by Tina Beckett
‘Great! I remember Mac from when I last worked here. He was a first rate doctor too.’ Sean frowned. ‘How come he doesn’t work here any longer?’
‘He’s moved to the new paediatric A&E unit. He’s senior registrar and, rumour has it, he’s tipped to be their next consultant when their current boss retires next year,’ Molly explained, leading the way to the store room.
‘Really?’ Sean unhooked a waterproof suit off its peg and started to pull on the trousers. ‘I didn’t think that Mac was the sort to settle down in one place for very long.’
‘He’s changed a lot since he and Bella got married,’ Molly told him and laughed. ‘They have a little girl now—she must be almost a year old, in fact. And, according to Bella, Mac is a doting father!’
‘Well, that’s great,’ Sean said, trying to ignore the pang of regret that pierced his heart. He had ruled out the idea of having children after what had happened with Claire, yet all of a sudden he found himself envying the other man. How wonderful it must be to have a wife and a child to love and cherish.
He drove the thought from his mind as he gathered together everything they might need. An incident like this could create all sorts of problems and he wanted to be as prepared as it was possible to be. Once he had made arrangements with the switchboard to contact Mac, he led the way out to the front where a rapid response car was waiting to ferry them to the old brewery. Ambulances had already been dispatched although more could be called in from neighbouring health authorities if they were needed.
It took them less than ten minutes to reach the brewery and Sean’s heart sank when he saw the state of the place. The plane had struck the roof of the building, causing it, along with several floors beneath, to collapse. The fire department was pumping foam onto the burning jet fuel but the right hand side of the building was ablaze. There were groups of people dotted about, some standing and others lying on the ground. The place looked like a war zone and he realised that his most pressing task was to get everyone organised.
‘Right, guys, gather round.’ He waited until everyone had assembled at the side of the car park. ‘I doubt if we’ll be allowed inside the building until they have got that fire under control so we’ll deal with the people out here first.’ He turned to Molly. ‘If you and Jayne can sort out the most seriously injured that would be a huge help. I’ll check with the incident commander to see if they’ve managed to find somewhere to house the casualties. Then we can round them up and get them away from here.’
‘Will do.’
Molly picked up her backpack before she and Jayne hurried away. Sean watched her go and sighed as he found his mind skipping back to what he had been thinking earlier. There was no doubt at all that Molly would make the most wonderful mother but they definitely wouldn’t be his children that she gave birth to.
It was an effort to force the thought from his mind but he knew that he couldn’t afford to waste any time in getting everything organised. Once he was sure that everyone knew what they were doing, he went to find the incident commander. Fortunately, she had already arranged for a local church hall to be opened up and used as a temporary field hospital so within a very short time the first casualties were being taken in there. Molly was kneeling beside a young woman when Sean arrived. She shook her head when he asked her if she needed anything.
‘No, we’re fine. Just a few cuts and bruises, I’m pleased to say.’
She squeezed the girl’s hand and Sean felt his throat close up when he saw the compassion on her face. Whether it was the fact that his mind had been skittering this way and that, he had no idea, but he couldn’t help feeling touched. Molly really cared about the people they treated—it wasn’t just an act. She was such a genuinely kind and generous person yet he had treated her appallingly. If he achieved nothing else while he was in Dalverston then at the very least he had to make his peace with her. The thought of her thinking badly of him for the rest of her days was more than he could bear.
* * *
Molly finished patching up the young woman and left her in the care of her boyfriend. Sean was attending to a man who had been struck by some falling masonry when the roof had caved in. He had suffered multiple rib fractures which had resulted in a flail chest—a condition whereby the damaged section of the chest wall was sucked in when the patient breathed in and moved out when he exhaled. This type of injury could lead to respiratory failure and Sean was in the process of strapping the patient’s chest to support the damaged section before the paramedics rushed him off to hospital. He shook his head as he watched the crew wheel the trolley out of the hall.
‘He’s going to need artificial ventilation until those ribs heal. I’ve seen a couple of flail chests before but none as bad as that.’
‘Thankfully, he doesn’t have far to go to reach the hospital,’ Molly said quietly.
Sean nodded. ‘You’re right. He’s lucky in that respect, although I doubt if he feels very lucky. Apparently, he only moved into the building last week. His apartment is one of those in the section that’s burning so he’s lost everything.’
‘At least he wasn’t in the apartment,’ Molly said firmly. ‘Things can be replaced but people can’t.’
‘True.’
He gave her a quick smile before he turned away but she had seen the sadness in his eyes. Was he thinking about Claire and how he would never be able to replace her? Although he hadn’t come out and actually said so, it was obvious that he was still very much in love with Claire.
It was a painful thought. Molly had great difficulty setting it aside as she attended to several more casualties. Mac had arrived now and he and Sean were busy dealing with a woman who had suffered a severe abdominal injury when one of the fire crew appeared and hurried over to them. Molly frowned as she watched them confer. It was obvious that something had happened.
Sean came over to her as soon as the fireman had left. ‘I need your help, Molly, but I have to warn you that it could be risky, so you must say if you feel that you don’t want to do it.’
