Battle Lines. (23 page)

Chapter 25.

Amanda winced as the world came back with a painful thud. She moved her arms, what had happened?

“Keep still.” She heard a woman’s voice from somewhere. She only just recognised it as her mother.

She did not listen though, instead she began pushing something off of her. Whatever it was that was lying across her. She didn’t want it there.

She hurt, she noticed, her skin felt sore. Her limbs hurt like they were bruised. Where was she? What had happened?

She tried to open her eyes but they felt so heavy. She heard a noise, a rattle then a click and then her mother’s voice came again. “She’s kicked the covers off. I can’t stop her.”

“Mandy.” Jake’s voice. No not Jake. She heard her heart rate accelerate and she frowned. How was it that she could hear her heartbeat?

It sounded electronic. She felt warm, strong, hands on her. Her heart raced and tripped unhappily beneath her ribcage and she moaned.

she needed to get away from him, as far away as possible. She felt the hands on her arms. Someone was pushing her back down, pinning her down so that she could not move.

She felt panic rise and she tried again to open her eyes and get away from those hands holding her down. But nothing she tried was working. “It’s okay.”

Amanda whimpered. It was not okay. It was far from okay. She needed to be away from him. “You are safe. You’re in the hospital.”

“No, let go.” She cried out, trying to push the hands away from her. She wriggled on the bed, thrashing this way and that. But still those hands were there. still she could not work herself free from the confines.

She was pulled up then, almost sitting up before she felt the hands on her arms disappear. First one and then the other. And instead of hands on her arm she was wrapped up in a pair of muscled arms. Jake, she knew. She could smell his scent, his aftershave.

She felt something warm on her cheek. Someone was holding her, cradling her. Jake.

“It’s okay.” She heard Jake telling her. “Shh. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

Amanda relaxed slowly, she listened to her heart return to normal. She listened to Jake’s underneath her cheek and soon she noticed that her heart was beating at the same rhythm and rate as Jake. Both beating in unison.

Tiredness washed over her again, she tried to fight it but it was a losing battle and Amanda admitted defeat as she fell back into an exhausted slumber.

Amanda spent the next two days in and out of a hazy sleepy consciousness. Not quite awake enough to understand everything that was going on around her.

She caught snippets of conversations, her mother’s voice, Harry’s and Jake’s. But she had no real sense of time or even what order the events were happening in.

It was many days later before Amanda was truly awake, alert and sitting up in bed. She hurt, and ached, and had some fantastic looking bruises but otherwise she seemed okay.

The staff at the hospital soon found out that Amanda made a very bad patient. Her mother promptly informed Harry that there was no surprise there, on one of their many visits. Harry had agreed and Amanda had huffed and moaned.

Harry, bless him, had been there every day for the past few days. He popped in in the morning before work, came back in his lunch break and was back at the end of the working day.

Amanda had tried to tell him that he really did not need to but, he still turned up. She got it, he felt guilty. She had tried to tell him that he had no need to be. She had started this. If she had not lied in the first place, then this would never have happened and Harry wouldn’t have ended up with a black eye on top of a black eye.

Marsha had also popped by yesterday and Amanda had been pleased to see the older woman. She and her mother had hit it off straight away and by the end of Marsha’s visit they had become firm friends and had arranged a coffee morning for the next weekend.

A day later a nice friendly doctor had come round and, after giving her a check-up decided that she could finally go home.

“About time.” She grumbled. It had been boring sitting in a hospital bed staring at four white walls, well, they had probably been white once upon a time.

“Just so long as you rest and take it easy for the next couple of days.” The doctor warned her.

“Yes Doc.” Amanda had promised.

“The doctor means it.” Harry had told her. Amanda pulled a face at him as the doctor left the room.

“I’ll just sort out your discharge papers and then you can go.” He said at the door.

“Thank you.” Amanda called.

“And the doctor still means it.” Harry said.

“About what?” Amanda asked him, trying to look innocent but failing. Already her mind was going over what she needed to do once she was back in the office. She might even take a walk over this afternoon. It was still nice out.

“About resting.” Her mother had agreed with Harry.

Amanda had just rolled her eyes and decided not to say anything else on account that it might incriminate her.

Or, at the very least, either her mother or her assistant would hold her to ransom over anything that she might say or agree to.

So, finally, she was discharged from the hospital and she was allowed to go home. Amanda was more than glad about that, she did not like hospitals at the best of times. But, she had discovered that she hated them even more when she was the patient.

The beds were uncomfortable. It was never quiet enough to sleep. The food was awful and it smelt funny, the hospital not the food. Although...

Her mother and Harry carried her bags, Amanda tried taking them but they weren’t having any of it. Sighing Amanda resigned herself to doing as she was told, at least for now.

She was ushered out of the hospital, across the car park and into Harry’s car quickly, and all done with her in a wheelchair. A wheelchair that, she pointed out, she did not need but it made no difference.

Once she was settled in the car, Harry put her bags in the boot and took the wheelchair back whilst her mother got comfortable in the front passenger seat.

“Are you okay dear?” She asked with concern.

“Yes mother, I am fine.” She told her.

“Good, I was worried that walk would have worn you out.”

“I was in the wheelchair.” She felt the need to point out.

“Even so.” Her mother began.

“I am fine.” Amanda cut in. she hated the fact that everyone was so worried about her. It’s not as though she deserved it, not after everything she had done.

