Weeping Lily - 6. Chapter 6

D.S. Davis was on his way to speak to the Finchley girl when he received a telephone call from D.I. Blake.

“Where are you?”

“On my way to Kensington to speak to Anabelle Finchley. The clinic has confirmed she was responsible for ordering the medical supplies and I’ve just had a call confirming the address they delivered to and it’s the same one the clinic gave me for Anabelle.”

“Hold fire. Go there but don’t go in. Her friend cracked like an Easter Egg. Bella was not at the birthday party at all. I’ll meet you there with back up. I’m picking up a search warrant on the way.”

“Sure thing boss.”

Sergeant Davis parked around the corner from the smart Kensington house and strolled along the street. The sun was shining and a light breeze rustled the leaves of the trees that shaded the wide, pleasant pavements. There was a clean, fresh scent in the air and it lifted his spirits; that is until he reached Anabelle’s house.

At first he walked straight past, surreptitiously examining the property. It was unremarkable, no different to any of the others in the street. But it wasn’t the same, not the same at all because inside this house something was happening that was not happening in any house, anywhere else. In this house someone was being held prisoner by a woman who was probably completely insane. Who knew what that poor kid was going through.

It seemed to be a long time before anyone came and then, suddenly everything was happening very fast and all at the same time. Two police vans and a car came screaming round the corner and stopped in the middle of the street. Davis ran, arriving at the front door as Blake started hammering on it. There were armed officers everywhere.

Unsurprisingly there was no answer, no sound from within. Blake waited only seconds before stepping aside and calling in the men with the battering ram. The door splintered on the second blow and burst inwards on the third. Davis and Blake stood aside as men streamed into the house, splitting off, half to search downstairs and half up. Blake followed the downstairs search party and Davis made for the upper level.

Bursting through the first door they came to the officers stepped aside to let him through.

“Christ!” He thought he had seen everything but clearly not because what he saw in the room both shocked and disturbed him. The walls were covered with photographs, posters and magazine covers and there was what looked like an altar under the window. However, it was the bed that caught and held his attention. It was brand spanking new, a hospital bed but not one you would see in your average general hospital. It was made for one purpose and that was to make sure whoever was in it wasn’t going anywhere, and it was covered with blood. The duvet, which was lying in a heap on the floor was stiff with it.

Dried blood, but fresh... a day old at most. A cry from along the landing abruptly ended his interest in the duvet and he ran.

The second room was just as surreal. Some kind of sitting room. The television way playing and there was a feast laid out on a low table. Two glasses of wine stood nearby, apparently untouched.

Bella was sprawled on the sofa, dressed in a silky ballgown and a male figure was sprawled on the floor. As he was taking all this in the officer who had been bent over Bella straightened and met his eyes, shaking his head.

“She’s gone.”

Horrified Davis turned his eyes towards the other officer who was crouched near Jayden. He had his fingers pressed against the base of his throat, tilting his head back so that Davis could see his face. There was no colour in it anywhere, even the lips were bleached and Davis was struck, not by the unearthly beauty but by how young he looked, as young as his oldest son. A whole life ahead... and now...

The officer looked up. “He’s still with us, but barely.”

“What’s the situation with the paramedics?”

“They’re on their way.”

“Are they going to be in time?”

The officer paused for a moment, their eyes locked and he shook his head.

“Any obvious injuries?”

“No. Looks like they’ve both been poisoned.”

“Right. Clear the stairs.”

As soon as the officer moved Davis took his place and carefully turned Jayden over onto his back. He was cold, seemingly dead already, hardly breathing. Without pausing Davis lifted him in his arms grunting a little as he got to his feet. He was heavier than he looked. Slinging him over his shoulder he ran. No one got in his way.

****************
It was Jeff who opened the door to Sergeant Davis and Inspector Blake. They were having dinner; no one speaking, no one eating much. At the sound of the knock everyone looked up but no one moved to answer it. They were all afraid.

The fear had crept up on them in the night. No one had slept. They had talked and talked and suddenly realised that they were talking about Jayden as though he were gone, dead. That’s when the fear hit them, all of them... when they realised he could be.

