by Lynda Stacey
She peered through the crack in the kitchen door into the grand hall to see around twenty children in school uniform singing ‘When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney’, and on the settee beside them were Poppy and Lily, who were both singing along and joining in with the actions. Bastion was watching them both, a huge smile spread across his face.
Jess turned away and pulled on her coat. She walked across the kitchen and went to open the back door, but Nomsa spun around on the spot and shook her head. ‘Jess, don’t.’ She walked to the window and peered out. ‘I think …’
‘What is it?’ Jess asked as she fastened her coat.
‘I don’t know. I … I … well, I thought I saw someone looking through the window.’ She picked up a frying pan, and moved towards the back door, just as it opened and Bandit walked in. They looked at one another, laughed, and Nomsa placed the pan back on its rack.
‘What on earth were you going to do, Nomsa? Whack the bad guys with the frying pan?’ Jess stopped laughing and sat back down, placing a protective hand on her stomach.
‘Maybe I’m being a bit sensitive, but I’d still rather you didn’t go out there, my girl. And yes, if I had to protect you, I sure as hell would have whooped them with my pan.’ Nomsa placed a loving hand on Jess’s shoulder. ‘Especially now, especially with you being in the family way.’
They locked eyes and a half smile crossed Jess’s lips. It was obvious that Nomsa had guessed and she wanted to jump up and down, celebrate her baby, but couldn’t, not until Jack was found. The tears that had been threatening now filled her eyes and she felt Nomsa pull her into a hug.
‘There, there, my girl, you let those tears fall.’
But Jess couldn’t cry. Her whole body felt numb and broken. It was as though they were once again reliving the past, but this time it was Jack that was missing, not Madeleine and not her.
‘Maddie has been onto the hospitals in Scarborough, Bridlington and Whitby and checked with the A & E departments there,’ Bandit told Jess and Nomsa. ‘Jack hasn’t been admitted to any of them, so that’s good news, isn’t it?’ He smiled.
‘At least we know he isn’t in the hospital, don’t we?’ Nomsa replied. ‘Now, how long shall we wait before we phone the police?’
‘I don’t know. I’ve scoured the woods and there’s no sign of him. Maddie said we should wait but, to be honest, this is so out of character for Jack that I think we should phone them soon.’ He started to take off his coat. ‘They’ll be a bit reluctant to do anything. They won’t see it as an emergency. Not yet.’ He took a mug of steaming hot tea from Nomsa. ‘And even if we call them tonight, they probably won’t do anything till morning.’
Jess stood up. ‘Nomsa, I’m sorry. I know you don’t want me to go out there, but I have to. I just have to go and look for him. I have to do something.’ She walked to the door. ‘I have my phone. I won’t go far.’
‘Jess … please, don’t,’ Nomsa pleaded, but Bandit stepped forward and put a finger to his lips.
‘Let her go,’ he said and winked at Jess. ‘It’s too hard for her to just sit around. She needs something to do. Something to concentrate on.’
Chapter Thirty-One
Jack shivered relentlessly in the darkness. He’d lost all feeling in his toes and his arms and his shoulders were in agony as he pulled himself up what was left of the steps, one at a time. He licked his dry lips, and his stomach rumbled fiercely. It had been hours since he’d drank anything, and much longer since he’d eaten. The pain still tore through his leg and he tried to manoeuvre himself, millimetre by millimetre, all the while pulling himself along in an attempt to get up the stairs, and all the while thinking about Lily. He wasn’t sure if the parts of the staircase that remained were strong enough to take his weight, or whether by climbing up them he’d end up crashing back down to the floor, causing even more damage to himself than he already had. He thought about the obvious break to his leg, the blood that still oozed out from his ankle and wondered if it should hurt more or less as time went on? Had he severed nerves? Was that why he seemed to feel less and less or was it that his body was blocking out the pain?
Jack knew that he’d been drifting in and out of consciousness for the last couple of hours and feared that with each movement up the staircase he’d once again drift off and fall. He’d been a boy scout, he’d done first aid courses and had been taught that both blood loss and shock could be fatal, as could falling from a height onto a concrete floor.
