Jeopardy - A Luke Brooks fanfic (Contains Self Harm And Triggering Topics)

28. The truth.

28.

"Have you seen her yet? What happened?" I asked My mum as she stood beside me, holding my hand gently, both of them resting on the ledge. "I don't know, no one will say anything, only Steve is allowed in." She whispered soothingly. Steve must be her dad, I thought to myself, I'd never met her parents, I'd never even been to her house in the two years I'd known her. "Are they her brother and sister?" I asked, taking about the children sat with Jai and Beau. I looked behind, the two of them had fallen asleep on the chairs, the little girl cuddled up to Jai. "Kind of, they've been here all night bless them, they won't leave her." My mum answered, smiling at Jai as he stopped the little girls head from slipping down.

"Kind of?" I repeated, wondering, was Saskia their step-sister? My mum looked back in my direction and sighed, "she didn't tell you did she?". Didn't tell me what? Is this the reason she had been avoiding me? The reason she never answered my questions? I shook my head and looked back through the window, but nothing had changed. "I might as well tell you, it'll all come out eventually, why don't we go and get some coffee?" She smiled slightly and stood back. I agreed and looked at Saskia's still body once more before tearing myself away from the window. "Beau, Jai, can you stay here with Charlie and Anna, I need to speak to Luke?" Mum asked and they both nodded, Beau walked over to us and pulled out his phone, "do you think I should tell James and Daniel?" He asked.

Fuck, I'd completely forgotten about work and everyone else, too busy concentrating on what was happening here. "Yes, but tell them not to come here, I think it's best if there were only a few of us when she wakes up." Mum replied, Beau began dialling a number and walked to the other side of the chairs, away from the noise. Mum and I walked back towards the elevator and waiting patiently. "I need to call work." I muttered as we entered the elevator and pulled my phone out, forgetting I'd have no reception in the elevator, I shoved it back into my pocket and waiting for us to arrive back at the ground floor. Both of us were in silence as we walked out, past the front desk and down the corridor to the cafe.

"I'm just going to call work okay? I'll have a coffee and bacon roll please!" I said to my mum as she queued up, she laughed and nodded her head, "okay, breakfast it is." She replied and I walked towards the entrance of the cafe. The phone began ringing and soon I heard a familiar voice,

Chloe: Hello, Chloe speaking.

Luke: Chlo, it's Luke, I'm sure you know Saskia isn't in today, is it possible for someone to cover my shift?

Chloe: well Kyla is covering Saskia, Ben Is swapping shifts with me at 2, I can always phone izzie but I'm sure she's away. Hold on.. Mhmm, okay, thanks! Kyla said she can stay until 4, but that leaves two hours with Ben on his own, I'll phone izzie and get back to you okay?

Luke: okay, thank you Chlo, you're a star!

I stood and waited, tapping my phone against my wrist, mum was paying for our breakfast, smiling with the woman who was serving her. Suddenly my phone began vibrating again and I answered it with no hesitation.

Luke: hello?

Chloe: I'm sorry Luke, izzie is away, I can't stay because it's my brothers birthday and Kyla has her driving lesson.

Luke: don't worry Chlo, thank so much anyway, I'll be there at the normal time, tell Kyla not to worry!

Chloe: sorry again, see you later.

Luke: seeya.

Fuck. All I wanted was to stay here, I didn't want to leave the hospital until I knew Saskia was okay. It was 11am, I had three hours until work, I had a spare shirt in the store room which meant I didn't have to leave any earlier and I could stay here as long as I could. "No luck?" Mum said as she saw the disappointment in my face. I shook my head and sat down at the table opposite her, "thank you." I mumbled as I took a bite of the bacon roll and ketchup dropped down my face. "So Luke, I should probably explain things a little clearer." Mum began talking and my heart sank a little bit, what if she told me something I didn't want to hear? "Saskia doesn't have any parents.."

That's when I remembered where i had seen the kids before, the smoothie bar, they were her cousins. "does she live with her aunt and uncle?" I asked, mum shook her head, confusing me more. "She has no family, she's in care Luke." My heart stopped slightly, we always laughed about those kids together, we always made fun of them when she was one all along. "What? Is that why there were police and stuff there? Because of Saskia?" I asked, remembering the two old woman speaking in the shop earlier. "I guess so." Mum replied. I finished off my breakfast and sipped the last of my coffee, unable to find anything to say. "What happened to her parents?" I finally asked, my mums face dropped and she placed her coffee mug down.

"It's not a nice story." She warned as I sat and waited for her to continue, "well, when Saskia was 6 years old, her father murdered her mum, Saskia saw the whole thing." She explained, I suddenly felt sorry for her, that's why she was quiet around strange people, why she didn't trust people, why she'd woken up screaming that morning at my house. "What happened?" I asked, wanting to know exactly what Saskia has been through. My mum rubbed her head, clearly the story was about to get worse. "He slit her throat and acted as if nothing had happened, he even called the police himself." I saw a tear fall from her eye, "that poor girl." She spoke quietly and turned her head towards the window. I felt sick, sick that I hadn't been there to look after her, to talk to her when she needed it, but I felt said she hadn't told me. We'd always been so close, she knew everything about me, about my dad leaving us as children, about the way he treated my mum, yet when I thought I knew everything about her, I kew absolutely nothing.