My Coronation Street Fanfiction (please read!)

[.maxi]

Episode 1.02 - Eleventh Hour

We carry on where we left off on Coronation Street, with a search party spreading out across the Street, heading off in various directions.

Jamie is close to tears at what has happened. 'I didn't... I wasn't...'

'It's all right,' Frankie says comfortingly, 'they'll find Mike, no problems.'

'Yeah, but what if they don't, Frankie? What, then?'

'Don't think like that Jamie, you can't!'

'I can,' says Jamie, almost in a resigned fashion. 'This is all my fault.'

Todd and Sean are still talking.

Sean laughs. 'So you've pretty much told me everything now then? Finished? Anything else exciting happened? Saved a few babies from a burning building? Met the man of your dreams?'

'There is one thing that's happened, but I don't think I can tell you yet...' says Todd enigmatically.

'What?' Sean says, his gossip-radar having gone into overdrive. 'Tell me more!'

'You'll find out soon enough,' Todd says, before standing. 'I'm off to the Rovers, see if I can find Jason,' he continues, his eyes flickering at his brother's name.

'Okay,' says Sean. 'But Todd, are you sure you're ready to see him again? He did break your heart...'

'Yes,' says Todd, transfixed. 'I'm more than ready to see Jason again.'

As Rita and Emily pass worriedly in search of Mike, headscarves on, Matt Ramsden reaches the Peacock door, aware of the trouble going on in the Street and eager not to make too big of an impression. He rings the doorbell.

Inside, Claire is still watching the television, upset. Thinking Ashley has returned, she stands up slowly, and walks to the door.

'Ashley where have you been?' she says, opening the door, but gasps at who she sees before her.

'Go away!' she cries.

'I'm not going away... WHERE IS HE?' Matt roars, before resorting to a whisper, possibly more threatening. 'Where is he?'

Terrified, Claire tries to shut the door but is unable to. Matt's foot is well and truly stuck. 'Just leave us alone!' Claire cries, but her pleas fall on deaf ears.

Matt looks her straight in the eye. 'I want to see Ashley. Now don't make me move you...'

'I've told you, he's got nothing to say, and he wouldn't tell you even if he was here!'

'He's not here is he?' Matt shouts, trying to peer through the door. 'Well let ... me... check!'

And Matt pushes the door with force, knocking Claire off balance. She stumbles back and falls to the floor awkwardly, screaming in pain.

Matt shuts the door, silencing the wind and the rain, and rushes past Claire as she moans. He rushes to the phone and rips it out. 'No one's going anywhere until I finish this with Ashley.'

He checks the living room, then runs upstairs to try the bedrooms. As he searches, Claire lets out another scream and calls, 'HELP!'

Matt returns minutes later and Claire's finding it hard to breathe.

'What's wrong with you, woman?' he says angrily. 'I'll come back tomorrow.'

'My waters have broken!' she cries, moaning. Matt looks down at her. 'I've gone into labour..."

Tracy is finally home yet nobody is in. A note on the table reads, 'emergency, we're out.' Helpful, she thinks. Sitting miserably at the table next with Amy, everything seems dull. Then the door rings.

She jumps to her feet. She considers it her opportunity to have a go at her mum or dad for what they have done to her. Yet as she opens the door, there's no one there. She steps out into the street and looks around. Nobody to be seen.

She manages to miss the red dress that flails in the wind as a woman turns the nearest corner, out of sight. The sound of a baby's cries. The noise of leather boots through shallow puddles. She shuts the door behind her, perturbed, as Todd opens his.

He heads to the Rovers, and his expression is vengeful. He's going to remind Jason just how much he hurt him. He opens the Rovers door and steps inside. However, there is nobody there who seems to recognise him. Many of the regulars he knew are missing, for some reason, including Jason. Then he spots Violet at the bar, and smiles to himself, heading forward.

'What can I get you?' asks Violet, and she swears she recognises him from somewhere.

But Todd just smiles at her, and soon enough Violet blushes. 'What?'

'Nothing,' he remarks. 'Just looking...'

'Well if you don't order, I'll have to kick you out,' Violet responds playfully, miming a kickboxing action.

