"Here you go," Heather said as she handed Helen a glass of water. A week had passed and she was visiting Helen in hospital.
"Thanks," Helen said with a smile. "So, how was your weekend?".
Heather shrugged. "Oh, it was alright, I saw Nicole again on Sunday... talking of Nicole, I got a letter about the court case today,".
"Oh," Helen replied. "I think Ben's being unfair, he should let you see her much more than just once a week,".
Heather nodded. "Yeah... I'm her mother, she needs me. Ben's always busy with the band, he can hardly cope with her alone,".
"Have you got a lawyer for the case yet?" Helen asked.
"Nope," Heather shook her head.
They were interrupted by the door swinging open. "Hello!".
"Sam!" Heather and Helen cried at the same time.
Sam smiled and rushed over to Helen. "I'm so glad you're OK," she said, putting a big bag on the bedside table. "I brought you some presents back from America,".
"I didn't know you were coming home," Heather told Sam.
"It was a spur of the moment decision," Sam said. "Now I'm divorcing Pete I don't need to be out there any more,".
"Didn't you go to college over there or something?" Helen asked.
"Yes," Sam nodded. "I went to law school, I graduated recently so I'm a qualified lawyer now,".
"Maybe you could be Heather's lawyer for the court case," Helen suggested.
Sam was confused. "What court case?".
"Me and Ben have split up so we're fighting for the custody of Nicole," Heather sighed.
"How awful!" Sam exclaimed. "Why are you breaking up?".
Helen looked away and Heather blushed. "Ummm... I was having an affair,".
"Oh," Sam said, embarrassed.
"With Paul," Heather added.
Sam was speechless. "Oh... and you two are still speaking,".
"Yes," Helen said. "I've forgiven Heather,".
Heather smiled. She may have lost her husband Ben, but she hadn't lost Helen, one of the best friends she could ever have.
Paul walked into the studio nervously, not knowing what to expect. He was about to see Ben for the first time since being caught with Heather.
Inside the studios, he saw the group's management team sitting down with serious faces. Mark and Christian were with them.
Paul took a seat and sat quietly. He wondered where Ben was, what if he didn't turn up.
"Daddy, I want a drink," Kris said; Paul had brought the twins along in their double buggy since he didn't have anyone to babysit them.
Paul found a carton of ribina and handed it to Kris. At that moment, Ben came in the room, holding Nicole in his arms.
"I wanna play with the twins," Nicole squealed, pulling on Ben's hair.
Ben put her down and let her rush over to the boys. Paul unstrapped them from the buggy and the kids began to play together in the corner of the studio.
Ben took a seat as far away from Paul as possible. "I've written a few songs since our last session," he announced.
"I've written four tracks," Paul announced.
Ben glared at Paul. "I bet they're a pile of...".
One of the managers jumped up and stopped him. "Look, I know what's been going on in your private lives," he said as Ben shut up. "So tell me this, is it going to affect the band?".
"I don't want us to break up over this," Paul announced.
Ben stood up and left the room in anger. He'd had enough of being in the same room as Paul.
Mark turned to Paul. "Don't be out of order to Ben," he warned. "You've given him a bad enough time as it is,".
"What's that supposed to mean?" Paul snapped.
"Hey, don't start on Paul!" Christian cried. "Ben was the one who started it!".
Nicole was building a tower of lego but Jamie knocked it over. "Let me help you build it up," Paul offered as he crouched down and handed bricks to Nicole.
Ben came back into the room to see Paul interacting with Nicole. He was not pleased.
"Stay away from my daughter!" Ben yelled.
Paul stood up and walked over to Ben. "I wasn't doing any harm!".
Ben grabbed Paul's shirt and swung a punch. Paul hit back and they were soon having a full scale fist fight.
Naomi and Sarah entered the room and stared in horror. "Come on kids, come with us," Naomi said as she took Nicole's hand and took her out of the room, while Sarah led the twins out.
"Stop!" yelled one of the managers.
Paul and Ben stopped fighting and looked at him.
"Is there a future for the band?" the manager questioned. "Or are you going to let this split the group up for good.
"I don't want that to happen," Paul said, looking Ben in the eye. "I'm sorry, can we put it all behind us?".
Ben sighed and wiped his bloody nose. "I don't want the band to break up either...". He looked away. "Come on, let's get down to some recording,".
A couple of days later, Ben lay in bed all alone. It was early morning and he couldn't get back to sleep.
On the bedside table was a framed photo of him and Heather on their wedding day, with Helen and Paul in the background.
"How could you, Heather?" he whispered, a tear slipping from his eyes.
But then he remembered the night he's been unfaithful to her. He wasn't perfect either. That was one thing he felt guilty about.
Ben couldn't stand moping around in bed any longer. He got up and went downstairs.
The morning post had arrived so Ben took his pile of mail and went into the kitchen. He switched on the kettle and sat at the kitchen table.
One of the letters was in an official looking envelope. He opened it with curiosity, wondering what it was.
His face fell as he read it. The letter was from the court, giving details of the custody case. It gave the date and information on Heather's legal team.
He threw the letter across the room and banged his fist on the table. Just a few months ago, things were perfect, he had a wife he loved very much and a wonderful daughter. He'd been so happy.
"Now look at my life," he said to himself sadly. "I've lost it all,".
.