was asking about someone other than myself. If she knew I was snooping into my own case file, she may be a little tight-lipped. If it was gossip about someone else, however, I was sure she'd freely spill the beans.
“Hello love, what brings you here?” she asked in her lovely English accent, peering over top of her glasses. Her big brown eyes sparkled as she smiled at me.
“Hi Moyra, I was wondering if you could help me with an old patient note I found. I came across it this morning and wondered if you remembered anything about it. It was a young girl who'd been sexually abused by her stepfather. He tried to strangle her. She was brought to this hospital about twenty years ago and I wondered if you were here then?”
She wrinkled her brow and pursed her lips searching her thoughts.
“Oh yes,” she replied, “I remember that. She was in a coma for a while. When she woke up she couldn’t remember anything about the attack or anything about the last few years. Very traumatic for the poor wee thing, and to think it was the fault of her own mother to leave her with that awful man! Poor girl had been abused as well, and her mother had no idea until the hospital informed her.”
I shuddered. Had my mother left me to be abused and tortured by some maniac? It sure didn’t sound like the mother I knew and loved.
"Do you remember anything else, Moyra?” I asked, trying not to look too eager. My hands were trembling and I stuck them into my pockets, trying to look as natural as possible.
Moyra seemed a little suspicious now.
“Why do you ask, Petal? Do you know her or something?”
“Just curious after seeing the note, that’s all," I said trying to look convincing. “Thanks for the info, Moyra,” I said with a tight smile as I headed back to the wards.
“There was something about her raving about a Guardian Angel when they first brought her in," she shouted after me.
I kept walking and waved over my shoulder.
"Thanks, talk to you soon." I could feel her eyes watching me as I turned the corner.
Okay, so now what do I do? Moyra pretty much confirmed what I'd read, and now I needed to do a little research to confirm if the young victim was actually me . . . but where to start? Births, Deaths and Marriages would show if mum and dad had divorced and whether or not she remarried.
Maybe I could Google my story and see what came up. So many questions swirled round and round in my head. I had to find out and sooner rather than later. I decided to nip into the library during my break and have a quick look at the Internet.
3 p.m. seemed to drag, but finally I was able to get to a computer. I typed in “young girl strangled by stepfather” and was shocked at how many hits I got. Okay, so I'd have to narrow it down. I knew the year was around 1990 and I also typed in the name of the hospital.
This time I found it. I started to read one of the newspaper reports. It said a 13-year-old girl had been almost choked to death by her stepfather and was in a coma, later waking up with no memory of her attacker or the last two years. The assailant had later been found by police dead, literally ripped to pieces in his own car. There were no leads to whomever or whatever had done it and enquiries were still continuing. I looked at a few more, mostly the same. One, however, confirmed what Moyra had said about me ranting on about a Guardian Angel.
My break was up and I had to get back to work. Great, now I was left with even more questions. I would look online later, at home. I wondered what else I could find.
I was walking back to my car totally absorbed with my thoughts when suddenly someone ran up behind me and grabbed me round the shoulders. I got a fright until a familiar voice said, “Hi, I’m back. Did you miss me?”
“Of course I missed you, Hayley! When did you get back?”
She bounced around, smiling
“Late last night. I slept most of today but thought I'd try and catch up this arvo. What are you doing after
“Hello love, what brings you here?” she asked in her lovely English accent, peering over top of her glasses. Her big brown eyes sparkled as she smiled at me.
“Hi Moyra, I was wondering if you could help me with an old patient note I found. I came across it this morning and wondered if you remembered anything about it. It was a young girl who'd been sexually abused by her stepfather. He tried to strangle her. She was brought to this hospital about twenty years ago and I wondered if you were here then?”
She wrinkled her brow and pursed her lips searching her thoughts.
“Oh yes,” she replied, “I remember that. She was in a coma for a while. When she woke up she couldn’t remember anything about the attack or anything about the last few years. Very traumatic for the poor wee thing, and to think it was the fault of her own mother to leave her with that awful man! Poor girl had been abused as well, and her mother had no idea until the hospital informed her.”
I shuddered. Had my mother left me to be abused and tortured by some maniac? It sure didn’t sound like the mother I knew and loved.
"Do you remember anything else, Moyra?” I asked, trying not to look too eager. My hands were trembling and I stuck them into my pockets, trying to look as natural as possible.
Moyra seemed a little suspicious now.
“Why do you ask, Petal? Do you know her or something?”
“Just curious after seeing the note, that’s all," I said trying to look convincing. “Thanks for the info, Moyra,” I said with a tight smile as I headed back to the wards.
“There was something about her raving about a Guardian Angel when they first brought her in," she shouted after me.
I kept walking and waved over my shoulder.
"Thanks, talk to you soon." I could feel her eyes watching me as I turned the corner.
Okay, so now what do I do? Moyra pretty much confirmed what I'd read, and now I needed to do a little research to confirm if the young victim was actually me . . . but where to start? Births, Deaths and Marriages would show if mum and dad had divorced and whether or not she remarried.
Maybe I could Google my story and see what came up. So many questions swirled round and round in my head. I had to find out and sooner rather than later. I decided to nip into the library during my break and have a quick look at the Internet.
3 p.m. seemed to drag, but finally I was able to get to a computer. I typed in “young girl strangled by stepfather” and was shocked at how many hits I got. Okay, so I'd have to narrow it down. I knew the year was around 1990 and I also typed in the name of the hospital.
This time I found it. I started to read one of the newspaper reports. It said a 13-year-old girl had been almost choked to death by her stepfather and was in a coma, later waking up with no memory of her attacker or the last two years. The assailant had later been found by police dead, literally ripped to pieces in his own car. There were no leads to whomever or whatever had done it and enquiries were still continuing. I looked at a few more, mostly the same. One, however, confirmed what Moyra had said about me ranting on about a Guardian Angel.
My break was up and I had to get back to work. Great, now I was left with even more questions. I would look online later, at home. I wondered what else I could find.
I was walking back to my car totally absorbed with my thoughts when suddenly someone ran up behind me and grabbed me round the shoulders. I got a fright until a familiar voice said, “Hi, I’m back. Did you miss me?”
“Of course I missed you, Hayley! When did you get back?”
She bounced around, smiling
“Late last night. I slept most of today but thought I'd try and catch up this arvo. What are you doing after
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