sue The Ranch, I’ll do that, but you can’t make me leave, okay?!’
‘Okay, Electra, okay,’ Mercy said gently. ‘I’ll let reception know that you’re staying on, and speak to someone inside about getting you somewhere to wait with more privacy. It’s best you stay out of sight here until we do.’
‘Yeah,’ I sighed.
‘You want anything to drink?
Vodka . . . I thought, but ‘Coffee, thanks,’ was what I said.
‘You wait here, an’ I’ll be right back.’
I watched her go, at this moment hating my fame more than I ever had and not giving a shit if I got papped by every two-bit newspaper in Tucson. I just wanted to be inside with Vanessa.
Twenty minutes later, I’d been smuggled in through a back door and given a side room that contained a couple of easy chairs and a TV. A doctor with kind blue eyes was waiting for me there.
‘Hi, Miss D’Aplièse, I’m Dr Cole.’
‘How is she?’ I asked him.
‘Her stats are stable now, so we’ve moved her out of the emergency room and settled her for the night. She’s a tough little nut,’ he smiled. ‘Would you like to see her?’
‘Yes please.’ I stood up.
‘Electra,’ Mercy said to me, ‘I’m going to head back to The Ranch now, but someone will be here in the morning to see how Vanessa is and collect you. And remember, you saved Vanessa’s life tonight.’ She reached out, gave me a warm hug and smiled up at me, before following us out of the room.
‘Vanessa’s awake, but not talking much. We’ve given her some strong meds for the pain, so she’ll be feeling sleepy,’ Dr Cole said as he led me into a dimly lit hospital room. ‘I’ll leave you to it,’ he said as he left.
I walked round the bed and sat down in the chair next to Vanessa. She looked so frail and young lying there. I could see her eyes were open and her arms lay on top of the sheets, bandaged from her wrists to her inner elbows. She was attached to a drip and a monitor that beeped every so often.
‘Hi there, Vanessa, it’s me, Electra,’ I whispered as I leant towards her. ‘How are you feeling?’
There was no response as she continued to stare at the ceiling.
‘The doctor says you’re doing real well, that you’re strong,’ I said, searching desperately for positive things to say. I lifted a hand, not sure where I could put it on her overcrowded forearms, so I laid it on top of her head and stroked her lovely hair. ‘I just wanted to tell you that I’m here for you.’
Still nothing.
‘I came with you in the ambulance; I’d never been in one before. It was like being in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, but the doc says you’re gonna do just fine.’
There was a long pause, and then Vanessa made a noise.
‘My . . .’
It sounded like ‘my’ anyway, I thought, as I watched her lick her cracked lips.
‘My mom used to do this,’ she whispered.
‘Do what?’
‘Stroke my hair. Feels nice,’ she said.
‘Then I’ll keep right on doing it. Would you like your mom to come here?’
‘Yeah, but she’s dead.’
I watched as two tears trickled out of Vanessa’s eyes.
‘I’m so sorry, sweetheart,’ I murmured, feeling tears burn behind my own eyes. ‘I’m gonna stay right here with you, and stroke your hair until you go to sleep, okay?’
She gave a slight nod and slowly, her eyes began to close.
‘You’re safe,’ I added as her breathing relaxed into a rhythm and I settled in for a long night.
A few minutes later, the door opened and to my surprise, Miles appeared from behind it.
‘How is she?’ he said.
‘Sleeping,’ I whispered, putting a finger to my lips.
‘Can you come outside for a second so we can talk?’
I shook my head. ‘No. I said I’d stay right here until she woke up.’
‘Okay.’ Miles tiptoed into the room, took a chair and carried it across to put it next to me.
‘How did you get here?’
‘When I got your message from reception, I got in my rental car, but because I had no note from the “authorities” to say I could leave, the darned guard wouldn’t open the gates! So then I had to scale the fence, call a cab and wait for it to arrive outside.’
We both stifled a giggle.
‘Does this constitute a mass breakout of Ranch inmates?’
‘It sure might, yes,’ he agreed. ‘How are you?’
‘Oh, okay, apart from a sore arm.’ I indicated the one that was