Ask laura, p.20
Ask Laura, page 20
Sam and Jake would probably be asleep at Janet and Bob’s by then, but I drove to their house anyway. Paul had telephoned to update them, and he’d spoken to the boys as well to explain what was happening. I was greeted with warm and welcome hugs, and Janet boiled the kettle within a minute of my stepping through the front door. She also offered food; a toasted cheese sandwich followed by a generous slice of her chocolate cake. I accepted readily – it wasn’t the time to worry about extra calories – I was starving by then. Finally, after an hour with them, it was time to leave. I intended to get back to the hospital first thing in the morning, so I needed to get some sleep myself. I thanked them both again; they offered to keep the boys on Sunday, which was a real help, it wasn’t going to be the Sunday I’d planned, and I’d have to phone Steve to cancel lunch.
It was late, but Steve had rung earlier and left a couple of messages, so I knew he’d be worried if I didn’t return the calls.
‘Hi, Steve, I haven’t woken you have I?’ He did sound sleepy.
‘No, I was dozing in front of the telly, thinking of you, of course! Is everything okay? Did you get my messages?’ I suddenly felt terrible for not ringing him sooner and began to explain.
‘Lucy’s in hospital, so I’ve been there most of the day. And Sunday lunch will have to be cancelled too, I need to be with her as much possible.’ So I began the long explanation, beginning with the phone call from Brad and the awful events following.
‘Shall I come over?’ Steve offered when I’d finished my story.
‘That would be lovely, but I need some sleep. I’ll have to be up early again tomorrow, and you’d be a terrible distraction!’
‘Well, I’ve never been called a distraction before!’ Steve laughed. He did, however, understand and wished me goodnight after I promised to keep him in the loop tomorrow. After a hot shower, I climbed into bed, not expecting to sleep, but I did until the alarm woke me at 8am on Sunday.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The advantage of Lucy being in a side ward was that the nurses were flexible with visiting hours, and no one challenged me when I arrived at the hospital at 9.30am. Lucy was sitting up in bed with the television switched on, yet the sound muted.
‘Hi!’ I said as cheerfully as possible. My daughter smiled, not a massive grin but more than I’d seen for weeks.
‘Have you had any breakfast?’ Hospital conversations are always the same; the menu, the staff, the ward, the weather outside; I hoped we could manage better.
‘Yes, cereal and toast.’ She switched the television off.
‘So, how are you feeling? You certainly look much better today.’
‘I have a headache, which the nurse said is due to dehydration, so I have to drink as much as possible.’
‘Did you get much sleep last night?’
‘On and off, it’s quite a noisy ward, and each time I turned over my leg was painful.’ One of those racks they put under the covers to keep the sheets from touching your legs was beside the bed. It was lucky she’d managed any sleep at all. Opening the bag I’d brought in with me, I took out some toiletries, a couple of pairs of pyjamas, some clean underclothes and a towel.
‘Thanks, Mum. I meant to ask for a few bits last night.’
‘Well, I don’t think any of us were thinking straight yesterday, but it’s good to see you so much better now.’
‘The nurses said Dad rang this morning to ask how I was. He’ll be in this afternoon.’ Lucy seemed pleased at the thought.
‘Have you heard anything from Brad?’ I asked. He wouldn’t have had a chance to visit but he might have rung.
‘No, nothing.’ Lucy’s head dropped almost onto her chest, and tears began to fall.
‘Hey, why the tears, love?’
‘Oh Mum, it’s not working out... with Brad and me. I thought it would be different, but all he wants to do is play computer games. And he expects me to make all the meals and buy the food.’ I passed her a tissue – she blew her nose noisily.
‘I’m sorry, Lucy, but it’s as well to find out sooner rather than later.’ There wasn’t much else to be said, and I certainly wasn’t going to go down the route of ‘I told you so’.
‘Can I come home?’ Lucy asked in such a quiet little voice. I flung my arms around her.
