A Night to Remember

by Jennifer Taylor

  Her heart ached because she sensed it was true. Seb seemed to have accepted now that their marriage had run its course. And the fact that he wasn’t going to try and fight to keep her merely proved that she’d been right to ask him for a divorce.

  ‘That sounds like the best idea to me,’ she agreed, trying to match his businesslike manner. If the truth were told, he probably felt relieved that she had made the first move, in which case she wasn’t going to let him know how heartrending she found it to plan the demise of their marriage.

  She lifted her chin and looked him in the eyes. ‘I’ll meet you here just after seven, shall I?’

  ‘Please. The meeting shouldn’t last very long. Everyone will be keen to go home so it should be more a formality than anything else. We’ll do the in-depth assessment later. I should be through by seven-fifteen at the latest.’

  ‘I’ll see you then.’

  Libby made her way across the forecourt after he’d gone back inside. It had stopped raining at last, although the wind was still very strong. She stopped when she reached the gates and turned to look back at the hospital. Now she had a time limit to work towards—three more hours to get through before she and Seb sat down and decided their future. Although she had gone over the scene in her mind a dozen times or more, she still couldn’t imagine what would happen beyond that point. Obviously there would be various formalities to complete before their separation became legal, but after that—what? What kind of a life was she going to have without Seb?

  Closing her eyes, she tried to picture it but the future was like a blank canvas: there was no colour, no shape, no form. Her life had revolved around him for so long that she couldn’t envisage being without him. Even though they had been living apart for the past year, her first thought on waking each morning was about him, as was her last thought each night. Seb was the beginning and the end of her day, and that’s how she’d always expected it would continue. She couldn’t begin to guess how she was going to carry on without him.

  ‘What’s their ETA?’

  Seb frowned as the operator explained that the air ambulance was due to land at the hospital in approximately ten minutes’ time. It was bringing in two more men from the stricken tanker. Although the exact details weren’t known yet, it was believed that they had been in contact with some of the chemicals.

  He thanked the operator and hung up, mentally rehearsing what needed to be done before the helicopter arrived. This kind of situation could have far-reaching consequences for everyone concerned and there were protocols that would need to be followed. The men would have to be decontaminated before they were examined so that meant calling on the services of the local branch of the fire brigade. They would set up a decontamination unit in the hospital’s grounds so that the seamen and the air ambulance’s crew could be screened.

  That wouldn’t be the end of the matter, however. The fact that contamination had occurred meant that everyone still on board the tanker would need to be decontaminated as well, and then they would have to be checked over. It would definitely up the ante. Instead of winding down, they were going to have to gear themselves up for another influx of patients. Damn!

  He got in touch with the local fire brigade then went back to the rest room and broke the news to his team. ‘The air ambulance is on its way with two members of the tanker’s crew who’ve been contaminated by a chemical spillage. Marilyn, I want you to do a preliminary assessment once they’ve been through decontamination. Gary, you can help her. We’re going to have to screen everyone who’s left onboard the tanker so I’d like Cathy, Grace and Ruth to process the men once they’re ready to be seen. Jayne, I want you to go home. There’s no point taking any risks when we don’t know what we could be dealing with.’

  Nobody questioned his instructions—they all understood the seriousness of the situation and the potential hazards involved. He left them to get ready and went to the storeroom. The Grace Darling Hospital played a key role in any major incidents in the area and they carried a wide range of equipment. Now he took a chemical hazard suit out of the cupboard and pulled it on over his clothes. There were built-in bootees to wear over his shoes, as well as gloves to protect his hands. There was also a hood and a breathing mask, although he wouldn’t need to use them on this occasion.

  He left the storeroom and almost ran right into Libby, who had been passing along the corridor. She looked at him in dismay when she realised what he was wearing.

  ‘Does that mean what I think it does?’

  ‘Chemical contamination,’ he confirmed succinctly.

  ‘How many casualties?’

