I laughed at her detailed analogy and nodded my head, agreeing with her suggestion of talking to him. It needed doing soon, and seeing as I was missing him so much, there really was no time like the present.
“You’re right,” I agreed, just as a call came through from an unknown number. “Sash!” I panicked, struggling to see straight. “Someone’s calling me.”
I quickly showed her the screen and began mindlessly shaking; sure it had something to do with my mystery stalker.
“It’s okay babe, just answer it. It’s probably one of those annoying PPI things,” she soothed, calming my nerves. “If you don’t answer it, you’ll get yourself worked up all night,” she added, knowing how I was likely to overreact.
I knew what she was saying made perfect sense, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it and instead, offered her the device.
“Can you answer it for me?” I begged, terrified to do so myself.
She kindly nodded her head and grabbed my phone, accepting the call before it went to voicemail.
“Hello, Maya’s phone.”
Her face contorted ever so slightly and just as I was about to ask her who it was, she knowingly smiled and perked up a little.
“Oh, hi Michael, yeah it’s Sasha.”
Luke’s Dad.
“Maya was just on the loo. She’s back now, I’ll pop her on,” she smiled, handing me the phone.
My gut feeling wasn’t reassuring in the slightest. Thoughts of something terrible having happened flashed before my eyes, and I found myself unprepared for whatever Michael had to say.
“Hello?”
His heavy breathing down the line sent me into a further state of panic; his obvious struggle worrying me.
“Maya, sweetheart,” he urgency whispered.
“What is it? What’s happened?”
I felt sick. Sasha instantly stopped sipping her coffee and looked at me with despair written across her face. Michael didn’t speak again straight away, and just as I was about to ask him if he was still there, he responded.
“It’s our Luke,” he spoke. “He’s been arrested.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Behind Bars
Having decided it would be more time effective to jump on the next train to London, Luke’s sister, Ali arrived four hours later with her Dad, greeted by a frantic Sasha and me freaking the frigg out. The overbearing realisation that this was all my fault completely consumed me. As if that wasn’t bad enough, I’d received a phone call from Dan’s Mum shortly after Michael had called, only to be told he was currently lying in a hospital bed with a stab wound to his upper arm.
Inches away from his fucking heart!
Sasha’s immediate thought had been that Luke was the reason behind such a drastic injury, but we later found out that among efforts to pay off Dan’s debt, the pair were somehow caught up in the crossfire when a police raid went down. I never thought for a second Luke was capable of hurting Dan. However, upon learning that the people he owed money to were a gang specialising in drug dealing, I was just about ready to throttle my ex, myself. Lucky for him, he was taken straight to the hospital where he avoided being arrested due to lack of evidence of his involvement, whereas Luke, not so much. He was arrested shortly after, having been caught with drugs in his possession.
Apparently!
Why he would have drugs on him, I had yet to establish, and since everyone was so useless at providing information, I was still none the wiser. The only reason we knew so much already was down to Jace. He was able to use his inside knowledge, given he volunteered as a special on weeknights and filled us in as best as he could. Obviously, he was unable to say much and was probably already in breach of his contract by telling us what he already had.
“I just don’t understand it. Our Luke would never get involved with drugs,” expressed Ali, sick with worry.
Michael was over at the reception desk, demanding to see his son but to no avail. According to PC Andrews, Luke would remain in custody overnight and was denied all visitors rights. It didn’t matter how many times I told them he wasn’t involved, they wouldn’t listen. I could scream it until I was blue in the face and they’d still take no notice.
“He’s not involved, Ali. This is all one big misunderstanding,” I insisted, holding onto her for my own benefit. “They’ll realise soon enough. They have to.”
“They won’t let me see him,” explained Michael, returning to our side.
He lovingly took Ali into his arms and forced me inside the embrace as well, likely sensing how shell-shocked I was over the entire situation. It was bad enough that Luke had been locked up in a dingy cell all night, but when I took into consideration the long-term effects this was bound to have on his career, I felt just about ready to break down (again). A family lawyer with a criminal record would hardly look good as his tag line into business, and I could only assume this would make getting hired extremely difficult. He had worked so hard over the years to get to where he was and all of it was for nothing.
Because of me.
Because I walked away instead of addressing the issue. His punishment was on my conscience. The only comfort I could take from it all was the knowledge that all but one gang member had been arrested; Mr grey-eye’s being among those charged. Still, a bittersweet revelation when looking at the bigger picture.
“I’m sorry,” I told them, borderline hysterical again. “This is all my fault. I should’ve known.”
“Nonsense, Maya,” insisted Michael, hugging me tighter. “Luke would never blame you for this. He loves you too much.”
And that right there was partly the problem. His love for me was what got him into this mess to begin with. Worse still, he didn’t even know I loved him too.
~~~
With grapes in one hand and my phone secured tightly in the other, I nervously made my way toward the reception desk and patiently waited for the woman there to end her current call.
“Sorry about that, chick, how can I help you?” she asked, friendly enough.
“I’m here to see Daniel Clark. I think he’s in the recovery ward,” I stated; voice hoarse from my lack of sleep.
