‘What a relief!’ Nicola exclaimed. ‘I thought I was going to burst.’
‘Was there any bleeding?’ asked Claire.
‘No, thank God,’ Nicola replied. ‘I really was beginning to expect the worst.’ Suddenly she giggled weakly.
‘What is it?’ Claire frowned.
‘Do you think that could be called the protection of the saints?’ Nicola looked over her shoulder at the heap of broken statues.
‘It could well be.’ Claire chuckled then, growing serious again, she said, ‘I’d like you to go back to where you were and rest now. Try and find something so that you can raise your feet.’
‘All right.’ Nicola nodded. ‘Thanks, Claire,’ she added.
Claire watched as the girl slowly made her way back through the debris to her husband. She could still hardly believe that what had started as a pleasant day out had turned to this chaos, resulting in these life-and-death situations.
For the following hour or so Claire and Dominic continued to tend to the injured and the sick, carefully rationing out the fluids they had and calming and reassuring as best they could.
Once, briefly, Dominic touched her arm and Claire looked up to see an expression of tender concern in his brown eyes.
‘What is it?’ she asked in surprise.
‘I just wondered if you were all right,’ he said softly. ‘You seem to be dashing around tending to everyone else—but what about you?’
‘Oh, I’m OK,’ Claire replied lightly, touched but at the same time embarrassed by his obvious concern. ‘I’m one of the lucky ones.’ What she didn’t say was that her head had started to ache and the combination of the dust and the heat seemed to have brought on a raging thirst. ‘How’s your shoulder?’ she asked, leaning sideways and glancing at the back of his shirt.
‘It’s all right.’ He nodded then, looking round the vast room at the little groups of people amongst the debris and the rubble, he added, ‘I was just wondering how much longer we will be able to keep everybody calm.’
‘They seem OK at the moment,’ Claire replied, then added. ‘One thing I maybe should mention is that Nicola is twelve weeks pregnant.’
‘Good grief.’ Dominic threw her a sharp glance. ‘Is she all right?’
‘I hope so, although she was complaining of backache. I’ve told her to lie down with her feet raised.’ She was silent for a moment. ‘I can hardly believe the number of situations we are being faced with,’ she said after a while.
‘And there will be more, I fear,’ said Dominic grimly. ‘As people become dehydrated and hungry, we will start to have real problems on our hands.’
‘Surely we will be rescued before then?’ said Claire.
‘Well, let’s hope so,’ Dominic replied. He paused. ‘I keep listening,’ he said after a moment, ‘and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there isn’t a sound outside—it’s almost as if we are the only ones left in the world.’
‘I know.’ Claire agreed. ‘I thought the same. I keep hoping to hear the sound of sirens—but there’s nothing—except for once, briefly I did hear birds singing.’
‘Well, I suppose that’s something,’ said Dominic wryly. ‘At least the world hasn’t come to an end. I think I’ll go and check on Ted. Will you have a look at Evelyn?’
As he turned away there came the sudden jangling tones of a mobile phone. The noise, like the chimes of an ice-cream van on a cold winter’s day was so incongruous and unexpected that people looked up, sudden hope on their faces as Rob pressed a button and lifted the phone to his ear.
In the sudden silence everyone listened, straining to hear as Rob spoke briefly then listened before speaking again. As he pressed the button signalling the end of the conversation he looked around at the sea of anxious faces.
‘Well?’ demanded Melanie, her voice ragged with strain and emotion.
‘That was my father,’ said Rob.
‘We didn’t think it was a double-glazing salesman,’ said Desmond with a snort.
‘He phoned the police in the UK,’ said Rob, ignoring Desmond, ‘and reported our situation. They have now contacted the authorities in Assisi…’
‘Well, thank God for that,’ said Melanie. ‘So they must be on their way by now.’
‘We hope so,’ replied Rob uneasily.
‘What do you mean, “we hope so”?’ Melanie’s voice was beginning to rise again.
‘What else did your father say, Rob?’ asked Dominic calmly.
