‘It’s all right, sweetheart,’ she tells her. ‘We’ll think of something. We can’t kill him right now, but there will be some way we can help your friend Gemma . . .’
‘What if we made him think the mob have put out a hit on him?’ Audrey offers excitedly. ‘We could give him a fake passport and get him a place in Australia or something.’
‘That wouldn’t be a punishment!’ Ivy sounds so upset. ‘We arenotrewarding that evil monster for what he’s done.’ She swallows. ‘Plus, then he’d just find someone over there to do this to. We can’t inflict an abuser on Australia. He’d ruin just as many lives over there.’
‘But he’d have to contend with a lot more big spiders,’ Audrey mutters.
Teddy stands up abruptly, stalking away and out of the sliding entrance doors.
The group watches her go with confusion. ‘Did I upset her?’ Ivy asks at last, in a quiet voice.
Audrey shakes her head. ‘It’s not you, my darling. You must stop assuming things are your fault. She’s just upset. Teddy is someone who needs space and time to process things. That’s OK. We’re all different. She’ll be fine. We’ll just give her a minute. We all move at our own pace when it comes to trauma and recovery. Half the time we don’t know what might trigger us. Teddy knows what’s best for her, I believe that. She’ll talk to us when she’s ready.’
Ivy takes a deep breath. ‘That’s true, I guess.’ She nods kindly at Paula. ‘You never speak about your husband.’
Audrey jumps in protectively. ‘Yes, but Paula lost John much more recently than the rest of us. We’ve had a lot of extra time to process things.’
Paula feels at a loss for words. Her mouth opens and shuts. She doesn’t know how to get through to them. ‘I didn’t kill John,’ she manages to get out at last, but even she can hear how unconvincing it sounds.
Ivy smiles, and rubs her on the back. ‘I told myself that for a long time, too. I kept insisting on it. I think I even partly convinced myself. But it was important in the end to be honest, at least with myself.’ She pauses. ‘And it’s fine, there’s no rush to open up to us. Just know that we’re here when you do want to tell us the truth.’
Paula takes a second, then nods slowly. ‘OK,’ she sighs, because what else can she say? Maybe she doesn’t want them to believe her anymore. Maybe it doesn’t matter.
A nurse comes by, smiling broadly. ‘Great news, Ms Kirk,’ he says to Ivy with impeccable bedside manner. ‘A doctor has just had a thorough look at your X-rays and she says it’s not broken!’ He pauses, then adds, ‘Yay!’ and you can tell he has had extra training in being human for the rich people who come here. ‘I’m sending you home with some painkillers and strict instructions to rest up for a few days, OK?’ He looks faux-stern. ‘But of course, if the swelling or the pain get any worse, please call us right away. I’m leaving you with our direct number here at the clinic and we’ll make sure you’re seen right away if you need to return.’ He glances at the group. ‘You’ll look after her, won’t you? Make sure she doesn’t lift a finger – and definitely not an ankle – and ring us if you’re worried.’ He smiles warmly.
Wow, Paula thinks, remembering her neighbour again and the waiting lists.
‘Thanks for choosing our clinic today.’ The nurse offers up a handful of small plastic packets. ‘Here are some biscuits for you all to enjoy on your journey home.’
Wow.
They thank him and start to gather their belongings, when Teddy reappears, her eyes wild.
‘I’ve got to go,’ she says. ‘Right now.’
‘No, Teddy!’ Paula cries out, reaching for her friend. ‘Don’t leave like this. Ivy’s been discharged. We can all leave together. Don’t be upset.’
‘Please stay!’ Ivy says at the same time. ‘Talk to us, you can be sad about Dominic Shipmanwithus. We’re here for you.’
‘We want to look after you!’ Audrey adds to the noise. ‘We’re your friends. We’ll get you a fringe. You’ll feel much better.’
Teddy grins, shaking her head. ‘No, you guys don’t understand. I went outside to call the cops.’
The group draws back, shocked by her words. Teddy shakes her head again. ‘Don’t panic, I wasn’t reporting TLWWC for murder.’ She laughs dryly. ‘I called them about a drunk driver I saw earlier.’ She lets the words sink in before continuing, ‘I told them how I witnessed a man leaving the pub and then saw him driving off. I explained seeing him weaving in and out, nearly hitting every lamp post on the street and then I told them how I followed him to his address as I was very concerned he might kill someone. I told them how he is currently parked up on his own driveway, passed out, slumped over his own steering wheel.’ She takes us all in, her voice triumphant. ‘The police might be able to cover up domestic abuse for one of their own, but they won’t be able to ignore drunk driving reported from a lawyer. I’ve already called a couple of former colleagues to attend the scene as witnesses. One of them is part of a review panel investigating police corruption. Maybe this will finally get him off the streets. At the very least he’ll lose his licence, which might make it harder for him to harass poor Gemma.’
Ivy looks up at her with big, watery eyes. ‘Thank you, Teddy,’ she says in a quiet voice.
‘I have to go to the police station right now to give a statement,’ Teddy adds proudly.
‘Go!’ Audrey instructs joyfully, though Paula can see she is feeling emotional, too. Teddy quickly hugs each of them excitedly, dashing out to catch her taxi. She’s taking action; she’s doing something to help Gemma.
Paula feels so much better.
‘Come on,’ Audrey says kindly to Ivy, helping her limp out of the clinic and out into the cold night air. Paula stops for a moment as they reach the car, taking in all the darkness around them. Teddy’s getting the abuser arrested and they don’t have to kill him.
‘Thank you,’ she says to Ivy and Audrey sincerely, wondering when she was last out with friends at this hour of the night. Certainly not in decades. Probably never, if she’s being honest. She was never much of a night owl or a wild party animal, not even in her youth.
‘For what?’ Ivy says, looping an arm through hers and nuzzling in. Paula shakes her head, unsure what she meant. This has been the most exhilarating night of her life. There were so many highs and lows. So many joyous and terrifying firsts for her.Andon top of all that, they’ve actually managed to help someone who needed it! Not to mention punish an Evil Bastard who deserved it. Her whole body is abuzz with adrenaline. It has all gone wrong tonight, but also so right. And for the first time in her life, Paula was right there, at the heart of the action, wearing silly estate agent booties. They deserve at least a four-star review on Amazon for that.
