In Plain Sight: a hero series novel

by M A Comley

  He turned to his sister. “Who made you the smart one?”

  “I think Mum and Dad had a hand in that. However, I could be wrong. There might have been a divine influence or two along the way.”

  The team began sorting out the equipment, and halfway through the morning, Sergeant Milton joined them.

  “You’ve made good progress, team. I’ve just received a call—we have an emergency on the M6. A pile-up involving several vehicles and a light aircraft. Let’s get over there ASAP.”

  He clapped his hands, and the team rushed to their vehicles. Hero drove one of the vehicles, while Smythe drove the other. The team of eight turned up at the scene within half an hour. On either side of the southbound motorway, they found confused and dazed members of the public. Four ambulances were already there, tending to the more urgent casualties.

  Most of the casualties appeared to have been pulled away from the vehicles involved in the crash, but the scene was still in chaos. The light aircraft, which apparently had been part of a nearby airshow, had nosedived into a silver people carrier, and both vehicles were alight. Two fire engines were dealing with the blazes, while the paramedics tried to get the casualties who were lying on the ground away from the blaze.

  The team rushed to aid the paramedics. Cara and Hero teamed up, as usual.

  “Guys, what do you need us to do?” Hero asked.

  An older male paramedic pointed in front of him. “We need to get everyone as far away from the blaze as possible. Leave the worst of the injured for us to deal with. Anyone who says they’re not badly injured can be helped back to the safe area over there, where our colleagues will attend to their injuries, okay?”

  Hero nodded. “Leave it with us. Cara, you help the woman, and I’ll see to the gent.”

  They approached a bloody couple who appeared to be very disorientated. The man was lying flat out on the tarmac, and the woman’s ankle was broken and hanging at a bad angle.

  “Where does it hurt, sir?” Hero asked, surveying the man’s body and not seeing any indication of injuries.

  “My back. I can’t sit up.”

  “Okay, stay still, I’ll organise a stretcher.”

  Cara helped the woman to her feet, but the woman shouted, “I’m not leaving my husband. Please, our dog is in the vehicle. Please won’t you save him?”

  “Which vehicle, ma’am?” Hero glanced over his shoulder.

  “The red sports car over there.”

  The woman pointed behind Hero, where a car was sitting under the wing of the plane. He inwardly groaned. “I’ll do what I can if you promise to leave with Cara now.”

  “My husband—I can’t leave him.”

  “He’s safe. I’ll get him moved and then try and rescue your dog. What’s the dog’s name?”

  “Teddy,” the woman said with a strained smile.

  Hero left Cara to watch over the couple and ran back to the paramedic he’d spoken to earlier. “I need to get the man on a stretcher. He’s told me he can’t move as there is something wrong with his back.”

  “Do you have stretchers on board?” the paramedic asked.

  “Yes, one or two. Should we move him, though? I’d rather have one of you guys to assist us.”

  “I’ll be over there after I’ve finished here. Try and keep the man calm until then.”

  Hero rushed to the back of his vehicle, extracted the stretcher from the rear, and returned to the casualty. “Okay, we’re going to get you on the stretcher, but not right now. Hang in there; we shouldn’t be too long.”

  “My dog,” the woman urged again.

  Hero looked over at the car and where the fire brigade was focusing their efforts and decided that he wouldn’t be putting himself in immediate danger if he attempted the rescue. He rushed over to the vehicle and looked at the backseat. The roof was a mangled mess, but he could just make out a ball of fluff fearfully staring back at him. Hero put on his gloves then prised open the already smashed window. Tearing the glass panel aside, he spoke to the tiny dog and tentatively put his hand through the window. The dog snarled then attacked his gloved hand. Hero surged forward and grabbed the dog, swiftly pulling it through the window. “Drop the attitude, mutt. I’m trying to save your damn life.”

  He carried the dog over to the couple.

  The woman held out her arms and snuggled her face into the dog’s fur. “Oh, Teddy, Teddy, I’m so glad you’re safe.”