Rob took a deep breath. ‘He said they were just getting reports from Italy on the television news.’
‘And?’ Dominic prompted, when Rob appeared to hesitate.
‘He said that the reports stated that severe earth tremors had been reported in the central and north-eastern parts of Italy. Much structural damage had been reported.’ Rob spoke as if relaying word for word what his father had told him. ‘Resulting in some loss of life and leaving many injured and homeless.’
In the silence that followed Rob’s words it was as if everyone was trying to take in what he had just said and what it might mean to them. In the end it was Desmond who put those thoughts into words.
‘What you’re saying, then,’ he said slowly, his florid face gleaming with sweat, ‘is that we aren’t the only ones.’
‘But at least they know we’re up here!’ cried Melanie. ‘Don’t they?’ she demanded, looking round at the others, wild-eyed when no one immediately answered her.
In the end, predictably, it was Dominic who tried to allay her fears. ‘Yes,’ he said in those same calm tones he had used throughout the ordeal, ‘they do know where we are, even if Luisa and Guiseppe and the others haven’t been able to contact anyone—the authorities now know that we are trapped in here.’
‘Oh, God!’ Melanie stared at him as if the awful truth had only just occurred to her. ‘Are you saying that the others on the coach might all be dead?’
‘Let’s hope not,’ Dominic replied, ‘but they could be injured with no means of communication. At least now we know that some sort of help will be on the way. But what we still don’t know is how long that help will take. In the meantime we have to remain calm. We have our own injured to care for…’ He broke off as a sudden, but by now almost familiar rumbling sound filled the air.
‘It’s another one!’ someone screamed.
‘Take cover!’ cried someone else.
People scattered, some falling to the ground, others clinging together. Russell stretched himself over the unconscious figure of his wife as if by doing so he could shield her from further harm, May wrapped her arms around Ted in a gesture of quiet resignation, and once again Claire found herself gathered into Dominic’s arms before he pulled her to the floor, shielding her body with his own as they all waited for the inevitable crashing of masonry which had followed the previous onslaught.
As she lay there beneath Dominic Claire realised that the sheer terror she had experienced the last time was no longer there, that this time it was as if she was prepared to face whatever it was that was to happen to them and that by simply being with Dominic enabled her to do so. As the rumbling noise subsided there came a rushing sound from the far corner of the vast room as if some loose debris was falling from the roof, but it was nothing like the dreadful crashing sounds of the first time and in the profound silence that followed Claire was aware of the beating of Dominic’s heart—or maybe it was simply an echo of her own—as he held her closely against him.
They lay there together for what seemed like eternity until eventually Dominic cautiously moved, lifting his head to look round the room. ‘I think,’ he murmured at last against Claire’s ear, ‘that we may just have got away with it this time.’
He could have moved then, quite easily. He could have got up and helped Claire to her feet, but he didn’t. Instead, he moved his body so that she wasn’t taking his full weight but continued to lie there with his arms around her, holding her close. And Claire, for her part, was quite content to stay there as if simply
by being protected by Dominic’s arms could prevent any further harm, as if by lying there together they could somehow make all the fear and anxiety of their situation simply melt away.
‘Are you all right?’ he whispered at last, lifting his head slightly and looking into her face.
‘Yes,’ she whispered back, staring into the depths of his dark eyes and seeing herself reflected there.
‘I think we got off lightly that time,’ he said. Still he continued to hold her and still she let him, not even wanting to move, as if by doing so something would be destroyed—not material things like stone, wood and plaster but something intangible, something more fragile but nevertheless very real.
‘D’you reckon that’s it?’ called Desmond suddenly, breaking the spell and hurtling them back to reality. ‘Or d’you think there’s more to come?’
Dominic moved then but Claire could sense his reluctance as he finally released her. She felt suddenly bereft and wanted to draw him back, to cling to him, to have him hold her again.
‘It looks as if that might be it,’ said Peter, ‘at least for the time being, although it must have weakened the building even more. Let’s just hope the whole lot doesn’t cave in on us.’
