Page 18

Jack

I sat in the hospital family room with a pitiful excuse for coffee in a plastic cup. I stared at the blank wall across from me.

Before we left the house, PC Kumar confirmed that Cain had been arrested and taken to the local police station, so Willow wouldn’t have to see him.

She was encouraged to pack some clothes and any personal belongings, which she hurried to do with one hand while I held the bags.

As we were getting ready to go, Willow tore her hand from mine to bend on all fours, searching under the bed.

I quirked a brow at the police officers who shrugged until she retrieved the item from under the broken bed.

Tears formed in her eyes – how she had any left, I had no idea – as she clutched orange tufts to her chest. She caught my curious eye and turned one of the parts to me, it was a disembodied head of a fluffy Highland cow.

“Angus,” she whispered through tears. “He broke him, too.”

And just like that, my heart split in two. I’d pulled her in by her shoulders, letting Angus the cow squish between us and for her tears to fall while I rested my chin on her head.

We’d arrived at the hospital in the police car, much to Willow’s frustration, hating the attention. Mike took my car home and care for the dogs.

She was ushered into a cubicle by police and medical staff. I was thrown suspicious looks as though I had caused her injuries. I took it on the chin. If I were in their shoes, I’d have been suspicious, too.

Willow went through endless tests and scans, some I couldn’t be present for because it required her to be examined intimately.

We waited together for the outcomes of the tests.

Sometimes Willow slept, sometimes we made small talk and sometimes we sat through a comfortable silence, but no matter what, Angus was squished in her arms like a lifeline.

She had two severely bruised – but not broken – ribs and eye socket, the rest was bad superficial bruising. Thankfully, she was cleared from any sexually transmitted diseases or evidence of sexual assault .

When it came to looking at her finger though, Willow spiralled. She lashed out when anyone tried to clean the wound. Consequently, she was sedated and taken into surgery to remove the ring.

Which is how I found myself staring into space in the family room until my eyes dried out from forgetting to blink for so long.

The only thing I could think of was the unimaginable pain Willow was in – had been in for years – and how I couldn’t forgive myself for never noticing.

I wracked my brain trying desperately to remember a time when she was quieter, in pain or called in sick, but I couldn’t think of a single one.

The door to the waiting room opened and Mike walked through carrying takeaway coffees and a travel bag. His expression mirrored mine, full of concern and sadness that Willow had been through this .

“I thought you might need some sustenance,” he muttered as he placed the drinks and bag down in front of me. “It’ll taste significantly better than whatever shit is in that.” He nodded at my beige plastic cup. Not wanting to waste it, I downed the remainder. I winced at the bitterness.

“Wincing isn’t the ideal reaction for a coffee, drink up.” He nodded again to the cup on the table and sat down with a groan. “How is she?”

Faced with such a loaded question, I sunk into my chair, blew out a long breath and dragged a palm down my face.

“She’s hurting – both emotionally and physically.

She has injuries nobody should have to endure, Mike.

They’ve taken her into surgery to take the ring off and to see the damage and begin whatever repairs they need to do.

” I stood up and started pacing, Mike’s eyes watching me with caution.

“He couldn’t even buy her a ring that fucking fit, it was barely over the fucking knuckle.

What kind of relationship is that? Do you know what she said when she finally showed me the hand?

She said ‘I said no. That’s all’. How much of a cunt does someone have to be to react that badly to rejection that he hurts the girl?

!” I stopped and finally turned to Mike.

He had a look of shock on his face which I questioned. “What?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you call someone a cunt.” His eyes wide with surprise and a couple of blocks of rage crumbled inside me, allowing an exhausted chuckle. I returned to the seat beside him, dragging a palm down my face.

“Sorry. I just— I can’t get over the fact she’s been enduring this since she’s worked for us, and we never knew.”

“Have you considered that maybe she didn’t want us to know?”

I groaned. “That’s what Frannie said, but I still feel like I should have been able to see the signs.”

“But why? You’ve been dealing with your own shit, raising a daughter on your own for the majority of that time.

