Dani held the phone in her hand, anxiously waiting for someone to pick up. Was she just imagining it when she thought Scott felt the same way as her? Was it only her that clicked with him and not the other way around? They were meant to be meeting, Dani had turned up as planned but Scott hadn't showed and she'd been devastated. She had his number and that was it, she didn't know where he stayed or anything. Whatever was the matter, she couldn't do anything about it. Was she about to be let down by a man she thought she trusted, again?
Just as she put the phone back down, a smartly dressed man knocked at the door. Dani was the only one home, Rhys and Shelley were at work and Brodie, Jade and Kirsty were all at school. Dani had been allowed some time off because she was still trying to sort herself out, she would be no use to anyone at school.
Dani cautiously walked to the door and opened it.
"Can I help you?"
"Are you Mrs Sutherland?"
"No, I'm Miss Sutherland."
"Dani?"
"Yeah...how do you know my name?"
"I'm an officer from Woodvale Prison and I'm afraid I have some bad news."
Woodvale Prison, Dani thought. Where Josh was. She didn't want to hear anything about him.
"Look, if this is about Josh, I don't care."
"I think you might want to hear this, Dani."
"I strongly disagree."
"Please, Miss Sutherland, please, just give me a chance."
"Fine."
"Can I come in?"
"Sure, take a seat."
The officer sat down, not wanting to give the news that he'd only been told this morning.
"I'm Officer Brady and I was Josh's personal officer."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that whenever there was a problem with him, I was the one that dealt with it."
"I bet there was loads of them."
He was confused. He was under the perception that Dani was Josh's girlfriend, why was she acting this way?
"I'm afraid that prison life became a bit too much for young Joshua."
"He...he...he escaped? Oh my god, he escaped!"
"No, no, he didn't escape."
"Then what do you mean?"
"He took his own life."
Dani was immediately silenced. Josh...Josh had killed himself. How was she to react to that? A part of her still longed for the Josh who had been so good and so kind to her but then he was so nasty and violent towards her on their last meeting...was she meant to be sad? She just didn't know.
"I'm so sorry, Miss Sutherland."
"I can't believe he would do that, he gave up, he just gave up. Just goes to show that he wasn't the same person anymore. How did he do it?"
"He hanged himself."
"God."
"I'll go now and leave you in peace to take all of this information in."
"What? Oh, right, ok, sorry...bye."
"Oh, one more thing, he left you a letter, it's not been opened or anything."
Officer Brady handed Dani the letter and noticed that her hands were shaking. This wasn't quite the response he'd expected, he'd expected tears, denial, forced blame, but not this, she seemed so controlled. He was left wondering what type of relationship this had been but at least the hard part was over now.
*****
"Miss, can I please go to the toilet?"
"Yes, Kirsty, but be quick, this work is very important."
"Yes, Miss."
Kirsty ran down to the toilet, oddly taking her schoolbag with her. From inside a cubicle, she dialled Kane's number on her mobile, which she'd memorised.
"Pick up, Kane, pick up! Kane, is that you?"
"Of course it is, who else would it be?"
"It's Kirsty."
"Shouldn't you be in school just now?"
"I am."
"Is it break already?"
"No, but I have to get out of here, can I meet you somewhere?"
"You sure you want to leave, that's dogging it, you know."
"I know, but I don't care, I'll just say I felt sick or something."
"If you're sure...meet me at the Wharf in 10minutes."
"Ok, see you then, I love you."
"I love you too, Kirst, I really do."
Both hung up, Kane amazed that Kirsty was willing to do so many things for him. What he had done to deserve her, he didn't know, all he did know was that he NEVER wanted to lose her, EVER!
*****
Dani opened the letter, her hands shaking, making the task so much more difficult. Maybe she shouldn't open it, she thought, what if it was too much, what if she couldn't deal with it? She finally decided that there was only one way to find out if she could.
"Dearest Dani,
I'm probably the last person you want a letter from just now but I had to write you this to say goodbye. I couldn't leave without explaining exactly what happened. I know you've not given a statement yet but hopefully me being gone is enough justice for you.
I did this because I know what I done was wrong. I hurt you and I'm so sorry for that, I just got really mad at Kane and because I couldn't hurt him any longer, you were the next and easy target.
Replaying over and over in my mind is the image of you lying on the floor, blood pouring from your head as I stood above you, threatening to rape you. The look of fear and amazement in your eyes is too much for me to live with and I want you to know that I didn't mean to hurt you. I just snapped and after that, I couldn't help myself.
