Ugly Heart: Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten: Dead Calm!

Leo Hardy stood at the airport gate waiting for his best friend to return from his honeymoon. It had been two weeks, it had been hell! Makayla had started stalking him again and he'd limited his time with Izzy, only going round to hers and refusing to let her stay over at his place in case Makayla tried anything. Leo was relieved that his best friend was back, he needed his support at a time like this! As Charlie and Amanda came bounding through the gate, the relief washed over Leo like a wave and he began to calm a little. A tiny hand clasped his own and he looked at Izzy who stood next to him and smiled, "It's going to be okay now!" he reassured her as she nodded and grinned at the sight of her big sister.

"Leo!!! You look pasty as ever!!!" Charlie chuckled and pulled him in for a hug while slapping his back roughly, almost knocking the wind out of him. Amanda and Izzy reunited too as Leo could have sworn he saw Makayla hovering around the Costa Coffee kiosk.

The drive home was tiring, lots of chatter and catching up as Leo and Izzy dropped Charlie and his bride off at their new flat. All Leo wanted was to get Izzy home safely but she wanted to see the new place and the furniture and Amanda's kitchen! Leo shoved his hands in his pockets nervously as the girls giggled and walked around the kitchen. Charlie handed him a bottle of lager and then pulled it away, remembering he was driving. "Nice wheels by the way!" he nodded. "Finally took the plunge eh?"

"Well, it's safer for Izzy than walking!" Leo mumbled and looked down at the linoleum.

"Right you! What's up?" Charlie nudged him roughly.

"Makayla!" Leo replied bluntly. Charlie stood silent for a moment before sitting down on the nearest stool and sighed.

"What the fuck Leo? You're not still..."

"WHAT??? NO!!!" Leo looked disgusted at his friend's line of questioning. "No, she's back! She's stalking me and worse than that she's after Izzy and I don't know what to do!"

"Call the police???" Charlie raised an eyebrow at him and took a large swig from his bottle.

"I can't I already wasted their time, false alarm! Now they'll never take me seriously! Honestly Chaz I...I'm lost!"

Charlie and Amanda had been back a couple of days and when Leo wasn't around, they picked Izzy up from work and made sure she was safe. Leo was on his way to meet Izzy that evening when he saw Makayla perched on a wall a few houses down from his. All he could feel was utter rage and he marched straight towards her, she stood up and smiled at him as he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down the little side lane between two houses slamming her roughly against the wall. "Ouch, Leo!!! I like it rough but come on..."

"SHUT UP!!" he spat as she let out an evil, spine chilling cackle.

"Baby, wow! You've really missed me haven't you?" she leaned in to kiss him but he shoved her harder against the wall, her head cracked against it with a sickening crunch of bone connecting with brick. "Leo, that hurt!" she squeaked and felt the back of her head, her hand came back down covered in blood. He'd hit her a little too hard and now she was bleeding, badly. "I feel sick!" she muttered and slumped down onto the ground with her back still against the wall. Leo could see where her head had been, a spatter of blood marking the place. And yet he didn't care, he wanted her dead!

"I want you to stay away from me Makayla, but more importantly I want you to stay the hell away from Izzy!!!" Makayla looked up at him with watery eyes and a twisted expression.

"NO! You're MINE!!!" Leo dragged her up onto her feet by her jacket and slammed her into the wall once again, this time the crack reverberated up and down the lane and her head dangled lifelessly as her body fell onto his. He pushed her head back, her eyes were open but they looked different...hollow and dark...like the light had gone out! He tried to find a pulse in her neck, to check if she was breathing, and he couldn't feel a thing...

"And so I told her that I would like to do a bit of songwriting and she laughed, can you believe it? Leo? Are you even listening to me???" Izzy elbowed him as they lay on her bed, wrapped in each other's arms.

"Yeah, course!" Leo's heart was still pounding in his chest as he tried to block out what had transpired before he arrived at Izzy's house. As she continued to moan about Tina in the coffee shop, his mind was on Makayla and where she was at that moment in time. He had no idea what he was going to do, no idea whatsoever!

"LEO!!!" Izzy shouted and pulled away from his embrace. "Will you tell me what's wrong please? Is it Makayla?" her name sent shivers down his spine and he sat up to face Izzy.

"Isobel, I've...I've done something terrible!"

"What?" she gulped nervously and scanned his face, was telling her the right thing to do?

"I...got angry with her tonight and I...hit her head off of a wall!" Start slowly...

"Well she deserved it! Not that I condone violence against women in any way but she's no ordinary woman! Leo forget it! If she goes to the police I'll lie and say you've been with me all night okay? No harm done! Look it's time we stopped letting her rule our lives, I mean..." as Izzy babbled on, Leo squeezed his eyes shut, picturing Makayla's body curled up in the boot of his car, when she fell against him after that fatal last blow he had dragged her back to his car in the dark and thrown her in there. He had checked to see if there was anyone around, but it was after 10pm on a Sunday night, the street was quiet. He wanted to tell Izzy, he really did, but to all intents and purposes he was a murderer! Makayla was dead! He had killed Makayla!!! "...and it would suit me fine if she had got brain damage because then maybe she'll forget you exist and we can have some peace and quiet!!!" Izzy finished as Leo lunged forward and kissed her hungrily. She pushed him gently away and blinked at him in surprise. "Leo! What was that all about?" Leo frowned and stroked her cheek, then whispered,

"You don't half go on sometimes, I just wanted you to be quiet!"

He ended up staying the night at Izzy's, he wanted to lose himself in her, and lose himself he did. Usually they refrained from any sexual acts while her parents were under the same roof, but Izzy couldn't seem to calm Leo any other way. He didn't want to go home anyway, knowing what waited for him inside his car! As he lay wide awake in the dark, listening to Izzy breathing, he remembered the way Makayla's body just flopped around, like a rag doll, she was not breathing at all! He wanted to tell Charlie, get some help! Maybe he would go to the police, no that was stupid! When morning finally arrived, Izzy made him pancakes but he just shuffled them around his plate absent-mindedly. "Leo, for God's sake are you not hungry or..." Leo shook his head and pushed his chair back loudly.

"Sorry Iz, I have to be somewhere!" He stood up and kissed her cheek, put his jacket on and left her feeling confused and extremely annoyed. Leo walked home slowly, head down, trying to think of a logical thing to do with Makayla. Calling Charlie was an option but could he keep quiet to Amanda? No way! So he was on his own! He turned the corner onto his street, seeing his car parked outside his house made his stomach lurch and his heart race. a long and agonising walk later, he was looking down at the boot, key in hand, gathering the strength to do something. He couldn't open it here, not in broad daylight and with the threat of his neighbours passing by. He jumped in the car and drove down the street, heading for the woods.

Deja-vu, standing over the boot of his car this time in the secluded woods, key in hand. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he pressed the button on his car key to open the boot. It opened with a pop and he gripped the lid with both hands ready to hoist it up and take a good look at Makayla, he just held it there for a long time until he had the outrageous thought that she might grab his hand and pull him in, so he threw the lid open with all of his strength. He closed his eyes again, scared to see her body, but when he did look down...the boot was empty! No Makayla! "Fuck!!!" he muttered as he stared at the space where he could have sworn he'd thrown her body into the night before! Did it really happen? Had he just imagined the whole thing? He drove home in a blur and as he arrived at his house, his mother was sitting on the steps at his door.

"You changed the locks!" He approached her warily, still angry with her over her comments a few weeks before. "Was that really necessary?" she laughed softly but his glare made her stop. "I guess it was!"

"What do you want mum? I've got a lot on my mind right now..."

"Yes I'm sure you have, Makayla can be quite a handful!" Leo stopped dead with his back to her, He felt numb.