He thought of Jess, of how she’d be coping. A tear fell down his face at the thought of what he’d already put her through and he began to hate himself for having come here without her, without telling her and for not being there for her … again. He let out a huge sigh. ‘Damn it …’ He’d failed to attend the scan. Jess would have had to go alone. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he whispered into the darkness.
‘Why did I come here alone? At least if Jess had been here when the accident happened she could have gone for help. That was what I should have done and how it should have been.’ He mentally kicked himself with his injured leg. ‘I’m so, so, stupid. We should have been doing it all together.’ He thought of the scan, how proud he’d have felt and how he and Jess should have been holding hands, smiling and meeting their baby. Had she cried when she’d seen it? Had she hated him for not being there and had she gone shopping without him?
Desperation led to Jack finding a new energy from deep within himself. He found himself taking huge gulps of air. He knew that he had to pull himself up those last few steps, but knew it would be agony. He counted down from ten, and then, using his arms, he pulled himself upwards as hard as he could. One step, then the next. The pain shot through him, he screamed and he stared up at his coat that now hung only millimetres from his face. His hand went downwards in an attempt to assess any further damage to his leg, but all he felt was pain. It was a new, severe, throbbing pain that shot upwards from his foot and into his groin. For a while he couldn’t move and a new fear took over him. What if he managed to get to the top of the stairs, and still couldn’t get to Jess?
‘You’ve got to keep going,’ he told himself. ‘For Jess. For the baby and, most importantly, you have to save Lily.’ Jess, baby, Lily became his mantra as he managed to drag himself out of the cellar and through into the kitchen. He looked up at the unit where he knew his mobile was and tried to reach for it, but the unit was too high and there was no way he could stand. His only option was to keep dragging himself over the floor and within minutes he was outside and in the farmyard, where the rain poured and a rough, gravel pathway led through the yard and towards the Hall. He grabbed at everything he could to pull himself along, all the while thinking of how a baby would learn to crawl, how it too would feel every piece of gravel under its knees and he made a mental note to lay a proper pathway, something that wouldn’t be so cruel to a baby’s delicate skin. In fact the whole house would need to be made safe, he couldn’t risk either Jess or his baby ever getting hurt.
‘Come on, focus,’ he screamed as he wiped the rain from his face and launched himself out of the yard and onto the cold, wet, woodland floor, with his body moving in more of a shuffle than a crawl through the ever increasing mud, exposed tree roots and sodden leaves that covered the ground. He’d initially lain on his stomach, but dragging his injured leg behind him through the house had been far too painful and the pain had hindered his speed, so now, after a few practised movements, he was more on his bottom, with his injured leg hooked over his other. This gave his leg just enough support to be able to move and with Lily in danger, he felt that his own pain was secondary and that he had to keep going at all costs.
‘Heeeeelp, I need heeeeelp!’ he screamed as he grabbed at the undergrowth, which squelched in his hands. He felt around for anything that would help, and ended up pulling at the tree roots and fence posts, all of which were cold and covered in ice. Every inch of Jack’s body shivered as he screamed, ‘Jess, Bandit!’ His throat was dry and painful but he continued to scr
eam, ‘Come on, anyone!’
He closed his eyes and took deep breaths in an attempt to focus his pain, which shot through every inch of his back and legs. He swallowed hard. The Hall still seemed to be a long way away, but he could see it in the distance and he concentrated on its shape as it loomed before him. He thought of the Christmas lights that would be twinkling through the windows, and how welcoming they would look once he got closer. ‘One, two …’ He tried counting out each pull on his arms, military style, and wished he’d known some of Bandit’s old marine songs. He kept counting, pulling and moving towards where Jess would be waiting and where he prayed that Lily would be safe. He hoped the others would have kept her close, prayed that for once she and Poppy had played in their rooms, or had sat in Nomsa’s kitchen, baking and eating their wares.
Just the thought of Griff hurting Lily gave him a strength and determination he didn’t know he had. He couldn’t bear the thought of what the man might do. He’d mentioned selling her and Jack didn’t even want to think about what that meant. The only thing he could do was try and raise the alarm.
