Half Life (12 page)

  As always when he entered Adele
’
s hospital room he froze in the doorway, the sight still scaring him.  She looked small and vulnerable, the tubes protruding from her body confirming how fragile she was.  Her mum was asleep in the chair by her bed, skin grey with exhaustion.  Quietly as he could he took the chair on the opposite side of the bed, picked up her left hand and pressed it to his lips.  She felt cold and lifeless.

 
“
Happy Christmas Sweetheart,
”
he whispered.

  Her right arm was immobile in an elbow-high cast, face covered with large bruises that were fading to yellow.  Her normally immaculate bob was scraped back off her face to reveal high cheekbones, the sweep of her long dark lashes, the tiny pointed chin he thought he
’
d held last night.

  Suddenly the dream that had yesterday seemed so wonderful now just felt cruel and the vivid memory of it pained him.  He dipped his head and pressed the palm of his free hand to his eyes to try and hold back the tears then went rigid as he felt a pressure on his hand.  Head snapping up he saw Adele
’
s fingers were squeezing his own.  He watched with baited breath as they relaxed then squeezed again.  He stared at her face, praying for a reaction.  The pressure on his hand eased and he felt the hope die then her head lolled towards him.  He knew coma victims could move and make noises so he didn
’
t want to wake up his mother-in-law with a false alarm.

  He watched with baited breath as she released a low moan and her eyes flickered behind the closed lids.

 
“
Adele?
”
he said softly.

  Slowly her lids fluttered open and she regarded him with unfocused eyes.

 
“
Adele?
”
he repeated a little louder, heart in his mouth.

  The sound of his voice seemed to recall her and her eyes focused, the right side of her mouth twitching up into a smile.

 
“
Michael?
”
she murmured in a breathy whisper.

 
“
Adele, can you see me?
”
he said eagerly, clutching her hand tighter.

 
“
Yes.
”

 
“
She
’
s awake, she
’
s awake,
”
he cried triumphantly before hitting the call button for the nurses. 
“
Barbara, she
’
s awake,
”
he yelled, waking his startled mother-in-law who almost fell out of her chair. 

  Barbara leapt up and raced round the bed to Michael
’
s side. 
“
Hello Honey,
”
she beamed, tears welling in her eyes as Michael kissed Adele
’
s hand over and over again.

 
“
Mum,
”
she rasped.

  All hell broke loose as medical staff raced into the room.

  Three hours later all the doctors, family and friends left to give Michael and Adele some peace together.  Her surgeon had announced that she was doing well and on the road to recovery, although it would be a long and arduous journey.

 
“
You gave us a hell of a scare,
”
smiled Michael, shaky with relief.

 
“
Sorry,
”
she croaked in a voice weak from lack of use.

 
“
Don
’
t be, don
’
t ever be,
”
he breathed, leaning over to kiss her lips.

 
“
I can
’
t believe I
’
m stuck in here on Christmas day.  We were supposed to be at home, together.
”

 
“
I know Babe but after this last week I
’
m just glad to be sat here talking to you.
”

 
“
I
’
m luckier than most,
”
she replied, running her fingers along his jaw, giving him a startling reminder of the dream.  Then her eyes focused on the little red gift by her bed and she smiled. 
“
Is that for me?
”

 
“
Yeah.  I had to bring you a present on Christmas day,
”
he said, picking it up.

 
“
Could you?
”
she said, indicating her injured right arm.

  He pulled off the paper to reveal the little black box and her eyes widened. 
“
Is it a locket?
”

 
“
How do you know?
”
he frowned, a little unnerved.

 
“
I pointed it out in that jewellers.  I hoped you
’
d go back for it,
”
she grinned.

 
“
Oh right,
”
he smiled, breathing a sigh of relief.  He opened the lid and her eyes glittered with happy tears. 