  Hero looked over his shoulder at the paramedic, who was packing his bag and heading their way. “Cara, let’s get the lady shifted now. We won’t be far behind you.”

  Cara helped the woman to her feet again, which was an effort as the woman was intent on holding her dog rather than assisting Cara. Hero saw Cara struggling and lent a hand getting the woman settled at the casualty centre set up at the side of the road before he returned to assist the paramedic. Between them, they placed the husband on the special board they had for spinal injuries and then onto the stretcher.

  “Can I leave this man in your capable hands and help someone else?” Hero asked the paramedic.

  “Go. Thanks for your help.”

  Hero motioned for Cara to join him, and they rushed over to a lone woman lying in the road. “Hello there. Where does it hurt?”

  “All over.” The woman smiled but winced as Hero touched her arm. “I think it’s broken. It hurts like hell.”

  “Okay, can you walk?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ve been too scared to move.”

  “Gently does it now. Cara and I will help you to your feet. If it’s too much, then just yell, and we’ll stop. All right?”

  Cara held the woman from under her uninjured arm, and Hero tucked his arm around the woman’s waist and pulled her to her feet.

  “It’s not too bad, only hurts a little. I think I can walk, if you’ll help me.”

  “Of course, that’s what we’re here for. Were you travelling alone?”

  “Yes. It was terrible. One minute, I was driving along the motorway, and the next, I saw the plane come down. Everything else seemed to happen in slow motion. It was so scary. I thought we’d all be killed. I haven’t seen the people come out of the plane or the car it landed on, so sad.”

  “It is. Let’s get you safely away from the scene for now.”

  They deposited the woman next to the other couple they had just rescued and returned to the crash site. “There aren’t many left now, Hero. I wish we could get into that vehicle under the plane. There might be someone still alive in the wreck.”

  “Doubtful, sis. Let’s concentrate on getting the rest of the people to safety and reassess the situation afterwards.”

  Hero and Cara joined another couple of their team at a concertinaed vehicle involved in the actual pile-up. The four of them managed to get the driver’s door open only to find the young male driver dead behind the steering wheel.

  “We can’t help him,” Hero declared, backing away from the car.

  Cara tilted her head. “Did you hear that?”

  Hero cocked his ear then walked forward a few feet. “Over here, guys. There’s a woman trapped in her vehicle.”

  The four of them again worked swiftly to clear the debris and found a sobbing woman pinned behind the steering wheel of her Nissan Micra. “Oh, thank God. My legs are trapped. I’m losing all sensation in them. Please help me.”

  “Cara, go and see the person in charge of the brigade team. Tell them we need the Jaws of Life.”

  “I’ll be right back,” she said.

  Hero knelt beside the car and smiled at the woman. “We’ll soon get you out of here. What’s your name?”

  The woman swept back her blonde hair with her bloody hand. “Caroline Mullins. Nice to meet you.”

  Hero admired the woman’s chirpiness, considering her predicament. “Nice to meet you, too, Caroline. Where were you heading before your little bump?”

  “Liverpool. I’m a model. I was on my way to a photo shoot.” Tears welled up in her eyes, and she swa
llowed hard.

  “Ah, well, I’m sure they’ll be able to rearrange the shoot, once you explain what’s happened.”

  “Maybe. Not sure my legs will be any good to still entertain doing modelling after this.”

  Hero was lost for words. Without knowing the extent of her injuries, he couldn’t think of a suitable response, and it wasn’t in him to give anyone false hope.

  He smiled and held her hand until the firemen arrived. He stepped aside and looked on as their attempts to save the woman and her legs began. Hero’s nerves were in tatters when the Jaws of Life started up; he wished he could have remained by her side, comforting her through the noise and the unknown. Instead, he looked on from ten feet away. If the woman was crying out in pain, the machinery drowned it out. It was a full five minutes, which seemed more like a couple of hours, before the machine finally stopped and the door had been removed. A doctor who had arrived via the air ambulance rushed past Hero to assess the woman’s injuries before the firemen continued.