"What did you say?" He heard his mother approach him and felt her hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright my darling, I got rid of her for you!" he turned around slowly to face her, fighting the urge to vomit. "Putting her in the boot? Sloppy!" she wagged a finger at him, "Not closing it properly? Very sloppy! But not making sure she was really dead...well that's just plain careless!!!"

"Mum..."

"Now, this can be our little secret! Izzy will never know, we will never speak of this ever again!"

"Mum..."

"She put up a fight for such a little girl, now I know why you had so much trouble with her!" his mother frowned and tilted her head to the side, staring into space. Leo's mouth was dry and his stomach was doing somersaults.

"How..." he mumbled.

"Oh, she followed you and so did I. I needed to make sure my boy was looking after himself, I missed you! Lucky thing I was because when I saw you two go up the lane, you were so angry! I've never seen you like that Leo, and I certainly didn't raise you that way, to assault a woman no matter who she was! But I understand, you were at the end of your rope so to speak eh?" she chuckled sadly. "I watched you take her to the car, and when you left and the boot was lying half open...I took a peek and she was whimpering in there. When she saw me she went for me, well what was I to do? I slammed the lid of the boot on her head and it seemed to do the trick." Leo sat down on the steps and struggled to breathe as his mother joined him and stroked his hair, he couldn't believe how calm she was. "You don't need to know any more, just that she won't be bothering you again! Now, as I said, we will never speak of this again, understood???"

FIVE YEARS LATER...

Isobel Hardy sat next to her husband, snuggling in, as they watched their son playing with his new toy in the garden. "I wonder what ever happened to that Makayla!" she said out of the blue as she rubbed his arm and a shiver ran down his spine.

"Who knows eh!" he muttered. It was true that they had never heard from her for over five years, she just disappeared. Tara, Leo's mother came outside from the kitchen with a tray of drinks.

"He loves that digger doesn't he? You love granny's present don't you Adam???" Leo stood up and went to join his two year old son as Tara sat on the porch step with her daughter-in-law.

"I was just saying to Leo, I wonder what happened to Makayla!" Tara chuckled and replied,

"Oh well after Leo murdered her we buried her in the woods!" Izzy stared into Tara's eyes with disbelief...then she laughed.

"Oh Tara! Really you have a warped sense of humour sometimes!" Izzy continued to giggle and joined Leo and Adam who were using his digger to bring up soil from the rose bed. Tara took a sip of her tea and sighed, Izzy was a sweet girl and she had given her a lovely little grandson who was the image of his father, a second chance for Tara to do things differently with this boy. Also Izzy made her son happy, Leo had come on leaps and bounds since he met her and he no longer hid away in the shadows. His scars were now part of him and he embraced them confidently. It was true that her relationship with Leo was strained, it was never the same after she got rid of Makayla's body five years before. Izzy would have questioned him if he'd stopped Tara from seeing Adam, so Leo was stuck with her in his life. She knew she was a constant reminder of what they did...although he hadn't ended Makayla Lorde's life, he was an accessory and Tara made sure he remembered that. She laughed to herself quietly at the thought of how much more strained their relationship would be if he knew that the rose bed his son was so obsessed with digging, was actually where she had buried Makayla!!! But she had Adam now, her bond with Leo may have been broken but that child was still untouched by her mistakes and it was going to be perfect this time!

Leo looked over at his mother while his wife and son continued to play with his prized possession. She was smiling, he didn't trust that smile, it always had a hidden meaning...an indication that she was up to no good! Izzy distracted him from Tara's impish grin as she gasped and exclaimed,

"Leo, there's something under here!"

The End!

Other Sides of The World: Chapter Ten - Waiting

Waiting, when it's a matter of life and death, can drive you utterly mad if you let it. It feels like forever when someone's life is on the line! Sitting in a white corridor, the smell of chemicals and the breakfast from the cafeteria downstairs lingered in the air. Rhona Boyle looked down at her light pink dress, Oz's dried blood soaked into it, and at that moment she realised the dress was ruined. There was no way that blood was coming out, what a thing to think about at a time like this! But sometimes you just had to steer your mind away from the fact that the man you loved was lying on a table being operated on at that very moment! The waiting was bad enough, but Lachie's pacing was irritating her, she wanted to hit him and that wasn't fair because the person who really did deserve a good smack in the face was Jamie! "Whit the hell urr they dayin' in there!!!" Lachie growled and threw himself down on the chair beside her, biting his nails and grunting to himself. Rhona couldn't get the picture of the Landrover disappearing from view out of her mind, and her mother grabbing her and dragging her into the family car to follow them. She also couldn't get the sight of Oz lying on the ground covered in blood and looking like death out of her mind either!

When they got to the hospital, her father and brother looked like extras from a horror movie, blood all over them. They told her that Oz had to go into theatre and have the bullet removed, it was lodged dangerously close to his liver, luckily it hadn't hit any vital organs, but he'd lost a lot of blood and would need a transfusion. Nobody knew if they would ever see Oz alive again, Rhona didn't even want to think about it! As her mother and father arrived back from the vending machine, she couldn't stand the smell of the coffee they had brought for her and her brother. She liked the smell usually, just today everything annoyed her! She couldn't understand why people could just get on with daily life while her beloved Oz was lying wide open on a cold, hard table while some stranger poked around inside him! Elspeth took hold her her hand and squeezed it gently.

"It's going to be okay Rhona! He's a fighter, and he won't leave you if he can help it!" she whispered. Rhona felt the hot tears stick to her face and the beginnings of a migraine reared it's ugly head. It was all the crying, her nose was bunged up and her face felt like it was on fire. As well as an ambulance, Elspeth had called the police and Jamie was taken to the station for questioning, and most likely to be charged. Rhona wanted him locked up for life, she wanted them to put him in a cell and throw away the key! At that moment she hated his guts, she despised him so so much! Finally, a surgeon appeared with news...

“I told you not to leave this room!!!" Rhona shrieked in panic. "I asked you nicely, not to leave this room! To stay here and to phone me on my mobile if you needed anything, but no! You decide to go walkabouts!!!"

"I'm sorry!" Oz mumbled and hung his head, clutching his side gingerly.

"What if your stitches burst again??? Hmm?" Rhona put her hands on her hips and frowned at him.

"I'm sorry!" he said a little louder, looking into her eyes pleadingly. "I'm goin' stir crazy in here red! Gimme a break huh?" Rhona's expression softened and she took hold of his hands, in a whisper she replied,

"I nearly lost you! TWICE! When are you going to stop breaking my heart Oswald Truman???"

"When you agree to marry me!" he blurted out unexpectedly. "Wow, did I just say that?" he laughed in shock.

"Don't!" Rhona pleaded, "Don't say it if you don't mean it..."

"I do mean it, I really do! Marry me Rhona! Let's do it, let's get married!" Before Rhona could answer there was a knock at the door.

"Oswald? Oswald!" Oz groaned as the female voice called out and knocked even more persistently.

"Coming mom!" he shouted back and let his mother in. Carol Truman came bustling in with a bowl of what Rhona could only imagine was soup.

"Here you are my baby! Some chicken soup, grandma's recipe!" she exclaimed proudly and sat it down on Rhona's dresser. "How are you feeling today pumpkin?" she pinched his cheek as he grimaced and tried to pull away from her, holding his side the whole time.

"Mrs Truman..." Rhona began but was cut off with a dirty look.

"Listen girl, my boy got shot because of you! I expect this kinda thing in America but not in England, geez!"

"MOM! We're in Scotland? How many times!" Oz rolled his eyes in frustration and sat carefully down on the bed. "And will you please stop blaming Rhona for the accident?"

