Kim continued to stare at the noticeboard. She now knew by heart the signs of diabetes, the effects of smoking and the ten top tips for preventing heart disease.

Richard Terry Chance had been transported to the station and was suddenly not so talkative and had not said a word since asking for a solicitor. Penn was gathering all the forensic data ready for her to join him. She intended to be front and centre in the interrogation of the man who had begun the week helping her and had finished it by stabbing her friend and colleague.

Stacey had arrived an hour earlier and talked to her before Kim had sent her to get coffee. Stacey had urged Kim to come with her, to get a break, but she wasn’t going anywhere. Not yet.

‘He wants to see you,’ Jenny said, appearing in front of her. She hadn’t heard the ward door open or Bryant’s wife approach her.

The woman’s kind face was riddled with fear and worry.

‘He knows I’m here?’ she asked, standing.

Jenny smiled sadly. ‘Where else would you be, Kim?’

The woman opened her arms, and Kim stepped into them. They hugged each other tightly but said nothing. No words were needed. They each understood in their own way the significance of the man beyond the doors in their lives. Both needed and loved him in different ways.

Jenny squeezed her tightly before letting her go.

‘Laura will be here soon. I’ll take her for coffee and then come up.’

Kim nodded and took a deep breath before she entered the room.

Her colleague lay against stark white pillows highlighting his own pale expression. He looked shrunken, vulnerable, weary but alive. Definitely alive.

His eyes fluttered open as she stood beside his bed.

‘Bryant, you absolute fucker. I could kill you,’ she said, swallowing back the tears.

His eyes softened at her harsh words. ‘Yeah, I’m glad I’m alive too,’ he said.

‘I swear to God, I’d have haunted the bloody life out of you,’ she said.

‘Not sure that’s how it works but you’d probably find a way. Doc says the blade just missed my liver. Another two centimetres and I’d be dead. Great bedside manner. Reminds me of someone.’

Kim knew every detail of his injury. She’d interrogated everyone who had gone in and out of the ward. Significant blood loss, intestinal damage, three staples inside and seven stitches outside.

‘But if anything…’

‘Kim, I’m fine. Just a scratch.’

‘Yeah, always the drama queen, aren’t you?’ she said.

‘Yeah, and you’re the fucking Ice Queen,’ he growled.

‘The what?’ she asked, shocked at his language.

He winced. ‘Won’t let anyone in. Won’t tell anyone how you’re feeling. Not even me.’

She was stunned. ‘You’re joking. Is that why you’ve been moody this week?’

He shrugged and winced again.

‘Bryant, we’ll talk about this another time once you’re—’

‘No, we’ll talk about it now, and you can hardly refuse me. You don’t take counselling, you don’t even take Ted’s counsel cos I can imagine how those sessions have been going. So, I wanna know which hook you’ve found to hang your guilt on.’

‘Jesus, Bryant, this isn’t fair and now isn’t the right time to do this.’

‘I know that but I want an answer.’

She thought for a moment. She had to give him something. He deserved that.

‘I couldn’t stop him,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t stop him from making that choice. I should have been able…’

‘I was right there in the bell tower with him and couldn’t stop him. But that’s not it, Kim. That’s not what keeps you up at night. That’s not what haunts you about Dawson’s death.’

Damn him. He was right. It wasn’t.

‘He wanted something from me, Bryant. Something I never gave him. I let him down. He wanted me to tell him he was ready for promotion, and I never did. He was desperate for my approval. I could see it in his eyes, and I still couldn’t say the words. I couldn’t tell him he was ready.’

There. It was out. That’s what kept her up at night. Dawson had wanted to hear her say those words, and she never had.

‘Because he wasn’t, Kim,’ Bryant said, surprising her. ‘You never said it to him because it wasn’t true. The lad had matured a lot, grown a lot, but he wasn’t ready to lead a team, and you knew it. So, whether he’s here or not doesn’t change that fact. You were just being honest.’

And there it was. In all its simplicity, communicated by her friend. He hadn’t said it to take the beating stick from her hand. He’d said it because it was a plain and simple truth that in light of Dawson’s death she couldn’t bring herself to face.

She met his gaze and smiled.

He raised an eyebrow. ‘And don’t go replacing it with this. You couldn’t have stopped this from happening either.’

‘Fuck that,’ she said feeling the cage of guilt begin to slip away. ‘You’re definitely old enough and ugly enough to look after yourself.’

A moment of easy silence settled between them.

‘Just one question,’ Bryant said. ‘Something been bothering me all week.’

‘Go on,’ she replied.

‘Zoe and Liz.’

‘Who?’ she asked, frowning.

‘The kids at the children’s home when you were ten. That story you told me when we were talking about Stacey and Penn. The sardines in the bed of the young, new kid. You really just leave them to sort it out themselves?’

Kim laughed out loud. ‘Seriously? What do you think?’

He smiled. ‘I think you kicked her ass into the middle of next week.’

‘Close enough,’ she said, as Stacey tore into the room.

‘Bryant,’ she exclaimed, rushing towards the bed.

She just stopped short.

‘Is it inappropriate for me to want to squeeze you right now?’ she asked.

Bryant laughed. ‘More painful than inappropriate, Stace,’ he said, holding out his hand. ‘Squeeze this instead.’

‘Ahem, am I interrupting something?’ asked Woody from the doorway.

Bryant automatically tried to sit up straighter.

He raised his hand. ‘I’m not staying,’ he said, taking a few steps forward. ‘Just wanted to see how you were doing.’

‘I’m fine, sir,’ he said.

‘I’m not sure internal staples and seven stitches is fine, but you’ll live and for that we’re all grateful.’

‘Thank you, sir.’

‘And Laura has just arrived and will be up with her mum in about ten minutes.’

A smile lit up his face, and Kim knew that for Bryant there was no better medicine than his family.

‘Stone, a word outside,’ Woody said.

Kim followed him to the corridor.

‘Bloody good job, Stone,’ he said, regarding her seriously.

‘Four people died, sir,’ she said, unable to share his joy. ‘And it was Stacey and Penn who found the strand and unravelled it.’

Maybe if she’d been less focussed on the Mancini family she’d have spotted it sooner and less people would have lost their lives.

‘Vanessa Wilson is at the station, right now, giving her statement. Her six-year-old daughter is sitting beside her clutching a small pony. They are emotional, they are shaken up, but do you know something? They’re alive – and that’s because of you and Bryant and Wood and Penn. This day could have ended very differently, and sometimes, Stone, you’ve got to allow yourself to take the good.’

‘I know, sir,’ she said. Bryant was alive and that was enough good for her.

She wasn’t sure she would ever rid herself of the vision of that knife being plunged into Bryant’s torso.

She shook it away. He had come too close, way too close.

‘Talking of Penn, sir, you knew about his personal circumstances, didn’t you? You knew why he’d transferred back to West Mids?’

Woody didn’t hesitate. ‘Of course.’

‘And you didn’t think to share that information with me?’

Stacey had told her everything as they’d sat together and waited for news on Bryant.

He shook his head. ‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘Because that shouldn’t be the reason you keep him on your team. That’s a decision for another day.’

She nodded her agreement.

He smiled and inclined his head towards the ward. ‘Now go back in there with your team.’

He walked away, and she re-entered the room.

For a moment, she just stood and enjoyed the sight of Stacey holding onto Bryant’s hand while she told him all about Jessie Ryan. And she watched Bryant pretending to care.

Yes, her team was small and needed a fourth member. She accepted that now, and although it would never be the one she wanted, it had to be someone.

But this was not a decision she would make alone.

Kim stepped forward. ‘Okay, guys, I think it’s time we took a vote.’