Lowmead estate
Holby
Bristol
01929 503245
9th November 2002
Dear Holly,
I’m shocked, I’m scared, I’m alone… I’m free. Can you believe it? I can’t. This is possibly the worst, possibly the best day of my life. My appeal was granted; Melanie Collier stood up in court and told everyone that she’d lied. She told them all about the rape, about him threatening me, she told them everything. Even how she’d lied in court- she risked going to jail herself to save me. I can’t get my head around why she did it, one minute I was the scum who killed her husband and deprived her children a father and the next she is thanking me in court, saying that I did the best thing anyone’s ever done for her. Confused? I am.
All my friends around her expect me to be back to normal they think that now I’m out of prison it’ll all go back to the way it was before, that I can just get on with my life again. But maybe I can’t. I can’t just forget the hell I went through for all those months and just snap back into happy mode the moment I come out. I know that they can all give a big sigh of relief and not have to worry about it anymore but I’ll never be free of it, never be able to forget what he did to me. My boss was brilliant, saying that I could go straight back to work even though some of the ‘suits’ didn’t want me back. All my friends were wonderful, like I thought they would be, they even made a toast to me in the pub, which was very sweet, if not slightly embarrassing. But if anyone else gives me the ‘sympathetic of all you’ve been through but glad you’re here’ look then I’m going to scream. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful but sometimes I just can’t take all their well-meaning smiles. You understand, don’t you?
Anyway, as it’s my first night of freedom and I don’t have work in the morning I’m going to go out and get totally plastered. Maybe Dillon will join me… I hate the fact that you’re still rotting inside while I’m out here supposedly ‘enjoying myself’. I hope we can still keep in touch; maybe I can even visit you. If you want, that is. I’ve put my home address and my phone number so you’ve got no excuse. I don’t think I ever really thanked you for everything you did for me, but you helped me get through it all, I don’t know if I could have done it without you so, thanks.
Love
Lara
Cell 22
G wing
New London Prison
11 November 02
To Lara,
That’s brilliant! I’m glad to see that British justice does exist after all. Of course you wont be instantly happy, it’s going to be a long, hard struggle to ever put it behind you. But you will, one day. And now you have all your friends around you it’ll be easy for you. I knew that the truth would come out in the end, that woman wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she knew she had made an innocent woman loose three years of her life. Most people aren’t as cold blooded as that. As for your friends, I’m sure they’ll stop treading on eggshells around you soon. After I was stalked people gave me the ‘sympathy smile’ for quite a few weeks, they treated my like I was going to break any moment, it did my head in. That’s why I ran away in the end, I couldn’t cope with people being like that with me. But don’t make the same mistake I did, stay at your job, with your friends. Whatever you’re feeling now will feel a thousand times worse when you are on your own in a strange country. Trust me on this one. At least you’ve got your job, but don’t throw yourself into it. Whatever problems you have will still be there after you get home from the shift, if you ignore them and try and work your way out of this situation you’ll just break down.
Any way, that’s enough of a lecture from me for one letter. I just read your address. You live in Holby? It really is a small world! I used to live in Holby before I left for Germany, my boyfriend still lives there, you might have met him. If ever you meet a good-looking doc with a serious attitude problem then that’s him! I take it you work at St. James then, as all the people you’ve been going on about I’ve never ever heard of. I can’t believe I never even asked you where you worked! It would have been good to have caught up on what was happening out there, any kind of contact with the outside world is gratefully received. So I’ll send you a visiting order as soon as I can, give us a chance to meet face to face (well, across a table). Should be fun!
From
Holly
P.S. I’ll call you as soon as I get a phone card.
“Hurry up Miles! There are others waiting for the phone you know.” Someone called to Holly from somewhere behind her in the line, Holly nodded as she pulled the letter out of her pocket along with the phone card she’d worked long hours to afford. Shakily she dialled the number and whispered impatiently to herself as she waited for someone to pick up the other end.
“Miles! If you don’t hurry up then I’m going to come and slam it down for you. Understand?” Another voice cried. Holly didn’t reply but willed Lara silently to pick up the phone before she strangled on of these women.
“Lara Stone.” A voice said at the other end of the phone.
“I am so glad you picked up.” Holly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Sorry? Who is this?”
“It’s me… I mean: it’s Holly.”
“Holly? Oh… Holly! Hi, how are you?”
“Me? I’m… I’m still here. Anyway, I haven’t got long to chat; my phone car will run out soon. How were your first few days of freedom?”
“Great, brilliant! I love being able to do what I want exactly when I want. I love meeting up with all my friends and having a laugh again. I’ve missed that.”
“So, do you work at St. James? “
“No, I’m in Holby General. In A+E. Did you worked around here?” Holly gasped.
“I worked there.” She whispered, shocked.
“Where?” Lara asked, not getting what Holly meant.
“In A+E! Are you an SHO?”
“Yeah.”
“In that case you’re my replacement!”
“Oh my god! Small world or what? So I probably know this bloke of yours then, don’t I.” Lara said as things clicked in her head.
“Yeah, you probably do.”
“Is he good looking?”
“Hell yes!” Holly laughed.
“Will you bring in a photo of him when I visit?” Lara asked.
“Okay, if you do.” Holly said.
“Deal. What did you say his name was?”
“His name’s-“ Holly started but then the phone cut out. It seemed that her very limited time had just ran out. She slammed the phone down and walked back towards her cell. Her head was spinning slightly from all this new information.
“You took your time!” The woman behind her in the yelled as she pushed her way towards the phone.
“Talking to your boyfriend? Oh no, I forgot, he dumped you!” A particularly spiteful woman shouted as Holly walked back.
She lay down on the bed, head in her hands, trying to hold back the tears that she so badly wanted to cry. It was bad enough being alone in this place let alone to be alone and reminded of it every two seconds.
“Where are you Patrick?” Holly asked as she pulled the photo down off the wall. “Why aren’t you here when I need you the most? I know you wouldn’t purposely leave me but, where are you?”
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