by RJ Hunter
Sally's mouth dropped open as her eyes searched the man's face, not quite believing what she was seeing. She could remember calling out his name, and reaching out to touch him, before her legs betrayed her, and a sudden darkness overcame her senses, causing her to fall limply into the man's outstretched arms.
Sally came around a few minutes later, and found herself slumped in a comfortable armchair in a cluttered, dimly-lit office. It wasn't the sound of the huge, mounted wooden clock that woke her, but the sound of David's gentle voice.
"Sally, wake up, it's alright, you're safe, please open your eyes."
"David, is it really you, I'm not going mad am I?" Asked Sally in desperation, as she tried to get to her feet.
"Hey, steady on now. Have a few deep breaths first, and a good swig of this." Replied David, placing a glass of brandy in her hand. "We don't want you falling over again."
Sally sipped the brandy, and not liking the taste immediately passed the glass back to her brother-in-law.
"Thank-you. I think I'm alright now. I feel so foolish, I've never fainted before."
"I'm just glad I was there to catch you in time. I'm not quite as fast as I used to be!" He smiled warmly, and reaching for another chair, pulled it up and sat down beside her. "Sally, what were you doing? You looked as if you'd seen a ghost."
"I was just having a look around. I'm here for an interview tomorrow - it's for a place at the college. Then I saw you, and thought it was William."
"That's what I thought. I'm sorry if I gave you a shock." He then looked into her face intensely and added; "You're still in so much pain, Sally. It hurts me to see it in your eyes."
"You seem to able to read me like a book, David, but yes, you're right - it hurts like nothing on earth. I've been kidding myself that I'm over William's death. I even came back to Falcondale thinking things would be different, that everything would be alright."
"You thought you would see him again, didn't you, Sally?"
"Yes, I suppose I did."
"Perhaps, we both did." He replied, his voice full of feeling.
"Please forgive me, David. Sometimes I forget that other people suffer too. Grief can be such a selfish emotion."
"We've both come back, Sally, back to the past, looking to change what's impossible to change. It's all part of the grieving process."
"I'm glad I'm not alone, thinking that. I'm glad you can share it with me, David."
"It's wonderful to see you again, Sally." He replied, changing the subject.
"It's nice to see you too. It's been such a long time. You look well, and I know you've been through a lot yourself, but I thought you were living back in Canada?"
"Yes, I did go home for a while, after William's funeral, but something was missing. You see, much of what I've been through has been self-imposed." He said, glancing down to his artificial leg. "I've learnt a lot about myself these past years. But there has to come a time when the madness and suffering stops. I've rid myself of the devils that tormented me for so long. I've come home now, Sally. I've had enough." He then reached across and affectionately placed his hand on hers.
"I'm so pleased you've decided to come back and live in Falcondale, David. But what are your plans, will you work?"
"Yes, I will, in fact I'm going to be the next Dean of Students, but I don't officially start until next term. I'm sort of learning the ropes from old Meredith at the moment. This will be my office."
"You wont be interviewing me will you, David?"
"No, I don't think so," he smiled. "But I'll have to discipline you when you get drunk and misbehave!"
"I feel as if |I'm drunk now," she replied, rising to her feet.
"Please, Sally - you must come back and stay at the house tonight, we have so much to talk about."
"I would love to David, but Laura and Penny are with me, we're staying at the Black Lion. It's all been arranged."
"Well, I'll come by and have dinner with you if that would be okay?"
"Yes, that will be fine," replied Sally. Her expression then became one of sadness as she added; "I looked for you at the funeral, David?"
He looked uncomfortable.
"I was there Sally, I really was."
"Yes, I know you were there, David, your mother told me."
"I can explain..."
She put her finger up to his lips, "There's no need to explain, I understand." She then got up to leave. "I'll see you later tonight."
Jonathan delved deeply into his rucksack and began to pull out the contents, which he then placed on the bed. Other visitors, bored with small talk had long since turned their attentions to the scruffily-dressed, long-haired young man as he went about his ritual.
