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‘Which is why you need to organise things there. You can’t get to them before I do, and our first priority is to get them into the warmth. I’ll bring them to you…’
He was right. Neve didn’t like it very much, but this wasn’t the time to be squabbling over who did what. ‘Okay. We’ll get things ready to receive them here. Call me when you reach them and let me know what condition they’re in.’
A grunt of assent came down the line and then it cut off. Joe must be putting all his energy into getting to the man and his son.
‘What can I do?’ Nancy took little Daniel from Neve’s arms and put him into his baby bouncer.
‘We need somewhere warm to bring them.’
‘Okay, the sitting room’s best. I’ve got a fire going in there.’
‘That’s great. Have you got some spare blankets or a duvet we can use?’
‘Yes, of course. What about a hot bath?’
‘No, not until we see what condition they’re in.’ If the man and his son had been out for any length of time in these conditions, the boy could well be hypothermic, his smaller body less able to resist the freezing conditions than an adult’s. Warming him too quickly could cause shock or heart problems.
The smile on Nancy’s face told Neve that she knew nothing about that, just that the man and his son had been found. Neve hoped that her bright optimism turned out to be justified, and set about helping to warm blankets and fill hot-water bottles.
Just as the wait for Joe’s call was becoming intolerable, her phone rang again.
‘Joe…’
‘I’m with them. The boy’s shivering and drowsy but conscious. The man’s able to walk.’
Joe wasn’t wasting any words, but that was all she needed to know. If the boy was still shivering, then his small body hadn’t given up its fight to stay warm yet. ‘Okay, that’s good. Can you get back here with them?’
‘That’s the plan…’
‘Right. I want you to carry the boy. Be sure to do it carefully, Joe. You must avoid bumping him around any more than absolutely necessary. That’s important.’ Hopefully the boy wasn’t cold enough yet to make him susceptible to internal injuries, but without seeing him Neve couldn’t be sure.
‘Gotcha. I understand that precaution. I want you to do something for me.’
‘Yes…’ Anything.
‘We’re about a mile from you, in a westerly direction. I want you to turn my car and put the headlights on, full beam. Stay on the line, I can hear you through the earpiece. Do it now.’
‘Okay, on my way.’ Why did he want her to do that? It didn’t matter. Neve slung on her coat, grabbed the car keys and signalled to Nancy that she’d be five minutes.
She heaved a sigh of relief when the car started first time. Carefully she manoeuvred it until it was at right angles to the house, hoping that this was in approximately the right direction.
‘Joe… Joe…?’
‘I see you. Move about ten degrees to your right…’
She rolled the car forward and then back again, turning in the direction he’d told her, frantic tears forming in her eyes. She could see the reasoning behind this now. The storm that had been threatening was now right overhead, the light was beginning to fail and it was snowing heavily. Neve couldn’t see Joe, and it followed that he probably couldn’t see the house. The lights were a beacon for him.
‘How’s that?’
‘Good…’ His breath was coming fast now, and he must already be walking. Every step brought him nearer. ‘One more thing…’
‘Yes, Joe. I hear you.’ Neve wanted to stretch out and pull him back to her. If willpower alone could have done it, then he was already home and dry.
‘If we don’t make it back, I want you to stay where you are. You can’t find us in these conditions. All that will happen is you’ll get lost as well. Have you called the emergency services?’
‘Yes, I got on to Maisie. She’s liaising with them.’
‘Great. Sit tight and wait for them… We’re on our way, a mile out in the direction of the beam of the headlights. Have you got all that?’
She couldn’t answer. Couldn’t tell him that she’d just leave him out there if he didn’t return.
‘Have you got that, Neve? Say it…’
‘Got it, Joe.’ It wasn’t going to happen. It was only a mile. He could walk that, even in these conditions.
‘Good.’ Another pause, as Joe caught his breath. ‘See you soon.’
She wanted to tell him to come back to her, but she couldn’t find a way to say it. ‘Yeah. Very soon.’ She almost choked on the words. And then determination took over. ‘Stay on the line, Joe. I’m going to keep talking…’
‘Yeah… Good girl…’
‘Girl?’ She grinned desperately at her phone. ‘I’ll give you girl, Joe Lamont. You get back here now, and I’ll show you…’ Just how much of a woman she was.
‘Yes, ma’am…’
‘Shut up and walk…’
Nancy’s husband Daryl had been summoned from his workshop, which lay thirty feet to the rear of the house, but there was nothing that he could do, other than wait. Neve sent him inside with Nancy, asking them to stay by the phone and keep Maisie updated. She stayed in the car, talking to Joe, straining her eyes into the increasing gloom for any sign of him.