I had hoped to see you to tell you all of this in person but it looks like it wasn't to be. I want you to get on with the rest of your life and forget all about me, again, I'm sorry, what I did was wrong and I cannot take that back. If I could, you know I would but for now, all I can say is sorry...and goodbye.
Love Josh"
Dani wept as she read the letter, mourning for the respectable, loving guy who Josh could easily have been. From the letter though, Dani felt a sense of peace. She now knew that Josh could no longer hurt her and she had a bit of an understanding as to why he had. What he did would never go away but him going away would make it that little bit easier.
*****
10minutes later, as planned, Kirsty and Kane stood hugging and kissing at the Wharf.
"So, babe, what's up?"
"I just had to get away."
"What from?"
"Everything! Jade and Brodie hate me, they'v been drawing me looks in school all day, Nick is frowning upon me and even Seb is different."
"And Dani?"
"She's not in school, she's still at home trying to sort herself out."
"How is she with you?"
"I don't know. I told her I loved you and she was stunned, said she didn't want to talk."
"She'll come round, your her sister."
"I hope so."
*****
The phone rang and Dani answered, not expecting it to be who it was.
"Hello." she answered, her voice shaky.
"Dani...it's Scott."
He detected the weakness in her voice and realised that something must be wrong.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Normally, she would have told him but he'd stood her up and she wanted to know why.
"Why didn't you show?"
"Oh, yeah, that's why I called, I'm really sorry about that."
"Don't be sorry just tell me why."
"Remember I told you about my mum?"
"Yeah..."
Dani was wondering where this was going.
"Well, since then, Kit and Leo, they've not been the same, just like I haven't but they've taken it worse, especially Kit."
"Ok..."
"She came in today, staggering drunk, vomiting everywhere, crying all the time and I couldn't leave her. Leo wasn't here, he never is so I had to stay with her."
"Aww, Scott, that's ok...how is she?"
"Not good, she won't stop crying."
"Do you need a hand?"
"I don't want to dump all that on you."
"Honestly, I don't mind, it will take my mind off other things."
"Like what?"
"Like the fact that Josh killed himself and gave me a letter apologising and saying goodbye."
"Oh my god!!! Are you ok?"
"Surprisingly, I am, I just don't want to think about it."
"Ok, well, come round, sure."
"I don't know where you stay!"
"Meet me at the Drop-in Centre in 5minutes."
"Ok, see you then."
"Yeah, bye."
They both hung up, Dani finally content that she could trust Scott.
Just as she put the phone back down, a smartly dressed man knocked at the door. Dani was the only one home, Rhys and Shelley were at work and Brodie, Jade and Kirsty were all at school. Dani had been allowed some time off because she was still trying to sort herself out, she would be no use to anyone at school.
Dani cautiously walked to the door and opened it.
"Can I help you?"
"Are you Mrs Sutherland?"
"No, I'm Miss Sutherland."
"Dani?"
"Yeah...how do you know my name?"
"I'm an officer from Woodvale Prison and I'm afraid I have some bad news."
Woodvale Prison, Dani thought. Where Josh was. She didn't want to hear anything about him.
"Look, if this is about Josh, I don't care."
"I think you might want to hear this, Dani."
"I strongly disagree."
"Please, Miss Sutherland, please, just give me a chance."
"Fine."
"Can I come in?"
"Sure, take a seat."
The officer sat down, not wanting to give the news that he'd only been told this morning.
"I'm Officer Brady and I was Josh's personal officer."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that whenever there was a problem with him, I was the one that dealt with it."
"I bet there was loads of them."
He was confused. He was under the perception that Dani was Josh's girlfriend, why was she acting this way?
"I'm afraid that prison life became a bit too much for young Joshua."
"He...he...he escaped? Oh my god, he escaped!"
"No, no, he didn't escape."
"Then what do you mean?"
"He took his own life."
Dani was immediately silenced. Josh...Josh had killed himself. How was she to react to that? A part of her still longed for the Josh who had been so good and so kind to her but then he was so nasty and violent towards her on their last meeting...was she meant to be sad? She just didn't know.
"I'm so sorry, Miss Sutherland."
"I can't believe he would do that, he gave up, he just gave up. Just goes to show that he wasn't the same person anymore. How did he do it?"
"He hanged himself."
"God."
"I'll go now and leave you in peace to take all of this information in."
"What? Oh, right, ok, sorry...bye."
"Oh, one more thing, he left you a letter, it's not been opened or anything."