It had been twenty-four hours since we learned of Luke’s arrest and he was still no further forward in being released. Last night, I was hit with the terrifying thought of never seeing him again and although dramatic, I couldn’t shake off the horrible feeling. I was often hearing stories of innocent men and women going to prison for a crime they didn’t commit and for some reason, I pictured Luke being one of them. So much so, I had Mum on the phone in the early hours of the morning, telling her everything. She’d been angry at me for not mentioning anything sooner but eventually got over it, insisting it would all be alright in the end. Both her and Darren were worried sick and were adamant in their decision to join me in London for the weekend.
“He’s in room seventeen, lovely,” shared the receptionist, having located Dan’s whereabouts. “Follow the sign for the recovery ward and you should find the room no bother.”
I quickly mumbled my, “Thanks,” before hesitantly following her instruction and was pleased to discover I did find myself outside his room with little to no bother. It was closed upon my arrival and whilst seemingly peaceful, the hammering currently taking place in my heart was anything but. I felt just about on the verge of heart failure and certainly didn’t miss the irony of being in the hospital should such a thing occur.
“Go right ahead, sweets,” offered a friendly looking nurse, young enough to be in her early twenties. “He’s a popular lad, that one. Always got people going in,” she smiled, gesturing towards Dan’s name scribbled on a whiteboard.
I shot her a small smile in response and clung to my box of grapes, slightly embarrassed for having not brought something a little less shit along with me. I would’ve got him flowers, but apparently they’ve stopped that in hospitals now and given the circumstances, I thought alcohol of any sorts was a no-go. Grapes would have to make do.
&
nbsp; And with that reassuring thought in mind, I pushed open the stiff door and came face-to-face with Dan’s entire family; cousins included.
Well, fuck me!
"Maya!" squealed Julie, Dan’s Mum. “What a lovely surprise.”
It wasn’t a surprise at all. I’d told her I would pop in when I next got the chance and she’d been only too happy to hear it. Loud and with more joy than an overzealous Butlin’s entertainer, it was no wonder I found myself gravitating towards her in a room full of people I barely knew. I found her ability to over-talk a welcoming distraction and soon became lost in her insistence to ask me a million and one questions.
“Mum, leave the poor girl alone,” stated Dan, thankfully speaking in my defence.
We briefly shared a moment before he asked everyone to leave, likely needing a moment to himself.
“Maya, would you please stay?” he questioned, politely so.
Propped up in what appeared to be quite an uncomfortable position, he seemed a lot more with it today and even had a splash of colour to his cheeks.
“Sure,” I smiled, waiting for everyone to leave before I continued. “How are you feeling?” I asked, offering him the grapes.
“Been better,” he laughed, grabbing the fruit with his good arm. “Thanks. How are you?”
“I’ve been better too,” I smiled, taking a seat in the plastic chair.
It was warm from whoever was sat on it last and gave me the creeps.
“How’s Luke?” he enquired, trying his hardest to move without causing himself more pain. In the end, I helped him out. “I don’t remember much. I passed out pretty quickly. I don’t even know who stabbed me,” he added, finally finding himself in a much comfier position.
“Sasha thought it was Luke,” I smiled, throwing humour at the slightly strained situation.
He laughed, thankfully seeing the funnier side of things.
“And how is she? Still into all that fitness nonsense?”
“Yeah, she’s obsessed with avocados,” I announced, slipping nicely into easy conversation.
This was the Dan I knew.
“How is he then? You sort of avoided the question,” he asked, daring me with his moss-green eyes.
“He’s been arrested. I haven’t seen him since the night you showed up,” I admitted, lowering my gaze to control the need to cry.
“What? Why?” he questioned, clearly in shock.
“They found drugs on him. They think he’s involved somehow,” I explained, shuffling around in my chair.
“That doesn’t make sense. Why would Luke have drugs on him?”
“Beats me. I have no idea and I’ve not been able to speak to him,” I replied, keen to move conversation along. “Look, Dan, I came here to make sure you’re okay. I know I’m not your girlfriend anymore and the other night got a little tense but I do care. I want to make sure you’re offered the right help,” I stated, softening my tone to a gentle whisper.
“I am. My family all know and the nurses here have signed me up for group therapy. I’m on a weening program now which means they’re slowly bringing me off the drugs. This was the biggest wakeup call ever,” he admitted, pointing to his dressed up stab wound.
I smiled my relief and offered my thoughts on the matter.
“That’s great, Dan and you promise you’ll get better?”
“I promise. I don’t wanna be that person anymore. The things I said to you the other night, that wasn’t me.”
“I know it wasn’t.”
“And you have to understand that Luke isn’t a bad person either. I may have twisted things slightly because I was angry with him for taking you. But he had every right to want rid of me back then. I was toxic and I would have done anything for my next fix. He was just protecting you, Maya. You know that, right?” he offered, shockingly on Luke’s side.
“Yeah,” I sighed, once again wishing he knew I no longer held a grudge.
“Just don’t give him a hard time when you see him, okay?” he smiled, gifting my hand a squeeze.
