Incomplete chapter 1
Dillon sat down on the sofa, waiting anxiously for the phone to ring. It would either be the police,friends from work or even Lara. Lara had been missing for a week now, and the police were already searching for her, talking to friends, tracing all her phone calls etc. They'd even searched through her stuff, papers,letters,emails and anything else which might help them with their search. DI Manson, who was in charge, asked Dillon for a recent photo, so they know what she looked like and could be used in house to house searches, and appeals. Dillon looked through photo albums, and when he got to one page, he smiled for the first time that week. On that page there was photos from last christmas, and there was one particular photo, where Lara was smiling, surrounded by presents, with the christmas tree in the background. He carefully removed it from the album, and handed it to DI Manson, who promised that he will find her. He also said that they will be assigning a family liason officer so that he won't be on his own. Dillon put his head in his hands & stared blankly at the photo album on the coffee table, Lara's mobile sitting there, staring at him, Dillon was hoping that she'd be found soon, so she could come back to him, and she'd be safe, surrounded by her friends and those who care. He picked it up, after all, the police had finished tracing the calls, many of which had been to Dillon or to friends, and there was no cause for concerns there. He looked back at the photo, and wiped a tear away from his eye. She looked like a million dollars, she meant the world to him, and the photos brought back a lot of happy memories.
Meanwhile, all the staff at the ED were all concerned. They all wanted Lara back safe and sound, back where she belongs, with Dillon. Some of the staff, including Paramedics Nikki and Luke, Staff Nurse Anna and Registrar Simon had all joined in the search, as they were all close to her, and would do whatever it takes to find her. They all knew that it was out of character for her, and this caused them to be distracted and unable to work properly, so Josh, Charlie and Harry suggested that they took time off and joined in the search, and helped the police. They were all extremely concerned for her, as they'd all heard various stories. They also took it in turns to go and sit with Dillon, as they all knew that he shouldn't be on his own. They all waited anxiously for any news, as did everyone else, but they were all williing to join in the search. Lara was more than a colleague; she was a good friend and well liked; this was a shock to everyone, especially those closest to her.
Back at home Dillon hoped that she would be found soon; it was her birthday soon and he desperately wanted her back; it had only been a week since she disappeared, but it seemed like eternity. He flicked through the photo album that was lying on the table, and looked at them. It wasn't long though before they brought a tear to his eye, which he wiped away. He heard a knock on the door, and he hesitantly went to answer it, thinking that it could be Lara, but instead it was Nikki and Anna, who had come to stay with him. He said " I wish she'd come back It's only been a week and I miss her alot" Dillon struggled to hold back the tears but was defeated as the tears started flowing, which prompted Nikki to give him a hug, while Anna made cups of tea and coffee for them. Anna asked which mugs to use, to which Dillon replied "Anyone but the Eeyore one that one's Lara's. She's fussy about things like that." He smiled, and went to put the photo album back in the box with all their special stuff, such as Lara's grade 2 certificate, pictures, even a small teddy bear that Dillon had got for her when she passed her exams. He moved a pile of papers out of the way, and got out a small blue box, and opened it slowly. Nikki said "Wow that's gorgeous!" To which Dillon replied " I was going to take her out for a meal on her birthday, then I was going to propose to her she'd have said yes I know it." Nikki wiped a tear away from her eye and said " She will say yes I know she will, trust me they will find her, I promise" He picked up the small brown teddy bear and held it tightly, reading the tag that hung from his ear, which read "To Lara I'm so proud of you darlingwell done! Lots of Love, Dillon xxx" He placed it carefully onto the table, and Anna came over with the drinks, but Dillon didn't want his, and he said that he wasn't thirsty. He got up, and walked into the bedroom, and looked around. There was so much that reminded him of Lara her clothes, make up- even the bed reminded him of her. Anna came in after him, and said "She'll be ok I know it the police will find her." Dillon sat down on the bed and said "I know the police are doing a fantastic job looking for her, but there's so many things I don't know. I mean what if she's having to sleep rough, or she's being held against her will by a group of people who might hurt her, or what if she's lying unconscious somewhere, or what if it's the worst case scenario, and she's..." Dillon broke down in tears, burying us head in Anna's shoulder, he then said "All I want is for her to come home...She's my whole world..I don't know what I'd do without her" Just then the phone rang, and Dillon hesitantly answered it,"Hello?" "Hi Dillon it's Di Manson, look we've found a piece of women's clothing, and we need you to try and identify it, look I know this is hard..."He was interrupted by "Where was it found?" "Up at the Industrial estate, but we can't say that it is Lara's, that's why we need to..." "Yes,of course, I'll do it." "OK, I'll get one of my officers to bring it round to yours, It'll be about 30 mins tops." "Ok" Dillon put the phone down and sighed. Nikki asked enquiringly "What is it Dillon?" Dillon wiped a tear away before saying " They've found a piece of women's clothing up on the industrial estate. They want me to identify it." "Oh mate" Anna said, before looking at her watch, "Look I'd better be off, I've got to talk to the police. They're talking to everyone in the department." "Ok thanks Anna don't say anything not until we're sure." She agreed, and, with that, she said her goodbyes, and left.
