The Night Shift (A Short Story): A gripping and realistic police action thriller

by James D Mortain

  Ellie crouched down beside PC Deans. He was still and blood was oozing from a wide, gaping wound behind his left ear. ‘Deano,’ she said. ‘Can you hear me? Deano?’

  Deans didn’t respond. Ellie crouched lower to the ground, leaned in closer and looked at his face. It appeared as if he had been trampled into the pavement and blood was flowing heavily from his head.

  ‘Priority,’ Ellie shouted into her radio. ‘Urgent medical assistance required for PC Deans. He is unconscious and losing blood from a large head wound.’

  The sound of sirens was now filling the streets of Bath from all directions. Ellie noticed the film crew concentrating their attention onto PC Deans.

  From CCTV, Comms said. A male they know as Jordan Finch has struck PC Deans with a glass bottle in the head.

  Oh, bloody hell, Deano, Ellie thought and rushed back to the car to fetch a first aid bag. A number of people from the nearby nightclub were now gathering around.

  ‘Step away,’ Ellie shouted. She got back on the radio, ‘I need help keeping a sterile area.’

  Ellie used a clean pad from the medical kit and pressed down on Deans’ wound, but was mindful he might still have glass inside the cavernous gash.

  Almost immediately, Six-two pulled up and PC Daniels ran over to Ellie.

  ‘Oh fuck,’ he said. ‘Is he responding?’

  ‘No,’ Ellie said. ‘Churchy is chasing a group down there.’ She pointed towards the far end of the road.

  Daniels jumped back in his car and blazed away in the same direction. Dawkins remained and attended to the other injured person.

  Sergeant Stanley and Inspector Castle were next to arrive on scene.

  ‘Where is the ambulance?’ Ellie screamed to Sergeant Stanley.

  ‘Two-zero,’ Inspector Castle called over the radio. ‘This is a critical injury. We need medical attention, now.’

  Roger, Comms responded. I’ll get back onto them for an ETA.

  ‘We need to get him to hospital now!’ Ellie said to Inspector Castle.

  ‘I know, I know,’ Inspector Castle replied, looking longingly up the road.

  Deans began to groan.

  ‘Deano! Deano! It’s Ellie. You’ll be alright, just lie still.’ She felt his head move beneath her hand and he turned his face on the paving slab towards her. His eyes opened through a blood crimson mask. Ellie was unable to hold in her emotion and tears welled in her eyes. ‘Deano, just lay still, love,’ she snivelled. ‘Everything… everything is going to be okay.’

  Another siren grew louder from the distance. It had a different tone and sequence to the police vehicles. Ellie looked up the road through misted eyes. It was the ambulance.

  ‘Step back, Ellie,’ Sergeant Stanley said, helping Ellie up to her feet.

  The paramedics rushed over to Deans, crouched beside him and hurriedly removed equipment from their bags. Stanley was still holding Ellie by the arm and walked her backwards several steps.

  ‘Let them do what they need to do,’ Stanley said. ‘You’ve been brilliant, Ellie,’ he said.

  Ellie shot Stanley a look. ‘Is he going to die?’

  Stanley blinked rapidly, put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. He looked back to the paramedics working furiously to stem the flow of blood from Deans’ head.

  ‘I’m sure he’ll be fine,’ he said. ‘Do you want to go with Deano when they take him to the hospital?’

  ‘Yes,’ Ellie replied without hesitation.

  ‘Okay… are you going to be alright?’

  Ellie nodded.

  ‘Good. You stay with Deano,’ Stanley said. ‘We are going to need continuity…’ Stanley dipped Ellie a look that she instantly understood; a police officer always accompanies a badly injured person to hospital if their condition was deemed life changing… or worse.

  ‘What are you going to do?’ Ellie asked Stanley.

  ‘I’ve just heard that Churchill has caught Finch down by the river. I’d better go and check he’s not dishing out his own justice.’

  ‘Don’t let him get away,’ Ellie said, her eyes watery and pained.

  Sergeant Stanley put his hand on her shoulder and winked. ‘Don’t worry, Finch will get everything coming to him. Keep me in the loop and I’ll be up to the hospital as soon as I can.’

  Ellie nodded again and returned her attention onto the still-prone PC Andrew Deans.

