1.7 - The Long Goodbye

A new day on Coronation Street, but there is a tinge of sadness that can be felt from all around. A deadness in the air. Something different, something strange. All across the street, residents are getting ready, making preparations. They are going to a funeral.

At the Baldwin house, Danny is long dressed. He's reading through the speech he prepared, scruffily written, blotted with tears. His hands shaking slightly in his attempts to stay strong, reading frantically. Frankie has prepared cups of tea, and passes Danny one. 'That your speech, Dan?'

'Yeah,' he says, taking the tea. 'It's nothing, you know... just a few words. Where's Jamie?'

Frankie's concern at Danny's state is undeniable. She's scrutinises him for a moment, then responds. 'He's upstairs. Getting ready. He's still upset.'

'When do we have to, you know, leave?'

'Any minute,' replies Frankie, checking her watch. 'In fact I think we ought to get out now, come on, Dan.'

Danny pockets the speech and follows her out into the hall. 'JAMIE,' calls Frankie. 'We're leaving, are you ready?'

There is no response, so Frankie tries again, 'Jamie!'

Then he appears at the top of the stairs and Frankie smiles up. 'You all right?'

Danny can't look at him.

'Yeah, I'm fine,' says Jamie hoarsely. The three of them stand at the door, and Frankie opens it. They step out into the wet and the miserable, and Frankie extends a black umbrella. The street is already full of people. The factory girls stand, umbrellas in the air, by the factory. Talking in hushed voices, yet not as alive as usual.

To the left of Frankie, Jason and Danny, Eileen and Jason stand, and Jason is so consumed with anger and upset over what he heard the previous day, that he can't bare to face the direction of the Rovers, where he knows he will see Violet standing. Todd didn't come home that night. Further on, and the Webster's stand in the rain, umbrellas in hands also. Rosie looks stroppy, Sophie looks bored, and Sally and Kevin are simply expressionless. 'Mum,' says Rosie, 'can I go and see Craig?'

'No!' hisses Sally. 'This is a funeral!'

Rosie scowls. To the right of Danny, Frankie and Jamie, stand Jack and Vera, outside their house, and Vera is slightly upset. Jack has his arm around her. Emily, Rita and Norris are next, and furthest, by the Rovers, stand Ken, Deirdre, Tracy, Blanche, Shelly, and Violet. The Battersby's weren't invited.

The atmosphere is eerie, and the silence overpowering. The only real noise is the wind, the pattering of rain. Then, the sound of a car is heard. The factory girls' whispers are reduced to silence. From the top of the street, a hearse and a black car begin to move slowly up the street, leaving a trail of bowed heads behind them. Flowers, forming the word 'MIKE', sit on the coffin. At the top of the Street, Deirdre is in tears. Jamie is staring at the ground, his eyes glazed. Danny's eyes are watering.

The hearse stops at the end of the street, and Danny, Frankie and Jamie get into the car that's behind it. Jamie refuses to look at Danny still, though his anger is rising. There's so many things he wants to say, but he knows he will only cause trouble if he does...

As the car disappears, the street residents prepare to leave themselves. Some make for their own cars, others head back into their houses to pick up a few things, get changed.

At the McDonald house, emotions are fraught. Steve wakes and notices Ronnie isn't by his side. He clambers out of bed, dresses and makes for the kitchen. Ronnie is sitting on the sofa, with a cup of hot tea.

'Morning,' says Steve.

'You're cutting it fine, aren't you?' she replies, and her voice is cold. She still can't treat Steve the same way now his ex wife and baby are on the scene.

'Fine for what?'

'Mike Baldwin's funeral. You were invited, remember?' The realisation hits Steve, and Ronnie's furious. 'Oh, no. You didn't Steve, did you? You were too preoccupied with you ex WIFE and your SON.'

'Flippin' hell Ronnie, I wasn't expecting Karen to arrive out of nowhere, especially with a baby!' Steve shouts back.

'WELL NOW SHE IS, so there's no room for me anymore, is there?'

'Of course there is!'

'No, Steve. Things can't go on now.'

'What do you mean, things can't go on?' Steve replies, crestfallen.

'I mean,' says Ronnie, 'that I'm leaving. It's over. It's what's best...'

'Can we talk about this?' Steve replies frantically. 'You can't just up sticks and leave, Ronnie!'

'Watch me,' she replies, her tone harsh, though inside she's hurting. 'There's no place for me here now, you have your baby to think about!'