 
“
Thank you.  It
’
s more beautiful than I remember.
”

 
“
You are very welcome.  From now on you get whatever you want.
”

 
“
In that case I should thank you for the dance in the snow.  That
‘
s something I
‘
ve always wanted to do.
”

  He went rigid, staring at her in amazement. 
“
You
…
you were really there?
”

  She smiled. 
“
Listen to the music.
”

  The hospital radio was on, piping out the same haunting melody.

 
“
But
…
how?
”

 
“
I don
’
t know but it
’
s the last thing I remember before I woke up.  One minute I was at home in bed with you.  Then I was here.
”

  His mouth just opened and closed as his brain attempted to process this information.

 
“
Don
’
t look so afraid Michael, it was beautiful.  Let
’
s just leave it at that.
”

  His expression softened and he retook his seat by her side. 
“
Whatever it was it brought you back to me.  That
’
s all that matters.
”
  He kissed her fingers one by one. 
“
And I
’
m not letting anyone take you away from me again.
”

THE END

 
Mercy looked down at her hands cuffed before her, struggling to process how her life had come to this.  

 
“
I
’
ve been sat here for an hour.  How long is this going to take?
”
she sighed.

  The WPC standing guard stared at her stony-faced. 
“
As long as it needs to,
”
came the curt reply.

  Mercy sighed and went back to staring at her handcuffs as there was nothing else to do in the small grey room.  Her beloved two inch high black stiletto heels tapped a nervous staccato on the tiled floor, causing the WPC to scowl.

  Finally the door opened and in walked a tall statuesque blond in her early forties, long curly hair pulled back into a ponytail. 

 
“
Hello Mercy.  My name
’
s DI Paige.
”

 
“
Hi,
”
she replied in a quiet voice. 

Mercy recalled a time when people sniggered at her name.  Now she knew no one would ever dare laugh at her again, not after what she
’
d done.

  DI Paige sat before her and regarded her in a sympathetic woman to woman way.

 
“
Is Alex still alive?
”
said Mercy.

 
“
Yes but he
’
s in intensive care and likely to be there for a while.
”
  Paige studied her prisoner carefully and couldn
’
t decide whether the look on her face was relief or annoyance. 
“
Are you glad about that?
”

 
“
I
’
m not sure,
”
she murmured thoughtfully. 
“
He did try to kill me after all.
”

  Paige
‘
s eyes narrowed. 
“
Tell me about when you first met Alex Carter.
”

 
“
In a nightclub.  I was out with my friends.  He bought me a drink, we had a dance.  He took me out for a meal the next day.  It was a bit of a whirlwind romance and things moved quickly.  We saw each other as much as we could.
”

 
“
When did you notice his unnatural interest in death?
”

  Mercy swallowed hard.

 
“
Alex where are we going?
”
I demanded. 

It was late, almost midnight and he was driving us up a dark country lane out of town.

 
“
It
’
s a surprise,
”
was all he
’
d say, a smile fixed to his face.

 
“
Come on, tell me.  You
’
re making me nervous.
”

 
“
You trust me, don
’
t you?
”

 
“
Yeah, course.
”

  He took my hand and pressed it to his lips. 
“
Then relax.
”

  The car stopped outside the cemetery.

 
“
Why have you brought me here?
”

 
“
There
’
s something I want to show you.
”

 
“
What?
”

 
“
I told you, it
’
s a surprise.  Please don
’
t spoil it.
”

  He got out of the car, walked round to my side and pulled the door open but I refused to get out.

 
“
I
’
m not going in there.  You wouldn
’
t get me in a graveyard during the day, never mind at night.
”

 
“
There
’
s nothing to be afraid of.
”

 
“
I
‘
m not afraid.  Anyway, I couldn
’
t walk through there in these heels.
”

  His expression darkened. 
“
Get out of the car now.
”

 
“
I said I don
’
t want to.  Please Alex just take me home.
”

  He thrust his head into the car aggressively. 
“
If you don
’
t get out I
’
ll drag you out.
”

  I just stared at him, unable to believe what was happening for this was a side of him I
’
d never seen before. 
“
And if you don
’
t take me home right now I
’
ll scream my head off.
”