Amanda sighed deeply, Jake hadn’t picked her up. He hadn’t even come to the hospital to see her over the last couple of days.

Not that she would have wanted to see him, she decided. But, she couldn’t help being a bit disappointed that Jake had not been there.

She decided that she was grateful for the reprieve, facing Jake after everything was going to be difficult. She knew that she would have to face him eventually but perhaps a couple of days healing first wouldn’t go amiss.

Harry came back and started the engine. Then they were driving and Amanda sat back and watched the scenery go past from the back seat.

“It will be good to get home.” Amanda said. First thing on her to do list would be to take a shower.

“Yes it will.” Her mother agreed.

But, moments later Amanda frowned as she watched the scenery, they had gone past the turning for where she lived surely?

“Ah, Harry. You missed the turn.” She told him helpfully. But still they continued on. “Harry…” Amanda watched as they turned off the main road. Her heart beginning to thud in her chest as they turned onto the long road that her mother lived on.

They were going to her mother’s home. Her childhood home. Why? “Harry my home is back that way.” It seemed strange that Harry would drop off her mother first.

“Um.” Harry said. Amanda felt her heart lurch.

“Um…? What do you mean, um?” she asked him as she watched the house coming into view in the distance.

The car slowed and pulled into the driveway. Harry switched off the engine and opened his door. Amanda frowned.

“I mean… Um.” Harry told her as he eased himself out of the driver’s seat.

“Harry.” She warned him. She wasn’t in the mood for games. “I thought you were taking me home.” She said as her mother opened her door and got out of the car.

Harry walked around the car until he was on her side and then he opened the door for her to get out. “Harry. You said that you were taking me home.” She tried again as she watched her mother go into the house and leave the front door open.

“Umm. The thing is.” Harry began.

“The thing is what?” Amanda started.

“What I mean is…”

“Harry, what have you done. Get back in the car and take me home… now.” She demanded. Harry opened his mouth to say something but was abruptly cut off before he had a chance.

“Get out of the car.” Amanda jumped at the sound of Jake’s voice. She looked up just in time to see him coming out of the front door and striding towards the car. Towards her.

“I will not.” She told him.

“I said get out of the damn car.” Jake shouted the words at her. She flinched, but then decided that she wasn’t going to let him intimidate her. Even though she was not feeling up to a battle of wills with him right now.

“Harry take me home.” She demanded.

“Leave poor Harry alone. Don’t you think that you’ve done enough?” Jake told her.

“Yeah.” Harry agreed, Amanda sent him a withering look. And then he mumbled. “Sorry.”

“Me.” She squeaked. “What about you. I am not the one that hit him… twice.” She shot back.

“Yeah.” Harry agreed, it was Jake’s turned to send him a scowling look. And then he mumbled. “Sorry.”

“You have a choice Mandy. You can get out of the car under your own steam or I can pull you out of the car.” Jake told her.

“You wouldn’t dare.” She said and then went quiet as Jake leaned down to regard her. He rested a hand on the roof of the car and an arm on the open door as he rose an eyebrow at her.

“How far do you really want to push that?” He asked her.

“Fine.” She moaned grudgingly and she removed herself from the car.

She shrieked out when Jake put an arm about her waist and then another under her knees and she found herself scooped up into his arms. “Put me down.” She told him even though she put her arms about his neck.

“We are not going to start that one again. Are we?” Jake told her.

“I am not starting anything. Put me down Jake. You arrogant, overgrown bully.”

“Is that the best you’ve got.” Jake asked her. She could see a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. How dare he find this amusing.

Jake carried her across the threshold of her mother’s house and headed for the stairs.

“Put me down this instant or else.”

“Or else what?” He challenged her.

“I will never speak to you again. Ever.”

“Is that a promise.” Jake asked her.

“I mean it Jake. Put me down now.”

“Harry grab the bags would you.” Jake ignored Amanda as he called to Harry over his shoulder.

“Sure thing boss.” She heard Harry say.

“Hey, he’s my employee not yours.” Then she looked over at Harry, over Jake’s shoulder. “You are my employee. You leave my bags in the car.”

“Sorry boss, wish I could but...” He shrugged his shoulders.

“If you don’t do as you are told Harry you will be sorry.” She threatened him.

“If you don’t do as you are told Harry you will be sorry.” Jake called out, though his voice sounded amused rather than angry.

“Sorry boss, I would really love to do as you are asking but…”

“But…”

“But I am more scared of him than I am of you. You understand right?” Harry asked her.

“Why, you traitor.” She cried out.

“Perhaps if you had a better left hook.” Jake suggested as he reached the top of the stairs.

“Yeah, he has a mean left hook and you don’t.” Harry added.

“Put me the hell down now.” She told Jake as she turned back to look at his profile. “Are you listening to me?” She asked, he was way too close.

“No.” He told her.

“I don’t appreciate you manhandling me.”

“Secretly deep down you do.”

“No, I do not.” She bolstered immediately.

“Admit it, you need a firm hand.”

“Why you male chauvinist pig.” She accused him.

“Pipe down.”

“Put me down or else.” The door to her old bedroom was already open and Amanda found herself over the threshold and immediately she was transported back in time. She had not been in this room since the night that she had run away.

“Or else what.” Jake put her on the bed and stood straight looking down at her. She looked up at him. “Yes?”

“I hate you.” She told him.

“No, you don’t.” Harry placed her bags on the floor and went out of the room. Jake turned and headed for the door.