Now, every eye was on Jeff as he spoke quietly with the detectives, every ear straining to hear the soft voices but, at the same time, not wanting to hear.

After a time Jeff closed the door and stood for a moment, his hand still on the door handle.

“Jeff?”

After another moment’s hesitation he turned and they all went pale at the look on his face.

“What happened?”

“I... it’s Jayden.”

Cal got to his feet, sending his plate and the forgotten meal it contained, crashing to the floor, where it lay unheeded.

“They found him?” Jeff nodded and Cal crumbled at the look in his eyes. “He’s dead isn’t he?”

Jeff shook his head, searching for words. “No, not dead... not... He’s at the hospital. It... it’s not... not looking good.”

“What did she do to him?”

“They’re not sure. They think it’s poison.”

“I’ll fucking kill her!!”

“You’re too late. I’m afraid she beat you to it, she poisoned herself as well. She’s dead.”
“Fuck man. Fuck. What the FUCK...?”

While the others stood around in total shock Cal was already scooping up his coat and belongings.

“Cal... I don’t... I don’t think...”

“You just carry on not thinking Jeff... and while you do that I’m going to Jayden. He’s my best friend... no, fuck it... he’s like a brother. He has no family, no one. I’m the closest he has to it and I am not going to let him die alone.”

“Cal...”

“I’m with you mate.”

They were all on their feet now, closing ranks and for a moment Jeff was completely taken aback.

“Woah there... I don’t think...”

“No offence Jeff but I don’t give a toss what you think right now.”

“How are you going to get there?”

“Walk if I have to.”

“You don’t even know where ‘there’ is.”

“I’ll find it.”

“Cal... be reasonable.”

“I am being reasonable, infinitely reasonable. If I wasn’t you would be on the floor right now.”

“Alright. Okay. You win. I know this means a lot to you. Give me a minute. I’ll find out where he is, arrange a car. Just... be patient.”

“Jeff, this is not waiting for a record deal, or arranging to get to a gig or an interview or a photo shoot. This is Jayden.”

“I know Cal, I know but, in the end it will only slow you down if you go haring off right now. A bit of patience and I swear I will get you there in the fastest possible time.”

For a moment Cal looked as though he was going to push past Jeff but then he nodded and strode across the room to stare out of the window. The others gathered around him and they all put their arms around each other, closing themselves off from the rest of the world, lost in their memories and thoughts.

For a moment Jeff stared at them, at the rigid shoulders and the pale, blurred ovals that were all that was reflected back of their faces from the window. Cal was in the middle as always, with the others around him but it was wrong, all wrong, because Cal was alone... despite all the others he was alone.

It was this, more than anything that broke through the calm façade he had effected when talking to the police, trying to talk to the boys. His hand was trembling when he dialled the phone.

When they arrived at the hospital the driver took them to the staff entrance to avoid the media. It was obvious in a thousand ways that this hospital was not NHS. It was as private as they come. They were shown into a plush lounge and asked to wait. They had passed numerous police guards and there were two outside the front door keeping the media out.

They all paced restlessly, Cal most of all. “Cal, won’t you sit down, just for a moment? You’re wearing me out just watching you.”

“What’s the hold up? Why can't I be with him? Why can’t I be there for him?”

“Patience Cal. Someone will come.”

“When? When will they come? I can’t stand this not knowing.” He was practically growling, pacing a room for which he was way too big. Having run his hands through his hair so many times it was standing out around his head like the mane of a lion and that is what he now, more than ever resembled; a wild, untamed lion. Jeff, however was in no mood for this.

“Yes you can. You’ll stand it because you have to. You’re not a child. You know the score. Now relax. Someone will come.”

Cal stopped, glared at him for a moment, and then continued pacing. After a while he strode to the door, opened it, looked out and then slammed it shut again.

“Where is everyone? Why is no one coming? What’s happening?” He sounded desperate, angry and everyone was watching him nervously. They all knew what Cal could be like when he lost control.

“I swear if no one comes soon I am going to tear this fucking place apart.”