  Hero strained his neck to see; it didn’t look good at all. The front of the car had been involved in a major impact. Jagged metal and even parts of the car’s engine were pressing down on her legs. Cara stood beside him. “Why don’t we let them get on with this, Hero?”

  She was aware how much he hated it when things prevented him from completing a job, especially while on duty with the TA. He saw it as failure. “Just a few more minutes. I need to make sure she’s okay.”

  “We’ve helped all the people we can. I’ll see what Sergeant Milton wants us to do next. He may want to pull out now, Hero.”

  “If he does, then I’ll have to adhere to his orders. Until then, I’m staying put.”

  Cara shrugged and walked away. Hero inched closer to overhear what the doctor was saying to the fireman in charge after he’d assessed Caroline. “It’s not looking good. We need to remove the engine or whatever it is pinning her in the vehicle before I can attempt to make a proper assessment. She’s saying that she no longer has any feeling in her legs. That’s a grave concern to me. If the blood supply is cut off, then there really is only one solution—to amputate—but I’m not willing to call that just yet.”

  “Okay, Doc, leave this to me and the team.”

  Hero’s heart sank. He crossed his fingers and hoped the doctor was wrong for Caroline’s sake. She was a beautiful woman with her whole life ahead of her. The thought of her losing her legs made him shudder.

  The firemen called for more equipment, which included a winch. Four firemen stood around the engine, manoeuvring it away from the car and towards the road as the winch lifted it out of the cavity and off the woman’s legs. Hero could hear Caroline’s screams above the noise of the machinery. The doctor gave her an injection to make the pain more bearable. Caroline’s screams died down to a low moan as the firemen continued with their mission. Within a few minutes, the task was completed, and the doctor was able to get a better view of how much damage had been caused to Caroline’s legs. Every time he touched her, Caroline whimpered. Hero took that as being a good sign—at least she’d regained feeling in her limbs.

  Sergeant Milton stood beside Hero. “We’ve got to go now. She’s in safe hands, Nelson.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll just say farewell.”

  “Don’t get in the way.”

  “I won’t, sir.” Hero knelt beside the car and reached for Caroline’s hand. “You’re doing well, sweetheart. These guys will get you out of this mess in no time at all. I have to leave now. Good luck.”

  She turned to face him and smiled. “Thank you for all your help. If it wasn’t for you… ahhh!” Tears of pain squeezed out of her eyes.

  Hero tightened his grip on her hand then released it. “Hang in there.”

  The doctor shuffled closer, easing Hero out of the way. “I’ve got this now. Thanks for your help. You probably saved this woman’s life.”

  Hero stood up and walked away from the scene, feeling like a genuine hero for a change.

  Cara rubbed his arm when he stood alongside her, back at their vehicle. “Let’s go. We’ve done our bit.”

  Hero jumped behind the steering wheel and headed back to the TA centre. “That was nasty. I hope there weren’t too many casualties.”

  “We’ll know soon enough. Not seen a bad accident like that in a long time. Damn air displays should be banned from flying over motorways. Look at the carnage it causes when one of those planes has a mishap. If those guys want to kill themselves, fair enough. Just don’t involve other people. There, I’ve said it—that’s my rant over.”

  “You’re hilarious when you’re angry. I totally agree with you. There’s enough greenbelt land around our countryside where these guys can show off.”

  The rest of the weekend remained uneventful back at the centre. The team had the hangar in tip-top condition by mid-afternoon on Sunday. Hero dropped Cara off at her flat around six that evening.

  “Doing anything nice this evening?”

  Cara shifted in her seat before she answered.

  Hero cocked an eyebrow at her. “Sis?”

  “Okay, now don’t go getting annoyed with me, but I’ve got a date.”

  He switched off the engine. “Oh? Why all the secrecy, and why on earth would I be mad at you? You’re a free woman since you split up with Mark.”

  “I know. However, I have a date with Darren Rogerson.”

  He frowned, trying to remember where he’d heard the name before. “Sorry, do I know him?”

  “Hero, that just proves that you never listen to me.”

  “What have I done now?”

