Everyone pulled their weight that day.  The technical staff; sound, cameras and editing did their best to keep the show on the right side of acceptable transmission.  They knew that if the show was closed down, they would be fine as they weren’t linked to any of the negative issues, but that didn’t stop them for looking out for the members of staff that were at risk.

The usual ‘wash-up’ session was cancelled because Oliver left the building as soon as filming finished.  He had done as asked but having to wear that empathic smile, and bite his acid tongue had taken its toll. Sarah’s team did their very best for all the guests, although the two ex-partners had started to kick off when their lie detector tests proved to be false.  Al’s stab vest wasn’t needed, but he and a couple of the other security staff had to escort the ex-partners from the building.  They went off to get a drink together and seemed to be getting on with each other better than they had with their previous partners.

Sarah managed to steal a few moments to phone Millie and update her, and express thanks on behalf of everyone on the team for the wise words of advice about pandering to Oliver’s ego.  Just as she was leaving to go and meet Al, she had a call on the team phoneline from Oliver’s wife Elena.

“I just wanted to check that you were all okay?”

“We’re fine.  It couldn’t really have gone better – for us.  It must have taken a great deal of self-control as far as Oliver was concerned.  How is he?”

“Quiet. Went for a lie down as soon as he got home. He hasn’t talked about today at all, so I thought I’d get the inside story.”

“He did as he was asked, and although he wasn’t happy about it, he was professional and as far as damage limitation is concerned, he may or may not have saved the show. It all depends on the fallout from the inquest.”

“Will you – and Millie – be okay?”

“We’ve discussed the possibility of setting up as independent social workers, so we have better prospects than some.  Neither of us were involved with the poor man who killed himself, but some of the runners and researchers were.  The main blame lies with Natasha, but it was Jenny and Oliver who employed her, and Mel directed the episode that may have caused the damage.  The tech staff are all covered, but it’s the younger ones that I feel for, they don’t have the experience and qualifications that Oliver and the others have, and will find it much harder to get on another show.”

“I hear congratulations are in order however.  I’ve met Al a couple of times and always felt that he was – well – a bit special?”

“He is.  We started off as friends, and things just grew.”

“And your face? That must have been terrifying.”

“It’s healing up. I have to go back to the hospital to get it checked on Monday, but again, if Al hadn’t been there, it could have been quite a different story.  Talk of the devil, he’s just appeared and we are going off to celebrate our domestic bliss by doing a Friday night big shop at the supermarket!”

“I love it!”

“When Oliver sticks his head above the parapet, let him know that he was incredible today, and that we are all very grateful to him for thinking of us, rather than just doing what he felt like doing.”

“I will. Thank you. Bye.”

“Word is going round the building that it was your wise words that persuaded Oliver to behave himself.” said Al as he perched on the table beside her. “Are you up to shopping after all that?”

“Definitely.  I want to immerse myself in the delights of the supermarket world because it couldn’t be more different to this one. I want to push the trolley up and down every single aisle with you, buy the kind of food I used to have to smuggle into Andy’s house, and get something special for dinner.  Then I want to curl up on the sofa next to you and watch funny TV.”

“Sounds wonderful to me.  Shopping alone can get a bit soul-destroying, Sonia used to do it on her own or with the boys.  I’m actually looking forward to the experience.  Do you want to pay today, or shall I?”

“I will. Millie was always difficult about letting me pay for anything, and if we are going to be partners Al, it should be equal.  I’m not that good at car maintenance though.”

“I’ll teach you the basics once we’ve mastered decorating.  You ready to go?”

Sarah picked up her bag and took Al’s hand.  No need for discretion now.

Conscious that going down to the underground section of the car park might bring back bad memories, Al had repositioned his car so that it was close to the entrance and out in the open.  His thoughtfulness made Sarah squeeze his hand in recognition.

The supermarket wasn’t too crowded when they arrived; Sarah hadn’t visited this particular store previously, so total exploration was essential.  Al found the whole expedition amusing, and decided to just go with Sarah’s flow.  They had arrived at the tills, when a woman unpacking her shopping on the next till gave them what could only be described as a very dirty look.  Al ignored her but there was something about the woman’s expression that made Sarah want to find out what was wrong.

“Can I help you?  I don’t know you, do I?” she said politely.

“You’ve got a nerve!” shouted the woman.  “The two of you walking around the supermarket bold as brass. I don’t hold with domestic violence, but you’ve obviously forgiven this bloke for making a mess of your face by the way you two are laughing and joking.”

“That’s what you think, is it?” said Sarah, very calmly.  “It just goes to show that you should never jump to conclusions.  Neither of us has anything to apologise for. Underneath this dressing is a knife wound.  A knife wound inflicted by a woman who had mental health issues, and who was being encouraged to kill me by another woman with similar issues.  I managed to get loose before she did any more damage, and my fiancé here disarmed both women, and helped the police in preventing their escape.  If we are laughing and joking, it’s because we’ve had a narrow escape and are celebrating our survival. I’m sorry if you have been a victim of domestic violence, but I can assure you that you have completely misunderstood the situation.”

The girl on the till clapped her hands and cheered.

“I saw you on the telly on Wednesday.” she said.  “It must have been really scary.  Is your face getting better now?”

