Chapter 7

Sherise sat with Abigail on the sofa in Mike's lounge, looking uncomfortable, as Mike entered the room carrying a tray of tea and coffee, milk and sugar and biscuits.

Abigail and Mike had been woken half-way through the afternoon after the dance, partly by hunger, partly need for the bathroom and partly because the phone was ringing. They ignored the phone, made use of the facilities and, feeling naughty, went downstairs to the kitchen naked to find something to eat. The first two demands satisfied they checked the phone which proved to be 'number withheld'. They looked at each other, shrugged, and went back to bed. When the phone rang again Mike answered; it was one of the officers who had been dealing with the previous night's incident; could she call to talk to them?

When she arrived, with a colleague, she explained that the four men had not been students, that they'd crashed the event. Their accounts had not agreed with each other, let alone with the statements given by Sherise, Abigail and Mike.

"We're not terribly happy when this sort of thing happens. Strictly, what you two did was 'actual bodily harm', possibly 'grievous bodily harm'. One of the men is still in the neuro ward with a serious concussion and a fractured skull and another is going to need some orthopædic attention to his arm. However, it's clear that you were both acting in self-defence and I don't think any court would take a claim of assault seriously. Truly, I, personally, don't see what you could have done differently. I will say, though that the courts do consider knowledge of martial arts to be equivalent of a weapon. Bear that in mind. The law is pretty woolly in the area of 'reasonable force', okay?"

They nodded and looked at each other, shrugging.

"The reason I called, though, as well as to tell you this, was to say that the victim of the initial offence wants to see you. She's explained to me that you might not be, shall I say, 'overwhelmed with enthusiasm' at the idea, but seeing the two of you with her last night, I told her you might be more receptive than she thinks," she handed them a slip of paper, "here's her number. If you're okay about seeing her, give her a call." She then handed them a card. "Here's my card. Feel free to contact me if you need to. We may need to call on you as witnesses if the defendants try to claim innocence?"

They nodded, and took the card. After the officers left, they called Sherise, and invited her to come and see them in the morning, Mike having firmly vetoed an earlier visit.

"No, whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow. Our night was messed up last night, but I want to spend some quality time with my girlfriend. Conscious quality time."

Abigail snuggled up to him. "I approve of that..."

It wasn't difficult to agree on a programme for the evening; a video and pizza. Agreeing on the actual film was a little more difficult, but as Mike wasn't really that bothered, Abigail was feeling romantic and the choice was limited, they settled on 'Sleepless in Seattle' and washed the pizza down with cider...

Much later, spooned together in bed and basking in the afterglow, Abigail sighed.

"I love you, Mike..."

"Abby..." Something in Mike's voice made Abigail spin in his arms to face him, frowning. "Oh, don't worry, sweetheart," he went on, "I love you too, it's just..."

"Tell me you're not tired of me, Mike."

"Never! Abby, precious, beloved," he held her close, "it's just ... where are we going? This is ... wonderful. Unreal. But ... last night, I was scared. Not that I'd get hurt, especially, but when you waded in like that ... it made me think. I don't want to think about living without you..."

She kissed him, her eyes bright with tears, but smiling as she pulled back. "Well, there's a way we can be together..."

He processed that slowly. "Abigail Ferguson ... will you marry me?"

"Of course, silly. I've been waiting for you to ask ... oh, I knew I wanted you that night in the park, even before, but knowing you wanted me too, I kept hoping to hear those words!"

Sherise turned up on the doorstep and was greeted by Abigail in sweats, who showed her into the lounge and sat with her on the sofa.

Mike appeared after an interval just long enough to boil a kettle.