As soon as they were alone, Layla drew closer to the bed. Precious’s eyes were shut. Just the act of conversation had exhausted her.
‘Not too much longer now,’ said the nurse, looking in on them. ‘She’s very tired.’
Layla nodded, pulled up a stool, touched Precious’s hand. Her eyes opened. Rested on Layla’s face.
‘I guess I’ve looked better, yeah?’ she asked, and her mouth twisted, showing in painful detail the split lip, the gap where her tooth should be.
‘You’ll look better again,’ said Layla, shrugging it off as if it was nothing, but it broke her heart to see Precious brought this low. ‘Um, so your folks don’t know about the work you do at the club?’
‘Jesus, no,’ she mumbled. ‘You haven’t told them?’
‘No. The police mentioned the club to them, but I said you only worked behind the bar a couple of evenings a week,’ she said.
‘Good.’ She swallowed hard.
‘They told me you work at my old firm, doing the filing.’
‘Oh. Yeah. Well, it just came to mind. I didn’t want to get into your dad owning the club and me meeting you there. They would die if they knew what I really do.’ Precious let out a cough.
‘You want a drink?’
A nod. Layla held up the paper cup with the straw so Precious could take a sip.
‘Amelia, huh?’ asked Layla, putting the cup aside.
‘Don’t. If you make me laugh, I will crawl from this bed and lamp you. Everything hurts.’
‘You’ll feel better soon. You want me to bring you anything?’
‘No…’ She winced, seemed to hold her breath for a moment. ‘There’s nothing I need. Only to get out of this bloody place.’
‘Here -’ Layla took out a notepad and pen and wrote down her number at home in Holland Park – ‘I’ll leave this with you. Give it to your parents, tell them to ring me if you need anything. Now, before I go…’
‘Hm?’
‘… I need to know anything you can tell me about the man who did this. Anything at all you can think of.’
‘Oh no…’
‘Please, Precious, you have to try.’ Layla took a calming breath. This was so hard. ‘I think… I think he did this to you because you’re a friend of mine.’
Precious showed no surprise at this. A tear slipped from the corner of one bruised eye and slid down into her dark matted hair. ‘He beat the crap out of me, didn’t he,’ she said. ‘What else is there to tell you.’
‘Was that the first time he’d been in? The first time you’d seen him?’