Bab’s New Year’s Resolution 13.

List of Characters.

Barbara. Chief Protagonist AKA Bab’s.

Lola (Seventeen) Barbara’s oldest adopted child. Transgendered girl rescued from an attempted murder.

Olivia. (Fifteen) Barbara’s second adopted daughter: Black lesbian girl fostered out of care then adopted. (With Olivia’s consent!)

Joyce Banks. Bristol Social worker.

Aaron Talbot Surgical registrar – married to -

Shirley Talbot Lecturer at Local university.

They are a married couple who own a narrow-boat on the canal. Friends of Lola

Mickey Talbot (Twelve) Aaron and Shirley’s oldest child.

Jessica Talbot (Eleven) Aaron & Shirley’s middle child.

Bianca Talbot (Nine) Aaron & Shirley’s Youngest child.

Billy Medical colleague of Aaron’s – he also owns a narrow boat in Bristol.

Sandra Her parents also own another Narrowboat in Gloucester.

Jackie Sandra’s friend (a bit headstrong and ‘adventurous’)

Julie Third member of the threesome, (more level-headed and sensible than Jackie).

Jason. (Black) London Gang member deals in drugs at the children’s homes

Tyrone (Black) Also a gang member, friend of Jason. Also a dealer.

Tyson (White) Also a gang member into drugs and trafficking young girls.

Angela (Angie), Olivia’s trafficked, drug-addicted friend (Rape-gang Victim and important witness)

Sergeant Davis, (Bridie) female police bodyguard for Angela.

Detective Sergeant Davies. (Brian) Bridie’s twin brother.

Inspector John, Heading up the anti-rape-gang operation in Birmingham.

Erica. Another victim thought to have been killed by the gang.

I chose a moderately benign image of an opiod addict prostituting herself on the streets of Philadelpia because even I found some of the images very distressing! It is easy to see that the victim is completely spaced out

Chapter 13.

The next morning Bab’s found the girls still cuddled up in bed at nine a.m. When she had found Olivia’s Bed empty, she immediately realised the distraught younger girl was in her step-sister Lola’s bed because Bridie had chatted to her after the girls had gone up the night before.

To confirm her conviction, Bab’s gently cracked Lola’s bedroom door open and wagged her head with a sympathetic smile when she found the pair fast-asleep and tightly spooned together. She also noted that Olivia's pillow was covered in tearful mascara stains. With an understanding born of her own long-ago youthful experiences, Bab’s left them sleeping and quietly slipped downstairs to start her own and Brian’s breakfast.

The previous day had been an ordeal for Bridie as well so Brian was pouring out breakfast cereals just for himself and Babs because he had now learned exactly what Bab’s preferred in the morning. Over their breakfast the pair chatted.

“How’s your sister?” Bab’s asked.

“I left her zonked out. It must have been a stressful day for her as well, how are those two?”

“Same as Bridie. They’re totally out of it, but at least they had the comfort of sharing. They’re both ‘zonked out’ as you put it, but at least they are together and comforting each other.” Bab’s smiled.

“Ayye,” Brian sighed, “D’ you know, I’m actually glad they’re together. I think there’s far less chance of them running away again now that they’re here in a good home and they’ve both got you to show them love and care. You’re a good woman Barbara Smith.”

“Oh come now Inspector it’s what any caring, decent adult would do.”

“Yes. But even so - -.” The inspector left the sentence unfinished for he had little to add on Babs’s philanthropy. Instead, he talked about the elements of the rape-gang case.

“D’ you know this is a rotten case. I wonder how many girls have been destroyed by these animals?”

“What, here in Britain, or worldwide?” Bab’s replied.

“Well you ask about a whole new ball game when you say worldwide. Putting on my realistic practical copper’s head, I have to hold it down to Britain and perhaps Europe. I lose track of reality if I try to include the world. Can I make myself some more toast?”

“Be my guest,” Bab’s replied then grinned, “well, you are my guest but help yourself anyway.”

Bab’s got up to feed her cats and noticed that both Carbon and Marmalade were missing. Only Rainbow, the female tortoise-shell had appeared.

“Where are the boys?” Babs asked her.

Rainbow looked up, gave a plaintive little ‘miaow’ and resumed feeding. Bab’s grinned but felt forced to wonder and she crept upstairs again. After quietly double checking the lumps under the blankets she was amused to learn that now, Olivia also had a furball friend as well. Both cats were curled up respectively against their human companions. Bab’s quietly replaced the double duvet and sneaked down-stairs.

It was eleven before the girls emerged bleary eyed and embarrassed. Bridie was even more embarrassed to surface around Noon.

The tray of milk and biscuits that Bab’s had left on Lola’s bedside table gave ample evidence that Bab’s had been into the bedroom and obviously knew that Lola and Olivia had slept together. To reassure the girls, she gave them a kindly smile when they nervously appeared in the kitchen as she declared.

