Phoenixglow005: Thank you. I miss Bea and absolutely adored her and Alicia's friendship. Thank you for your review.

Chapter Five

Alicia was up bright and early the next morning.

Bea found her at the table in the kitchen, with a steaming cup of tea in her hands. She was still in her pyjamas and slippers, her hair was tied up into a messy bun, and she had huge bags under her eyes. There was no sign of Lily.

"I'm worried about you," Bea whispered. "How long have you been up for?"

"A while," Alicia answered and placed her mug down. "Lily's still asleep."

Bea nodded and asked, "What time do you start work?"

"I'm not going today." Alicia shook her head. "Mrs Beauchamp is coming round to check on Lily, and um...So are the police. They want to talk to her about what happened."

"Will she tell them though?" Bea asked and shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, she's barely said a word to us. Alicia, she...I don't think she's ready to talk to the police."

"No," Alicia sighed and a small tear rolled down her right cheek. "And I don't think so either, but what can we do Bea? The police need to know at the end of the day, and...Well...We can't let people get away with this. She's lost a whole year of her life."

Bea nodded and rubbed her hands together. Was she scared or anxious? Was she trying to keep warm? She wasn't sure. She didn't know anything anymore.

"What do you think happened?" Bea asked.

"We know what happened, Bea," Alicia said. "She was held hostage and..."

"Yes, I know," Bea cut her off quickly. "But...What do you think happened during that time?"

"I don't think I even want to imagine that right now," Alicia choked out, as she began to sob.

"I want to see her," Iain said, as he sat in the back of the ambulance with his hands over his face. "I need to see her. It's not fair!" He shouted and punched the side of it with his fist. "I should have known! Why didn't I know?"

Sam sat opposite him with her legs crossed. She wished that she could turn back time and do something. She wished that she could think of the right words to say to Iain. She wished that she could help in some way. As the two of them sat there with only the sounds of Iain's sobs to fill the silence, Gem turned up.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay," she said to her brother.

"Does it look like I am?" He mumbled. "I should have known something was up."

"You weren't to know," Gem said. "Don't blame yourself for this, Iain."

Iain sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve. He looked as if he hadn't slept in years. Tears filled his eyes, his hair was a mess, and his uniform was stained. Gem hated to see her big brother and best friend in such a state.

"I just want to see her," he said.

"Connie said you could when things have settled down," Gem said and went to sit down beside him. "Maybe not today though, yeah?"

"Yeah," Sam sighed. "I heard the police are going round today to talk to her. Too many people might overcrowd her a bit."

"You could ask Connie to pass a message onto her," Gem suggested. "It might make her feel slightly better, you know, knowing that you're there for her?"

Iain nodded and ran a hand through his hair. Gem reached across and gave his shoulder a comforting rub, before leaning her head against him. Sam just watched them from a distance and stayed silent.

"Well, you look a lot brighter already," Connie said, as she placed a hand on Lily's forehead. "Alicia said you didn't sleep too well last night. How are you feeling?" She removed her hand and looked to Lily for an answer, but she just stayed silent. "Talk to me," she whispered and gave her a gentle nudge.

Lily flinched and shook her head. Alicia stood in the doorway, now dressed, but with another cup of tea.

"Lily," the policewoman spoke as gently as she possibly could to her. She'd had tonnes of experience and she knew how frightening situations like that could be. "Are you able to tell me what happened? I know you're scared, but we need as much information as possible so that we can help you."

She crouched down in front of Lily who was sat on the bed with Connie, and smiled kindly.

"Leave me alone," Lily sobbed and flinched away from her.

"Come on, sweetheart," Connie spoke, as Lily shifted her body further along the bed to get away from them. "Come here."

"No!" Lily screamed and pushed Connie, so that she almost fell off the bed. "Go away! I...I c...Can't breathe properly."

Alicia couldn't bear to watch the scene for much longer. Lily was obviously distressed and the constant questions were only making her feel worse. She knew how it felt, but Connie and the policewoman had never been through anything so traumatic.

Had they?

"Stop!" She yelled. "Can't you see how much this is upsetting her?"

"Alicia," Connie spoke sternly. "I know it's hard, but the police need to be aware of the matter."

"I can always come back another time," the policewoman said. "Or later on today, if it's too much for her."

"The thing is," Connie whispered, and looked towards Lily who appeared to be in a trance. "If she doesn't speak now, I don't know if she ever will. Things aren't going to change overnight, but you need a statement and Leigh-Anne can't possibly get away with this."

"Who did you say found her?" The policewoman then asked.

"Ethan Hardy," Connie said. "He's one of our doctor's at the ED."

"We would need to speak to him as well, so maybe I could go there first and come back," she suggested. "I want Lily to feel comfortable."

"Sure," Connie sighed and looked towards Lily. She wished she could help. "I can take you there now."

Lily shook her head and grabbed hold of Connie's arm. She couldn't bear to be left alone, and having Connie there as well as Alicia comforted her. It made her feel better.

"Don't worry," the policewoman said and pulled a small card out of her pocket. She handed it to Connie and said, "I can make my own way there. Take my card though, in case you need me."

Connie nodded and glanced at the name on the card. Fern Battersea.

"Thank you," Connie whispered.

"I'll show you out," Alicia offered and disappeared from the doorway.

Fern nodded and said a small 'goodbye' to Lily and Connie, before she followed. Connie sighed deeply and slipped the card into her pocket. She looked at Lily and small tears filled her eyes.

"What are we going to do with you?" She asked. "I'm so sorry, Lily."

Lily shrugged her shoulders and hugged her knees to her chest.

Sorry it's been a while since I've updated. I've not been feeling myself lately at all, but I'm pleased to have finally posted a new chapter. Thank you to those who are still reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. More to come soon x