A Mother Scorned

by Sam Fintz

  “We don’t know yet. I will order blood tests and as you heard an EEG and ECG. After that we may know more. Luckily you acted so quickly, or it could have been worse,” Doctor Bhakari told her.

  “Ok thank you,” Rose said.

  “I will be here until we know what’s wrong. I will ask one of my colleagues to take a look as well. Don’t worry we will find out,” she told Rose.

  When Stefan was gone for his two tests, Rose turned to Fat Pat and said to her: “I can’t take much more. I am about to explode. I really need to get out of here!”

  Fat Pat took her hand and led her out of the room. “Let’s get a coffee. He will be a while.”

  They went to the coffee shop and when they sat down with their coffees Rose said to Fat Pat: “Pat, I am going to do something to make these people pay. I need your help. I can’t do it alone. Please say you will help me. I know Stefan isn’t going to survive this. I know it in my heart really. I have nothing left. So please, you have to help me,” Rose pleaded.

  “Rose, yes of course. Anything and I mean anything. You are my family and if they hurt you, they hurt me,” Fat Pat told her.

  Rose was a little surprised at the response. She didn’t think Fat Pat had it in her. She had expected her to resist and come up with a million reasons why she shouldn’t do anything. You just never know how things will turn out.

  “What were you thinking of?” Fat Pat asked Rose.

  “You know Ben Cohen?” Rose asked.

  “Yes, you were sweet on him once. What about him?” Fat Pat asked.

  “Well, I need to go after these people. I want to destroy their name. They destroyed my family and I have to get them back,” Rose explained. “I am going to ask Ben to help me do that. If I remember he has a friend at the MEN newspaper who he has known for years. I will do an interview and I will get Ben to give me more dirt on them. I will tell it all. I also want to sue them for what they did. If I can’t get justice, then I guess money will have to do instead.”

  “How do I fit in?” Fat Pat asked.

  “I need you to sit with me and support me, that’s all. Tell the reporter how happy we were, that kind of thing,” Rose said.

  “Oh, and here I was thinking you wanted me to murder someone,” Fat Pat laughed.

  “No silly. Well, not yet anyway,” and Rose laughed too.

  “When Stefan is back and we know what is going on, I will need to go and see Ben. You can come with if you want, but it might be better if I go alone,” Rose said.

  “Ok, love. Whichever is easier for you,” Fat Pat said.

  The two women finished their coffee and walked back to Stefan’s room. After a short while he was wheeled back in. He was still unconscious. He really looked awful. As soon as his bed was back in place the nurses that were there before asked Rose and Fat Pat to wait outside. They needed intubate Stefan and put him on the breathing apparatus. While he was getting his scans, his breathing became erratic, so this was a necessary step.

  Doctor Bhakari arrived as soon as the nurses were done. She explained that there was abnormal brain activity and it seems that the episode Stefan had earlier dislodged a small blood clot which had caused a bit of damage. This could be why he was having difficulty breathing. They had started blood thinners again and would have to wait and see what the outcome was. She assured Rose they were doing everything they could. She also told Rose it was too early to speculate. They would need to do further scans to ascertain the extent of the damage. The ECG had shown nothing else new, so that was hopeful at least.

  Rose thanked her and went to sit on a chair next to her son. She took his hand and squeezed it and said to him softly: “I would trade places with you in a heartbeat. I am sorry you are here. I will make them pay. I promise. Get better, darling, please. I love you.”

  Rose got up and kissed Stefan’s forehead and she told Fat Pat they should go and leave him to rest. They left the room and headed over to the car park to get Fat Pat’s little car.

  “You can drop me at Ben’s office in Cheadle. I will get him to give me a lift back later,” Rose said.

  “Sure Rose. I will be at home later if you need me,” Fat Pat told her.

  “I will call you when I am back Pat, thank you,” Rose said as they drove to Cheadle.

