"Melly's my friend" Luka announced, his deep voice at odds with the crayoned picture that he held up for Tom to see. The childish drawing showed Luka, Kay, and a woman with two little boys. "That's Mel, that's me, that's Mum and that's the 'boys', I think that's Joe and that's Tom, but I forgot" he continued, his smile bright a Luka explained his picture. Kay smiled at her son as she reached over for another piece of paper, her smile widening at the simple pleasure her son took from drawing.
"Kay?" Tom's voice interrupted her thought's. "Kay, I – what does he mean? Why does he think that Maggie is Mel?"
Kay took a minute before replying. The idea that was forming in her mind was akin to something out of a soap opera. It couldn't be true, it had to be a co-incidence.
"Mama, let me see the picture again" Luka said, gently taking the photo from the desk where Kay had put it, " I want to see what colour Melly's hair is."
"Tom, I – Mel is our neighbour. She lives next door to us, with her two sons, and she's very good with Luka. He adores her, and she lets him help put with the boys sometimes."
"So why does Luka think Maggie is Mel?" Tom asked again. "Maggie is – she's gone. She's dead. He can't – "
Luka looked up," Melly!' he said crossly, "That's Melly, it IS"
"Luka sweetheart, don't you worry. I'm sure the Sergeant agrees, we just need to talk. You keep drawing, maybe you could draw the boys playing footy?' Kay soothed.
"Mama, they can't play footy, they're too little!" Luka grinned, turning back to his picture.
"Tom, I – Mel, well, she looks a lot like your Maggie, but – well, if Maggie is dead, then is can't be her" Kay said softly, looking at the photo again. "Mel, she moved in next door about two years ago. She'd been in a horrific car accident, and her husband had been killed. She - " Kay looked up to see Tom watching her very carefully. His emotions were all too evident on his face. Maggie had meant a lot to him and this must have been hurting him so much.
"Carry on"
Kay swallowed, but did as she was asked. "Mel – she – apparently there was a horrific car crash about two years ago, and Rick was killed. Mel was in a coma for nine days, and when she came round, she had amnesia. She couldn't remember a thing. The doctor's eventually had to give her the basics, like her name and Rick's name, and to tell her a bit about her background, but they kept it to a minimum. I think they were hoping that she would remember, but it hasn't worked so far. She was so badly hurt, it's taken her a long time to get back to health, and it didn't help that she was pregnant when the crash occurred. The boys are healthy, though, Joe is the giggler, and Tom is slightly quieter, but still very mischievous. They're – let me think – they're fifteen months old now, little chatterboxes, and they love to draw – well, what they call drawing anyway. Luka adores them, he's teaching them to draw." She smiled. "Luka – they're so good for him, he feels important around them, Mel lets him help out with them, and it's just – it's so good for all of us."
Tom sat back in his seat, Kay's words confusing him. Maggie – Mel – Maggie was dead. She was DEAD. This Mel, she must just look like Maggie. That's all it was. But the times, the dates –
"Mel's injuries,' Tom hesitated.
"She – there was a builder's truck in front of her and Rick, and Mel was impaled on a scaffolding pole – she's got this scar on her chest, just below her heart. God knows how she wasn't killed, but she wasn't." Kay said quietly, glancing at Luka, hoping that he wouldn't hear her. He always got nightmares when Mel's injuries were mentioned, and she wanted to spare her son this time.
Tom's mind was going into overdrive. Luka was adamant that the Maggie from their photo was his beloved Melly. The times, they fitted. Maggie had been killed two years ago, and this Mel had been badly injured two years ago. And the injury, on her chest, just below the heart – the bullet, it – the same place…..
It couldn't be.
Maggie was - is – dead.
"Kay, I'm sorry that Milly was upset, and I'm also sorry if Christophe was offended in anyway. I'll get one of the lads to drive you back to the farm – "
"Give me Melly's picture, Mama" Luka said, determined to get his drawing right.
"Mate, it's not Melly" Tom said as gently as he could. "That's Maggie. She's my friend"
"It IS Melly," Luka said, getting to his feet, anger working it's way across his face. "It IS"
"Mate – "
"Luka – "
Tom and Kay both spoke at the same time, but Luka was faster than both of them.
"It IS Melly, see??" and Luka brandished a picture he'd pulled out of his bag, another photograph, and he thrust it under Tom's nose. "Look!! See? That's me, that's Mum, and that's Melly"
Tom froze, Maggie's smiling face staring up at him. Mel's face, he corrected himself, but…..but it looked like Maggie. It looked – the eyes, the sparkle in the eyes, the smile – it looked –
"Tom? Tom, are you all right?" Kay moved round to Tom's side of the desk, catching sight of the picture that Luka was showing Tom. It had been just after the twins first birthday, and both babies had just smooshed their chocolate cake all over Luka's face. Kay and Mel had been laughing, and Dan had snapped the picture just at the right moment.
"It – it can't be," his face was ashen as the idea took hold. "It – Maggie's dead, she – "
"Melly." Luka said defiantly, taking the photo of Maggie and the photo of Mel, and putting them next to each other, in front of Tom. "See? Both Melly"