Finding Grace(32)

Dr Mahmoud glances at me warily.

‘We want to know all possible eventualities,’ I confirm. ‘We need to know.’

He nods. Clears his throat.

‘Very well. Truthfully, if Grace is found soon, there should not be a problem. As you know, her body cannot regulate blood sugar itself, so the injected insulin does this job. If she does eat but does not inject, it’s possible her blood sugar levels could increase, but in the short term, this would not be dangerous.’

Dr Mahmoud must know that we know all this. I think he’s skirting around the issue.

‘Obviously, we don’t know where Grace is yet,’ I say, striving to speak calmly. ‘We don’t know when she’ll be found. I suppose what we’re asking is what happens if… if the situation continues for some time? What happens if the police can’t find Grace and, for whatever reason, she can’t access her medication for a length of time?’

Dr Mahmoud’s brow furrows.

‘Well, as a worst-case scenario, untreated diabetes can commonly lead to diabetic ketoacidosis. The common name for this is diabetic coma.’

‘That sound pretty serious,’ Blake says grimly.

‘Indeed. But if Grace is found within the next forty-eight hours, then it will not be a worry.’

That blasted statistic again: forty-eight hours.

Not so long ago, forty-eight hours sounded like a good chunk of time; now it seems like the blink of an eye.

‘Is a diabetic coma the worst that can happen?’ Blake presses him.

‘It can lead to cerebral oedema, an accumulation of liquid in the brain.’ Dr Mahmoud hesitates before continuing. ‘It’s very serious, and sadly, children are at higher risk of this condition.’

A cloak of silence descends on us as we all consider this. I feel like I’m watching from a distance, like I’m standing outside of myself.

‘Luce?’ Blake’s voice cuts through the strange disassociation. ‘Dr Mahmoud is talking to you.’

‘Sorry?’ I say vaguely.

‘I have prepared a prescription for you, Mrs Sullivan.’ The doctor holds out the white printed slip.

‘No thanks.’ I feel my expression harden. ‘I need to be aware of everything that’s happening. I need to get out there and help to search for Grace, and I can’t do that if I’m in a self-medicated bubble.’

‘Ah, you misunderstand.’ He smiles. ‘This prescription is not for sedation purposes; it is simply some mild medication to calm the nerves.’ He looks meaningfully at me. Nods encouragingly.

He’s been my GP for the last ten years. He’s aware of my medical history, of the anxiety-related conditions that have blighted half my life.

I look at the small white note in his outstretched fingers.

‘Lucie,’ Blake says gently. ‘Please. Take the prescription.’

And so I do.





Twenty-Three





Sunday evening





It’s officially dark when DI Pearlman and DS Paige return to the house. They speak in low, indecipherable tones to Fiona in the hallway.

Dad has taken Oscar upstairs and is having a lie down himself, so that leaves Blake and I staring wordlessly at each other with wide eyes. But it’s soon clear that there’s no positive news.

I feel the light that I’m trying so hard to keep burning brightly inside myself dim a little more.

The detectives appear in the doorway.

‘We’ve come to give you an update on what’s happening out there,’ DI Pearlman says, stepping into the room. ‘But before we do, we’ve got the leader of the community search here. He wonders if he could have a quick word… Is that OK?’

He addresses Blake but glances nervously in my direction. They’re treading on eggshells around me. I’m falling apart inside, but I thought I was giving the impression I’m just about holding it together. Judging by their reaction now, though, I’m not so sure.

‘I have to say he’s doing a great job,’ DS Paige adds. ‘The community search is really adding value to our operation, releasing officers for other important duties in the investigation.’

‘Of course, we’d love to meet him,’ Blake says. ‘Please, bring him in.’

DS Paige disappears into the hallway. I hear the front door open and close and lowered voices conversing.

‘Incredible that someone would take it upon themselves to get involved and organise a search like that,’ Blake remarks, and I nod in agreement.

A few seconds later, the detective comes back into the room, followed by… our neighbour, Jeffery Bonser.

‘Jeffery is leading the community search,’ DS Paige says, ‘and he’s only just told me you already know each other.’

I stare at Jeffery, who, under my enquiring gaze, shuffles his weight awkwardly, one foot to the other.

‘I’ll leave you all to have a quick chat.’ Paige walks out of the room, already looking at his phone.

‘Jeff! You absolute hero.’ Blake jumps up and embraces our neighbour. ‘We can’t thank you enough for what you’re doing. Right, Luce?’

‘Yes. Thank you,’ I say, my arms and legs suddenly feeling cold.

Blake is saying something about community spirit and support and putting his arm around Jeffery’s shoulders in a brotherly manner.