By
Jan
Chapter 7
Reb
pressed herself close to the wall so that anyone looking up from Basic wouldn’t
be able to see her. When she heard Stewart saying ‘goodbye’ to the Hunt woman
her hand closed around the blade in her pocket. Her mouth was dry and her heart
raced excitedly. Just a few more seconds and the bitch would get what was
coming to her!
She
edged towards the cell door as Helen Stewart emerged then she heard Hunt’s
voice.
“Hold
on, Miss Stewart, and I’ll come down with you.”
She
shrank back as Barbara joined Helen on the landing and proceeded to walk down
to Basic with her. So near yet so far, she thought, as she leant on the
railings watching them go but there would be other opportunities and next time
she wouldn’t fail!
Karen
Betts sat in her office idly twiddling her pen between her fingers. She had
hardly seen anything of Alex Gilbert since the night Helen had arranged to meet
him after work for a drink and she had gone in her stead. He had seemed a bit
put out when she arrived but eventually he had relaxed and they’d had a few
laughs. In the car park though they had gone their separate ways and, to her
disappointment, he hadn’t even attempted to kiss her.
There
was a knock on the door and she looked up expectantly as she called out, “Come
in.” But to her dismay it was only Di Barker.
“Rebecca
Morgan to see you, Ma’am,” Di announced as she ushered the inmate inside.
“Thank
you. Come and sit down, Rebecca.” She pointed her pen towards the chair at the
other side of her desk. “How are you settling in?” she asked when the young
woman was seated.
“Fine,
thanks, Miss,” Reb replied then added insolently, “And it’s ‘Reb’…short for
‘rebel’.”
Karen
eyed the girl keenly. She couldn’t help but think there was something
disturbingly familiar about her.
“Seen
enough?” Reb asked with a mocking smile.
“Sorry,
I…have we met somewhere before?”
“I
doubt it, it’s my first time inside,” came the sarcastic reply.
“It’s
just, you seem familiar,” Karen persisted.
“I
must have one of those faces…Miss.”
“Yes,”
Karen agreed with a smile. “Now, I have a few things I have to go over with
you. Anyone serving a sentence over twelve months is allocated a personal
officer so yours will be Miss Barker. If you have any problems then she’ll deal
with them.” There was a brisk knock on the door then Simon Stubberfield, the
Number One, walked in.
“Sorry
to interrupt, Karen, but I need a quick word.”
“That’s
all for now, thank you, Rebecca,” she told the inmate. “But I’ll speak to you
again later. If you wait outside, an officer will come and take you back to the
wing.”
As
she waited in the outside office for an escort Reb smiled spitefully. So Betts
thought she knew her, did she? Well, she’d get to know her better soon enough
and she wouldn’t forget her as long as she lived. She laughed maliciously to
herself. But that wouldn’t be very long!
As
Helen walked into the living room fastening the cuffs on her blouse, Nikki held
up the present she had been carefully wrapping for Tommo’s birthday…an
expensive bottle of perfume.
“Fifty
quid that cost me!” Nikki declared.
“A
fool and her money are soon parted,” Helen quipped. “Which of us is doing the
driving tonight?”
“I’ll
drive then you can have a drink,” Nikki offered.
“Why
don’t we get a cab then we can both have a drink?” Helen suggested. She dropped
a kiss on Nikki’s lips then as she started to move away Nikki dragged her onto
her lap.
“You
look good enough to eat,” she said suggestively. “Pity we’re going out.”
Helen
linked her arms around her lover’s neck. “Down, girl. You’ll have to wait until
we get back.”
“Helen…”
Nikki began hesitantly. “You told your dad we would have kids one day, did you
mean it?”
“Of
course.”
“Then
why don’t we?” she asked avidly. “Have a child I mean.”
Helen’s
hands dropped to Nikki’s shoulders. “Don’t you think it’s a bit too soon?
You’ve only been out of Larkhall a few weeks.”
“I
know but there couldn’t be a better time. You’re finishing at Larkhall next
week and you haven’t anything else lined up…”
“So
I get pregnant!” Helen put in sharply.
Nikki
looked taken aback at the coldness in Helen’s voice. She knew Helen wanted kids
some day so what was the problem or maybe she just didn’t want them with her.
She forced a smile. “It’s okay. It was just an idea. There’s no hurry.”
Helen
face softened when she saw the disappointment in Nikki’s eyes. She touched her
cheek and looked at her lovingly. “Please, try and understand. I love you more
than my life and I’ve waited a long time to be with you so I want you all to
myself for a little while longer. We will have a baby. I promise, just
give it a few months.”
“Okay.”
Nikki smiled, seemingly satisfied, and drew her into a lingering kiss. “Now,
come on,” she ordered as they parted. “We’ve got a party to go to.”
Tommo
came from a large family and, judging by the number of children running in and out
of the house, well into populating the next generation as well. The house
wasn’t large, however, and Nikki wondered how eight children and their parents
had all managed to fit in.
People
were spilling out of the front door and onto the lawn so the young couple
excused their way to the back of the house and out into the garden.
“They
only need a couple of handbags,” Nikki joked when she saw Claire and Tommo
shuffling round to the music.