Todd laughs at the thought. 'Yes please,' he says, before ordering.

'So are you new around here?' she asks.

'Wouldn't you like to know?'

'Or ... just passing by?'

'Oh no,' says Todd. 'I'll be here for a while. Fancy a drink?'

Violet smiles. 'Yeah, alright. I'd love one.'

Mike is now soaked from head to toe, and is wandering in a general direction shivering. Weaker than ever now, he is finding it hard to walk, so when he stumbles back to Coronation Street, something seems to click, though he's unsure where he is exactly.

Seeing Underworld, something else clicks for him and he heads up, and inside. It was earlier checked by Danny but found to be empty, so the door is unlocked.

As Mike heads inside, Danny emerges at the other end of the Street and peers down. Ken turns a corner at the other end and roars, 'Any luck?'

'No!' shouts Danny. 'I think we need to call the police!'

'Well keep looking, Danny, I'll do it, and I'll wait here for them to come!'

'Okay!' says Danny, rushing back off in the direction he came. Ken meanwhile, heads toward his house, but as he does so, sees the factory door swing open in the wind. He sees a silhouette of a frail man inside... Mike? Could it be?

He heads toward the factory steps and calls out his name. 'Mike? Mike?'

Mike turns around, dripping, as Ken comes in. 'Ken,' he says weakly. 'Here for another fight are we?'

'A fight? Mike...'

'No, get out!' Mike says, with as much energy as he can muster.

'I just want to help you, Mike, you're ill!'

'I've heard it all now,' Mike replies. 'You just can't stand what happened between me and... me and... you know who I mean. I'm out of here.'

But he doesn't make it past the door as, on the steps, Mike stops dead and his vision blurs. Ken rushes out to the scene before him. Mike feels paralysed, yet manages to fall to the ground level and rest on the steps. The rain intensifying, and darkness creeping in from the corners of his eyes...

[.maxi]

Episode 1.03 - Curtain Call

Rain batters the cobbles ruthlessly and lightening strikes as a panicked Ken cries out into the storm for help. Mike has collapsed and is having severe difficulty staying concious. Sprawled awkwardly across the factory steps, Ken sits down and tries to make him more comfortable. 'HELP! SOMEBODY, PLEASE!'

But his words are lost to the wind and the rain, and suddenly Ken is faced with a decision: leave Mike alone in the storm to call for help or wait with him and watch things get worse? Time is ticking fast, and as he looks down to Mike, he realises it is running out too...

Over at the Peacocks, Claire is screaming now... 'Help me, please! Call an ambulance!'

'I can't,' blurts Matt. 'Your phone... I'm sorry!' He slaps his pockets in the vain hope he remembered his mobile. 'I'll get help!'

He dashes to the door and opens it, a flurry of rain spitting through. But Claire needs someone now... 'Help me!' she cries hysterically. 'Do something... please!'

An expression of extreme guilt passes over Matt's face. 'I'm sorry... I-'

'Matt! Please!' says Claire, tearful and in agony.

Then Matt comes to a realisation. 'Yeah - okay, sorry, yes... fine. I'm a doctor, you know... I can help...'

And he bends down, realising he must help the wife of his enemy to deliver their baby, realising that this will cause more trouble than anything else, realising that he is going to be a part of yet another of Ashley Peacock's children's lives...

Charlie and Jason stumble out of their club and into the streets. 'That was a laugh wasn't it?' laughs Charlie.

'Yeah,' Jason replies. 'Y'know'what? I'm over Violet now... I think - I think I'm over her...'

'Glad to hear it mate,' says Charlie, slapping Jason on the back. 'Now let's call a cab and get out of this bloody rain...'

They head for the taxi firm across the street.

Rita and Emily are still scowering the streets for signs of Mike. 'It's hopeless!' cries Emily. 'Oh, Rita, imagine what this could mean!'

'It'll be fine!' Rita cries optimistically over the wind, though the doubt in her voice cannot be hidden. They are back on Coronation Street now...

'Who's that? Over there!' Emily shouts, pointing. 'It's Ken... and Mike!'

'Oh my...'

