Page 37 of Second Chances

“I’ll get a nurse.” Amy stands up and leaves the room.

“Has my mum been in?” I ask Ryan, noting that she’s not in the room now.

“She was. When they rushed you in by ambulance, Amy sent Grayson and Sophie to get her. She was really worried. The doctors initially told us you could lose the leg because the injury was so bad. She stayed with me while they operated on you. When they brought you back and told us it was a success and you’d make a full recovery, she went home to rest.”

“Did you talk to her?”

“A little.”

“What about?” I move again. The pain in my leg is causing me to feel light-headed.

“About last time, and her memories of that day.”

“Herself, in other words.”

“Elena.” Ryan tries to placate me but is interrupted when Amy and the nurse return.

“Good morning, Miss Lopez. Your friend says you’re in a bit of pain. Let’s give you a bolus of your painkiller for now, and I’ll get the doctor to sort out your doses later.” The nurse fiddles around with some buttons on a stand next to me, and the pain starts to drift away. It leaves me hazy, and I disappear back off to sleep.

* * *

“You have to be kidding. I can’t do that now. My girlfriend has just been in a car accident!” Ryan shouts into his phone. “No, she doesn’t have someone else who can look after her. I’m responsible for her.”

He growls, and I open my eyes to watch him. He doesn’t see I’m awake and continues to pace the room. He runs his hand through his hair, which is wild looking, and his clothes are disheveled as though he’s been sleeping in them.

“I’m sure there is someone else. I know I’ve been the lead on the case, but surely…”

He goes silent, listening to the other person on the line. I can’t make out the words but can hear the deep timber of a man’s voice.

“Ok, ok. Give me a while. I’ll call you back.” Ryan’s voice grows terse. “Yes, I know the urgency. National Security and all that. I’m aware of my job.”

He hangs up and as if sensing I’m awake looks straight at me.

“How much of that did you hear?” He comes to sit next to me and takes my hand in his—it dwarves mine.

“From the part where you told them I’d been in a car accident, and I didn’t have anyone else to look after me.”

“Shit. I didn’t meant it that way. I know your mum would be there for you if you needed her.”

I reach over and press a finger to his lips to silence him.

“Has she been in to see me again?”

His face deflates.

“No.”

“Tell me what’s wrong?” I plead with him, the stress coming from his body is flooding the room with tension.

“That was my boss. I’ve been working a case for a while now. I can’t talk much about it, but it involves girls being trafficked out of this country and forced into marriage with soldiers in other countries. It’s not a life for anyone. There is to be a shipment in a few days. I’ve been working an angle, and they want me to go undercover and try to rescue as many of the girls as I can. Some of them have agreed to become wives, but there are others who are sold by their parents against their will. It’s a mess, especially as the soldiers fight against ours on foreign and British soil.”

“That’s awful. It’s a kind of slavery.”

“In its simplest form, I’ve been in contact with a couple of families that are forcing their daughters into this. I’ve been pretending to work for the company seeking the girls. When I disappear for a while, that’s where I go.”

Ryan had disappeared a few weeks ago, telling me he was going undercover. I didn’t hear from him for a week. Matthew, being ex-MI5 himself, assured me this was perfectly normal and that Ryan was safe.

“You have to go. Save those girls. I can’t imagine living with the knowledge that they were forced into marriage when you could do something to prevent it.”

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