by Tee Smith
“Nurse!” Maddie yelled as loud as she could while reaching for her call bell.
“Oh come now, that is not a nice way to treat an old school friend.” Belinda flashed her fake smile yet again.
Maddie's blood thumped in her head and she tried to yell again, but a cough caught in her throat instead. She tried to sit up further in her bed, as pain grabbed at her chest. She could feel phlegm rising and she started to dry retch. Looking over at Belinda, she saw a terrified look flash in her eyes.
“Get... nurse,” Maddie gasped, fear creeping through her as she struggled for air.
Belinda leapt from her chair and ran for the door, within seconds two nurses rushed into the room. They immediately set to work with a suction catheter to clear her throat, then an oxygen mask on her face and she was suddenly able to breathe freely once more. Relief rushed through her as she relaxed back into bed.
Belinda hovered by the door, still with her notebook in her hand. Maddie was grateful the woman had sought help, but if she had not been there, she was sure it wouldn't have happened in the first place. Maddie shot her a look, narrowing her eyes.
“I think it would pay you, not to come back here. Write that down in your notebook. Belinda.”
Chapter 3
“Hello Miss Arnold. My name is Detective Leroy and this here” he jerked his thumb to the man standing to his left, “is Senior Constable Harris.”
Maddie nodded at the two men, swallowing hard.
“I understand this will be difficult for you Miss Arnold, but we need to get as full a statement from you as possible. I understand some of the details may not be fresh in your memory, or they could be painful, we can come back to those later. Do you understand?”
Maddie nodded. She was not sure she had a grasp on the whole thing, but she knew this was coming and she was prepared to face it.
“Okay Miss Arnold, I am going to record everything you say. That way it can be transcribed exactly as you tell us.” The man Detective Leroy had referred to as Senior Constable Harris added.
“Yeah, that's okay, I'll try my best.”
“That's all we ask for.” The man said with a warm friendly smile.
“Okay to begin with, Miss Arnold, can you tell me where you have been for the past six years? As from the fifteenth of May in 2010?”
“Yes I believe I have been locked in the shed in the back of my parent’s property.”
“Can you tell us please Miss Arnold, how you came to be locked in the shed on your parent’s property?”
“My dad,” she whispered.
“I'm sorry Miss Arnold, could you repeat that, a little louder please?” Detective Leroy insisted. “How did you come to be locked in the shed at the back of your parent's property on the fifteenth of May in 2010?”
Maddie cleared her throat, she could feel a huge lump forming and tears sprang to her eyes. She fought to hold them back trying to focus as she was going to have to relive her hell.
“My father, Hugh Arnold, locked me in the shed at the back of the property.”
“Can you tell us Miss Arnold, how long you were locked in the shed at the back of Mr Arnold's property?
“All this time,” she spat out.
“Since May 2010? Have you not left the shed in that time Miss Arnold?”
She shook her head from side to side vehemently. “Not once.”
“I'm sorry Miss Arnold, I realise this is difficult for you. Can you tell us please what your understanding is, as to why Mr Arnold, your father, kept you locked up all these years?”
Maddie scoffed. “Because he loved me and didn't want me to get married and leave home.”
“Can you tell us how it came about Miss Arnold? How did he lure you to the shed in the first place?”
“He told me he wanted to show me something. He said he had been working on something for my brother out in his shed. So of course I followed him out there, I had no reason to believe anything bad was going to happen.”
“Your brother is Xavier Arnold, is that correct Miss Arnold?”
“Yes.”
“Was there something your father had made for Xavier in the shed Miss Arnold?”
“No, nothing. We got there and he unlocked the shed. He had installed a heavy metal door and it was locked with a dead-bolt, which at first I thought was odd, but as I said I had no reason to believe there was anything weird going on. He walked in first, I followed. Then he walked out and locked the door behind me.”
“What did you do then Miss Arnold?”
Maddie's mind went back to those painful first hours and days, locked away. She had not thought about it for a long time. It was by far the worst days of her imprisonment. Wracked with confusion, grief, sadness and hunger.
“I cried...I screamed,” her eyes glassed over as she relived the first moments of realisation. “At first I thought it was an accident and that Dad would open the door directly. When that never happened, I thought maybe it was some kind of joke.”
“Did your dad often joke around like that?” Senior Constable Harris asked.
“No, that was the thing. It was really out of character. Dad had never even grounded me.” Maddie sighed sadly. “After a little while, maybe five minutes, I started yelling out to my dad. I cried. I banged on the door, until my fists hurt.” She clenched her fists, remembering the pain that had radiated through her hands.
“Did you make any attempts to escape Miss Arnold?” Detective Leroy asked.
“Of course I did,” she snapped back. What did these men think? She wanted to be locked away?
“There was no way out. He had reinforced the damn thing, which I am sure you would already know if you have looked at it. It was completely sound proof and reinforced. Believe me I yelled loud enough for the world to hear me and I rammed those walls and that door with anything and everything I could find. I hated being in there every single damn minute.”
