Platform 3 - Part 5 by Vivien Teasdale

Pink lady was crying, almost as if she cared. But grown ups didn't care. They just moved you from place to place and never listened. They shouted, just like bald man had shouted at her when she saw what he was doing to her friend. He'd shouted in the loudest voice she'd ever heard and she'd known then that she had to run. Run and run and never stop. But then railway man had found her, given her hope and now it was all going wrong again.

   Sobbing, Sandra wrenched the gate open and ran. Ran away yet again, and this time she was never going back.

   She didn’t really see the blue car as it swerved across the road towards her. She didn’t really feel the bonnet crumple as she bounced across it and was flung up into the morning sun before she hit the verge and everything just disappeared.

   For a second, the driver seemed to hesitate and then the blue car screamed away from the scene, leaving Sandra lying in the road and Monica screaming as she ran towards the little girl.

  ‘Winwood,’ Eddie told Monica as they sat together in the hospital corridor. ‘We’ve been … disturbed about that place for a while but never had enough evidence to do anything about it. Now we have reason to investigate fully. The superintendent there is keen to root out any problems. Keen to be seen to be active in the inquiry. If anyone can sort things out, he can.’ He looked up as Tony came out of the side ward. ‘All ok?’

   Tony shrugged. ‘They don’t know. We can go in, in a minute, love. They’re just … tidying up.’

 
   They were interrupted by a young policewoman. ‘Before you do, could I have a word?’ she asked.

   ‘Have you got him?’ Monica glared at the girl in front of her.

   ‘Oh yes. He was in such a hurry, he took a bend too fast and skidded into a ditch. I’m glad to say he’ll have a colossal headache, if nothing else. And that will be the least of his worries. Prisoners have their own code of conduct, especially where children are concerned.’

   Monica smiled. ‘Good.’

   ‘I believe you knew him, Mrs Dawson. And you, Mr Langford. You worked with him, in your previous post, too.’

   They both gaped at the constable without uttering a word.

   ‘It was Peter Crosier,’ she said

   'But he’s ...’

   ‘Yes, Mr Langford. He’s superintendent at Winwood.’ For a moment the policewoman stared at Eddie, then turned to Monica. ‘Don’t worry, we will get things sorted. He’ll be charged with the attack on Sandra as well as whatever is uncovered in future. Please, you will let me know … if … when she comes round, won’t you?’

   ‘Of course, we will.’ Tony agreed. ‘We’ll invite you all to the celebrations, too.’

Eddie shook his head slightly and stood up, resting one hand on Tony’s shoulder, the other on Monica’s. ‘Look, I’m glad the fostering, the probable adoption has been agreed and all that, but … she’s a long way to go and … in view of … well, you know.’ He faltered to a stop under Monica’s hard glare.

   ‘She’ll be ok. She’ll be our little girl from now on. No-one is going to harm her ever again. We’ll take care of her. No matter what.’

   Tony put his arm protectively round his wife. ‘’Course we will, love. Now come on. Let’s go in and sit with our new daughter.’ Tony scowled at Eddie, nodded to the police woman, then he and Monica disappeared into the side ward where Sandra lay, a small figure on the large hospital bed.

   Wires and tubes surrounded her, and for a moment they were both back in another ward, watching their son losing his fight for life.

   Tony reached across and grasped Monica’s hand. ‘It’ll be alright, love. It can’t happen again.’

   ‘Can’t it? She looks so like Stevie sometimes. What if …?’

   ‘She’ll be alright. She will be alright!’ Tony said, as if repeating the words would make them come true.

   He took something from his pocket, gently placing the object in the centre of Sandra’s cold hand.

   Her tiny fingers lay unmoving in Tony’s calloused palm. Then they slowly closed over the little black and white shell. Her lips twitched slightly as she tried to smile.