Ooops! Here it is!!!! 'SINGLE RED ROSES' xxxxx

CHAPTER ONE: NOW

She lay there, waiting. Every bone in her limp, aching body felt like she had been run over by a 51 bus; she'd felt like this before, but this time it was different. This time she wasn't alone ... he'd broken his golden rule. She could hear the muffled voice of the taxi driver who'd stopped to help her, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. She tried desperately to move her arm but something was stopping her; her leg was the same, a heavy lead weight. She could feel panic taking over; something was wrong this time, desperately wrong ... different. Where was he? Why couldn't she hear him? Suddenly a loud buzzing, like the interference when you're trying to tune a radio filled her ears; the pain was unbearable and then, a blinding white light. Her eyes began to adjust and just as swiftly ... blackness; the white light disappeared, leaving just a pin prick of light in the distance, then ... nothing ...

CHAPTER TWO: THEN

It was a Friday. Catherine waited impatiently for the bus having done a double shift; the journey wasn't that far, but it was always worse on a Friday. She could've done without it today. She knew that the thirty degree heat outside, would make the bus feel like a hundred degrees inside. Her eyes were finally adjusting to the light, having been cooped up in an artificially lit switchroom for twelve hours when the bus turned the corner. It was as she expected; women with prams, kids in high spirits in contemplation of the weekend and an overpowering stench of body odour. She climbed on the bus and made a mental note to herself that this was another perfect reason for her to start her driving lessons again! There was a seat at the back of the bus and for a moment she considered just standing; she didn't know if she could face the prospect of fighting her way past the screaming toddlers, prams and old people with sticks. Her swollen, aching feet made her mind up for her and she pushed her way to the back giving disingenuous smiles on her way, adding equally disingenuous comments of,

"Sorry," as she struggled to make her way to the seat. She sat down next to a large lady, who was wafting the air with a copy of the local rag.

"Sit down love. It's hot innit?"

Catherine just smiled; she knew this woman's type and any hint of small talk would ruin what she hoped would be a swift and peaceful journey. The woman weighed up Catherine's response and gave a disgruntled look, muttering something about 'ignorant people', under her breath. On any other day, Catherine might have been bothered to talk to the woman, but not today; she felt drained and just needed to get home in peace, have a shower, decide whether she was going to go out tonight as planned or just sleep for England!

The bright light of day, coupled with the chaos on the bus was giving Catherine a headache. She toyed with the idea of closing her eyes, just for a few minutes, but she knew she would probably fall asleep and miss her stop. Her eyelids were already heavy and she would have no problem falling asleep; she could manage a fifteen minute bus journey surely?

Having no luck in an attempt at conversation with Catherine, the large lady took it upon herself to speak to anyone who would listen to her. A young woman with a grumpy toddler upon her knee, sat across the aisle from them. The woman leaned across Catherine in an attempt to tap the young woman on the shoulder; the full weight of her large, perspiring breasts in Catherine's face.

"I say, it's hot innit? No weather for little 'uns this. What's up with him, is he thirsty?"

The young woman was obviously hot and bothered herself, but not wanting to be rude, made the mistake of answering,

"Yes, I think he's a bit thirsty. He's tired though and this weather is making him crabby."

"Here!" She announced and began pawing through her bags, elbowing Catherine as she did so,

"I know I've got a little drink in here somewhere. I always carry one so I can take my tablets, and I know I haven'y had any tablets ... ooh, here it is!"

She took out a boxed carton drink and began struggling to get the straw in.

"Here love, just stick that straw in there will you, I can barely see the hole."

And she stuffed the carton in to Catherine's hands. She was perturbed by this, but couldn't be bothered to argue. The large lady was obviously pleased that she had managed to get someone's attention and her voice got louder as she announced,

"I remember when mine was little. This weather was bloody awful for 'em, and nobody would help you would they?"

A small woman of roughly the same age just smiled at her and nodded. Catherine managed to pierce the carton and began passing it across to the young woman; the large lady snatched it from her hands, almost suffocating her once more with her over-ample breasts. She gave Catherine a disgruntled stare, before leaning across to give the carton to the young woman herself.

"Pathetic," Catherine thought and looked down to the front of the bus to see if she was anywhere near home; she was considering getting off and walking the rest of the way. When she saw she had at least two miles to go, she thought better of it and closed her eyes.

A sudden jolt of the bus woke Catherine; the large lady was frantically shaking her arm,

"Are you there love? Ah, she's fallen asleep." She announced to the rest of the passengers.

"I need to be off and I can't get by her." The engine of the bus kicked in and as the driver began to move slowly from the stop, she screamed,

"Driver! Stop! This young lass has fallen asleep and I need to be off at this one ... hang on!!!

Catherine was awake now. She could feel the eyes of all the other passenger's on her. She woke quickly, grabbed her bag, wiped the saliva that had crept out the corner of her mouth away, apologised to the large lady and cockled her way down the length of the bus . She didn't have time to get her bearings and it wasn't until she was off the bus that she realised her stop had been four stops previous, so she would have to walk anyway.

It had been chilly when she had left for work thirteen hours ago and she had decided on a black pair of trousers, thick jumper and her new four and a half inch killer heels; she was regretting that decision now as she back-tracked the half mile back to her house in the blistering heat.