Missing Martha

40

When they arrived in Lyon, Martin pulled in at a car park and rested his arms and his head on the top of the steering wheel, sighing and closing his eyes before he, with as much energy as he could muster, leaned back against his seat and opened the door and walked out.
"Right!" He exclaimed, "let's get food I'm starving!"
"Better you taking about food than drink." Muttered Zoe.
Martin looked at Zoe with a confused gaze, "what?" He asked, as the other five decided to remain on the other side of the van to avoid involvement.
Zoe looked down, "sorry.." she sighed, "we need to talk."
"Yeh." He agreed, looking in disgust at her before he took out his wallet and flicked out €60 in €20 notes and passed them subtly to Ryan, "find a restaurant and text me where it is, I'll meet you there. Money's just in case."
Ryan nodded, "Yup." He replied, taking the money and putting it in his wallet.

Martin saw them go before he climbed back into the back seats of the van and saw Zoe sitting on the bed.
"What's going on? You were literally fine half an hour ago."
"Martin what am I to you?" Asked Zoë, disregarding Martin's question.
Martin narrowed his eyes, tilting his head slightly, "a- a colleague? A friend? And.. I don't know but I thought something more." He told her.
Zoe looked down, taking a deep breath, "tell me what you know about Alex." She said.
Martin shook his head, standing up, "No. No I haven't got time for this. There are five kids that we've got to look after and I'm not making you my priority. If you don't want to play along then go."
Zoe stood up, "I was at your wedding. I was a mutual friend of Emily." She told him, her eyes red.
Martin turned back and sat down again, facing her. "Why didn't I see you? Why hadn't I ever seen you?"
"Was never really around, I just went out with her and the girls.. she cheated on you, Martin." She said,
"I know she did." He replied with a harsh undertone.
"But.. she cheated on you all the time.. we were out the night before your wedding, and she was with some guy.."
Martin felt his stomach drop, he had seen the letter that Emily had written for him, he had seen the messages from her phone.. she loved him, at least, he thought she did.
"Emily's business is none of mine." Sighed Martin, putting his feet up on another seat.
"It is if you still love her." She told him.
"What has it got to do with you?!" He shouted, the anger building up inside him.
"I can't be with you if you still love her."
Martin looked into Zoe's eyes, "I'm beginning to think you knew exactly who I was when I came back into school." He said,
"I didn't." She told him, "I promise you."
"You seem to know a whole lot about me and I know so little about you." He said.
"Grew up in Cardiff, got a brother and two sisters, all older. Got a dad, he's got dementia. That's me." She said, bluntly.
"I'm sorry." Added Martin.
"How did your parents die?" Asked Zoë.
"Brain tumour. Both of them. Mum died six months after dad." Said Martin, with a stoic face.
"I'm so sorry." Said Zoe,
Martin shook his head, "what about your mum?"
"She was a smoker.. died of lung cancer when I was thirteen." She said, biting her lip.
"Shit, Zoe I'm sorry, I didn't know." Apologised Martin, feeling awful.
"It's alright.." she replied.
They remained silent for several seconds before Martin sat beside Zoe.
"Can I just say something?" He asked Zoë, facing her.
Zoe nodded in response,
"I've only fallen in love with one person in my whole life, and that person is you." He looked down and took her wrists, "I don't want this to end here."
"Nor do I." Said Zoe, looking into his eyes before looking down towards his lips and kissing him.
"Problem solved?" Asked Martin, pulling away, his hands brushing through Zoe's hair as she buried her head into his chest as they embraced.
Martin noticed his phone flash as he wrapped his arms around Zoe. It was a text from Ryan saying the name of their restaurant.
You guys good?
Martin, kissing Zoe's head, opened up his phone and replied.
Be there in 10 :)
He leant back against the bed as Zoë lay beside him, looking up at him, "still can't believe you bought a Martin guitar." She giggled, with both her hands on his chest.
Martin chuckled as she kissed him again, "school trip." He said, feeling so much brighter,
"That's certainly not what you thought at 4am." She said,
"Shh." He laughed, stroking her cheek.

The five students sat by a table, they had ordered cold drinks and were sitting outside in the sun when they noticed Martin and Zoe walking towards them, constantly in conversation.
"'Ello." Greeted Ollie pulling out a chair for them.
"Hi guys.. nice place." Complimented Martin, letting Zoe sit down first before he sat on the wooden chair, clutching his upper abdomen where he was stabbed two days prior.
"You okay?" Asked Cloda, noticing this.
"Yeah it's alright." He replied, exhaling and settling into the seat before a French lady walked up to the table asking for drinks,
"It'll have to be water won't it?" Sighed Martin, "du l'eau." He told the waitress.
"Et moi, merci." Added Zoë, smiling.
After the waitress left Martin noticed Ryan sitting with his eyes wide but he seemed to be motionless.
"Ryan?" Asked Martin, making everyone look, but Ryan didn't flinch. "Ryan? You okay?"
Zoe stood up and walked around to the other side of the table, kneeling down beside Ryan and putting her gentle hands on his wrists. Shaking her head, "we need to get him to a hospital or something." All of a sudden Zoe felt Ryan shaking slightly,
"What's happening to him?" Asked Lucy, standing up and putting her hands on his shivering arms.
"Martin he's about to have a fit." She told him, her face turning white.
Martin immediately stood up and walked over, "Ryan?" He called, biting his lip when his only response was in jittering movements.
"You guys find out where the nearest doctors or hospital is here." Instructed Martin to Ollie, Cloda and Jemma.
But Ollie stood transfixed, looking over at his best friend.
"Ryan.." he moaned, his brown eyes wide.
Jemma instinctively took Ollie's hand, whispering to him, "it's gonna be okay.."
Martin looked up and immediately made eye contact with Ollie, his gaze was a warzone, there was nowhere to run or hide, Martin saw that fear.
"He said it was his head." Said Ollie, "couple nights he was in a lot of pain. Says the migraines have been going on for a while."
Martin and Zoe looked at each other with immediate worry, coming to the same terrifying assumption.
Suddenly an outburst of energy in Ryan shocked both Martin and Zoe who were supporting him. Ryan began to cry, he was panicking, his eyes were barely open, he seemed to moan something, "Nie chcę umrzeć. Proszę, nie pozwól mi umrzeć."
Zoe looked over to Lucy who was shivering in the shock, signalling for her to help.
"Pomóż mi. Proszę pomóż mi." He muttered again, no one understood what he was saying.
"Ryan." Soothed Lucy, putting her hands on his cheeks and stroking them gently with her thumb as tears subsided in her eyes. "I've got you." She whispered, mimicking what Ryan had whispered to her the previous day. The rallentando proceeded. Ryan slowly settled as Ollie took a step foreword and kneeled beside Lucy, putting one hand on her shoulder and another on Ryan's. "We're here for you mate." He said. Wishing he'd bothered to at least learn a word of polish as that was obviously the language that Ryan had been gasping in.
"Nearest hospital is thirty miles away, other side of the city." Said Cloda, her mind focused on Ryan as his twitching hand moved up to his eyes and covered them as he tried to come to terms with what was happening.
Martin took in what Cloda had said by nodding before he put a hand on Ryan's back.
"Let's get back to the van." Said Martin, "Cloda, pull twenty quid out of my wallet and put it on the table." He pointed to the old leather wallet. Cloda opened it, glimpsing shortly at the photo of Martha before opening up the larger pocket of the wallet and pulling out twenty euro before closing it immediately and placing the note on the table, putting an ashtray on top to keep it there.