  ‘Two that we know about, but there could be more. We’re going to have to screen everyone who leaves the tanker.’

  ‘That could be dozens of people!’ she exclaimed, and he sighed.

  ‘It could, which means that I might not be finished by seven after all.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said quickly, so quickly, in fact, that he frowned. Bearing in mind that he’d just told her that their plans might have to be put on hold, she hadn’t sounded upset by the idea. If anything, she’d seemed relieved and that didn’t fit with the fact that she’d gone to all the trouble to drive up here to see him. He was just about to find out what was going on when she spoke.

  ‘I’d like to help, if I can. I’m fully conversant with the new protocols for dealing with chemical contamination because I’ve just been on a course, so should I get kitted up?’

  Seb hesitated for only a second, but he had to admit that he would be glad of her help now that Jayne had been sent home. ‘Thanks. I appreciate the offer.’

  He led the way back to the storeroom, keying in the security number to unlock the door. ‘The protective suits are in this cupboard,’ he explained, showing her where they were kept. ‘Help yourself.’

  She unhooked one of the suits and stepped into it, smiling wryly as she pulled it over her clothes. ‘These things are so bulky, aren’t they? I always feel like that cartoon character you used to see in those old adverts for car tyres whenever I have to wear one!’

  ‘The Michelin man.’ Seb laughed at the analogy. ‘If it’s any consolation, you don’t look at all like him even in that get-up.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She zipped up the suit and grinned at him. ‘Not that you would have dared to say so even if you had noticed a resemblance.’

  ‘Too right I wouldn’t.’ He chuckled. ‘I don’t have a death wish, thank you very much!’

  ‘Cheek! When have I ever taken offence if you’ve said you don’t like what I’m wearing?’ she demanded.

  ‘Never. But that’s because I’ve never criticised your choice of clothing.’ He smiled at her. ‘You always look lovely, Libby.’

  ‘Oh, well, that’s all right, then, isn’t it?’ she said, sounding rather flustered by the compliment.

  She hurried to the door and Seb quickly followed her, wondering if this might be a good time to try and win her round. He needed to tell her that he cared about her and hopefully that would pave the way towards the rest.

  ‘Look, Libby,’ he began, then stopped when the sound of rotors overhead announced that the air ambulance had arrived. ‘That sounds like the helicopter,’ he said, bitterly aware that he had missed his chance. All he could do was hope that there would be another opportunity later, but it was scary to know that time was passing and that he still hadn’t done anything to resolve the situation.

  ‘We’d better go and meet them,’ Libby said, opening the door.

  They made their way straight up to the roof but the helicopter had already landed by the time they got there. Seb knew that he had to put everything else out of his mind while he focussed on what needed doing. The paramedics grinned when they saw what he and Libby were wearing, but he knew they must be worried about the effects it could have on them if they’d been contaminated by the chemicals.

  ‘OK, guys, I know we look like something out of one of those old disaster movies but we can’t afford to take any
chances. I want you lot downstairs in the decontamination unit PDQ.’

  There was a bit of half-hearted muttering about it being a waste of time but they soon complied with his instructions. In a very short space of time the paramedics and the seamen from the tanker were lining up outside the mobile decontamination unit. The fire brigade had performed the procedure many times before so it didn’t take long: each man was told to strip and then walk through a series of showers which removed all traces of the chemicals from his skin.

  The seamen’s clothes were bagged and would need to be burned so regulation hospital gowns were handed out to them. The air ambulance crew fared slightly better—their clothing was designed for use in areas where there might be chemical contamination so it would be cleaned and returned to them. In the meantime, they were provided with cotton scrubs and sent inside to be checked over.

  By the time Seb and Libby had removed their protective clothing, Marilyn had taken the seamen into the end two cubicles. The curtains had been drawn to form one large examination area so there was room for all of them in there.

  ‘How do they look?’ Seb asked as soon as they went in.

