CORAL - Fallen (A Romance Trilogy, Book 2) (32 page)

I will win this battle. I will not fail.
Susannah will go down for this. I will make it my destiny to take her down, get
her arrested, and out of Tristan’s life, out of my life…Forever.

WHEN I GET INTO WORK
I'm
told by Joyce that Susannah won't be in all day as her migraine is still bad,
and that Joyce will be out most of the day too, apparently Gladys has asked her
to go golfing. As soon as Joyce is out of the building, I jump on-line and
search home security systems.

I need it to be discreet, it can't look
like a camera because even if she did get in again, she might see it and hide
her face, and without a clear picture of who she is, I may as well not bother.
I really want to catch her at it!

The first site I go to is Argos. It’s in
town and hopefully, if they have what I’m looking for, I can pick one up at
lunch, but when I take a look I see they are all pretty bulky. I need something
smaller. I'm about to click on Amazon, when I notice a security company that
are based in Brighton. I click on the website, and to my delight, they have
loads of small, discreet cameras, and they come and install the cameras for you
– that sounds more like what I want!

Picking up the phone, I dial the number. I
speak to a really pleasant lady who listens carefully to what I am asking for
and my reasons for it, she understands my concerns but advises me that they are
booked up and can’t get me in till next week.
Bollocks!

I thank her for her help and advise her
that I will buy something on-line, and attempt to fit it myself, citing I can’t
take the risk of it happening again without proof. She tells me she understands,
and will call around all the engineers to see if she could get one over to me
tonight.

I thank her, give her my number and hang
up. I clamp my hand down on my leg that is jigging up and down.

I really hope she can get me in today. I
want those cameras installed – today!

Checking my inbox, I see I have a few
letters to get done for Joyce. Clearing my mind of all things Susannah, I click
the first one open and begin my work…

TWO HOURS LATER
, I get a
call from the woman at the security place telling me there has been a
cancellation, and they can get someone over to me at five o’clock tonight. I
agree wholeheartedly, and make myself a post-it note to leave at four-thirty,
so I can get back in time.

With nothing else to do, I feel myself
getting antsy.
Why couldn’t Joyce have left me more work to do?
Grrrrr!

Waking my screen up with the mouse, I start
searching the internet. There’s something that’s been bugging me, something
that’s been at the back of my mind since I had the dream about Susannah. Typing
in what I need, I hit enter and wait for the choices to come up.

I’m about to click on the first choice,
then I remember I know someone who might be able to tell me more about it, or
at least head me in the right direction. Picking up my handbag, I start fishing
around. Finally locating what I need, I pull out his card and dial his number,
my foot starts tapping involuntarily.

“Dr Andrews office how may I help you?” A
posh sounding lady answers.

“May I speak to Dr Andrews please?” I ask
politely.

“Are you a patient?” I don’t know, am I?
Lie
Coral!

“Yes, yes I am.” I tell her.

“May I take your name?” She asks.

“Coral Stevens,” I say, my voice high
pitched because I’m nervous.

“One moment please Miss Stevens.” The line
goes quiet. I'm pretty sure she’s going to come back and say he’s out on rounds
or something.

“Coral how are you?” Dr Andrews’s deep
voice startles me for a moment.

“Good thank you, and yourself?” I answer a
little breathlessly.

“Very well thank you. How is your nose?”
Whoa!
I’d forgotten all about that! So much has happened since then.

“Nicely healed thank you,” I say.

“No headaches, blurry vision?” He asks.

“No, healthy as a horse,” I tell him.

I swear I hear him mumble that’s a shame –
Hmm
me and Dr A?
I shake the thought away.

“What can I do for you Coral?” he asks.

“Well I have a...um situation,” I mumble.

“Ah, well I don’t work in that field its
antenatal you need,” he says. I think he’s smiling. Antenatal? Where have I
heard that from before…Debs having Lily?
Holy crap he thinks I'm pregnant.

“No, no I'm not pregnant,” I gush. “I
wanted to ask if you know anything about…well psychotic people...I mean
patients, their behaviour and such,” I stutter.

“Ah, again not my field. Are you alright
Coral?” he asks sounding concerned.

“Yes, I think so,” I answer.

“You think so?” he asks.
Say something
Coral!

“Well, it’s just there’s someone new at
work and I think she maybe psychotic. I’ve had close contact before with a
mentally unstable person, and she’s well...showing the same signs,” I say,
hoping he’ll come up with some answers.

“I see. Have you talked to your employer
about this?” He asks.

“It’s complicated,” I answer glumly.

“It always is,” he sighs. “Well, I have a
colleague in the field, an old University friend – I hear him taping his
keyboard – ‘Let me see…yes, Simon Handler do you have a pen?”

“Yes.” I reach forward to pick a pen up
from the holder but they’re all gone?
Weird? –
“Um, Dr Andrews, I...all
the pens seem to have mysteriously disappeared from my desk, I'm sorry,” I say
feeling embarrassed.

“No need to
apologise
,” he softly says. “Do you have an email address?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I can get Penny to email the details to
you?”

“Yes please, that would be great.” I smile
down the line. He really has a nice voice. Not as nice as Tristan’s though.

“I’ll put you back through to Penny.
Pleasure to speak to you,” he says.

“You too Dr Andrews, and thanks for taking
my call,” I tell him softly.

“You’re very welcome, anytime Coral.”
Anytime,
Whoa!
The line goes quiet again.
I think I have an admirer
.

“Hello, Miss Stevens?” Penny’s voice is
back. I give her my email address and end the call.
Hmm, well that didn’t
really give me any answers?