"ACCIDENT???" his mother screeched, "You got shot honey, by a man wielding a shotgun! That is no accident; an accident is falling off a cliff or tripping over a sidewalk! Not getting a bullet in your belly, man alive!" she rolled her eyes and huffed. Oz's mother had appeared a couple of days after his surgery and she'd stayed ever since, that was a week ago! Oz was to have complete bed rest but he was always out and about, in fact the other day he did just that and his stitches burst. Rhona found him slumped by the jetty, blood everywhere, he had to be rushed back in to hospital to stop the bleeding and have the stitches replaced, but it seemed he hadn't learned from that experience! Rhona found that his mother encouraged his rebellious streak; she imagined that Carol Truman was a flower power hippie in her youth, all peace and free love...and anarchy! It wasn't that Rhona didn't like Carol; it was just that Carol didn't like Rhona very much! The red headed siren who corrupted her angelic son! She was also driving Mary and Agnes mad in the kitchen taking over and insisting on cooking for Oz herself! Just as Rhona was about to leave mother and son alone, she stopped in her tracks as she saw the pained expression on Oz's face, a "don't leave me or I'll die" kind of face!

"Mrs Truman!" she blurted out as the incessant verbal diarrhea Carol was spouting suddenly ceased.

"What is it Rena?" she snapped impatiently as Oz gave her a disapproving frown.

"It's Rhona! I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with us tonight at the Tavish Arms?"

"Ummm..." she thought for a moment, her face expressing sheer curiosity. "Us, as in..."

"Oz and myself!" Rhona tried to smile, with difficulty.

"So you're an 'us' now are you?" Carol sneered and looked Rhona up and down.

"Well...” Rhona began to answer but Oz butted in,

"Yes we are mom! We've been dating for months, in fact I just asked Rhona to marry me and she said...wait..." Oz's face fell and his blue eyes went into puppy mode, melting Rhona's heart. "...you didn't give me an answer!" still not taking his eyes off of her, he waited for her reply. Rhona looked from Oz, to his mother, and then back to Oz. She had his answer! With a broad smile she replied,

"I was going to say yes Oz! Yes I will marry you!" Carol let out a little squeak and her jaw dropped, her mouth gaping wide she made noises that only an overbearing, disapproving mother could make! Oz pulled Rhona in for a lingering kiss and let his mother protest to herself. He was getting married, he didn't care what she thought, Rhona was going to be his wife...finally!

Rhona sat in another white corridor, waiting! She wasn't sure this was a good idea, but for her own peace of mind it was something she had to face. The warden finally came to collect her and guided her into a room full of people at tables with two chairs each scattered around. She looked around for the familiar face, and when she spotted him her stomach lurched, remembering the night Oz's life seeped out of him and the colour drained from his face. All because of this man she was meeting with at that moment, Jamie McGregor! He had indeed been jailed for shooting Oz, accidentally or not he was not permitted to be handling the rifle, never mind fire it! When he saw her, his eyes lit up. "Awright doll?" Rhona's lurching stomach got worse as she slowly made her way to his table; he stood up as one of the guards shouted at him to sit back down. "Bloody Gestapo in here, dinnae let me dae nuthin'!" he grunted and sat back down. "So, how are ye dayin' doll?" Rhona felt as if she would vomit if he called her doll one more time.

"Jamie, I didn't come here to have some friendly banter with you, I just wanted to let you know before you found out from your mum or anyone else..."

"Whit?" he eyed her up and down, worry etched all over his face. So she just came out with it.

"I'm getting married!" He stared, open mouthed for a while, into space as the reality began to sink in. "Jamie?" she leaned in slightly towards him to get his attention, but not too much. "Jamie?" she repeated as he finally looked in her direction.

"Tae the Yank eh?" he spat, hands in the pockets of his hooded jumper. The orange tabard he was wearing made her eyes hurt, but his words angered her.

"Yes, I'm marrying Oz! The man you nearly KILLED!" a guard came to their table and ordered her to keep her voice down as she blushed and sank back into the plastic, jaggy chair.

"Aye well, thanks fur lettin' me know like, a hope he knows how lucky he is..." he softened, and his face was awash with sadness, "...a sure didnae eh?" he laughed softly, but he was sorry. For the first time she saw it, he was truly sorry.

"Jamie, if you ever loved me? Then please, say what I need you to say?" he squinted at her in confusion.

"Eh? Ye know a love ye Rhona, it's no needin' tae be said!"

"No Jamie, two words! Just two...little...words!" and he finally realised what she meant, sighing he leaned forward and looked her straight in the eyes!

"Am...am sorry darlin'! Am sorry am such a b*stard! Am sorry yer too good for me, and am sorry a ever hurt ye!" Rhona closed her eyes and smiled, she could feel tears forming, warm and happy tears. All she ever wanted was to hear him say that! And now that he had, she could finally close that chapter of her life, and move on!

When Rhona got back to the hotel, she didn't feel like confessing to Oz about where she had been. Instead she went for a walk in the woods by the Loch. As she closed her eyes and followed the path that she'd known so well since she was tiny, she was aware of someone following her. The sun was shining and it was a clear day so whoever it was would not stay hidden for long. But this particular individual had no intentions of keeping out of sight; Carol Truman came marching up to Rhona with purpose in her steps. "Rena I wanna have a little talk with you, woman to woman!" she flashed a pearly white smile, much like her son's, and looked expectantly at her.

"Oh yes? And what do you want to talk about Mrs Truman?" Rhona was extremely apprehensive; ever since she arrived all Carol Truman ever gave her was a hard time.

"You and me, we got off on the wrong foot and..."

"Not on my part Mrs Truman, you took an instant dislike to me since you came here!" Carol's face turned white and she gulped down a breath.

"I...no I..."

"You don't even have the decency to get my name right, I mean I'm going to be your son's wife and you're not interested in my real name!" Carol was obviously not used to being spoken to like this, Oz was always far too soft with his mother, probably because she raised him by herself after his father left and he felt he owed her a lot, Rhona disagreed. She looked at her future mother-in-law, her mouth gaping open much like the day Oz proposed over a week ago, and for the first time she saw a frightened woman. What was she frightened of? "Mrs Truman? I love your son, I've been badly hurt myself and I wouldn't dream of hurting him, so please...stop treating me like the enemy! You and I, we should be bonding over loving him! You clearly adore Oz, and I can honestly tell you that I feel the same! He's been a wonderful friend to me, an amazing boyfriend and he's going to be an even better husband! So why can't you just accept this?" Carol hung her head and sighed. There was a long silence as she looked at the dirt path, breathing slowly in and out. Finally she looked up and her blue eyes, Oz's eyes, drilled into hers.

"Sweetheart, you're right! I've been a real b*tch to you these past couple of weeks and you didn't deserve it! The truth is, my Oswald is all I have in this world! I was dating his father, Frank, when I was twenty years old, he wasn't too happy when I told him I was pregnant and when Oswald was born he was even less happy! He tried to do the right thing and we moved in together, we got engaged, but by the time Oswald was five months old, Frank took off and I never saw him again! I had to be mommy and daddy to my son and it sucked I don't mind tellin' ya! But Oswald was always such a happy little boy, he seemed content and we only ever had each other since my parents disowned me for having a child out of wedlock! I tried dating again, to find a father for my son, but they were all losers, what can I say? I'm a loser magnet!"

"Mrs Truman..." Rhona was feeling rather uncomfortable, and also very guilty for the way she spoke to Carol, but she wasn't done saying her piece.