“I’m glad to see that you slept well. Obviously you needed it.”

“Nothing happened, honestly Nina!” Lola declared defensively.

“I know girls, the cats would not have been there if you were moving around under the blankets. Now breakfast or lunch?”

“Shall I make some bacon and eggs and stuff?” Olivia asked.

“Certainly, I can get on with the laundry. Lola darling can you strip the beds?”

“Will do Nina, shall I go and get the Caravan stuff as well?”

“That would be an enormous help. Thank you. Bridie should be up by now, but don’t disturb her if she isn’t.”

“Where’s Brian?” Lola asked.

“He’s gone to Gloucester nick. He said he’ll be back by four.”

The three of them pitched into what had now become something of a family routine. Except that now the girls had two cats following them wherever they went. When Lola returned with the first load linen from the caravan, Bridie accompanied her.

“Morning Bab’s; don’t look at me like that! I haven’t been skiving! I’ve been phoning around from my bed most of the morning.”

Bab’s raised a questioning eyebrow and Bridie pressed her case.

“I have! I’ve been on the phone to the criminal compensation board. Angela’s owed a substantial sum and Olivia’s owed some monies as well.”

“How much?” Olivia asked eagerly from the kitchen.

“They didn’t say; big-ears!” Bridie laughed. “You shouldn’t eaves-drop on other conversations!”

“Brian said no secrets between us; it could lead to mistakes and danger.”

Both adults exchanged knowing looks as Bab’s riposted to Bridie. “Touché!”

“Hurry up and make that brunch smarty-pants!” Bridie joshed.

Olivia returned to her task and soon emerged from the kitchen with the meals while declaring.

“I’m just a slave around here,” though the grin on her face belied her words.

At that moment Lola overheard Olivia’s declaration of emancipation just as she returned from the caravan with the second bundle of bed linen.

“Yeah! That’s what we are, slaves. We want liberty!”

“Shurr’up and eat! Just be thankful you’ve got food in your bellies serfs!” Bab’s riposted.

The mood of levity stayed as they chose to eat in the front garden al fresco while chatting amicably. Then several boats arrived from Gloucester simultaneously and asked for help to drop in the lock. The girls immediately offered their help and Bab’s cackled with mirth as she obviated the joke about slavery.

“If you two are slaves then it’s slaves to money and little else.”

Her words were lost to the girls as they dashed down to prepare the lock. Bab’s wagged her head and smiled at Bridie as she asked.

“When will they next see Angela?”

“Three or four days at most. Brian’s checking who will be attending the next big question session after the various ‘follow-ups’ from the other countries.”

Even as Bridie spoke, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and glanced knowingly to Bab’s as she recognised the caller.

“Hi bro, what news?”

“Are the girls there?”

“No, they’ve just gone down to start the tide at the lock.”

“Oh. Is Bab’s there?”

“Yes.” Bridie replied as she anticipated Brian’s request and put her phone on speaker. “She’s alongside me here, I’m on speaker.”

To speed up the conversation, Bab’s interrupted.

“What’s the news Brian, why’ve you called?”

Without hesitation, Brian explained.

“They’ve brought the girl Erica back from Iran. She wasn’t in Turkey when they finally rescued her. She’d actually been smuggled across the border but the Iranian authorities came up trumps. She was flown straight from Tehran to London on the earliest possible scheduled flight, it was actually a Chinese airline.”

“What state is she in?” Bab’s asked.

“I’ve had no precise news of that. All the email from Iran said was that ‘The child is very confused and distraught.”

“Well of course she’ll be confused! She’s addicted for heaven’s sake. And because she’s addicted, they ’ll have to be treating her as she travels. If not, she could suffer irreparable damage!”

“I’m sorry Bab’s I don’t have any more information about that yet. What I am asking is if Olivia is prepared to meet the girl if the doctors think it will help. I’m thinking the girl is suffering from delusional paranoia and can’t trust anybody. Maybe meeting Olivia or even Angela might help her.

To this end, I’m working to get Erica placed in the Birmingham unit after she arrives. Then we can put the three of them together IF the doctors think it will help.”

“So you want Bridie and I to talk with Olivia?”

“Please! Yes. Urgently.”

“I don’t think Olivia will take much persuading,” Bridie answered confidently. “When’s the plane due in Heathrow?”

“It’s scheduled to arrive in about two or three hours. Inspector John and I will be blues and two’s to Heathrow as of right now. The Superintendent from London will be there as well and I shouldn’t wonder somebody higher; one of the Met commissioners maybe. This case has gone nuclear! Ask Olivia if she’ll be prepared to travel to Birmingham or even London tonight.”

“Okay.” Bridie replied abruptly as she shut her phone off and ran towards the river lock where Olivia and Lola had started helping the boats.

ooo000ooo

“Olivia, go and scrub up girl and get ready to travel!”

