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hold of Daniel s hand, determined to not to leave his side for a second.
Nearly two hours later, Daniel roused fully, blinking green eyes open and staring
uncomprehendingly at Spen.  Hey. How do you feel?
  m I?
 Hospital. What do you remember?
  bout what?
 Having drinks with Tony?
 Um...I don t. He struggled to sit up, but even with Spen s help, it was beyond him.
He sank back down.  Feel crap.
 I know. Just going to find the doctor. Daniel s hand gripped Spen s and his green
eyes widened in panic.  It s okay. Myko s here. Back in a minute, I promise. He gave
Daniel s hand a pat.  Promise.
Daniel let go. Myko licked his face, and Kani, now much brighter and with it,
cuddled against his chest. Daniel gave his kem a dozy pat.  Don t understand, he
mumbled.
 I know. Just wait.
Dr Ali was attending to another patient, but Spen caught her eye and she came out to
see him.  He s awake. He doesn t remember anything. Not yet.
 I m not surprised. The tox results show almost no blood alcohol content, but GHB
is present.
That was an acronym Spen hadn t heard since his student days.  The date rape
drug?
 One of them, yes. Doesn t prove how it got into him, though. I ll just go and speak
to him. Would you like to wait out here?
Spen hovered outside the cubicle, while the doctor spoke quietly to Daniel. He tried
not to eavesdrop but it was hard not to get most of it, and understand that Daniel was
adamant that he didn t want the police involved, and he refused to consent to a rape kit.
When the doctor came out, she shrugged at Spen.  Can t say I m surprised.
 But you ll keep the drug results on record?
 Yes. But the police won t attend unless he makes a complaint. If he changes his
mind, he can contact them at any time.
 Can he go home?
 I d rather he stayed an hour or two but he s determined to leave. GHB leaves the
body fairly fast so he ll probably be all right. You ll stay with him?
 Yes, and get him back here if he seems to be worse.
 Then he can leave. She went to the nurses station and picked up a leaflet, which
she handed to Spen.  He might need this.
Spen looked at it.  Rape counselling?
 It s likely, yes. She looked up at him.  Take it easy with him, Spencer.
 I will.
She nodded and went off to another cubicle. Spen stared at the leaflet then shoved it
into his pocket with a shudder. Someone had assaulted Daniel tonight. More than
assaulted. The police should be involved.
Inside the cubicle, Daniel, now detached from his leads and the oxygen, was making
a fairly futile attempt to get dressed.
 The doctor thought you should hang around for a little bit, Daniel.
 I m fine. I just want to get out of here. Help me, will you?
Spen helped him into his trousers and shirt. Trying to identity the odd smell on them
was driving him nuts.
 Where are my shoes?
 Here, don t panic. He bent to help Daniel put them on.  You should really speak to
the police.
The foot jerked out of Spen s grip. Spen looked up and found its owner glaring at
him.  No. Not now, not ever. I won t get my family into more crap.
 Daniel, someone drugged you.
 Maybe. But I m fine and I don t want to think about this any more. I ve got a
headache, I m tired, and you know as well as I do the police won t be able to do a damn
thing. I ll end up spending hours at a police station for no reason.
 What about stopping whoever it was doing it again? Spen ached to mention Noble
by name but he didn t want to contaminate Daniel s evidence, if he did manage to
convince him to make a complaint.
 We don t know who it was, and I can t give them anything to find him. I just want
to get out of here. You haven t spoken to Dee, have you?
 No. I asked Mum to let her know you were unwell, but not to worry. You can call
her in the morning.
Daniel sagged.  Thanks. Look...I know what you re saying, and why. But I can t. I
just can t. It s too much. I haven t got the energy to deal with this on top of the rest.
 Okay. Spen finished with the shoes, and helped Daniel stand. Daniel picked up
Kani, who squeaked and licked him.  Whatever it was, made him sick too.
 Sorry, Daniel said to his kem, kissing his head. He looked up at Spen.  You found
me?
 Good thing too. It was really Myko and Kani.
 Right. Daniel ran out of determination around about then, and sat back on the bed.
 I really do feel like crap.
 You can stay 
 Please? Can we just...go?
 Sure. Here.
He took his hand and helped him up again. Daniel held his hand longer than he
needed to.  Thank you.
 Any time. He put his hand on Daniel s shoulder.  Come on. Let s get out of here.
Chapter 9
Daniel leaned on the taxi s window, not really seeing the passing scenery. Spen s
face was reflected in the glass, so Daniel knew he was being watched. Not surprising
Spen was worried. Daniel wanted to be alone, but he couldn t bring himself to wish Spen
wasn t there.
His stomach churned and his head throbbed. He still felt out of it, unsettled. Nothing
like being drunk or hungover. Someone had drugged him. Someone had had sex with
him, the doctor said. He knew what those two things added up to, but he couldn t make
himself admit it in so many words.
 Where did you find me? He immediately regretted asking.
 In Tony s room. On his bed. He said you turned up in a confused state.
Daniel s stomach heaved and he covered his mouth. He couldn t ask the next
question. He was afraid Spen would answer it.
 Do you need to throw up? Spen asked.
 No. Leave me alone, please.
 Sure.
Kani sat in Daniel s lap, meeping quietly from time to time. Daniel should try and
comfort the little guy but he couldn t find the energy. Oh god, how was he going to tell
Dee? He couldn t. He d have to lie. But first, he had to pull himself together.
The hotel was deserted, thankfully. He didn t know what he d do if he ran into one
of the managers. Or Tony. How was he supposed to....
Was this where he had to give up? How could he work for someone who...but he
didn t know that Tony had. Why would Tony take such a risk here, among his peers and
superiors? Tony was married. Maybe it was nothing like it looked at all. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]