Give Me a Reason (52 page)

He grinned at the warmth coming through the cup, and then in
a whisper, he said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you, but I haven’t
been in this type of situation for a very long time.”

“No worries, sweetheart,” Dorothy said with tears in her
eyes. “Just make me proud.”

Smiling, he handed Peggy one of the cups. “Have Stephen take
some sips of this. Not too fast though. Can you do that?”

“Absolutely.”

“Good girl,” he said as he headed to the sofa.

Bill had made short work of Toni’s clothing, and with Eleanor
and Laura at his side, protecting Toni’s privacy as best they could, by the
time Bernard came over, Toni was naked and lying under several blankets,
shivering uncontrollably. Grabbing his stethoscope, Bernard checked her heart
and pulse before placing a digital thermometer in her ear. Waiting for the
beep, he read the display, and then rubbing his chin, he sat back on his
haunches.

“What’s wrong?” Laura asked.

“She’s colder than I thought she’d be.”

“Well, then let’s move her closer to the fireplace.”

“No, we can’t risk moving her now. It’s too dangerous,”
Bernard said, looking up at Laura. “She’s your partner, isn’t she?”

“Yes.”

“Then take off your clothes and get under the blankets with
her. She needs to warm up and body heat’s our best option.”

Mindless of the fact that she was standing next to her
father, and Stephen was lying on the floor behind her, Laura did not have to be
told twice. As the men quickly looked away, she pushed her oversized sweatpants
to the floor, pulled the shirt over her head and then slid under the covers.

“Christ, she’s freezing,” Laura said, rubbing her hand
briskly over Toni’s arm.

“Don’t do that!” Bernard yelled, placing his hand over
Laura’s. “Any excessive movements can trigger a heart attack. Her blood is
frigid, and her heart won’t be able to handle it. Just lie alongside her and
share your body heat. That’s all I want you to do.” Looking over his shoulder,
Bernard said, “Eleanor, get that cup of broth over there. We need to try to get
some into her, but just a few dribbles at a time, and Bill, go find Alice and
see if—”

“I tripled up some plastic bags,” Alice said, running into
the room. “I have four, just like you asked.”

Smiling at her ingenuity, Bernard took them, and as he turned
back to Toni and Laura, he glanced up at Bill. “Um...Bill, we’ll need a bit of
privacy here.”

“Oh. Oh, right...of course,” Bill said, turning away. “Call
me if you need me.”

Returning to the matter at hand, Bernard looked at Laura.
“I’m going to put these around her, so I’ll need to lift the blankets for that.
Okay?”

“You’re the doctor.”

“Finally realized that did you?” he asked, moving the covers
to place one of the bags under Toni’s neck. “I thought you believed I was more
of a prat.”

“I don’t anymore.”

After putting two of the bags under Toni’s arms and another
near her groin, Bernard tucked the blankets around them and then placed a
multicolored duvet on top of that.

“What now?” Laura asked, shifting just a little.

“Well, it doesn’t appear that she has any frostbite, but I’m
going to wrap her hands and feet like we did for Stephen. Your mum is going to
get a bit of that broth into both of you and…and then we wait.”

“Couldn’t we drive her to the hospital?”

“No, not like this. She’s too cold. Even the movement of the
car could be too much. Trust me, Laura. I know what I’m doing. Our best bet is
just to let her warm up slowly, and she’ll be fine. I promise.”

Chapter Forty-Nine

It was almost two hours before Bernard allowed Stephen to get
dressed, and sitting by the fireplace in clothes once belonging to Lawrence
Shaw, he waited in silence, praying Toni would be all right.

“Here, I brought you some tea. Bernard said you could have
some now,” Peggy said, handing her husband a cup.

“Thanks. Anything from emergency services?”

“No, Ron called again. The storm is slowing everything down,
and he thinks that once they found out we had a doctor here, that pushed us to
the bottom of the list.”

“Speaking of doctors,” Stephen said, gesturing toward the man
walking into the room. “He really is one, isn’t he?”

Looking behind her, Peggy grinned. “Yes, I think he is.”

