CHAPTER 17
A/N: Hey guys sorry about the long delay. Work has got in the way and not had much time to myself to do any writing. Also my Facebook got hacked so I shut that profile down but I am back. I have been off work for a few days so I have been able to write more. I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed and read so means so much to me. Ok enough with the soppy shit time to get back to the angst.
Delphine picked at the corner of the table. She was scared but didn't want to show it. She had nailed ice maiden bit in her younger days but it did slip and she showed off more than she wanted to. An officer knocked and entered the room and whispered in Art's ear. Art nodded in response.
"It seems like your lawyer has arrived and is outside. We will give you some time with him and will come back and continue our questioning in 20 mins. That should be plenty of time. You have already told us a lot of what we need to know. "Art said as he and Angie made their way to the door.
"Delphine Cormier I am Donnie Hendrix, I will be defending you." The man said as he entered the room.
Delphine looked at him and couldn't believe what she was seeing. A balding middle aged man who is quite chubby. Worry lines etched around his face.
"I don't want you to answer any more questions until I have had a chance to read or hear what you have already told the officers. I must warn you though. My wife Alison is the Lawyer for DYAD Healthcare, so this may get messy. To the point that it may even split up my already fragile family. So it is important that every fact, every date, every detail is spot on. The police will take it no further than a caution. I know from the quick briefing I got that everything was consensual; I know that it will be made out that you took advantage of Ms Neihaus. That is why we have to be so spot on. I know I am probably not what you are expecting but I have so much knowledge on DYAD that we can use it to our advantage." Donnie explained.
Delphine could only nod. She was in deep shit. Maybe not with the police but this was going to ruin her she just knew it, without warning she burst into tears.
"Hey Delphine do not worry we are going to get through this. Yes it will get worse before it gets better. BUT I promise you that whatever happens I will be here with you through it all. Now when the officers come back in do not answer anything. I am going to make sure I get to hear what you have said before we answer anything else because I want to see if they put you under duress or not. If they did then the statement can be thrown out. Stay strong. Oh yeah I have a message from Tony. He is waiting outside in the lobby for you. He just said to say that he isn't going anywhere."
Delphine looked towards the door. Hoping that is was all a big joke and Tony and Felix and even Cosima would walk through laughing at her. Nothing like that happened and after looking at the door for a minute or 2 it did open but only to let Angie and Art back in.
"Ok Mr Hendrix you have had your twenty minutes now it is time to answer some more questions." Art said dryly.
"Officer Bell, my client does not want to answer any more questions until I have heard the tape."
Cosima was pacing up and down the room. Felix had popped back to his place to get some more weed, because when the police came he had flushed the small stash he had brought with him. Cosima was beginning to become frantic with worry because she hadn't heard anything from Tony since he had text to say that Donnie had arrived at the station. She had hoped that he would have been able to get her out and she would have been back with her by this time.
"Oh my god what if she has been thrown in jail!" Cosima said to herself as she did another lap of the room. Her hands couldn't stop shaking. She knew what was coming but she didn't care. She just wanted some news about Delphine. Trying hard to focus on something positive Cosima felt her knees begin to buckle underneath her. Her breathing became laboured as she fell to the floor. She curled herself up into the foetal position pushing her head back so she could get air into her lungs. Tears streaming down her face as she called out for Delphine.
"Hey Cosima!" Felix's soft voice brought her around. She must have hyperventilated and blacked out.
"It's OK love I'm here! Don't worry just stay still." Felix fussed.
"Is Delphine alright?" Cosima asked forgetting about herself.
"Cos, we still haven't heard anything but your phone has gone off a couple of times the last 5 minutes. I didn't answer as it was an Unknown number and nine times out of ten that means it is someone trying to sell you something." He said with a dramatic roll of his eyes.
"Or it could have been Donnie Hendrix calling me to let me know what is going on. Fuck I need to find his number again. Shit I hate my anxiety!" Cosima screamed at no one in particular. She went running out of the room to try and find her phonebook.
"Cosima darling you need to calm down else you will set it off again. You know stress is no good for you! Listen take 5 minutes and come have a smoke with me to relax. If it was Donnie Hendrix then he will call back. Come outside with me." Felix said calmly holding out his hand for her.
Cosima was undecided what to do for a moment then she smiled slightly and took Felix's offered hand and they went outside where Felix already had a prerolled joint ready for her. Cosima took it and lit it quickly. Taking a deep breath in and holding she let the chemicals start to relax her before she exhaled. Her head spinning slightly.
"Oh God Felix this is just what I needed. Feels so good. Is this some new stuff? It tastes different?"
"This my darling is the best stuff around at the minute. It is pure and hasn't been cut with anything. I only have a little of it so enjoy it whilst it lasts. My dealer got busted the other day so don't know when I will be getting anymore. I do agree though this is good shit!" Felix giggled at his own words.
Cosima started giggling herself. Before long both her and Felix were in fits of laughter.
"Felix I shouldn't be laughing! Delphine is not here with me and it's all my fault!" Cosima said soberly before bursting into tears again. Felix stayed silent and went to hold his best friend, as that was all he could offer as there was no need for words.
After a short while Cosima sniffed and used her sleeve to wipe her eyes. A look of determination on her face.
"Cos?" Felix asked surprised at the change in Cosima.
"Fee, I need to find out why my mother has ruined all my working relationships. I heard her on the phone to Leekie, she did something to make you lose your job but it backfired on her because we have ended up best friends. Then all this with Delphine. I know that there is something more to this than just the fact that she found us in bed. Fee, it was almost like mum had seen a ghost when she saw me with Delphine. I'm going to need your help OK." Cosima said with conviction.