“I am sorry Miss Arnold, I can see this is upsetting you, but it is important for us to ask you. Did your dad sexually assault you at all during your time in captivity?”
“No. No he didn't, my dad loved me, I can't believe you would even suggest that,” she wailed.
“I think that's enough for one day.” All heads turned to see Xavier standing in the door way of Maddie's hospital room.
“Okay, you're probably right,” Detective Leroy agreed, lifting his hands and holding them up in a show of surrender. Then turned and nodded to his partner who switched off the recording device. “We did not mean to upset you Miss Arnold, and we appreciate your time. We will need to continue with this another day.”
Xavier moved to the side of Maddie's bed, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. She could bury those demons for another day. Once again her big brother had come to her rescue.
“Thank you Detective.” She tried to offer him a smile. She knew he was just doing his job.
Detective Leroy nodded at her, then Xavier. Then walked towards the door, with Senior Constable Harris in hot pursuit. When they reached the door, he turned back to her. A sad smile on his face.
“I really am sorry this happened to you Miss Arnold, I will be putting a recommendation forward to my superiors to look at why your case was closed.” Then he bid her farewell and left the room.
Xavier dropped his weight on the edge of her bed and reached for her hand.
“Are you okay sis?”
She really was so lucky to have him as a brother. Every time she looked at him, she could see worry in his eyes. She knew he felt guilt for not finding her sooner.
“Yeah I'm good Xave',” she sighed. “I knew this part was going to be difficult.”
“They wouldn't let me sit in here with you, I was just outside. I came in when I heard you getting upset.”
“It’s okay Xave,' really.” Maddie squeezed her brother’s hand. “The doctors have been talking about counselling. Maybe you should think about seeing someone too.”
“I'm okay. I'm just worried about you. I want
to get you better and get you home.”
Maddie's eyes fell to her fingers, where they joined Xavier's. Home. Where was home, she wondered. For the past six years she had lived in a prison. A room, three metres by three metres, with a small bathroom attached. Where was she to go?
“What?” Xavier's voice broke her out of her thoughts.
“What?” She scrunched her brows, studying him.
“What are you thinking? You looked far, far away.”
Maddie sighed wistfully. “I don't know if I have a home Xavier.”
“Of course you have a home,” Xavier scoffed. “You can have the house. I have my place at the club. We'll speak to the lawyers and get everything sorted, you'll always have a home Madds.”
By 'the house' Maddie knew he meant their parents’ home. The house she had grown up in, the only house she had ever lived in. Could she go back there? Would she be haunted by the ghosts of her parents? The ghosts of her past?
“I don't know if I want to live there Xave',” she shook her head.
Xavier gave her a sad smile, drawing her into his arms. “We'll sort something out sis. Don't you worry, okay?”
For the first time in many, many years, Maddie felt safe and protected. She trusted Xavier and knew he would make good on his promise to care for her.
***
“Hi Maddison? My name is Cate, with a C. I am a clinical psychologist and I have been assigned to your case.”
Maddie eyed the middle aged woman up and down. She was plump, with greying brown hair and brown eyes. Nothing particularly significant about her. She held a clipboard in one hand and had the other extended for Maddie to shake.
When Maddie did not immediately take her hand, she pulled it back and cleared her throat.
“Do you mind if I sit?” she asked gesturing toward the chair near the bed.
Maddie really had no mind for a psychologist, what was it going to help? She wasn't the crazy one.
“Whatever,” she mumbled under her breath.
The woman made herself comfortable, and leaned her elbow on Maddie's bed.
“So, I have been sent here by your medical team and I will be working with you over the next few months.”
“I'm not crazy.”
“No one thinks you’re crazy Maddison.”
“Maddie.”
“Sorry?”
“Maddie...my name is Maddie.”
“Okay, Maddie. Now I understand it will probably be a little awkward for you talking to me at first, so let me explain how this works.”
Maddie nodded, she did not really care, but she was stuck in a bed, it was not like she could go anywhere. If she had learnt nothing else, it was that sometimes, you have to shut-up and make it look like you cared, whether you did or not.
“So anything you say in our session, will remain confidential okay? That means you can tell me anything you like, nothing is off limits. However, I am obligated to report the intention to harm yourself or someone else. I will also be obliged to report if you are to confess to a crime, to replay what you say, should I be called upon in a court of law, under oath. Do you understand?”
Maddie scoffed and glared at the woman. “I am not a criminal and I am not planning on murdering anyone.”
“Okay, so you understand and agree?”
“Yeah.”
“Would you like to tell me how you feel about being here in the hospital?”
“No.”
“Hmm...okay. Can you tell me how you feel about being away from where you have been for the last few years?”
“Six...six years. I have been locked in a room,” she looked around the one bedroom hospital ward. “About half the size of this one. For six years. How do you expect me to feel?”
“Well I expect that you are probably feeling a lot of things. I would like to explore those feelings with you.”
“Would you now?” Maddie looked hard at the woman. Why would anyone choose to do this job, she wondered. They must be nosey. Maybe they enjoyed hearing about other people's suffering. She wondered if it made them feel superior.