Bill had kept the fire blazing, so as soon as Bernard entered
the overly heated room, he unbuttoned his red and green waistcoat and tossed it
aside. Rolling up his sleeves, he walked over and knelt by the couch. “How are
you two doing?”

Shifting slightly under the blankets, Laura said, “She seems
better. She stopped shivering a while ago.”

Quickly taking Toni’s temperature, Bernard smiled as he read
the display. “Well, this is looking much more promising.”

Glancing over his shoulder, he said, “Eleanor, get your
daughter some clothes, and Bill, why don’t you go to the kitchen and get a bit
more of that broth from Dorothy.” Grabbing another blanket from the arm of the
sofa, Bernard stood and held it up to block everyone’s view. “All right, Laura.
Out you go.”

A few minutes later, once again dressed in the oversized pink
and green jogging outfit Nancy had given her, Laura sat on the edge of the sofa
as Bernard folded the blanket and tossed it aside. Opening his black satchel, he
pulled out some bandages. “Okay, now it’s time to look at that arm of hers.”

“Her arm?”

In all the commotion, no one had noticed the dried blood
covering Toni’s left forearm, but when Bernard reached under the blankets and
pulled it out, Laura blanched. “Oh, I forgot all about the glass.”

“I saw it when Bill brought her in, but it was the least of
my worries at the time,” Bernard said, gingerly wiping away the dried blood
with a swab. “It didn’t appear that it was anything too deep, and by the looks
of it now, I think after a quick wash and some bandaging, it’ll be fine.”

Watching as the man tenderly disinfected and wrapped Toni’s
arm, Laura said, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? For what?”

“For ever thinking you weren’t a real doctor.”

“You’re not the only one. Somewhere along the line, I lost
track of what made me want to become one in the first place, but today it all
came rushing back.”

“I’m glad it did.”

“Yeah, me too,” he said, slipping Toni’s arm under the
blanket, and just as he did, she began to stretch and shift. Seeing Laura reach
over to stop her, Bernard quickly said, “No, don’t. If she has the strength to
move, let her.”

“Is she waking up?”

“No, I don’t think so. Probably just stiff and sore, and
trying to get comfortable, but since she’s come back up to a normal temperature
she might be getting a bit warm. Let’s get one of these blankets off her,” he
said, removing one of the three still draped over Toni.

Toni quieted for a moment and then with a grunt, turned
toward the rear of the sofa. For a second, Laura forgot where they were as she
smiled at the familiar position of her lover, but when she heard the shocked
gasps from everyone in the room, she quickly covered Toni’s exposed back with
the blanket.

“Christ, that’s where I know her from,” Bernard said under
his breath.

Laura froze. Allowing the words to settle in her brain, she
turned and glared at the thick-waisted doctor. “You
bastard
!”
she screamed, launching herself off the sofa. “
You
bloody fucking bastard
!”

Stunned, everyone in the room stared in disbelief as Laura
lunged at Bernard. Slapping and punching the man, it took several moments
before anyone could react. Rushing over, Bill wrapped Laura in a bear hug and
yanked her away.

“Laura, what the hell are you doing?” Bill said, struggling
to keep hold of her.

“He’s the one! He worked there. You
bastard
! How could you stand by and let them do
those things to her?” Laura shouted, fighting to free herself from her father’s
hold. “How could you?
How could you
!”

“Laura, you’re mistaken,” Bernard said, shaking his head. “It
wasn’t—”

“No, I’m not! I heard what you said when you saw her scars.
You recognized them. You
son of a bitch
! You
recognized them because you’re the one who stitched them up
without
giving her anything to kill the pain. You
sick
pig
!”

“Laura, you’re wrong,” Dorothy said, coming over to stand at
Bernard’s side.

“No, I’m not!”

“Yes, you are!” Dorothy shouted, grabbing Laura by the
sleeve.

“Dori, let her go,” Bernard said, placing his hand on her
arm.

After glancing at her husband, Dorothy sighed and then did as
he asked. Releasing her grip on Laura, she backed away.

For a moment, Bill thought Laura’s fighting was over, but as
soon as Bernard took a step in their direction, she began to struggle to escape
again.