Sarah turned to the girl and managed a smile.

“It only hurts when I laugh! I’ll probably have a small scar there, but when I think of how much worse it could have been…”

The woman who had made the original comments looked like a balloon that had all the wind taken out of it.  She picked up the items from the conveyor belt, put them back into her trolley, and hurried away out of sight. Her departure was greeted with a roar of approval that Sarah felt was almost as embarrassing as the original comments. Al put his arm around her and kissed the skin above the dressing very gently. He carried on unpacking the trolley, and once it was scanned, packed up their shopping into bags in a lovely and totally disorganised way that would have driven Andy wild.  Just as Sarah was paying for the shopping, the store manager arrived bearing a bouquet of flowers.

“With our compliments, and I hope that this won’t put you off coming here again?”

“Thank you.  I’m okay, honestly.” Sarah took the flowers and buried her nose in the sweet scent of roses and freesias.

“That lady is a regular; and she used to work here.” said the manager. “She’s not a bad person, but you’re right.  She hasn’t had a happy life and her husband used to knock her around.”

Rooting in her handbag, Sarah found a bunch of cards that she kept handy; selecting one, she handed it to the manager.

“This is for a Women’s Aid group.  Would you give the lady the card with my compliments next time you see her? They should be able to give her support and advice if she wants it, and could you reassure her that I hope to see her again when we come shopping.  With no hard feelings.”

The manager took the card.  Al took Sarah’s hand and managed to guide her, and the loaded shopping trolley out of the store.  Once they arrived at the car, he handed Sarah another clean handkerchief, and gave her a moment’s peace while he emptied the trolley.

“You can keep the hankie for now.” he said as he put his arms around her.  “I came to the conclusion shortly after we got to know each other that you have a huge heart, and a massive capacity for sorting out other peoples’ problems.  Another person might have got into a slanging match, but you stayed calm, and your words probably helped her more than you will know. I love the fact that you dealt with her so kindly, but I love even more that you can cry for her, and what life has done to her. Shall we go home now?”

Sarah nodded and put the wet handkerchief in her pocket.

“We ‘ve bought so much food, but we didn’t even talk about what we were going to have for dinner tonight.”

“Pizza?  Red wine and Tiramisu for pudding.”

“I didn’t see you put that in the trolley!”

“I am a sneaky shopper.  I hope you don’t mind but I also put some sweets in for Maggie’s lot.  I don’t usually turn up there empty-handed.”

“I’m just the same with Jude’s girls.  Is there any chance we can pop over tomorrow after we’ve explored the storage unit?  It seems like ages since I’ve seen them, and we don’t have to be at Millie’s till seven-thirty.”

“Apart from the bedroom TV, what else is in the unit?”

“I’ve got a list on my laptop; Millie said it would all come in useful eventually. Can I set it and the printer up on the dining room table?”

“I was going to suggest it.  Unless you have a burning desire to eat in the dining room?  I prefer the kitchen.”

“Me too. We always ate in the kitchen when I lived with my parents. I…was about to go on about Andy’s horrible dining room then, but that doesn’t matter anymore does it?”

“Definitely not.  Set your laptop and printer up while the pizza is in the oven and we can have a look before we go tomorrow.  Maggie’s still on the lookout for household stuff.  I offered to buy her what she needs but she won’t let me.  She might accept things if it’s costing you money to keep them in storage, and you really don’t want them.”

Sarah left the unpacking of the shopping to Al, and set up her laptop and the printer at one end of the table.  She’d just found the list when the landline phone rang.  It was barely a step away from her so she picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Sarah, is that you?  It’s Maggie.  Thank God it was you that answered and not Al.”

Sarah kept her voice as calm and level as she could so that Al might not hear.

“What’s happened?”

“Bob has been round making threats.  He – he slapped me.”

“Oh love, are you okay? Did the kids see anything?”

“They were in their rooms.  My face is a bit sore and red.  I’ve got a damp tea towel on it.  I’m scared in case Al goes after him when he finds out.”

“He won’t.  He’s already given me a sweet talking to about over reacting to bad incidents, so he owes me one.  Do you want us to come over?”

“Would you?”

“Put the oven on.  We were going to have pizza but it hasn’t gone in yet.  Have you eaten?”

“No. I’m still shaking.”

“Sit down and have a cup of tea, or something stronger.  We’ll be there.”

“Thank you.  See you soon.”

Al was about to put the pizza in when Sarah came into the kitchen. She explained as calmly as she could, and told Al that if he was feeling inclined to kill his ex-brother-in-law, she would do everything in her power to stop him.  She could see how angry he was, and fully understood.

“It’s Maggie and the children who need you right now.  She’s putting the oven on and hasn’t eaten so I’ve said we’ll bring extra pizza, cook it and eat over there.  I know what you want to do and why, but it will only make things worse.  Unclench your fists, and hold me tight.  It might help us both.”

It did. And though Al was particularly articulate about what he’d like to do to Maggie’s ex, he tried to focus on putting the pizza back in the box and getting the other two pizzas out of the freezer.  It didn’t take long to put a package of goodies together for the children, and after printing off the list of the storage unit contents, they locked up and set off for Maggie’s.