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The last four weeks in Ballydoon had felt more real, more intense, more everything than I’d ever felt before.
I’d told her I loved her, and I didn’t even know what Stace had been through, or what she really wanted for her life. How did I not know that the design course that was her dream rather than nursing? Why didn’t I remember her from med school?
I’d failed her.Fuck.I had to find her. Make this right. Now.
My body jolted into action.
I pulled on my leather jacket, scooped my phone, keys for Lorraine and my room key and headed out the door.
My phone pinged with messages. But it wasn’t texts from Stacey: it was the group chat. I was about to shove it in my back pocket when a message caught my attention.
Andy: I knew I recognised Stacey from somewhere before. She’s Patient AT, from that clinic we had to do in fifth year.
Andy: can’t say now I didn’t pay attention during uni
I opened the app and read through the thread.
Steve: Patient AT? From the burns unit we had to do, yeah?
Steve: how on earth is Stacey and Patient AT the same person?
Andy: Saw this on social media.
Holy shit. It was Stacey was in a newspaper article. She wore nothing but a pair of heels, a helmet and a firefighter’s jacket and,was that some kind of beauty pageant sash across her chest?With her leg up and the way the sash and jacket were positioned, nothing scandalous was revealed but it was obvious Stacey was naked.
Was this what her family had been arguing about? No wonder Ryan had looked like he was about to murder someone downstairs.
Also clear in the photo were her scars. Her back was visible, the healing and ridges apparent, but mostly hidden in shadow. The lighting for the photo and the way Stacey looked at the camera: she was magnificent, defiant, strong. A woman who’d conquered a hellish nightmare.
Andy: I swear Stacey is also Patient AT. We had to visit Patient AT about a follow up procedure. Skin graft I think?
Steve: holy f… that photo is hot
Andy: is it wrong that I have half wood for Harry’s woman?
Steve: Yes Andy *eye roll emoji*
Andy: and there’s also this photo *attached image*
The second image was the same as the one Stacey had briefly shown me. She was wearing nothing. Her head was to the side and her hair was pulled over her shoulder. The focus was entirely on her back; her puckered and ridged skin completely exposed.
My breath shuddered. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the pain of what she’d experienced, both mental and physical.
Steve: wow, you can clearly see the scars around the ribs. it’s definitely Patient AT.
Andy: I remember where the incisions were made to remove a rib that had been essentially cooked.
Andy: Didn’t we have to do a mandatory hospital briefing with the patient? If you didn’t go, you failed.
Andy: don’t remember her being so hot in hospital
Andy: jesus Christ, just horrific stuff.
I saw red. My thumbs flew across my phone’s keyboard.
Me: You can both shut the fuck up.
Me: you’re well out of line talking about Stacey like that
