Chapter Fifty

Havermouth, Present Time

(… So much pain…)

(I hope this is over quickly…)

(That is so disgusting…)

(Fifteen minutes until room 301 needs their next dose…)

(Hang in there… So much to live for…)

Aislen’s head roared with sound. She sat on the hospital bed shaking in the wet clothes, with the heels of her hands pressed to her ears, trying to find enough focus to restore the bubbles and shut away the overwhelming mental noise of the patients and staff around her.

“We need to get those wet clothes off of her,” a nurse said, her voice muffled.

“If there’s been an assault, and from the look of her, there has been, then the police need to collect the clothing, or we’ll break chain of evidence. She’s not critical, so we have the time to let this be done properly.” (So sick of sexual assaults not being pursued in this town… No excuses this time, they will collect it themselves, and I will fucking watch to make sure they do it properly…)

“If you say so,” the first nurse was dubious.

“Did you have any luck finding that name in the phone book?”

“Nope. It’s a small town, though. I’m going to put it on the board and see if anyone asks me about it.”

“Sneaky,” the second nurse was impressed.

“I’ve learned a few tricks in my old age.”

Two uniformed police officers entered, carrying bags, pausing just inside the room, taking first impressions of Aislen before moving forwards.

“Hi, Judith,” one of the women nodded to the second nurse.

“Patience,” Judith’s voice was icily reserved. (She’d better not screw this up this time… The last one was unforgivable. I don’t know how she is still working…) “This young lady, currently non-verbal and at this time unidentified, was brought in by a motorist from Patrick Street, she estimated between the turn off from Main Street and the turn in to the Edison’s old farm.”

(Edison… Fuck. Not the Triquetra. They’ve kept their noses clean for the last couple of years…) “Is that so?” Patience replied stoically. “This motorist?”

“In the waiting room.”

“Very good. The blanket?”

“From the motorist.”

“Very well. Let’s get her out of those wet clothes. If you’ll get the door, Judith?”

“Of course,” Judith closed the door but remained in the room.

Patience raised her eyebrows. “The victim might appreciate some privacy.”

“The patient needs to be assessed as to her medical needs,” Judith replied. “Sue and I will remain to treat her as promptly as we can. She has already been waiting an hour for your arrival.”

“If you wish,” Patience exchanged a look with the other policewoman. (By the book in front of Judith… If the Triquetra are involved, we’ll lose something on the way to the evidence locker.) “Hello,” she addressed Aislen for the first time. “I’m Constable Patience Overly, and this is Constable Iris Swanson. We are here to collect evidence and talk to you about what happened in the lead up to your arrival at the emergency department.”

Aislen nodded, closing her eyes, and breathing out slowly, the bubbles finally solidifying, the noise subsiding. “I am not interested in pressing charges,” she said. “Just fix up my feet, and I’ll be on my way.”

“It’s procedure,” Judith told her, touching her shoulder with a gloved hand and Aislen shuddered at the remembered touch of latex. (You will thank us later when the shock wears off…) “It won’t take long and then we’ll get you into something warm and take care of your feet.”

“What is your name?” Patience asked, as Iris spread out a sheet on the floor. “If you will stand there,” she gestured, as she put on her gloves. She winced when she saw Aislen’s feet. “I’ll give you a hand.”

She steadied Aislen as she stepped down onto the paper and gingerly minced her way to the center of the paper, leaving behind blood and muddy footprints.

“I’ll take the blanket,” Iris eased it off Aislen’s shoulders and folded it into a plastic bag.

“We’re going to cut your clothing off,” Patience told her. “What is your name, hon?”

“Morgana Ivy,” Aislen said, watching as Patience cut down the sleeve of Rhett’s top. “I’m not interested in pressing charges. I just need… Food,” she admitted ruefully as her stomach gurgled. “And a shower. And some bandages for my feet.”

“I’m sure we can help with a lot of that,” Patience’s expression warmed and relaxed upon hearing that Aislen wasn’t looking to press charges. “What do you fancy to eat?”

“Anything. Anything at all.”

“The hospital usually keeps some sandwiches and biscuits between meals for patients, don’t they Judith?” Patience wanted the nurses out of the room. She sliced down the side seam of the top. “We’ll just bag this.”

“Perhaps you could tell us a little about what happened?” Judith insisted, not acknowledging the suggestion that she go for food.

Aislen crossed her arms over her breasts, shivering as her skin was exposed. It felt lewd to be standing there with both nipples pierced, whilst the four, very clean-cut, middle-aged women watched.