He was beginning to weaken. She could hear it in the few words that he managed to spare for her. His voice was shaking from the cold, and from the effort of walking through the snow. Neve looked at her watch. He must be close by now. Maybe if she went to the edge of the beam of the car headlamps, she’d see him.
Joe had told her to stay here. Ordered her to stay here, actually. And she’d obeyed him. When had that started to happen? The inevitable consequences of that particular slippery slope were suddenly forgotten. She caught her breath, staring into the swirling snow, and slowly the shapes of two men became visible. Joe’s jacket was wrapped around the bundle in his arms, which must be the child. A man stumbled alongside him, relying on him for both support and direction.
‘I see you, Joe…’
He didn’t reply. Just kept walking. Neve wrenched the car door open, stumbling towards Joe, vaguely aware that Daryl had appeared from the house and was running towards the small group. They both reached them at the same time and Daryl took the man’s arm, winding it around his shoulders and supporting him towards the house.
She took Joe’s arm, and he seemed to straighten, relieved of the burden of the man he’d been supporting. Something stopped Neve from taking the bundle from his arms. He’d carried the boy for a long, painful mile, and he deserved to be the one to bring him inside.
When Nancy ushered them into the hallway, Joe gave up his precious cargo, delivering the boy into Neve’s arms. ‘The boy… Charlie. Four years old… F-father… Michael.’
Neve felt Charlie moving fitfully against her. Quickly she looked around, assessing the situation as best she could. Joe’s waterproof trousers and heavy boots had kept his legs dry, but his sweater was wringing wet and he was shivering, from cold and exhaustion. Michael had a heavy coat on and seemed dry, but looked near to collapse.
‘Daryl, take Michael through to the sitting room. Nancy, will you help Joe, please? Get those wet clothes off him.’ Neve followed Daryl through, laying Charlie down on the blankets that were warming by the fire.
Carefully she stripped the boy of his coat and wellingtons. By some miracle, Charlie was dry. It was a hard-won miracle, though. His father must have carried him for miles to keep his legs dry in the snow, and Joe had wrapped his own coat around him to protect him from the snowstorm.
Daryl was helping Michael off with his coat and into a chair by the fireside. ‘Daryl, will you check that none of Michael’s clothes are wet, please? I’ll come and look at him in a minute.’
‘No… See to Charlie. Please…’ Michael’s agonised voice.
‘That’s what I’m doing, Michael. Stay where you are and rest now.’
Neve had already taken the things she’d need from her medical bag and they lay ready for her. Quickly she checked Charlie’s pulse and reactions. Good. Better than she’d hoped. The low-temperature thermometer read 32 degrees. Much better than she’d dared hope.
All the same, she followed the guidelines for a more severe case. Wrapping the baby hot-water bottles that Nancy had prepared, she placed them under his arms and at his groin. Then she wrapped Charlie’s body in the duvet, leaving his arms and legs free.
A tear squeezed from beneath Charlie’s closed eyelids, and Neve bent over him to hold him still and give him some comfort. ‘Okay, Charlie. You’re all right. Lie still for me, sweetheart.’
‘Dad…’ The little boy let out a whimper, which stretched into a moan.
‘Charlie…’ Michael’s voice came from behind her.
‘Your dad’s here, you can see him in a minute.’ Charlie’s eyes opened. Took their time focussing on her, but surely and steadily found her smile. ‘Hello, there, sweetie.’
‘Charlie… do what the doctor tells you, darling. Daddy’s here…’ Michael’s voice broke, as if he was crying.
‘He’s doing well, Michael. You did a good job, keeping him dry. He has mild hypothermia, but I’m warming him now and he should be fine.’ Neve allowed herself to hope that the worst was over.
CHAPTER FOUR
SHE HAD EXAMINED Charlie thoroughly. No sign of frostbite and his core temperature was beginning to rise a little. Michael had allowed her to check his pulse and reactions quickly, before sending her back to Charlie’s side.
Nancy appeared in the doorway, alone.
‘Is Joe all right?’ Neve had suppressed the urge to go to him, knowing that Charlie and Michael were her first priorities.
‘Yes. I sorted out a sweater of Daryl’s and he shooed me out of the bedroom.’ Nancy grinned at Neve. ‘Guess he’s shy.’
