Drew Payne

I understand why people are frustrated that Liam doesn't stand up to Donna, but if Liam did that it would be so out of character. He's only 19, and for seven years he has led a very sheltered life. He is still a passive soul and defers to authority figures. Yes, he gave a very good description, during his Parole Broad hearing, of how he would deal with a bully in a workplace, but that was all head knowledge; he'd studied psychology. Look at how nervous and awkward he was during his Parole Broad hearing. I can't make Liam suddenly change his personality for no reason; that does not ring true. Him standing to Donna or causing problems around Donna's behaviour is still out of character for him, even at 19. It takes a lot to stand up to bullies, especially if you've been bullied in the past. Liam hasn't had enough experience to give him that confidence, that will come later in his life but not here. Also, this story starts in a very specific way, to change things now would change that opening, how is that being fair on readers? I need to show how Liam ended up in that mess. Donna's prejudice is part of how he ended up there, it's referenced at the beginning of this story. I know where this story is going to end. I promised a satisfying ending and that's what I'm going to deliver, but I don't want to say anymore.

Thank you to everyone who has commented here. There are now only three more chapters left in this story. As a writer, I am very aware that people want a satisfying ending to this story. You have followed Liam through such a dramatic journey. I'm very thankful for you doing this. I do not want to give away the ending, I've planned it for so long and I'm actually looking forward to writing it, but I do want to say it should be a satisfying ending. But I also want to make it realistic, for the characters and the situation. I hope you can trust me on this.

I despise Donna, too. She is a piece of work. I based her on many people I met, over the years, working in healthcare. I worked with some people (fortunately in the minority) who would let their own prejudices dictate how they treated patients. They would judge a patient over one or two things, and from that moment on would treat that patient negatively. It always frustrated me, when they did that, because we were charged to deliver unprejudiced care. At the beginning of my career I didn't know what to do when faced with this. As I got more experienced, I wouldn't let this behavior go unchallenged, and hell I could make such a stink. People, especially when they are vulnerable when needing healthcare, are far more than one or two tropes, and we need to see them as a full person who has holistic needs. That attitude could make me rather unpopular too. Liam has been looked after in Nurton Cross by people who worked hard at delivering unprejudiced care. Here he is faced with someone who isn't trying to hide her prejudice, because she feels she has the moral right to do so. She is undoing so much good work that has gone on before her. She is such a piece of work. Unfortunately, Liam is still such a passive soul. He needs to go straight to Janet, the ward manager, and tell her what a shit Donna is being, but she's someone in authority over him and he's differing to her. It's not healthy.

Donna's bias is dangerous. She's letting her bias blind her to Liam's needs and his actual history. Part of Liam's release recommendations is that he goes to university (What Mrs Williams wants), but Donna is totally ignoring that. She doesn't "believe" that Liam "deserve" to go to university. This story starts with Liam, aged 19, living in a shit-hole bedsit, I now need to explain how he ended up there. Donna is the big reason for this. She is the one responsible for what happened to Liam, as he left Nurton Cross.

This is the biggest change in Liam's life, since he came to Nurton Cross, and he's not doing very well with the change. He's older now (19), and he's much more aware of the changes happening around him. Unfortunately, he's still quite a passive soul, he just lets things happen around him, he reacts to things rather than initiating them. Ed is a very damaged soul, he has been sexually abused before he came to Nurton Cross. With Liam, he's found someone who cares deeply about him without demanding anything from him, and that has done Ed so much good. Unfortunately, Ed is very scared of being away from Liam and he can't handle that.

Thanks. Donna is mentioned at the very beginning of the story; it's time we finally met her now. She's based on a couple of people I've worked with over the years.

Liam sat at one of the tables in the ward’s Meeting Room and waited. He was supposed be meeting his new Resettlement Worker at ten o’clock. It was already ten-fifteen and there was no sign of them. Again, he looked around himself, but he knew this room inside-out - there was nothing new to see here anyway. He’d been in this room so many times before. Twice a week he’d sat in here for his group meetings, Group Therapy sessions, and he’d had so many different Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings in he

Thanks for your dedication; it means a lot, and I've had this ending planned for so long.

Yes, Ed and Liam have a very codependent relationship (and that's not a bad thing) and being apart will be very hard. There are only a few chapters left here, and I will show what the world has to offer Liam. But all the scenes set in the present day have shown what kind of life Liam is living, once he has been released, and it's not a spoiler to say he isn't doing well. Please stay to the end, because I've got a special ending planned.

Tony, Thanks for so many interesting comments. I'm glad you're enjoying this story (is enjoying the right word?). Firstly, there was such a large break in my writing this story because I was very ill for such a long time. My health is finally improving because, over a year ago, I started to get the treatment I needed. Ed is at risk of self-harming once Liam is released, but Ed is a patient in a mental health hospital, and one where the care is very good. The nurses will be keeping a close watch on him, and he'll have access to very few things he can self-harm with (Look back on the section where Chrissy self-harms). He'll be safe because the nurses there know how to do their jobs. Ed was admitted to Nurton Cross because he was sectioned (under the Mental Health Act). He doesn't need a parole decision to be released; he needs an MDT (Multi-Displinary Team) meeting agreeing he is ready for release. Basically, the clinicians at Nurton Cross will decide when he's released. He's already being prepared for release, hence his work experience outside of the hospital. If Liam and Ed had committed a crime together, then there would be a condition that they are separated upon release. But they met in the hospital, plus the parole board didn't know their relationship (well, the nurses didn't tell them), so there aren't any conditions on them meeting after they are both released. Also, remember the nurses there have a special fondness for Liam; he's been there the longest, and he's their real success story. I know they want to help these two boys. The next chapter, which I'm writing, deals with Liam preparing for release and will deal with his conditions of release, which were in his letter from the parole board. It will also introduce an character only hinted at, at the very beginning of this story. You are very right about how Liam's conviction will and will not be "spent". He's now 19, so he has passed the five and a half years mark where his conviction is spent. Yes, the police will always keep on record his crime, but that will only matter if he commits another crime. In a certain way, Liam will never escape his crime but he's no risk to society. I'm a great planner, for my writing, and I do know where this story is finally heading, and we're almost there. Drew

Liam pressed the intercom bottom, hearing the loud electronic buzz it emitted, and then waited for a reply. It was the only way to get back into Nurton Cross. He needed to buzz the intercom next to the hospital’s main door and then wait for a reply. It was never answered quickly. Today, he was late back, only half an hour, but later than his expected time back. He'd spent today at Cowgate College, another day of work experience in the Administration Office there. He spent the morning sortin

Thank you for this. You've got what I was trying to portray here. Liam has grown up and is starting to understand himself, but he can't survive on his own.

Thank you. Yes, we know he does get released, but I'm far more interested in his journey there and the effects it has on him.

Yes, it did, but Liam is having problems believing this.

Liam sat at the round table and took a bite out of his ham and cheese sandwich. The white bread and ham were dry, as they always were. At least the cheese had a strong flavour. It was always the same here. Any sandwiches they were given had been made hours before, left to sit around for hours and, therefore, dried out. At least the sandwiches at Cowgate were freshly made, but he wasn’t there. As the Parole Board broke up for lunch, Liam and Mark were shown into one of the interview rooms fu