"No, listen to me honey! Please?" Rhona nodded and Carol continued. "Oswald got into a bad crowd when he was a teenager, he took drugs and he stole from me to pay for his habit! I managed to get him clean when he was nearly shot by a dealer he owed money to, it gave him a scare believe me! He got back on the straight and narrow, finished school, went to college and got into photography. I was so proud of my boy, but I was always worried that he was gay you know?" Rhona felt her cheeks burn and she could hardly look at Carol, "Because he never brought girls back, in fact you're the first girl I've ever met that he's actually shown an interest in! Then that stuff with Delfino, gosh, and he ran off and I had no idea if he was alive or dead! Then I get this birthday card from him and some girl's name on it, yours! And you called to say he'd been shot, well I was in knots! My head was everywhere and...he's all I've ever had, he's the only thing in this world that I am proud of! That I can look at and say 'I made this!' and be proud of what I created! Do you...do you understand sweetie?" she looked nervously into Rhona's eyes again, waiting for a response. Rhona smiled and pulled her in for a hug.

"Oh Mrs Truman, he will always be yours! I'm not taking him away from you! There's lots of Oz to go around you know!" as Rhona felt Carol's arms hug her back, her reply made her cry tears of joy.

"Call me Carol, or mom!"

"So daddy, what am I?"

"What do you mean cupcake?"

"Am I Scottish or am I American?" Oz looked into his daughter's blue eyes, so like her mother's, as he brushed her red hair out of them. She sat perched on his knee at the edge of the jetty as they watched the boats sail up and down the Loch. "Because Grandpa said I'm a mongrel! Daddy what does that even mean?" Oz let out a booming laugh and nearly dropped her into the Loch.

"Oh baby!" he chuckled as she giggled along with him. "It means you're both!" Isla Truman stopped laughing and frowned at her father. For a three year old she was extremely clever.

"But...what does it mean?" And curious!

"I told you. See Uncle Lachie's dog over there?" Isla nodded, "Well Patch there is a mongrel! He's a mixture of a Collie, a Labrador and another dog that we're still unsure of! So all it means is you're a mixture of Scottish on mommy's side, and American on mine! See?" Isla seemed happy with this answer and she snuggled into her father's chest.

"Lunch is ready!" a voice called quietly from behind them. Oz scooped his daughter up and turned to face his wife. "Rory's been fed and put down for a nap!" Rhona smiled at her husband, he was so good with their children and Isla adored him. Rory was only four months old and Oz already wanted to try for more children.

"You're so beautiful!" Oz winked and pulled her in towards him with his free hand as Isla protested.

"Ew no kissy please!"

"How do you fancy going for a 'nap' after lunch too Mrs Truman?" he winked and squeezed her waist.

"I think you should just clear your plate and we'll see!" Rhona winked back and took Isla from her father. "Come on you, if you're really good I have cheesecake for afters!"

"YAY!" Isla cheered. "Did Granny Truman make it?"

"Yes she did!" Oz watched his wife and daughter head up to the hotel and smiled. He hadn't been back home since he fled nearly four years ago, he thought he would miss it, he thought living in Scotland for good wouldn't work...but he was wrong! His mother eventually moved over when Rhona was expecting Isla and now they all lived at the hotel with the Boyles. Lachie and Elspeth had two boys aged five and four, Lachlan Junior and Hamish. It was a full house, it was a thriving family business and Oz felt like he was finally accepted. He'd never felt more content in his entire life. Lachie came bounding out of the Loch dragging his tiny punt behind him, his boys inside giggling away to themselves and squirting their father with super soakers.

"Gi it a by boys eh?" Lachie growled and looked up at Oz who was trying not to laugh. Lachie's sons were a handful, and they were big like their dad. "Here, away and soak yer Uncle Oz eh?" the boys looked up at Oz with wicked grins and began soaking him.

"Guys!" Oz ducked and ran for cover calling back to them, "My hair guys!"

"Him and that hair!" Lachie sighed, "Get a haircut ya jessie ye!" As Lachie caught up with Oz, his two clones in tow, he patted him roughly on the back nearly knocking him flying, and smiled. "So, how long urr ye stayin' here fur then?" Oz couldn't hide his broad grin, remembering the first time he met Lachie at reception:

"So can I have a room please?"

"Aye, how long fur?"

"Um...I dunno to be honest with you! Can we say, a week for now? And then I'll see!"

"See whit?"

"A week, yeah, for now. If that's okay?"

Oz laughed to himself and replied, "Forever! Yeah! Can we say forever for now?" Lachie put one huge arm over his shoulder and nodded.

"Aye. But a still think yer trouble!" he winked and squeezed him gently as they headed home.

The End!

Other Sides of The World: Chapter Nine - Tragedy

"Next please!" Helen Andrews called to Rhona as she stood in the queue at the Post Office. "NEXT PLEASE!!!" she repeated a little louder. "Rhona Boyle are you in this queue or not?" she barked as Rhona shook herself out of the daydream she was basking in.

"Sorry Helen, I was miles away!" she smiled and approached the desk.

"So I see!" Helen frowned impatiently at her. "What can I do for you then?" her manner was always very terse so Rhona did not take offence at her tone.

"I want to send this card to California!" she beamed, it was Oz's mother's birthday and Rhona thought it would be a nice thought to send her a birthday card from Scotland.

"Well pop it on the scales then!" Helen pointed a bony finger towards them as Rhona obliged. After tapping away at her keyboard for a moment, she looked up with a sneer and said "First class will be £2.34!"

"WHAT?" Rhona's eyes grew wide. "For a wee card like that???" Helen closed her eyes and pursed her lips before replying in a shrill tone,

"Rhona it's no the size, it's the weight!"

"Aye but still!"

"Do you want to send it second class? Because that'll be £1.59!" Rhona thought for a moment then shook her head.

"No, no first class is fine! Thank you Helen!" she smiled with difficulty, handed over the exact money and left. Just as she got outside, Jamie was leaning on a blue Ford Escort across the street, his hands were jammed in his pockets and he had one leg over the other as he whistled cheerily. As soon as he spotted her he jumped up and sprinted over to her calling her name.

"Rhona! Rhona darlin' over here!" Rhona groaned as her heart began to pound with fear, fear of what she was going to do to him. As he reached her he could see the disgust on her face and his smile faded. "A know yer angry wi me!" Rhona laughed bitterly.

"ANGRY? Yeah Jamie I'm just angry with you! Not heartbroken, torn to shreds, a former shell of myself no...just angry!"

"Rhona babe..." he began and reached out to touch her.

"DON'T..." she pulled up her arms defensively as he hung back with hurt in his green eyes. "...you TOUCH me Jamie McGregor and I will have you singing castrato in two seconds flat!"

"I'm truly sorry for what I did back in Glasgow!" Rhona cried out in exasperation as he continued, "But av changed! Am no that guy anymore! A made a big mistake and...a want ye back babe, a miss ye!" Once again he tried to touch her and she shoved his arm away roughly.

"No! Jamie it's over, forever! I'm in a new relationship now and he's the most amazing, kind, caring, HONEST and FAITHFUL man I have ever known! I've moved on..." she looked him up and down, more with sympathy than anger, "...and so should you!" she made her way to the bus stop as he shouted back,

"Oh right is this the guy that telt ye he was dyin' and he wisnae eh?" Rhona turned around slowly as the bus appeared at her stop,

"Aye Jamie he did and it was hard to deal with...but he never lied about loving me!" and left him standing alone in the street as she jumped on the bus.

Oz Truman sat in the lounge area of the hotel, he wasn't feeling all that well, after the wedding he caught a chill and ended up at the doctors for some antibiotics, but he had a lovely red haired nurse tending to his every need! It had been four days since the wedding and Lachie and Elspeth were in Edinburgh on their honeymoon. Oz stupidly volunteered to take his place at reception, but things were quiet around there and he'd probably picked the best time to do it. As Rhona entered the front door looking as white as a sheet, he ran to her and grabbed her hands in his. Looking straight into her blue eyes, as blue as his own, he demanded to know what was wrong, "Rhona, are you okay? What is it?"

"I...saw Jamie!" Rhona pulled out of his grip and hugged him tightly; he reciprocated and rubbed her back.

"Did he hurt you? Coz if he did..."

