‘It can’t have been easy. I’m sorry you had such a hard time.’

‘Oh, he was always sorry. Until he did it again. And Mum didn’t give a shit. I haven’t seen either of them for years. Hopefully, it will stay that way. They had fuck-all interest in me, and I feel the same about them, good fucking riddance. I thought I’d won the lottery when I first met Mike. A mature bloke, the odd spliff, a place of his own. But that all went sour pretty quickly. He didn’t show his true colours until I moved in.’

Kesey searched for a satisfactory response. Something positive, something hopeful, anything to alleviate the young woman’s angst even for a minute. Sometimes the suffering of others was almost too much to bear. Kesey used a line she’d used before. Something she felt she could rely on. ‘We can’t rewrite the past, but we can change the future. How about I talk to the hospital social worker?’

Sally looked back with a sneer. ‘Is that really the best you’ve got?’

‘Come on, Sally. It’s not something you should dismiss out of hand. I’ve found her very helpful in other similar cases. There’s always a high demand for accommodation in this part of the world. I can’t guarantee she’ll come up with something suitable. But she may do. Her name’s Karen Hoyle, I can talk to her today if you’re in agreement. Hopefully, she can help. I know she’d try her best. She always does.’

Sally turned to her side, picking up her smartphone, scrolling through the various music tracks on offer. ‘Yeah, go on then. I suppose so. I had one half-decent social worker back in the day, a young bloke with a beard and glasses. Although, most of the others were shit. I may as well give this Karen a try. It’s not like I’ve got a lot of choices. What have I got to lose?’

Kesey nodded twice, relieved Sally had finally relented. It was a small victory but a victory nonetheless. One small triumph in a sometimes insurmountable world of woe. ‘Okay, that’s good to hear. I’ll talk to Karen before heading back to the station. I’ll put her fully in the picture and stress the urgency.’

Sally placed her headphones back in her ears, humming quietly as she closed her eyes tight shut. Kesey looked back at her for one final time before finally leaving the ward, one thought after another tumbling in her mind. The unfortunate young woman had seen and experienced so very much in her short lifetime. No wonder the girl was cautious. No wonder she was scared to trust. She appeared to be drifting away, living in the moment. It sometimes suited victims to forget for a time. It seemed Sally was one of those people. And who could blame her for that?

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