Chapter 60 Melissa
Melissa
Her fury returns and erupts. She pushes herself off the trolley, grabs Damon by the arm and pulls him up a step and inside the vehicle, slamming the door behind them.
He winces at the sudden movement and clutches at his ribs.
She must really have cracked them when she brought him back to life last time. Good, she thinks.
‘What are you going to threaten me with this time if I don’t do it?’ she barks. ‘Are you going to tell my family and Adrienne what we’ve been doing? Or the NHS Trust and have me fired?’
‘No, no no,’ he says, and appears genuinely horrified by her suggestion. ‘What I said last time, I promise, I’d never have gone ahead with any of it. I was angry and tired and confused and I lashed out at you when I shouldn’t have.’
While she is partially satisfied by his apology, it matters less whether he’d have carried out his threats and more that he thought to use them against her in the first place.
‘You seriously expect me to do that to you again?’
‘I’ve found a hospital that will help me,’ he says. ‘A psychiatric unit in Leicestershire.’
He removes his phone from his pocket, locates a bookmarked website and passes it to her. Melissa is aware of it. A former colleague now works there.
‘They will admit me if I tell them I’m a danger to myself,’ he continues.
‘If you help me this one final time, I’ll say anything it takes for me to be accepted there as an inpatient.
And before that, I’ll make a statement to the police about everything I remember about finding Callum Baird’s body.
At least I can put it on record in case Dad hurts anyone again.
But I need your help to fill in the last few gaps. ’
Melissa clenches her fists, willing herself not to become emotional in front of him.
‘When is this going to end?’ she asks.
‘When I have my answers and when I can help these kids and Mum,’ he replies.
‘Please believe me, this isn’t a threat.
And I’m not trying to guilt-trip you into doing it.
But you must know, I’ve come too far to stop.
I’m going to do this with or without you.
And then I’ll get help and we can go back to how things were. I swear.’
Melissa knows that pregnancy or no pregnancy, their friendship cannot return to how it once was. Far too much has happened. She looks him up and down. Mentally and physically, Damon is disintegrating before her. And she is his only hope of survival.
An image of Adrienne appears in her mind. She loves that girl with all her heart and desperately wants to make her happy. But she knows she can’t do that until Damon’s questions are resolved.
‘Go and see your dad one last time,’ she says.
‘You weren’t there,’ he argues. ‘You didn’t see how quick he was to lose his temper when I told him what I remembered. It’s pointless.’
‘Your death is pointless,’ she counters. ‘So talk to him again. And if he isn’t willing to help you, then I will.’