‘Why? What’s happened?’ she asked.
‘The search and rescue team have located a woman trapped in one of the first floor apartments. The problem is that they have only managed to clear a very small area to get to her—more like a tunnel is how the fireman described it. It’s not wide enough for any of their men to get through and they daren’t risk enlarging it in case the floor above caves in. It’s just possible that you might be able to get up there if you’re willing to give it a shot.’
‘Of course,’ she said immediately. ‘Have they spoken to the woman and do they know if she’s been injured?’
‘Yes.’ He grimaced. ‘Her name is Karen Archer and, although she isn’t injured, she is pregnant. The baby was due at the end of January but she thinks she might be having labour pains.’
‘Oh, dear. That doesn’t sound good, does it? The sooner I take a look at her the better.’
Molly hurried to the door, pausing only long enough to tell Jayne what was happening. Sean led her over to the officer in charge of the search and rescue team and explained that she was willing to try to reach the woman. Molly nodded when the man explained the situation once more, emphasising how difficult it was going to be to get to the apartment.
‘I understand,’ she said, her heart thumping. ‘I’d still like to give it a shot, though.’
‘Are you sure, Molly?’ Sean asked softly as the officer went off to speak to one of his team. He took hold of her hand and gently squeezed it. ‘Nobody will blame you if you decide not to go ahead.’
‘We can’t leave that poor woman on her own if the baby’s coming.’ She dredged up a rather wobbly smile. ‘I’ll be fine, Sean. Don’t worry about me.’
‘I can’t help it. I couldn’t bear to think of anything happening to you, Molly.’
He gave her fingers another quick squeeze
then let her go when the officer came back. Molly forced herself to concentrate as he ran through a list of instructions aimed at keeping her safe. She knew it was important that she listened to what he was saying but it wasn’t easy to remain focused. Sean cared about her, really cared about her. It had been clear from the tone of his voice that he had been telling her the truth just now and she wasn’t sure what to make of it. All she knew was that it changed things, gave her a reason to hope, although she wasn’t ready to admit exactly what she was hoping for. That was a step too far. Or, at least, it was at the moment.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE SITUATION WAS even worse than Sean had expected. Once they were inside the building, it soon became clear just how much structural damage had occurred. The stairs leading to the upper floors had collapsed, leaving behind a pile of rubble in their place. The fire crew had managed to clear a narrow passageway which Molly would have to scramble through to reach the first floor. Although sturdy metal props had been erected to help support the upper section of the building, he was very aware that it could collapse at any second. The thought of Molly risking her life was more than he could bear and he drew her aside.
‘I can’t allow you to go up there, Molly. It’s far too risky.’
‘I have to go. We can’t leave that poor woman on her own while her baby is born.’ She shrugged. ‘I’ll be fine, Sean. After all, they wouldn’t allow me to try it if they thought I’d be putting myself in danger, would they?’
Sean knew she was right, although it wasn’t much comfort. He shook his head. ‘I still don’t like the idea. If anyone’s going up there then it has to be me.’
‘How? You’re too big to get through that gap, Sean. Why, even I’m going to have difficulty so you definitely won’t make it.’
‘I suppose so.’ Sean sighed as he was forced to concede defeat. ‘All right, but you’re to promise me that you will turn back if you encounter any problems.’
‘Cross my heart.’ She drew an imaginary cross over her heart with her fingertip and he laughed.
‘You do realise that I’m going to hold you to that, Sister Daniels?’
‘Of course!’
She treated him to a smile before one of the crew came over to ask if she was ready. Sean sucked in a tiny breath of air, feeling ripples of heat running through him. Molly had smiled at him the way she had used to do and it felt wonderful to be on the receiving end of all that warmth again.
There was no time to dwell on the thought, however. One of the search and rescue team was attaching Molly to a safety harness. Once he was sure that she understood how it worked, he handed her a two-way radio receiver and led her to the bottom of the gap, showing her where to place her foot to begin her ascent. Sean’s hands clenched as he watched her start to scramble up over the rubble. The surface was very unstable but somehow she managed to find the necessary hand and footholds. Within seconds she disappeared from sight, leaving him feeling more anxious than ever. She was on her own now and he didn’t like that idea, not when he wanted to be there to protect her.
Sean froze as the full impact of that thought hit him squarely in the chest. He wanted to protect Molly from harm and not just for now either. He wanted to be there for her for ever and ever more.
* * *
Molly was out of breath by the time she made it to the top of the passageway. It had been a difficult climb but, thankfully, the first floor appeared to be relatively undamaged. She unfastened the safety harness then picked her way around the chunks of plaster that had fallen from the ceiling until she came to the apartment. The door was wide open and she hurried inside, her heart sinking when she found the woman slumped on the living room floor.
‘Hi! It’s Karen, isn’t it? I’m Molly and I’m a nurse. So how are you doing?’ she said, kneeling beside her. She was somewhat older than Molly had expected, probably in her early forties, and it was obvious how scared she was.