Wiggling the mouse to wake up my screen, I
decide to go back to my original idea. Clicking on the first search result, I
lean forward and start reading through...

Symptoms
of Psychosis
There are four main symptoms associated with a
psychotic episode. Hallucinations/Delusions/Confused and disturbed thoughts/A
lack of insight and self-awareness. These are outlined in more detail below.

Hallucinations
–
A hallucination is when you perceive
something that does not exist in reality. Hallucinations can occur in all five
of your senses.

Sight
– someone with psychosis
may see colours and shapes, or imaginary people or animals.

Sounds
– someone with
psychosis may hear voices that are angry, unpleasant or sarcastic.

Touch
– a common psychotic
hallucination is that insects are crawling on the skin.

Smell–
usually a strange or
unpleasant smell.

Taste–
some people with
psychosis have complained of having a constant unpleasant taste in their mouth

Delusion
-
A delusion is where you have
an unshakeable belief in something implausible, bizarre or obviously untrue.
Two examples of psychotic delusions are: paranoid delusion, delusions of
grandeur. These are described below:-

Paranoid delusion -
A person
with psychosis will often believe an individual or organisation is making plans
to hurt or kill them. This can lead to unusual behaviour. For example, a person
with psychosis may refuse to be in the same room as a mobile phone because they
believe they are mind-control devices.

Delusions of grandeur -
A
person with psychosis may have delusions of grandeur where they believe they
have some imaginary power or authority. For example, they may think they are
president of a country, or have the power to bring people back from the dead.

Confusion of thought
-
People with psychosis often have
disturbed, confused and disrupted patterns of thought. Signs of this include:- their
speech may be rapid and constant, the content of their speech may appear
random, for example, they may switch from one topic to another mid-sentence, their
train of thought may suddenly stop, resulting in an abrupt pause in
conversation or activity

Lack of insight
-
People experiencing a psychotic episode
are often totally unaware their behaviour is in any way strange, or their
delusions or hallucinations could be imaginary. They may be capable of
recognising delusional or bizarre behaviour in others, but lack the
self-awareness to recognise it in themselves. For example, a person with
psychosis who is being treated in a psychiatric ward may complain that all of
their fellow patients are mentally unwell while they are perfectly normal.

Postnatal
psychosis -
Postnatal psychosis, also called puerperal psychosis, is
a severe form of postnatal depression (a type of depression some women
experience after they have had a baby). It is estimated that postnatal
psychosis affects one or two women in every 1,000 who give birth, and most
commonly occurs during the first few weeks after having a baby. Postnatal
psychosis is more likely in women who already have a mental health condition,
such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

As well as symptoms of psychosis
(see above), symptoms of postnatal psychosis can include: a high mood (mania)
–
for example, talking and
thinking too much or too quickly a low mood
–
for example, depression, lack of energy, loss of
appetite and trouble sleeping Postnatal psychosis is regarded as an emergency.
If you are concerned someone you know may have developed postnatal psychosis
contact your GP immediately.

WHEN
I FINISH READING,
I take a long deep breath and slowly blow it out.
I don’t think I need to speak to that other doctor, I think this explains it
all. I can’t say if Susannah is having any paranoid delusions, but I think she
has delusions of grandeur, after all she did say to me that she and Tristan are
engaged, in love, couldn’t help themselves.

I think for a tiny split second that she maybe telling the
truth, that Tristan has gone through all of this with her –
Coral, what are
you talking about, that’s ridiculous!

Deciding I better delete the search history, I press print,
then delete all the sites, just in-case Susannah takes a look. If she’s back in
tomorrow, I don't want to raise her suspicions that I might know something, and
I really don't want her finding out that I know she was in my place last night,
and that I'm determined to catch her at it, by getting her on camera.

Picking up the paperwork, I fold it over three times, stuff it
inside a small envelope, and carefully stow it away in my bag...

AS I WALK HOME
along the
busy Brighton streets, I look up and see it’s yet another blue skied, warm hazy
evening. I wonder how long it will last? I hope it’s this nice for Gladys and
Malcolm’s wedding. I take a deep breath in, and slowly blow it out, feeling
glad there’s only one more night and day to go until I see Tristan again.

Although, I have to say, it feels as though
the closer it gets, the more time slows down, it already feels like it’s been
weeks not days, and today seems to have passed by in a blurry haze. With Joyce
out for the day and Susannah doing whatever she’s doing, I’ve had a lot of time
on my hands. I kept catching myself staring blankly at the computer screen,
daydreaming about Tristan.

Reaching my studio, I see there’s a chap
waiting in a pair of dark blue combats, and a light blue t-shirt that has
Brighton Security Inc slapped across the front of it.
Great!
I hope Bob
hasn’t seen him, I don’t want him to know what I’m up to.

“Miss Stevens?” The guy questions as I
reach him. He looks like he’s in his fifties, has a balding head, bright green
eyes and a pleasant smile.

“Yes,” I answer meekly and quickly unlock
the door.

He follows me inside, and I instantly feel
nervous, so I start rattling off at full speed, telling him what has happened
and what I want. He nods as he listens and then comes up with a plan of where
the cameras need to be. I agree wholeheartedly and he gets to work.

My good manners kick in and I offer him a
drink, he smiles pleasantly at me, as I hand him a cold glass of lemonade. When
he’s fitted the two tiny wireless cameras, one in the living room and one in
the bedroom, and connected them to my laptop, he sits me down and shows me how
they work.