she began to be restrained by the surrounding guards. Connie watched pushing the hair back from her face as she glared at the woman she wished she never had to see again. As she was made to stand, Connie looked to her once more as Steph looked to her.

"You don't deserve to be a mother-" "And neither do you. Don't expect to see her anytime soon, you just attacked someone. I'm sure that's another mark against you." Steph watched as Connie turned walking away from the table, disappearing out of the corridor while she was restrained and taken back to her cell.

Connie did what she had to before being shown out of the prison. As soon as she stepped out into the fresh air, she found herself unable to hold everything together any longer. Releasing a heavy breath, she felt the sickness rise at everything she had just sat through. Seeing Steph was enough, she was responsible for so much that it pained Connie to even see her alive.

Pressing a hand to the wall she felt the tears well over and roll down her cheeks, panic rising as her chest tightened once again. Fighting for breath, she continued to gasp for air as her emotions fully took over. The way she had shown no guilt for the pain she had caused her, the life she had torn away from her before she'd even had a chance to enjoy it.

Jacob looked up from where he had been kicking stones across the pavement to see her leant up against the wall, something clearly wrong. Running forwards he didn't stop until he was close enough to see her struggling. "Hey, Con! Nice and slow, come on deep breathes..." He stopped beside her, turning her to face him as he breathed slowly making her do it in time with him. "That's it, nice and slow. You got it..."

As her breathing slowed, the tears did the exact opposite. He pulled her into his chest as she willing fell against him, her body shaking as sobs racked her chest. "I've got you, it's okay... I'm here." Connie held onto his shirt as she cried into his shoulder, hating how that had all just made her feel so out of control.

Sniffing she lifted a hand to her cheek as she pulled back from Jacob's chest. "How did you know I'd be here?" "Because I knew it didn't matter how many times I told you to never come here, you'd only do it anyway." She lowered her eyes to the floor as Jacob placed a hand to her cheek. "He had no right talking to you like he did earlier... Grace's accident, her condition, none of it is your fault."

Nodding she stared off into the distance, her vision blurring again. The only thought in her mind was about the baby she'd lost, which was her fault. As she looked up, he noticed the cut on her cheek. "Con what's this?" "Oh- it's- it's nothing-" "You're bleeding..." Connie moved her hand to her cheek feeling it was tender before shrugging. "Steph, she got angry, lashed out."

Jacob looked at her worried as she kept her gaze from meeting his. "She'll get what she deserves Connie. She won't get away with any of this." She nodded once not sure if she believed that anymore. "Why did you come?" "Because I still care, I always will... Grace was worried about you, I promised her I'd find you."

Connie stepped away from him a little as he watched her body language deflate a little more. "You shouldn't have said that to her. You shouldn't make a promise to her that you can't keep-" "Have I broken one yet?" Lifting her eyes to his, she knew she'd shown him too much. "Please I just want to go home-" "Grace needs you. Even if you think she doesn't."

Sighing she surrendered, moving towards her car to head back to the hospital. He watched silently, unsure of where she was at in her mind right now. Each time he thought that there was normality between their interactions, she closed herself off again. It didn't matter, the way she was today was enough to tell him that her feelings for him weren't buried beneath much more than the strong act she put on for everyone around her.