Just Another Day
Page 22
John had his negotiators head on again as he knew full well it would take his young colleague quite some time to recover from his ordeal. The physical injuries would not be so bad once the proper treatment was received. The mental scars however, well, that would be another matter as each time Dave looked at his shattered hand; it would be a constant reminder of what had happened.
Still, he had seen how he had handled himself with his quick thinking in using the radio in what seemed like a very, very long time ago and it was Dave who had brought their captivity to an end when he jammed his thumb into the triggers and disabled Johnson with a knee into the bollocks. His negotiating and calmness when talking to tony had impressed him. You’ll do ok son he said to himself as he climbed into the ambulance behind his colleague. As he sat on the trolley opposite, it was Dave who spoke first, almost as though he was reading John’s mind.
‘Well, I think with my dodgy hand Mr Walsh, I’ll have a few weeks off on the sick mate. But seeing as how there’s fuck all wrong with you, you grumpy old bastard, you’ve got no chance.’
With a mixture of relief, bravado and adrenaline, they both started to laugh out loud, much to the bemusement of the ambulance driver and the medic who was in the process of attaching various drips into Dave’s arms.
John leaned back on the gurney.
‘Not too long ago Dave, an extremely wealthy man made me a very generous proposition. He wanted to pay for me to go on a round the world cruise or fix me up with a job in his company. I didn’t think too deeply about what he said at the time. But now, well, I think I’ve had enough of this shit mate. I might just take him up on that offer. A hot sunny beach seems very attractive from where I’m sitting. I think its time to take things easy.’
Dave smiled over.
‘Well if you need someone to rub in the sun cream, give me a shout. I’ve still got one good hand to sort you out with.’
The intravenous fluids were beginning to take effect and Dave’s eyes grew heavy as he drifted off to sleep as thoughts of his lovely family entered his subconscious.
Yes, you’ll do ok my young friend thought John as he watched his colleague drift off to sleep. He looked out of the windscreen as the sirens and the rhythmic hum of the windscreen wipers caused his eyes to grow heavy too. The fatigue consumed him as he too drifted off. He could almost feel the warmth on his back.
Tomorrow would be another day, of that he had no doubt. One thing he was absolutely certain of; for him and Dave, never again would it be just another day.