woman
asks.
'Two milligrams. No, I think it's ten . . .' I am seeing
double as I try desperately to read the faint type on the
sticky label. 'Yes, ten of diza—'
Rami snatches the mobile away from me. 'Four
hundred milligrams of diazepam,' he barks down the
phone. 'And six hundred milligrams of fluoxetine.
Maybe more. When will the ambulance be here?'
Sophie appears in the doorway. She waits until Rami
hangs up. Then she asks, 'Is he stable?' Her voice is
eerily calm.
'Pulse fifty, pupils non-responsive,' Rami replies. 'Oh
Jesus, Sophie!'
'He's still breathing on his own, Rami. Shall we try
and get him downstairs ready for the paramedics?'
'No, it's better not to move him.'
'Right. Just keep tabs on his airways and his pulse.
That's all you can do for now.'
The wail of a siren suddenly blasts up from the street
below. Sophie disappears. Moments later the bedroom
is full of people with walkie-talkies and green overalls,
crowding round the bed. Everyone is talking very fast.
Flynn's nose and mouth are covered with an oxygen
mask and a needle is inserted into his arm and taped
down. A blood-pressure cuff is attached to his other arm
and a thick white neck brace is fitted around him. Then
he is lifted onto some kind of chair and covered with a
salmon-pink blanket and strapped into it. On the count
of three, they lift the chair and manoeuvre it through
the bedroom door, jolting it against the door frame.
The chair disappears and the room is suddenly empty. I
can hear the paramedics grunting and giving
instructions to each other on the staircase outside.
I will myself to move, to run downstairs after them
and follow Flynn into the ambulance, but nothing
happens. I don't seem to be able to get up from the
floor. A few minutes later, the sound of the siren wails
into life again, sending blue waves of light crashing
through the empty room.
Chapter Eight
JENNAH
Sophie comes in carrying the crying baby, and sits down
on the edge of the bed. Her face is pale. 'Jennah, listen.
Rami's gone in the ambulance with Flynn, and I'm
going to arrange for Maria and Matias to be driven to
the hospital by a neighbour. Do you want to go with
them? I've got to stay here because of Aurora. Rami says
he'll call the moment he has news.'
I shake my head dully. I'm afraid that if I try to stand
up, my legs will collapse. I still haven't moved from my
position on the floor next to the window. The mobile
phone is still at my feet.
'Are you sure?'
I nod.
'OK. I'm just going to pop downstairs and go round
to the neighbours. Can you watch Aurora for five
minutes while I do that?'
hold out my arms for the crying baby.
'Jennah, speak to me first – can you watch Aurora
while I run next door?'
I force my mouth into motion. 'Yes,' I mumble.
'Yes, I'll look after Aurora. She'll be fine with me.'
Sophie looks at me doubtfully, then lowers Aurora
down onto my lap. 'Five minutes,' she says.
She gives my shoulder a squeeze and leaves the room.
Moments later I hear the sound of raised voices in the
street, slamming car doors and the sound of the engine
starting up. I jiggle Aurora against my shoulder as she
continues to whimper, and bury my face against her soft,
warm body. 'Oh baby, baby, baby,' I chant softly. 'Baby,
baby, don't cry. Baby, baby, baby, baby. He's going to be
all right, he's going to be all right.'
After a few moments Aurora stops crying and starts
pulling my hair, demanding to be played with. I force
myself up onto my feet, my knees still shaking, and take
her downstairs to the toys in the living room. I can't stop
trembling. She chews on the ear of her talking teddy,
slavering away happily, jiggling her arms and legs up
and down, babbling to herself, unperturbed by the
silence of her carer.
Sophie returns, pale and breathless.
I look up at her from the carpet. 'He's going to be
OK, isn't he?' My voice sounds strange.
Sophie gives me a dazed look. 'I don't know,' she
says.
Aurora starts to whine and the sound sets my teeth
on
asks.
