by L Chapman
I look over at Mark, noticing more cuts on his face. His shirt is covered in holes, and there is blood on his arms. What happened to him?
“Just shoot him!”
“Answer some questions for me first.” I pause.“Why is there glass and stuff on the floor?”
“It’s from the mirrors I smashed over Connor’s head.”
“Connor?” I question, not knowing the connection.
“Yes, Connor.”
“Mark’s Connor?”
“Yes!” she growls.
“Where is he?” I ask. What the hell? I don’t get this woman at all. Why has she got Connor? Has he got something to do with it?
“Shoot Mark now.”
“No!” I yell. “I’m not going to shoot him.”
“Fine,” she says really calmly, turning on her heel and walking over to Lucy.
“Leave her alone!” I shriek.
“No! Shoot him.”
I stand there shaking, slowly managing to raise the gun. If I pretend to pull the trigger, she might leave Lucy alone. Or should I shoot her? I need her away from Lucy first. My hands are too shaky. I don’t want to shoot either of the people I love.
“Just … do … it,” Mark stutters.
I watch Karen bend down, grabbing hold of Lucy by her arm and pulling her from the box. My heart breaks. My baby girl looks so lifeless.
“Get off her!” I yell.
She pulls another gun from her pocket, pointing it at Lucy’s head. “Do it.”
I take a deep breath and pull the trigger.
BANG!
Chapter Twenty-Seven
As if everything is moving in slow motion, I watch Mark’s chair fall over to the side. I can’t believe I just did that. I love him.
“Now give me Lucy!” I shout, releasing my hold on the gun and placing it on the floor. I run over to Lucy, placing my arm around her and pulling her from that cow.
“Police! Place your hands where I can see them!” I hear a man yell as he runs into the room.
I collapse to the floor, pulling Lucy close to my chest. “I love you, Lucy. Auntie Jenny will look after you. Mummy is going away for a little while, but I will be back.” Tears roll down my face. I push the gun away from me and pull Lucy closer to my lips. Tilting my head down, I place a little kiss on her head. I look up to see Karen with three police officers, screaming and fighting to get away from them.
“No, sir. You can’t go in there!” I hear another man yell as Luke runs into the room straight to me, wrapping his arms around me.
“You’re a very brave lady, Megan,” he says, rubbing my back as tears run down my face.
“I killed him,” I whisper.
“Don’t worry about that, babe. Everything will be fine.”
“Lucy needs help. Karen gave her something, and she’s not acting right,” I state, inhaling a large breath.
“Medic, over here, please!” Luke yells over my shoulder. “One is on her way now.”
“Hi, Miss. What’s happened here?” the young lady with red hair neatly tied up into a bun asks.
“Karen,” I pause, pointing towards her, “drugged my baby.”
“May I have a look?” she asks.
I nod, passing her Lucy.
“Miss, what is her name?” she enquires.
“Lucy,” I state, forcing back more tears. I need to be strong for Lucy.
“Miss, I’m going to have to take her to the hospital. I need to get her to a doctor as soon as possible,” she informs me as she waves over a police officer.
“Luke, I have lost everything,” I say, lowering my head and covering my eyes.
“Sir, this young lady can go to the hospital with her daughter. We can get a statement there.” I hear him say.
“What?” I exclaim. “I thought you would arrest me.”
“Go and be with your daughter,” he says.
“Come on, Megan,” Luke says, slowly helping me up from the floor. I glance over towards Mark, seeing loads of people around him, but I can’t directly see him.
“Connor!” I yell.“She said she had him. He is hurt.”
“Okay, we will find him,” the police officer says.
I follow the medic holding Lucy down the stairs and onto the street. Luke remains behind me with his hand softly placed on my back, rubbing it and trying to keep me calm. I keep sniffing back tears.
“Please get into the ambulance. We will be leaving immediately,” the medic says.
I turn around, looking at Luke. “Will you stay with me?” I ask.