"It's here Tina, I know it is, I'm sure I put it in." He said, producing a tatty tobacco roll-up tin, and placing it with the rest of the items.
There was no reply from Tina. She was conscious and had now come off the danger list, but she was still very weak. She had been transferred from intensive care to the ward only the day before, and considering the amount of blood she had lost, looked surprisingly well. However, there were still grave concerns about whether she would regain full use of her hand, which remained heavily bandaged.
"Well, at least I've found the Walkman, and here's a copy of Time Out to read." He muttered, still engrossed in his search. "Damn! It's such a pity, I know you would have loved Led Zeppelin."
Tina continued to lay in silence as her visitor then began to return his assortment of dog-eared books, study notes and music cassettes back into the bag. When he had finished, he brushed small particles of tobacco, and what looked like biscuit crumbs from the clean counterpane, and sat back in his chair, not quite knowing what to say.
Since realising her suicide attempt had failed, Tina had descended into a dark spiral of gloom. She felt cheated and humiliated, but above all, she felt fear, fear from the knowledge that the threat from her father, was still very real. She doubted if anyone would take her views seriously, especially with her past history. She had tried to remember exactly what she had told Laura, but most of that evening was now just a blur. As Jonathan tried to make conversation, Tina wondered if he knew the full extent of the truth.
"Tina, can you hear me?" Whispered Jonathan, as he rose to put on his jacket. "I'll let you rest now, but I'll come back and see you tomorrow. Would you like me to switch the Walkman on?" Getting no reply, he gathered up his rucksack and turned to leave, just as a nurse came over to the bed.
"Tina, your mum and little brother are here to see you. I'll send them over."
Jonathan saw a look of deep anguish appear on Tina's already pained face. As he was about to go, he heard her say something. Her voice was so weak, that he couldn't quite make out what she was saying, and had to crouch down and put his head close to hers.
"You will come back tomorrow, wont you, Jonathan?" Tina asked, in a hushed tone.
"Yes, of course I will." He smiled, "I promise."
Tina's bed wasn't far from the nurse's office, and while Jonathan was walking the short distance to the exit, he saw who he thought was her mother speaking to the sister in charge.
The facial similarity was striking, it was just like seeing an older version of Tina. However, there was one exception, Pauline was a lot curvier than her daughter. He also noticed a chubby, surly-looking boy aged about ten. The lad was obviously bored with being in the hospital and was fiddling with a cardiac arrest machine situated nearby.
Seeing Tina's mother and the boy though, were of little importance to Jonathan. He was more interested in the third member of the party. Standing just outside the office and within earshot of the conversation, stood a tall, powerful man, who looked as if he could handle himself in any situation that might arise. The man didn't notice Jonathan's hate-filled eyes boring into him, as the young student passed him and went out into the corridor.
As the ward sister explained Tina's condition to her mother, she couldn't help noticing the remnants of a black eye, and the yell
owing signs of bruising around the woman's face.
"Please don't expect too much, Mrs. Gant. Tina is very lucky to be alive. Even the young man who's been visiting can't get her to speak."
"I see, thank-you sister, you've been very helpful." Replied Pauline, her speech slightly slurred. "When do you think she'll be able to come home?"
The sister looked concerned and asked Pauline to sit down.
"It might not be quite as simple as that, Mrs. Gant. When Tina is well enough, she will have to undergo a psychiatric assessment. I understand she's had problems in the past?"
"She's been a voluntary patient in a mental hospital, if that's what you mean, but Tina's over all that now."
"Possibly not, Mrs. Gant. You must accept that it's very likely Tina will be detained, most probably in a secure unit where she wont be able to harm herself. Do you understand that?"
"Yes, I think so," replied, Pauline tearfully. "Now can I see my daughter please?"
