Given that Drew wasn't actually interested and his mind was elsewhere the fact that Con managed to outfit Bond junior at all was amazing, into a particularly figure hugging and girly dress with more than a little decollotage on view and some stupidly tarty shoes was pretty impressive.

"I am not riding a bike in this!"

"You wear those skinsuits."

"They have legs and don't reveal my underwear to every passing motorist." Drew observed.

"Okay, the Express is due in ten minutes, we can just make it."

"Thank you!" Drew huffed.

The shopping expedition had at least diverted his attention from Helen's plight in distant Warsop - well she was actually in Worksop General, it had certainly been playing on his mind, the fact that Maddy hadn't rung again had to be good news didn't it?

They got to the train halt at the same time as the train and joined the other homeward bound passengers heading up the valley.

"You got a pen?" Drew enquired.

"Here." Con supplied said implement.

Drew balanced the birthday card on his knees and wrote inside.

"What you put?"

"You'll see later, anyway how come I get to dress like some teen WAG and you don't?"

"It's you who 'needed' something to wear, it's only a family dinner."

"You'd better dress up or I'm gonna look like a right turnip."

"Ut uh, there is no way you could look anything but Miss Germany."

"Hi girls, bit dressy for school, Gaby?"

"Dinner party."

"I don't know how you girls walk in those heels." Myleen noted.

'Neither do I.' Drew thought to himself.

Ten minutes later the pair were stowing their bikes at the rear of Thesings.

“Well don't you look nice.” Frau Thesing offered.

“Um thanks, Con picked it.”

Connie's mother gave her daughter a look.

“Well go on up, I trust you are dressing up, Connie?”

“Yeah, oh can Gab's use the phone?”

“You don't have to ask Gaby.”

“Um it's to England.”

“Her friend is in hospital.” Con put in.

“I'll be quick.”

“Use the phone in my bedroom Gab.” Frau Thesing instructed.

“Thanks.

Gab tottered inside but Con was delayed by her mother.

“What's going on, why the dress and those ridiculous shoes?”

“I was trying to take her mind off her friend, Mama.”

“So what's up with this friend?”

“She was stabbed yesterday, I think it's pretty serious, Gab has been fretting all day since she found out.”

“I'll tell your father, he's likely to put his foot in it otherwise.”

“Thanks, Mum.”

The Peters' phone was picked up on the second ring.

“Peters' residence, that you Drew?”

“How is she, Mad?”

“They've got her in intensive care still, it's terrible Drew.” Mad sniffed before breaking into loud sobs.

“Drew?”

“Aunt Carol?”

“Maddy's been like this all day.”

“Helen?”

“I spoke to her gran about an hour ago, she's out of immediate danger but it's pretty serious still. She's got a punctured lung and some other internal damage.”

“I feel so helpless.” Drew mentioned.

“We all do Drew, we all do.”

“I wish there was something I could do.”

“Just think positive eh, she'll need all of our support to get through this.”

“Do they know who did it or why?”

“A passing motorist saw it happen so the police have a good description and Helen might not have made it without his quick action.”

Drew gulped, no wonder Mad was messed up.

“You still there Drew?”

“Uh huh.”

“Look, luv, we'll keep you up to date, if there's any change I'll make sure you know as soon as, okay?”

“Thanks, give Mad a hug from me please.”

“Consider it done. I know you're worried, we all are but remember what I said.”

“I know, stay positive, I'll try.”

They ended the call and Drew wiped the wet from his eyes once more before going out into the flat.

“Whoa! Major Panda eyes Gab.” Con observed.

“Sugar.” He'd even forgotten he was wearing eyeliner.

“How is she? Come here I'll sort your face.”

“Still very poorly, she nearly died, Con.”

Connie held onto her friend as she snuffled a bit.

“Dinner's ready girls!” Frau Thesing called from the dinette.

“Come on Gabs, let's show Papa what a pair of foxes we are.”

Drew nearly choked on a suppressed laugh.

“Sheesh, Gaby, what are you dressed as?” Juliette enquired when he got home a couple of hours later.

“A hooker?”

“Dad'll go ballistic if he sees you like that, how tall are those heels?”

“Too high.” Drew noted leaning down to get the stilts off his feet.

“How's Helen?”

“Stable in ICU, how'd you know about her?”

“Aunt Carol left a message earlier, I take it you called the Peters?”

“Uh huh.”

“So what happened?”

“They aren't really sure, I guess a mugging that went wrong.” Drew surmised.

"So like just why are you dressed like a street walker?"

"It was Herr Thesings birthday dinner."

"And he has a thing for teenage hookers? Ewww!"

"Don't be daft, I could hardly go in my school gear could i?"

"And you haven't got a wardrobe full of stuff?"

"I was at school when I found out."

Jules shook her head, "So you borrowed this stuff?"

"Ah um well, it was Connie's idea, she picked it out and anyway I've seen you wear worse."

"Not around here, you haven't I'm not kidding, Sis, you need to get changed before Dad sees you."

"Good plan." Drew agreed as he scampered off.

"That Drew?" Dave asked his eldest when she returned to the lounge.

"Yeah, he's pretty upset over Helen."

"I'd be surprised if he wasn't, they were quite close."

"I guess."

"Is he not coming in?"

"Getting changed I think."

Once up in his eyrie Drew had a chance to see how he looked, surely he didn't really look like a 'lady of the night'. the mirror reflected the image of a teen on the prowl, bit too much cleavage maybe, possibly a bit slutty but you saw pretty much the same around town any Saturday–maybe it's the shoes.

The shoes indeed, 10cm heels if you didn't include the platform in an open toed sandal style in a glittery pink. Yeah maybe it's the shoes. He slipped them back on his feet and looked in the mirror. 'Connie Thesing you are so dead!' Looking back now he could see a regular Lolita, not the manga goth type, oh no, we are talking girl on the prowl here. How the heck she'd convinced him this was a good look...

"There you are, kiddo, nice meal?"

"Okay I guess."

"You okay?"

"Why do people do stuff like that, Dad?"

"Well I'm sure some of these trendy social workers will come up with a host of excuses but the long and short, they have no respect for anyone but themselves."

"He might have killed her."

"They don't value life kiddo, but they'd be the first to bleat if the boot was on the other foot; I don't know."

"She will be alright won't she?"

"I hope so, from what Carol told me it was touch and go, she's very poorly, they've put her in a medical coma."

"I feel so helpless Dad."

"I'm not sure if it's the done thing in cases like this but you could do a tape to send to her, you know, tell her about what's going on, talk about stuff you've done together."

"I could do it on the computer and email it to Mad."

"Can you do that?"

"Duh! how do you think i-tunes á” works?"

"I bow to your superior knowledge."

"Kewl!"

"Oh I spoke to George earlier, he's green-lighted Japan."

"Brill!"

"We'll have two weeks all told with the women's race in the middle, there's talk of a junior event too if you're interested?"

"Why not, I'll be able to show off my rainbow jersey."

"Getting a bit ahead of ourselves aren't we?"

"I can't let Mum have it all her own way can I?"

to be continued....

Maddy Bell 09.09.11  © 2011