Swell (Complete)

Chapter Fifty-Seven (Part One)

"I feel you everywhere,
And when it rains,
You're in the air,
Touched by the sight like a memory."

....

The news of Marti's escape made Dodge move back into the Escape. At least until they knew what she might do.
It only took a few hours after the news broadcast for a report to come in from the town she had been taken to.
A woman that worked at the local shopping centre had given Marti her travel card and some money to escape a supposed abusive relationship.
By the end of the day, nothing else had been heard.
Adora only slept that night because of the pain medication.
She had shared her mother's bed while Dodge had slept in the spare room.
The hope of freedom had been destroyed with the news about Marti's escape.
Until they knew which direction she would go in, they were helpless to their imaginations.
Adora was almost certain Marti wouldn't try and return.
There was nothing for the girl to come back for, once Marti realised Adora had caused their crash she would know there was no love between them.
The next news on Marti came early Monday morning; a woman matching her description had gotten on a train to the city.
Relief nearly drowned Adora as she listened to Dodge explain that they believed she was trying to escape.
The relief filled her insides and she was suddenly pushing the plate of French toast away.


Will was allowed to go home that afternoon and Adora was waiting for him in his bedroom.
The smile on his face grew as he opened his door and she got up from his bed.
"Welcome home." She held her arms out as he walked towards her on his crutches. She wrapped her arms around him and his crutches and let go of a relieved sigh.
He chuckled lightly in her arms. "I cannot wait to sleep in my own bed." He kissed her cheek and she let him move back.
"I bet. The hospital beds are like concrete aren't they?" She tilted her head and smiled affectionately as he moved past her to sit on his bed.
"Are they ever." He rested his crutches against the bedside table and lowered himself slowly onto the mattress.
Tom leaned against the doorway and grinned. "At least you can sleep with the knowledge that Marti was reported to be heading in the other direction. No guards, yay." Tom's grin turned into a teasing one and Adora scoffed.
"I think I'm the one gladdest for that, the no guards part." She smiled. "It's been weeks in my life."
"We should celebrate with cake!" Tom exclaimed.
"Cake?" Adora frowned and he moved aside from the door frame into the room. Mrs Taylor entered with a bright smile and a small cake on a plate.
Adora craned her neck to read the words and smiled.
'Welcome Home, Will.'
How could Marti have grown up in a family like this and gone as crazy as she had?

Suddenly Adora felt the guilt sinking in again as she looked at her boyfriend on his bed.
The strips on his temple, the plaster on his leg; Marti had tried to kill him because she'd believed she was in love with Adora.
All the conversations they'd had and Adora had never seen it, even when asking for her phone on the cliff above the cove she had no idea what Marti was capable of.
She'd left Iain alone with a killer, an angry killer.
"Hey, you alright?" Will's quiet voice was closer than she realised as his mother took the cake to his desk to cut it.
"Yea, just tired, I think." She forced a small smile.
"You are a terrible liar, do you know that?" His voice was still low so that only she could hear it and his concern made her put her arm around him as he tried to stand awkwardly on the cast and his good leg.
"We should be thankful for that, after Marti had us all so convinced." She whispered as Tom picked up the first piece of cake.
"I'll always be thankful for bad liars and honest people." Will kissed her cheek softly and she let go of a shuddering breath.
"I think I'll head home and let you guys all enjoy Will's homecoming." She announced.
She saw Will frown out of the corner of her eyes and turned to face him. She had less distance to tip-toe up to his lips while he nursed the broken leg.
"I'll call you later." She said as his fingers loosened in her hand.
"Alright, be safe." He looked at her with a worried expression.
"I'll text when I get home safe and sound." She teased as she turned away from his warm body.
"Did you want some cake to take home, Adora?" Mrs Taylor asked.
"Oh, no, thank you though." Adora shook her head and left the Taylors house.
The wind was cold on her ride home, but the chill helped calm her guilt.
She went straight up to her bedroom and lay on her bed with the curtains closed.
She stared up at the wire lights above her canopy and reached a hand out to stroke Agatha.
The lights seemed to grow brighter as the day wore on and she rolled over onto her side to see the last rays of daylight sink around her curtain into the dark of night.