‘Of course you can. There’s nothing in the world I would like more! I’ve missed you so much, and so have Sam and Jake.’ Lucy looked a little sceptical but said nothing.
‘Lucy, I am so proud of you. Admitting you made a mistake is such a hard thing to do. But we can make a fresh start – I love you so much, you know!’ Okay, perhaps it was a little over the top but it was how I felt. This was the best thing to happen in what seemed like ages.
‘Do you think I’ll be able to go back to school?’ This, too, was totally unexpected, although it shouldn’t have been, the hating school thing was probably all tied into Brad. He had much to answer for.
‘I don’t see why not. I’ll get in touch with Mr Bennett tomorrow and see what he thinks, but I’m sure he’ll be delighted.’ We were interrupted by the nurse coming in to take Lucy’s blood pressure and temperature, and then she asked if she could check her leg. Lucy seemed a little embarrassed with me there, so I offered to go out.
‘No... I’d like you to see it.’ She was so brave as the nurse removed the overnight dressing. To me, the leg looked worse than the day before, but perhaps this was because I was paying more attention to it now. The whole area was dark red, turning pink at the edges; the blisters were raised and looked extremely painful. Yet it didn’t appear as wet as yesterday, a sign the infection was clearing, perhaps? I’ve never been squeamish, but looking at the raw flesh on my daughter’s leg made me feel rather sick. The nurse laid a clean piece of gauze lightly onto the wound and asked Lucy to keep the covers off for a while.
‘Being exposed to the air sometimes will help the healing process,’ she explained.
When we were alone again, Lucy brought up the subject of the tattoo. I wasn’t going to raise it.
‘It was Brad’s idea to get a tattoo. He’s got loads and thinks they’re cool. It was supposed to be a garland of roses, but it looked swollen right from the beginning and was very sore. Brad told me not to be a wimp, he’d had them and never complained, but it only seemed to get worse, not better. After a few days, I began to feel hot and sick as well, and then I can’t remember anything else.’
I filled in the blanks for her.
‘Brad rang me yesterday to say you weren’t well, but he didn’t mention the tattoo. He suggested I go to the flat, which worried me, knowing he wouldn’t want me there if everything was okay. When I arrived, there was no sign of him, but the door was open, so I went in and found you in bed. You were quite delirious and even had a convulsion, which the doctor told me was due to such a high temperature. I called an ambulance and came with you to the hospital. Once the antibiotics got into your system, you began to improve quite quickly, although you probably won’t remember much about yesterday at all.’
‘I only remember waking up in here and finding you and Dad were with me. I felt so sick and hot, but they gave me some painkillers to help me sleep. When I woke up this morning I thought it had all been a bad dream, but it wasn’t, was it?’
‘No, but it’s over now and we’ll soon have you home. Life can then get back to normal. Boring, safe, normal!’
Lucy laughed – it sounded fantastic.
‘I don’t want to see Brad again, but there’s lots of my stuff at the flat. Do you think Dad would go round to pick it up sometime?’
‘Why don’t I go while Dad’s here this afternoon? If we send him, he might just kill Brad, and then we’d be in more trouble than ever!’ Lucy smiled again. She looked pale but so very beautiful. ‘Give me Brad’s number and I’ll phone him to make sure he’ll be there and tell me exactly what he has of yours.’
‘Apart from my clothes, he’s got my mobile and laptop. There’s not much else of value.’ She looked suddenly wistful.
‘Don’t worry. I’ll get it all today, then come in again to see you this evening. Shall I bring the boys?’
‘Do you think they’d want to come?’
‘I’m sure they would. We’ve all really missed you – the house hasn’t been the same since you left.’
‘My leg looks a mess, doesn’t it?’ Lucy lifted the gauze to view the damage.
‘It might not look so bad when it heals,’ I said optimistically.
‘Can I have it removed?’
‘I’m not sure how they can do it, perhaps by laser, but we’ll have to make enquiries. Let’s not worry about it now – it’s in a place where no one will see it. Because of the infection, the doctor says they’ll have to test your blood for hepatitis and HIV, just as a precaution, you probably won’t have either.’