  Chapter 72

  In Cheadle, Ben Cohen’s assistant had just left. Ben was feeling awful about the lost file and even worse that it had contributed to the throwing out of the whole case. He blamed himself for not being tech savvy and he was thinking that perhaps he hadn’t even saved it properly and that’s why it went missing. He felt so foolish. He sat there staring blankly at his computer screen for ages. His mind wandered to the Polish girl Julianna that he had met the other day. He hoped she was ok as he hadn’t heard from her. It did seem a little odd, but he dismissed it as he did so many things that didn’t really make sense.

  The next thing there was a knock on the front door of his office. He kept the door locked now when he was alone. He didn’t have any proof, but he thought that another reason the file and email went missing was that someone had been in his office. He didn’t think he had been hacked. That would just be too convenient.

  When he came out of his office, he saw Rose standing there. He quickly opened the door and let her in.

  “Rose, come in. I am so sorry that I let you down,” he said.

  “Thanks Ben. Its ok, I know it’s not your doing,” she said as she went in.

  “Come into my office,” he told her. They went through and Rose sat on the small sofa in the corner. Ben sat down next to her and took her hand.

  “What brings you here?” he asked. “I didn’t think I would ever see you again.”

  “Nonsense. Let’s forget it. I need your help again. You had a friend at the MEN newspaper. Is he still there?” she asked.

  “Yes, yes he is. Why?” he asked.

  “I am suing the Harringtons for this, but I also want to trash their name,” she told him.

  “Do you think that’s wise?” Ben asked her.

  “Maybe, maybe not. Being wise is not my top priority right now. I can’t just sit here and take it. Stefan is still in hospital and it doesn’t look good. Can you set up a meeting for me?” she asked.

  “Yes of course. I will call him for you and set it up. It’s just his thing, this. He told me he got into a scuffle with the Harrington boy’s bodyguard for taking pictures. He was just doing his job. He is no fan of theirs and will welcome the opportunity to get back at them,” Ben said. “I may not be able to get him until tomorrow so can I please buy you dinner or something?” Ben asked.

  “Thank you, you are very sweet. Yes, why not? Let’s go and get something to eat,” Rose said.

  Ben closed up the office, making sure everything was securely locked. He double-checked that the office was properly locked, and the alarm was on. Even though he felt he was possibly to blame for the footage file going missing, he had still become a little paranoid about security. So much so that he had even changed the alarm code to something a little more complex. They left and headed over to the Turkish restaurant nearby. It was early evening, so Ben would be able to take advantage of the early-bird offer. Look after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves was one of his penny-pinching mottos.

  Chapter 73

  The following morning Rose was feeling a little more upbeat. She had enjoyed her evening with Ben. The meal had been good. He had stopped in for coffee afterwards. They had sat up until quite late talking. When he left they had hugged. He had kissed her cheek tenderly. After she had closed the door, Rose had thought about how she had imagined it was Jim kissing her and hugging her and how much she missed him and longed for some intimacy. She had been suddenly overcome with emotion and tears had just rolled down her cheeks as she had turned out the lights and headed to bed.

  The next morning, Rose picked up the phone and called her solicitor, Richard Caine. He was also sympathetic. She thanked him and cut to the chase.

/>   “I need you to sue the Harringtons. I want as much as you can get. I have someone digging up dirt on them and I am going to the press with it. I am going to make his life a living hell,” she told Richard.

  “Rose of course. We can’t go after him for the killing as the case was dismissed. But we can go after them for pain and suffering. We can also go for compensation for Stefan, so he has money for his treatment and his life if he is disabled. I know he is still having treatment, but we need to look at all eventualities,” Richard Caine told her.

  “Good. Can you start proceedings straight away?” she asked.

  “Yes, I had already drawn up papers for this eventuality, so I will get to work on it immediately. When you talk to the press, stick to the facts. The Harringtons are ruthless. Be careful. I will also have to make sure I am thorough as well. Any slight error and the whole thing will collapse,” Caine said. He thought to himself that he couldn’t see another case crumble before his eyes.