“Wha -! What for?”

“We might be going to Birmingham or London tonight!”

“Why?”

“Your friend Erica. How friendly were you to her?”

“Very close, why.”

“They found her in Iran. She’d already been trafficed the Turkish border. She’s on her way back to London right now but she’s very confused and distressed. They think or hope that seeing you and/or Angie, might help to reassure her. You know, finding herself amongst friends again.”

Olivia turned beseechingly to Lola.

“I’ve gorra’ go Lol! I’m sorry, Erica’s my second best friend!”

Lola nodded vigorously.

“What – choo hanging around here for girl. Move it! Don’t worry about the boats! I’ll sort them. Do whatever it takes and do whatever they ask. Give my regards to Angie as well.”

Within twenty minutes, Bridie and Olivia were speeding down the M5 to pick up the M4 at Bristol thence on to Heathrow airport. Olivia was glad the car had a ‘four-point, full harness seat-belt.

They arrived at Heathrow and were directed straight to a specialist immigration suite were Olivia recognised Angela, Brian and Inspector John. The two girls fell into a tearful embrace then gasped as the superintendent entered with a skeletal husk of their friend Erica. When Erica failed to respond both girls gave a wail of despair and Bridie immediately took it upon herself to reassure them with a motherly hug.

Behind the superintendent there appeared the travelling nurse supplied by Médecins Sans Frontières then an immigration doctor who invited everybody into a specialist suite. The nurse described what medications Erica had received while travelling in her brief period of care and the immigration doctor took some blood samples.

“I’ll get these checked right here at the drug abuse lab. We usually use it to check on mules and other drug smugglers. Give me twenty minutes.”

“Crickey!” Bridie whispered to the girls. “It takes our boys an hour or two to check bloods.”

Both Olivia and Angela hardly heard Bridie’s attempt to reassure them for they were staring in shock at Erica’s bruised and emaciated condition. Indeed, her condition was so bad that the nurse gently helped her to slump onto the large settee that was obviously used for such interludes.

“Will she live?” Olivia whispered nervously to the nurse.

“We think so, the first thing is to get her stabilised and find out what they’ve been dosing her with.”

As she spoke the nurse realised that Olivia was about to explode with frustrated anger and she gently grasped Olivia’s hand while whispering.

“Steady darling. Erica’s seriously traumatised and we’ve no idea yet what brutality she has been exposed to. Your getting angry might just trigger a detrimental reaction so ‘hold on in there’ baby.”

Olivia gave a sob and Bridie was surprised yet secretly pleased to see Angela inveigle an arm around Olivia's waist. Bridie well knew that empathy was another psychological indicator and the friendly hug showed that Angela was on the road to recovery.

‘Now it remained to see what could be done for the poor kid that had just been delivered into their care.’ Bridie figured.

She was disturbed from her introspections by Olivia’s nervous request.

“Is it safe for me to hug her?”

Bridie glanced questioningly to the nurse who nodded very slowly as a sign to take it very slowly and not expose the catatonic victim to any sudden, unexpected actions.

With tears pouring down her cheeks, Olivia carefully took station on the large settee then cautiously sidled along it towards Erica. Both the nurse and Bridie were watching like cats watching mice as eventually, Olivia reached cautiously towards Erica’s hand.

While doing this she softly repeated her name.

“Erica. It’s me Olivia. Olivia. Olivia from room seventeen.”

The only response Olivia could recognise was that Erica’s head turned towards the sound of a voice but the eyes were empty; devoid of all spark.

‘Fuck!’ Olivia thought. ‘She’s far worse than Angie was!’

For want of anything more constructive, Olivia just left her hand gently clasping Erica’s while motioning to Angie to sit on the other side. Again, Bride was poised to act as Angela slowly settled on the settee and cautiously copied Olivia’s approach. Within minutes both girls were stroking Erica’s knuckles.

Bridie glanced towards the nurse who whispered again.

“Well she hasn’t reacted violently or fearfully; perhaps there is something going on. She tensed up with fear every time I or any of the Iranian or Embassy staff tried to touch her.”

Bridie and her brother, Detective Sergeant Brian continued watching the situation on the settee and both exchanged surprised glances when they noticed Erica’s hands slowly open then close; once at first, then several times as Olivia kept slowly repeating her name.

They both wanted to say something but were both too afraid to break the spell as they heard the nurse give long, soft sigh of relief.

On hearing the nurse’s response, Olivia looked up nervously and stopped stroking the back of Erica’s hand as she momentarily released it. Then everybody noticed Erica’s hand reach out, grab Olivia’s and hand pull it back to her face. Olivia looked up uncertainly as she sought assurance.

“Keep talking darling, keep saying your name,” the nurse whispered as Bridie nodded vigorously and smiled.