  ‘Not too bad, considering.’ Marilyn nodded to one of the men. ‘Dimitri has superficial burns on his hands. They should heal well enough so we don’t need to call in the burns registrar. It’s his legs I’m more concerned about. Apparently, when the container split open, a lot of the chemical spilled over his legs and feet.’

  ‘Do we know exactly what it is yet?’ Libby asked, bending down to examine the man’s legs.

  Seb crouched down beside her but there was little visible sign that the seaman had come into contact with any hazardous material, apart from a slight redness to his skin. Sadly, it wasn’t an indication that no harm had been done, though. Persistent organic pollutants—POPs—were highly toxic and had the potential to damage human health even at very low concentrations. Some POPs were also hormone disruptors and interfered with the natural production of hormones in a person’s body so their effects could be far-reaching. There was no way of knowing how badly they would affect this man in the future.

  ‘The owners are being very evasive,’ Marilyn explained dryly. ‘Hopefully, we’ll know more once we get a sample of the chemicals tested when the tanker is brought into port.’

  ‘If it’s brought into port, you mean,’ Seb amended, standing up. ‘There’s no knowing what’s going to happen to it in this weather.’

  Libby sighed as she stood up as well. ‘We’ll just have to keep our fingers and our toes crossed, won’t we?’

  Seb nodded, although he hated feeling as though he was working in the dark. He much preferred it when he was in possession of all the facts—that way he knew exactly what to do, although it didn’t apply to his marriage, did it? He knew exactly what was going to happen and he still had no idea what he was going to do about it.

  He glanced at the clock and felt his heart accelerate when he realised that it was already one minute before five. There were just a couple more hours to go before he and Libby were due to leave the hospital and it wasn’t long enough. He needed more time to come up with a plan. He couldn’t afford to rush and risk making any more mistakes…

  The clock ticked as the minute hand complete its circuit of the dial. Seb groaned. Five a.m. He’d just wasted another precious minute!

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Saturday: 5 a.m.

  LIBBY glanced at the clock as they left the cubicle and was surprised to discover that it was 5 a.m. already. The time seemed to be flying past now and she couldn’t help feeling nervous at the thought of what was going to happen in a couple of hours’ time.

  She sighed. Not that long ago she could hardly wait for the moment when she would be able to talk to Seb about their divorce, yet now she found herself wishing that she could delay it, and she simply couldn’t afford to start having doubts at this stage. She had to stick to the decision she’d made, no matter how difficult it was.

  ‘I’d better check with the incident control centre. We need some idea of how many more casualties we can expect.’ Seb paused as they came to the end of the corridor.

  ‘There can’t be that many more, surely,’ Libby said, frowning.

  ‘I hope not, but you never know, do you?’ He gave her a quick, almost abstracted smile. ‘I’ll catch up with you later. OK?’

  ‘Fine.’

  Libby headed towards Reception. She knew there must be other people waiting to be seen so she would see if she could help speed up the process. Cathy was just coming out of the treatment room as she passed so Libby stopped.

  ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’

  ‘Not really. We’ve got everything covered, thank you.’

  Cathy’s tone was cool and Libby frowned. The nurse had been very offhand with her ever since she’d arrived and she had no idea what she’d done to upset her…unless Cathy was the woman whom Seb had been seeing. After all, nothing brought two people closer than a shared interest in their work, and Cathy was ideally placed to be Seb’s sounding board. The idea of the nurse sharing all the highs and lows of his job with him hurt unbearably and she went to walk on, but Cathy stopped her.

  ‘Why did you come here tonight, Libby?’

  ‘I came to see Seb, of course,’ she replied, unsure where the question was leading.

  ‘But why tonight, though?’ Cathy shrugged when Libby looked at her in confusion. ‘I mean, it’s not as though you’ve bothered making the effort very often before. It must be months since you were last up here.’

  ‘It isn’t always easy to get away,’ Libby said tightly, resenting the implied criticism. ‘We held a Saturday morning surgery at the practice where I work up until a few of months ago. I couldn’t just disappear for the weekend whenever I chose to do so.’