"Cos, I think you may be reading too much into the whole conversation. I just think your mother wants to be a mother to you. She doesn't want anyone else to look after you because she feels that it is her job to do that. Don't get me wrong I hate her for making me lose my job and for what she is doing to Delphine but a mother will go to any lengths to protect her family." Felix countered.
"If you're not with me then you are against me Felix. So you need to leave if so. "Cosima was set on her words.
"You know that I am always with you Cosima. Just like you were with me when your mum fucked me over with the drugs." Felix said without hesitation. "I just want you to be careful Cosima OK. I don't want you to put too much on yourself."
"I'm a big girl Fee, I can cope. Listen try and get hold of Tony, I will try Donnie. We need to find out if Delphine is going to be released or held for longer. I hate the thought of her in jail because of me!" Cosima said sadly. Felix nodded in agreement.
*
*
Delphine walked out of the interview room towards the front desk. She knew Tony would be there so she smiled widely when she saw him. He was messing around with his phone so he never saw her straight away. Delphine moved up to stand beside him.
"Hey there?!" She smiled down to the geeky lad.
Tony jumped at hearing her voice. The smile instantly on his face and he soon jumped up and hugged the woman in front of him.
"Oh my God Delphine! I'm so glad you are alright! What's happening are you coming home or are you being kept here?!" Tony blurted out.
"Tony, just take me home please. To my place the conditions of me being released are that I do not go near Cosima's place or her. I would have accepted anything to get out of there. The case is being put forward to the CPS but the police have told me to expect it to go further. Normally with these kind of cases once you have admitted something it just goes to the relevant social services department and you are then blacklisted. They told me that whoever put this complaint in wants to go the full hog and get me convicted. I'm just hoping that the CPS will throw the case out and I can get some normalcy back into my life again." Delphine explained.
"Do you have any idea who would want to do this to you? It's not fair! You haven't done anything wrong except fall in love." Tony answered.
"Yes but sometimes falling in love can be dangerous, as we can now say with ease." Delphine smiled sadly.
"Oh before I forget, Cosima asked me to tell you that she loves you and no matter what happens she is going to be here for you. She did tell me to give you a big sloppy kiss from her but well you know …." Tony said shyly.
Delphine laughed it was this kind of normalcy that she wanted. Tony being shy, Cosima being her usual dorky self and Delphine well, being happy was her normalcy.
Delphine linked Tony's arm and they headed out of the police station. Once outside Delphine took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She had been in the station for 14 hours and she had started to feel stir crazy not having any windows to open and breathing in stale air. She didn't know how Donnie had done it but he had managed to get them to release her because she had admitted the charges. She would hand her passport in to the station within 48 hours to ensure that she wasn't a flight risk and they had put a trace on her mobile. She knew she could rely on Tony to keep her up to date with how things would be going with Cosima.
"Erm Tony would you be able to bring my mobile from Cosima's please? As part of the release conditions I am not allowed within half a mile of her, so that means I will not be able to pick up my things from hers." Delphine asked.
"Del, you know I will help out where I can. You just have to ask. Let me get you home first and get you settled then I can ring Felix see what the situation is like his end. I know they will both be so happy to hear that you have been released. Can you not call Cosima yourself and tell her?" Tony questioned.
"I wish I could Tony, but I think if I did I would want to go round there. I cannot risk getting stressed again because I will not get released again they will keep me in jail." Delphine said sadly.
"Fuck Del, that's so crap that is!" Tony hugged his friend again.
Delphine nodded and gently pushed the man away and looked sadly at the ring that Cosima had given her all that time ago. She smiled remembering the day, when they had just exchanged little gifts, the smile on Cosima's face when she had given her the concert tickets. Delphine had already thought that Cosima had an amazing smile but the one she received at that time had blown all preconceptions out of the window. She had an idea then.
"Tony we need to go shopping!" Delphine said excitedly.
"We do?" Tony replied bemused but followed Delphine anyway.
"So she is home and fine? Thank god for that. I really thought if we didn't hear anything soon that Cosima would have gone into the police station and started committing murder…. Yeah I know she will be so happy to know that she is home now. So what are the conditions of her release?... What the fuck? She can't see Cosima at all? Not even in passing?... Shit Cosima is not going to like this one bit. She was already so excited to be seeing Delphine when she got released and now she can't even speak to her…. We need to do something Tony!... Oooooooooo has she really done that?... being under arrest has changed our Ms Cormier! OK Tony listen call me back later alright and we will talk properly. Can't wait to see you either to finish off our date. Speak soon love. Bye!" Felix hung up the phone and sighed "Cosima is going to hate this!"
"What am I going to hate Fee?" Cosima appeared out of nowhere.
"OK love I think we both need to sit down."
"Felix just cut the crap and spill. What the fuck is going on?"
"OK I have just got off the phone to Tony. Delphine has been released but there are conditions….." Felix paused waiting for Cosima to cut in, she never did so he continued. "Well Delphine is not allowed within at least half a mile of you. Delphine is working on something at the moment because she had an idea about something? Don't ask me what because tony doesn't even know. All he could tell me was that he is coming round here shortly to pick up Delphine's mobile. He would have more to share then. But I will not be here when he comes round. He has asked to spend time with you on your own? Don't ask me why he just has." Felix explained.
Cosima was at a loss as to what to say so she just nodded at Felix. Her mind was playing all kinds of tricks on her as to what was happening. She was just so happy that Delphine was still not in the police station, she could relax a lot more now. Ideally she would have preferred Delphine to be there with her instead of on her own, but she understood the whole process after Felix had gotten into trouble when he worked for her. Cosima watched as Felix left and went to find Delphine's things so she could give them to Tony to take back to her.