"No, just...Oz just hold me please!" she nuzzled her face into his chest and he could feel her body shaking.

"If he comes near you again, just tell me! I know I'm not a patch on your brother but I can get in a few good punches if I have to!" he chuckled as he squeezed her gently and rested his chin lightly on her head. She looked up at him then, their blue eyes connecting as they always did, a hint of a spark between them like their souls speaking to one another.

"I love you so much!" she smiled as a tear ran down her cheek, a happy tear.

"I think you're pretty swell too!" he gave her a cheeky smirk and kissed her on the forehead. But deep down he wanted to find that Jamie creep and smash his face in! Just as they were having a quiet moment in each other's arms, Hannah came striding through with a disapproving scowl on her pretty face.

"Rhona it's the phone for you upstairs, your dad's shouting his head off!" she tapped Rhona on the shoulder as she and Oz broke off their hug.

"Oh, right thanks Han!" she rubbed her eyes and straightened out her jacket before heading up to answer the phone. Oz looked over at Hannah trying to smile but completely aware that she hated him, why he did not know but felt he had to find out!

"So, Hannah! How's it going?" Hannah sneered at him and folded her arms.

"Fine thank you!" she replied rather shortly.

"Now why do I get the feeling that you don't like me, huh?" Oz cocked his head to the side, still with the strained smile plastered on his face.

"It's nothing personal..." she began as Oz let out a frustrated laugh and shook his head.

"You're a piece of work you know that?"

"Excuse me?" she unfolded her arms and scowled at him with her mouth wide open as his voice took on an angrier tone.

"I have proven to ALL OF YOU that I'm not Jamie!!! I'm serious about Rhona, I love her! But you still treat me like a pariah! Why?" Hannah had no answer; she simply looked down at her shoes and spluttered gibberish.

"It ends NOW!!!" Oz warned her through gritted teeth, “Rhona does not need this! We have to try and get along, for her sake!" As he went to leave her standing in the lobby, he stopped for a moment and stared her down, "If you were any kind of friend to Rhona, you would drop this bratty attitude and be happy for her!" her reply made him want to scream,

"And if you were any kind of man you'd leave!"

"And there's a stag do booked for Thursday so I'd better make sure Catherine knows the drill, man do I miss Elspeth around here! Hey I wonder if she'll still want to work here or does she fancy being a kept woman eh?" Terry laughed and nudged Rhona to get her attention, again she was miles away!

"Sorry, what was that?" she mumbled and stared blankly in his direction.

"I...never mind, will you get Catherine all trained up before Thursday? We've got Aaron Mackay's stag do coming up so..." he trailed off as Rhona still wasn't listening. "Okay, what's wrong Pona?"

"Nothing...I just wish Jamie would bugger off you know?" she sighed and swung her legs back and forth as she sat on top of the washing machine.

"Yeah I know, he's a pain in the neck but only if you let him! And anyway, Oz will sort him out! He's absolutely besotted with you, in fact don't be too surprised if he asks you that big question!" he winked and began folding towels on top of the dryer. Rhona felt a panic rise up from her stomach, what question was that??? As if she didn't already know! She wasn't ready for that yet, was she? Not after Jamie...forget Jamie! Everyone said so, she knew it made sense! But why then was he constantly on her mind?

"Oz is a cautious kind of guy Terry! He won't be asking any questions any time soon! Not until he works out what he wants to do with his life. He can't go back to his mother's because that horrible man is still after him, he doesn't really want to stay here forever I can see it in his eyes, so what does that leave? No, he's mixed up enough as it is, he doesn't need to add me and marriage to it!"

"If you say so!" Terry replied with an unconvinced sigh. "I think you're underestimating his feelings for you just a little bit Pona! But that's just my opinion."

"What is?" Hannah piped up as she came in to join them.

"Never you mind, you caused enough trouble earlier!" Terry shot an angry look her way.

"Shut it Terry, you don't know what you're talking about!!!" she snapped and stormed back out.

"What was that all about?" Rhona looked puzzled, she wasn't aware of the tension between Hannah and Oz.

"Let's just say that Hannah is not a fan of your American boy! And she's giving him a hard time, still! Remember when she conveniently forgot to pass on his message way back?"

"Yes?" Rhona didn't like where this was going as Terry continued.

"Well she still doesn't like him and she shows it every chance she gets. She and Oz had a right old barney in the foyer this afternoon and it wasn't pretty! A couple of the guests told your dad and he's on the rampage, he's disappointed with Oz! His words! He thinks he should be able to hold his temper, which is pretty funny coming from ol' Hamish!" Terry let out a huge belly laugh at the thought of Hamish Boyle lecturing anyone on their temper!

"I wonder what it's all about!" Rhona mumbled as Terry shrugged and continued to fold his towels.

Hamish did eventually catch up with Oz and sat him down in the living room upstairs for a talk. "Whit am tryin' tae say is...ye cannae shout in front of the guests ye understand son?"

"Yes sir!" Oz nodded. "I'm sorry Mr B it won't happen again, we had a disagreement over...something silly and I owe you, the guests and her an apology. I shouldn't have let my anger get the better of me!" Hamish sat back and let out an enormous sigh.

"Son, whit wiz it?" Oz looked away from him and fidgeted on the couch.

"She doesn't like me, she thinks I'm not good enough for Rhona and...well she's probably right but I make her happy and she makes me happy so what's the problem huh?" Oz raised his hands in the air in frustration.

"Oz son, a think yer jist the man fur ma wee Rhona! Dinnae mind Hannah, she's got a chip on her shoulder aboot everything! Jist you and Rhona be yersels and be happy eh? Noo get oot a ma sight boy!" Hamish patted him roughly on the back, almost knocking him off the couch and onto the floor. Oz did as he was told and went to find Rhona; she was sitting cross legged in her room making jewellery with her beads and wire all over the floor.

"Hey baby! Wanna go for a walk?" Rhona shook her head as she bent the wire into a V shape with her pliers. "Okay, wanna stay in and...snuggle?" he dropped onto her bed, leaned back and propped himself up with his elbows. Again she shook her head. "Have I done something wrong?" he enquired quietly.

"No, I'm...Oz you didn't tell me you and Hannah had a disagreement!" Oz sat up straight and groaned.

"No, because it wasn't relevant!" she turned to face him with a surprised look on her face.

"Oh really? So how come you were shouting at her? Hmm?" her eyes grew accusingly wide.

"Because I'm a jerk!" he shrugged, "And she pissed me off! She thinks I'm a waste of space who isn't fit to breathe the same air as you, never mind be your boyfriend!" Rhona looked down at the ground, feeling guilty that she was blaming him for the spat. "Look can we just forget Hannah and all that crap for a little while and just...be with each other? I've been stuck on reception for five hours and I missed you!" he whined and pouted.

"Hannah hated Jamie too, and she was right about him!" Just as the words escaped her lips, the look of hurt on Oz's face made her go beetroot red. "But she's wrong about you! And everyone knows it! Oz? Please don't take that the wrong way I..."

"I think you owe me major snuggles...and possibly a little mouth to mouth rejuvenation!" he winked and grinned impishly.

"I think you mean resuscitation!" Rhona moved along the carpet towards him on her knees and placed her hands on his thighs. He laughed softly and took hold of her hands.

"I know what I meant!" and stole a kiss from her unexpectedly. She sat on his knee and wrapped her arms around his neck, rubbing noses with him. He held her tightly by the waist and pressed his lips softly to hers, holding them there for a long time, as soon as he couldn't get a breath he let go.

"Oz?" Rhona breathed.

"M-hmm?" he mumbled back, trying to steal another kiss as she pulled away.

"Where exactly...are we going?" Oz laughed and gave her a toothy grin.

"To bed hopefully, I'm exhausted!" She hit him playfully on the chest and giggled.

