Silvertroll

Saltash

Each time the phone dials out, Alicia hits the redial icon. She sees no other alternative but to keep calling her husband. No longer is she angry with him. Stubborn and selfish as he has become, Nathan's still the only one who can ease her pain.

Not her dad.

Not her friends.

She doesn't despise her dependency on him, having depended on the man for most of her adult life. They married young, barely out of their teens, and never looked back. They were the perfect fit for each other, taking it for granted, and now that the chips are down, her panic, her fear of going through this alone, gnaws at her heart.

As the lights dim in the hospital, Alicia roams the quiet corridors listening to her phone dial out. After a long wait, she hangs up and walks back towards the ward.

Her phone rings. She answers it hastily, not even looking at the phone to see who it is.

"It's me."

Instant relief. "Nathan. Can we talk?"

"Ah... Sure."

"I know what you're going through. I understand. It's... okay to think that this is some kind of..." She can't bring herself to say it.

"Some kind of what?"

"That it could have been more than just an accident. It's okay to believe it." Her eyes well up. "It's okay to believe that."

There's a long pause, "That's over with." says Nathan, "I'm slowly coming to terms with what's happened."

The news is like a cool wave of relief. "So, no more theories."

There's silence.

She could guess why. "Detective Bailey briefed me about it."

"She told you?"

"She had to," she explains. "I... Want to believe it too. I want to be on your side, but it hurts too much. Just the thought of..."

Nathan interrupts her, "It was just me not accepting what happened to our little boy. I'm not all there yet, but I'm accepting it, even though I don't want to. It is what it is."

Alicia's eyes light up. "Can you come home?"

"Yes, but there's still a small loose end that I need to take care of."

Alicia is unable to diffuse her fury, "What does that even mean?"

"I'll see you after tonight. I promise."

The call ends.

Alicia looks at her phone, unsure what to make of it, "He's unbelievable," she says as she grabs a soft drink from the vending machine. She hears commotion coming from the elevators. Alicia takes a few steps when Bailey walks past the intersecting corridor with two other uniforms.

Alicia rushes past the reception desk and into a hallway. She sees the three cops interacting with Jonathan Saltash and a lawyer type. Neither party is happy. She walks towards the room, and stops next to the fish tank, close enough to discern what they are saying.

"I don't need to answer any of your questions," Saltash yells.

Bailey replies, "We can do this here or we can do this someplace else."

"We're not doing this at all," growls Saltash, his anger visible in his face.

A woman's voice wails, crying out the words, "She's awake."

Alicia moves closer. She sees the cops attempting to enter the room. Saltash stands in their way hollering, "Get back."

"Oh my God, she is awake.".

"Mr. Saltash. Step aside," orders Bailey.

The standoff devolves into a scuffle with the cops wrestling with Saltash and his lawyer. "Leave my fucking daughter alone," he roars but he's forced into the room.

Alicia rushes to the door. She sees Heather on the bed, awake and in tears.

Bailey confronts the mother, "Mrs Saltash. Your daughter's been out of a coma for days. Now step aside."

Beth turns to her husband, "Is that true?"

"Yes is it," says Bailey. "We suspect your husband and your daughter are trying to avoid being questioned about the accident."

Saltash yells, "Get the fuck out."

Sobbing, Heather screams over the top of them all, "It was not an accident."

The police move forward. Saltash tackles them, yelling, "Get out."

"It was not an accident," cries Heather as she continues sobbing.

Alicia turns and walks away from the room, leaving the mayhem to play out. She realises she can't breathe, so she heads for the stairs, looking for the shortest route to the outside. She gets there via the emergency ward, walking past the frantic ambulance paramedics and out under the night sky, only to discover that her shock still prevents her lungs from gasping for air.