‘I’ve been really stupid, haven’t I?’
‘You’re not the first girl to make such a mistake, and you’ll learn from it. All of life’s experiences are learning curves; it’s just that some are more painful than others.’ It was so good actually to have a conversation with Lucy. I still didn’t understand why she’d turned against Paul and me to the extent of wanting to cut us out of her life. Could it simply be adolescence, or was there something else which turned her against us? Things were looking brighter now, but I wish she would talk to me some more and tell me why everything went so badly wrong.
I stayed until Lucy’s lunch was brought. She drifted off to sleep for half an hour mid-morning, and I watched her, so peaceful yet so troubled. Things wouldn’t change overnight; this was a great start, but I wasn’t so naive as to think it was all over. Something had triggered these last few months of change in Lucy, and I’d like to get to the bottom of it before something, or someone, took her back into that dark moodiness of late.
Lucy was still tired, so I suggested she tried to sleep again before her father came in as I left. Armed with Brad’s phone number, I headed home to make some calls first. Brad was top of the list, and I hoped he would answer. I wanted to get him out of our lives as soon as possible and that afternoon wasn’t soon enough for me. Surprisingly he answered after the first couple of rings.
‘Hello.’
‘Brad, this is Lucy’s mother here.’ I paused to give him time to think about Lucy and perhaps ask how she was. He was silent but still on the line.
‘I’m coming round in about an hour to pick up my daughter’s possessions, including her phone and laptop. Will you get them together for me and make sure you’re there when I come?’
I tried to make it more of an instruction than a request, not wanting to find an empty flat like yesterday.
‘Okay,’ was all he said. Anger boiled up inside me. I was ready to tell him exactly what I thought of him but he disconnected. Two words were all he could manage, no enquiring after Lucy, no questions about why I wanted her things. She could have died, and he probably wouldn’t have cared. I cannot recall ever being so angry at another human being as I was with Brad Johnson then.
Chapter Forty
After waiting several minutes to calm down from my rage at Brad, I rang Janet.
‘Hi, how’s Lucy doing?’ Her concern was touching.
‘She’s so much better, Janet, and more importantly, she wants to come home!’ I knew Lucy’s grandparents would share my delight.
‘Wonderful news. When will they let her out?’
‘The doctor’s due to review her case tomorrow and he’ll decide then. It’ll be great to have her back home; it seems some good has come out of all this. Can I ask one more favour?’
Janet was always so willing to help but I didn’t want to take advantage of her kindness.
‘I’m going round to Brad’s flat now to pick up Lucy’s things. Can you keep the boys for another couple of hours and I’ll come for them when I’ve finished?’
‘Of course, it’s no problem, but we’ll bring them over to you, shall we? You must be exhausted with all that running about. If we have them back by about four, all right?’
‘Thank you, Janet, you’re an angel. Could you tell them they can come in to see Lucy with me this evening? It might be better to forewarn them.’ My ex-mother-in-law agreed and I thanked her again.
My last phone call was to Steve, whom I’d promised to keep updated on my rollercoaster of a life. As I dialled his number, a thrill of excitement ran through me at the thought of just hearing his voice.
‘Hello, Steve speaking.’ The words cheered me up immediately.
‘Hi, Steve, it’s Laura.’
‘Laura! How are things today?’
‘Much better, thanks. Lucy’s quite lucid now and she’s asked if she can come home, not just from the hospital but to live here again!’ My excitement was evident and Steve was genuinely pleased for me.
‘I’m going to Brad’s flat now to pick up her things. Paul’s visiting Lucy this afternoon, and I’m taking the boys in this evening.’
‘Slow down a bit, Laura. Did you say you’re going to Brad Johnson’s flat?’
‘Yes, I’m just about to leave. Paul would probably have gone, but I was afraid he might thump him, or worse!’
‘You can’t go back there alone, Laura. Wait for me; I’ll be round as soon as possible to take you.’