'I've managed with you and Tracy, haven't I?'

'I see, so you're happy to have three women in your life that are reliant on you? What next Steve - you going to impregnate Kelly Crabtree? Audrey Roberts? Deirdre Barlow? Hell, why don't you work your way around, knock up the whole street!'

'That's not fair!'

'I'm through will watching you raise other people's kids, Steve!'

And not another word is said, as Ronnie slams the bedroom door.

The hearse, and the car containing Danny, Frankie and Jamie, pulls up outside the church. Danny removes his speech from his pocket and reads it through, catching Jamie's eye.

'Come on, let's get out,' says Frankie gently, and they open the doors. Jamie gets out on the left, Danny on the right with Frankie. Into the rain.

'What's that then?' Jamie says loudly, unable to hold it in any longer.

'What's what?' Danny asks, his voice quiet, timid.

'That,' Jamie spits, pointing at the speech.

'It's my speech...'

'Your speech? Is that what it is? What does it say then? My dad, Mike Baldwin, was a fool. When he was ill and impressionable I conned him so that I would get all of his money? Is that what it says?'

'Jamie...' Frankie starts.

'Let's see it then?' says Jamie, snatching at the paper. More cars are arriving now.

'No, Jamie!' Frankie pleads.

'COME ON!' Jamie roars, and his rips the pages from Danny's grasp. The two scraps of paper flutter in the wind and descend to the ground... they land in shallow puddles and swill around, the ink running.

'Jamie!' Frankie repeats in anguish.

Danny can't say anything. His speech is ruined, and Jamie was right. He did con his dad when he was weak and easy to use. He can't quite bear the thought.

Back at Steve's flat, Ronnie has finished packing her things.

'What are you doing in there?' Steve calls.

'Steve, just GO!' she cries. 'Go to the funeral! JUST GO!'

'Ronnie...'

'GO STEVE. It's going to take me ages to pack, why don't you just GO? We'll talk when you get back, if that's really what you want...'

'I'm not dressed for a -'

'You look fine, Steve,' she snaps. 'Just go, now!'

Resigned, Steve picks up his keys and leaves his flat, and Ronnie is slightly overcome for a moment before hauling her suitcase into the corridor. Then, she picks up a paper bag from inside a drawer, and from it pulls out a pregnancy test.

At the church, the congregation are seated. The coffin is at the front oft the church, the vicar has stood. The service is beginning. The organ music stops playing, and a dead silence overpowers the great church. Then the vicar speaks. 'We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Michael Vernon Baldwin, to say goodbye, and to commit him to the hands of the lord. For comfort and hope, let us turn our thoughts to the love of God. In the midst of such sorrow may we turn to his words for strength.'

At the very back of the church, in the porch, stands Karen McDonald, baby in hand, behind the double doors to the main church. She's too afraid to sit down as only Janice knows she is back, and she promised not to spoil the surprise. She had stayed with Janice that night. She would leave it until after the funeral to make her entrance. Behind her, the door opens. She turns around and sees Steve slipping in.

'We can't go in now,' says Karen.

Steve looks annoyed. This was the last place he wanted to be. 'How convenient this is.'

'I need the toilet,' announces Karen. 'Hold Oscar.'

She passes the child to Steve and makes for the toilet, smiling to herself. Steve looks at the child. It's his baby. He can't help but smile, despite knowing how Ronnie's feelings are.

In the church, Jason sits next to a blubbering Sean and scowls. He's too preoccupied with his own problems to care about some wrinkly old man that's died. He barely knew Mike, why did he have to be here? Why couldn't he be in the Rovers, demanding Violet told him what she was doing with his gay brother. He was going to tell Violet, make sure she knew everything, and that would soon put her off Todd.

Danny takes the stand, clearing his throat. Jamie's still angry, but tries to put it behind him - for Mike's sake. 'Erm. I did have a speech but it wasn't much use to me... I -'

He stops for a moment, growing overcome, but steadies himself. 'I only found out Mike was my Dad a year back. He was always... just, Mike... you know. I remember the day he told me I was his son. I was shocked, obviously, I couldn't believe it, but most of all, I was proud. Sounds stupid but I was. I didn't show it, mind, things like that you keep to yourself, but I was proud of it.'

In the congregation, some look moved - Frankie, Deirdre, Rita, Emily to name a few - but others look cynical - Jamie, Adam and others.