You’re a good boss but neither of us can possibly know what’s going on for our staff outside of work unless they tell us, and Willow has chosen not to.

” I nodded and we fell into silence until I shifted, needing to roll the sleeves of my shirt up in the hot hospital.

Mike kicked the holdall next to my feet.

“I brought some clothes, didn’t know how long you’d be and couldn’t imagine you’d want to stay in a suit for much longer.

I dropped the dogs at mine, just let us know when you’re heading home so we can give them back.

” I looked in awe at my best friend, he knew what I needed before I knew myself.

He caught my look and palmed my face, pushing it away.

“Stop looking at me like that, you soppy shit. That’s what we do for each other. ”

He was right, we did. We lived across the road from each other. We were practically inseparable.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

I picked up the bag and went to the nearby bathroom to change into the athletic shorts, T-shirt, and hoodie. Digging in the bag, he’d packed a few days’ worth of clothes, and I wondered how long I’d be here. I returned to the waiting room to find a doctor talking with Mike.

“Is everything okay?”

“Hi, Mr Lambert, I’ve just been updating your brother on Willow’s circumstances.

” I raised an eyebrow at Mike, but knew I’d play the relative card, too, to get as much information as possible.

“We’ve just returned from surgery, and she has significant burns from the ring, but we managed to remove it and clean the wound well, so skin grafts won’t be necessary thankfully.

It’ll need a few weeks’ worth of cleaning and wrapping, but we can show you that.

She doesn’t need surgery on the eye socket, it’ll heal gradually by itself as will the bruising on her ribs and across her face.

At the moment she’s still under and will be coming out of her anaesthetic within the next few hours, which we’ll keep a close eye on.

I’d say she needs to stay for a few days so we can establish the state of her mental health before she goes home with you.

She’s been put through the wars, she’s lucky to be here and have you for support. ”

The doctor nodded at me appreciatively before leaving the room.

“Fuck, poor Willow.” Mike had his elbows resting on his knees and palms pushed into his eyes, before looking up at me with red, questioning eyes. “Did he say she’s coming home with you?”

I cleared my throat and sat in a chair across from him this time, flinging the bag next to me.

“Uh, yeah he did.”

“And why did he say that Willow, your assistant, is going home with you?” He sat back, a leg crossed over the other with a shit-eating-grin.

“Because I offered, and she accepted.”

“And why did you offer, Jackie ?”

I frowned at him using the nickname my parents used and snapped, only making his grin wider.

“Because Mikey , she said she has nowhere to stay with. The only other option was a women’s refuge, and you can fuck off if you think I’m letting her move there when I have three perfectly good bedrooms going spare.

It would take her a lifetime to get back on her feet, so I told her she’s welcome to stay as long as she wants and meant it.

Is that alright with you?” The more I’d ranted, the more he smirked, and it was fucking me off.

“More than. I just want you to be careful.” His smile faded.

“Careful?”

“I know you better than you know yourself. I’ve seen how you watch her leave a room, and when she enters one, how your face lights up.

I’ve seen you laugh louder than you have in years and it’s usually when she’s around.

” I was sure I’d gone beetroot red and shuffled in my seat at his revelation.

“I’m pretty sure no-one else has noticed and I doubt you’ve told anyone if you haven’t told me, so don’t worry.

But you clearly have feelings for her. She doesn’t need romance.

She needs friends to rally round and help build her life back up from the rocky shit show it’s currently on.

So have her stay at yours, be that support if you want to be, but don’t push her for what you want if she isn’t ready, because that’ll probably be her undoing if she isn’t undone already. ”

I sat dumbfounded, internally questioning whether I was doing the right thing by inviting her into my home, my panic clear on my face because Mike sat on the coffee table in front of me.

“I’m not saying this to be difficult, but because I care about you both.

If you can push your romantic feelings to the side, you’re going to be exactly what she needs.

I’ve watched you raise Fran, and I know you’re a fucking epic friend, so that’s not the problem.

Just… be careful. You deserve the best and I’m worried you’ll get just as hurt as her if this goes sideways. ”