  03:11 hours

  The ambulance rattled and bounced on the soft shock absorbers as they negotiated the winding streets of Bath towards the hospital. Ellie was sitting alongside Deans, her hand clutching his. Just up ahead of the ambulance, a marked unit from the nearby Keynsham station was providing a blue-light escort to the hospital, but it still felt like the journey was taking far too long. Deans had now regained a degree of consciousness and every bump, swerve and judder resulted in an indignant groan.

  ‘So, we know he’s called Andrew Deans,’ the paramedic tending to Deans said. ‘Do you know his age?’

  Ellie shook her head, but did not take her eyes away from Deans, whose face, partly covered by a white oxygen mask, was grimacing with pain.

  ‘It’s important,’ the paramedic said.

  Ellie shook her head again. ‘I don’t know. I think he’s thirty-one, thirty-two—’

  ‘Date of birth?’

  Ellie glanced at the man looking down at his clipboard. ‘We can get it,’ she said. ‘The Sarge will be able to access his file… but not yet.’

  ‘Is he married, any dependants?’

  Ellie stared at Deans. She did not blink and did not reply.

  ‘Officer… does he have a next of kin that you know of?’

  Ellie nodded.

  ‘Name?’

  Ellie blinked finally, but still locked eyes onto Deans. ‘Maria,’ she whispered.

  ‘Okay,’ the paramedic said, peeking out through the narrow strip of darkened glass on the side of the ambulance. ‘Almost there. We’ve already called ahead and a team are waiting to take your colleague straight through to the trauma theatre.’

  ‘Will he be alright?’ Ellie asked, lifting Deans’ hand close to her chest.

  The paramedic hesitated, ‘…We’ll do everything we can.’

  The ambulance slewed to a halt and Deans’ trolley bounced on the brakes. The back doors swung open and three hospital staff quickly unfolded and lowered a ramp from the back of the ambulance and helped wheel the trolley away, wrenching Deans’ hand from Ellie’s grasp.

  PC Lilley and PC Stoneham appeared into Ellie’s view and watched, motionless as Deans was swept away by the hospital team.

  ‘Ellie!’ PC Suzanne Lilley said, holding her arms out.

  Ellie climbed down onto the pavement and folded into her arms.

  ‘It’s going to be okay, hunny,’ PC Lilley said. ‘Come on, let’s go inside and see where they’re taking him.’

  ‘They told me he’s going straight into trauma theatre,’ Ellie sniffled.

  ‘Bloody hell,’ PC Gavin Stoneham said, giving Ellie a little rub on the back of her head. ‘Did you see the injuries?’

  Ellie dropped her head and nodded. ‘It’s not good… It’s really not good.’

  ‘They got the bastard,’ PC Lilley said. ‘I don’t know if you’ve been listening…?’

  Ellie shook her head.

  ‘He still had a broken bottle, so Churchill tasered him.’

  ‘Good,’ Ellie replied defiantly.

  ‘Where’s the camera crew?’ PC Stoneham asked.

  Ellie shrugged. ‘I don’t know… and I don’t care.’

  ‘They were with you, though?’ he pressed.

  She nodded.

  ‘Come on,’ Suzanne Lilley said, ‘let’s follow Deano inside.’

  They walked to the emergency entrance used by the paramedics and saw a senior sister behind a large U-shaped reception desk.

  ‘Are you with the officer?’ she asked and stared more attentively at Ellie. ‘Are you okay, sweetheart?’ she asked.

&nb
sp; ‘She’s fine,’ PC Lilley said. ‘We need to find our colleague; do you know where he is?’

  The nurse looked over at a soft padded bench fixed to the wall. ‘I’m afraid you will have to wait there for a while. He’s gone through to the surgical assessment room. When the doctor comes out I’ll make sure he pops over to see you.’

  Suzanne put her arm around Ellie and helped her to the seat.

  ‘How long have we got to wait?’ PC Stoneham asked.

  ‘As long as it takes,’ PC Lilley said with a scowl.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Ellie murmured.

  ‘Don’t be sorry, hun. You’ve had a shock,’ Lilley said, pulling Ellie closer to her and giving Stoneham a fierce glare.

  ‘I felt so helpless,’ Ellie continued. ‘I couldn’t stop the blood. If only we could have got there sooner… Why did he go in alone?’

  PC Lilley stood up and called over to the ward sister. ‘Is there somewhere my friend can get cleaned up, please?’

  The sister pointed down another corridor.

