Wes spit out his beer everywhere. "You what?" he said, panicking. "I'm pregnant," said Jess. "Oh my God!" said Wes. "That...that's perfect!" "You're happy?" said Jess. "Course I am!" said Wes. "Like you made me say so many times, I love you!" They hugged, and everyone in the restaurant was looking at them. One of the waiters even came over and congratulated them. "Wow, that's great!" Angel said to Basil. "C'mon, let's go over and show 'em we care, eh Baz?" "Fine," said Basil, bitterly. Damn, he thought, bloody Wes, bloody bastard Wes... *** Sarah and Fred got back to Pink House, fresh from the concert... "Man, I'm so tired I could collapse on the steps here now and sleep here all night!" said Sarah. "I've had such a damn good time, I could do that!" "I'll take you home, Sarah," said Fred. "I can't have you sleeping out here like some drugged-up tramp, no way." "OK," said Sarah, "but I might collapse on the way in..." They went back to Sarah's doorstep. "Here you are," said Fred. "Goodnight." "Why don't you come in for a bit?" asked Sarah. "Y'know, maybe have a biscuit and a cup of tea, or maybe something stronger than tea, and then we could..." "But you only like me cuz I got those tickets," said Fred. "I got the tickets cuz I like you. They're a one-off, so don't expect any more from me." "I think you misunderstood," said Sarah. "I guess I only wanted to go to the concert at first, but it wasn't Linkin Park or Puddle Of Mudd that gave me a good time. It was you. And I think I'm in love with you." She kissed him goodnight... *** The next day, everyone went round to Jess's flat to celebrate. Everyone in Pink House was invited, even Mercedes, Bitcharse and Bianca. Jess didn't want to leave anyone out! Though luckily, none of them turned up. "I can't believe you're having a baby!" said Sarah, hugging Jess. "I love kids! If you ever need a babysitter, you know who to call!" "So how about we have our own then?" said Fred. "Condoms, Fred," said Sarah. "Condoms." "En't she a bit young?" said Lindy, Lucinda's mum. "Norratall!" replied Dawn, Bridget, David and Chloe's mum. "I 'ad our Bridget when I were 20, and look at me now!" "And your Bridget's 30 and en't even 'ad kids yet," said Lindy. "Yeh," said Bridget. "No kids. Not yet." "Course not," said Chester. "We got Darien already..." "But wouldn't we want more?" asked Bridget. "No, not for a long time," said Chester. "I mean, no offence to Jess and Wes, but they haven't exactly been together long, have they? I'm serious with you, Bridge, but not that serious." "So Jess," said Angel, "you think you're ready for a baby?" "Well, I..." Jess began. "You won't have much freedom!" interrupted Misti. "You and Wes'll be busy all the time, baby this, baby that..." "Yeh," said Sarah, "you'll have to feed the baby, dress the baby, change the baby, bath the baby, play with the baby, put the baby to bed...it's no easy life!" Jess walked away from them. "Hey Jess, where ya goin'?" Misti called after her. "Was it something I said?" Over the other side of the party, Jess grabbed Wes by the arm. "Private word," she said, pulling him into the bathroom and locking the door. "What is it?" Wes asked her. "I wanna get rid of the baby," Jess replied. "I wanna have an abortion." "What? Why?" said Wes. "I won't be able to take it!" shouted Jess. "What about my freedom, the parties, the fun? Heck, I don't know the first thing about babies! I'd never live it!" "Jess, get a hold of yourself! I'm sure we could..." said Wes. "Well I'm sure we couldn't!" Jess shouted, louder than before. "I can't have a baby! I can't, I can't!" "We'll talk about this later," said Wes, trying to calm Jess down, "this is hardly the time or place to make such a big decision." *** That night was Fred and Angel's 24th birthday party. As usual, they invited everyone along to Blue Lagoon for a big party, but this time, it was Fred's night... "Mum, what are you doing here?" Lisa-Marie Pitchards moaned at Anne, her mother and Pink House's landlady. "You never come to these things!" "Well, I decided to live tonight," said Anne. "I'm sick of being locked up in our flat and being bitched on behind my back." Over the other