“My aunt claimed she could see colours around people,” the man with glasses continued. “She once told me that everybody had an aura around them. She used to say her gift enabled her to read the colour of a person’s soul.”
“Was it caused by an accident or something?” Annalise asked.
“No, apparently it just started for no reason when she was in her early thirties.”
“Perhaps I could talk to her some time, if that’s okay.”
“Now that would be a good trick,” the man replied. “She’s been dead for over ten years. She threw herself off a hotel balcony.”
One of the two female students winced theatrically. The consultant broke the ensuing awkward silence. “Anyway, fascinating though this topic of conversation is, there are other patients on my list. I’ll see you again tomorrow. And I will try to remember to look into this aura thing.”
“Thanks ... um ... Doctor.”
Annalise had already forgotten the man’s name. Her thoughts were elsewhere.
Chapter 12
Steven pushed through the rotating door. The clear air came as a welcome relief after the ever-present odour of disinfectant still clogging his lungs. He had been to the reception desk and confirmed the girl was in fact conscious. He had also discovered what ward she was on. Visiting time didn’t start for another ten minutes, but he had no intention of going in for a quiet chat. What he planned would not involve talking and would probably have to wait until she was in a far less public place.
He swivelled his head as a late model hatchback turned into the car park. A cigarette butt clung to his shoe as he strolled to a wooden bench set amongst the well-tended flowerbeds. From there, he observed the newcomer. The red vehicle backed into a space and the engine died. Nothing happened for a few seconds. The driver’s door opened slowly, and a man in his early twenties eased out. The annual insurance alone probably cost more than the total value of the beat-up old banger Steven drove.
Holding the door with one hand to prevent it banging into the adjacent car, the driver reached back inside with the other and withdrew a bunch of flowers. Steven rolled his eyes as the man bent his head and inhaled the scent of the brightly coloured blooms. Not only was he wealthy, he was obviously sensitive too.
Steven’s gaze followed the man as he sauntered towards the hospital building, the flowers clutched casually in one hand. The man took no notice of his watcher, his attention focused on his destination. He was smartly dressed in a blazer, slacks and an open shirt. Sunglasses masked his eyes although it was debatable whether the light level warranted their usage. He passed through the wide rotating door and out of Steven’s sight.
For a delicious moment, Steven contemplated vandalising the car. A deep scratch along the bodywork with the edge of a coin would take some of the shine off the man’s day. The look on his face when he saw somebody had damaged his precious vehicle would be worth the wait. But maybe it wasn’t such a great plan. They probably had security cameras monitoring the area. The last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself; he had far bigger fish to fry.
With a sigh, he turned back to the entrance and watched the steady stream of people entering and leaving.
***
Mark Webber clutched the bunch of flowers self-consciously as he pushed through the swing doors leading to the intensive care ward. Ahead of him, the beds extended away in two lines, one row against each of the long walls. A plump nurse was bending over a patient. Sensing Mark’s arrival, she stood up and turned to face him, rubbing her lower back.
“Who have you come to see?” she asked, looking him up and down.
“Annalise Becker.”
“She’s in that room there,” the nurse said, pointing.
“Right. Thanks.”
Mark strode in the direction the woman had indicated. He reached the closed door and heard voices from inside. He knocked and was greeted by Annalise’s father.
“Oh, hi Mark,” Dan Becker said, trying to hide the surprise on his face.
“Hello, Mr Becker. Look, if you’re busy I can come back in a few minutes.”
“No, don’t worry. We’ll just go and get a cup of tea.”
Mark waited while Dan and Sophie Becker filed out of the room. Sophie frowned but said nothing.
“Thanks,” Mark mumbled as they headed towards the corridor and the hospital café. He edged through the door and closed it behind him. Annalise lay on the bed wearing a hospital gown, her back propped up against the pillows.
“Hello, Mark,” she said, unsmiling. “I have to say I’m surprised to see you. I’d have thought your lawyer would have told you it was a bad idea to visit me.” The clipped tones mirrored her frosty expression.
Mark ignored the barbed comment. “These are for you,” he said, handing over the flowers.
“Just leave them on the side.”
Mark glanced around the small room. “I can’t see a vase anywhere.”
“Don’t worry. Mum will sort something out with the nurses.”
“Yeah, I heard she got a job here. How are you feeling?”
“Right as rain—apart from the amnesia and the aching muscles. So, what are you doing here?”
“I wanted to apologise. Your call caught me by surprise. I may have said some things I didn’t mean.”
“What, the bit about the police choosing which one of us to prosecute?”
“That was the wrong thing to say. I’m sorry. Can you really not remember anything about what happened that day?”
Annalise hesitated. “I had a dream yesterday—a nightmare, actually—about the crash. The car was spinning through the air, but when it smashed into the ground, I woke up.”
Mark sat on the bed. “It was pretty horrific. Look, I’ll try to answer your questions.”
“Why did you let me drive? I’m assuming I wasn’t insured.”
