Waves of Betrayal (The Isabel Marsh Trilogy Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

into a run, away from Paul, tears streaming down her face, no idea where she is going. All the plans for their future, her dreams of one of those detached houses in the village of their own one day, her promotion at school, children one day maybe... her whole life, all those plans that made so much sense yesterday, are now scrambled into a void of confusion. Torn apart.
    She stumbles headlong across the beach, not caring if anyone sees her or what they think. She is only aware of the blood pumping in her ears as her feet hit the solid tarmac of the road. She has no idea where she is. Her vision blurred by tears and her legs propelling her faster and faster, driven by a fierce jealousy ripping through her whole body. Every ragged breath that she exhales sounds like a deep growl as the sobs catch in her throat, making it difficult to breathe. Suddenly she hears a strange thud and crack. Slowly she becomes aware that her legs have stopped running. The pain of her emotions is being overwhelmed by a different pain, incredibly intense, somewhere in her jaw. Her tears continue their path down her cheeks, but her eyes slowly begin to close and a strange, muffled welcoming darkness begins to close in around her. Then, there is nothing.

Chapter 8
    L ouise Marsh received the phone call at five o’clock that afternoon. She had been pottering in the garden whilst Duncan sat in the conservatory planning his final lecture of the term on Spanish Twentieth Century Poetry. His reverie had been broken when he saw Louise walk slowly into the room, her hand covering her mouth, the other one limp at her side, her face drained of colour.
    It had taken them only fifteen minutes to get to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth where they knew that they would find their beloved, only child. Within the walls of the grey forbidding building, somewhere within the maze of corridors, lay Isabel.
    Duncan guides his wife towards the Reception desk as calmly as he can, fighting the urge to run wildly into the confusing labyrinth, shouting his daughter’s name. He knows he has to take control, for his wife’s sake, and they have to keep it together until they know how badly she had been hurt; how critical her condition is.
    ‘ Isabel. Isabel Marsh,’ cries Louise softly, reaching out a shaky hand towards one of the nurses sitting behind a computer. Seeing her distress, people in the queue disperse sympathetically and they are both shown to a little office and asked to wait for a few minutes for the Doctor. Did they want tea? ‘No.’ Did they want to call anyone? ‘No!’ Duncan paces the small room and stops, frozen in his steps, as a young, blonde-haired woman enters the room, wearing a white coat with a badge indicating that she is Doctor Shelley Cole. She clasps a file to her chest. The first thing that Duncan notices about her, is that she looks younger than Isabel. How can she possibly help my daughter? Then he notices that she is not closing the blinds as they do on all the Medical dramas on TV when they have bad news to impart. He sits and wraps his arm firmly around his wife’s shoulders as Dr Cole introduces herself. Calmly and professionally she explains that Isabel has been very lucky. The relief in the room is palpable as Louise can no longer hold back and begins to sob loudly.
    ‘Isabel ran into a moving car but it was a side street and the driver was going slowly, looking for somewhere to park. Your daughter ran straight at his car. He described her state as “hysterical”.’
    Duncan and Isabel sit mesmerised by what they are hearing. Hysterical?
    ‘Was she being chased?’ asks Duncan, as calmly as he can, ‘Did anyone see anything? Is there an investigation?’ he asks hurriedly. Doctor Cole lays her hands calmly on the file in her lap, ‘No, Mr Marsh, she wasn’t being chased.’ She pushes her black rimmed rectangular glasses up onto her nose, ‘I can take you to your daughter in just a moment and I’m sure she’ll tell you