At the end of her shift, Sheelagh walked out of the station starting to feel a bit scared. She knew she was going to get a beating as soon as she got home so she decided to go for a walk, she knew she'd get it anyway and would rather put it off. Sheelagh would just tell Patrick she had to work overtime.
She started walking, not knowing where she was going to, but she ended up walking down the side of the river, and more bizarrely she ended up thinking about Des Taviner. She thought he had been really sweet today, even though Gina had said exactly the same there was something about the way he said it that made it sound so ... genuine! She just wasn't sure she'd acted in the right way. Why did she kiss him? He was just a friend right, or was he? Maybe she did like him as something more.
Suddenly, she thought a warm hand on her shoulder.
"Des?" she said as she turned around.
It was Patrick.
"Who the hells Des?" he said.
"Um no-one."
"Are you having an affair?"
Sheelagh didn't answer. He started to pull her towards the car, but he didn't need to as she didn't resist. She knew that if she did it would be worse for her at home. He opened the door and pushed her in, hitting her head on the car as he did.
"Ow," she said.
Patrick ignored her and got into the car. Once in there she was still rubbing her head.
"It was your own fault," said Patrick darkly.
She didn't say a word for the rest of the journey. She just sat there with tears streaming from her eyes, waiting and wondering, petrified, like a soldier waiting for the big attack.