Mark stared at Annalise for several heartbeats before replying. “The roads were quiet. You wanted to have a go behind the wheel. I did my best to talk you out of it, but you were insistent, so eventually, I gave in. It was only going to be for a short time. I thought it would be safe enough. I was wrong. The car jerked forwards twice. Then you said you’d got the hang of it. We were moving fairly slowly, and you seemed in control. Then another car started coming in the opposite direction. I told you to stop, but you panicked. You jammed your foot down, but rather than pressing the brake, you pushed the accelerator instead. My car shot towards the other one. You tried to avoid it but caught the rear end. It was only a glancing blow, but it caused the other driver to veer off the road and crash into a tree. They said he would have died instantly.”
“How old was he?” Annalise asked in a quiet voice.
“Twenty-seven or twenty-eight, I think.”
“How badly damaged was your car?”
“The combination of the impact and the angle of the steering wheel caused it to roll. Luckily the first landing changed the trajectory, and it hit the ground the second time on the wheels. The police said if it had landed on the roof we probably wouldn’t have survived. We must have both bashed our heads and ended up knocked out. When I regained consciousness, we were both strapped in our seats.”
“So what happened next?”
“I got my seatbelt undone. You were still out of it. I came round the other side. At first, I couldn’t get the door to open. The car was all banged up, so it was hardly surprising. I tried for ages and eventually managed to force it. Then another motorist arrived and between the two of us, we dragged you out. I lost my phone in the crash, so the other guy called the emergency services.”
“And after that?”
“You were still unconscious. An ambulance came and drove off with you inside. They had a quick look at me and told me I was lucky to get away with cuts and bruises. I guess you know the rest. They brought you here, and you’ve been in a coma for the last eleven months.”
“So what have you been doing while I’ve been dozing?”
“Oh
, this and that. I bought a house, and I’ve been spending most of my time renovating it. I was planning to put it on the market in the next few weeks.” Mark’s face fell. “That was until some bastard torched it a fortnight ago.”
“What? You mean like arson?”
“Yeah, exactly like arson. They poured petrol through the letterbox then dropped a match in. Luckily the fire didn’t catch, and the damage wasn’t too bad. It will still take me another month or so to sort it out.”
“Did the police find out who did it?”
“No, they’re bloody useless. No one was injured, so they weren’t particularly interested.”
“Right.” Annalise’s eyes narrowed. “Any new girlfriends?”
Mark frowned. “No, not really.”
“What the hell does not really mean?”
“I’ve been out for drinks with a couple of girls, but that’s all. I’m sorry, Annalise, but nobody knew for sure if you would ever wake up, and if ... well, if you’d still be the same person afterwards. They were worried that even if you recovered, you might have brain damage.”
“I can assure you it’s the same me, albeit with a bit of amnesia and a new skill.”
“New skill?”
“Yeah, it seems I’ve gained the ability to sense auras.”
“You’ve lost me.”
“I see colours floating around people’s heads. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to interpret them yet or even how long it will last.”
“So you can tell how good or bad a person really is, then?” Mark grinned nervously. “Nobody’s perfect. So how would you describe my aura? I hope it’s not too dark.”
Annalise angled her head away from him. She twisted her neck first one way and then the other. “Do you know what? There’s nothing there. Maybe I’m cured.”
Mark laughed. “Not much of a superpower then, is it?”
Annalise remained silent for several seconds. She locked eyes with Mark. “So are we still an item, or does your lawyer think that would be a bad idea?”
He hesitated before replying. “I’ve been giving it some thought.”
“What? About splitting up?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. It was something my solicitor mentioned when we were discussing the case.”
“Go on then.”
“I want you to hear me out before you say anything. Look, Annalise, you mean everything to me. Before the accident, I’d been seriously thinking about ...”
“You have been doing a lot of thinking, haven’t you?”
Mark ignored the question and met her gaze. “Will you marry me?”
Annalise took a sharp intake of breath and followed it with a nervous laugh. She stared into Mark’s face and realised he was being serious.
Mark rushed on. “It’s the perfect solution. I’d been debating whether to ask you before everything happened. They can’t force a husband or wife to testify against one another. I looked it up on the Internet.”
“So you want to marry me so you can’t be forced to give evidence against me, and I don’t have to go to prison?”
“Yes—and because I love you too. You don’t need to decide right now, but if we are going to do this, the sooner we make the arrangements the better.”
Annalise stared silently at Mark.
He rose awkwardly to his feet. “Think about it. I’ll, um ... just go and find your parents.”
Chapter 13
“He wants to what?” Sophie asked in disbelief.
“Yeah, it came as a big shock to me too,” Annalise said. “I thought he was about to say he wanted to finish with me. Instead, he asks me if I want to get married.”
“He did come to see you a couple of times after you were first admitted,” Sophie said, “but then the visits tailed off. So, how are you going to reply?”
“It’s all a bit strange, don’t you think? It was like he was so proud of coming up with this ingenious idea just so he wouldn’t have to testify against me. I don’t know. It was almost as if that was more important than being in love. I don’t want to marry him because he feels guilty or so I don’t have to go to prison. But if we were going to do it anyway—”
“Do you love him?” Dan interrupted.
