Hello again! I'm sorry it took so long to write another chapter. I have been so busy the last couple of days with work that I didn't have the time and energy to write (after work all I wanted to do was lay in bed all evening, not moving haha).

And "Guest", thank you for your review of the last chapter. Much appreciated!

Anyway, this is the next chapter. I hope all of you like it :) Enjoy!


7th July 2005

"You awful bitch", Elliot Vincent yelled at her, his eyes filled with the all-consuming anger. "You have ruined everything."

And then it happened before she could even think about it. She was always prepared, ready to face the wrath of her husband. He lifted his right hand, ready to cause the uttermost damage, like a wrecking ball demolishing the last standing piece of a building. Every time Elliot would hit her, a little piece of her died. A little piece of her was demolished, eventually tarring her down to ground level.

"You are going to pay for this." Pain spread across her cheek, eventually reaching the rest of her face. She clenched her fists tightly together, feeling how her nails made contact with the palm of her hand. The pain it caused was nothing compared to what Elliot was about to do.

The man, who promised to love her unconditionally, took a step forward, closing the distance between them. In moments like these Elliot only wanted to show his power, that he was in control of not only his life but hers as well. She tried to gain some distance between them again, walking backwards. She stumbled, tripping over the edge of the bed. Slowly she felt herself fall backwards, hitting her head against the wall.

Pain shot through her body, hurting every inch of its content. Elliot just looked at her, a smile scattered across his face. His dark eyes, disguising his amusement caused by her falling down on the ground, no-where to go. She was pushed in a corner, giving Elliot the control over the situation. She tried hard to find a way out, but nothing would be reachable. The corner was closing in on her, like the dark would close in on the day, eventually covering it in its mystery.

The smirk on Elliot's face only got wider. He was enjoying every minute of it, enjoying the fact that she was powerless. There was nothing she could do to. She was trapped with no way out.

She rose up from her bed, small drops of sweat running down her face and neck. Her hand covered her mouth, making sure her scream wouldn't reach Sylvie's ears. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, her head slightly leaning forwards. She breathed in and out. In and out.

It happened almost every night since she lived in her brand new apartment. She would wake up in the middle of the night, her body covered in sweat. It took all of her power to keep it hidden from Sylvie. She needed to be strong, for Sylvie's sake.

Slowly, she felt a tear running down her cheek, dripping on her extra-large, which functioned as her pyjamas. There was still fear present inside of her. The fear that Elliot would come back, would manipulate her into coming back. But she never would, ever. She fought so hard to be free from the chains around her ankles, the ones Elliot put their the moment she had uttered the words: "I do."

She got up from the edge of her bed, making her way to the bathroom. She put her hands on both sides of the sink, feeling the cold, white material it was made off, touching her hand. Finally, she dared herself to look up, meeting the figure staring at her in the mirror. The figure staring at her, the eyes piercing into hers, couldn't be her. It shouldn't be her. She had dark bags under her eyes, her skin was pale.

"Oh, God", she whispered. She closed her eyes, not wanting to look at the dishevelled person staring back at her. "Oh, God", she said. Her two words were followed by a deep sight. She had to stop this. She had to stop letting it dictate her life. She finally was free of Elliot's grip on her life, on her everything. But here she was… Still suffering from the consequences of her decisions. She wanted to move on so desperately. She was trying so hard these past two weeks, but she never had the feeling she did move on. The past was still lingering in her new apartment everywhere she went.

She opened the tap, letting the cold water run out of it like a sluice would open its gates for a passing ship. She caught the running water, halfway through its journey, in her hands before splashing it in her face. She dried it with the closest towel she could find, before she went back to her bedroom.

When she was finally laying in bed, her head rested on her pillow, she dared herself to close her eyes. She just hoped that the rest of the night the nightmares wouldn't accompany the darkness she now surrounded herself with.


"Good morning, Margaret", Grace Carter said to Senior Staff nurse when she stepped out of room, which was her office for a couple of months now. She smoothed her dark blue uniform over before she continued: "How was your evening last night?"

The older woman looked away from the waiting room for the Accident and Emergency department of The Royal London Hospital. "I rather enjoyed myself, yes. It was quite a party. What a shame you couldn't make it."

"I had paperwork to do."

"Well, we missed you last night, Grace." Both of them stopped walking, facing each other. Ever since she got the promotion to Clinical Nurse Manager of this department she never was sure that Margaret meant all the words that were coming out of her mouth. She knew that Margaret always wanted the job. Everyone was surprised when Margaret was passed over for the promotion.

