Chapter 84
“Okay,” he said. “I—okay.”
“Alright. We’ll be there soon.”
For a long minute after Dad had hung up, Eli simply sat and clutched the phone, before slowly pulling it away and texting Danny. Whats going on??
They just took him into surgery n the cops have shode up 2 talk. theyll b lookin 4 u 2.
Eli swallowed, rolled his shoulders, and stood up. Of course the police would come. A man had been stabbed, and at least two others pretty seriously assaulted, by the way Rob had been fighting and Danny had whaled in at the last second like that. And Eli knew—far better than Danny did—the right way to put things, the buzzwords like ‘defending us’ and ‘feared for my life’ to get the boys in trouble and not Rob.
Talk to the police. Yeah. He could do that.
* * * *
When Eli’s phone next went off, it was Mum.
“I’m sorry,” he said to the copper taking his statement. “Can I get that?”
“‘Course.” He was the kind of copper Eli wanted Rob to meet: young, earnest, and with a calming manner. And armed with this big smile that got the nurses to keep bringing cups of tea as Eli had reached the part where he’d seen the kid stab Rob.
He shuffled aside to take the call. They were in the back corner of a quiet-ish waiting area, as at that time of night there was nowhere really private left. “Mum?”
“Eli! Eli, dear, where are you?”
“Um, on the second floor. I’m giving my statement to the police—you need to—”
“Already?”
“I didn’t want to wait.” Eli swallowed hard. “Are you with Jenny? Jenny’ll need—”
“Yes, dear, I’m with Jenny.” Mum’s voice was even more flustered than Dad’s, and Eli felt a pang of…something. It was petty to feel a little resentful that Mum had found Jenny before even calling to check on him, because Jenny was having a baby, for God’s sake…
But then a tiny, uncharitable part of Eli’s mind pointed out that Jenny was thirty-eight weeks pregnant and had had a baby before. Eli, on the other hand, had been trying to hold all his boyfriend’s blood inside to stop him just…just bleeding to death in the middle of a dirty car park. And he’d never…he’d never…
“Eli?”
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I…where are you?”
“Ward ten, darling. There’s no maternity unit, but Jenny’s a little far gone to be moved on now, especially after that shock the two of you have had. They’re trying to get a midwife out here rather than take Jenny to her—”
Eli coughed. “Okay. Um. Let me…let me finish this, and…and I’ll be up.”
“Alright.” Mum paused. “Eli? Darling? Are you alri—”
“See you soon.”
Eli hung up, his fingers shaking around the phone. The copper took his elbow gently and pulled him back into his seat.
“You’ve had a bad shock,” he said sympathetically. “We can finish this whenever suits you, Mr Bell.”
Eli stared at his still-bloody hands. “It could’ve been me. Or Jen. What’ll—what’ll happen to them?”
“If they’re convicted? Stabbing someone’s not a light sentence.”
“What about Rob? Rob hit him, Rob—”
“From what you’ve told me, Mr Bell, then it sounds like Mr Hawkes was acting in defense of another. And using reasonable force to protect another person from harm is perfectly legal.”
Eli nodded, barely even hearing the words, and slowly closed his fingers. A little of the redness flaked and fell off. Paper rustled, and then the copper flipped his clipboard—borrowed off a nurse—shut and rose to his feet.
“Why don’t we continue this another time, Mr Bell? Let’s get you up to see your family.”
“I need to see Rob,” Eli whispered, “but he’s in surgery.”
“So let’s go and see your family,” the copper repeated. “Come on, I’ll walk you up there.”
The policeman’s hand was firm and warm on Eli’s elbow again, and Eli coughed a hollow laugh as he was steered towards the stairs. “You’re the kind of cop I keep telling Rob exists. He thinks you’re all bastards.”
“Lot of people do,” the man said amiably. “And, hell, I’m not blind. There’s some cops deserve that label. But most of us, it’s all that serve and protect stuff. Someone’s gotta be there to protect the public.”
Eli managed a watery smile. “Rob’s the kind of guy you’re usually protecting the public from.”
“Hard lad, is he?”
“Hard-headed,” Eli mumbled. “Shitty upbringing. Likes pub fights and weed. You know the type. He’s a good guy, but he’s…”
“See,” the copper said as the lift doors closed and the floor jerked, beginning to inch them down towards the first floor, “funny thing is, they’re the guys who go either way when they hit their teens. They become criminals, or they become cops. Funny how most people on either side don’t see that.”
The doors opened onto the melee of a busy corridor. Eli immediately saw his mother hovering outside a set of ward doors and wringing her hands.