Tommo’s
chin was resting on Claire’s shoulder and there was a dreamy look on her face
that turned to delight when she spied Nikki and Helen. She released Claire then
took her hand and led her over to her two friends. “Hiya, Nikki mate, Helen,”
she greeted them jovially and hugged the two women in turn.
“Happy
birthday, Tommo. That’s from Helen and me,” Nikki informed her as she handed
over the gift.
“That’s
great, thanks very much, both of you,” Tommo said sincerely. “Come on, let’s go
and find you a drink.”
As
they all moved off, Helen caught hold of Claire’s arm and held her back. “We’ll
catch up with you,” she called to the other two.
“So
what are you looking so smug about?” Claire asked knowingly.
Helen
smiled. Claire seemed to be able to read her like a book. “I wanted you to be
the first to know…Nikki and I…we’re going to have a baby.”
“Helen,
that’s fantastic!” Claire exclaimed delightedly and pointed to Helen’s stomach.
“When?”
“Oh
not yet! We haven’t even started trying. I’d like to have her all to myself a
little while longer, if you know what I mean.” Helen smiled and tapped the side
of her nose.
“And
who can blame you?” Claire replied with a smirk.
“Eyes
off!” Helen ordered sternly. “You’ve got one of your own.”
“I
have, haven’t I?” Claire smiled happily. “Come on, let’s go and find them,
those two have a habit of getting into mischief when they’re left to their own
devices. Catherine’s told me all about what they got up to when they were in
Larkhall together.”
“Oh,
yes? Well, I think you’d better keep that information to yourself,” Helen
laughed. “Just one thing though, Claire, don’t say anything to Nikki about the
baby. I think she was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t happening immediately.”
Claire
touched her friend’s arm reassuringly. “Mum’s the word.”
“Have
you been stuffing your face with hospital food?” Nikki complained jokingly the
following morning as she pushed Sarah along the hospital corridors in a
wheelchair.
“I
told you I could walk and didn’t need a chair,” Sarah responded with forced
cheerfulness. She had hoped to be staying with Lucy when she left hospital
until Nikki had announced she thought staying at Helen’s would be the better
option. Helen worked during the day and she, Nikki, worked most evenings so
Sarah would have someone with her at all times until she felt totally well
again. Sarah had protested that she felt well enough but Nikki had been adamant
she stayed with them. To her dismay Lucy hadn’t put up much of a fight to
convince her otherwise either.
Outside
the house Nikki lifted Sarah’s suitcase from the boot and carried it inside
then ran back out to assist her sister but the young woman shook off her
guiding hand.
“I’m
alright. I can manage,” she snapped impatiently then seeing the hurt look on
Nikki’s face added on a softer note, “Thanks, anyway.”
Inside,
Sarah regarded her suitcase ruefully. It was dented and scratched having taken
most of the impact when the car hit her. “I’ll have to buy another.”
“Don’t
worry about that now. Come on, I’ll show you to your room.” Nikki said as she
picked up the suitcase then led the way to Helen’s spare bedroom.
“This
is nice,” Sarah said approvingly as she looked around the room.
“It’s
yours for as long as you want it,” Nikki replied as she dumped the suitcase
onto the bed.
“It
shouldn’t be for long. Lucy said I could move in with her.”
Nikki
looked at her in concern. How could she tell her Lucy didn’t want her…or
rather, she did but was too noble to do anything about it…without breaking her
heart? She jerked her thumb backwards towards the door. “I’ll…er…let you
unpack.”
She
didn’t know how long she stood on the landing deep in thought but suddenly she
heard crying coming from Sarah’s room. She hesitated, undecided whether to go
back into the room or not. Clearly Sarah needed comforting but she didn’t know
if the young woman would appreciate her interference. Her hand twitched towards
the door handle then she turned and ran downstairs.
Dr
Alex Gilbert was in the infirmary examining an inmate when he heard his office
phone start to ring. “Would you mind?” he asked the nurse who was standing in
attendance.
“Certainly,
doctor,” she murmured then walked over to the table they used as a desk and
picked up the receiver.
“Thank
goodness! I was beginning to think you weren’t there!” the panic-stricken tones
of Sylvia Hollamby reached her ears. “There’s been a terrible accident. Blood
everywhere! She’s more dead than alive!”
“There
you go.” Alex put the finishing touches to the hand he had been bandaging. The
inmate had been careless and stabbed a garden fork into her hand while she had
been weeding.
“Doctor,”
the nurse called urgently.
“Just
a minute,” he replied then turned his attention back to his patient. “I’ve
given you a tetanus shot. Try and keep the dressing clean…”
“Doctor,
it’s urgent,” the nurse called again.
He
ignored her and carried on talking. “And come back tomorrow and have it
changed. Oh, and no working in the garden for a few days.”
“Thanks,
Doc.” The inmate smiled seductively at him then went out of the infirmary to
where an officer was waiting to take her back to the wing.
Alex
finally gave the nurse his full attention. “What’s wrong now?”
The
nurse looked at him gravely. “It’s Miss Betts, she’s been stabbed!”