Holding up his hand, Bernard said, “Laura, please just listen
to me for a moment. That’s all I ask.”

“You can go to
hell
!”

“Laura—”

“
Fuck
you, Bernard!
Fuck you
!”

“Woman, shut up and listen to me!” Bernard yelled, his face
turning red as his temper flared. “Do you honestly think that I would have
spent the last two hours trying to save her bloody life if I’d been responsible
for what you’re accusing me of? Do you?
Do you
!”

As he had hoped it would, his question took some of the wind
out of Laura’s sails, and seeing that she stopped trying to fight her way out
of Bill’s arms, Bernard reined in his temper as well. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean
to shout, but will you please let me explain. Please?”

With a huff, Laura scowled at the man. “Go ahead. I’m
listening.”

“I’ve worked all over the UK. You know that. Early in my
career, I worked in Carlisle and one day the hospital got a call requesting a
triage team be sent to a prison a few hours away. Being the up-and-coming
doctor, I volunteered and a short time later I found myself on a bus being
taken to God knows where. Now, we all assumed there had been some sort of
accident, but when we got to the prison, we were told there had been some
incidents of abuse to the prisoners, and before they could be transported, the
officials wanted us to examine them, treat them for any injuries and
categorize...or rather
document
our findings.

“Like all young doctors, I had spent a fair amount of my time
on graveyard shifts in emergency, so I was accustomed to seeing all types of
injuries, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw that day.”

Closing his eyes for a second, Bernard let out a sigh.
“Christ, I think that was the longest day of my life. They just kept coming
into the exam room, one after another, some defiant and some docile, but all
were damaged in one way or another.

“She was the last one I saw,” Bernard said quietly, looking
over his shoulder at Toni. “I remember looking up from my clipboard as she
shuffled into the room. They had all been given hospital gowns and slippers,
but she didn’t look like a patient. She didn’t even look like a prisoner. She
looked like a refugee.”

“A refugee?” Laura asked in a ragged whisper.

“She was gaunt...terribly, terribly thin, and her head had
been shaved. Through the stubble I could see a few white lines, scars left
behind by past injuries, and I remember looking at my nurse in disbelief and
seeing tears rolling down her face. We were professionals. We weren’t supposed
to show emotion, but my God, how could we not?

“She never once looked up...Toni, I mean. She didn’t
volunteer a single word, unless we asked her a question, so we proceeded with
the exam...and that’s when I discovered the scars on her back.” Hanging his
head, Bernard’s voice became a whisper. “Christ, I still remember trying not to
vomit. I was so appalled...so sickened by it all. I still am.”

Bernard raised his eyes to meet Laura’s. “I fear that today
is all my fault. I’m sure she never looked directly at me that day, but she
must have recognized my voice when I came into the house.”

Laura regarded the man in front of her, replaying his story
in her head. “So you’re saying your voice...
just
your voice caused all of this to happen?”

“If you don’t believe me, ask her when she wakes up. I wasn’t
one of her abusers, Laura. I swear to God, I wasn’t.”

The room was quiet except for the crackle of the fire. Those
unaware of the tragedies and injustices in Toni’s life had been enlightened and
most felt as Bernard did the day he saw Toni’s scars. Tears flowed freely, and
heads shook in silence as innocents tried to wrap their heads around all things
evil and dark.

***

Eleanor walked into the room carrying a tray of tea. After
offering cups to Stephen, Peggy and Bill, she made her way to the sofa where
her daughter sat on the edge, gazing at the woman covered in blankets.

“Here, take this,” Eleanor said, handing Laura a cup.

“Thanks.”

“How you doing?”

“I’m fine, Mum. I’m just worried about Toni.”

“Bernard thinks she’s going to be okay. He says there’s no
sign of frostbite or water in her lungs. Thank God.”

“So is the family in shock?” Laura whispered.

“The family is worried about you, and about her.”

“What happens when she wakes up, Mum? I couldn’t calm her
down before—”

“Well, we’ll soon find out,” Eleanor said softly, taking the
cup from Laura’s hand. “It appears she’s coming to.”

