The Banishing Read Free

wanting more of it, needing more of it. Nobody knew what she’d been going though since Mark had started….turning on her. The secret was curled and sleeping inside her mind, invisible to everyone. Until now.
    “I’m okay, really. I just fell this morning when I was taking the bins out.”
    Sharon reached out and rubbed her hand along her friend’s arm. “Mel, seriously. You don’t look good. I don’t even mean the bruise, but everything…you’ve not been right, lately. Something is wrong. I’m not stupid.”
    “I appreciate your concern, but really, don’t worry. I’m good. I‘m all right,” she said, forcing enthusiasm into her voice. “Now, are you going to help me bathe this patient?”
    Sharon sighed, folding her arms across her chest. Her long, blonde hair was tied back into a bun, revealing her beautiful, youthful face. Her eyes look alive, like mine once did , Melissa thought, staring at her with a strange longing, an uncomfortable sense of envy.
    “Is it Mark? It is, isn’t it? He’s been hitting you.”
    Each word hit her like a brick against her chest. Her heart thudded wildly, and she felt a rise of panic. “Stop it,” Melissa said, turning away and lowering the bed sheet on top of the patient. “I need to get on with this.”
    “That bastard. You need to get out, Mel. Please, listen to me. If he did this to you—”
    “If he did this to me, Sharon, I’d have been out already. Trust me.”
    “You don’t have to be ashamed. Millions of women go through this. Loads of women find it hard to leave their partners, but—”
    “Shut up!” Melissa hissed. “Please!”
    Sharon took a step forward. “I care about you. Don’t push me away.”
    “Let’s meet up at lunch time, okay? We’ll talk, then. Not here, not now.”
    Sharon smiled—satisfied—and nodded.
    Chapter Three
    It was still raining. The sky above them was a dome of gray, clouds swollen with water hovering above them with the promise of more to come. Sharon had managed to arrange her lunch break at the same time as Melissa, but the canteen had been busy—too busy for them to talk properly—so they were standing outside, taking shelter by a cluster of trees that were situated behind the main hospital building.
    She hadn’t planned what to say. All morning, while cleaning patients, taking blood pressures and changing bedding, she had been devoured by two thoughts that were constantly battling for her attention. The first had been Mark. What to do about him and worrying about what he might do next. The second thought was what she was going to tell Sharon. She wanted to tell her but was frightened of what telling her might mean, and for that, she felt weak and stupid.
    Melissa had been with Mark for five years. They had started dating when she was 20. Now, she was 25—the age where she had expected to be happily settled into married life or perhaps planning the family they’d spoken of—but instead, she was tied up in this nightmare, and she didn’t know where to turn, what to do.
    “What happened? I want to know, because something is just not right with you. You’ve been like this for ages.” Sharon pulled out a lighter from her pocket and flicked it open. The flame sprung to life, and she lifted it to her face, lighting the cigarette that hung between her lips. She inhaled and released a small puff of gray smoke. It hung momentarily in the air, and then dissolved to nothing.
    “Been like what?”
    “A fucking zombie, that’s what. You’ve stopped coming out with me. You’ve been totally distracted at work. Now this? Jesus, Mel. You look awful.”
    Melissa leaned back against the tree, enjoying the feel of the cold air against her skin. “You’re right. I’ve not been myself for weeks. Well, probably months.”
    “Why?”
    “Mark.”
    Sharon’s eyes widened. Two twin spheres of blue that seemed to darken at hearing her friend’s words. “I knew it. He’s been hitting you!” Sharon motioned toward the