Neve suppressed a smile, trying hard not to think about what Joe had to be shy about. ‘Go and knock on the door. Make sure he’s all right and tell him to come in here, by the fire.’
‘Right. Daryl, will you go and check on the soup I’ve got on the stove?’ Nancy disappeared, and Daryl got up from his perch on the arm of the sofa, leaving Neve alone with Michael and Charlie.
‘Michael, I’m going to take your boots off and have a look at your toes.’ She bent down at his feet.
‘Please…’ Michael shifted his feet away from her. ‘You should be with Charlie.’
‘Charlie’s right here, Michael. I’ve already examined him very carefully.’
‘No.’ Michael’s jaw set stubbornly. ‘You don’t have my permission. Now, go to Charlie.’
Legally speaking, there wasn’t much Neve could do. Michael might be under stress, but he was certainly competent to make this decision. In his place, she would have done the same herself.
‘Michael, I assure you that I’ve done everything I can for Charlie—’
‘I know the law. I can and will prosecute you for assault if you lay one finger on me.’ Michael’s eyes were blazing. And Neve knew that all the medical knowledge in the world wasn’t going to help him if he wouldn’t allow her to touch him.
Joe towelled himself dry and pulled on the T-shirt and sweater that Nancy had left out for him on the bed. He wasn’t shivering so badly now, but he knew that the cold ache in his bones would take a while to subside.
He sat down on the bed, resisting the temptation to wrap himself in as many blankets as he could find, curl up and sleep. Maybe there was something he could do to help Neve.
She’d given him no quarter when he had been out in the snow, straining to see the lights from the car. She hadn’t cajoled him on or spoken soft words of encouragement, she’d bullied him forward, her voice stronger and more compelling than the storm. He couldn’t help smiling to himself when he wondered whether she’d consider carrying out some of those threats she’d made.
There was a knock on the door and Nancy’s voice sounded. ‘Neve wants to know whether you’re okay in there. I’m making a hot drink.’
The rejuvenating feeling that Neve hadn’t forgotten about him drove Joe to his feet. ‘Thanks, Nancy. Just coming.’
As he approached the sitting room he heard Michael’s voice, raised in panicky desperation, and Neve’s quieter tones.
‘I know the law. I can and will prosecute you for assault if you lay one finger on me.’ Michael was pointing to Charlie, insisting that Neve return to his son. Joe’s respect for the man grew.
‘Neve, why don’t you go to Charlie and I’ll help Michael with his boots?’
She turned at the sound of Joe’s voice, her gaze searching his face. He knew what she was looking for. Some sign that he was up to the job he’d just appropriated for himself. Beckoning him over, she spoke quietly to him.
‘You must be very careful. If he has frostbite you can damage his toes very easily. Don’t rub his feet to warm them…’
Joe nodded. ‘I’ve been trained in dealing with cold-weather injuries. I’ve seen frostbite before.’ And somehow he just couldn’t let go, even though he knew he should. The exhilaration when he knew he’d found Michael and Charlie, the rush of achievement when he’d carried Charlie into the house were still too recent to let him back away now.
She thought for a moment then made her decision. ‘Okay. But talk to me, Joe. Tell me everything you see, and let me make the decisions on treatment.’
‘Understood. You’re the boss.’
He summoned up a relaxed smile and moved over towards Michael. ‘Guess you drew the short straw, mate. Let me help you.’
Michael nodded, leaning towards him. ‘I’m sorry…’
‘You don’t need to apologise.’ Joe almost envied Michael. The kind of love that had driven him on through miles of freezing terrain, and then to reject Neve’s offer of help so she could tend to Charlie, was something special. Something that Joe had once wanted for himself, but had given up on.
Michael nodded. ‘Dr Harrison…’
‘Neve.’ She turned to face Michael. ‘My name’s Neve.’
Michael nodded. ‘Neve… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have shouted at you…’
‘Don’t be. Charlie’s a lucky kid to have a father who cares so much about him.’
The tenderness in her eyes would have made a stone weep. Suddenly there didn’t seem as if there was enough air in the room for the four of them, and Joe instinctively held his breath.
‘We’re both lucky that you and Joe were there when we needed you.’ Michael spoke quietly.
She gave Michael a smile.
Joe thought the responsibilities that she shouldered for her patients, the ones that Michael shouldered as a parent, were the kind of privilege that he had shown himself to be unworthy of. But maybe, just for this afternoon, he could help them both.
