Nicholas smiles broadly at our interaction and I smirk in return. “What?” I ask.
“You two are like an old married couple.” He smirks.
“Oh god.” I wince. “I’m hoping my husband is hotter than him.”
Cameron screws up his face. “Don’t even go there. Are you trying to make me sick?”
The door opens with a clang and we all sit speechless. Joshua is led in in foot chains and handcuffs, his eyes cast down. Oh no. Cameron stands so quickly that his chair falls back and hits the ground. I gasp when I see his face. Joshua is black and blue. He has a large cut over his right eye with stitches in it and a cut cheekbone and lip. He has grazing on his forehead.
“Dear god,” Cameron whispers as he grabs his brother in an embrace.
I hold my hand over my mouth in shock, I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was never this. Nicholas turns his anger immediately onto the guard. “This prisoner needs to be moved to protective custody.”
“No.” Joshua snaps.
“Yes!” Cameron demands.
The guard’s eyes flick between us. “I will make you an appointment with the office to prepare the application,” he replies to Nicholas.
Joshua falls into the seat. “Joshua,” I whisper as I grab his hand across the table.
“Are you ok mate?” Cameron asks gently as he puts his hand on his brother’s forearm.
Joshua nods. “I’m fine,” he replies in a monotone.
“Why won’t you see us? We have been out of our heads in worry. Who hit you?” I ask.
“It’s ok, just a fight in the gym,” he murmurs.
But it isn’t ok. For him to be this messed up he was fighting more than one person. Are they holding him down to beat him?
“We are going to get you out of here, I promise,” Cameron whispers, terrified.
He nods and gives us a sad smile.
“Joshua, you need to accept your visitors. It’s unfair to put them through this without speaking to them,” Nicholas scolds.
Joshua just stares straight through Nicholas. “Is Bridget ok?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No, Joshua, she is not. We haven’t let her come down here to see you but she is coming tomorrow and you will see her. She can’t take much more,” I snap.
He nods, as if ashamed that he has put us through this.
“We have some leads,” Cameron says gently. “We are going through all of the security footage now and things are progressing. We will have some answers this week. Won’t we?” Cameron says nervously as his eyes flick to us.
I nod. “Yes, and your court case is next week.” I smile hopefully. “And then you will be out of here and we can try and…” I pause, I was going to say get over this nightmare but I know Joshua is never going to get over this.
“Try and what?” Joshua snaps.
“Try and find who did this,” I murmur.
His eyes find the floor.
Nicholas, who has remained silent, sits and watches Joshua., I can almost hear the diagnosis his brain is making.
“I would like to speak to Joshua alone please,” Nicholas asks.
Cameron’s eyes and mine meet. “Of course,” Cameron replies. He gets up and goes around to the other side of the desk and embraces his brother. I can see Joshua’s resistance melt and he drops his head to Cameron’s shoulder and relief fills me.