"Don't avoid the question, I mean us as in our relationship? I get the impression that you won't be sticking around here forever!"

"And what makes you say that?" he frowned at her and brushed her hair from her face with his hand.

"Do you want to live here forever?" He closed his eyes, as if he was concentrating, then he finally replied,

"I want to live with you forever, so if that's here then...so be it!" she seemed satisfied with that answer and hugged him tightly. The truth was he would rather live in his own country but after his indiscretion, that was going to be difficult. Not only that, Rhona would probably hate America! He would always prefer home to Scotland, but he preferred Rhona to home!

Lachie and Elspeth arrived back that Sunday. Everyone was still trying to recover from the stag do and the damage those boys did! Rhona was glad to have her brother back and decided to hold a special karaoke night to celebrate his return, as well as her new sister-in-law. In order to get people to come at such short notice she put a post up on Facebook and invited as many friends as she could. Annie was pestering Elspeth with demands for a grandchild, it wasn't going down very well as they had only been married over a week! It seemed that Rhona's post had got round a good few people and there was an amazing turn-out! It was loud, full of wine and song, a perfect homecoming for her wonderful brother and his new wife! Oz and Lachie were catching up with a few beers as were Rhona and Elspeth, even Hamish and Annie sang "Islands in the Stream" together! In fact it was a huge success until Jamie arrived! Yes Jamie McGregor appeared once again as Lachie, Oz and Hamish all wanted to get their hands on him. "Yer no wanted here get oot!" Lachie growled and balled his fists in anger, he didn't want his wife to see him fighting but if need be, he would knock Jamie into next week!

"A jist want tae see Rhona!" he slurred, obviously well-oiled and spoiling for a fight!

"Jamie go home! Please!" Rhona begged him as Oz appeared behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist protectively.

"You heard her, beat it!" he chipped in as Jamie smirked at him.

"Ye might huv her noo big man, but a wiz her first love! Ye cannae beat that, ever!" he let out an annoying laugh and flipped the bird at Oz before Lachie grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, he pushed him towards the exit and dispatched him with ease as he shouted and squealed all the way. After the party ended and the guests had all left, Rhona and Oz decided to leave the clearing up until the morning. Walking along the corridor towards the stairs hand in hand, the couple were startled by the presence of Lachie and Elspeth followed by Hamish and Annie.

"Went fur a walk!" Lachie chuckled and draped a huge arm over Elspeth's dainty shoulders.

"Aye, we hud tae help yer Aunties in the kitchen!" Hamish yawned as Annie stopped and took her shoes off, carrying them in her hands.

"Well that wuz a great wee night!" Annie smiled as they all stood in the corridor together discussing the success of the party. Hamish continued his wife's statement by praising Rhona on her great organisational skills when suddenly he stopped in mid-sentence.

"Whit ur you still dayin' here boy?" he demanded in a cold tone as the others looked round to see Jamie leaning against the wall at the end of the corridor. Rhona felt her blood run cold, but not because Jamie was still there, no...because Jamie was holding her grandfather's old hunting rifle by the handle as the barrel was facing the floor.

"Ye aw think yer it don't ye?" he muttered as Hamish approached him, Annie grabbed his arm and brought his attention to the rifle.

"Son, pit doon the gun eh? Whit ye dayin' wi it anyway?"

"A want tae shoot masel eh???" he lifted it up with difficulty and pointed it in Oz and Rhona's direction, then he laughed eerily, "Naw, a want tae shoot her! NAW!" he pointed it at Lachie and Elspeth, "You! Ya big troll ye!" waving the rifle back and forth he chuckled and staggered back. "Aye, am gonnae shoot you!" he nodded at Lachie and aimed at him square in the chest. Oz could see his finger bending the trigger backwards and he instantly grabbed Rhona and pushed her to the ground, shielding her with his own body as Lachie stood in front of Elspeth. Jamie was waving the gun around aimlessly as Hamish raced towards him and attempted to rugby tackle him to the ground. Jamie fell back as Hamish knocked him down and towered over him. Still holding the rifle, he started to moan and grumble, "Och Hamish man!" He struggled to his feet, still holding it, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. "It's no even loaded, see?" he waved it about as his finger pressed down on the trigger and the gun went off, knocking him off of his feet.

"JAMIE YA BAMPOT!!!" Hamish bellowed angrily.

"S***!" Jamie curse and tried to get up once again, this time leaving the rifle on the ground.

"Aw man! Jamie yer a total eejit so ye ur!" Lachie grunted and pulled Elspeth in for a hug. Rhona approached Jamie and smacked him in the jaw as hard as she could; he fell against the wall and squeaked in pain.

"IDIOT!" she shouted, "You could've killed someone!" her mother and father tried to pull her back as Jamie touched his face gingerly, tears welling up in his eyes like a child.

"It's awright wee Rhona eh? Jist calm..." her father's words caught in his throat and he turned deathly pale, her mother turned to see what he was looking at and she also lost all colour. Rhona's worst fears were confirmed when she heard her brother cry out,

" Aw naw! Aw naw, Oz pal!" Afraid to turn around as her parents rushed to Lachie's aid, Rhona knew exactly what had happened.

"What...have...you done???" she stammered as she struggled to breathe, Jamie's eyes grew wide with fear and he cried out.

"A didnae mean it, a didnae!" he wept. Finally Rhona turned around at the sound of Oz's faint voice calling her name. He was slumped on the floor against the wall, the left side of his checked shirt soaked in crimson, his face grey and clammy.

"Rhona!" he mouthed as she hurried to his side and threw herself down beside him. "Rhona..." he repeated, the weakness in his voice was heartbreaking.

"Shh, don't speak my darling; we'll get you sorted okay? It's just a scratch eh?" she tried to laugh as she squeezed his hand tightly and kissed it. Elspeth got off of her phone and paced.

"Ambulance will be twenty minutes!!!" she muttered angrily.

"Ach there's nae time, we'll huv tae drive him! Lachie get the Landrover, NOO!" Hamish ordered as he lifted Oz up carefully and carried him out towards the back door. "C'moan wee man, am no gonnae lose ye yit!" he reassured him. Safely in the back seat of the vehicle, Oz seemed to be getting weaker and losing more and more blood by the second as Lachie was wrapping the wound in towels and murmuring to himself,

"C'moan man, get it the gither eh?" his hands were shaking as he pressed on Oz's stomach firmly but tenderly. Rhona kissed his hand one last time as he looked at her with those big blue eyes and said breathlessly,

"I love you!"

"Mon' Da!!!" Lachie shouted as the Landrover started up and drove off up the hill towards the nearest hospital ten miles away. Rhona's heart pounded wildly as she watched the vehicle get smaller and smaller in the distance, until it was gone from sight...as was her beloved Oz!

To Be Continued...

Other SIdes of The World: Chapter Eight - Nuptials

"Quit squirming about Lachie!" Rhona scolded as she tugged his tie into place and tucked it inside his waistcoat.

"Am nervous awright?" he replied shrilly and adjusted what good work his sister had just done.

"LACHIE I just did that!!!" she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"A know but it wiz too tight!" Oz appeared walking oddly, he'd never worn a kilt before and it was an experience to say the least.

"Hey guys!" he grunted as he fiddled with the belt on his kilt. "Please can I wear my boxers?" he whined as Rhona gave her brother a disapproving frown.

"Och Lachie you never made him go commando! That's just not right!"

"It's tradition!" Lachie defended his actions, "A true Scotsman wears nothin' under the kilt!"

"But Lachie Oz is American! These rules do not apply! Oz sweetheart you can wear your boxers if you want!" Rhona smiled sweetly at him and lunged forward, grabbing his kilt she tried to pull it up and peek underneath as they both began to tug at it.

"Rhona!" Oz was trying frantically to keep it down as she giggled and let go.