side of the room... "Right," said Fred to Angel. "I'ma make this the best night of my life. I'ma down at least 24 drinks, one for every year of my life, and I'ma do it with at least 24 people. You think I'll make it?" "I have nothing to do with it," Angel replied. "Even though I really don't think you'll manage 24 drinks when you get hammered drinking 5! Unless you're talking shots, of course..." "Nope, shots don't count as drinks," said Fred. "24 full drinks and sex with 24 different people. And I'ma do it! And I'll start with...Sarah, baby! You don't mind me sleeping around, do ya?" "OK, I'll let you off," said Sarah, "but only cuz it's yer birthday! And I have to be your first partner..." "No sooner said than done, babe!" said Fred. "Follow my lead..." They walked off up the stairs. "He's never gonna do it," said Misti. "No way, no how." *** Nine drinks and seven partners later... "Thankya Misti," said Fred, wobbling down the stairs with Misti on his arm. They went over to the table where Phased Out were sitting. "Oh, baby," said Misti, falling into Morpheus' arms. "I'm glad I'm with you and not with him." "It's OK babe," said Morpheus, "it's all over now." "So, there's Sarah, Leanne, Kimberley, Lucinda, Bianca, Lisa-Marie and Misti," said Fred. "I make that seven now? So who next?" "C'mon, Serena, have a drink!" Basil said. "Live a little!" "I have told you," said Serena, "I do not drink alcoholic drinks." "Ah go on," said Ken, "just one!" "I do not..." Serena began, only to be interrupted by... "Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, GO ON!" said Ken, Basil, Morpheus and Fred. They all burst out laughing. "I DO NOT DRINK!" Serena shouted. Everyone looked at her, and then she said, giggling, "Excuse my petoot. I am not usually like this..." "Oh, go get laid then," said Ken. "Yeh, get laid!" said Fred. "C'mon, let's go!" He grabbed Serena by the arm and marched her upstairs. She kicked, screamed and tried to pull away, but nothing worked... "Man, he ain't half got a strong grip!" said Basil. "How's he do that?" "Like this," said Morpheus, grabbing Misti's arm in the same way. "C'mon, babe." *** After the full 24 drinks and 22 partners, Fred was still alive and a-layin'... "I can't believe I just had sex with Fred Biscuit," said Mercedes, sitting on the sidelines with 20 other girls (Misti was sitting with Angel and Jess). "Me neither," said Kristi. "I hope he doesn't come back for more..." "Ah, he won't," said Sarah, "I'll make sure of it!" "Thanks," said a girl they had never met before, "he wasn't very good." "Thankyou, Faith!" said Fred. Both him and Faith had just fallen down the stairs. Fred gestured at the entrance to the club. "Now, next one to walk through that door..." In came a version of Misti, and Fred gripped 'her' arm and took 'her' upstairs. "Who's that anyway?" Angel asked Misti and Jess. "Wes," they replied simultaneously. All three of them burst out laughing. "I can't wait to see Fred's face..." said Angel. Leanne walked over to them, shaking. "Is Faith moving?" she said, frantically. The four of them ran to Faith, lying unconscious at the foot of the stairs... "She musta passed out!" said Jess. "What we gonna do, what we gonna do?" cried Leanne, her eyes full of tears. "Calm down, Lee," said Misti, putting her arm around Leanne. "We'll pick Faith up, take her to the car and...uh-oh." "What is it, Misti?" said Angel. "I think we've lost Leanne too!" said Misti. "Let's take her to the car, see if she wakes up!" They carried Leanne to Angel's car, then came back for Faith, but John had got there first... "Don't worry girls," said John, holding Faith's body, "you worry about Leanne, I'll sort Faith out. I'll drive her to the hospital in my car..." "Thanks, Mr. Smith," said Angel. John left the club with Faith in his arms. "What happened to Leanne and Faith?" said Lucinda, as she and David ran up to them. "Are they alright?" "We think they passed out," said Jess. "We got Leanne in Angel's car, and David, your dad took Faith. He's gonna drive her to the hospital." "I'll see if I can help him out," said David. He ran outside, then came back. "The car's already gone." "OK then," said