Silent Scream

Seventy-Three

Kim darted across the road and tried the door handle. It was open.

She closed the door behind her and entered the lounge.

‘Oh, hell no,’ Kim exclaimed rushing into the room.

Lucy lay sprawled face-down on the floor in front of her wheelchair.

Kim bent to her and a pain ripped across her lower back.

‘Lucy, it’s okay,’ she said, stroking the girl’s hair.

She stood and quickly assessed the fastest method of gathering up the child.

Kim knelt down again and gently turned Lucy so that she was lying on her back. The young eyes were filled with panic.

‘It’s okay, sweetheart. Can you give me the sign for yes?’

Lucy offered two blinks.

‘I’m going to lift you under the arms, is that okay?’

Two blinks.

Kim leaned forward and placed a hand beneath Lucy’s neck and raised the top half of her body to a supported sitting position. She knew that Lucy’s muscles could not support her own weight so she pulled her closer so that Lucy’s body was leaning into her own to prevent her from falling backwards.

She placed a hand under each of Lucy’s armpits and hauled her to a standing position. The body was limp and offered no resistance. Although not the weight of a normal fifteen-year-old, the strain on Kim’s injured back almost made her cry out loud.

‘Tell you what, for this dance, I’ll lead,’ Kim said, as she turned Lucy around and gently lowered her into the chair.

Kim moved the footstool so that she was sitting in front of Lucy. She took the girl’s right hand and held it.

‘Are you okay? Are you hurt?’

No blinks. Kim quickly realised she’d asked two questions.

‘Sorry, are you okay?’

Two blinks.

‘Were you trying to get to your dad?’

Two blinks.

Kim squeezed the hand tighter. Jesus, this girl had some heart.

‘He’s going to be okay. He got a bang to the head and he’s got to go to hospital to be checked over but he’s fine.’

Relief filled the teenager’s eyes.

Lucy then motioned her head slightly towards Kim.

‘Lucy, I’m sorry, I don’t understand.’

Kim saw the irritation in her face. She repeated the movement, but more forcefully.

‘Oooooooo,’ she managed.

Kim felt the frustration of this poor child’s torment. Her brain worked perfectly but her ability to communicate those thoughts was a prison worse than she could imagine.

She repeated the motion and the sound together and the intensity in the eyes gave Kim the answer.

The emotion thickened her throat. ‘You want to know if I’m okay?’

Two blinks.

Kim looked down at the fragile hand she was holding. Her vision blurred for a second but she coughed it away.

‘I’m fine, Lucy, and that is thanks to your dad.’ Kim thought of those few seconds he’d bought her by grabbing Victor’s ankles. ‘He pretty much saved my life.’

Pride shone from the expressive eyes.

‘Now, I have to go. Is there anyone I can get to look after you?’

Lucy began to blink as the front door opened. A female voice sounded from the hallway.

‘Well, I don’t know what kind of circus is going on over there but ...’ A rotund woman in her late fifties paused in the doorway and crossed her arms. ‘And who might you be?’

‘Detective Inspector Stone.’

‘Hmmm ... lovely.’

She stood in front of Kim so she could get a good view of Lucy. ‘You okay, Luce?’

Lucy must have signalled yes so the woman stood aside, but her eyes were fixed on Kim.

‘Where’s William?’

‘He has to go to the hospital,’ Kim answered quickly.

‘What the devil have you done to him?’ she asked, sternly. ‘Is he okay?’

‘He’s fine but he’ll probably be at the hospital for most of the night.’

‘Well, it’s a good job I came round to check then, isn’t it? Right, I’ll go and get the kettle on and then we’ll have us a nice takeaway, Luce. I’ll order pizza, your favourite.’

The woman took off into the kitchen but her presence could still be heard.

‘I don’t know what on earth you people think you’re doing over there; police, ambulances, machines, tents. I thought it was all done with but no, you had to start it all up again tonight ...’

Kim hid her smile until she looked at Lucy, who rolled her eyes. The laughter exploded from her mouth.

‘I need to go, Lucy, okay?’

Two blinks.

‘Is there anything you need?’

Two blinks.

Kim assessed the situation. The booming voice could still be heard from the kitchen.

Kim got it and placed a hand to her right ear.

Two blinks.

Kim stood and reached for the iPod on the window sill. She placed the earphones into Lucy’s ears and the controller on the arm of the chair near to Lucy’s right hand.

‘Got it?’

Two blinks and a cheeky glint. Kim couldn’t help chuckling.

She pointed to the door. ‘I have to ... ’

Two blinks.

Kim touched her arm lightly and headed for the door.

The ambulance was just pulling away as a second squad car pulled up.

Kim walked across the road, back to the girls’ home. There was a gaping hole, like a missing tooth where the paramedics had crashed through the fence.

‘Guys, in the office at the end of the hallway there’s a cabinet near to the door. On the back of it is a denture. Get it bagged and logged and up to the lab.’

They nodded and headed into the building.

Suddenly the place was silent again. There was nothing to indicate what had just happened. No marker to display that this was where she had very nearly lost her life.

And the reason she hadn't was because of an emergency aid pendant. A simple tool that helped Lucy get through everyday life had been her saviour.

Kim stopped dead as she realised what she'd been missing. A sickness overwhelmed her as every last piece of the puzzle fell into place.

‘Oh, Jesus ...’ she whispered into the darkness.

‘Got the denture, Marm,’ one of the PCs said as they came around the side of the building.

She realised there was more work to do and there was only one person who could help.

‘Constable, would you please be good enough to pass me your phone?’