'Two milligrams. No, I think it's ten . . .' I am seeing
double as I try desperately to read the faint type on the
sticky label. 'Yes, ten of diza—'
Rami snatches the mobile away from me. 'Four
hundred milligrams of diazepam,' he barks down the
phone. 'And six hundred milligrams of fluoxetine.
Maybe more. When will the ambulance be here?'
Sophie appears in the doorway. She waits until Rami
hangs up. Then she asks, 'Is he stable?' Her voice is
eerily calm.
'Pulse fifty, pupils non-responsive,' Rami replies. 'Oh
Jesus, Sophie!'
'He's still breathing on his own, Rami. Shall we try
and get him downstairs ready for the paramedics?'
'No, it's better not to move him.'
'Right. Just keep tabs on his airways and his pulse.
That's all you can do for now.'
The wail of a siren suddenly blasts up from the street
below. Sophie disappears. Moments later the bedroom
is full of people with walkie-talkies and green overalls,
crowding round the bed. Everyone is talking very fast.
Flynn's nose and mouth are covered with an oxygen
mask and a needle is inserted into his arm and taped
down. A blood-pressure cuff is attached to his other arm
and a thick white neck brace is fitted around him. Then
he is lifted onto some kind of chair and covered with a
salmon-pink blanket and strapped into it. On the count
of three, they lift the chair and manoeuvre it through
the bedroom door, jolting it against the door frame.
The chair disappears and the room is suddenly empty. I
can hear the paramedics grunting and giving
instructions to each other on the staircase outside.
I will myself to move, to run downstairs after them
and follow Flynn into the ambulance, but nothing
happens. I don't seem to be able to get up from the
floor. A few minutes later, the sound of the siren wails
into life again, sending blue waves of light crashing
through the empty room.
Chapter Eight
JENNAH
Sophie comes in carrying the crying baby, and sits down
on the edge of the bed. Her face is pale. 'Jennah, listen.
Rami's gone in the ambulance with Flynn, and I'm
going to arrange for Maria and Matias to be driven to
the hospital by a neighbour. Do you want to go with
them? I've got to stay here because of Aurora. Rami says
he'll call the moment he has news.'
I shake my head dully. I'm afraid that if I try to stand
up, my legs will collapse. I still haven't moved from my
position on the floor next to the window. The mobile
phone is still at my feet.
'Are you sure?'
I nod.
'OK. I'm just going to pop downstairs and go round
to the neighbours. Can you watch Aurora for five
minutes while I do that?'
hold out my arms for the crying baby.
'Jennah, speak to me first – can you watch Aurora
while I run next door?'
I force my mouth into motion. 'Yes,' I mumble.
'Yes, I'll look after Aurora. She'll be fine with me.'
Sophie looks at me doubtfully, then lowers Aurora
down onto my lap. 'Five minutes,' she says.
She gives my shoulder a squeeze and leaves the room.
Moments later I hear the sound of raised voices in the
street, slamming car doors and the sound of the engine
starting up. I jiggle Aurora against my shoulder as she
continues to whimper, and bury my face against her soft,
warm body. 'Oh baby, baby, baby,' I chant softly. 'Baby,
baby, don't cry. Baby, baby, baby, baby. He's going to be
all right, he's going to be all right.'
After a few moments Aurora stops crying and starts
pulling my hair, demanding to be played with. I force
myself up onto my feet, my knees still shaking, and take
her downstairs to the toys in the living room. I can't stop
trembling. She chews on the ear of her talking teddy,
slavering away happily, jiggling her arms and legs up
and down, babbling to herself, unperturbed by the
silence of her carer.
Sophie returns, pale and breathless.
I look up at her from the carpet. 'He's going to be
OK, isn't he?' My voice sounds strange.
Sophie gives me a dazed look. 'I don't know,' she
says.
Aurora starts to whine and the sound sets my teeth
on
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