Rainy Days and Mondays – Part 2
Charlie whimpered slightly as she was loaded into the back of an ambulance, clutching Mickey's hand tightly.
"We'll see you down there..." Yvonne said, resting a hand on Honey's back as she retched again.
Mickey nodded and climbed up, sitting opposite Charlie and stroking her hand.
Cass wiped her eye as the ambulance pulled away. "What happened....?" She said, watching it drive away.
Nick sighed and hugged her, resting his head on hers. "She probably came out to ring Smiffy..." he shrugged.
"But her top..." Cass blinked. "And her bag....she didn't have her bag or her coat...."
Nick squeezed her gently and stuck his arm out as the large black cab pulled up, helping Cass and the rest of the girls inside.
"Come on Charlie...." Smiffy sighed, tapping his pen against his desk. He rolled his eyes as the home answer-phone cut in and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You're either in bed already...or went back in for another drink, and not home yet..." he chuckled. "And knowing you, I reckon we can believe it's the last one...Anyway, I should be home in just over an hour.....I'll bring a takeaway in with me...ring me back if you get this and want one too...see you later..." he said, hanging up.
"Has anyone rang Smiffy...?" Gary asked, looking round at the others as the cab sped through Canley.
The others looked at each other and all shook their heads. "Maybe Mickey has?" Honey offered.
Yvonne shook her head. "He didn't while we were back there...and he wouldn't have been able to in the ambulance..."
Nick frowned as all eyes fell on him. "What?" he sighed, already pulling his phone out.
"You wouldn't want to hear from a nurse..." Yvonne said, gently patting his shoulder.
"Wouldn't want to hear at all..." he sighed, dialing Smiffy's number.
Charlie closed her eyes as the ambulance pulled up outside the hospital and looked back as the paramedics opened the doors and took her out. "Mickey." She whimpered softly, gripping his hand tighter.
"It's alright....I'm still here..." he soothed, walking alongside of her as far as he could as they took her through.
"Don't leave me..." she cried as the paramedics stopped Mickey from entering the treatment room.
"I won't go anywhere....I'll get Smiffy..." He promised, wincing as she started crying harder. "You'll be ok Chaz..." he promised. "You will!"
Mickey leant against the wall as she disappeared from his sight and pulled out his phone, switching it on, and apologising to the nurse who told him he couldn't use it inside. He glanced back and hurried over to the main entrance, standing outside and dialing Smiffy's mobile number, cursing as it was already engaged.
Smiffy smirked as he saw Nick's name flashing on the display and pulled his phone out, leaning against the desk. "Don't tell me..." he sighed softly. "She's got herself paralytic again hasn't she...."
Nick bit his lip and stared ahead as Cass gently rubbed his arm. "I er...Are you busy?"
"Busy?" Smiffy frowned. "This isn't another one of your jokes Nick is it?" he asked skeptically.
"No mate, it...it's Charlie...she's in hospital..."
Smiffy's face drained of colour and he clutched the desk for support. "But...how?" he asked quietly.
"We left the pub.." Nick said quietly. "And we found her...she was in the alley beside it..."
"The alley?" Smiffy blinked. "Did she have too much to drink or something?" he asked, already sprinting through to Gina's office.
"No, she....she was attacked..." Nick sighed. "Mickey's gone with her in the ambulance...we're on our way there now..."
"Attacked..." Smiffy choked, missing the rest of what Nick said. "I'm on my way.." he said, hanging up and giving Gina the basics, before running out to his car.
Charlie pulled her top around her as a nurse came over to her and smiled gently. "Don't mind about them...." she said, gesturing to the doctors, her tone light and friendly.
Charlie swallowed and gave her details to the nurse, explaining what had happened as best she could, skimming over the details of the rape.
The nurse smiled sympathetically and nodded in all the right places. "Is there anything else you want to add...?" the nurse smiled, not wanting to push her.
Charlie nodded slowly biting her lip, the tears spilling from her eyes as the nurse gently smiled at her. "I..." she sniffed and took a breath."I was raped.....they had a knife....I couldn't get away....."
The nurse looked at one of the doctors and nodded before looking back at Charlie and trying to comfort her. "It's ok....you're safe now..." she paused and looked at her, leaning closer to her. "Have you had a shower...or any form of wash since...?"
Charlie shook her head. "It happened in the alley where they found me.." she sobbed.
"Are those the clothes you were wearing.....?"
Charlie nodded and bit her lip, trying to sniff back any more tears as the nurse asked if she wanted to report it...Charlie looked at her and took a breath, nodding.
"I'm going to need those clothes...." the nurse said gently."I'll get you something to change into, and then we can help you through the relevant tests...." She fussed around and leant closer to Charlie. "Do you want us to contact the police now...?"
Charlie laughed bitterly and glared at the ceiling. "The man I was with....he is the police...."
Mickey leant against the wall as he tried Smiffy's mobile again, sighing and shaking his head as it rang, and rang, before clicking over to his voicemail. "Smiffy...it's Mickey...can you give us a ring mate as soon as you get this? It's important..." he said, hanging up and going back inside.
The nurse who'd been talking to Charlie came back through and looked up at Mickey. "DC Webb?" she asked, fussing with some case notes.
"Yeah..." Mickey nodded, "Is it Charlie...?" he asked. "Everything ok..."
The nurse nodded and picked up a hospital gown for Charlie. "She's decided to report the rape..." The nurse told him. "I'll bring her clothes out in a minute..." she said, walking back, leaving a bewildered Mickey staring after her.
"Raped..?" he blinked and swallowed, staring up at the ceiling as the others climbed out the taxi and walked quickly though to him.