“I’m not leaving,babe.”
Luke helps me into the ambulance, letting me use his hand to get up. I’m so lucky he is here with me. I don’t think I could manage otherwise. I sit there, looking at Lucy. When did they place a breathing tube down her throat? I don’t even remember anyone saying anything about it. I knew she wasn’t right. I watch as the medic monitors the machines while rubbing her chest.
“Lucy, you can make it. Mummy loves you.”
“We are here,” the ambulance driver says as he jumps out of the cab. I never even realised we had started to move. I’m totally in my own world. The house couldn’t have been far from the hospital then. But still, I seem to be losing time. I sit there as they take Lucy out of the ambulance, listening to them walk away as they say a load of things I can’t make sense of.
Luke is great; he has been answering questions about Lucy for me. I can’t talk. I’m in a complete daze.
“Come on. Let’s go find Lucy,” Luke says, standing with his hand waiting for me.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I don’t know what has happened in the past few minutes. The last thing I remember is watching them take away my daughter. I am now sitting on the side of a hospital bed with a man and woman around me. There is no sign of Luke. I look around the room, but the curtain is closed around me.
“Miss Madden?” the lady says, bending down in front of me.
I shake my head. “Yes,” I say, but I don’t hear anything. I don’t hear my voice.
“Miss, can you talk to me?” she asks.
“Yes, I can,” I say, but I still don’t hear myself.
“Riley, can you go and get Dr. Black for me?” the lady asks.
What is going on? Not even a minute later, Riley reappears with a tall, dark-coloured man.
“Dr. Black, Miss Madden isn’t talking. Even though she is trying, nothing is coming out,” she informs him.
“Hi, Miss Madden. I’m Dr. Black, but call me Karl. I’m the head doctor on shift today. As my junior doctor said, we think you are in shock from the trauma of today’s events. There isn’t anything we can do to help your voice return. It should come back in time.” He pauses. “If there is anything you need, please let one of my team or me know.”
“How is Lucy?” I ask, rocking my arm back and forth.
Karl looks at Riley. “Keep an eye on her. Take observations every half hour. I will be back to check on her later. I will let you and Kathryn sort out her back and arm. Give me a shout if you need anything.”
I feel so trapped. I can't get their attention. Why can't I speak? Seriously, is this from the trauma? I have a statement to make. I need to know that my daughter is okay. I need someone to help me.
"Hey, babe," Luke says as he walks around the curtain. I can't help but smile. Finally, someone I know.
"Sir, Miss Madden can't talk. Her body has reacted to the trauma by affecting her voice. It might be a short-term thing, but we don't know as of yet," Karl informs Luke.
"She doesn't like being called Miss Madden. It’s Megan," he adds, slowly taking a seat beside me. "Trust me. I learned that a long time ago. Now, who is going to keep me under control with all these hot nurses running around?"
"First time I have been called ‘hot’ at work," Riley says, winking at him.
"Oh, man. I don't swing that way," Luke says, letting out a nervous laugh.
“How is Lucy?” I ask, rocking my arm back and forth again. Luke looks straig
ht at my lips, trying to read them.
“Oh, Lucy?” Luke pauses. “She is being looked after. She is still asleep, babe. They are doing all they can.”
Tears start rolling down my cheeks. I want to be with her. I need to see her. I promised her I wouldn’t leave her alone. I can’t break my promise.
“Megan, I’m just going to check your back and shoulder.”
I just sit there, not moving. What’s the point? No one is paying any attention to me. Luke keeps talking to me, trying to keep me calm. I don’t care about my back or my shoulder. Yes, they hurt like hell, but I need to see Lucy while I can. Has everyone forgotten I’m a murderer?
“Megan, this will hurt. I’m going to take the shards of glass out of your back,” Kathryn says, pulling them out slowly one by one.
“So, how long will this no voice thing last?” Luke questions.
“Well, it’s different with each person, as it’s a psychological issue. It depends on Megan.”