“Nice tattoos,” Iris murmured. “Fresh ones too.” She exchanged a look with Patience before cutting down the side seam of the tracksuit pants, her fingers brushing against Aislen’s skin as she did so. (… Fucking Triquetra… That’s Rhett’s work, and the Triquetra triangle. Who is this girl? And why has Rhett Salem tattooed her as being the Triquetra’s property… Ah, fuck…) The pants removal had revealed the rest of the tattoos.

Aislen pressed her legs together. “Can I put something on now?” She asked.

“They just need to take some photos,” Judith told her gently.

“I don’t want…”

“Please,” Judith pleaded. “I see a lot of young women like you. They all regret it if they don’t go through the process.”

Aislen swallowed hard. She remembered other photos that had been taken when she had been a teenager and wondered where they were now. “Whatever. As long as they’re kept confidential. If I find that they’ve been shared around, I'm suing.”

“Only those permitted by procedure will ever see them,” Patience replied. “But you don’t have to take them if you don’t want to. It is very invasive.”

“Patience,” Judith said firmly. “She may change her mind.”

“You are assuming that this is the result of sexual assault and not of misadventure,” Iris suggested. “Morgana hasn’t said.”

“She may not want photos of her naked body taken if she simply slipped and fell into the river,” Patience pointed out.

“In men’s clothing, no underwear, and no shoes,” Judith responded matter-of-factly. “Strange outfit to be hanging out in by the river. It’s more like what someone would wear if they’re escaping someone and had to take their clothing or wear nothing at all.”

“Please,” Aislen stepped off the paper and reached for the hospital gown. “I’m not going to press charges. There’s nothing to charge. I fell into the river, got caught in the current, and was swept downstream. It’s embarrassing, but that’s what happened. Please,” she repeated meeting and holding Judith’s eyes. She pushed with her gift slightly. (Please let it go. That’s what happened.)

Judith sighed. “Alright. If that’s what happened, I’ll let it go,” she agreed. “Let’s look at those feet.”

“We’ll just interview the motorist,” Patience said, as she and Iris finished packing up the paper and clothing. “And then we’ll give Ms. Ivy a lift to where she needs to be, see her home safely.”

“Thanks,” Aislen said. “But I can catch a taxi.”

“It’s our job,” Iris told her firmly.

“Let them at least take you home,” Judith told her, once the policewomen left the room. “These aren’t so bad,” she added, as she and Sue cleaned off Aislen’s feet and revealed the wounds. “A few splinters, and a couple of scratches. Altogether, not so bad for running around barefoot through the forest.”

“I’ll be back in high heels tomorrow, hopefully,” Aislen thought, watching with fascination as Judith plucked debris from her skin.

“Maybe stick to sneakers for a couple of weeks until these heal up. A few days off your feet would be good too,” Judith suggested. “Do you need a doctor’s certificate for work?”

“No, I work for myself,” Aislen replied. “But thank you.”

“Are you sure…?” Judith met her eyes as she finished with the bandages. “Are you sure that you fell into the river, Morgana?”

“Very sure.”

“Alright. I’ll get you some scrubs to wear,” Judith said, leaving Sue to tidy up.

“Don’t mind Judith,” Sue said quietly. “She’s on a mission. Her niece was raped last year. The young men involved weren’t even disciplined for it, as any evidence connecting them to it was lost – something that happens frequently around here.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Aislen said. “I wasn’t raped.” Not this time, she added.

“Here we go,” Judith returned with the scrubs, and she and Sue helped Aislen into them. “These tattoos look recent,” Judith commented. “You should really be applying ointment and covering them if they are fresh. Especially after falling in the river. They are basically wounds in the skin.”

“I’ll get some antibiotic ointment,” Aislen assured her.

“I’ll give you a tube, save you going out today. You’ll be tired.” Judith left again. When she returned, it was with the two policewomen and a wheelchair. “Here you go,” Judith gave her a plastic bag with plastic wrap, bandages, and ointment as Patience wheeled her through the hospital to the front doors. The police car was waiting with Iris in the driver’s seat.

“Thank you,” Aislen said to Judith as she slid into the rear of the police car. “You were very kind.”

“You’re welcome. Stay away from the river, hey?” Judith waved as Iris pulled away.

The rear of the police car was caged off from the front seats and Aislen immediately felt like a criminal. She strapped on her seatbelt. “It’s not far from here,” she told them. “Wilson Road. Number thirty-six.”

“We’re just going to take a little detour,” Patience said over her shoulder. “I hope you don’t mind, Aislen.”

“No, I guess not,” Aislen sighed, though she really wanted nothing more than to get in her car and out of Havermouth. Ice speared through her chest, and she inhaled. “Wait, what did you call me?”