‘Steve, you don’t have to do this. I’ll be fine, honestly.’
‘It’s no place for you to go alone, especially in the circumstances. Brad’s not to be trusted, but he’ll be less inclined to start any trouble if I’m with you. I’m coming, Laura, so don’t leave without me.’ Steve was determined, and as we finished the conversation, a warm glow ran through me. He’d made a decision, concerned for my safety, emphatically telling me not to go. On further reflection, he was right. I’d not given a second thought to any danger, simply wishing to get Brad out of our lives as soon as possible, for my sake as well as Lucy’s. But I was pleased Steve would be with me, not only for the protection he could offer but also the chance to see him again. I’d been looking forward to him joining the boys and me for Sunday lunch until we had to cancel, so in a small measure, this made up for it. As I passed the hall mirror, I hardly recognised my reflection as a huge smile was plastered on my face. Could this be the beginning of better times for the children and me? And would Steve figure in our future? I certainly hoped he would.
When we arrived at the flats, which for a while my daughter had called home, I was grateful for Steve’s presence. After taking the stairs two at a time, he rapped loudly on the door, with me following behind. It took another couple of tries before we received an answer and when Brad did open the door, he looked as if he’d just woken up. For a few moments he stared at us as if he’d never seen us before.
‘We’ve come for Lucy’s things,’ Steve said, already moving inside the doorway. Brad stepped back and we entered, hopefully for the last time. A few black binbags were stacked in the corner of the lounge, presumably my daughter’s clothes.
‘She had a couple of sports bags which she brought her things in?’ I looked questioningly at Brad, who in turn glanced from me to Steve before nodding and disappearing into the bedroom. He returned with the empty bags which I took, then began putting Lucy’s clothes inside, without taking the time to fold them. They would all go straight in the wash at home anyway.
‘Anything else?’ Steve asked me.
‘Her laptop and mobile phone,’ I answered. Brad scowled at me, looked at Steve, then returned to the bedroom and came out with them both. It crossed my mind he might not have given them up so readily had I been alone.
‘Are you not even concerned to know how Lucy is?’ I couldn’t resist asking, even though the answer was evident by the way he had deserted her when she was so ill.
‘Oh, yeah, how is she?’
‘She’ll recover, but no thanks to you!’ I was so angry and turned to leave before I decided to punch him myself!
The cold air cooled the anger in my face as I drew in deep gulps to regain my composure. I carried the laptop and phone, and Steve followed with the bags after saying something to Brad once I was out of earshot. It was such a relief to get down those ugly concrete stairs and back into the warm car, knowing I would never have to set foot there or see Brad Johnson again. Steve dropped the bags into the boot and climbed into the driver’s seat.
‘What did you say to him?’ I asked.
‘Nothing much. I just wanted him to know I was on his case. He got the message that I’d be looking out for his name in connection with all local crimes in the future.’
‘Do you think he is a criminal?’
‘Petty stuff probably, yes, but it’s the way many criminals start out. He knows now we’ll be watching him, so hopefully he’ll keep his head down.’
It was so good to have Steve beside me. His physicality was comforting and it was beginning to dawn on me just how lonely I’d been over the past few years. Yes, I’ve always had the children, but it’s not the same as the company of a partner; another person to share everyday routines with and discuss the mundane events which make up the fabric of our existence. It was true I may be leaving myself open to hurt, but at that moment, I knew I wanted Steve to be a permanent part of my world. My only hope was that this wonderful man, who had already helped me through some difficult times, would want me to be in his life too.
Steve helped to carry Lucy’s belongings into the house and up to her room.
‘I’d intended to decorate in here before she came home, but I’d much rather have her than a freshly painted room.’
‘I could come round tomorrow and do it if you like? I’m not at work until late on Tuesday.’
‘Sorry, I wasn’t hinting. It can wait, and maybe Lucy will help to choose the colour herself.’ Steve seemed keen to spend time with me, which was surely a good sign? I put the kettle on for coffee, telling him Janet would be round soon with the children.