“Okay, then,” Luke says, giving me a funny look. “Oh, Jenny is on her way.”
“What?” I yell, or at least, I think I yell.
“I can’t understand you, babe. How about typing your response?” He passes me his mobile.
Using the keyboard, I type what I have been trying to tell him.
WHAT?
“I rang her. I thought you would need the support.”
I type another response.
I need to see Lucy.
“Okay, hold on.” He looks over to Kathryn. “Can Megan go and see her daughter?”
“Yes, that’s not a problem. I will get the porter to go to Lucy’s side room to get Megan when he is ready to take her for her shoulder x-ray,” Kathryn states.
“Perfect,” Luke says.
I can’t help but smile at him. Finally, I’m getting somewhere.
“I’ll get a chair,” Riley says.
A chair? I type.
“Why does she need a chair?” Luke asks.
“Just to be on the safe side, sir. We don’t want her hurting herself any further,” Kathryn replies.
As Riley walks back into the little area, I stand up, getting myself straight into the chair. Come on. I want to see my baby girl.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Hey, this is Megan, Lucy’s mum,” Riley says as we walk into a large room through two revolving doors.
With Luke pushing me forward, we make our way towards Lucy, seeing all the empty space around her. In the middle of the room sits a hospital bed that is no different than any other one. I see Lucy, lying there on the bed. The tube is still in her mouth and attached to a machine. Luke pushes me further into the room, alongside the bed. She is so still, lifeless. My eyes start to well up and tears roll down my face. Why Lucy? I failed my baby girl. It’s a mum’s job to protect her child. I failed her.
“Hi, I’m Elizabeth, the doctor looking after Lucy today. She is on a machine that aids her breathing while we try to sort out everything. We need to find out what she has been given.”
I nod. I want to know, too. I sit there, holding my daughter’s freezing cold hand, slightly listening to Luke while he tries to find out all he can.
“John,” I mouth incoherently, patting Luke. “John.”
“What babe?” he asks. “Say it again, so I can read your lips.”
“John.”
“What about John?”
“Text him,” I continue to mouth.
“Babe, I don’t get it.” He pauses. “Elizabeth, do you have some paper we could have?”
“Of course,” she says, bringing over some paper for me to use.
Text John.
“Oh, why?” Luke questions.
He might know what she has had.
“Okay, will you be all right while I go and message him? I can’t use my mobile in here with the machines,” he states.
I shake my head yes and then turn back around to my baby. My baby girl. My world. I can’t do anything for her but be here, holding her hand and watching her. I’m never letting her out of my sight again. I watch her chest rise and fall, hoping she will be breathing on her own again soon. Elizabeth explained that until whatever is in her system is dealt with appropriately, it will be too dangerous to see if she can breathe by herself.
“John knows,” Luke announces as he walks back into the room.
“What?” Elizabeth exclaims.
“She was given sleeping tablets and cocaine,” Luke adds.
“What?! Did he not think to let us know earlier?” Elizabeth asks, running over to the telephone attached to the wall on the far side of the room.
“Megan, he has owned up to everything, and he knows what Karen did. He is with the police at the moment. He doesn’t have an issue with you being with Mark. Karen had his mobile, and she was using what she could find out against him,” Luke states. “She was the one that kidnapped Lucy.” What? What is going on? I can’t deal with all of this. What is going to happen to my daughter? She has had Class A drugs, which can cause trouble later in life. Oh, no. I need Jenny. I need her here.
Elizabeth hurriedly walks back over to me. “Right, we are going to continue the current treatment with Lucy for now. We are just waiting on the rest of the toxicology screen to come back. Then, we can go from there.”
I nod, keeping my watch on Lucy just lying there, so young. This isn’t far.
“Megan.” I turn around to see Riley. “Sorry, I need to take you for an x-ray.”
Tears flow down my face as I grab the paper.
I don’t want to go. I can’t leave Lucy.
