Don't Call Me Baby

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The Truth at Last

I woke. Slowly blinking my eyelids open which were swollen from tears. Mrs. Lewis was asleep on Julian's bed. I turned to see Julian slumped in a chair, still wearing the clothes he was wearing last night. I sat up and Mrs. Lewis stirred.

"Lola, how are you," she asked me, waking Julian up from his light slumber. He rushed over to me.

"Joe?" was all I managed to say.

"He's ok. I got an update from the hospital a few hours ago. We can go and see him this afternoon." I was bewildered, still in shock. Mrs. Lewis rose and called room service to bring some coffee and tea. We moved around the room in silence and after we had our drinks, I said that I needed to have shower and change. Julian told me I wasn't able to have any of my possessions, the Police had taken them. This made me cry all over again. Mrs. Lewis asked Julian to go and see if he could get me some new clothes. There was a store next door to the hotel and he left.

"Lola," she said, "Look at me. Everything is going to be ok now." I still blubbered. She wiped my nose for me as I was incapable of doing it myself. "You've had a big shock. This whole thing has been awful."

"He told us," my voice was trembling, "Joe told us she was unhinged. He was scared."

"I know, I know," she said trying to calm me. "He was very brave, I think he probably knew it was more dangerous than he told us. She could have..." she didn't need to finish off the sentence. We both let that thought hang in the air. At least he was alive and would recover pretty quickly, but the thought of what could have happened sent a shiver through me. Julian returned within half an hour with a bag of clothes for me. I went into the bathroom to shower and change.

When I got out Mrs. Lewis suggested that we wait for Julian down in the lobby. Julian said he would be no more than half an hour. When he met up with us he told me that Bernhard had arranged for the Police to come to the hotel to take my statement. Julian told me to tell them everything; that we had nothing to hide and to not worry because Bernhard had already found out that the Police didn't suspect Joe anymore, it was clearly a suicide. The hospital confirmed that Joe was in no state to move let alone kill her.

The detective who took my statement and questioned me was very kind. Julian had already called the office to get Pam's mother's details and Mrs. Lewis said she would arrange to go and see her. After trying to eat a light lunch and failing, we all three then left for the hospital.

* * *

Joe was in a private room. He was awake and propped up on the pillows looking tired, pale and weak, but ok. I ran to him and cried, hugging him closely.

"Hey, hey, baby, I'm ok, I'm ok," he whispered softly into my hair, stroking it gently.

"I thought you were dead. I thought she had killed you. There was so much blood..."

"Shh, Lola, it didn't happen. It's all gonna be ok, baby." It took me a few more minutes but eventually I stopped crying. Mrs. Lewis and Julian sat down by his bed.

"Do you remember anything?" Julian asked him.

"Yeah, most of it luckily," he said. "It's not a nice story," he looked over to Mrs. Lewis anxiously. "I've told the Police that I remember nothing, ok?" he looked at us all and we nodded. "This is not a story that we want leaking out."

Pam had called him from the room shortly after he had spoken to Julian on the way to the restaurant. She said she wanted to tell him something important. Something related to their discussion at lunchtime. Joe was excited, and even though he was suffering from stomach cramps, put on his clothes and went to the room. He realised he probably should have called Julian to let him know, but in his eagerness that Pam was finally talking he forgot.