  Lilley took Ellie’s hand. ‘Come on,’ let’s wash that blood off you.’

  Ellie looked at her hands and whimpered.

  ‘Come on,’ Lilley said again and helped Ellie to her feet. As they shuffled away Lilley, still with an arm around Ellie’s shoulder, turned to Stoneham. ‘Make yourself useful and grab us drinks will you.’

  They walked to the small toilet area and Ellie watched Deans’ blood dilute beneath the tap water and vanish in a swirl down the plughole. She stared at the rapidly fading pink liquid and felt as if she was betraying her friend as she washed him off her hands and forearms.

  ‘Once you have your drink, I’ll go and see if I can get an update,’ Lilley said.

  Ellie nodded. ‘Do you think he knows we are here… with him?’

  ‘Of course, hunny. He knows you haven’t left his side,’ Lilley smiled.

  Ellie stared at the plughole even though the water had now stopped. She had seen major injuries in the line of duty heaps of times, but tonight was something else altogether; it was one of the most shocking injuries she had seen on anyone, let alone a colleague and friend – let alone someone she cared for more than she dared mention. And it had suddenly brought home her own mortality. The job they did was hard at the best of times, but nothing could have prepared her for this. And that fact it was Deano – of all her colleagues – he was the rock, the go-to sure-fire superhero officer that always did the right thing at the right time and in the right way, and always managed to do it with a smile.

  ‘Jesus, it’s already three-thirty a.m.,’ Lilley said. ‘Will you be okay going back to Stoneham on your own?’ she asked Ellie. ‘I need to touch base with the others at the nick on my radio.’

  Ellie nodded and began walking back toward the waiting area. When she arrived she saw Stoneham in an animated state speaking to the camera with Cathy interviewing him.

  ‘There she is,’ Cathy said eagerly and hurried ahead of Roger to intercept Ellie.

  ‘Can you give us an update on your colleague’s condition, PC Grange?’

  Ellie shook her head and reached out for the plastic beaker of sugary tea from Stoneham’s hand. Cathy Emmanuelle turned to Roger off-camera and wiggled her hand back and forth for him to cut the recording. She leaned in and touched Ellie on the shoulder.

  ‘We captured the tail end of the arrest.’ Cathy’s eyes were wide. ‘This has been gold dust.’

  Ellie blinked once and held Cathy’s excitable stare. ‘This is not entertainment,’ Ellie said quietly. ‘A colleague and friend of mine is dying through those doors.’

  Cathy lowered the recording microphone and dropped her head. ‘Of course. I’m sorry. Have you received any update?’

  Ellie shook her head.

  PC Lilley bounded over to them. ‘I’m off to grab a doctor.’

  Cathy looked at Ellie with a sympathetic smile. ‘We are obliged to record. Your Chief Constable…’

  Ellie broke eye contact and slowly walked over to the padded bench and sat on the far end, clutching her plastic cup.

  Cathy nodded to Roger, and he responded by placing the camera back on his shoulder facing PC Suzanne Lilley.

  ‘This is a critical time for Constable Deans,’ Cathy reported in hushed tones to the front of Roger’s camera lens. ‘He is somewhere behind those doors, potentially undergoing emergency surgery to save his life.’ They scuttled inches behind PC Lilley as she pushed her way through a set of heavy double-doors and then all three of them were lost from Ellie’s view.

  She sat silently, watching PC Stoneham, who appeared to be playing a game on his mobile phone. Ellie didn’t know him well, he was a recent transferee from up country. He was a loner by all accounts, and as made abundantly clear from tonight’s performance, not much of a team player. Unbelievable – given his choice of career.

  She stared at him and felt hatred building from deep within, so she looked away and sipped from her tea.

  The electric doors opened inwards and Ellie saw Sergeant Stanley entering with another woman she did not recognise.

  Stanley walked straight up to her. ‘Ellie, what’s the update on Deano, please?’ he asked.

  Ellie looked towards the double doors and shook her head. ‘Suzanne Lilley has gone through to speak with a doctor. She’s been gone a few minutes, now.’

  Stanley frowned. ‘Are you okay?’

  Ellie nodded.

  ‘Ellie,’ Stanley said, turning to the woman standing beside him. ‘Let me introduce you to Maria Byrne. This is Deano’s girlfriend.’

