A Coincidence||Fionn Whitehead

73

* * *

Jack was constantly checking his phone for any news on Dotty. He was that worried that his friend Andrew Rothney had to try and calm him down but nothing seemed to be working. Although, Andrew couldn't blame Jack, he had heard a lot about the cats and Dotty and it was clear that Jack saw Dotty as a sister and with her going AWOL, Jack was obviously going to be distressed.

They had just come out of a shop in town when someone stumbled into Jack. "Whoops!" The giggled, "Sorry!"

Jack's eyes widened as his hands held onto the person's arms. That same person who could into stand up straight and was rocking from side to side. "Dotty?" He was in disbelief.

She looked up and her eyes were red with a deep purple around them. "Jack?" She slurred. "What are you... you.. do..doing here?"

Jack held onto her tighter and Andrew stood behind her so that she didn't fall backwards. "I should be asking yer that! You're in bloody Scotland!"

Dotty blinked many times, "No...I'm in London!"

"No, lassy, you're in Glasgow. How on earth did yer get here?"

Dotty giggled and fell into his arms, "I don't recall! I was out in London now I am here!"

Andrew looked at Jack in horror as the girl stumbled around, "I've missed yoouuuu!" She cooed, throwing her arms around him.

Jack stared at her face. She looked like shit! "I've missed yer too, Dot. Are yer okay?"

She smiled and leaned close to him holding her fingers up like pincers, "I had a little bit to drink!"

"I can see that," he nodded, "how much is a little?"

She shrugged, "It was just so nice! I just had more and more! I was really uncomfortable until I drank. It's like an elixir!"

Jack watched as she danced around tripping over her own bare feet. "Where are your shoes?"

"I don't know. Do you have them? Can I have them back?" She held out her hands. "Jack, gimme my shoes back!" She whined. Jack furrowed his eyebrows when she suddenly froze. "I don't feel good..."

"Bush!" Cried Andrew directing her towards a bush at the side of the path where he held her hair back as she chucked up. "Mate, she's gone!"

Jack nodded and rubbed her back, stuffing his hand into his pocket to bring out a tissue for her to wipe her mouth. "Dot, what exactly did you drink?"

She took the tissue and wiped her mouth, grumbling, "A cosmo- cosmo-something and a load of others."

"Did you order them yourself?" Andrew asked her.

She snapped her head in his direction giving him a funny look. "Who are you, thespian?"

"This is Andrew, my mate, Dot did yer buy them yourself?"

Dotty stared at Andrew, "You look like a teddy bear!"

"Thanks?"

Jack sighed, "Dotty, answer the question!"

Dotty rolled her eyes, "God, you'd think you're my dad. No. I did not. There- woah! Stop spinning!"

Andrew held up the girl as Jack pulled out his phone, "What are yer doing?"

"Ringing an ambulance, her eyes are bloodshot and look bruised, we need to get her checked out." Jack told him and just as the call was answered Dotty's eyes rolled back and he legs gave way. Thankfully Andrew caught her before she hit the ground.

"Shit."

* * *

Jack and Andrew waited outside of the hospital ward whilst doctors and nurses checked over Dotty who was still unconscious. Andrew had his arm around Jack who had his hands over his mouth, his knee bobbing up and down in anticipation waiting to hear about her state.

"She looked high." He said after a while of silence. "Drunk and high. This is not Dotty at all, Andy. And how the hell did she end up here? She was in London!"

Andrew shrugged, "God knows, mate, she'll be okay though. From what you've told me she is a strong lass."

A doctor emerged and called out to them, "Dorothy Nolan?"

The two men stood up and she led them into the hospital room where Dotty was hooked up to some wires and was still out cold. "It seems that from what yer have told us and our check up, she's had her drink spiked. How she got here is still a mystery but there are other issues. We were looking at her eyes which looked like more than just eye bags. They're bruises. And they are not the only ones. There are many all over her body and she has a cracked rib. It seems that she may have been beaten up."

Jack ran a hand through his hair, "Is that it? Nothing else?"

The doctor nodded her head, "That's all. She'll be awake soon." The doctor left the room and Jack sat down in one of the chairs.

"Beaten up?" He spat, "Why would someone beat her up?"

Andrew shook his head, "sick bastards. I'm just glad it was only that and not...yer know."

Jack sighed, "Yeah, if that would have happened some dickhead would be dead."

Andrew nodded in agreement just as Dotty began to mumble. "Anna.." Jack's head snapped up and his teeth gritted. "Anna, I don't want anymore... I need to go..."

"That bitch!" Jack snapped. He ripped his phone from his pocket and dialled Chris' number, it occurring to him that they were still in the dark on Dotty's whereabouts.

"Hello?" Chris' voice brought him from his head.

"Hiya, Chris, it's Dotty." He said, "She's with me, in Glasgow."

"What the bloody hell is she doing there?!"

Jack bit his lip, "I don't know, I bumped into her, spoke for a bit to get answers then she passed out. Me and my mate got her to the hospital. She was a mess. Drunk, high, a right ol' mess. Turns out it looks like her drinks were spiked with some sort of drug and she was beaten up at some point because she has bruises and a cracked rib. Now she's mumbling stuff."

Chris couldn't believe his ears, "mumbling what?"

"Anna's name. Saying she doesn't want anymore and that she needs to go."

"For fucks sake," Chris grumbled, "of course it would be her! It's always Anna. Right, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Right, I won't leave her, don't worry about that. I'll keep you posted and try and find out some more."

"Thanks, Jack, I'll let Fionn and the others know."

The call ended and Jack looked back at Dotty.

"No, Anna... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to be a bad friend... please stop..."