  “I work with him.” She cringed and closed her eyes.

  “What? Bloody hell, Cara! When will you learn to keep work and your personal life separate?”

  “I asked you not to have a go at me. We’re only going out for a drink. He’s recently split up with his girlfriend, and we’re both at a loose end.”

  Hero hit the steering wheel. “I know what will happen, you’ll both get drunk and end up in the sack together.”

  Cara’s mouth dropped open, and she shook her head. “Whoa, now wait just a minute—do you realise what you’re saying? You’ve called me some pretty ripe names over the years, Hero, but never intimated that you think of me as a slapper.” She undid her seatbelt before he could respond and slammed the door.

  Hero chewed his bottom lip, pondered whether to go after her to apologise or not, then decided it would be best for her to cool down a little first. After she entered her flat, he drove home. This weekend just gets better and better… me and my big mouth. I’ll have a fair amount of grovelling to do now to make up for that dumb remark.

  Fay was bathing the kids when he arrived home fifteen minutes later. He went in the garden with Sammy and played football with his pal until Fay came downstairs.

  “Hi, are you coming in?”

  He turned to smile at her. “I was waiting for you to finish; needed to vent some frustration out on the ball.”

  “Tough weekend?”

  He walked through the back door and pulled her into his arms. After sharing a long kiss, he smiled down at her. “It’s just got a helluva lot better. How have the kids been?”

  “The usual. Louie helped me prepare the dinner today—wanted to ‘help out while Daddy wasn’t around’, is how he put it.”

  “Ouch! That hurt. It’s been weeks since I went away for the weekend with the TA.”

  “Don’t take it to heart; he’s probably got used to you being around at the weekends.”

  “Never thought of that. Did you save any dinner for me? I’m starving.”

  “Of course. Grab a beer from the fridge, and I’ll heat up your dinner in the microwave.” Fay served up his meal. He studied it carefully before he chose the first mouthful. “Something wrong? It’s not like you to be fussy.”

  “I’m looking for the parts Louie prepared.”

  Fay laughed. “Idiot, he only prepared the veg for me. You might find a carrot with a bit
of skin left on it, that’s all. Get on with it, man.” She rolled her eyes, and Hero looked under the table at Sammy sitting by his feet. “And don’t even think about giving it to the damn dog. Are you going to tell me how your weekend went?”

  “I’d rather not during dinner, love. It was a bit grim. I think I upset Cara before I dropped her off, though. Might need to do some making up there the next time I see her.”

  “That’s unusual. What was it about?”

  “She told me she was going out on a date tonight.” He placed a piece of beef and flat Yorkshire pudding in his mouth.

  “So? You don’t usually object when she has a date. What’s so different this time?”

  “It’s with that Darren Rogerson, a colleague of hers.”

  “Oh dear. Well, I can understand you being cautious. I hope you weren’t too harsh with her?”

  Hero stared at his dinner and remained silent.

  “Hero Nelson, I’m ashamed of you!”

  “Not as ashamed as I am of myself, I can guarantee that. I’ll ring her tomorrow when she’s had the chance to cool down.”

  Fay dropped into the chair opposite. “Really? It was that bad?”

  “Yeah, she said that I was virtually calling her a slapper. I didn’t, but I can see her point of view.”

  Fay shook her head, and her eyes widened in disbelief. “That’s unlike you, love. Cara has her head screwed on; she didn’t deserve to be spoken to like that. I suggest you send her a bunch of flowers as an apology and nothing less.”

  Hero pushed his half-eaten dinner away from him. “I think I better, too. I hope she forgives me. I was more upset about her going out with a colleague, and my mouth engaged before my brain.”

  “Hey, that’ll be the least of your problems if you don’t finish that bloody meal,” Fay said, slapping the back of his hand and smiling.

  “Okay, although I really don’t have much of an appetite, to be honest.” He ate another five mouthfuls then pushed the plate away again. “I’m done, sorry. It was really tasty.”

  Fay stood up and collected his plate. “You won’t be wanting any syrup sponge and custard, I take it?”