Misti. "We'll go to the car and call an ambulance, you two go tell the bouncer that the party's over." Lucinda and David said nothing and went to tell him. "Stop the music!" shouted the bouncer, and the music stopped. "Right, everybody listen up. Miss Angel Biscuit, the birthday girl, says the party's over because two girls, named Leanne and Faith Blisser, have passed out. Miss Biscuit and her companions have called an ambulance, so nobody else needs to take that liberty. So, in case anything else of the sort happens, Miss Biscuit has suggested that, as a safety measure, everybody goes home. Thankyou for coming to Blue Lagoon, goodnight y'all." Everyone started to leave, and Kristi ran to Lucinda and David. "Faith? Leanne? PASSED OUT?" she shouted. "It can't be, it just can't be!" She started to cry. "Calm down, girl," said David, as he and Lucinda put their arms around Kristi. "My dad and Angel are taking them to the hospital, they'll be OK." *** The next morning, Fred woke up on the Pitchards' sofa. He woke up when Laura called "Sis! What's he doing here?" "He was at the club last night," Lisa-Marie replied. "He was too drunk to drive." "What? What am I doing here?" said Fred. "Who are you people?" "Like I said, too drunk to drive," said Lisa-Marie. "He'd just been having sex with my mum and..." "WHAT?!" Fred shouted. "I...had sex...with...BITCHARSE?!" "Yes, I was your 24th, apparently," said Anne, walking in. "You were too drunk to walk down the stairs, let alone drive, so we took you home." "Oh my God!" said Fred, looking wide-eyed at Anne. "You ARE good!" "Am I, now," said Anne. "What happened to your husband anyway?" asked Fred. "He killed himself," said Anne, "not that it's any of your business. Come on now, back to your flat." *** On the other side of town, Leanne woke up in a hospital bed, with Angel and a nurse standing over her. "Where am I?" she said, sleepily. "You're in the hospital," said Angel. "Last night, at my party, you saw Faith was unconscious and then you passed out too." "Faith was unconscious?" said Leanne, getting up and out of bed. "Where is she? WHERE IS SHE?" "We had a look, hun, she's not in this hospital," said the nurse. "She must have been taken somewhere else." "Who took her?" asked Leanne. "John, David's dad," said Angel. "He said he'd take her to the hospital, he musta meant a different one..." *** Later that day, Bridget, sitting in her lounge, was watching TV. She and Chester were the babysitters while the party was on, as they had Darien already, they owed it to Faith to look after Kismet and Bridget didn't really feel well enough to go anyway. In the middle of the Eastenders omnibus (which Bridget always watched), there was a newsflash... "We interrupt this programme for an important newsflash," said the news guy. "Faith Blisser, a 16-year-old girl from the West Midlands, has been reported missing." Bridget sat forward and stared at the TV in shock. Calm down, she thought. It can't be our Faith, it just can't be... "I was taking her home from her friend's birthday party," said John from the TV. "I went to the petrol station to fill up my car, and when I got back from paying, she was gone. I have no idea where she went." "She...she was my best friend," sobbed Kristi, the next one to speak. "She has a little daughter, who'll be missing her to death! Please, please someone help her!" A picture of Faith appeared on the screen with a phone number underneath it. "If you know the whereabouts of Faith Blisser, or if you have any information on her," said the news guy, "any information at all, please call this number." Bridget switched the TV off and rubbed her eyes to wipe the tears. "Chester!" she called. "What is it, darlin'?" said Chester, walking in. "It's Faith...she...she..." Bridget stuttered. "She what?" said Chester, putting his arms around Bridget, now concerned. "SHE'S LOST!" cried Bridget. She burst into tears. "Aww, it's alright, love," Chester comforted her, "she's probably OK. How do you know she's lost?" "It...it was on the news," said Bridget. Chester cuddled her. Darien cried too when he found out. Kismet couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't