  “I will. It’s not only facts. There is emotion too. I will play on that. Thank you, Richard. Please keep me posted,” Rose said. They said goodbye and hung up.

  Shortly after that Ben called to say he had set up a meeting with Steve Hallam at the MEN. He was wrapped up in another big scandal, but he would meet her anyway to do the groundwork.

  “Ben, thank you for last night. I feel so much better,” Rose said.

  “Pleasure, Rose. Anytime,” he said.

  “Come here tonight if you want. I will cook something. We can chat. Unless you are busy,” she said.

  “No, things are a little quiet at the moment. I will be there at 7, if that’s ok. I have to see my mum later. So, I will see you after that,” he said.

  “Ok good. Tell her hello from me,” she laughed. “See you later. Goodbye, Ben.”

  “Goodbye,” he replied, laughing as well at what Rose had said, and hung up.

  Rose called Fat Pat and arranged to go to the hospital with her a bit later. She updated her on Ben and said she would tell her more about the solicitor later when she saw her. She didn’t tell her about the time she had spent with Ben or that he was coming around later. She would tell her another time.

  Fat Pat picked Rose up at 11 and they headed over to the hospital. When they got there, they found Stefan still unconscious. There was no change either way. They sat with him for a while, but Rose was feeling too agitated to stay too long. She also didn’t want her negative energy to impact on Stefan, even though he wasn’t awake.

  Fat Pat took Rose home and left to go to her own house. Rose told her she was going to go and do some food shopping and even though Fat Pat offered to take her she said she would rather go alone. She didn’t want Fat Pat to see what she was buying. It would be a dead giveaway. She would guess that Ben was coming around and she didn’t need to have to explain that just yet. It wasn’t that Rose was expecting anything. She’d had this feeling all day that something might develop, but she knew Fat Pat would think it was too soon after Jim.

  Rose went to Sainsbury’s and picked out some steaks, salads and some potatoes. She got two bottles of wine and a few other bits and went home. She put everything away and went to run a bath. It was already late afternoon, so she poured a whisky and went for a long soak, topping up the water as it got cold. She needed this relaxation as she knew that the business with the reporter and the lawsuit were going to be tough. She needed to be ready.

  Ben arrived at just before 7. He kissed Rose on the cheek and went through to the lounge. Rose was wearing pink lounge pants and a t-shirt and had put on some casual shoes. Her hair was down. She looked great. Her arm was out of plaster and mostly healed, but it still hurt sometimes. Tonight, she was feeling positive. Rose poured Ben a glass of wine and one for herself.

  “I had better not drink too much, I have to drive home,” Ben said.

  “Don’t worry about that now. Let’s just enjoy tonight,” she said.

  “Ok then,” Ben said. They drank and chatted awhile and then Rose said he should come to the kitchen with her. She cooked the potatoes and made the salad and then grilled the steaks. Ben just watched in awe. He was a rubbish cook so this impressed him.

  After they had eaten and put the dishes in the dishwasher, they went to sit in the lounge. Rose had topped up their glasses again and Ben was feeling a little drunk. Rose snuggled up next to him and he put his arm around her.

  “Stay with me tonight Ben,” Rose said softly.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Never been surer,” she told him.

  He took his arm from around her and she looked up at him as he leaned forward and kissed her. She responded to his kiss and moved closer to him.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” she said. She got up and took his hand, leading him up the stairs to her bedroom.

  Chapter 74

  Afew days later Rose was sitting in Ben’s office. Steve Hallam was there too. He was asking Rose a series of questions. He needed an idea of what he was going to report and so far, he was happy with her answers. He was thinking to himself that this could be his biggest story and could land him a job with a national newspaper.

  When he was done, he told her that he had to finish with the scandal he was working on. He said that he should have something for her to look over in a few days. He left the office and Rose turned to Ben.

  “What do you think?” she asked him.

  “I think you will have a great story there. You have been through so much, you deserve to tell your side of things,” Ben told her.

