Chapter Seven – Hospitals and Townhouses

I had this dream last night, me and Bren are together and I can feel him next to me, we are walking along a cobbled street littered with pieces of paper, I try but I can't catch them. I struggle to breathe as I get closer to the end of the street and eventually collapse on the ground out of exhaustion – next thing I know I'm here, in this bed with a temperature of seventy.


Nathan and I have been searching tirelessly for two days straight and tension is beginning to show between the others. Conker constantly asks questions about the reasons behind our search and I can tell it is getting on Nathan's nerves, he wants to tell everyone everything but he can't for the sake of Steven's safety and our own.

"Oi Nay!" Red shouts. "Think I found sumant'"

Everyone rushes over to find Red standing before a blue hooded jacket – Steven's blue hooded jacket to be more precise.

"Is it his?" Nay asks calmly.

"Yer" I nod "It's his" I can feel myself losing control and I know Nathan can sense it so he pulls me to the side of the wall away from the others.

"Oi, it's ok" He says reassuringly. "Ste's gonna be fine cos we gonna find him before sumant bad happens ok?"

I know shouldn't believe him but I do. I need to. Because if anything has happened to Steven then it will be entirely my fault because I wasn't there to protect him.


"Mr Hay?" I hear piercing through my eardrums. "MR HAY! Are you awake?"

I open my eyes slowly to see a tall, big built man standing before me. He's dressed in a bagging red polo shirt with the words "Hackney Hospital Porter Service" embroidered on the top left hand side. I twitch my hand to signal I'm awake.

"You ready?" He asks, smiling slightly at me.

"Ready for what?" I'm confused, that dream has knocked me sideways.

"To be transferred to the other hospital"

"What hospital am I going to?"

"It's a specialist burns unit in Cardiff"

"Cardiff?" Since when the hell has this hospital been in Cardiff?

"Yeah and I've been contracted by the hospital to take you"

"Right…" There is something seriously dodgy about this man – I am not going anywhere with him…


"Any news?" I ask Nathan as he walks through the door of the townhouse – our base camp for operation find Steven, I did tell you it was all very Ocean's Eleven.

"No sorry Bren" He shuffles forward to the kitchen table and slings himself loosely on a chair.

"Brendan, only Steven calls me Bren" I say correcting him.

"Oh sorry" He seems sincere so I accept it with a nod.

We sit in silence for a bit, reading the papers and drinking tea before Nathan asks me…

"So how long have you and Ste been together?"

I'm kind of shocked at his question. I didn't think Nathan was the sort of person to talk about relationships – especially not mine and Steven's, but I answer because I want to talk about him.

"Couple of years"

"Cool. And it's been what, plain sailing, love at first sight?" He smiles.

"No. Nothing like that. It's been difficult" I pause, reflecting on my words. "But worth every minute" I smile nervously.

"Brendan?"

"Huh" I look up into the youthful face of Nathan. He reminds me of Steven; maybe that's why I feel so at peace with him.

"We will find him and the people who dared take him, and we will get justice and everything will be ok" His eyes are honest. He's done this before; I can tell.

"Yer" I agree, slowly raising my head.

"Brendan, will you tell him bout me?"

"Do ye want me to?

"He's made it this far without me… I don't know if he needs me"

"I think what you gotta ask yerself is; do you need him?"

"Why would I need him?"

"Closure?"


"What's ya name?" I ask the porter.

"Geris" He replies without hesitation.

"Geris?" I reply quizzically.

"Yeah" He eyes shift uncomfortably around the room.

"Geris did I ever tell you about my friend?"

"No cos I've only just met you" He smiles quickly but I return it with a cold stare.

"Well me friend runs his own business ya see and well I'm kinda important in his business and see if I go missin' me friend is gonna come lookin, and if I'm not there then he's gonna find the last person who was with me and well… I'll leave you to imagine how the story ends"

He gulps.

"Anything you care to share Geris?" I smile menacingly.

"I'm not really a porter"

"Well I could have told you that much. Anything else?"

"I was hired to take you away from here so that they couldn't find you but they would come running"

"Who are ya talking bout Geris?"

"This bloke called Carmichael, he's after your partner"

"Who Brendan?"

"Yeah and he will stop at nothing to get him…"