  ‘Oh!’ Ellie said, standing up and holding out her hand. ‘I’m sorry. We haven’t met before. I didn’t know…’

  Ellie looked quickly into Maria’s eyes and made a mental note of her long raven-black hair and cobalt blue eyes. Ellie was a drab brunette with brown eyes.

  Maria did not speak, but took Ellie’s hand with a soft hold. Her eyes were wide and lost.

  ‘Off the phone, son,’ Stanley said, passing Stoneham on his way to the nurse station with Maria.

  ‘I want to come too,’ Ellie said springing to her feet.

  Stanley agreed and they were given directions by a nurse, and soon, they saw PC Lilley leaning with the back of her head against a narrow corridor wall. She saw them and straightened up. The documentary crew also noticed them and the camera was swiftly trained in their direction.

  ‘Hi, Suzanne,’ Sergeant Stanley said. ‘This is Deano’s partner, Maria.’

  ‘Hello, Maria,’ PC Lilley said half-smiling, and then turned her attention back onto Stanley.

  ‘Any news?’ Stanley asked.

  PC Lilley shook her head and glanced at Maria again before answering. ‘He’s still in surgery. I’ve been trying to speak to someone for an update.’

  A doctor came out into the corridor. He had a solemn but professional exterior. ‘Who is in charge here?’ he asked.

  ‘I’m the senior ranking officer,’ Stanley said, ‘but this is PC Deans’ partner, Maria.’

  The doctor’s face softened as he looked at Maria and held out an arm to escort the two of them away from the intrusion of the camera.

  The doctor spoke in private tones, ‘PC Deans has sustained multiple lacerations to the scalp and a penetrating injury to the skull.’

  Maria covered her mouth and tears trickled down her cheeks. Stanley stepped closer and put his arm around her shoulder.

  ‘He also lost a lot of blood, but we have stemmed the flow and he is undergoing a transfusion. PC Deans is in a stable condition and once we are satisfied that all foreign objects have been removed, we will transfer him to the High Dependency Unit for continued assessment.’

  ‘So he’s going to make it through?’ Stanley asked.

  The doctor held up a hand, but nodded. ‘He’s stable and the prognosis is positive, at this stage. Obviously, his brain has sustained a shock, and we will continue to monitor that over the next forty-eight to seventy-two hours. He also appears to have displaced a
collarbone, and there are several nasty lacerations to his back. Once he’s settled, we will arrange for x-rays.’ The doctor smiled at Maria. ‘I’m afraid Andrew will be with us for a while.’

  ‘Can I… can I see him?’ Maria asked tentatively from behind her hands.

  ‘Not at the moment, I’m afraid. You can visit him at some point once he’s transferred to High Dependency.’

  ‘Thank you, doctor,’ Sergeant Stanley said. ‘If you don’t mind we’ll keep a police presence here – just in case you need to communicate with us urgently.’

  ‘Of course,’ the doctor said. He shook Maria and Stanley by the hand and smiled. ‘He’s in good hands.’

  ‘Thank you, doctor,’ Stanley said again, and the doctor turned away and went back through to the surgical area.

  Ellie joined them. ‘I heard everything,’ she said. ‘It sounds like Andy will be alright.’

  Stanley looked at Maria. She wasn’t talking and he could see that she was shaking.

  ‘Why don’t you both grab a nice cup of tea? I’ll see if there’s a room somewhere we can use. Come on, let’s go back out,’ he said.

  Stanley led the way until they were once again back at the nurse station. The area was now a hive of activity; paramedics with patients on trolleys, nurses hunched over computers and talking on phones.

  Stanley approached the desk while Ellie remained with Maria, and soon after a nurse was showing them to a small private room with a television, three-seat-sofa and a couple of armchairs.

  ‘There we go,’ Stanley said. ‘Ellie, are you alright sitting with Maria for a while?’

  Ellie nodded with wide-eyes.

  ‘Ah, perfect,’ Stanley said, ‘there’s a coffee machine. Here you go,’ he said, rummaging through his pockets.

  ‘No, it’s okay, I’ve got money,’ Ellie said.

  Stanley half-smiled and stared at Ellie. Will you be alright? He mouthed.

  Ellie nodded. Stanley raised a thumb and left the room.

  Ellie fiddled with coins inside her pocket and dispensed a couple of steaming cups of tea. She placed one on the table in front of Maria, who was sitting on the lip of the sofa, her hands clamped together in her lap, her body rocking back and forth.