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rugby scrum; it hurts like hell and yet I’m still not able to walk more than a couple of paces. They even brought me a fucking Zimmer frame. I said, the day you see me shuffling around on that, pal, is the day you can give me an OD of morphine.’
    Anna remained with Langton for almost two hours; he then seemed to suddenly fade fast. He was hardly able to keep his eyes open, so she suggested she leave and see him the following evening. As she turned to go, he caught her hand.
    ‘Eh, you don’t have to make this schlep out here every day. If you’re up to your eyes in this case, leave it–just call me.’
    She kissed him, and he held onto her hand tightly. ‘I’ll pull through this. It’s just going to take longer than I thought, but I’ll make a promise–next time you see me, I’ll be on my feet.’
    She kissed him again and then left him, still sitting in his solitary position, surrounded by gym equipment he couldn’t use. She didn’t mention that she was going to talk to the head nurse for an update.
    Anna was kept waiting for half an hour before she was able to discuss Langton’s progress. The nurse was a pleasant six-foot-five giant with a big wide smile.
    ‘Well, he’s not an easy patient, and he’s got one hell of a temper, but he is very determined. The reality is, this is going to take a lot longer than he thinks. The knee joint is very worrying and I know causes agony; sometimes it would be better for him to rest up, but he refuses and demands painkillers. He had a bad fall because he tried to stand and wanted to work out on weights, but after a chest injury as bad as the one he suffered, he has to be patient.’
    ‘How long will he be staying here?’
    ‘Well, we usually do a two-week stint, then patients can go home. If they need further treatment, they come back; we’ve got some that have been coming back and forth for months. I’d say James is going to be looking at the very least, six months.’
    ‘Six months?!’
    ‘Yes, and I can’t guarantee that he will be able to walk unaided–but that is not the only problem. He can’t unwind, or he won’t; his desperation to get into the gym and work out is very common. They think if they exercise to excess, it’ll block out their thoughts and then they won’t have to consider their own feelings. Sadly, the support system network that used to exist for officers like James has virtually eroded in the last year. There used to be a much stronger camaraderie and humour. What I am concerned about is his isolation; he refuses tointeract with any of the other patients and this will, I am sure, eventually lead to depression.’
     
    Anna felt depressed herself, driving home. It was after one when she eventually got to bed and she was so tired, she crashed straight out. She also forgot to set her alarm, so was late getting up and got caught in the rush hour driving over to Brixton.
    The briefing was already in progress when she quietly entered the incident room and sat at her desk. As she suspected, Sheldon had requested they check into all men on probation that were known in the area.
    ‘I think, due to the ferocity of the attack, we could be looking at someone with a previous record of violence and assault, so get cracking and let’s see if we can get a better result today.’
    Anna said nothing. She noticed Blunt and Brandon huddle with Sheldon for a while before they broke up. Sheldon then gestured for her to come into his office.
    ‘You were late,’ he said curtly.
    ‘Yes, I’m sorry–I got caught up in traffic.’
    ‘Not a good enough excuse. I run a very tight unit.’
    ‘I’m sorry.’ She changed the subject fast. ‘Have you heard anything from the PM report?’
    ‘Nope. In fact, I’m just on my way over there if you’d like to join me.’
    ‘Thank you.’
    She sat in rather uneasy silence in the rear of the patrol car, while Sheldon had a lengthy call to someone she presumed was his dentist, as he was asking about root canals