'RITA, EMILY!' Ken roars, and he's wearing nothing but his shirt now after wrapping his jacket around Mike, who had previously been wearing only pajamas and slippers. 'CALL FOR HELP, NOW!'

Emily and Rita rush into Emily's house to call an ambulance, and Ken's eyes fill with tears. 'Mike,' he says, in an almost commanding fashion, as though begging him to stay awake, 'talk to me...'

Mike's eyes look like he's just been born, just arrived in the world and is staring at its beauty, what he can see before him... the deep, dark blues and greys in the sky, the crescent moon half-concealed by a chimney. 'It's beautiful, you know,' he whispers hoarsely, though he can't quite smile. 'It's so beautiful...'

The rain pounds down...

A cab pulls up in Coronation Street and Eileen steps out, paying the driver. 'Thanks love,' she says. The cab disappears off into the night and Eileen notices Ken cradling Mike in his arms.

'Ken?' she calls, heading over.

'Eileen, you need to get us help! Get Jason, or something, I can't move him on my own...'

'Why... what, what's happening?' she says, but she doesn't wait for the answer. She sprints to her house and opens the door, darting through, calling her son's name. 'Jason? JASON? Where are you?'

'Steady on!' says Sean, noting her panic. 'What's happened?'

'It's Mike... Ken... they're in the Street, Mike needs help, quickly... call an ambulance or something! Where's Jason?'

'I don't know, Eileen!' says Sean, picking up the phone and dialling 999. 'Yes, ambulance please... Coronation Street... come quickly! I don't know...' Sean covers the moutpiece and whispers, 'what's happened?'

'He's collapsed!' Eileen cries.

'He's collapsed,' repeats Sean. 'Mike... Mike Baldwin... just stop asking questions and hurry up will you?'

And with that Sean replaces the reciever looking worried, before focussing on Eileen. 'This is a really bad time I know, but...'

'We don't have time for that, Sean, Mike's out there and so's Ken - we've got the help them!'

'Eileen!' Sean cries, before looking her in the eye. 'Todd's back...'

Back in the street, people are gathering outside in the rain... Deirdre opens her door and steps into the street. 'Ken? KEN!' And she rushes forwards to the scene on the factory steps...

'Mike, Mike... it's Deirdre, do you remember Deirdre?'

Mike tries to look up but can't quite do it, so Deirdre comes forwards. 'Mike?' she cries, tears already in full flow.

'Alma?' he says, looking up.

'No, it's Deirdre, I'm Ken, remember...' Ken says, eyes twinkling.

Mike smiles, though only briefly. 'Course I do,' he says, his eyelids fluttering.

'When is someone going to help us?' Ken cries, but then he can hear the sirens... they're wailing, ringing through the air, cutting through the rain, overpowering the thunder...

In the Peacock house, Matt's roaring, 'PUSH! PUSH!'

And Claire's pushing, she's in tears, crying, the pain... it won't stop...

'ONE LAST PUSH, ONE LAST PUSH CLAIRE!'

With a loud scream, Claire pushes once more... and then there's noise... a baby's cries...

While out in the Street, Mike's fading.

'Hold on, Mike, hold on...!' Deirdre cries, reaching for Mike's hand and squeezing it tight...

The Rovers is opening now, people are coming outside...

Ken's clutching Mike with tears in his eyes. 'Hold on...'

But Mike can't do it... and with one last weak look to Deirdre, then to Ken, his eyes slowly close and he stops shivering... all movement gone now...

'Nnoo,' Deirdre sniffs, collapsing onto Mike's chest. Ken can't stop himself now, as he looks up into the night's sky, it's emptiness, tears pouring uncontrollably...

Matt cuts the umbilical cord with scissors and hands Claire her baby... 'It's a girl, Claire!' he cries. 'You've got a wonderful baby girl!'

And Claire's in tears now too, she's crying tears of joy, overcome by the coming of new life... she cradles her baby, and it's the most important thing in the world, the most precious thing...

While out in the Street, an ambulance stops at the scene, but it's far too late... and as the ambulance's blue light bursts onto every wall, every surface, every face who stands to watch, as the rain continues to beat down, everybody knows life will never be the same...


Now can I hear your comments?