"I'm kidding! I do love you Oswald Truman!" she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him tenderly. Lachie began making gagging sounds behind them. "Och you jist gi it a by eh? Soon to be married man!" Rhona teased her brother as he stopped mocking them and looked rather queasy.

"I'm just gonna...go cover up the little guy, I'm not loving the breezy feeling under there!" Oz kissed Rhona back briefly and left the siblings alone again as Lachie looked at himself in the long mirror.

"It's going to be fine!" Rhona soothed and rubbed his back gently.

"A know that, am jist...a dinnae deserve her!" Lachie's eyes filled up as he sniffed back the tears that threatened to fall, "A cannae believe she said yes!" he sobbed and the tears came. Rhona handed him a tissue from the box that sat on the table beside them.

"Lachie, you so deserve her! I wish you could see just what a wonderful man you truly are! I know I may be rather biased because you're my big brother but...Oz says the same thing, Hannah and Terry...even Jamie liked you back in the day! You've got a good heart, and Elspeth fell in love with that way before you proposed! In fact, I think she would have proposed to you if you hadn't got in there first!"

"It's no a leap year shorty!" Lachie mumbled in between large blows into the tissue.

"Since when was Elspeth ever into conventional traditions? She loves you and you love her, and I can't wait to be an auntie!" she giggled and hugged her brother tenderly as he let out a little squeak.

"Ho, dinnae get aheed of yersel eh?"

Six months had passed since the money Oz stole was returned to its rightful owner, well some of it! When Lachie asked Elspeth to marry him after only three months of seeing her, Oz insisted that the money they kept be used for the wedding. Oz and Rhona were getting along very well, they both ran the bar and organised functions in the hotel for locals like discos and bingo nights and even the odd karaoke. Oz felt like he was part of the family but it was always in the back of his mind that Mr Delfino could send someone else to get the rest of the money. As he put on a pair of boxer shorts under the itchy, uncomfortable kilt he'd agreed to wear as Lachie's best man, he thought about marrying Rhona. It was something he really wanted to do, he wanted to make her his bride but when Lachie and Elspeth got engaged, he didn't want to steal their thunder. So he would wait until this wedding was over and then he would make his move. He headed down to the grand hall where the ceremony was to take place tempted to remove this infernal kilt that chafed his legs and other parts of him that should not have this much friction! He suddenly began to panic and reached down into his sporran, the rings! Luckily they were still in there as he let out a relieved sigh. A young man approached him and nodded, "Awright?"

"Hey!" Oz replied warily, he'd never seen him before and the hotel was closed to the public for the wedding.

"So Lachie Boyle's gettin' hitched eh?" he chuckled and put a hand in front of Oz as if he was to shake it.

"Yeah, yes he is!" Oz took in the man's appearance, he was rather cocky. "I'm Oz! And you are?" the young man rolled his eyes and the chuckle escalated into a booming laugh.

"Aw man, aye! Jamie..." he shook Oz's hand roughly. "Jamie McGregor!" and Oz felt the urge to knock his teeth out!

"Where is he?" Rhona tapped her foot impatiently as Terry took a peek inside the hall.

"Everybody's here I think!" he squinted through the crack in the large door. "Lachie's looking a bit...green!" as soon as the words left his mouth Elspeth pushed him aside and looked for herself.

"Eh?" she shrieked, "What's wrong with him?" she attempted to flip her veil back when Rhona stopped her and shut the door.

"Just stop guys!" Hannah screwed her eyes shut and placed her hands over her ears. Just then Oz came running towards them.

"Sorry I'm late I...Rhona we really need to talk!" Rhona looked annoyed and swatted his hand away as he tried to take her aside.

"Oz my brother is getting married! Whatever it is can wait!" she snapped. "Now get in there and do what you were asked to do!"

"Rhona..." she held up her hands to stop him from talking.

"Now Oswald!" Oz had no choice but to do as he was told and headed inside. As soon as they heard the music start, they knew it was their cue to enter. Terry was giving Elspeth away. It turned out that she had run away from home and wasn't in contact with her parents, so when Lachie asked her to be his wife, she thought of Terry straight away. He'd been like a brother to her since she arrived at the hotel. As Rhona and Hannah walked down the aisle in front of Elspeth and Terry, Oz gave Rhona a pleading look that made her feel uneasy. He was trying to tell her something, and by the looks of it she should have heard him out. But there was no time to worry about that, as Elspeth reached Lachie and he burst into tears at the sight of her!

"Och Lachlan!" Elspeth laughed softly, and a tear escaped from her eye too.

"Am awright, am awright!" he held up his right hand and wiped his face with the left, "Elspeth yer gorgeous so ye are!" he smiled and shook his head, hardly believing that this beautiful girl was going to be his wife by the time they left this hall!

The ceremony was a success, it proceeded without a hitch. As the wedding party headed to the public dining hall, Oz pulled Rhona gently aside into the bar. "Hear me out please!" he breathed and held her arms so she couldn't leave.

"Okay Oz, okay! What's wrong? You're scaring me!"

"Jamie's here!" he studied her eyes as a hint of fear flickered in them.

"Where?" she looked all around her and eased out of his soft grip.

"I met him on my way to the hall, Rhona I wanted to kill him! He went on and on about knowing the family really well and hearing about the wedding from his mom and..." Oz was pacing up and down as Rhona steadied herself by leaning on the edge of the bar counter, "...I could have hit him, I could have smashed his f..." he stopped himself as he balled his fists and his face turned almost purple.

"Where is he now?" Rhona managed to say through the shock.

"I...I dunno I...I excused myself and headed outside." he lifted one fist, bloodied and scraped, "I had to let it out somehow so...if your dad finds blood on the wall outside then it's mine!"

"Oh Oz!" Rhona placed her hands on his face and looked up into his beautiful blue eyes, "Please, promise me you'll stay AWAY from him! I don't want to lose you to Barlinnie!" Oz looked confused and pulled her hands away,

"What?"

"It's a prison in Glasgow! And it's where you'll go if you touch Jamie! His dad's a lawyer and a wicked one at that!"

"I don't care if his dad's the damn King of Scotland! What that creep did to you? I'd happily do time teaching him a lesson!" Rhona giggled softly despite the seriousness of their conversation and wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing him softly as his familiar scent met her nostrils.

"Oh Oswald, I wish you weren't so rebellious! But I love you anyway!" Oz returned her hug and sighed.

"You wouldn't...go back to him...would you?" Rhona quickly let go and looked up at him again, this time her eyes held back anger that bubbled inside of her, how could he ask such a thing?

"Oswald Edward Truman! Do you honestly believe that I could ever take him back, not only after what he did, but now that I've known what it's like to have you in my life? To know how it feels to be loved by someone like you? I've never been happier, so no! Not that it needed said, no I will NEVER go back to him EVER!" she shook her head emphatically as her carefully pinned back hair threatened to come loose. Oz gave her an impish grin and took hold of her hands.

"Just checkin'!" he winked and pulled her out of the bar to join the others.