‘One, two, pull … heeeelp! … One, two, pull … heeeeelp! …’ He could feel his energy failing; his whole body screamed to stop, his mind went blank and for a few moments he closed his eyes as he felt his breathing become slow and shallow. ‘Come on, Jack, don’t stop now, come on.’ He tried to find the energy he needed; he had to get to the Hall, and to Jess. He looked up. The Hall was there, he could see it, but it was still such a long way from him. But he had to get there, he just had to.
Chapter Thirty-Two
It was the sound that Jess heard first. It was a long drawn out wail, almost animalistic, like a wounded fox, cat, or badger, crying for help. She stopped on the track, spun around and squinted as she stared through the rain and into the woods for what seemed like an eternity. She wasn’t quite sure which direction the noise had come from and she cursed the winter, which had left the woodland bare so that every noise echoed and bounced off the trees all at once.
She couldn’t decide what to do. Did she move forward, to one side or the other, or did she do what most sensible people would do and run back to the safety of the Hall? After all an injured animal could be dangerous and attack, especially if she came upon it suddenly and frightened it. She was torn, but couldn’t bear the thought of leaving it to suffer, not all alone, not in the darkness.
Pulling her anorak tightly around her body, Jess stood as still as she could, and listened again, but heard nothing, not until her ringtone suddenly rang out, filling the woodland ironically with The Lion King’s ‘Circle Of Life’.
‘Hey, Maddie, what is it?’ Using her torch, she began inching her way forward along the line of the fence until she reached the end of the track and then turned to walk through the woodland. Some people would be scared of being out there alone in the dark, but this was a path she’d walked often during the daylight, and she felt comfort in the fact that she knew the area well and that the lights of the Hall could easily be seen in the distance.
‘Jess, Bandit’s just told me you are outside searching. Please come back to the Hall. I don’t like you being out there, not alone. Isn’t it bad enough that Jack’s missing, without you going missing too?’ Madeleine spoke in a whisper and Jess held the phone tightly to her ear, her torch shining into the distance. ‘The schoolkids are all finished, they’re going now, so why don’t you come back and help me with the girls?’
‘Help do what? Give them a bath, put them to bed?’ Jess paused; again a noise came from the distance. ‘Jack’s missing, Maddie, I’m sure the girls can manage without a bath for one night.’
She heard Maddie sigh. ‘Okay, okay, I’ll ask your father to see to Lily.’
Again Jess stood still and thought of the words she’d just said, ‘your father’. She liked the sound of it, but realised that since Bastion had arrived, she hadn’t really allowed herself to get to know him, not that well. She still hadn’t asked him to take the DNA test, but didn’t really understand why. Was she worried that he really wasn’t her father? Was she frightened that he’d leave? She thought for a moment and looked into the darkness where all she could see was the rain coming down. She didn’t want Bastion to leave, she really wanted him to be her father and what’s more she wanted her baby to have a grandfather.
‘Jess,’ came Madeleine’s voice. ‘Are you there?’
‘Yes.’
‘Jess, I really think you should come back, it isn’t safe out there.’
Jess ignored Maddie’s words and shone her torch one last time into the distance, paused and squinted. There was something there, she could see something moving. She took a step towards it, but then saw a feral cat run past, a field mouse held firmly in its mouth.
‘So, are you coming back?’ Madeleine asked again.
‘Yeah, sure. I’m on my way.’ She clicked the phone off, put it back in her pocket and turned to walk back through the darkness towards the Hall.
It was then she once again heard the strangulated sound. ‘Jeeeesssssssssssss, heeeeeelp!’
She stopped, waited, listened. ‘J- … J- … Jack … Jack is … is that you?’ She spun on the spot, still unable to distinguish where the sound had come from. ‘Where … where are you? Jack?’ She dug in her pocket, dragged out her mobile, punched at the keys and rang Madeleine back.