‘Is everyone all right?’ called Dominic as he finally tore himself away from Claire and scrambled to his feet. There were nods and murmurs of assent from the others.
During the next couple of hours Claire and Dominic endeavoured to make the injured feel more comfortable. Ted was given a further two painkillers washed down with another mouthful of soft drink, likewise Peter, who complained of pain from his head injury. Diane remained unconscious but the bleeding from her head wound finally ceased, and when Claire discreetly questioned Nicola about her backache she was told that it had all but disappeared.
‘It was probably caused by fluid retention,’ Claire observed. ‘Don’t let it build up again, will you? I know it’s undignified but unfortunately we are all having to come to terms with it.’ Some of the men had cordoned off a far corner of the room with the remains of the statues and the trestle tables to serve as latrines.
‘The smell will become unbearable,’ Melanie complained.
‘I’m more concerned about the smell from the body,’ said Dominic grimly. ‘That really could pose a health hazard if we are here for any real length of time.’
‘The other big worry is the shortage of drinking water,’ said May.
At one point Claire looked up at the patch of sky that was visible through the broken roof and realised that it had darkened as dusk approached.
‘Looks like we could be here for the night,’ said Archie, who had followed her gaze.
‘Oh, no,’ moaned Nicola softly. ‘Surely they will get here before it gets dark.’
‘Well, if they don’t, I can’t see them getting rescue vehicles and equipment up here afterwards,’ said Archie.
‘You’re right.’ Dominic nodded then, raising his voice so that everyone could hear he said, ‘We need to prepare ourselves in case we have to be here all night. There’s no electric power so we won’t have any lights. What I suggest is that while we still have daylight we make ourselves as comfortable as possible. Claire and I will pass round the cans of drink and everyone is to take a mouthful—the mineral water I will keep until the morning. We will also share out the sweets. Two each to everyone and, again, if there are any over, we will save them until the morning.’
Together Dominic and Claire moved from group to group, from person to person, passing round the few meagre but precious supplies and at the same time once again checking on the injured while daylight lasted.
‘Is Evelyn all right?’ Claire asked Dorothy as she crouched down beside the two women.
‘I think so.’ Dorothy cast an anxious glance towards her sister who lay propped against the wall, ashen-faced and with her eyes closed.
‘Let me give her a sip of drink,’ said Claire, leaning forward. ‘Evelyn,’ she said gently, ‘take a sip.’ She watched as the woman took a mouthful, hating herself when, as Evelyn would have taken more, she had to withdraw the can.
‘Here, Dorothy,’ she said. ‘You have a sip as well.’
Dorothy shook her head. ‘Give it to Evelyn.’
‘No.’ Claire held out the can. ‘Dominic was insistent that everyone has a mouthful.’
‘Very well.’ Dorothy took the can and took a mouthful of the fizzy orange drink, swirling it around her mouth, savouring it, before swallowing it. ‘Thank you,’ she murmured at last, handing the can back to Claire. ‘Tell me,’ she said, ‘what did that young man say about us being rescued? My hearing isn’t very good these days.’
Briefly Claire outlined what Rob had told them.
‘So it looks as if we could be here for the night,’ said Dorothy when she had finished.
‘Yes,’ Claire agreed, ‘it does seem that way. But try not to worry—I’m sure Evelyn will be all right.’
‘I’m just thankful we have you with us,’ Dorothy replied. ‘You, and your husband, of course.’
‘My husband?’ Claire had been about to move away but at Dorothy’s words she turned and stared at her.
‘Yes,’ Dorothy replied, ‘the doctor. Dominic…’
‘He isn’t my husband,’ said Claire quickly.
‘Isn’t he?’ Dorothy looked amazed. ‘I thought he was.’
‘No, we’d never met each other until this trip.’
‘Well, you do surprise me.’ Dorothy shook her head. ‘You seem like the perfect couple—I really took you for husband and wife—but, there, I always did think that God moves in mysterious ways, especially in the way he brings people together.’ She smiled. ‘But who would have thought he would use an earthquake to do it?’
