Greta left to arrange for Rachel's replacement, and Peter took Mandy to see Neville. The corridors were clear of staff and Mandy wondered if Svindle had had anything to do with it. Her hand clung tightly to Peter's as they walked until they reached the doorway to the cubicle with the dark red smear on the curtain. She reached to touch the curtain, then turned to Peter.
There were a thousand things that she wanted to say, but nothing would come; the thoughts were a jumble of words and emotions, numbed by the potion she'd drunk.
Mandy glanced toward the curtain, then looked back at Peter, then threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Thank you." Her throat tightened and she tightened her arms a bit more. "For taking care of him..."
Because he had. Peter would have done anything and everything that could be done, she knew he would, and it wasn't his fault at all, but she couldn't say any of that, so thank you had to be enough for now... She took a step back, letting him go, then turned to the curtain, her eyes brimming with tears.