Given Up

Chapter 36

It was official; the Police station had the most comfortable waiting room chairs - far outdoing the hospital, that was for sure. Not that I felt comfortable by any stretch of the imagination. The lack of sleep from the night before had caught up with me; my body felt like it was weighed down with bricks and my eye was throbbing from the fight. It had been an eventful day. My foot tapped up and down on the floor:  I'd had enough of florescent lighting and poster strewn walls:  I just wanted to get out of here. Kate had to shoot off to work straight after the police interview and I was stuck here waiting for Scott.

The Police officers had asked me if I knew about Cassie's drug taking, whether we had taken any together, whether I had noticed any changes in her and, of course, if I knew who had supplied her with the drugs.  I hadn't said anything about Diego.

"Alright cheers mate, just give me a bell if you want me to bring him back in." I looked up to see Scott at the door shaking hands with one of the Police officers who had interviewed me. Scott's face was dark as he indicated with his head for me to follow him. We drove the ten minutes home in total silence. It was only when we got into the living room that I remembered.

"I am just going to get changed and head over to the hospital."

"Yeah, about that.  Mr Evans called earlier to say that you can't come see Cassie today." Scott threw his jacket on the back of the chair and rubbed his neck.

"What?  Why?"  Did Mr Evan's think it was my fault?  My stomach flipped.

"She is coming down off some strong drugs Kyle. From what I know, she will likely be exhausted and probably feeling pretty lousy."

"Oh..." I hadn't really thought about that:  that she might be addicted to them and need to detox.  Shit. Tears suddenly brimmed my eyes and I squeezed them shut.

Scott sighed and I felt his hand on my shoulder.  "But Mr Evans said that it doesn't seem like she was taking them for very long so she should recover in time. She will need to rest but they will probably let her home in a day or two."

I gulped and nodded, working hard to keep the tears at bay.

"Besides, you my friend, are so very grounded." I opened my eyes and saw Scott's disappointed expression. Before I could speak, he did. "Take a seat."

"Scott, I am so tired. Can we save the 'don't hit people, use your words' lecture for tomorrow?  Please." I rubbed my sore eye again.

Scott raised an eyebrow at me and pointed at the sofa behind me. I sighed and sat down with a huff.  He walked over to the kitchen and came back a moment later with a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel and a small bowl of ice. 

He placed the bowl of ice on my legs.  "Hand."

He passed me the peas.  "Eye."

I slipped my bruised knuckles into the ice and placed the bag to my eye, hissing as the cold hit my injuries. Scott took a kitchen chair and pulled it up so he was sat a foot away from me.

"I don't really give a toss about you beating Diego up."

"Shocker,"  I muttered.

He glowered at me but carried on.

"I mean that I can understand your motivation. You figured out that he was probably the one who gave Cassie the pills. Maybe he even confirmed it..." He looked me in the eyes and I looked down at my hand, the ice in the bowl starting to melt.

"What I don't understand is why on earth you would lie to the Police? That is unacceptable." His voice had risen now;  his hands clenched together tightly on his lap. I could see how pissed off he was.