‘I think I’m in labour.’ She looked up and there were tears in her eyes. ‘Please don’t let my baby die. We’ve waited such a long time to have a child of our own and I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to it now.’
‘Nothing is going to happen to you or your baby,’ Molly said firmly, knowing this wasn’t the time to worry about the ethics of making such a statement. Karen needed all the reassurance she could give her if she was to get through this ordeal. ‘Let’s make you more comfortable for starters. Can you stand up if I help you?’
‘I’ll try.’
‘Great.’ Molly put her arm around her and managed to get her to her feet and onto the sofa. ‘I need to examine you to see if you are actually in labour, if that’s all right.’
Karen nodded, her face scrunching up with pain. Molly suspected it was labour pains but she still needed to check that it wasn’t a false alarm first. She quickly removed Karen’s underclothes, hiding her dismay when she discovered that the woman was fully dilated. There was little doubt that the baby was going to make his or her appearance very shortly.
‘You’re definitely in labour,’ she told her. ‘I’ve brought everything we need with me so I’ll just get ready. Have you been to any antenatal classes?’
‘Oh, yes. Mike—that’s my husband—and I have done them all. Breathing and relaxation techniques, what happens during the delivery and afterwards.’ Karen gave a slightly hysterical laugh. ‘We thought we were completely prepared for the birth, but the one thing we didn’t foresee was that this would happen!’
‘No wonder.’ Molly laughed. ‘Where is your husband, by the way?’
‘He went to fill up the car with petrol to make sure he wouldn’t run out over Christmas,’ Karen explained. ‘I wish he was here. I’d feel a lot happier if he was around to talk me through all those breathing techniques we learned.’
‘I’m sure you would but we’ll manage fine.’ Molly squeezed Karen’s hand. ‘The fact that you’ve done the classes will be a big help.’
‘But the baby is still going to be born early,’ Karen said anxiously.
‘Yes, but only by a few weeks so the lungs should be fully developed,’ Molly assured her. ‘Right, I’m just going to fetch what I need and then listen to your baby’s heartbeat.’
Opening her bag, she took out the emergency birthing pack that was part of their standard equipment. Fortunately, she’d done a refresher course earlier in the year on delivering a baby so she had few qualms in that respect. However, delivering a child in the confines of the A&E department was very different from what was happening here. Just for a moment, she found herself wishing that Sean was there with her before she sighed. Sean wasn’t here and she would have to get through this on her own. It would be good practice for the future because, once Sean completed his contract, he would leave Dalverston and she doubted if he would ever come back again.
* * *
The time seemed to pass with excruciating slowness. Sean found himself continually checking his watch, unable to believe that mere minutes had passed when it felt like hours since Molly had disappeared into the upper reaches of the building. What was happening up there? Had Molly found the woman? Or had she encountered some sort of a problem? His mind raced over a dozen different possibilities, each worse than the one before, and he groaned. He would drive himself crazy if he carried on this way!
The crackle of the radio receiver cut through his thoughts. Sean’s heart lifted when he heard Molly’s voice issuing from the speaker as she asked to speak to him. He took the receiver with a nod of thanks, overcome by relief.
‘How’s it going?’ he asked, trying not to let her know how worried he had been. ‘Have you found the woman?’
‘Yes, and she’s definitely in labour. She’s fully dilated so it shouldn’t be long before the baby arrives. I’ve checked its heart rate and everything seems to be fine but can you arrange for an ambulance to be standing by just
in case anything happens at the last moment?’
‘Of course.’ He paused but the words had to be said, no matter what repercussions they might cause. ‘Be careful, won’t you, Molly? I don’t want you putting yourself at risk. You’re too important to me.’
‘Am I?’ she said so softly that he had to strain to hear her.
‘Yes.’ He took a deep breath but it was time he admitted the truth to himself as much as to her. ‘You always were.’
There was no time to say anything else as there were too many other issues to deal with. Sean handed over the radio while one of the crew ran through the emergency evacuation procedure with Molly. He listened while the other man explained what would happen once the baby was delivered but it was difficult to concentrate when his thoughts were in such turmoil. Maybe he had been wrong to tell Molly that he cared but he needed to set matters straight once and for all. If it weren’t for that vow he had made then he knew that he would never have let her go.
Sean knew it was the wrong time to think about such matters. Forcing his mind back to the current crisis, he headed outside to arrange for an ambulance to be standing by. He had just reached the door when a shout went up and the next moment the ceiling started to collapse. Huge chunks of debris rained down on them as he and the crew scrambled to safety. He came to a halt in the car park, bending double as he tried to clear the dust from his lungs. The air was thick with it so that it took a while before he could see what had happened and his heart seized up at the sight that met him. The entire front of the building had collapsed, leaving what remained of the upper floors suspended in mid-air. And, somewhere inside that wreckage, Molly was trapped.
* * *
Molly had no time to do anything when the building started to shake. She simply knelt down beside the sofa and gripped tight hold of Karen’s hand. There was a tremendous roar, like an express train rushing through a tunnel, and then silence. Clouds of dust were swirling around them, making it impossible to see across the room, and she waited until it had settled before she stood up.