Chapter Seven

"Medication ladies," Anna called as she switched on the lights in the female dormitory "Rise and shine,"

Nikki turned over in her bed, She had already been awake for the past hour. She had watched the sun rise and try to poke through the clouds.

"Morning Nikki," Anna smiled kindly as she noticed Nikki was rising "Meds time,"

Nikki nodded and pulled a hoodie over her pyjamas and made her way down to the medication room. The queue moved slowly as every patient stated their name and was checked off a list. Pills of every hue and size were passed out to the patients who swallowed them with the available water.

"Nicola Alexander," Nikki stated as she reached the head of the queue

"Here you go Nicola," one of the nurses said as she passed a small white cup with two white tablets in

"There's two tablets in here?" Nikki quizzed

The nurse frowned and checked the notes "Doctor Redford has increased your Anti-Depressant, hence the extra tablet,"

"She didn't discuss that with me," Nikki said indignantly

"Maybe bring it up with her at next ward round but take it for now. It's only going to help you Nicola," the nurse said

Nikki knew when to pick battles and this was not one of them.

Not yet.

She swallowed the pills and padded back to the dormitory where the other ladies were beginning to rise. All except Emily; the curtains were tightly pulled around her bed space.

"Emily?" Nikki called and stuck her head around the curtains "Oh Emily..." she said as she saw the younger woman curled up in the bed, barely moving apart from the tears that fell down her cheeks

"Go away Nikki," Emily sobbed "I don't want meds, I don't want breakfast and don't want to be here'

"Listen to me Emily," Nikki said firmly "I'm going to help you as much as I can but I need you to work with me. You need to take your medication. You need to eat and drink. If you don't they may move you to another ward and then I wont be able to help you. I need you to be brave. I'm here for you and it looks like I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, okay?"

"How can you help me from inside here?" Emily asked

"I have my ways," Nikki gave her a soft smile

….

"No," Jack sighed as he took a sip from his coffee "No way Nikki. Thomas would have my balls if I agree to it

"But I can help," Nikki protested

"You're here to get help for depression and PTSD, not work as a Home Office Pathologist on the sly,"

"You're the one who said I needed to get back on the horse,"

"Not until Doctor Redford gives you the all clear and you're not well. Your wrist hasn't even healed yet," he said gesturing to the bandage on her wrist

Nikki pulled her sleeve down and scowled at Jack "Then what am I supposed to do. Wait for the weekly ward round? Colour in with the art therapist? Watch endless day-time television? Jack, you know I work best when my brain is engaged. It's how I got though Harry leaving and Leo's death,"

Jack started. It was the first time she had been upfront with those two major events. Maybe the therapy was starting to work if she was facing up to those events.

Maybe the old Nikki was coming back to him.

No, a new Nikki. One with scars and bruises. Damaged but no broken. Coming through the darkness with a new determination.

He saw a determined look in her soft brown eyes that he hadn't seen for a while.

"Please Jack,"

Jack sighed "Well I suppose if Thomas gets my balls then it will save the NHS a job. But you only get five questions: What do you want to know?'

"One: That it is Emily's father, Edward Hooper, that is the victim?"

Jack nodded

"Two: How did he die?"

"Thomas did the post-mortem this morning. Blunt force trauma to the chest but no damage to his car. So Thomas reckons that the car wasn't the scene of the incident but somewhere else,"

"Three: What's the motive?"

"Hooper's paper was in trouble. Sales had gone down and he had made a number of job cuts. Perhaps someone took offence to that and did the deed,"

"Four: What's the forensic evidence saying?"

"There's some DNA that's on the shirt that's not his. But we'll need to get Emily's DNA to rule her out,"

"Five: How can I help?"

Jack paused "Talk to Emily. See if you can get her to open up about her relationship to her father,"

"See, I told you this was a good idea Jack," Nikki said brightly

"Thomas is going to castrate me if he finds out..."