Sea Glass: Marie and Lauryn

Chapter 10

"I knew they would see reason," Martin Shearf said as they walked out into the sunshine. 

"No way they couldn't," Harold Moresby added, "As Emma said, this should not have been elevated to them in the first place when it was reported she was in hospital."

"I just got worried when he brought up my relationship with Lauryn." 

"Well, I think the majority of the board are old Tories, but they aren't bigots. And, they aren't stupid -- they can see that this clearly has nothing to do with your relationship. A student was violently attacked, nearly died, and was in hospital in a coma when she was supposed to sit for her final examinations. The exception is clear as day." 

"I'm so glad they also saw how obvious it was. I just can't wait to tell her. This will take a lot off her mind."

Marie felt her phone vibrate in her bag. Digging inside, she pulled it out and looked at the screen. Immediately, she saw she had five missed calls from Theo and three missed calls from her father along with a text message to call him. He never used text messages, so it alarmed her. 

And calls from Theo? What's wrong?

"Sorry, gentlemen, I have to make a call."

"No problem at all," Shearf said, stepping to the side with Moresby, the two men chatting away already.

Deciding to call her father first, she lifted the phone to her ear. He answered on the first ring.

"Oh, Marie, I've been trying to reach you," he said. 

Despite her father's ever-calm exterior, she could hear the worry in his voice. 

"What's wrong, daddy?" she asked, "Did something happen to Pippa or Jack?"

"No, it's Lauryn."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I came to the flat and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Thinking she was asleep, I asked the doorman downstairs to open the door for me. But she wasn't there."

Was it Hammersley somehow? Where is she?

"The doorman said he saw her leave earlier and that she looked very upset." 

Oh no. 

"I have missed calls from Theo. Maybe she's with her. I'll call you right back." 

Marie hung up and quickly dialed her sister, who also picked up on the first ring. 

"Marie, where have you been?" her sister said, her voice clearly panicked. 

"I was at UCL at a meeting with the board of the school of architecture about Lauryn. But daddy said she's not at the flat, do you know where she is?"

"Yes, she's in hospital."

Marie's veins felt like they had turned to ice and her heart twisted in her chest. It felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Marie, are you there?" Theo said, hearing her silence. 

"What hospital?"

"King George in Barking." 

"I'm on my way." 

Marie's heels clicked against the tiled floor as she sped down the hallway.

Yet another hospital hallway.

Making her way into the operations waiting room, she saw Theo and Luke sitting. She wasn't quite sure how Luke found out, but guessed Theo called him. As she approached, she thought she saw something a bit odd. Theo squeezed Luke's hand.