anything about him.’
‘Like I’d fuckin want to.’
It was the same brutish attitude she remembered. ‘He’s got an addiction. It’s a health issue. How does that make him the scum of the earth?’
‘It’s illegal, it causes crime, it spreads disease, and he’s costing me and every other taxpayer a shitload. How does that make him anything but?’
‘Oh sure,’ Holly said. ‘Never forget the poor taxpayer.’
‘Bleeding hearts don’t last long in this job,’ he said.
‘Thanks for the tip, but I was in Roberto’s class,’ she said. ‘Nine years and counting. How about you?’
‘Long enough.’ Kyle started to pump up the blood pressure cuff on the young man’s arm.
Roberto turned the siren off and swung into the hospital grounds. In the fresh silence Holly heard the Velcro on the sphygmo cuff crackle.
‘Yeah, pump it high and hurt the guy,’ she said. ‘That’ll show me.’
‘What pathology company did you work for?’ Kyle said.
‘I was based in a hospital.’
‘Right.’
She saw the wormy thing in his gaze again. The young man’s arm was turning purple. The cuff was still up tight, Kyle’s fingers nowhere near the pulse point. She said, ‘You need help finding that BP too?’
He released the pressure and smiled at her, a look that chilled her heart.
*
Holly hung back as Roberto and Kyle wheeled the young man into the Emergency Department, then grabbed her backpack out of the ambulance and hurried out of the ambulance bay. Kyle’s attitude was not uncommon among people she’d met, both in the job and out of it, though it was the first time she’d had it put to her so stridently. The worst thing though was the look in his eyes. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d recognised her.
She rang Norris’s mobile with trembling hands, still wearing the gloves. She couldn’t take the chance of pulling them off yet. If Kyle came out and saw the infinity tattoo he would know for sure.
‘Hey,’ Norris answered.
‘I’m at Concord Emergency. Can you come and get me, please?’
‘Last I heard you were on the train.’
‘I’ll explain when you get here. Just please come, now.’
‘What’s up? You sound weird.’
‘Just come,’ she said.
‘Okay, all right,’ he said. ‘Be there in five.’
She called Lacey next but it went to voicemail. ‘I need to talk to you,’ she whispered. ‘This is one fucked-up day.’
She shoved her phone into her bag. First Seth, now Kyle. How could this be?
The doors slid open behind her and she spun around, feeling sick, only to see a nurse stroll out, shaking a cigarette from a packet, and in another moment disappear around the far corner of the building. She felt exposed there on the asphalt, imagining Kyle hurrying his handover so he could come out and confront her. She started walking up the driveway. She needed to get out of there. She could meet Norris on the street.
An ancient white Fairlane crept towards her, the driver’s window creaking down. ‘Excuse me.’
Holly glanced back at the doors but there was no sign of Kyle. Yet . ‘Just park anywhere,’ she said distractedly.
The elderly driver’s eyes were watery behind thick glasses, her hands white-knuckled on the wheel. ‘My husband was brought in earlier. Do you know where he is?’
‘Probably in Emergency.’ Holly pointed at the doors. ‘Park along there and go in and ask.’
‘Park where?’
‘Anywhere here.’ Holly’s hands were sweaty inside the gloves and her heart was racing. The longer she stood here, the more time Kyle had to come out. ‘They’ll help you once you go inside.’
‘Is this not just for ambulances?’
‘I’m sure in your case they’ll make an exception.’ Holly smiled and stepped back from the door.
The woman put a shaking hand on the sill. ‘Do you know how my husband is?’
‘You’ll have to ask inside, I’m sorry,’ Holly said.
‘He didn’t look very well this morning.’ The woman lifted her glasses and
‘Like I’d fuckin want to.’
It was the same brutish attitude she remembered. ‘He’s got an addiction. It’s a health issue. How does that make him the scum of the earth?’
‘It’s illegal, it causes crime, it spreads disease, and he’s costing me and every other taxpayer a shitload. How does that make him anything but?’
‘Oh sure,’ Holly said. ‘Never forget the poor taxpayer.’
‘Bleeding hearts don’t last long in this job,’ he said.
‘Thanks for the tip, but I was in Roberto’s class,’ she said. ‘Nine years and counting. How about you?’
‘Long enough.’ Kyle started to pump up the blood pressure cuff on the young man’s arm.
Roberto turned the siren off and swung into the hospital grounds. In the fresh silence Holly heard the Velcro on the sphygmo cuff crackle.
‘Yeah, pump it high and hurt the guy,’ she said. ‘That’ll show me.’
‘What pathology company did you work for?’ Kyle said.
‘I was based in a hospital.’
‘Right.’
She saw the wormy thing in his gaze again. The young man’s arm was turning purple. The cuff was still up tight, Kyle’s fingers nowhere near the pulse point. She said, ‘You need help finding that BP too?’
He released the pressure and smiled at her, a look that chilled her heart.
*
Holly hung back as Roberto and Kyle wheeled the young man into the Emergency Department, then grabbed her backpack out of the ambulance and hurried out of the ambulance bay. Kyle’s attitude was not uncommon among people she’d met, both in the job and out of it, though it was the first time she’d had it put to her so stridently. The worst thing though was the look in his eyes. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d recognised her.
She rang Norris’s mobile with trembling hands, still wearing the gloves. She couldn’t take the chance of pulling them off yet. If Kyle came out and saw the infinity tattoo he would know for sure.
‘Hey,’ Norris answered.
‘I’m at Concord Emergency. Can you come and get me, please?’
‘Last I heard you were on the train.’
‘I’ll explain when you get here. Just please come, now.’
‘What’s up? You sound weird.’
‘Just come,’ she said.
‘Okay, all right,’ he said. ‘Be there in five.’
She called Lacey next but it went to voicemail. ‘I need to talk to you,’ she whispered. ‘This is one fucked-up day.’
She shoved her phone into her bag. First Seth, now Kyle. How could this be?
The doors slid open behind her and she spun around, feeling sick, only to see a nurse stroll out, shaking a cigarette from a packet, and in another moment disappear around the far corner of the building. She felt exposed there on the asphalt, imagining Kyle hurrying his handover so he could come out and confront her. She started walking up the driveway. She needed to get out of there. She could meet Norris on the street.
An ancient white Fairlane crept towards her, the driver’s window creaking down. ‘Excuse me.’
Holly glanced back at the doors but there was no sign of Kyle. Yet . ‘Just park anywhere,’ she said distractedly.
The elderly driver’s eyes were watery behind thick glasses, her hands white-knuckled on the wheel. ‘My husband was brought in earlier. Do you know where he is?’
‘Probably in Emergency.’ Holly pointed at the doors. ‘Park along there and go in and ask.’
‘Park where?’
‘Anywhere here.’ Holly’s hands were sweaty inside the gloves and her heart was racing. The longer she stood here, the more time Kyle had to come out. ‘They’ll help you once you go inside.’
‘Is this not just for ambulances?’
‘I’m sure in your case they’ll make an exception.’ Holly smiled and stepped back from the door.
The woman put a shaking hand on the sill. ‘Do you know how my husband is?’
‘You’ll have to ask inside, I’m sorry,’ Holly said.
‘He didn’t look very well this morning.’ The woman lifted her glasses and
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