Before She Was Mine Read Online Free PDF Page B

the degree. Nicky’s going to leave her mum and dad’s, get her own place. Choose curtains. Hold dinner parties.’
    ‘I can run you to Homebase if you’re desperate.’
    ‘It’s the moving-on thing. She’s being normal .’
    That made him laugh.
    ‘’Cause we all want to be that, Frey, don’t we?’
    ‘It’s not as if I want her life. I don’t want to get married. It’s just – it’s change. Yeah, that’s it.’
    ‘And you’re not good with change, are you?’
    ‘I know it shouldn’t matter in the face of my best mate’s happiness. But the thought of the wedding feels, urgh. Crap.’
    He drew in a long breath. ‘OK, listen, I’m going to put it to you straight, and I’m only asking because I think you need me to: are you sure this isn’t a plain case of
jealousy?’
    ‘No. I told you, I don’t want to get hitched.’
    ‘You’ve got a crush on Christian.’
    It sounded shocking, hearing it out loud. ‘No!’
    ‘You’ve got a crush on Nicky?’
    ‘For God’s sake,’ I began.
    At which point the landline began to ring. We both jumped.
    ‘Go on,’ he said. ‘It’ll be Melody, in some sort of bother. Forgotten her eyelash glue, broken a heel.’
    So I picked up the receiver. There was a pause, then Geraint’s voice came down the line, cautious, rusty, Welsh. ‘Freya?’
    ‘Yeah.’ What the hell was he ringing me here for? Wasn’t there anywhere I could go to escape his wheezy old-man presence?
    ‘Can you come back?’
    ‘What, now? I’m stopping here tonight. I told Liv. She was fine with it.’
    ‘She’s—’
    ‘What? What’s the matter?’ I caught the fear in his voice, and that made me frightened too. ‘Is there a problem?’
    ‘It’s Liv.’
    ‘Is she ill?’
    He made a sick strangled noise. ‘Yes, I think she is.’
    ‘What, Geraint? Tell me.’
    ‘She’s, she’s found a lump. In her. In her. A lump in her chest. She’s gone a bit – upset. Can you come home now? I don’t know what to do.’
    No, you never bloody do , I thought.
    I replaced the handset with extreme care. Michael said, ‘Frey?’
    ‘I’m all right but I have to go,’ I said shakily.
    Funny how just one short phone call can be all it
takes for your world to begin unravelling.

Case Notes on: Melody Jacqueline Brewster
    Meeting Location: 42, Love Lane, Nantwich
    Present: Miss Melody Brewster, Mrs Abby Brewster, Mrs Diane Kozyra
    Date: 11 a.m., 11/11/86
    Spoke with Melody and Mrs Brewster for approximately 45 minutes, both women chatty and forthcoming. Melody feels she is recovering well physically from the
birth but is still very tired (appointment with health visitor two days previously, no concerns). She has been seeing friends at home and would like to resume school as soon as possible. She says
she thinks going back to her normal routine will help her in forming her decision about the best course for her baby.
    Mrs Brewster agrees that Melody would benefit from returning to her classes. However she would prefer her daughter to have made a firm decision before that date. Mrs Brewster is keen to see
an adoption go ahead, and asked what they had to do to begin the process once the six weeks was up. Melody is as yet unsure how she wants to proceed. Spoke to them both about the timescale
involved.
    Melody asked how her baby was settling in with the foster carers and I was able to reassure her all was well there. She particularly wanted to know whether they were musical and if they were
playing the baby music. Mrs Brewster stressed again that she favoured adoption as the way forward.
    Melody asked if I could provide her with some sleeping pills and I advised her to contact her GP.
    Next visit: 18/11/86
    Signed: Diane Kozyra

A SATURDAY
December
    There’s no getting away from it: under all the tinsel and razz, Christmas is a majorly crap time. As the festive week approaches, there’s always loads on TV and in
the papers about vulnerable groups we need to keep in mind: the poor, the