Reviving Heaven

by D H Sidebottom

  I nodded, hissing at the pain that shot through my back.

  “I’m sorry. The pain relief will kick in shortly.” Manoeuvring me back around, she settled herself on the edge of the bed. “Lily…” The look on her face and the softness of her voice, the same as I had seen and heard many times from various practitioners, had my cheeks blushing when I knew what she was going to say.

  “I know, and no thank you,” I told her, not giving her the chance to embarrass either of us.

  “Are you sure?” she asked softly. I didn’t want her pity, never mind her help. “We can put you in touch with an amazing therapy group.”

  “No.”

  She cringed at the tone of my voice but nodded. “Okay, my love.”

  Jenny left to fetch me some water and I stared around the small room. Selfie photographs of countless fans with messages of love and prayers for my swift recovery had been stuck to the walls. Notes and drawn pictures hung wherever there was space. My heart surged as I squinted at them, attempting to read them from where I lay. Hundreds of bright blooms and a heap of soft toys filled every available floor space. It was astonishing how much people cared about me. I was just a singer in a little band.

  “This is only what we could fit in the room,” Knight said as he walked over to me. I hadn’t even heard him enter the room. “You should see your house; we had to store the rest there.”

  “How long have I been here?”

  “Four days.”

  “Wow!” I breathed, still dazed at the level of support.

  “You scared the ever-loving shit out of me, Lil.”

  I nodded, his admission beckoning the sob that I had tried to keep at bay. He was comforting me within seconds of the first tear hitting my cheek.

  “What the hell is going on, Knight?”

  He sighed, hugging me harder. “I don’t know. But I do know Harrison is hot on this fucker’s heels.”

  I squinted up at him, pulling out of his embrace. “He’s found something?”

  “I’m not sure. He’s one secretive bastard, I know that much, but he’s tightened all security. No one can get within a hairsbreadth of you now. We’ve cancelled all upcoming gigs…”

  “What!?”

  He glared at me, his eyes narrow and hard. “We didn’t even have to make that decision; our fans did it for us. Everyone, including them, are right behind you, Lil. They love you. They’ve been camping outside the hospital for news ever since you were brought in. You need to get well, and safe. And they know that too.”

  I nodded. All I wanted to do was perform, I loved every incredible minute of it, but putting myself out there again was going to be harder than I anticipated. The more anxious I was, the more terrible it would be for Quantum. I couldn’t say I wasn’t disheartened though. We’d been fighting for this for years, and already, within seven months of making it, it was my fault that it had all come crashing down.

  Nine

  Harrison

  “Stop being such a bloody pain in the arse!”

  Her eyes narrowed at me in a glare as I helped her out of the car. “What the hell did you expect? I just want to go home.”

  “Well, tough. Your house is now compromised. It isn’t safe.”

  “Of course it’s safe!” she argued. “It’s my home.”

  I didn’t want to remind her about Gerry, her cat. She had been grumbling ever since I’d picked her up from the hospital and had told her we would now be going to a safe house. I wondered, often, if she wanted to die. She was exasperating. She’d been in the hospital for eight days, and Quantum Rock’s fans never shifted from their vigil outside. As much as I understood their need for instant updates and to wish Lily well, they were a damn liability. Security for the hospital had been upped to a maximum, and I was just glad to get her out of there.

  Although, at that moment I wasn’t so sure. I would be glued to her side every second of the day from now on, unable to leave her until this cunt was found.

  I wasn’t sure who would kill her first, him or me.

  “Please, Harrison.”

  Biting my lip, I halted by the front door of the cottage I’d secured and spun around. “You can’t! I intercepted a package yesterday!”

  She stilled, her eyes widening with fear. “What kind of package?”

  “A package that would have blown your pretty little head right into Santa’s lap at the north pole.”

  Her already pale face blanched further, and she licked her dry lips. “But I wasn’t even home yesterday.”

  “No, you weren’t, but that doesn’t mean that everyone else knew that. The media had been informed that you were released yesterday morning. It was a forced action by myself and the police to make it easier to get you out today. Therefore the focus from the hospital was already gone. The bomb was found on your back doorstep yesterday afternoon, buried in the belly of an enormous brown bear.”

  “Jesus.”

  She was quiet as I helped her into the small house. I’d used this place a few times and its location was superb. It was hidden in the depths of the countryside, but open enough for me to keep watch. Security was excellent; hidden cameras spanned a thousand meters radius that triggered an alarm when any activity was determined.

  “Sorry it’s small, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

  Looking a little withdrawn, she nodded faintly while she studied her new home for however long this shit took. “I’m sure.”

  She was pale, and after helping her onto the sofa, I went in search of a kettle.

  “Do you have anything stronger than tea?” she shouted as I started to scoop coffee and sugar into some cups.

  I smirked. I’d pre-booked the house knowing we’d need supplies. Luckily, Benjamin, the guy who looked after the place with his wife, was a bit of a drinker and it was always an essential on his shopping order.

  “You sure you should drink on your meds?” I asked as I walked back into the room and opened the cupboard storing many bottles of various spirits.

  “Do I look like I care right now?”

