As Sean had rightly pointed out, that sort of behavior could result in disaster. But it had been twenty minutes since Ken Foggarty had dragged her into Resus and no one seemed to be doing anything.
Jack Morgan marched into Sean's office moments later. 'What's happening?'
Sean's face was strained. "The police have spoken to him on the extension in Resus and he wants to see his wife. They're dealing with it now.'
Jack let out a long breath. 'Right.'
'There's nothing right about it!' Ben slammed his fist against the wall, frustration and worry eroding his usual cool. 'There must be something more we can do to get her out of there.'
There was a long, tense silence and Sean shot him a curious look.
'Calm down, MacAllister. I've never seen you this worked up about anything before.' His gaze was suddenly sharply perceptive. 'Are you going to tell us why?'
Ben's jaw clenched. 'Because she's just a kid and she's probably frightened out of her wits.'
'And?' Sean didn't break eye contact and Ben gave a sigh as he was forced to voice what he'd only just realized himself.
'And because I love her.'
Seth gave a slow nod and a ghost of a smile crossed his features. 'For a highly intelligent guy, it took you a hell of a long time to work that one out, didn't it?'
Ben glared at him. 'I don't need one of your lectures.'
'Be quiet, the pair of you!' Jack rubbed his jaw, clearly thinking hard. 'I think you're all underestimating Ellie. I've never seen her frightened in my life and she's a bright girl. She'll find a way out of this.'
'That's exactly what I'm afraid of.' Ben gave a groan and rubbed a hand across his face. 'Knowing Ellie, she'll try and talk to him.'
Ellie sat on the floor of Resus, one eye kept warily on the man who was now sprawled on the floor next to her.
Despite the gun, she felt very sorry for him.
His life was a mess. And in his own way he clearly loved Tina.
'You know, if your relationship with Tina worked once, then maybe it can work again,' she said gently, bracing herself for another tirade of abuse.
He didn't answer.
Encouraged that he hadn't bitten her head off or waved the gun at her, she took a deep breath and carried on. 'She still loves you, Ken, but she's scared of you. And frankly I can see why. You clearly have a problem with anger. But you're not the first person to suffer from that. There are courses you can go on, you know.'
He scowled at her and his fingers tightened on the gun. 'I thought I told you to shut up—'
'You did, but someone needs to talk some sense into you,' Ellie said indignantly. 'The way things are at the moment, even if Tina agrees to come back to you, it will only be to help me and you don't want that. You want her to come back to you for good—because she wants to. Not because she's scared or threatened.'
He scrambled to his feet, his expression threatening. 'And what do you know about it?!'
'Not much,' Ellie admitted, 'but I do know that threatening to shoot me isn't going to help anything. You men are all the same. You're hopeless at talking about how you feel. Have you ever told her that you're jealous of the baby?'
His jaw tightened. 'I'm not jealous of the baby!'
'Calm down. It really doesn't matter if you are,' she said soothingly. 'Plenty of men feel that way, Ken. Having a-baby is a huge adjustment. Massive.'
He was still clutching the gun, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.
'Come on; Ken,' she urged gently, 'it's just you and me in here. Tell me how you feel. Give it a try.'
There was a long silence and then his shoulders sagged slightly. 'Before the baby came it was just me and her—' He broke off, clearly awkward about expressing his feelings.
'And after Fiona was born, Tina didn't have time for you any more,' Ellie finished softly, her expression sympathetic. 'You're not the first person this has happened to, Ken. Relationships change when babies arrive. B