  “I think so.”

  “How is Stefan? I heard you telling Steve, but how is he really?” Ben asked.

  “Exactly as I told him. Its hopeless. They have done scans and tests and no improvement. The last incident did more damage. I really don’t see how he could possibly survive,” she said, a tear falling from her eye.

  Ben went over and hugged her. He suggested they leave and go home. Rose was keen. She wanted to spend more time with him. She knew it was really soon after Jim, but she needed that contact.

  When they got to Rose’s house, there was a message from Fat Pat. She called her back and feigned a headache. Fat Pat told her to rest and to call her later. When she hung up Richard Caine called. He was going to serve the papers in the morning. He enquired about the newspaper and Rose updated him. She would tell him more when she knew more. The rest of the day was spent chatting about the past years. In the evening Rose ordered pizza and her and Ben spent a quiet evening in front of the television.

  When her and Ben went to bed the lovemaking was less urgent than the night before. Tonight, they took their time. Ben explored Rose’s body with tenderness. Rose couldn’t help but imagine that Ben was Jim and at one point in the lovemaking she called out Jim’s name. Ben didn’t seem to notice, and Rose hoped that he hadn’t heard it. When they were finished, they lay in each other’s arms in the dark. Jim had been a good lover and so was Ben, but in a different way. Ben was very attentive. Rose had needed this intimacy so badly.

  Chapter 75

  Mike Chalmers was in his office when Charlotte Perkins came in and handed him the envelope that had been delivered by someone from Richard Caine’s office.

  He tore open the envelope and read the contents. The Harringtons were being sued by Rose Winters for two million pounds. He just laughed when he saw the figure. He tossed the papers to one side and called Malcolm Harrington.

  “Malcolm, you are being sued for two million by the Winters woman. What do you want me to do?” he asked, suppressing the urge to laugh.

  “Sit on it for a bit and let me think. Now that Aiden’s charges have been dropped, I don’t see that she even has a case,” he told Mike.

  “Ok, you’re the boss,” Mike said and hung up. He even did that to Malcolm, but Malcolm wasn’t bothered by such things.

  Mike put the notice in his drawer and opened his laptop. He logged into the secure server and transferred Max Smythe’s fee. He then transferred the remaining £25k to Andrie
s Smit. He felt that Andries had excelled again this time.

  Mike was a little annoyed with this latest development. He had wanted to book himself and Eva on a trip to the Bahamas, but that would have to wait until he had dealt with this latest annoyance.

  Chapter 76

  When Rose woke up Ben had already been down to get coffee for them. He lay down on the bed next to her and sighed. He was really happy. Life was great. He had Rose back. It wasn’t until they had slept together that he realised how much he had missed her, even after all these years apart.

  “I will need to go in a bit. I will shower at home. I need to change my clothes,” he said.

  “Ok, will I see you later?” she asked.

  “Yes, of course,” Ben said.

  As he got up his phone buzzed. It was an email from Steve Hallam and the newspaper story was attached. Steve must have worked through the night to do this so quickly. They had expected it to take a few days. He opened the attachment and he and Rose read the article in complete silence. When they were finished Ben asked her: “What do you think?”

  “It’s great, tell him to print it,” she said. Steve hadn’t needed to speak to Fat Pat after all. He had got enough of a story from Rose and his own extensive research. The truth was Steve had always kept a file on the Harringtons for just such an occasion.

  Ben called Steve and told him to print it. The story covered the accident and the drink driving. It covered Jim’s death and Rose was quoted as blaming Aiden directly for Jim’s death and Stefan’s injuries. She also blamed him for ruining her life and those of her friends and she had said that he was a characterless drug addict who would kill again if he wasn’t stopped. Rose hadn’t held back. Richard Caine had told her to stick to the facts and she felt that she had. Rose had had to bite her tongue a lot and she was actually surprised at how nice she had been. There was a lot more she had wanted to add and if she ever found herself face-to-face with Aiden she wouldn’t hold back.