‘Maddie, Maddie … please, he’s here. It’s Jack. I can hear him … I heard him scream, please, Maddie, he’s in the woods. Get everyone, bring them all, head towards the farmhouse.’ She clicked off the phone and began to scour the woodland floor with her torch. ‘Come on, Jack. Where are you?’ She ran forward, stopped, listened and then ran a few paces more. ‘Jack, come on, please, please make a noise, I know it was you.’
Her foot caught on a tree root, making her trip and she landed heavily on her hands and knees. The torch fell to the ground and there in the torchlight was Jack’s contorted, tear-stained face.
‘Jess … Jess …’ His words were laboured; he could barely speak, but somehow he managed to flop onto his back. ‘Get back to the Hall. It’s Lily … Lily … danger. She’s here … her mother … she’s here … d- … d- … danger.’
Jess crawled through the grass until she pulled herself close to him. His whole body felt like ice. She knew he was badly hurt and she quickly pulled her coat off, covered his body and held him close. ‘You’re so cold, Jack. I … I need to get you warm.’
‘Get … to Lily,’ he once again spat out as his body suddenly began to shake violently with cold and pain, but Jess could now hear a commotion coming from the direction of the Hall. Torches lit up the grounds and headed towards her.
‘They’re coming, Jack.’ Tears rolled down her face. ‘Hold on, Jack. They’re coming, they’re going to help you.’
‘Nooooo, go back … Lily … danger.’
It was at that moment that Jack went silent, and Jess screamed. ‘Jack … Jack … talk to me … Jack, please, please, you have to talk to me.’ A huge sob left her throat as she saw the torches come closer. ‘Bandit, quickly, he’s over here. Maddie, help him … please God help him!’ She rocked his slumped body in her arms. ‘Don’t do this, Jack. Please don’t you dare do this to me, not now!’
She felt herself being dragged away, heard the sound of Bandit screaming instructions and then she felt herself floating. It was like watching everything happening in the distance, almost like a dream with muffled noise and a numbness that didn’t happen in reality. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t take in what was happening.
‘You’re okay, Jess. You’re okay, I’ve got you, my darling girl.’ She heard Bastion’s voice beside her and she sank into his arms. She felt them surround her, strong, meaningful and warm, just like she’d always imagined a father’s arms would feel. She closed her eyes in the hope that when they opened, everything would be okay. That it would all have been a dream, one in which she was still being hugged by her father, but in much nicer surroundings. She
took in a deep breath and the fog began to clear and then she heard the noise, the screaming of instructions and Bastion was still there, still hugging her … But if he was hugging her, who was with Lily?
‘Oh, my God, Lily. We have to get to Lily. I don’t know what he meant, but Jack, he was trying to say something … before … before he … he said she was in danger. Said her mother was here.’ She felt Bastion’s arms let her go, and she watched as he turned and ran back to the hotel. Anchorless, she began to float in a sea of uncertainty while Bandit continued to work on Jack; his body was over his, his hands were on his chest. ‘One and two and three and four,’ came Bandit’s voice as he administered compressions and CPR to her Jack.
She turned to see a crowd in front of the Hall. Staff and guests had all come to help, but now there was nothing they could do, except watch, hug and cry. And there in the middle of them was Nomsa, with Poppy holding one hand and Lily safely holding the other. She saw Bastion run up to them, pull Lily into his arms and take hold of Nomsa’s hand.
Jess forced herself to look back at where Bandit continued to work on Jack and again the fog descended, making her drop to the floor. She scrambled over the wet woodland ground on her hands and knees, eager to be by his side. ‘Bandit, please … please, I’m begging you, please don’t let him die!’ she screamed. Her hand went out to touch Jack’s cheek. ‘He … he’s so cold.’ She looked up and into Bandit’s eyes. ‘Why is he so cold? I … I have … I have to get him warm, that’ll help, right?’ She didn’t wait for an answer, but lay beside Jack and curled herself into the side of his lifeless body. ‘I … I can’t lose you now, Jack, I just can’t. We need you … your baby and I, we need you.’ She looked up at Bandit. ‘Please, please promise me … he isn’t going to die, is he?’