Babs’ New Year’s Resolution 67 © Feb 2021 Beverly Taff.

List of Characters.

Lola Smith Bab’s adopted trans daughter.
Callista Denton (Callie). Transgendered Duchess of Denton.
Margaret Denton (Maggie). Callie’s wife.
Molly Denton Callie’s grandmother
Ellie Denton Callie’s mother.
Bab’s Barbara Smith. Lola’s adoptive ‘Nana’
Olivia Smith Bab’s adopted daughter. (Excellent Artist.)
Angela Smith Bab’s newly adopted daughter
Erica Bab’s foster daughter.
Sergeant Bridie Davies Lady Police detective protecting the girls.
Sergeant Brian Davies. Bridie’s twin brother.
Inspector John, Heading up the anti-rape-gang operation.
Gareth Jenkins, Police office trained in firearms and protection.
Belinda Harrington Lola’s university girlfriend.
Aaron Talbot Surgical registrar – married to –
Shirley Talbot Lecturer at Local university.
Mickey Talbot Aaron and Shirley’s oldest son.
Jessica Talbot Aaron & Shirley’s middle daughter.
Bianca Talbot Aaron & Shirley’s youngest daughter.
Henry Denton Callie’s only son.
Charlotte Denton Callie’s only daughter.
Beverly Callie’s maternal great aunt (Ellie’s paternal aunt)
Wendy Smith Beverly’s Operations Manager for Hull
Louisa Wendy’s Daughter
Griselda & Mia Wendy’s younger twin daughters.
Susan Harvey Prosecution counsel advocating for Erica in court.

Chapter 67

As they drove back to the hotel, Babs’ and Lola exchanged knowing glances; Erica was balled up into her seat and Hans had his hand draped around her shoulder. Neither of them had noticed Olivia preparing a more detailed sketch with the pad tucked down beside her on the seat so the canoodling pair would not see her.

When they arrived at the hotel she handed it to the pair as Erica was reluctantly extricating herself from Hans’s arm.

“You can decide for yourselves who gets to keep it but hurry up, the others want to get home.”

Erica decided.

“You keep it Hans. Olivia can always draw me another.”

“Are you saying you won’t be seeing me again?” Hans protested.

A tear forced its way to Erica’s eye.

“Sorry Hans. I’m not ready for any relationships. I might never be. I won’t ever be.”

The disappointment was writ large in Hans’s wistful expression.

ooo000ooo

When they entered the hotel, Olivia turned angrily to Erica.

“Why did you say that to him? He didn’t deserve that!”

Erica paused and stared at Olivia as the dam burst and tears streamed down her cheeks.

“What do you know? What do you fucking know?!!!

“No I don’t fucking know!” Olivia retorted. “Tell me what I don’t know!”

Erica stared at her for long moments as she struggled to get the words out.

“The final tests came back before the trial started. I’m HIV!”

And with these devastating words, Erica stumbled to her room.

The three girls just stood frozen with shock as her words sunk in. It was only Bab’s who had presence enough to follow her. She reached her just before Erica was about to close the door.

“Please don’t lock me out baby!” Babs’ pleaded.

For over a minute there was a stand-off in the doorway. Erica’s mind was in turmoil while Babs’ was too afraid to simply barge in and invade her privacy. Eventually, Erica just left the door and slumped into her dressing table chair.

“Do you want me to come in babes?”

“What does it matter, you might as well.”

Babs’ stepped tentatively towards Erica before sitting on the edge of the bed. Then she fell silent. Words just did not seem to cut it and any endeavour to lessen Erica’s despair would have seemed trite. Babs’ was truly at a loss. After staring at the floor, trying to put her thoughts and words into some sort of reparative order she looked up with tearful eyes.

“There’s still hope babes. It’s not full blown AIDS.”

Erica paused momentarily before ploughing into another swathe of convulsive tears.

“Wha - what difference does I – it ma- make. I’m damaged goods, I - I’m lethal goods. What b - boy would want a HIV Crack-head? I’m t – totally f- f- fucked!”

“That’s not the way to look at it. There’s still research going on, so there’s still hope. You can still have a long life ahead of you.”

“A – as what? Some sort of celibate untouchable. Always on the outside, always looking in?”

“Well, - well no, I don’t mean it like that. You’re still young, still fifteen. Lola didn’t really get started academically until she came to me just before she was sixteen. She worked hard and now she’s at uni with good prospects.”

“Lola’s clever, she’s brilliant at maths. I’m just average, nothing special, just ‘nine-to-five’ fodder.”

Babs’ realised she might have picked a poor example and her poor choice deterred her from mentioning Olivia with her talent for art. She would somehow have to get under Erica’s skin to see what gifts she had; what talents lay hidden away. She would have to get to know Erica even better and that meant a lot of effort both emotional and practical to support and guide Erica through the coming storm. Sadly, Bab’s skills lay in academia but Erica looked as though she might practical skills.

She concluded that it would be insulting right then to try an lift Erica out of her despair. The girl needed time and tears to clear the first and highest hurdle, the emotional hurdle.

Emotion was a difficult field for Babs but she now realised that her attachment to Erica was too tight to let go and above all else, Erica needed an anchor through the forthcoming storm.

Lost for words, Babs’ got off the bed and offered Erica a hug.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll infect you?” Erica choked.

“NO!” Bab’s declared vociferously. I can’t be infected just by hugging you or even cuddling you; and once you start the treatment, I’ll even be able to kiss you goodnight. - And I WILL be kissing you good night, every night until there’s some sort of solution.”

“Stay with me tonight, again like the other night, - just cuddles again.”