‘Let’s get your boots off now, eh?’ Michael didn’t argue and Joe reached for the laces, untying them and easing his boots open as far as they would go before he slipped them off. Then his socks. Neve nodded in approval when he asked her to double-check Michael’s toes, and Joe tucked a warm blanket around his feet, turning his attention to Michael’s hands.
‘The last two fingers on his left hand are swollen and red. They feel cold and hard to the touch. No blisters.’ He knew this was frostbite, but still he kept his word, relaying everything he saw to Neve without any diagnosis.
‘Okay.’ Neve turned to look, giving him a quick nod. ‘I don’t want to attempt rewarming unless we know that we can complete it. I’ll give Maisie a call, see what’s happening with Search and Rescue.’
‘I should have stayed with the car.’ Michael was shaking his head, his eyes still fixed on Charlie, as Neve pulled her phone out of her pocket.
‘Hindsight’s always twenty-twenty.’ Joe didn’t have the heart to tell Michael that he was right.
‘This is all my fault…’
‘Hey. Enough of that. You carried Charlie for miles to keep him dry. Never underestimate how important that was.’
‘If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place.’
‘I heard that your car ran off the road.’ Neve had finished her call and put her phone down on the floor beside Charlie’s makeshift bed.
‘Yes, we skidded on a patch of ice and ended up in the ditch.’ Michael shook his head. ‘The battery on my mobile was flat, we’ve got no power at home, and we stayed in the car for a while. No one came by and I thought that I could walk to the next village, but I got lost. So stupid…’
‘You were pretty shaken up by the accident?’ Her question seemed casual, but Joe was beginning to divine where she was headed with this.
‘Yeah. I couldn’t think straight…’ Michael began to realise where this was going too. ‘It’s no excuse.’
‘You probably couldn’t think straight because you were in mild shock. A car accident will do that.’ Joe added his own voice to reinforce Neve’s point. ‘You acted on instinct, and that instinct was all about getting Charlie to safety.’
Michael fell silent. If he couldn’t bring himself to agree, at least he was thinking about it. Joe caught Neve’s eye and she shot him a smile.
‘What did Maisie say?’
‘Search and Rescue are sending a couple of vehicles. One’s fitted out as an ambulance and they’ll be able to take Michael and Charlie straight to the hospital.’ She shrugged. ‘Apparently the helicopter’s a no-go.’
‘Yeah, they can’t land in this visibility.’
She gave him a long look. Joe’s mask had slipped again, this time unintentionally.
‘That’s good to know.’ Her tone left him in no doubt that there would be questions later. ‘So we’ll commence rewarming Michael’s fingers. We’ll need a bowl of warm water…’
‘Thirty-seven to thirty-nine degrees centigrade. For thirty minutes.’ He was teasing her now, showing off. Or maybe just trying to reassure her that he knew what he was doing and that she’d been right to trust him. ‘Aspirin?’
‘Yes, there’s a packet in my bag.’ She looked up at him, her wry grin taunting Joe. ‘I’m sure you haven’t forgotten the list of contra-indications…’
By the time the rescue team arrived, Charlie was awake and alert, seemingly none the worse for his experience. Michael had seemed to gain in strength as soon as he’d seen that his son was doing well, and under Neve’s watchful eye both of them had managed to drink some soup.
‘They’ll be all right?’ Nancy blinked back the tears when she planted a kiss on Charlie’s forehead, before the little boy was bundled up in blankets, ready for his trip to the hospital.
‘I’ll call in the morning and make sure. They’re safe now.’ Neve took her hand and squeezed it. So much had happened this afternoon. Everyone had played their part in keeping little Charlie safe.
‘I guess we should be on our way too…’ Joe was reaching for his coat. ‘We can’t thank you enough, Nancy.’
Nancy shrugged. ‘The word “privilege” springs to mind.’
She’d summed it up completely. Neve had seen her share of people fight for life in a hospital setting, but somehow this was so much more raw, so immediate. Now that it was over, Neve wanted to retreat into a corner and weep at the thought of the sum of human endeavour that had wrought today’s miracle.
Strike that. She wanted to cling to Joe and weep. Then she had a couple of questions for him.
She gave Nancy a brief hug, pulling away before the lump in her throat strangled her. ‘Thanks for everything. I’ll call you in the morning.’
The front door opened and Daryl burst in, bringing a blast of cold air with him. ‘I don’t think you two are going anywhere tonight.’ He dropped Joe’s car keys into his hand. ‘I got the worst of the snow off the car and went to start the engine to clear the windows. The battery’s flat.’
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