  Shrugging, I held a hand out, showing her the choices of booze available. She twisted her lips and said, “Let’s start with the whisky.”

  “Start with?”

  “Mm-hmm. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long ass day.”

  Laughing, I nodded in agreement. “Yeah.”

  She stiffened, pulling her shoulders back. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Shaking my head in frustration, I sighed. “You’ve just said it’s going to be a long day. I agreed. How come I’m the one being funny?”

  She took the whisky from me, her eyes blazing with indignation, but she refrained from answering and knocked back the full measure of harsh golden liquid.

  “Jesus.” She coughed and pulled a face when the cheap alcohol burnt her throat. “I think I’ll stick to vodka, that stuff is the same whatever the price.”

  “Not really,” I disagreed.

  “Are you going to bicker about everything I have to say today?”

  Topping up my glass, I gave in and swallowed another retort. Lily clicked her tongue and smirked, thinking she’d won. I was tired of the quarrelling, frustrated with the sight of her tits straining against the cotton of her t-shirt and tense with the amount of concentration it took to be alert to any sounds or senses that may be off.

  I couldn’t drink too much alcohol, I needed to stay vigilant, so I added some ice and a little water to my next shot. Lily didn’t seem to have the same outlook when she prised herself off the sofa and limped across the room to fill her glass to the brim with the equally cheap vodka.

  The grimace on her face after she took a mouthful told me I had been right; not all vodkas taste the same whatever their price.

  Noticing me watching her with a smirk on my face, Lily cleared her throat and took another mouthful. “Mmm, good stuff,” she lied.

  “Uh-huh.”

  Shuffling back over to the sofa, she eased herself down gently and se
ttled back.

  “So,” I turned towards her. “We need to go over the kidnapping.”

  “I’m not sure anything about that will help with this, Harrison.”

  “Perhaps not, but it’s still worth a shot.”

  She looked a little apprehensive, the previous indifference whenever I had mentioned it now gone.

  “Okay, what do you want to know?”

  “Everything. Start at the beginning.” I asked, trying to keep my voice soft. My phone rang in my pocket, but I ignored it. We needed to talk about this, and I didn’t want to put Lily off while she was finally recounting what happened to her eight years ago.

  She took another gulp of vodka and gritted her teeth. “Mum had sent a car to pick me up from school, but the car I got into wasn’t the one she’d sent.”

  She was vague, but the tremble in her voice told me why. “Have you ever talked about it, Lily?”

  “To the police, yes.”

  I observed her carefully. She was gnawing on her lip like it was her last supper. Her hands shook, causing the vodka to swish around the glass, and one of her legs jumped up and down.

  “I know this is hard on you,” I expressed softly, taking her shaking hand in mine and squeezing to give her a little encouragement. “But if it helps catch this guy then the positives will outweigh the negatives.”

  “The negatives?” she hissed, angry with my choice of words. “My emotions, my memories, they’re not negatives!” she snapped. “They’re fucking harrowing. Excruciating. They cripple me. They make the blood that runs through me corrode every single vein in my body. My mind can’t cope, and it aches, Harrison, it fucking aches. I’d say that’s more than just a bloody negative.”

  “I know,” I whispered. On instinct, the sight of the first tear that plunged off her chin and fell onto her chest had me pulling her gently into my arms. She buried her face in my chest, grabbing handfuls of my t-shirt like it would save her from the memories I’d made her think about.

  I let her cry. I had a feeling that she’d never actually spoken about this for a long time, and especially not with anyone that shared her life. Talking to the police is different than facing the realities of what happened with your family.

  “It’s okay; I can go back over the police statements instead.”

  Each sob that ripped from her made my chest ache that little bit more. I held onto her tightly, saving her from the cliff she was scared of falling off.

  “The man was in his late twenties,” she whispered, still clung to me like I could douse the flames of the memories blistering her from the inside out.

  Closing my eyes, I prayed she’d stay in the moment with me. “What did he look like?”

  “Blonde hair. I remember his nose; it was quite big and crooked. He had a scar underneath his right eye.” She shivered. “And breath that could have knocked a rhino out.”

  I didn’t want to ask why she’d been so close she remembered what his breath smelt like, but I had to. “Did he hurt you, Lily?”

  She tensed in my arms and masked her face in the fabric of my t-shirt but diverted past my question. “He was the man that seemed to give all the orders to the two others.”

  “So, there were three of them in total?”

  Nodding, she hiccupped, yet appeared to be much calmer. “Yes. Another man and a woman.”

  “Describe them for me, sweetheart.”

  From her description, I wondered if they were Russian, and she confirmed my thoughts when she said, “From their accents, I’d guess they were all Russian.”

  I nodded to myself, my instincts always spot on.

  “You were with them for two weeks before they sent the ransom to your parents, right?”

  Her head remained buried in my chest when she nodded, her face hidden away from my eyes. “Yes.”

  I’d already read the initial case notes, but they were quite clinical and basic, as though Lily’s memories had been slightly repressed at the time of the interview, which was often the case where children were involved. She had denied any sexual assault, but I got the feeling she had felt too ashamed at the time to disclose that part to her interviewer. I had found it strange though, as I’d read through the file, why the interviewing officer hadn’t pushed harder to find out what really happened. Lily had refused a medical examination, and that had alarm bells ringing instantly for me, so why not for them?