“Definitely babes; now I’m going to order room service or are you up to facing the girls?”

“In the morning. I don’t feel like much just now.”

“Well I’ll order something for myself and if you fancy something you can pick some off my plate.”

“Thanks Nana. You’re the first real nana I’ve ever had.”

And like a Nana, I’m suggesting you go to bed while I sort out some food.

Thus for another night, Erica spent the hours spooned into her Nana with Babs’s arm resting gently around her shoulder.

ooo000ooo

It was still dark when Bab’s gently stirred Erica from her sleep and whispered to her.

“Time to get up Baby. I need to get you settled and ready to face the shit.”

“Mmmm.” Erica murmured reluctantly. “I don’t mind the courtroom, it’s the warmth of the bed I miss.”

“Well I need you up and ready girl. Bright-eyed and bushy tailed. Are you up for your shower.”

“Yee-eeesss!” Erica yawned. I want those bastards chopped.”

And so saying, she stalked towards the bathroom. Bab’s took the opportunity to have her own shower and met Erica again as they were the first to enter the restaurant. It was another half hour before Lola, Olivia and Angela surfaced by which time Babs and Erica had enjoyed a deep meaningful talk. When the girls took their seats in hesitant silence it was Erica who declared.

“I’m okay talking about it so no long faces okay.”

Lola turned and declared.

“We were googling everything last night so we just need to know how you want us to deal with it, - around you that is.”

“Well there’s not much to tell; I’ll be speaking to Susan later and the doctors can start me on the drugs as and when. They don’t affect my mind so I’ll be fit to witness. I’ve agreed though that Susan will tell the judges when we go into court this morning.”

Before the hearings started, the judges, on learning of Erica’s devastating news, called her into their chambers.

“This does not have to be revealed in court Miss Smith, we can deal with it sub-judice and act accordingly when it comes to sentencing.”

“No. My counsel says if it is revealed in open court, it gives you more clout when sentencing.”

“Well it gives us more latitude.” The Judge informed her. “And that is pretty much the same thing. Are you ready to continue?”

“Definitely.” Erica replied.

Her forceful response took the judges a little by surprise. The weekend in the mountains had obviously fortified the girl. Susan looked up and nodded as her jaw set firmly.

“Now Erica, we established on Friday that you returned to England and the social services found a place for you in East London; is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Can you explain how you once again found yourself in the clutches of what we believe were remnants of the same gang.”

“Simple. I was still addicted to Crack cocaine and I was desperate for a fix. I tried talking to the house mother but she seemed to have taken a distinct dislike to me. I suppose I was a bit anti but I was getting smashed by my desperation.”

“So what happened?”
“I went looking. Naturally, I tried the old places, the places I knew, the people I knew.”

“But surely you knew the dangers!”

“When you’re a crack-head you don’t much care about danger. You’re just needing a fix.”

“And did you get one?”

“Yes easily; too easily. By the time I was recovering from the high, they had me. No escape, well not then anyway.”

“Where were you when you recovered?”

“In a house down the east-end. It was run by Albanians. A brothel.”

“Can you identify any of your captors in the dock?”

“Yes, him, him, him and her.” As she indicated them, Erica gave their names.

Susan held up a document.

“For the record, this is a police report of a raid they undertook based upon information received and the aforementioned defendants were taken into custody from that house.”

Susan turned again to Erica.

“Where you found during that raid.”

“No, I was being traded out to a house-party that evening. When the bastards returned from the party with me and two other girls, they saw the police swarming all over the place. They panicked and left, leaving me and Jose and Marlene in the van,. We were in handcuffs chained to a ring on the floor so we couldn’t run. We were too terrified to shout until the morning when we realised they might not be coming back. After a struggle threading the chain, Marlene managed to get to her knees and bite the carboard off the rear windows of the van. She saw a lone copper standing by the front gate of the house so we started banging the floor of the van. Two kids passing the van heard us and told the copper. He looked towards the van and saw Marlene’s face in the rear window. The rest will be in the police report.”

“Indeed it is and that’s for the police prosecutor to present. How were you detained in the house?”

“By force. They beat us up and locked us up. - - - and worse.”

“Worse? How worse?”
For effect and because she had been determined to shock the court, Erica unbuttoned her loose blouse and peeled back the collar to reveal a brand mark on her upper breast and another on the back of her shoulder.

“Those!”

“Yes, yes! Please refrain from exposing yourself. The court has got expanded photographs of those assaults.”

“Yeah. Well it needs to be shown. You guys need to understand, you need to know why girls like us are afraid to come forward.”

“Indeed Erica we all get the message. Where those brands done in London?”

“Where else?”

Once again the senior judge intervened.

“Miss Smith for clarity please answer with firm definitive answers like yes or no. It avoids any chance of confusion on the record.”

Having vented her anger, Erica simply nodded as she replied.

“Okay your honour. Yes, my breast was branded in the kitchen at the back of the house and my shoulder was branded at one of the rape fests they organised. It was part of an exhibition they had arranged for some foreigners. I think they were from the Gulf states but they were cagey about names and places. I can’t be sure. It was him that did it though, Musapha, the fat ugly one. He branded my shoulder.”

“Who branded your breast?”

“I don’t know, I was blindfolded. She was there though; in the kitchen when they did it.”

Erica had pointed out the Albanian woman in the dock who simply glared at her.

With her evidence more or less complete, Erica was invited down from the witness box after being advised by the judge to remain available. She stepped down and almost fell into Lola and Babs’ arms, emotionally exhausted from her ordeal.

ooo000ooo