The Rabid Hour

Part 19

Now my heart was pounding for a different reason and I raised my cricket bat ready to hit whatever was in the doorway. When the figure turned round the corner and came into site though, I lowered the bat. It was Pollard, panting and wide-eyed. He looked at me and Jess, standing in close proximity to each other, and we parted guiltily. He didn't seem to mind.

"Jess!" he cried in a deep voice. He dropped his weapon and rushed to her, scooping her in his arms. He was tall, so her feet left the floor. She hugged him back and the amazing smile that I saw in my dreams returned to her face.

"Pollard!"

"I'm so glad you're alive!"

"Me too!"

He dropped her and they parted. Pollard looked at the bandage on her arm that I was too excited to ask about.

"I'll explain it later, I don't think you want to know right now."

"Hannah and the others are at the door, we were worried."

I felt guilty and embarrassed and I was pretty sure my face was bright red. I had said nothing since Pollard came in but the words I was about to say still hovered on my tongue. I swallowed them.

"We should go, she needs new clothes."

"Cassie picked some up for all of us, we should go."

I picked up the bag and put the empty bottles back in it. Jess and I exchanged a look as we followed Pollard out of the men's bathroom and through the hospital. The stench hit me hard this time and I gagged, making Jess giggle. My heart was warm again. As our shoes squeaked on the sticky stairs to the front doors, I could hear the others' voices and see them changing their clothes. One thing that living in the hospital had taught people is that privacy isn't something you have anymore. Hannah beamed like a normal 14 year old girl when she saw Jess and she surprised me still when we got the bottom of the stairs and she ran to her friend and gave her a big hug. I even caught a glimpse of a tear, but she blinked it away after a few moments when Jess let her go to hug Uncle. This bit would be hard.

"Did Ginge stay with Alisha?" she asked him. Uncle's eyes which had lit up with Jess's presence went empty again. She could sense something was wrong. "What is it?"

Then Uncle surprised us. He smiled a big toothy smile and said "Yeah, of course I wouldn't let him come on a journey this dangerous." Jess smiled again. I was still shocked at how resilient Jess was, after all that she had been through alone. Pollard introduced the others and we changed clothes. I purposefully looked away while Jess changed her top, but she went round the corner to change everything else. I missed showers. Denny looked confused.

"I thought she was hurt?"

"Yeah, she sounded more frantic on the radio," Clive said, helping Freya pull a pink jumper over her new dress.

"She said she'll explain it to us," Pollard said calmly. Clive shuffled on his feet and crossed his arms. His brows furrowed like he was angry.

"I thought we came to help a girl 'ho was hurt real bad. We almost got killed out there for someone who was just too scared to find us herself."

My face was hot and I clenched my fists. Clive carried on.

"I put my daughter in danger-"

"Willingly," Pollard added. His voice was still calm and I respected him for not getting angry.

"That's not the point-"

"That's exactly the point," I said harshly. "She said she'll explain later. You don't know her but we do, and we trust her. If you were gonna end up complaining then why did you come along in the first place?" I got closer to him as I talked and only stopped when I felt a hand on my tense bicep. I looked round and Jess was there in a clean pair of black jogging bottoms and green 'TapOut' top, both boy's clothes. I unclenched my fists.

"It's okay, Ed," she said softy, and I instantly calmed down. "You all deserve an explanation."

We decided to let it wait until morning, as wewere all exhausted and night had fallen. After finding a downstairs dormwhich had blankets and pillows in, we settled down and slept. I chose a bednext to Jess's; I wasn't letting her out of my site. By about 9 the nextmorning we were all sat spread over a few tables in the café and Jess was uncomfortably the centre of attention. I was still annoyed at Clive and vice versa but Freya sat near me so I assumed she didn't feel the same as her father. Nothing could take my eyes off the girl in front of me who looked just as beautiful to me as Scarlett Johansen was to the world. She began by taking off her bandage.

We gasped simultaneously.