Page 59 of No Safe Place
‘You don’t worry about anything, Cal, okay? You’ve been so brave. You’re doing so well. Let me do the worrying. You’ll feel better after some sleep.’
‘I want to—’ His voice hitched in his throat. ‘I want to sleep.’
She lifted the covers up and he slid underneath them.
The light switched off, and Callum rolled over, looking at the smooth white wall. It might have been the sudden darkness, or lying down, or being exhausted, but he was crying again. His face was hot, and he counted the drops rolling sideways down his face, collecting on the pillow by his cheek.
Then the blanket lifted, and she was climbing into bed behind him. Her thin arm wrapped round his chest as the sobs came.
‘It’s okay,’ Lily whispered. ‘It’s okay.’
She stroked slow little circles below his ear, the one not against the pillow, until he calmed down.
Empty, dry-eyed, he finally felt like he could sleep.
‘I love you,’ he whispered to the wall. The slow circles in his hair didn’t stop. His eyes were closing.
‘I love you.’
Chapter 35
D:I only ever wanted to help people. I knew that’s what I needed to do, what I was good at.
Pause
D:I just want to make broken people better.
Pause
D:I don’t know what I’d do, without this job.
P:I don’t know what we’d do without you.
Pause
D:I needed to hear that today.
P:Well, you know – this is a safe space.
Chapter 36
Thursday | Evening
Field
Field drove, needing an excuse not to look at her overflowing inbox for twenty minutes. Wilson was quiet next to her, and a Radio 4 show Field wasn’t listening to filled the car. Zara met them outside the Greenwich townhouse, elegantly dressed and unflappable, as always.
Penny opened the door to the three of them. She looked like she’d just stepped out of the shower. Her red hair was still wet, slicked back, and she was dressed in a pair of matching floral pyjamas. She was also wearing perfume.
‘Hi, Penny,’ Zara said. ‘Is Simon still here? We need to talk to you both.’
‘He’s – he popped out.’ Penny glanced between them. ‘Sorry, but can we do this later? I don’t feel up to talking.’
Penny started to close the door, and Field put out a hand to stop her. ‘It’s important, Penny. We need to come in.’
Penny’s resolve crumbled, her shoulders falling forward asshe opened the door wide. Zara went first, heading for the kitchen. Penny trailed after her like a scolded child, and Field shut the door behind them.
Time to deliver more bad news over another hot drink.