Dillon asked Nikki if she could stay and she said yes, much to Dillon's relief. They waited anxiously for the police to arrive. "Nikki.." "Yeah.." "If the piece of clothing is Lara's.. then what is it doing up at the industrial estate? She never goes up there.." Nikki ressured him, and said that, if it happened to blong to Lara, then there would be a good explanation. Half an hour later, there was a knock at the door. Nikki went to answer it, as Dillon couldn't face it. Sure enough, true to word, DI Manson accompanied by PC Valentine and PC Stamp. PC Stamp said " Hi..we need Dillon to identify an item of clothing,..." Nikki smiled and said " Come in, he's just through there." They walked into the Living room, where DI Manson sat down and said "Look I know how hard this must be for you, but we need to know if this item of clothing belongs to Lara" PC Stamp handed it to DI Manson, who placed it onto the coffee table and said "This was found today over at the industrial estate, could this belong to Lara?" Dillon picked it up and looked at it carefully before noticing that it definately was Laras. He took a deep breath before saying " Yeah this is hers...she wore this a few days ago... it's her favourite coat." Nikki looked over at him and said " Well done Dillon you did great." Dillon sighed and said "So what'll happen now?" All the policemen looked at each other and PC Valentine said "Well we'll get this examined for DNA and we'll get some people together and we'll search the industrial estate, to see if we can find any more clues that might help us." Without hesitation Dillon said " Can we help? I want to be there if you find anything." PC Stamp said "Of course... We'll let you know beforehand and we'll pick you up and take you there personally" "Thanks" "Just doing our job...I know we keep saying it but we will find her...I promise..." PC Stamp said.. "It's looking hopeful"
Dillon struggled to understand, as did Nikki, who said.."I don't understand...why would Lara be at the Industrial Estate.. I don't get it" Dillon wondered.. "Why? I don't understand... could she be lying unconscious somewhere? She could be dying for all we know and we're all sitting here talking about it..." The anger was beginning to show in his voice, as was the evergrowing concerns. Nikki sensed this and piped up "If she is then I'm sure that they'd find her.." Dillon buried his head in his hands and said "Whatever happened to the calm before the storm eh?" and he managed a weak smile. Just then PC Stamp's phone rang, and so he stepped outside to answer it. A few minutes later he came back in, and said that he'd got to go back to the station, as he and PC Valentine and DI Manson were needed elsewhere. They promised to keep them updated and they went, leaving Dillon and Nikki by themselves. Dillon sat there, in complete astonishment, struggling to take in what had been said. Nikki decided it would be best if Dillon spent some time alone, so he could get his head around what has been said. Meanwhile Nikki went outside to phone the department, as they wanted to be kept informed. She spoke to Charlie, as Harry was in Recus, and so was Simon. Nikki explained what had happened and Charlie said that he'd be happy to join in the search, if she let him know the details. She agreed, and asked how everyone was. Charlie said that everyone was pretty much too distracted to work, so they're trying to carry on as best as they could. He also asked after Dillon, to which Nikki replied " He's in pieces Charlie, he hasn't eaten or slept in days, and he's thinking about all the what if's, he's crying all the time and I'm really worried about him." Charlie offered all his support, and said that he'd be round later. Once the phone call had ended, emotion finally took control and she broke down, Dillon heard her crying and went outside, where they sat down on the garden bench, where they both had a good well deserved cry.