It shocked me at first, but I soon settled into the motion.
“I won’t. If he ever gets out,” I declared, feeling the weight of the world on shoulders.
The thought of yet another sleepless night was enough to have me scream out in frustration, though at least I was lucky enough to have a comfortable bed. Luke didn’t have such luxuries.
“He will. Soon, then you can finally tell him he’s forgiven.”
“Yes, sir,” I smiled; repositioning myself when the young nurse from earlier came in carrying a tray of rather scary looking potions.
"Hi sweetness, how are we feeling today?" she asked, offering Dan a friendly smile as she started mixing together some peculiar looking substances.
“Fine. I could murder a McDonald’s double cheeseburger though. The food in here is shite,” he smirked, shooting me a knowing glance.
“They’re full of fat, Daniel!” she scolded, reminding me of a certain someone I happened to live with. “You should be looking after your body, not filling it with that rubbish,” she added, meaning that in more ways than one. “You ready for this?”
“Yep,” tensed Dan, anticipating the worst.
The strange looking lotion seemed correctly mixed and as my confusion set in, Dan thankfully expanded.
“It’s numbing gel,” he informed. “I’m not allowed painkillers for obvious reasons.”
Of course.
I smiled at his explanation and quietly watched on as the nurse removed the gauze and lightly applied the numbing gel around the swollen area of flesh. I chose to look away when I became a little squeamish and settled my gaze elsewhere, noticing for the first time the many self-help leaflets on beating drug addiction. They were scattered on his bedside table, and it settled my nerves knowing he was getting the right support.
“I should get going, anyway,” I smiled, carefully rising from my seat. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” I continued, offering Dan my most encouraging smile.
“Still breathing,” he laughed, wincing when the pain of doing so became too much. “Thanks for coming. It was nice to see you.”
“You take care, okay?” I smiled, kissing his cheek.
“Will do. Remember what I said. Don’t give him a hard time,” he stated. “Oh, and Maya. One more thing before you leave. You asked if I regretted it. I do. Every day.” he added, ignoring the fact that there was another person present in the room.
His revelation didn’t shock me but it did act as a nice consolation against what would’ve been a horrible way to say goodbye.
“Thanks, Dan. I appreciate that.”
I offered him one last wave before taking my leave, glad to be out in the fresh air once I finally escaped the hospital’s premises. I decided the walk home would do me good and began the short journey, thinking a shower would be nice before heading back to the police station. I didn’t usually make a habit of rushing, but I was desperate for some news on Luke, so I picked up my pace. In fact, at one point, I even broke out into a leisurely jog which was completely new territory for me. I quickly climbed the stairs to my flat and texted Mum for her current whereabouts. She and Darren were due into London around two-ish and I was meeting them at Euston Station. The poor sods had no idea how to appropriately work the tube, and I wouldn’t dare leave them alone to fend for themselves. Not with my Mum insisting she was Christopher-fucking-Columbus!
“Try calling her again, her phone might be on now,” stated Sasha, muffled by our front door.
Quiet voices could be heard discussing something else, but before I gave whoever Sasha was talking to the chance to call, I carefully pushed open the front door. I quickly made my rounds and in doing so, met the eyes of Sasha before settling my gaze onto a pair of apologetic blue ones; their strength and intensity alone strong enough to stun me into silence. He looked pleased to see me, yet nervous at the same time. My own mind was unable to think up a suitable response, so instead, I settled for the only w
ord on the tip on my tongue.
“Luke.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Better Late Than Never
Having thankfully taken charge of the situation, Sasha subtly dragged Michael and Ali to The Grind for a cuppa, offering Luke and me the chance to finally be alone after five long days of not speaking. It didn’t take long before the flat was completely emptied, which was just as well, given my desperation. Seeing as I was clutching house keys in one hand and my phone in the other, I chose to dispose of each item before tentatively making my way towards my best friend, unsure on what to do first.
Kiss him or slap him.
“Is it too soon to make an ill-timed prison pun?” I speculated, running into his open arms with no regard for his ribs what so ever.
“I didn’t bend over to grab the soap if that’s what you’re worried about,” he laughed, caressing my back with his huge hands. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean put you through all this. Sasha’s told me how upset you’ve been.”
Nothing was said on the matter as he pulled my entire body against his, leaving no gap between our rapidly breathing chests. He then proceeded to stroke my hair and detangled my tatty strands, stopping when his fingers got caught up a little.
So I hadn’t brushed my hair.
Sue me!
“Is it over? Have they released you forever?” I asked, desperate for some answers.
“It’s over,” he ensured, gifting me the one thing I needed most.
Relief.
Luke’s acceptance in my liberation was strong in its statement, yet gentle in its pursuit to further appease me. It was clear he hated seeing me in such a state of distress, but when I felt so horrendously responsible for everything, I couldn’t help it.
“I need you to listen very carefully while I explain something, okay?” he asked, to which I slowly nodded.
He carefully moved us both to a seated position on the sofa, never once taking his hand away from mine.
My Not So One Night Stand Page 17