  I made a mental note to dig deeper into the case and the detective who had interviewed her.

  For the second time, my phone rang. Grumbling under my breath at the intrusion, I pulled it from my pocket.

  Frowning, I answered it straightaway when I saw who was calling. “Tammy?”

  “Harry.” She sounded breathless and distraught, and I sat up straighter. “It’s Philly.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  “We’re at St Luke’s.”

  Lily, sensing my anguish, sat up and looked at me. “What’s wrong?”

  I hissed a “Fuck” under my breath when I realised I couldn’t leave her alone. “Get your coat. We need to go. Now!”

  She didn’t argue. Nodding to me, she moved quickly despite the pain she must have been in. As she slid into the car, the groan of pain she released made me feel like a complete shit. But she never complained or asked what was happening. She sensed it was important to me and that was enough for her to accept my need to hurry.

  I never shifted as quickly as I did then. My heart wouldn’t beat again until Philly’s hand was securely in mine and her large blue eyes were locked on mine.

  Ten

  Lily

  I wished Harrison would have plonked me in one of the wheelchairs which had been stacked like supermarket trolleys by the front doors of the hospital. Why he had insisted that I came along was beyond me. He ran through the corridors at a speed I was struggling to keep up with. My back hurt and my legs felt like jelly, but I gritted my teeth and chased after him.

  Clearly, the news he had received hadn’t been good. For one, we were at a hospital, so that was bad enough in itself, but the way his face had paled when he’d taken the call meant it was concerning someone significant to him. I prayed it wasn’t a wife. Although I wasn’t entirely sure why that would be an issue.

  Entering a ward, he hurried over to the receptionist. “Phillipa Cole?”

  Cole? Jesus, he was fucking married!

  “Room four. Down the corridor and on the left.”

  Harrison nodded, grabbed my hand, and took off again. I could barely breathe when he flung open the door and hurried inside.

  “Tammy,” he greeted sourly. His usual surly self was not exclusive to me then.

  A tall woman stood from where she sat beside the bed. Sweeping her long blonde hair out of her face, she rushed over to Harrison and fell into his arms. Her heart-wrenching sobs swallowed the rhythmic beeps from the array of machines in the room.

  “How is she?”

  I felt awkward and took a step back when they both turned to look at the little girl laid on the bed, her tiny frame shrouded in a thin white sheet.

  “They think it’s meningitis. Not again, Harry! Not again.”

  My mind raced with many thoughts as I watched husband and wife cower to the horror that faced them.

  From what I could tell, the girl looked to be around nine and was as blonde as Tammy. A mass of yellow tresses cascaded over a crisp white pillow. Her lips looked extra pink against the backdrop of pale skin and her long thick eyelashes framed eyes that were peacefully closed.

  Harrison dropped into the chair and took his daughter’s hand. Although his mouth moved, he didn’t speak to her. Instead, he opened her hand and drew tiny little symbols over her palm as he spoke silently to himself.

  “Hi.”

  I blinked when Tammy smiled softly at me. I could tell she sensed my feeling of awkwardness when she held out her hand. “I’m Tammy. You must be Lily, Harrison’s told me a lot about you.”

  “He has?” I mumbled stupidly, my gaze flick
ing to Harrison who was still completely absorbed in his daughter.

  Tammy grimaced. “I know he’s never supposed to tell anyone about who he works with, but I’m always so excited by his job that I bully him until he gives in and tells me. Philly and I play a game whenever Harry gets a new client.” She smiled sadly. “Philly always wins and guesses it. It’s like she has this sixth sense when it comes to her dad.” Swallowing heavily, her face paled and swells of tears filled her eyes when she looked back at her daughter. “She was so excited when she found out Harry was protecting you. She’s a huge Quantum Rock fan, and she begged him to let her meet you.” She shook her head quickly as if she’d said something inappropriate. “Although we know Harry couldn’t ever do that. That would be so rude.”

  Pain and worry poured from her in suffocating waves, and my heart broke for her. Nothing but desolation and hopelessness reflected from her eyes, and the way her shoulders sagged with exhaustion and her legs trembled had me leading her over to the bed and settling her down on it.

  Harrison, as if noticing me for the first time, looked up and groaned when he saw my hand in Tammy’s as she held onto me like I could make it all better for her. “Shit, I’m so sorry. Lily, this is Tammy, my ex-wife.”

  I didn’t understand why I was so relieved by the word ‘ex’. Harrison’s private life had nothing to do with me. Yet, after spending nearly a month with him, even the new things I learned from him, and about him, still surprised me. He was such a solitary man, his thoughts and feelings very private. Then again, we all had secrets. Hell, I had a shit ton of them.

  The door opened and when a doctor walked in I offered to step outside, but Harrison wouldn’t have any of it.

  “You stay where I can see you, Lily,” he ordered sternly, his eyes fixed on me in warning. I was sure he thought I would do a runner. Like that would be wise with a crazy motherfucker after me. And, besides, I couldn’t bloody run for toffee.