“Megan, you need to. I’m sure Luke will stay with her.”
I look at Luke.
“I will stay. I’m not going anywhere,” Luke says, placing a little kiss on my head.
I lean forward, placing a kiss on Lucy’s petite hand before I’m wheeled away. As Riley pushes my wheelchair, I turn around and watch Lucy get further away from me.
Chapter Thirty
I face forward, looking past Riley. I don't want to leave my baby. I need to know she is going to be all right. I feel like such a bad mum.
"She is in safe hands, Megan," Riley says, rubbing my shoulder. He was definitely made for a job like this because he is very compassionate.
I give him a little smile. I know she is in good hands, but I should be with her. I lower my head to my knees. I don’t want to see anyone. I should be locked up.
“Megan!” I hear a female’s voice yell, and I’m sure I recognize it. “Megan!” The sound is getting closer, but I don’t look up. I don’t want to see her.
“Megan, there is a lady running after us. She wants you,” Riley points out.
“Megan,” she says, placing her hand on my shoulder.
I can’t help but jump. That really hurts. I look up to see her. Mascara streaks line her face, and I can see the pain in her eyes and how angry she is.
“I did it. I killed Mark,” I say.
“What?!” Mia exclaims.
“I. Killed. Mark.”
“He’s in surgery; he’s not dead,” Mia replies.
“What do you mean?” I cry out, turning around to gauge Riley’s reaction to the news.
“Megan, I don’t know anything about Mark,” he states.
“I need to know Riley,” I force out.
“I’ll find out all I can once you have had the x-ray. Nice to finally hear your voice.”
Oh, I didn’t notice my voice had returned to normal. How did I not notice? Nothing makes sense today. My head hurts. Everything hurts. I just want answers. I need answers.
“Miss, I need to take Megan for an x-ray. Please, can you go with Olivia?” he asks, pointing at another nurse that I had seen floating around. “She will take you to the waiting room.”
Riley pushes me into another room and right up to the wooden reception desk. “Miss Madden for her x-ray.”
“Room Three, please.”
“Here you go, Megan. You’re back with Lucy. I stuck to my prom
ise. You will need to be careful now. Your shoulder’s been reset,” Riley says, placing me beside Lucy’s bed.
“Thank you.”
“Wow, when you left, you couldn’t speak. Now, you do?” Luke interjects.
“Yeah, I saw Mia. Mark isn’t dead. He’s in surgery.”
“That’s great,” Luke says as a grin spreads across his face.
“I’m not sure yet. How is Lucy?” I ask Elizabeth.
“No change I’m afraid.”
“Are the results back?” I enquire.
“Yes, I’m just waiting on the medication from the pharmacy.” Elizabeth smiles, looking straight back down to her notes.
“Thank you, Elizabeth.” I pause and turn towards Luke. “Luke, thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“Hey, babe. I’m here anytime you need me.”
I smile, turning my head back around to Lucy. Getting my baby girl better is my only priority right now.
“Babe.”
“Yeah, Luke.” I turn my head slightly to see him sitting in a chair behind me.
“Will you be okay if I just pop out for some air?”
“Yes, of course, don’t be silly.” I pause. “I need Lucy’s stuff from yours.”
“I’ll get Jake to call and get it,” he says, smiling at me.
Who is Jake? I have never met him before or even heard his name. I sit there, thinking. Did Luke ever work with a Jake?
Chapter Thirty-One
“Are you Miss Madden?” I hear a male voice ask. I turn myself around to see a tall, slim man with blonde hair dressed in a police uniform.
I feel my heart begin to sink. Oh, no. I forgot that they would be coming.
I take a deep breath. “I am.”
“Ma’am, we need to talk to you in regards to today’s incident.” He pauses. “Can you come with me to the office?”
“I can’t leave my daughter for too long,” I state.
“We won’t be too long, ma’am,” he says, taking hold of the wheelchair handles.