Battered

Chapter 18

Putting the last of the plates away, I go into the living room and join Cheryl who is sat on the sofa flicking aimlessly through the TV channels.

"There's nothing on" she sighs, putting the remote down next to her.

"How about we watch a movie then?" I suggest, gesturing across the room to the DVD cabinet leaning against the opposite wall.

Cheryl turns her head and scans the movie titles in silence for a few seconds. Then a smile lights up her face, "Oh my God, Pretty Woman!" she gasps, jumping up from the sofa and going over to retrieve the DVD case from the cupboard.

"I love this movie!" she exclaims, clutching the box to her chest, "I haven't seen it in forever. Can we watch it?" she shoots me the cutest smile and I laugh at how excited she is.

"Sure" I smile, "Pop it in the player and I'll go see if I can find us some ice cream"

Going out into the kitchen, I open up the freezer and sure enough there is a tub of Ben & Jerry's tucked away at the back. I grab two spoons from the cutlery drawer and make my way back into the living room where Cheryl has the DVD set up and ready to go.

I sit down next to her and she presses play with the remote. I take the lid off the ice cream and she shuffles closer to me, smiling when I hand her a spoon.

Before I know it, the ice cream is gone and the movie is over. Cheryl is leaning back into the cushions, with her legs resting over my lap, "I feel sick" she whines, rubbing her tummy.

"I'm not surprised with all the ice cream you ate" I laugh. This girl has a serious sweet tooth; I've never seen anyone eat ice cream so fast.

"But it was Ben & Jerry's" she says in her defence, "and Strawberry Cheesecake is my favourite"

Smiling, I lean forward on the sofa and pat Cheryl's leg, indicating that I want to stand up. She shifts her position so I can get out from under her and then lies down again, sprawling out in the space I have vacated.

I take the empty ice cream tub and spoons out into the kitchen, quickly washing them and when I return to the living room, Cheryl has her eyes closed, sleeping soundly. I study her face for a few moments, taking in how beautifully peaceful she looks.

Bending down, I gently stroke her cheek and her tired eyes flicker open, "Babe, why don't you go put your pj's on and get into bed?" I suggest

She sits up a little and rubs at her eyes, "Ok" she says sleepily, getting to her feet and heading for the stairs.

Feeling kind of tired myself; I turn off all the downstairs lights, lock the front door and follow Cheryl upstairs. I go into my room and change into my pyjamas, then head to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

When I am done, I walk down to Cheryl's room to say goodnight. She is sitting up in bed wearing her pyjamas, the light from the bedside lamp illuminating her face with a soft glow.

"Goodnight Cheryl" I smile, watching as she snuggles down under the covers.

"'Night" she answers, returning my smile with one of her own.

I turn to leave the room but the sound of Cheryl calling my name stops me in my tracks.

"Will you...sit with me for a while?" she asks quietly, "Please? I don't have nightmares when you're here." She says in a small voice.

The vulnerability in her eyes is clear to see and I couldn't say no even if I wanted to. Which I don't.

"Yeah, sure" I nod reassuringly, going over to the bed and sitting down on the edge.

She pulls back the covers and pats the mattress, gesturing for me to get in properly. Swinging my legs up onto the bed, I lie down next to her and she moves closer, putting an arm around my waist.

"You don't mind do you Kimba?" she asks, referring to the tight hold she has on me, "It's just...I feel safer this way."

"No, I don't mind" I tell her honestly, smiling at her use of my nickname for the first time.

I don't mind at all.

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"I'll be an hour at the most" I tell Cheryl, grabbing my car keys from the hallway table.

Now that the weekend is over, I need to make a quick trip into work to grab some case files and print a few things from my computer. I plan to work from home for the rest of the week but can't manage without those files.

"See you soon" Cheryl smiles, hovering by the stairs

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" I ask one final time

"I'll be fine" she says with a quick nod of the head, "I'm going to go and relax in the bath for a bit"

"Alright. Call me if you need anything and I'll come straight back" still not fully convinced, I slip my coat on and head towards the front door, "Bye" I call over my shoulder as I close the door behind me.

When I arrive at the office, I am surprised to find Nadine and Nicola there. I thought Nadine was visiting a family centre in North London today and Nic doesn't usually leave the shelter on Mondays because today is the day that Jessica runs the therapy group and she likes to be there for that.

I immediately notice the tension in the room and it wouldn't surprise me if they were talking about me before I got here. Choosing to ignore the situation, I simply give a quick nod of the head in their direction and go over to my desk, gathering up the files I need.

Nadine walks over and perches on the edge of my desk, "Hey. Can we talk?" she asks tentatively

I stop what I'm doing and turn around to face her, folding my arms defensively across my chest, "It depends what you want to talk about"

Nicola crosses the room and comes over to join us, "I think you already know what we want to talk about" she says softly, resting a hand on my arm

"If the two of you are going to lecture me about Cheryl then I don't want to hear it..." I move around the desk and sit down in the chair, drumming my fingers anxiously on the arm rest

"No, no, no" Nadine interrupts, "It's not like that Kimba" she insists

"What then?" I ask, growing impatient

Nadine and Nicola exchange a look and eventually Nicola is the one to speak up, "Well...me and Nadz were talking and we kind of realised that we might have over reacted about you taking Cheryl in like that."

"Yeah" Nadine agrees, "We completely trust your judgement and besides, Cheryl probably deserves a little extra attention after what she went through. How is she doing by the way?"

"She's fine" I reply, slightly taken aback, but nonetheless pleased by their sudden change in opinion

"Have you heard anything about her husband's court date yet?" Nicola asks

I shake my head and start leafing through some papers on my desk, "Not yet. I'm going to call the barrister later this week and find out what's going on."

Nadine stands up and smoothes her skirt down, "Has Cheryl decided if she's going to testify?" she asks

"To be honest Nadz, I haven't brought it up since he attacked her" I admit, picking up a letter from my desk and opening it. My eyes scan over the words and I realise that the subject of Ashley's trial is something Cheryl and I will have to discuss sooner rather than later.

"Shit!" I curse out loud, looking up at Nadine and Nicola, "Why wasn't I told about this?"

"About what?" Nicola asks

"This!" I wave the letter frantically, "His trial starts in a week"

Nadine sighs and comes over to take the letter from my hand, skimming through its contents, "I guess she is going to have to decide pretty quickly about what she wants to do"

"I guess so"