“Well ...”
“That’s all I need to hear,” he said. “If you have to think about it, you’re not really in love, at least not enough to get married. Ten minutes ago, you were saying that splitting up with him wasn’t such a bad thing, I’ve always joked that nobody will be good enough for my daughters, but you shouldn’t rush into a lifelong commitment like marriage. You’re still very young to be making such a huge decision.”
“I know, Dad, but I’ve just lost a year of my life. I really don’t want to lose any more by spending time in prison. It would be different if I could remember, but it’s as if I’m hearing a story about something another person has done. I’m aware a man died but ... How would you feel if somebody said you had committed a crime, and you had no memory of it?”
“I understand it’s hard, but it’s not always best to take the easy option. Who’s to say the police won’t prosecute even if he doesn’t testify against you?”
“You know we’ll support you whatever happens,” Sophie said.
Annalise placed her head in her hands. “What a bloody mess. What am I going to do?”
Dan put an arm around his daughter. “The decision has to be yours, Annalise. We can only advise you. If the only reason you’re thinking of saying yes is to stay out of prison, that’s not a good enough reason to marry somebody, is it?”
“I do care about him, though. If I say no, won’t that push him away?”
“Okay,” Dan said. “Can you remember how you felt about Mark before the accident?”
“Yes. It seems like just a few days ago.”
“So, if he had asked you to get married before everything happened, what would you have said?”
Annalise frowned. “I’d have probably said no, and that we should wait a while.”
“Well, there’s your answer. That’s what you should say to him now.”
“Alright, I need time to think things through by myself. Can we change the subject, please? Did you bring the clothes like I asked?”
Sophie gestured to a small carryall bag on the floor by the door. “It’s all in here.”
Annalise was looking forward to wearing something with more dignity than the hospital gown. She grimaced in pain as she rearranged the pillows.
“I guess that’s from the physio,” Dan said.
Annalise sighed. “It’s the hardest exercise I’ve ever done. My muscles are still aching.”
“It’s going to take a while until you’re back to normal. Are you still seeing colours surrounding people?”
Annalise turned her head away. “Yes, I can still see something around the pair of you. I did wonder though. I couldn’t detect any colours around Mark when he came in just now.”
“I’m sure it’ll all clear up in a day or two,” Sophie said.
“Mark called it a superpower, although maybe that’s going a bit far. One of the trainee doctors said his aunt used to be able to pick up auras.”
“We’ll have to start calling you Auralise,” Dan joked. “You said the student’s aunt could see auras. What happened to her? Did she get better?”
“No. She killed herself.”
Chapter 14
Annalise pushed the soggy clump of cornflakes to the edge of the bowl. Thoughts about Mark’s proposal had been rattling around inside her head, and she hadn’t fallen asleep until the early hours of the morning. The sick feeling in her stomach didn’t help her appetite. Her eyes kept wandering to the mobile phone poking out from beneath the sheets.
The door swung open to reveal the ample figure of the nurse, Angie Simms.
“Haven’t you finished that yet?”
Annalise dropped the spoon. “I’m not really hungry.”
“You’ll never get better if you don’t eat.”
/> “I just don’t feel like eating at the moment.”
The nurse bent forwards and picked up the tray. “Suit yourself. The consultant will be here around nine o’clock.”
Annalise waited for the woman to depart. When she had the room to herself, she snatched up the handset and unlocked the front screen. She closed her eyes as she pondered what she would say.
“Damn.” she muttered, pressing the dial button. This was one of those situations one couldn’t really plan for. It all depended upon Mark’s reaction.
The ringing tone sounded too loud in her ear. She pushed the volume button twice to move the slider to the left. When she raised the device again, the other end was quiet.
“Hello,” she said.
“Hi,” a breezy male voice replied.
“Um, it’s Annalise.”
“Yeah, I can see that from the caller ID. How are you?”
“Fine.”
“You’re lucky to catch me. I was about to pop over to the house to do some work. I’ve just started the wallpapering. It’s not my favourite job, so I’ve been putting it off. You could come over and help if you want.”
A slight laugh escaped her lips. “I’d love to, but I’ve a physio session booked with a pair of torturers. Or maybe that’s a torture session booked with a pair of physiotherapists. Either way, it’s going to hurt afterwards. Perhaps another time.”
“It sounds like it might be fun. Are they handsome?”
“Mark, I’m sorry, but I can’t marry you now.” The words tumbled out of Annalise’s mouth in a rush. She held her breath, waiting for a response. Several seconds of silence passed. “Are you still there?”
“Yeah, I’m here.” Mark’s voice had lost its brightness. “When you didn’t call, I kind of guessed that’s what you were going to say.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just not ready yet.”
“It’s alright. I get it. There’s loads happening in your life at the moment, and I’m only complicating matters. I shouldn’t have sprung it on you like that. It wasn’t really fair on you. I thought it might help to solve one of your problems.”
The Colour of the Soul Page 6