“Only what you feel comfortable sharing Maddie.”
“What if I have nothing to tell?”
“Well that's fine too. Let’s talk about how you feel about seeing your brother again after all these years.”
Maddie smiled at that. Seeing Xavier was one of the happiest things that had happened to her in many years. Her heart softened.
“I missed my brother so much.”
“Can you tell me about your relationship with Xavier?”
“Why do you want to know so much anyway?”
“I'm here to help you Maddie.”
“So you keep saying, but ever since I left the shed, everyone has wanted to ask me questions and what if I don't feel like answering them?” she snapped. She could feel heat rising in her body, her ears were burning and probably going red. Xavier would tease her when they were younger that her ears went red when she was upset.
The woman rose to her feet, “Would you like me to come back another day?”
“No...No I would prefer if you didn't come back at all actually.”
The woman looked around the room, then huffed out a sigh, “Okay. I am sorry for upsetting you, how about we try this again in a few days. Here is a card with my details, you can call me or have the staff call me any time if you change your mind.” She reached out and placed a business card on the bedside cabinet. Turned on her heel and walked out of the room.
“Good riddance to you,” she mumbled under her breath, glad to see the woman leave.
***
She was not left alone long. Within half an hour there was someone else at her bedside.
“Hi Maddison,” came a chirpy young voice. “I'm Lola.”
Maddie turned to see who Lola was and found a young, tiny girl, who looked barely old enough to be allowed out alone. She eyed her up and down, wondering why this child was in her room. She did not have to wait long to find out as Lola continued talking.
“I'm a physiotherapist here at the hospital and I have come to do some exercises with you.” This little pixie beamed down at her. Maddie struggled to see how this girl had even managed to finish high-school let alone university.
“Do I need exercises?” she asked dubiously.
“You have been in bed quite some time and prior to that, confined I believe?” she asked, cocking her head to one side, waiting for an answer.
Maddie nodded.
“So we need to build your muscle tone back up, and we need to do some work on getting your lungs working well again. First of all let’s start by getting you up out of bed.”
Maddie mulled over Lola's words, at least she was not pestering her for personal information and she could do with regaining a little strength as the months of being sick had left her feeling very weak. Lola moved to her side and wrapped her arms around the back of her shoulders, bringing her to a sitting position. Her tiny size was misleading, as she seemed to have quite a bit of strength in her thin arms.
Maddie sat with her legs dangling over the edge of the bed, feeling the familiar tingle of blood rushing to her toes. She gave them a wiggle before shifting her bottom to the edge of the mattress and pushing to her feet.
As her body weight shifted to her feet, she felt like jelly as her legs which once were strong, collapsed beneath her. Lola quickly grasped her shoulders and directed her backwards toward the bed, saving her from landing on the cold linoleum floor. She sucked in a breath, which made her cough. Pain stabbed into her congested lungs. Lola rubbed her back and whispered soothing words.
When the coughing subsided, Lola offered her a sip of water to soothe her throat. She was grateful for the coolness as it slid over her swollen and raw throat. After giving her a moment to catch her breath, Lola suggested they try again. This time using a funny looking contraption with arm rests and wheels, similar to something an older person would use. Maddie was horrified! Only old people use walking frames surely. But wi
th Lola's encouragement, she figured she would give it a try.
Again slipping off the side of the mattress, her toes hit the floor and she reached out to grasp the frame steadying herself. Lola brought her hands to Maddie's waist to help steady her. She lurched forward, a sudden feeling of dread sparking low in her stomach as she thought she might fall flat on her face.
“It's okay, I've got you,” came Lola's squeaky voice. Maddie doubted Lola could stop anyone from falling. Sure she was thin and had lost so much weight she barely recognised herself, but she was still larger than this woman who was meant to be holding her up.
Pain radiated through her legs, working its way from her calves, up into her thighs. She winced at the feeling. Lola must have noticed and moved into her view.
“You okay? You can sit if you like?”
Maddie shook her head, determined to try a few steps. One foot forward, it was a natural thing, she had been walking for some twenty-five years, how hard could it be? Slowly she lifted and moved her right foot, it felt like she were wearing leaden shoes and she could not understand. Then she moved her left leg, again, feeling every sensation, like a burn radiating through her leg.
Taking several steps forward, she allowed her body weight to rest on the frame in front of her. Slowly she turned, using the frame. This was surprisingly not as hard as she had expected.
Almost at the bed, she lost her balance and felt herself going down. She yelled out in shock. She was powerless to stop herself tumbling to the floor. She waited for the pain that never came.
“It's okay, I've got you, it’s okay.” Lola had stopped her from falling. With her hand at the small of her back, Lola helped her regain her posture. She straightened and tentatively took the final steps back to her bed.
Plonking herself down heavily, she huffed. “Gosh who knew walking was hard?”
“You did really well, it won't be long until you’ll be running. Now let’s get you comfy and we can work on some upper-body exercises while you’re in bed.”