Of course, she never thought she didn't work hard to stand where she stood today. She dedicated her entire life to saving life's. It was something she always wanted to do. But that didn't take away the feeling of guilt. She felt guilty that she had gotten the promotion instead of Margaret, who took her under her wing when she had no-where to go.

She adjusted the stethoscope, who was wrapped around her neck like her favourite scarf she wore in the winter. "Grace?" She turned around and saw Helen Jesmond, one of the nurses, make her way towards them. "Mr. Purbright called. He wants to meet you in his office right away."

"All right, then", she said. "Margaret, could you make sure that Foley takes Mr. Crecy up to the ward?" When she didn't respond to her, she smiled like she would often do after she'd given the order, to soften it. Like the smile would make the situation easier, like it would wash away the guilt she had been carrying ever since the promotion.

"Of course."

"Thank you."

She made her way towards the stare case, mentally preparing herself for the conversation she was about to have. She knew what her boss Charles Purbright wanted them to talk about. It had always something to do with budget cuts and a possibility of firing someone of the current staff. She knew what the job description was of Clinical Nurse Manager, she read it thoroughly when she applied for it, but she never hoped the day would come she had to think about who she might fire.

When she reached the office of Charles Purbright, she knocked on the door. The knuckles produced hollow sound when they touched the wooden door. "Come in", the voice behind the door said. She breathed in, straightened her back before entering his office.


Sylvie put her hand into hers when she saw the train arriving at King Cross Station. The colours red, white and blue of the carriages passed her with great speed, until the train eventually stopped. She started to walk towards the train and moved aside, so the passengers could get out.

She was on her way with Sylvie to visit her mother in the nursing home she had been staying at. Ever since her father died a few years back her mother stayed at a nursing home. Her father had been taking care of her, not once letting the clinical picture of ALS get in his way of taking care of his wife. He had been taking care of her ever since this awful disease was part of her life, slowly destroying her from the inside until she would eventually die.

It was so sudden when the hospital called, saying her father had a heart attack and was admitted in the local hospital. No-one, not even the doctor, had predicted that he would eventually succumb to it. He had been so full of life, so full of love, especially when it came down to taking care of her mother. And now, now she was surrounded by strangers, helped by strangers. She thought the only that could make the life of her mother better, was when she visited her as much as she could. Bringing Sylvie with her as much as she could, since the sight of her only granddaughter brought the joy back in her mother's eyes. Even if it was only brief.

She took a deep breath before boarding the waiting train, sitting herself down on the dark blue chairs, who were positioned on both sides of the carriage. Today she would finally tell her mother that she and Elliot had separated and that she filed for divorce. Her mother had been so proud of her for marrying into a wealthy family, getting the man every girl wanted. She wasn't sure how her mother would take the news. She hoped she wouldn't be too disappointed.

She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't notice Sylvie was proudly showing her new doll to the woman sitting next to them. "Sylvie", she said. "Don't bother this nice lady."

The woman looked up from her smiling daughter and produced a smile herself. "I don't mind, really. I love children, always have."

The woman returned her attention to Sylvie and said: "Hello, my name is Flora. What is your name?"

"Sylvie."

"Sylvie?", Flora said. "Wow, that is a really beautiful name."

"Thank you", Sylvie said, a bright smile scattered across her face, making the freckles on her face more present. Her chocolate brown eyes shined in the light provided by the fluorescent lights. "Flora is pretty too."

"And does she have a name too?" Flora asked, before she pointed her finger at the doll Sylvie had been holding the entire journey from Dalston Junction tube station.

Kitty looked away, tuning out of the conversation between Sylvie and Flora. It was rare for her to meet someone who was genuinely nice to them, expecting nothing in return. She was always wary of people paying attention to Sylvie, especially if it could ruin what they build in the past two weeks.

All of a sudden there was a loud bang, like a thunderstorm would produce in the never ending sky with its dark clouds. She saw a bright, orange light across from her, only a few inches away. A unexplainable force threw her against the back of carriage. Her head collapsed against the window of the train, sending a great amount of pain through the rest of her body.

And then, then there was darkness. She felt Sylvie's body resting in her lap, not moving.


So, what do you think? I hope you've all enjoyed it and it would make me a very, very happy person if you would review it. So please, hit that little button down there. It only makes me add another chapter to this much faster!