“Calm down Cal. You’re not helping anything or anyone. We don’t know what’s going on out there and Jayden is going to be their priority, not us. Someone will come when they can.”

He was, of course, quite right. A few minutes later the door opened and a doctor walked in. At least, they presumed he was a doctor given that he wore a white coat and had a stethoscope around his neck. He was reading from a clipboard. He looked pleasant and smiled.

“Thank you for coming. I am sure that Jayden would thank you himself if he could. Do any of you have any information that might help us contact his family, his parents?”

Cal laughed aloud. “Jayden doesn’t have any family.”

The doctor frowned and checked his clipboard. “Oh. I’m sorry... I thought...”

“He... has them... it’s just...” Cal took a deep breath, glancing around at the others from whom he received slight, reluctant nods. “Look; what... what I tell you... it’s confidential right?”

“Of course.”

He paused again seeking further reassurance, which he got. “Jayden’s parents are in prison. They went down for hurting him. His sisters disowned him because of what happened to their parents, they blamed him. I don’t think anyone is going to be interested in coming here.”

“Oh, I see. That is... unfortunate.”

“No it isn’t.” Cal was immediately on the defensive, angry and indignant. The doctor was a little taken aback. “We are Jayden’s family now. He lived with me after his parents went down and I’m closer to him than any of his real family ever were; than anyone else on this gods forsaken earth could ever be.”

“I see... you are...?”

“Cal...”

“Oh yes.” The doctor brightened. “My colleague has been trying to contact your parents. We were told about Jayden’s relationship with them.”

“Look, I’m sure this is all very important, but I’m sorry I can’t care. All I care about it Jayden. I need to know. I need... to... to be with him. Please...”

The doctor stopped making notes on the clipboard and put his pen in his pocket. He looked kindly at Cal and included the others in the glance. Then he sighed.

“I’m afraid that Jayden’s condition is... grave. He has been injected with poison, a deadly and virulent poison. The woman, who was also subjected to the same poison was already dead when the police arrived.”

“I don’t care about that bitch. The only reason I’m sorry she’s dead is because now I can’t see her suffer for what she did. All I care about is Jayden. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you before it sinks in. Tell me about him.”

The doctor, again a little taken aback adjusted his glasses on his nose and smiled a little uncertainly. “I’m trying to. I’ll be frank with you – I don’t know why Jayden isn’t already dead. By all accounts he should be, but there is something... whether it is something in him, or something in the other drugs he was given that is countering some of the worst effects, I don’t know... but he’s hanging on... against all the odds he is somehow hanging on.”

“He’s going to be alright?”

“I didn’t say that. He’s in a coma and he is sinking deeper. It’s very possible that he has suffered damage internally... one or all of his organs... his heart... his brain. At the moment his heart is beating and he’s breathing unaided but...”

“Woah... backtrack. I... I don’t... I... don’t understand.”

“Jayden has been poisoned. The poison is carried in the blood and attacks the organs... lungs, liver, kidneys, heart and brain. It usually acts fairly quickly and Jayden was already close to death when he was found.

“He’s putting up a fight. His heart is erratic but still beating strongly and he’s breathing without help. But, at least until his condition is a lot more stable we can’t carry out the tests needed to tell if there is damage to any of his internal organs, and we won’t know until he wakes up whether there is any brain damage.”

“Do you think he will wake up?”

The doctor paused and his eyes scanned the anxious faces. They returned to Cal and he shook his head. “Honestly? No.”

Cal looked like he had been slapped but he was dry eyed and holding his head high. “What do you think will happen?” He demanded. “Pease tell me the truth. Don’t lie to me, don’t try to spare my feelings, I really need to know.”

Again the doctor paused, staring deeply into his eyes as if trying to assess just how much truth he could take. “What do I think will happen?” He sighed, his face turning soft, infinitely regretful. “I think that he will continue to sink deeper into the coma until he is no longer able to breathe for himself. Then we will put him on a ventilator until either his heart or one of his other organs fails and then he’ll die.”

“How... how long?”