Officer Brady handed Dani the letter and noticed that her hands were shaking. This wasn't quite the response he'd expected, he'd expected tears, denial, forced blame, but not this, she seemed so controlled. He was left wondering what type of relationship this had been but at least the hard part was over now.
*****
"Miss, can I please go to the toilet?"
"Yes, Kirsty, but be quick, this work is very important."
"Yes, Miss."
Kirsty ran down to the toilet, oddly taking her schoolbag with her. From inside a cubicle, she dialled Kane's number on her mobile, which she'd memorised.
"Pick up, Kane, pick up! Kane, is that you?"
"Of course it is, who else would it be?"
"It's Kirsty."
"Shouldn't you be in school just now?"
"I am."
"Is it break already?"
"No, but I have to get out of here, can I meet you somewhere?"
"You sure you want to leave, that's dogging it, you know."
"I know, but I don't care, I'll just say I felt sick or something."
"If you're sure...meet me at the Wharf in 10minutes."
"Ok, see you then, I love you."
"I love you too, Kirst, I really do."
Both hung up, Kane amazed that Kirsty was willing to do so many things for him. What he had done to deserve her, he didn't know, all he did know was that he NEVER wanted to lose her, EVER!
*****
Dani opened the letter, her hands shaking, making the task so much more difficult. Maybe she shouldn't open it, she thought, what if it was too much, what if she couldn't deal with it? She finally decided that there was only one way to find out if she could.
"Dearest Dani,
I'm probably the last person you want a letter from just now but I had to write you this to say goodbye. I couldn't leave without explaining exactly what happened. I know you've not given a statement yet but hopefully me being gone is enough justice for you.
I did this because I know what I done was wrong. I hurt you and I'm so sorry for that, I just got really mad at Kane and because I couldn't hurt him any longer, you were the next and easy target.
Replaying over and over in my mind is the image of you lying on the floor, blood pouring from your head as I stood above you, threatening to rape you. The look of fear and amazement in your eyes is too much for me to live with and I want you to know that I didn't mean to hurt you. I just snapped and after that, I couldn't help myself.
I had hoped to see you to tell you all of this in person but it looks like it wasn't to be. I want you to get on with the rest of your life and forget all about me, again, I'm sorry, what I did was wrong and I cannot take that back. If I could, you know I would but for now, all I can say is sorry...and goodbye.
Love Josh"
Dani wept as she read the letter, mourning for the respectable, loving guy who Josh could easily have been. From the letter though, Dani felt a sense of peace. She now knew that Josh could no longer hurt her and she had a bit of an understanding as to why he had. What he did would never go away but him going away would make it that little bit easier.
*****
10minutes later, as planned, Kirsty and Kane stood hugging and kissing at the Wharf.
"So, babe, what's up?"
"I just had to get away."
"What from?"
"Everything! Jade and Brodie hate me, they'v been drawing me looks in school all day, Nick is frowning upon me and even Seb is different."
"And Dani?"
"She's not in school, she's still at home trying to sort herself out."
"How is she with you?"
"I don't know. I told her I loved you and she was stunned, said she didn't want to talk."
"She'll come round, your her sister."
"I hope so."
*****
The phone rang and Dani answered, not expecting it to be who it was.
"Hello." she answered, her voice shaky.
"Dani...it's Scott."
He detected the weakness in her voice and realised that something must be wrong.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Normally, she would have told him but he'd stood her up and she wanted to know why.
"Why didn't you show?"
"Oh, yeah, that's why I called, I'm really sorry about that."
"Don't be sorry just tell me why."
"Remember I told you about my mum?"
"Yeah..."
Dani was wondering where this was going.
"Well, since then, Kit and Leo, they've not been the same, just like I haven't but they've taken it worse, especially Kit."
"Ok..."
"She came in today, staggering drunk, vomiting everywhere, crying all the time and I couldn't leave her. Leo wasn't here, he never is so I had to stay with her."
"Aww, Scott, that's ok...how is she?"
"Not good, she won't stop crying."
"Do you need a hand?"
"I don't want to dump all that on you."
"Honestly, I don't mind, it will take my mind off other things."
"Like what?"
"Like the fact that Josh killed himself and gave me a letter apologising and saying goodbye."
"Oh my god!!! Are you ok?"
"Surprisingly, I am, I just don't want to think about it."
"Ok, well, come round, sure."
"I don't know where you stay!"
"Meet me at the Drop-in Centre in 5minutes."
"Ok, see you then."
"Yeah, bye."
They both hung up, Dani finally content that she could trust Scott.