An hour later, the corridor was quiet, and Des had been sitting alone for quite a while. He wondered what was happening in Sheelagh�s room� had she said anything yet? There�d been no sign of Patrick since he�d come back from his shower earlier. Meanwhile, Sheelagh was lying back on her pillow, drained of colour. Declan meant well, and he clearly cared, but he�d taken more energy out of her than she cared to admit.
So take this moment, Mary Jane and be selfish,
Worry not about the cars that go by:
All that matters Mary Jane is your freedom�
She raised her head slightly, whipered;
�Siobhan love, will you take Declan and grab a bite to eat?� She gave her daughter a meaning look.
�Oh but Mam, I wanna stay here! I�m not hungry!� Declan protested, his intense love for his mother making him lie.
�No love, you need to eat� Could you do that Siobhan?� The question was really �can you warn him�� Her daughter furrowed her brow.
�I guess Mam� You�ll be ok?� in other words �Don�t stress yourself telling Dad!� The siblings left the room. Patrick immediately found a topic of conversation.
�Fintan sends his love, pet. He can�t get here till tomorrow.�
�There was no need to drag him over, he can�t afford it Patrick.�
�Of course there was reason Shee! You�ve been attacked, you nearly died!� Patrick spluttered, the way he was prone to do when his emotions ruled him � which was a normal occurrence.
�Yeah, well I�m not, am I? How did I get to this ripe old age without someone padding me in cotton wool, eh? It�s a complete mystery to me Patrick.� Her sarcasm made him stare.
�Are you feeling alright love?�
�As well as I can, given the circumstances� Patrick, there was a reason I asked Siobhan to take Declan for a walk. I� I have something to tell you��
�Yes love?�
��You�re not going to like it�� Patrick�s face crinkled, unsure how this could be. Surely they had just passed through the worst period of their lives? What could upset him more than being arrested by a colleague of his wife�s�, then discovering that she�d been attacked by the man whose crime�s he�d been arrested for. �I want a divorce Patrick.�
�You�you what? You�re not thinking right love, you can�t be� you must have a fever�� He made to check her temperature; she fended him off, for all her weak state, she was still more capable of violence than he.
�No, Patrick, I�m in me right mind. I�ve been considering it a while now, but the attack has made me certain. I want to live me life; for me.�
So go on and scream,
Scream at me; I�m so far away;
I won�t be broken again:
I�ve got to breathe � I can�t keep going under
�Who is he?� Spluttered Patrick, ineffectual in his rage. He didn�t know what to say, how to react. He wanted to scream, shout and punch things, but somehow was incapable of doing so.
Des walked in. He�d heard the howls of fury, and could not leave Sheelagh on her own to face it.
�You! It�s you isn�t it? Changing me wifes mind. You�ve forced her into this! How could you?� Patrick tried to lunge at Des, but tripped over a shoelace. His would be victim grabbed him as he fell forwards, and righted him �Get your hands off me, you dirty pig!�
�Alright, alright! Thank you too.� Des shook his head in bewilderment. Sheelagh watched all this with a grim look on her weary face.
�Yes Patrick, it is Des I�m leaving you for. ..� The look of complete surprise infuriated her to the extent that she said more than she meant to. �D�you want to know why Patrick? He�s a man=. He know�s how to give me a good time, how to care for me. I�m thinking of me for the first damn time in me life!� Her temper was risen, and there was little could be done to lower it. Des stood near her, wary of another bungled attack from the scorned husband. For some reason he didn�t actually feel like gloating to that sad figure that had slumped to the floor in a sobbing heap.
Tell me it's not true
Though it's here before me...
Sheelagh looked up at Des, proud of the way he had handled the scene. She reached out for his hand, and held it with silent joy.
These are 21 things I want in a lover,
Not necessarily needs, but qualities I prefer
I figure I can describe it since I have a choice in the matter:
These are 21 things I want in a lover
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