CHAPTER FIVE
IT WAS a strange night—one that Claire would never forget as long as she lived—a night of restless mutterings and murmurings, of whispers and soft moans, a night of inky blackness relieved only by the strip of sky visible through the gaping hole in the roof and a night which, after the intense heat of the day, quickly grew cold in the stone-floored, austere monastery building. No one had anything by way of covering so people were forced to huddle together for warmth. By the time that Claire and Dominic had finished checking on the injured and had found a corner in which to try to sleep, it seemed the most natural thing in the world for Dominic to sit against the wall and to draw Claire into his arms so that she could lay her head against his shoulder and so that they each could draw warmth from the other.
She dozed fitfully, awaking when Dominic stirred.
‘I need to check on Diane and Ted,’ he whispered.
‘I’ll take a look at Evelyn,’ she replied, shaking her head and trying to recover her bearings. As quietly as they could, in order not to disturb anyone who might be sleeping, Dominic and Claire carried out their night round of those who were injured or sick. Claire found Evelyn sleeping, watched over by Dorothy.
‘Try and get some rest yourself,’ she said to Dorothy in a low voice. On her way back to her corner she checked briefly on Nicola and Rob. Rob appeared to be asleep but Nicola was awake. ‘Are you all right?’ whispered Claire.
‘Yes, I think so,’ Nicola replied softly. ‘I was just psyching myself up to go to the loo again.’
‘No backache?’ asked Claire.
‘No, not this time.’ Gently extricating herself from her husband’s protecting arm, Nicola climbed stiffly to her feet.
Claire took her hand. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘I’ll go with you. I don’t want you tripping over—a fall is the last thing you need at the moment.’
When Claire eventually returned to her corner, after making sure Nicola was safely back with her husband, she found that Dominic had returned. ‘Everything all right?’ she asked softly.
‘Yes. Ted was very uncomfortable so I gave him two more paracetamol—they were the only two left. Heaven knows what he’ll do in the morning, poor man.’
‘And Diane?’ asked Claire.
‘Let’s just hope the rescue team gets through soon,’ said Claire.
‘If they don’t, I fear we will lose Diane.’ Dominic paused. ‘What about Evelyn?’
‘Sleeping, thankfully,’ Claire replied, ‘and I checked on Nicola—she seems to be OK. How about you?’ she added softly. ‘How’s your shoulder?’
‘It throbs like hell,’ Dominic admitted ruefully, ‘and my stomach must think my throat has been cut, judging by the noises it’s making.’
‘I know,’ whispered Claire with a giggle as she settled down once again with her head on Dominic’s good shoulder, ‘I didn’t believe I could be so hungry and still be alive. I only had yoghurt for breakfast this morning, I wish now I’d had everything that was going.’
‘Don’t talk about yoghurt,’ said Dominic. ‘I could devour a gallon right now and I don’t even like the stuff that much.’ He sighed, and tightening his grip around her, said, ‘Try and get a bit more sleep.’
Dutifully she closed her eyes but this time she found it much more difficult to drop off for her brain seemed suddenly very active with dozens of totally unrelated thoughts teeming around and jostling for position. One moment she was thinking about her childhood in Hampshire, a carefree happy time where she had been the beloved only child and which had continued until her late teens when her mother had been stricken with breast cancer and had died, leaving Claire and her father bereft and desolate. She thought about her nursing training and the friends she had made, the jobs that had followed, in various hospitals in the south of England and finally her job at the Hargreaves Centre. She thought about Mike and how bizarre it was that she should be thinking of him while lying in the arms of another man.
In that darkest of hours just before dawn Claire abandoned all ideas of sleep as once again she and Dominic checked on the sick, helping May and Russell to cope as they in turn struggled to help their spouses. But later, when they returned to snatch maybe an hour of rest, she finally must have slept for when she next stirred and opened her eyes it was to daylight and blue sky beyond the gaping hole in the roof, together with the ever optimistic song of the birds in what once had been the monastery garden.
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