“Not long.”

“Weeks? Days?”

The doctor shook his head sadly and repeated. “Not long.”

“Isn’t there... I mean isn't there anything... anything you can do?”

“We can make him as comfortable as possible. Other than that...” He shrugged. “It depends what’s going on inside. For example if it’s his kidneys which have been affected we can keep him going for a while with dialysis. If he lives long enough maybe a transplant but...”
“But he isn’t going to live long enough.”

“No.”

“And there’s nothing... no hope?”

“There is always hope. Miracles happen.”

“Not to people like us.”

“Oh, I don’t know, it seems to me that Weeping Lily are already pretty miraculous. At least there are people out there... a lot of them actually outside the hospital right now... who seem to think so.”

“To hell with that! To hell with them all! Do you think that means a damn thing to me? Do you think that, without Jayden, any of that means a fucking thing to me? He’s the heart and soul of the band. With him gone we’ll be as dead as he is.”

“I’m very sorry Cal, I truly am. Believe me, we are doing everything we possibly can, and we will carry on to the bitter end.”

Cal turned away so the doctor couldn’t see the tears that sprang to his eyes. Ashton and Rik were openly weeping, tears pouring unchecked and uncared about. The other two were managing to stop themselves but only with difficulty. Everyone, even Jeff, were shocked to the core and didn’t know what to do with themselves.

“Can... can I... can I be with him?”

“Of course.”

“What about the rest of us?”

“I think it would be best if it were only one or two at a time. Usually when... in cases like this we would prefer only family members but...” He paused and Cal spun round and glared at him until he shook his head and smiled. “The rest of you are welcome to stay in here for as long as you like. I’ll make sure you are not disturbed.”

“I’ll come with you Cal.” He looked up and met Rik’s eyes. For a moment he was silent, immobile and then he nodded and the two of them followed the doctor along a short corridor, pausing outside a door.

“Wait here. I’ll only be a moment.” The doctor disappeared inside and, true to his word he re appeared only a short while later followed by a nurse.

“If anything... If you’re worried about anything just yell, we won’t be far away. In an emergency there is a button at the side of the bed. Press that and we all come running. You can’t miss it... it says ‘emergency button’.” He smiled at them, a smile which neither returned.

“Thank you.” Eager now to get away from the sad, sympathetic gaze of the medical professionals Cal turned away and slipped inside the room. Rik followed and closed the door thankfully behind them.

Jayden was asleep. At least that’s how it appeared. Just gently and peacefully asleep, breathing deeply, his coal black lashes trembling on pale cheeks, lips slightly parted. Sure there were wires attached to his chest sending data to the monitors which constantly displayed a set of ever changing numbers and symbols that meant nothing to either of them, and there were tubes in one arm and a clean white bandage on the other, but somehow that just made things seem more... safe... more... ordinary and less frightening because it seemed as though everything was okay, everything was being taken care of, everything was going to be alright.

“He looks so... so... normal.”

“Jayden was never... normal.”

“Yeah... I know what you mean. Cal... I can’t... I can’t believe it. I can’t take it in. The last time I saw him he was so... alive.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Do you think....? Do you think maybe... maybe the doctor is wrong? Maybe... maybe he will make it after all. The doctor said himself he should be dead by now, but he’s not. Maybe he won’t.”

“Maybe.”

“You don’t mean that do you?”

“No. No, I don’t. Look at him, Rik. When have you ever seen Jayden like that... so... still?”

“I... I know what you mean. Well... at least... at least he looks... peaceful.”

“Who knows? Who knows what he went through, what he’s going through now. Just because he can’t show it doesn’t mean he’s not screaming inside.”

“Do you believe it Cal? Do you believe he is going to die?”

Cal stared at Jayden. He hadn’t taken his eyes off him for a moment.

“I hope so.”

“What?”

“If he doesn’t then he is going to be disabled, maybe brain damaged. Face it Rik, the Jayden we knew is already dead and he would have... he would have hated to be... dependent.”

Rik was silent but squeezed Cal’s shoulder hard. Cal was oblivious.