Hot and cocooned, Toni awoke slowly. Breathing in the smell
of leather and cloth, she could hear someone whispering, and taking a deep
breath, she rolled to her back and opened her eyes.

“Hiya, sweetheart,” Laura said quietly, placing her hand on
Toni’s arm.

Toni’s mouth was dry and her eyes refused to focus, but she
offered the voice she knew so well a weak grin. “Hey.”

“How you feeling?”

At first, Toni was confused by the question, but then she
wasn’t. Her vision still wouldn’t clear and when she took a breath, her chest
felt tight and sore. Aches in her back and legs announced themselves when she
tried to move, so quieting, she blinked a few more times to clear the cobwebs.
When Laura finally came into view, Toni groused, “What the hell are you
wearing?”

Smiling, Laura looked down at the baggy pink and green
outfit. “It belongs to Nancy.”

“What happened to your clothes?”

Thankful Toni was still groggy, Laura said quietly, “Why
don’t we get you dressed, and then we’ll talk?”

Blankly staring at Laura for a moment, Toni lifted the
blanket and paled. “Where are my clothes? Laura, what the hell is going on?”

“First clothes, sweetheart, and then answers. I promise.”

***

Having been ordered to stay in the warmth of the library, with
Peggy by his side, Steven remained near the fire as he sipped his tea. Bill
leaned against the doorway as if protecting the occupants from intrusion, and
Eleanor sat on the arm of the sofa, watching as her daughter handed Toni a cup
of broth.

“What’s this?”

“It’s just broth. Drink it. It’s good for you.”

“I’d prefer coffee or tea, if it’s all the same to you,” Toni
said, shoving the cup in Laura’s direction.

Toni’s confusion had given way to annoyance. She wanted her
own clothes, but was given an oversized track suit in pink and black to wear.
She wanted privacy, but instead was told to dress behind a blanket held up by
Eleanor, and now wanting nothing more than a cup of coffee and a cigarette, she
was handed lukewarm broth and told to drink it. Toni was sore, stiff,
frustrated and getting angrier by the second.

“And what the fuck happened to my arm?” she blurted, pushing
up the sleeve of the baggy top.

“Toni, calm down,” Laura said quietly.

“I am calm. I just want some answers. That’s all.”

Before Laura could provide any, the library doors slid open
and everyone’s eyes were on Bernard as he stepped into the room.

“I thought I’d...I’d check on my patient,” he said softly.

“Patient?” Toni asked, glaring at Laura. “What does he mean
by patient, and who the hell is he anyway?”

Baffled, Laura looked at Bernard and then back at Toni.
“That’s Bernard, sweetheart. You remember me telling you about him? He’s
married to Dorothy.”

Thinking for a moment, Toni said, “Oh, yeah...the doctor.”

“That’s right.”

“Did he do this?” Toni said, motioning toward her bandaged
arm.

“Yes, he did.”

“What did I do? What happened to me? Laura, I’m confused,”
Toni said, running her fingers through her hair.

“Sweetheart, you...you got a bit worked up when Bernard
walked into the house earlier.”

“Worked up?”

“You panicked.”

“Panicked?” Toni said, narrowing her eyes. “What do you mean
panicked?”

“You...you recognized him and I guess it caused some sort of
flashback to Thornbridge. You got scared and ran out of the house. I tried to
catch you, but I couldn't, and then you fell into the river. If it wasn’t for
Stephen...”

Toni’s head jerked up as the pieces of the puzzle began to
fall into place. A crowd of voices, but one was clear above all the others, and
then there was cold and wind...and wet. She remembered hands, strong and
masculine, yanking her away from the pain, and a mouth, warm and unfamiliar,
pressed against hers, but then frost and ice lodged itself in her veins and she
was engulfed by blackness. Inky and thick, the darkness swept over her, pulling
her down and weighing on her like a coffin trying to close. She had felt it
before. Dozens of times, lying alone in a cold and damp cell, death had stalked
her, beckoning her with promises of warmth.
Relax in
the arms of death and hurt no more.