'One of the first things Mike did was involve me in the factory. It was his pride, his joy. He died on the factory steps. It was the place he loved. It's survived demolition, fire, you name it, Underworld's survived it. And for me to be even a slight part of that, it makes me feel... pride, pride again.'

'I know all you factory girls,' he continues strongly, waving his arm across the congregation to the direction of the girls, 'you all loved Mike. Even when you moaned about how "Mr Baldwin's sacked me", "Mr Baldwin's making us work overtime", you still put that aside at the end of every day... and you were what kept Underworld going.'

Jamie looks as though he has had enough, and stands. 'I'd like to say something.'

All eyes are on Jamie now.

Danny speaks. 'Come up here, Jamie...'

Jamie strides to Danny's side and swivels the microphone in his direction. 'So I'm sure as you all know, granddad's death affected everyone, especially his family. And what it's taught me is that you don't need money to be happy... granddad told me that only last week, when I was at his side. He couldn't refer to me by name but what he was saying made perfect sense. He said, "the best things in life are free... don't you forget that". And it's true, because I would give anything for Mike to still be here, and I know Danny would too...'

Danny smiles, and Jamie puts his arm around him.

'Which is why we are going to donate the contents of Mike's will to the Alzheimer's Society trust.'

The congregation gasps and an instant mixed reaction hits the crowds. Everybody claps, and Jamie takes a look at Danny's face - he's startled. Jamie's less strong now, less calculating. 'Mike was everything... he was a boss, a dad, a granddad... and his death affects nearly everyone in this room in different ways. He would have wanted his money to go to such a great cause...'

Danny is totally stunned and angry. He didn't want to give the contents of Mike's will to a charity, but now Jamie had promised it, he would surely have to...

Karen returns from the toilet, and finds Steve bonding with his son.

'I leave you alone with our son for two minutes and already you're in love with him.'

Steve immediately hands the child back and faces away.

'Steve, why so sad? You should be delighted, you've got your second son with the woman you always wanted one with. After Leo... this is a miracle. Can't you see, it's fate, Steve, it was meant to bring us back together!'

At the McDonald's house, Ronnie sits on the toilet, pregnancy test in hand, praying the result she wants appears. Then it flashes, and with it, Ronnie's heart beats faster.

PREGNANT.

Appalled, she flushes the toilet, clutches the test and bursts into the hallway. She has to leave... she can't stay, not now. Picking up her case with the free hand, she makes for the door. But then she doubles back on herself, and places the pregnancy test on the counter. She will be going a long way away, and wouldn't see Steve again, but she wants him to know.

Taking one last look, she disappears, closing the door and heading out, down into the world.

In the Street, cars are returning from the church. Violet, observing from outside, rushes back in and informs Shelley. Then her phone rings. It's Todd. 'I'm going to come into the Rovers in a bit, is that okay?'

'Yeah,' says Violet enthusiastically, and Shelley smiles at her. 'Yeah, come along, it'll be busy, we've got a funeral crowd arriving.'

'I'm sure it'll be eventful.'

Violet laughs, as the first reams of people pour in. They're all whispering frantically about Danny's donation to charity. Blanche, Deirdre, Adam and Ken enter, and Blanche is talking like a foghorn, 'that Danny Baldwin's no doubt furious, well serves him right, only money on that man's mind...'

Steve arrives back in the Street and heads up to his flat. He's rehearsed what he's going to say to Ronnie, and knows just what to do to try and make things right. Key in door, he's in. 'Ronnie, I'm back... look, I -'

But there's silence, a dead silence, and instantly he fears the worst. 'Ronnie?' he calls, striding past the living room and checking the bathroom. Nothing. Bedroom. Nothing. He opens the wardrobe. Empty. The realisation is hitting him... She's gone. 'No!' he says aloud, and he can't believe it. He dashes into the kitchen, hoping to find a note or something, but instead notices a white stick. It looks suspiciously like a... he picks it up and turns it round so he can read it...

Eyes wide...

After a while, everyone's in the Rovers except the last to arrive, Eileen, Jason and Sean. 'You go on,' says Jason. 'I just need to nip home.'

Todd watches Eileen and Sean enter the Rovers. He watches Jason enter the Grimshaw house. He waits. Then he watches Jason open the front door of the house and head back to the Rovers. He waits for the door to swing shut. Jason's going for Violet. Todd's going for Jason.

And as he makes for the Rovers entrance, he knows things are really going to kick off...