Family is Forever

Chapter 42

Friday evening after Ollie and Ali's dinner consisted of family bonding with Ali, Zosia,Ollie and Guy at Klaudia's bedside. They talked about  Wigilia and how they were going  to invite Colette and Ela. And that although Kaludia was going to cook that they would hold Wigilia at Zosia and Ollie's house as it was the biggest. But they wouldn't go to mass as none of them were really religious. At 9:30 the neurologist came in. He told them to go home because Klaudia needed to rest. Guy gave Zosia his key and Ollie, Zosia and Ali went to sleep at his flat as he was working a night shift. Ollie woke up and looked at the clock, it was 3.30am he reached across to find Zosia's hand and couldn't find it. He sat up and realised Zosia wasn't there. He slipped out of bed and into the kitchen. Where Zosia was sat at the table with her back to him. "Zosh?" He asked.
"Go away"
"Zosia. What's going on"
"Nothing," she closed her laptop.
"Zosia, come to bed, come on its 3.30 am."
"Fine whatever" Zosia answered and went towards the bedroom. Ollie looked back at her then opened the laptop see what it was that she was so engrossed in. But the whole website was in Polish.
The next morning they all took a shower and got changed. Ollie looked through the cupboards to find something to get for breakfast, he found so apples gave one to Ali and squeezed her shoulder. He gave one to Zosia "no thanks" she barely even looked at him. "Zosia, eat it, for Ali's sake!"
"Fine!" Zosia said angrily and bit into her apple.
Ollie dropped Zosia and Ali off at Gloucester royal hospital and then went to Holby for his shift.
"Mama!" Ali went over and kissed her mum. "You look brighter today." Zosia smiled at her aunt.
"How did you sleep?" Natalia asked her mother
And they continued to small talk for a little while. Zosia was constantly tapping on her phone. "What are you doing Zosh ?" Ali asked her cousin. "Nothing kochanie, I have an important operation on Monday which I have to prepare for, that's all." Zosia said hesitantly. A lady came in to Klaudia's room pushing a wheelchair followed by her neurologist. "Hi, Klaudia, we'd like to take you for some physiotherapy like we suggested to help with your injuries and muscle weakness. As they wheeled Klaudia out of the room Ali's phone vibrated with a text from Elsie.
Hi Ali,
Haven't heard from you in a while-ok it's been less than 24 hours but ya know, we normally talk every few hours. Hope you're ok and you mum is doing ok too. Have some lunch soon, text me if you need me. Stay strong, love you.
Els xxx
Ali smiled, she knew how lucky she was to have a friend like Elsie and how supportive Elsie was despite her own struggles. Ali texted back.
Elsie,
Sorry for not texting, my mama has woken up. Which is great news. She doesn't have brain damage either, although she does have muscle weakness. I'm about to go have lunch now. Love you too. Ali xxx
Ali had a panini for lunch and Zosia had some pasta. When they had returned to Klaudia's room after lunch Klaudia was not there but the police Man and women were there. PC Barlow and WPC Allinson. "Natalia?" PC Barlow asked. "Yes?" Ali replied.
"I'm Carol," WPC Allinson said. "Natalia, you're not in trouble, we need to talk to you about Richard Veer, I think you called him Ricky."
"I don't want to talk about him." Ali said defensively.
"Natalia it's ok, just tell Carol the truth, like you told me." Zosia looked at her cousin who looked at the floor. "Is what you've told me the truth?" Zosia asked her cousin softly. Ali shook her head. Zosia took Ali's hands in hers "Natalia, You need to be really brave now, and tell Carol and PC Barlow the truth."
Ali looked at her cousin "can you stay with me?" Zosia looked at the police woman. "I don't see why not."
They went to the nurses office and Carol started the interview "so when did you first meet Richard and who was he to you"
"About a year ago, November or December time, I knew my mum had been seeing someone for a while, then we moved into his in January."
" did you get on well with him?"
"No, I didn't like him. He was weird towards me, sometimes pally, sometimes angry and sometimes flirty." Ali glanced at Zosia before returning her gaze to the floor.
"Flirty?" The police woman asked "what do you mean by that?"
"like... Really weird,...like suggestive. It started with him telling me I'm beautiful which was fine...then like saying nice boobs and stuff.. he would kiss my head and cheek and stuff which I didn't like. Then he started coming in my room at night...." Ali looked at the floor, Zosia was biting her lip hoping that Ali wasn't going to say what Zosia was thinking
"He....would kiss me and try to make out with me...then get angry and hit me when I resisted. Then one day.....I think he was drunk.....he..he" a tear slipped from Ali's eye "he raped me. I tried to scream and kick him but he was on top of me and had my hands...he said he would hurt Mama if i left..." Ali was sobbing by this point. "Then the next day I left, and came to Holby and he texted saying he would take my mama away from me and I was a time wasting leech and he would kill me and my mama if I told anyone."
"Oh Natalia." Zosia tried to keep her emotions in check as her little cousin cried into her chest.
"You've done really well Natalia, why don't you go now."
Zosia was struggling to keep her emotions in check so she texted Oli three words
He raped her