  ‘Most GPs use a rota system to work out their weekends,’ Cathy pointed out. ‘I can’t imagine that you had to work every single weekend, did you?’

  ‘No, I didn’t. But neither does Seb, for that matter,’ she said crisply, refusing to accept all the blame for their lack of contact.

  ‘Seb works more weekends than he has off. It’s become a standing joke around here that if you need a consultant over the weekend, you phone the trauma unit. More often than not, Seb’s somewhere around, which is sad when you think about it. He should have more to do with his weekends than hang around here, don’t you think?’

  Libby had no idea what to say in reply. She was just too surprised to learn that Seb had been spending his weekends working. If that was true, could he have found the time to carry on an affair with Cathy—or anyone else, for that matter? She was still floundering around for something to say when Seb himself appeared.

  ‘Sorry to interrupt, ladies, but I’ve just found out that the rest of the crew from the tanker are being ferried here. Cathy, can you make sure that everyone goes through the decontamination process before they enter the building? I don’t want any mix-ups.’

  ‘Of course.’

  Cathy gave him a warm smile and hurried away, leaving Libby feeling more confused than ever. There was no doubt in her mind that the nurse thought very highly of Seb, but was she involved with him on a personal level as well as a professional one? All of a sudden she knew that she had to find out the answer before it drove her crazy.

  ‘You seem to have a really good rapport with your team,’ she said hurriedly before he could leave. ‘Do you see much of them out of work as well as in?’

  ‘Sometimes.’ He shrugged, although she could tell that he was a little puzzled by the question. ‘It’s just the usual sort of socialising—trips to the pub, the odd meal out, that sort of thing.’

  ‘Does Cathy go with you?’ she asked, trying to make it appear that the question had been prompted by mild curiosity.

  ‘If she gets the chance, yes, she does. But more often than not she’s in a rush to get home.’ Seb folded his arms and regarded her steadily. ‘She has five-year-old twin boys so her free time is prett
y limited, as you might imagine.’

  ‘Oh, I see.’

  Libby looked away when she felt embarrassed colour sweep up her face. It seemed that she’d been wrong to assume that Cathy was the woman Seb had been seeing, although it didn’t mean that he wasn’t involved with someone else. She looked up when she heard him sigh heavily.

  ‘I am not having an affair with Cathy. From what I know, she is very happily married, although nobody really knows what goes on in someone else’s marriage, do they?’

  Libby flinched when she heard the bitterness in his voice. However, before she could say anything, Marilyn appeared. ‘Sorry, Seb, but you’re needed. One of the guys they’ve just brought in has collapsed. It doesn’t look too promising either.’

  ‘I’ll be right there.’ He turned to her and Libby could see the reproach in his eyes. ‘I know how hard it is, but try not to let your imagination run away with you. The situation isn’t what you think it is.’

  She wasn’t sure what he meant by that but as she watched him hurry across the waiting room, she could feel her heart racing. Had Seb been trying to tell her that there was no other woman in his life?

  She wanted to believe it was true but if it was, why hadn’t he told her so before? Why hadn’t he denied that he’d been having an affair when she’d accused him earlier on?

  ‘He needs intubating. Can someone shine a light over here so I can see what the hell I’m doing?’

  Seb could hear the snap in his voice but he refused to apologise for it. He was sick and tired of being made to feel as though he had done something wrong when he wasn’t to blame!

  He picked up the laryngoscope, nodding when a light appeared over his right shoulder. He mustn’t think about Libby and this crazy idea she’d got into her head about him having an affair or he wouldn’t be able to do his job properly. ‘Shine that light a bit more to the left,’ he instructed, determined to get a grip on himself. ‘OK, hold it right there.’

  He carefully passed the endotracheal tube down the patient’s throat between his vocal cords into his trachea. Removing the laryngoscope, he taped the end of the tube into place then glanced at Marilyn. ‘Right. Bag him.’