stop crying for a second. She would give anything to see her mum again. *** The next week in Pink House was painful for everyone. The whole country was praying for Faith. It was very rare that anyone spoke cheerfully, and Leanne and Kristi were almost suicidally depressed. Bridget, Chester and Darien couldn't sleep for Kismet's crying, and whenever they tried to feed her, she bit their hands. There had been clues. In a field about 10 miles away from Pink House, some investigators had found the clothes that Faith was wearing that night. They had also noticed some ropes around a tree nearby, where they believed Faith had been tied up. Most people thought that Faith was dead, but not everyone... "She's dead! She's dead! She's gotta be dead!" Kristi ran around her bedroom, screaming. "Faith's gone, gone forever!" "Kristi, calm down!" said Misti, grabbing Misti's arm with a grip not unlike Fred's. "I'm sure she's fine. You just gotta have faith...in Faith." "How do you know?" Kristi cried at Misti. "Are you Gypsy Rose bloomin' Lee or what? I don't think so!" "Calm down, sis..." said Misti. "Calm down? CALM DOWN?" Kristi shouted at the top of her voice. "How can I calm down at a time like this? In fact, how can YOU calm down at a time like this? Are you that bitch-of-a-paedophile yourself?" "KRISTI!" Misti shouted back. "HOW COULD YOU SAY SUCH A THING?" She slapped her sister on the right cheek, and then on the left. "GET OFF ME!" Kristi screamed, pulling away from Misti's grip. "You paedophile, you bitch!" "I'm so sorry, I didn't know what I was doing!" cried Misti, falling down on her knees. "I'm just so upset that you said that!" "It's too late for talk now, I'm turning you in!" said Kristi, gripping Misti even harder. She picked up the phone and called the number that was on the news. Misti just couldn't believe... *** Misti was going to be held in custody for two weeks, until it was time for her trial. After the first couple of days, she decided not to bother complaining any more. She knew she was innocent, but she would be proven so in court. Angel and Morpheus came to visit her every day, as they were about the only people in Pink House who believed that Misti was innocent. They told her all about what was happening in Pink House and how people were coping. There was also a one-off visit from some different people. "We're here to see Misti Morgan, please," Misti heard a familiar voice say. Was she asleep? Dreaming? Hallucinating? Surely it couldn't be... "Hello, Misti," said the voice, "it's me, Mrs. Pitchards." "Hey man, it's Fred," said Fred, who was with her. "What...what are you doing here?" Misti asked Anne. "Here to tell me that you're not letting criminals live in Pink House?" "Quite the contrary," said Anne, "Fred and I are here because we believe you're innocent, and we wish you the best of luck with your trial." "You mean...you believe me?" said Misti, perking up. "Wow, I thought you'd be the last person to think I'm innocent!" "Maybe I'm not such a Bitcharse after all," said Anne, smiling. Misti was amazed. She had never seen Anne smiling before... "She definitely isn't," said Fred. "You're the first to know that we're together. Somehow, we trusted you, we knew you wouldn't think any less of us." "Of course I don't!" said Misti. "I think so much more of you guys now. You're the best." Misti also smiled, and it was the first time she had for two weeks. Anne had always been the landlady that everyone hates. But things had definitely turned around. *** The day before the trial, Angel visited Misti in prison for hopefully the last time. "Good luck, kid," she said, "but it's not like you'll need it!" "Thanks, Angel," said Misti, "but I think I will. My own sister turned me in..." "Never mind that!" said Angel. "Fred and me will be at the trial, supporting you all the way!" Angel's mobile rang. "Hang on. Hello? Wes, is that you? Slow down, you're confusing me! What? Oh no! We'll be right there." She put the phone down. "What was all that about?" said Misti. "Misti, we gotta get to the hospital, and fast!" said Angel, frantically. "Jess is having the baby!" Next Episode: 29th September 2001 |