Chapter 8

I woke with a dull ache all over my body. My body! I could feel my body.

Someone was holding my hand in the dark. I tried to speak, an unrecognisable noise and it felt like someone was using sandpaper on my throat.

“Oh Karen! Here try some of this.”

Something cold touches my lower lip, wet, my mouth is wet. I try hard and manage to swallow. The cold trickle soothes my aching throat a little.

“That’s a good girl, try to rest now.”

“Sharri?” My voice cracks.

“Yes Karen, I’m here.” Her voice is a comforting balm to me something recognisable.

“I can’t see you.”

“Karen, you’ve been badly hurt. You have got some bandages over your face.”

A backwash of memory from that tidal wave stirs my in mind. I remember.

I remember his face as he hit me again and again. Slumping to the floor I see him reach for the knife.

Blinding agony courses through me. Several times I feel the knife slide into my body. Somehow it feels like it’s his right, he’s my husband, my lover, he has the right to do this to me. But why does it have to hurt so much.

I see his foot swinging towards my face, inching slowly forward, I can see every little detail of the tread of his shoe, see the tiny piece of gravel stuck just under the toe of the shoe. His shoes moves so slowly as it approaches my left eye, I want to move out of the way but there’s too much pain. As his shoe connects with my eye I see a brilliant flash of multicoloured lights, then darkness.

Later I feel the floor under me, pain, can’t concentrate, why am I still alive, why is the phone ringing, why so much pain.

The next time I felt the floor under me I could feel someone moving my hair, tender fingers touch my lip. A face moves up to mine, it’s Sharri, oh no not again. Run! Sharri run! Don’t let him do this to you as well!

The wave of pain had burst the dam open and my tears began to flow. I felt Sharri hugging me tightly as my aching body was wracked by deep heartfelt sobs.

It seemed like Sharri held me to her chest all day long as I cried my heart out. Twice a quiet voice intruded and both times Sharri shushed them.

Eventually my tears dried up and even my dry sobs settled down.

“Do you feel better for that?” Sharri asked me.

I was about to say are you joking or what? When I suddenly realised she was right, I did.

“A little thanks. Is Richard here?” I asked fearfully, what would I do if he came to visit. I couldn’t deal with that now. There was a long pause and for a moment I didn’t think that Sharri was going to answer me, when she spoke again her voice was hesitant, unsure. In all the time I had known Sharri it was the first time I had ever heard her sound pensive.

“Well hun, when he left you for dead he went out on an all night bender, the police picked him up in a down town bar. He put two policewomen in hospital when they tried to arrest him.”

“Oh god, are they all right?” I asked, guilt rising in my chest. It had been my fault these women had been risking their lives trying to arrest my husband.

“Yeah they were OK, one had a broken rib and the other had a bit of concussion. They were both out again within a couple of days. They were tough girls and they knew what they were doing.” Sharri told me in the tone she used to use at work when she wanted to cheer me up a bit.

“Um, this bit is harder.” I could hear Sharri’s nervousness even though I couldn’t see her face.

“Richard won’t be standing trial for almost killing you or assaulting the police. He hung himself in his cell three days after his arrest.”

That set my tears off again. It’s hard to tell whether they were tears of release, glad that I would never be beaten by him again, or tears of loss for my husband. I suppose it must have been both, I had been terrified of seeing him again, but even at the end I could still see something of the gentle man I had fallen in love with.

Again Sharri held me through my tears.

“You’re going to need a new blouse if I get this one any wetter.” I tried to joke, Sharri tried to laugh with me but it was a bit half-hearted. I could tell she had more to tell me. I pulled away from her again.

“OK There’s more isn’t there?” I asked afraid of what else she was going to tell me.

“Your doctors will be around this afternoon so he would be better at explaining the medical stuff. But there is one more thing I ought to tell you. I went around to your trailer last week and found all your stuff dumped outside, the jerk of a landlord said the rent was well in arrears and he had every right to evict you. I got some of the girls from work to help me and we packed all your stuff in some boxes. It’s all been put in Kelly’s store room.”

“Oh, “ I guess I should have been worried that I would be homeless, but the thought of never having to go near that bastard’s cock again actually cheered me up somewhat.

“I guess Kelly must be pretty pissed with me for missing some shifts huh.”

“Don’t be daft, everyone’s been worried about you. For quite a while we didn’t know if you would pull through. Kelly said she had been including you in her prayers, a couple of the other girls even went with her, you know to light a candle for you and say a quick prayer.”

“Was I that bad, hold on you said quite a while, how long have I been here?” I was getting worried now, I thought I had been here two, three days maybe even a week.

“Hun, your doctor told me not tell you too much about it yet. You have been in a coma for the last three months, just over a week ago you showed some signs of coming out of it and you did seem to be slowly waking up. Then yesterday when I was here you suddenly sat up and screamed, almost gave me and the nurse a heart attack.” Sharri’s laugh was so good to hear.