Out in the corridor, Jonathan paced to and fro, allowing his anger and thirst for retribution to well up and poison his heart. Part of his mind was still thinking rational, but it was only a very small part, and now this too was becoming consumed by his all-conquering hatred. Jonathan was by no means a violent person, nor had he ever been, but the suffering and pain that Tina had endured throughout her short life at the hands of her monstrous father couldn't go unanswered. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he realised he'd never get another chance like this one. He thought about going back into the ward and shouting to everyone that a dangerous child abuser was in their midst. He wondered if Tina would be safe, with him so close to her. His rational side kept telling him that nothing would happen to her in a full hospital ward, and especially not at visiting time with so many potential witnesses. But how could he be sure?
Going up to the double doors, he peered through the glass and down into the ward, but could only see the ends of the beds on either side. He noticed the boy and the woman standing either side of Tina's bed, but where was her father? Jonathan closed his eyes tightly, and clenching his fists tried desperately to think what he should do. He would wait, yes, that was the answer. Wait until he came out, then get him outside somewhere, maybe the car park. Perhaps he ought to go and find some sort of weapon, after all the brute was quite a size.
As Jonathan opened his eyes, he gazed in terror as he saw the man who he mistakenly believed was Tina's father just a couple of feet away and heading straight for him. For a moment he was completely overawed by the towering figure in front of him, and instinctively took a step back. In retrospect, it was probably the best thing to do, for it gave Jonathan sufficient space to launch the hardest punch his skinny body could muster. The punch took the man totally by surprise, and caught him on the side of the head. He staggered under the impact, but to his credit, didn't go down as Jonathan hoped he would.
With arms flailing wildly, Jonathan moved in for another attack. He heard shouting and screaming going on around him, as both staff and visitors witnessed the ugly assault with horror.
"You scum, I'll kill you, if you ever touch Tina again!" Screamed Jonathan, surprised by not only his own bravery but also by the pure savagery of his actions. In his blind fury he didn't know how many of his punches were on target, but just kept hitting out with every ounce of strength he possessed.
In the end it wasn't the onlookers who stopped Jonathan, but a massive blow to the solar plexus, as his victim hit back with frightening power. The punch, an upper cut, lifted Jonathan several inches off the floor and sent him crashing into a pile of oxygen cylinders. Before he had even hit the ground, the man was towering over him, and with thick brogues was kicking Jonathan senseless.
Severely winded and unable to breath, Jonathan raised his arms in a vain attempt to protect himself from the vicious kicks that slammed into his body. He glanced up and tried to shout to his attacker that he'd had enough, but no words came from his mouth. To his right, he saw the gloating face of the boy leering down at him and egging the man on to further violence.
"Kill him, Mark - go on kick his head in!"
"Stop it, he's had enough!" Yelled Pauline, trying to pull Mark away. As she did so , the boy rushed in and kicked out at Jonathan himself, while the young student lay bruised and bleeding on the cold floor.
"It was him, he just attacked me for no reason." Exclaimed Mark, trying to regain his breath. "Reckons it was me who hurt Tina."
"He thought you were Frank, that's why he attacked you, Mark." Cried out Pauline, grabbing the driver's arm and leading him away from the scene.
Back in the car Jamie was quite excited about the incident. He was at an age where violence and aggression held great fascination for him. Mark, however seemed rather disturbed about what had happened, even though he had lost control himself, and had gone in far harder than was absolutely necessary. But he refused to be drawn further on the subject by Jamie, and was relieved when Pauline asked him to stop the car so that the boy could go into a takeaway and get a burger for his supper.
"That young lad was obviously the one the ward sister spoke of." Said Mark, finally breaking the silence. "So what new atrocity has Frank committed now?"
"It's best you don't know, Mark." Replied Pauline from the back seat. "Tina wouldn't speak to me, but when I spoke to her last, she said was going to the police about him. Perhaps it's something to do with that."
"That bastard, Frank needs shooting, and even that would be too good for him. How many more beatings can you take, and god knows what he's done to Tina?" Said Mark angrily, as he turned around to face her.
