Detective Constable Jenny Lord - Hell hath no fury like an Ex

Chapter 4 - A little help from my friends

They made the taxi ride home in silence. Alec wouldn't let either of them speak about the pending charges until they were safely inside their house. The minute the door closed, Jenny flew into his arms and began crying uncontrollably.

"Oh Alec, what are we going to do? Why is this happening to us?

Hugging her as tight as he could, he gently guided her to the couch. "It's alright sweetheart, we'll get by. You know as well as I do, this is happening because my bitch ex-wife wants to torture us. I promise you, everything will be okay."

"Alec, how can you promise that? There is going to be a formal hearing, I don't even know what that entails?"

"I've been through a class one hearing after the Sandbrook debacle, thanks to Tess also. But I have to admit I have never been through a class two tribunal. I do know Class two's can drop officers in grade, they can also fire officers, and on rare occasions recommend criminal charges."

"I'm scared love, what if they recommend criminal charges against us? What do we do then?'

"Trust me, Jen, that won't happen. None of the charges warrant that recommendation."

"I don't know about that Alec, isn't bribery a criminal charge? That troll Mycroff said I was being charged with bribing you with sexual favors."

"What? That is ridiculous, she will never be able to make that stick. In fact, I really don't think she will be able to make any of the charges stick."

"I really hope you are right Alec, but what if she can and they fire us? What then?" Jenny buried her head in his chest and cried so hard, she trembled.

"It's alright sweetheart, calm down. If we're fired, we get other jobs, as simple as that? As long as we are together, I don't care what I do for a living."

Between halting sobs, she answered him. "Alec, you have been a police officer, your entire adult life. What other skills do you have?"

"Not sure how to take that Jenny, I'm not a moron. I can do plenty of other things, I could be a newsagent or shopkeeper. I guarantee, no one would shoplift on my watch. I could be a bartender in a pub, I could happily throw out drunks and troublemakers. I have supervisory and organizational skills. Don't you worry about me finding a job."

"I know you are not a moron, just not sure you would be happy doing anything else. I'm not sure what I could do, the only job I have had since waking up four years ago is being an officer?"

He bent down and kissed her forehead, "My sweet love, you are so intelligent: You can do anything you put your mind to."

"Would we stay here in Broadchurch or go somewhere else? We do have friends here."

He laughed at that, "We will go where ever you want. As far as friends go, you have them, I'm just shit-face Hardy."

"That's not true, you have plenty of friends. Ellie is a good friend. So is Jim, Ed, Will, and Brian."

His face pinched, "Miller is a good friend, but even she thinks I'm a shit-face at times and I know the others think so. Have you considered the fact all our friends here are on the force? If we are fired, they may not want to have anything to do with us, to protect themselves from taint?"

"We could move to Australia to be closer to Daisy? We...Oh God Alec, I'm going to be sick." She got up and ran to the loo with Alec right behind her.

Outside the door of the loo listening to Jenny vomiting, Alec's mind whirled with anger and hate. I swear Tess, you will pay for this. I've let things in the pass slide by: your cheating, mishandling the Sandbook case, alienating me from Daisy, but this time? This time you stepped over the line. This time you are hurting Jenny. This I won't let go by. You have only known the Alec Hardy you could twist around your little finger. Now you will know the Alec Hardy who catches murders, rapist, terrorist, and drug dealers. He laid a hand on the bathroom door and swallowed. "I guarantee you won't like to see this side of me.