Without an invitation he let himself sink down onto the sofa, staring at the small box Julia held out for him. Frowning, he reached over and took it, opened it. It was the George Cross they had awarded him the night he had met Julia. In all honesty, Gareth hadnât even noticed its absence.
He looked up at Julia, closing the box and stuffing it into his pocket. Then, finally, he was asking, âWhat happened?â
Though his features remained firm and motionless, his voice was soft. Perhaps it was nothing. Perhaps they had just arrested her out of pure safety reasons. Hell, he didnât even know why she had been arrested.
Like a marionette that had all of its strings cut simultaneously, Julia dropped onto the sofa, head tilted back so she could stare at the ceiling. He deserved to know, of course, but she needed to purge the whole incident from her mind. It would never truly leave, but maybe heâd understand why she did it.Â
Quietly, she started speaking - a normal evening, nothing too serious occurring on the ward. They got the call about an immediate urgency on the way, and everyone was getting ready to receive the patient. The EMTs charged through the doors with a stretcher, a small form wrapped in a blanket on top.
It was an eleven year old boy. Once theyâd gotten him out of the blanket, Julia had taken report from the EMTs. They didnât need to say much, the state of the poor childâs body said it all. Malnourished. Eyes sunken in his face. Bruises. No sign of life. Her coworkers worked as fast as they could to try and bring breath back into the boyâs body, and Juliaâs charge nurse sent her out to wait for the parents.
The parents arrived, and Juliaâs eyes swept the pair, and the two smaller children in their wake. The father looked angry, the mother and children defeated. Trapped. Hopeless. Sheâd seen faces like that before, many, many years ago. Her own parents, married too young, too irresponsible. Polar opposites. Constant yelling.
The patientâs father opened his mouth to say something, and Julia saw red. Her voice dropped as she told Gareth that she didnât quite remember what happened after that, but once the police officers that had followed the family pulled her off the man, her fists were bloody. There was so much screaming. Julia was shoved to the floor and cuffed, dragged out to a police car.
She went silent then, tale told, emotionally drained and simply staring at the stark white ceiling overhead.Â