"Don't ask me to leave him, Mark. I can't, and I wont, so don't bring it up again."
"Listen to me, Pauline - Frank doesn't love you or Tina, and never will. It'll end up with one, or even both of you getting killed. You've got to get out while you can, while you're still young enough, while there's still hope."
"I'd certainly end up dead if I did that. You don't know what Frank is capable of."
"I think I do, Pauline. I know exactly what Frank's capable of. Please, leave him. Bring Tina and Jamie with you, it's not too late."
"He would kill us both."
"We would cross that bridge when we come to it." Replied Mark sombrely. "It's now or never, Pauline."
She leant forward and allowed her lips to meet his. It was a tender, meaningful kiss, shared by two people who had known and trusted each other for a good many years. It was as much a kiss of companionship and unity, than of lovers, but whether the watching Jamie would interpret it that way was another matter.
21. ST. MARY ABBOT'S
Percy, the storekeeper just stood there, arms and legs akimbo and looked amazed. He had told the porter several minutes earlier to lay the new lockers down flat when loading them into the trailer. The porter had even agreed with him and admitted himself that the grey metal boxes would fall over at the first pot hole or gust of wind encountered. There were about thirty new staff lockers to be delivered to the wards that day. They weren't particularly heavy, just awkward and difficult to manoeuvre. On any ordinary day, Nick would have had no problems loading them onto the trailer attached to the electric trolley. But today, Nick's mind certainly wasn't on his work.
It was therefore, no surprise to Percy that several lockers toppled over and crashed noisily to the ground the moment Nick moved off.
"Out on the beer with old Colombian Bob were you last night then, Nick?" Inquired the man somewhat sarcastically as he observed the chaotic scene.
Nick emerged from the cab, sighed and looked up to the heavens wearily.
"No, as a matter of fact, I wasn't, but perhaps I should have been - at least then I would have had a reason to call in sick, for all the good I seem to be doing today."
"Must be women on your mind then!" Laughed the storekeeper, trying to wind Nick up.
They younger man made no reply and instead began to re-arrange the load so that all the lockers would be lying flat, as was originally suggested
to him.
Feeling guilty, Percy decided to lend a hand, and together they went about clearing up the carnage.
Ready, once again, Nick climbed back inside the cab and was about to move off when his pager sounded. Going into the stores to answer it, he glanced at his watch - it was almost lunchtime and Reg, the Head Porter had told him earlier that he had to finish loading the lockers early.
The voice on the other end of the telephone informed him that the patient's meal trolleys were now ready at the main kitchens to go off to the wards. Nick sighed again and trudged off, leaving the lockers in the light drizzle until later that afternoon. He felt tired and wondered if Reg would have a go at him for not being quicker. He began to think of excuses before his mind started to wander again, until it settled on something a lot more pressing, his university finals.
Nick was due to sit the exams in less than a month, and he should really be back at college revising, not humping lockers around the hospital. Up until recently, his part-time job had fitted in perfectly with his studies. He had even been able to change some of his shifts to attend important seminars. But now it was different, he had underestimated the enormity of what he faced and now needed more time to prepare, valuable time that was slowly ebbing away.
It was simple, all he had to do was give in his notice with immediate effect, if Reg would agree to it. There was no other way. He couldn't allow all the hard work he'd done just to be thrown away.
As he headed towards the kitchens, he thought about the letter he'd received the day earlier from his estranged wife, Sandra. It was a letter that demanded a reply, and this was now preying on Nick's mind. He had grown quite indifferent to Sandra during the last few months and resented her arrogant attitude. He knew she had been seeing the loathsome Craig and that soon her hedonistic lifestyle would wreak its revenge, but as he was no longer living at the matrimonial home, he couldn't be affected by his wife's escapades. The letter had now changed all that. When Sandra wanted something, she usually got it, and her manipulation of his easy-going nature remained fresh in Nick's mind.