Chapter 8
Sophie had sobbed throughout the time she’d spent at Carter’s bedside, her hands clenching and unclenching as she’d begged for his forgiveness, revealing nails that had been bitten down so far that some of them were bleeding.
There were obvious scars on her arms, from what Eve could almost guarantee were self-harm injuries.
Her wrists were so thin the shape of her bones was visible through the skin and she had the look of a baby bird that had fallen out of its nest weeks before it was ready.
The reality wasn’t far off and she barely looked more than a child herself.
‘They’re going to take him for good this time.
I’ve blown my last chance.’ Sophie had turned towards Eve when she’d told her she needed to leave, her bloodshot eyes pleading for a just a little longer, even before the words came out of her mouth.
‘Please don’t make me go, I don’t know when they’ll let me see him again. Just five more minutes. Please.’
There’d been none of the aggression in her tone that she’d directed towards her social worker earlier, perhaps because Pippa had decided to use the opportunity to go off and make some phone calls to determine what would happen once Carter was ready to be released from hospital.
Sophie herself was assessed as not needing treatment, at least not by the team in A had felt as though he had all this compassion for people in the grip of addiction that had nowhere to go and, when he’d moved to the States, volunteering at an addiction crisis centre had felt like a natural step.
But Meredith had taken Felix to the edge and coming home had been the only way to break the cycle.
Now she was calling, he was sure of it, the ringtone on his phone loud and insistent.
He could so easily cut off the call and block the number, but instead he found himself reaching for the green icon to answer it.
‘Hello.’ There was still a part of him that hoped it wouldn’t be Meredith, but he recognised the sigh she omitted, even before she began to talk.
‘Felix, thank God. I’ve missed you so much.
’ He wished he couldn’t detect the lack of sincerity in Meredith’s voice, but it was obvious.
She was speaking so quickly, like she was rushing to get to the point and, before he could even respond, she laid the ground work for what he was certain was going to come next.
‘I really need your help.’