Page 53 of Any Kind of Life
“Oh, God. None of us would ever live it down,” Hannah said, lightening the mood. The slight laughter around Juliet’s bed was very much appreciated. “If she asks, she had a full face of makeup on, and her hair was immaculate.”
“Perfect.” Paige smiled, lifting Juliet’s hand again and pressing it to her face. “She’s lovely and warm.”
“Good. We all need her to be as comfortable as possible.” Caz finally took the seat beside Hannah, looking up at the ceiling as she blinked away the last of her tears. “Have you heard anything from the police?”
“They’ve been and taken a statement from me, but I didn’t have very much to tell them since I arrived after it happened.” Paige hoped that would satisfy their friends. She couldn’t say much more than that. “Does Edie know?”
“She…knows Juliet is in hospital, but she doesn’t know why.”
Paige nodded. “Probably for the best at the minute. No use frightening the kid if you don’t need to.” Paige and Juliet knew all about Edie and her anxiety. It was important she only knew the bare minimum. The reasons for Juliet being here wouldn’t make a difference, not really. Edie’s mental health took priority. “Is she staying with a friend, or is she home alone tonight?”
“She has her best friend over. They’re having a film night with snacks while we’re out. Edie mentioned something about her birthday planning, too.”
“I still can’t believe she’s turning sixteen in a few months.”
Hannah puffed out her cheeks. “God, I know. It’s hard to believe I’ve managed to keep her alive all this time. When I had Edie, I could barely look after myself.”
Paige found that hard to believe. When she looked at Hannah, all she saw was a picture of strength. Hannah always seemed calm and unbothered by life. But Paige didn’t know the old Hannah. She only knew this one. “Whatever the plans, we’d like to be involved.”
“You really think she would agree to anything without you and Juliet there?” Caz cut in, a brow lifted. “Edie adores you both.”
“And we adore her.” Paige kissed the back of Juliet’s hand. “Right, babe?”
The room fell silent, with everyone secretly wishing Juliet would respond. But she didn’t…she couldn’t. Paige swallowed down the lump in her throat, wondering just how long it would take for Juliet to open her eyes. She knew it wouldn’t be in the next couple of days, Dr Nunez had explained as much, but would it be weeks? God, she hoped not.
“Have you eaten, Paige?” Caz shifted in her seat. “Are you keeping hydrated?”
“Yeah. I can’t drink any more water. The officer outside will think I keep running to the toilets to do coke or something.”
That garnered a slight chuckle from Caz. “And the food? You are eating, right?”
“I managed a round of toast before I came back here before. Couldn’t stomach anything else.” Paige had always had a great appetite. Even if she wanted to eat, she just couldn’t. She didn’t feel hungry. She just felt nervous and wary of everything going on around her. “I’ll eat once I feel like something, though. Promise.”
Hannah sighed, smirking as she eyed Caz. “You’re such a mum, babe.”
Paige watched their interaction, preferring it over the miserable atmosphere in this room. Even though the air con was on, it felt stuffy. Even though it was still light outside the window—the summer night’s approaching—it felt dreary in here. There was very little life happening inside these four walls, even if the room was filled with people.
“Look, if Juliet finds out that we haven’t been taking care of Paige, all hell will break loose. Do you really want to be on the receiving end of that?”
“No. You’re right.” Hannah slumped back in her seat. “Get some food down you, Paige. Do as you’re told.”
Paige laughed, squeezing Juliet’s hand gently. “She knows you’re both looking after me. Don’t worry about that.”
“So, what’s next?” Hannah asked.
“Well, I need to go to the bar and clean up. The place is…looking less than desirable at the minute.”
Hannah hung her head at that. “Do you think it’s a good idea for you to take care of that? We could always hire a company to come in and do what needs to be done. I’ll look around for you.”
Paige shook her head. “No. I’d like to do it myself. It might help me to come to terms with what the fuck has happened today.”
Caz draped an arm around Paige’s shoulders. “If you need us, you’ll call?”
“Of course. But I think I’ll be okay. I just want to make sure Juliet has a restful night before I even think about leaving here again. I’ll probably go over there tomorrow to at least see what the damage is. I think I ended up wearing more of her blood than the floor did.” Paige’s voice wavered slightly, but she managed to compose herself. “Anyway, none of that is important tonight. Juliet is still here; she’s going to recover, and we will all forget about this soon.” Paige lowered her head to the forearm resting across the rail around Juliet’s bed. She just needed five minutes to find some energy, and then she would step outside for fresh air. “If I fall asleep, wake me up in ten.”
Chapter 19
Paige unlocked The Hideout, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she slipped inside. She didn’t particularly want to be here, but she knew it would be easier if she faced this head-on sooner rather than later. Juliet may never want to step foot in here again—Paige couldn’t blame her for that—but Paige needed to do this.