Sitting at the top table, Rhona still felt uncomfortable about Jamie being around and felt she had to tell someone, she couldn't tell her brother and spoil his big day or worse...have him end up in the local cop shop for killing Jamie! She thought about telling her mother but she would only tell her father and he would end up in the cop shop instead of Lachie! But when she really thought about it through the speeches, watching her dad get all emotional like her brother as he toasted his son and new daughter-in-law, despite Lachie and Hamish being so alike, Hamish was older and wiser and could therefore control his temper a little better and listen to reason. So after the speeches and the first dance, Rhona was going to tell her daddy! Finally it was Oz's turn to get up and speak, Rhona was a little worried about the content as Oz tended to say things he wasn't supposed to. Americans tended to let their feelings out, where Scots were more reserved...sometimes! "Hi!" Oz waved out to the guests as he stood awkwardly in his kilt, Rhona thought he was adorable but he was obviously not loving the look. "So I'm Oswald, Oz, Lachlan's best man and Rhona's too!" the guests laughed softly as he looked down bashfully. "So I came here about six months ago, I'd done some stupid stuff back home in L.A. and...the Boyles took me in! To say that Lachie didn't like me at first would be a gross understatement!" another wave of laughter from the crowd, "But I think once we got to know one another, we er...we got along okay!" he smiled, remembering fondly their fishing trips and drinking sessions together. "Which er...which was just as well because dating his baby sister would have been...a challenge!" more laughter, "I guess what I wanna say about Lachie, is this! He's a great guy with a big heart to match his build and his thick head, KIDDING!" he held up his hands as more laughter echoed around the room. Lachie pointed at Oz and gave him a mock warning.

"Oi you!" he laughed along with his guests.

"Kidding, but in all seriousness, I lost a lot when I left California! Until I came to Scotland and gained...so much more than I could have ever imagined, a girl to love me that I so love back I feel my heart could explode sometimes, a best friend who at first wanted to smash me but turned out to be an awesome guy, and a family where no matter what I have done...they've accepted me and allowed me to stay here, they've vouched for me with immigration so I can work here and...let's not get into all that and deflect from the matter at hand..." he picked up his glass and raised it in the air, "...so let's cut to the chase and make a toast...to the Bride and Groom!" all the guests held their glasses in the air and repeated after Oz,

"To the Bride and Groom!"

During the first dance, Rhona stole her dad to dance with. Traditionally she should have been dancing with Oz, the best man, but she needed to talk to her dad while he was calm. "Rhona darlin' yer supposed tae be dancin' wi yer man there!" Hamish pointed to Oz.

"I know daddy but I need to tell you something! Oz met Jamie in the hotel a couple of hours ago!" Hamish turned a pale colour and staggered back, almost taking Rhona for a tumble. "Daddy!" she hissed and steadied them with difficulty.

"No the day, no on yer brother's waddin' day!"

"Daddy please, stop and think!" Hamish sat down on the nearest chair to hand as Annie called over to them,

"Everythin' awright over there?"

"Fine mum!" Rhona waved a hand and smiled at her mother.

"Whit urr we gonnae dae?" Hamish muttered, mostly to himself, "Whit does he want? Who even telt him?"

"Apparently Dee did!"

"Ach that wumman! Aye makin' excuses fur her snake of a son!" Hamish almost shouted but scratched his beard roughly instead. Oz came to sit beside them.

"I'm sorry Mr B, I didn't know what to do!" he placed a hand on his massive shoulder as Hamish shook his head and patted Oz's hand.

"Nae bother son, its no your fault!" looking his daughter in the eyes he smiled, "Am gonnae find him!" Rhona opened her mouth to protest but he held up a hand and continued, "Jist tae tae talk that's aw!"

"Please don't do anything stupid daddy!" still smiling, he patted her knee and stood up gingerly. Rhona watched her father leave the room slowly, as if he was still working out what to do. She trusted him to do the right thing, but the Boyle temper was a force to be reckoned with!

Hamish Boyle hunted high and low through the hotel, enquired with all the staff, but there was no sign of Jamie McGregor. He thought that perhaps Oz had been mistaken, but Oz was a smart boy, if a young man claimed to be Jamie then it was more than likely to be him! Unless it was a prank, someone was playing a joke on Oz to...that made no sense! Hamish arrived in his office in the living quarters and rifled through his desk, finding his phone book he looked up Dee McGregor's number...and dialled! "Hello?" a woman's voice answered cheerily.

"Dee?"

"Aye?"

"Hamish Boyle here!"

"Oh aye?" the sarcasm in her tone was hard to miss!

"Is Jamie aboot?"

"Ye whit?" she laughed bitterly.

"Dee he wiz seen at the hotel the day, a dinnae want any trouble awright? Ma son's jist got wed!"

"Och away Hamish! Ye think ma Jamie wid want tae go tae yer daft son's waddin'?"

"He wisnae invited anyway but he wiz SEEN!" Hamish tried to control his temper but it was proving difficult. "Dee, listen tae reason will ye? Rhona disnae need this, oor family disnae need this!"

"Oh and ma family diz? Eh? Am a no entitled tae huv ma son hame fur a wee while?"

"Aye a' course! But please tell him tae stay away fae Rhona!" Hamish took her hanging up to be a bad sign, this was far from over! And he was right when a couple of hours later he turned up at the hotel again. Hamish luckily managed to intercept his arrival and took him into the grand hall. "Whit ur ye dayin' here Jamie lad?" Jamie ran his hand along the large fireplace, hanging above it was Hamish's father's hunting rifle and it had stayed there since the day old Archie died.

"I want to see Rhona..." Hamish scoffed and cut him off before he could say any more.

"And why dae ye want tae dae that eh? Huv ye no done enough damage???"

"That's why I want to see her Mr Boyle! I've made a big mistake, huge in fact! I've only just realised she's the one, all along she was the one for me and...I was a complete..."

"Weasel!" Hamish spat as Jamie looked shocked at first but then nodded.

"Aye Mr Boyle, a weasel!"

"Snake!" Hamish went on.

"Yeah..."

"Slitherin' wee rattlesnake, stinkin' wee rat faced eejit!" he bellowed, inches away from Jamie's face, towering down at him like a bear to a rabbit.

"Aye well..." Jamie whimpered.

"A don't want ye anywhere near ma Rhona, she's got a new man and she's happy! And Oz is worth a hundred o' you! Yer no fit tae be in the same universe as ma wee girl, nevermind toon! Noo get oot afore a turf ye oot! RIGHT???" Jamie staggered back onto the hearth of the fireplace and squirmed out of the space between it and Hamish where he was jammed in between. Just as Hamish was about to leave him there alone, he called to him in his native slang,

"So she's shacked up wi a yank eh?" he sneered. "Aye well we'll see aboot that!" Hamish turned slowly and glowered at him.

"Urr ye threatenin' me son?"

"Naw Mr Boyle, A widnae dae that eh!" he laughed menacingly, "But that Oz guy isnae gonnae be as lucky! A don't like him!"

"You lea'em alain understand???" And in one swift movement, Hamish left him to stew.

When Hamish got back to the wedding reception, the party was in full flow with Lachie and Elspeth dancing among the guests. Rhona and Oz were huddled together, comforting each other while they waited for Hamish to come back and tell them everything was going to be okay. But he couldn't do that, not after Jamie made threats against Oz. It was all talk; no way could Jamie take a clever lad like Oz in any way, shape or form! Oz was a little on the weedy side but he was tough, he'd stood up to Lachie enough times! When Rhona spotted him, she and Oz stood up and looked hopefully at him. "He's a pain in the..."

"Daddy is everything..."

"We've no heard the last of him, de ye know he hud the cheek tae ask tae see ye? He wanted ye back!" Hamish laughed bitterly as Oz's anger grew inside the pit of his stomach. "But jist enjoy yersels eh? Forget that rat fur a wee while!" Smiling at his daughter and her boyfriend, Hamish headed over to his wife for a dance. Oz wanted to find Jamie and make sure he never bothered Rhona again, but that would be lowering to Jamie's level, and he wasn't going to do that. Instead he took her by the hand and led her onto the dance floor where they danced for the first time as Best Man and Chief Bridesmaid.

"Whit's goin' on Hamish???" Annie questioned her husband.

"Och nothin' darlin' jist...let's enjoy oor boy fur one last time afore Elspeth moves in eh?"

"Aye awright but ye cannae keep things fae me fur long!" she warned him as he tried to put Jamie McGregor to the back of his mind, hoping Rhona and Oz could do the same.

To be Continued...