Helen of Orpington

Helen never had strong bonding love for her daughter Emma, until they worked together. This love is short lived, soon Emma is knocked down and killed by Lesley, a young American nurse in London. A short jail term and extradition to the States for Lesley, leaves Helen broken, and ready for reprisal. Helen’s journey for justice takes her to American, she finds Emma’s killer, new love and herself...Helen had ‘sort of’ loved her daughter Emma, as she had ‘sort of’ loved her husband. However, through an unexpected request for help from student Emma, Helen begins to find the mother love for her daughter. This new love is short lived, as Emma is knocked down by a drink-driver in a London Street, by Lesley, a pretty young American nurse.A two-month jail term and extradition to the States for pretty Lesley, leaves Helen broken. Before the accident Emma had found her talent for photography, and had sold work in the States to media company owner De-Hem. It was during her preparations for an art show that Helen and Emma had found love and friendship. In hospital Emma has to have her hands amputated, this, and the stress of the accident causes Helen to break down, along with her marriage.During rehabilitation, Emma starts to recover, as does Helen, enough so, to allow her to form a relationship with Rick, a tall handsome biker, working at the hospital. The future looks bright until Emma unexpectedly dies. Incensed, Helen intends to trace and track down Lesley to her Arizona home. Help comes from Maureen who can ‘sort’ everything, but at a price. Helen tricks her way in to the desert house, only to find that the pretty Lesley of the trial has vanished. Helen discovers that Lesley is now 22 stone of unwashed addiction, with filthy matted hair, and confused, frightened and drunk. Recognising Helen, Lesley grabs the kitchen knife and slashes her own wrists.Helen has a decision to make; let her live or die, she lets her live. Pretending to be her sister-in-law Helen waits in Lesley’s hospital room for her to come round. When she does, they start to talk, both realising they have much in common due to the accident, as both women are broken, have lost their husbands, family, and are running away. Apart from the wine bottle, Helen discovers Lesley is utterly alone in the world, and reluctantly at first, helps her to pull through. The relationship develops, together with Helen liking Arizona and the people she begins to meet. She fly’s to Texas to meet De-Hem, Emma’s art agent, who informs Helen that Emma has acquired a cult following since her death. Despite his tough-talk she likes him, they work together planning projects for books and exhibitions of Emma’s work. But all is not well, as Helen ends her relationship with Rick as she is spending more and more time in the states. Lesley begins to heal and regain her life through Helen’s support, and one day while working in her desert garden, she begins to remember the night of the accident for the first time. Unable to cope she sees a counsellor and her story unfolds as she starts to recall what happened on the night of the accident.