by Joanna Neil
Alyssa instinctively bent her head and covered her face with her arms as the thick windscreen glass groaned and shattered. Small pieces of laminated glass fell over her, but as the car shuddered to a halt, she gradually came to realise that, apart from some possible bruising from the emergency braking, she was all right. She wasn’t hurt. She sat up, brushing blunt fragments of glass from her hair, and turned to look at Ross.
What she saw left her rigid with shock. Some of the tree’s branches had speared the windscreen, coming through on the driver’s side, and Ross was slumped over the wheel. There was a gash to the side of his head, and even in the darkness she could see that blood was trickling from it down his cheek.
Heart thumping, she felt for a pulse at his wrist. It was beating, an erratic kind of rhythm, but it was there and he was still alive. She sighed with relief, but it was short-lived. What would she do if his condition began to deteriorate? How would she cope?
‘Ross, can you hear me? Can you talk to me?’
He mumbled something, and she tried again. ‘I need to know if you’re hurt anywhere other than your head,’ she said slowly. ‘Talk to me, Ross.’
Somehow, she was going to have to get them out of this mess, but for now she couldn’t think what to do. It wouldn’t be wise to move him, because he might have sustained a whiplash injury or worse when the branch had struck him. She flipped on the car’s interior light and looked around to see if there was anything she could use to make a neck collar that would prevent him from sustaining any more damage.
In the back seat of the car she saw a newspaper, quickly leaned over to get it and began to roll it with trembling hands into a serviceable, tight wad. There was some tape in the glove compartment, and she used this to secure it around his neck. Then she gently eased him back in the seat so that the headrest supported his head. Blood oozed from his wound and he started to retch.
She searched in her handbag and found some tissues. They weren’t much use, but they would help to contain things a bit if he was sick.
She breathed deeply and tried to pull herself together. Foraging in her handbag once more, she found her mobile phone and dialled the emergency services’ number, only to discover that there was no signal. Dismayed, she thought through her options. Judging from what had happened to her, the ambulance and rescue services would probably be overrun with calls right now. She’d heard about the nature of these storms and could only imagine the damage that would have been caused to property, especially in the poorer areas.
She sat back in her seat and fought to stem the tide of panic that ran through her. The front of the car was completely destroyed, rendering the car out of action, even if she’d had the strength to move the tree.
She had never felt so completely alone. On a dark, stormy night she was stranded on a lonely road in the middle of nowhere, in a strange country, and for a second or two she felt a wave of panic wash through her. Her heart was thumping wildly. If only Connor was here. He would know what to do.
Only he wasn’t here, and he was way too sensible to ever have risked coming out on a night like this. Would he even know that they were in trouble?
All she could do was to sit things out and wait for the storm to abate. They were off the road, as far as she could see, so they should be safe from any traffic at least. It seemed that when he’d seen what was about to happen, Ross had swerved onto a verge on the opposite side of the road. The tree was a worry, though, a danger to other road users.
‘Ross, how are you doing? Are you able to talk to me? Please try to answer me.’ Somehow she had to get him to respond.
He mumbled something once more, words that she couldn’t make out, but at least it meant he was semiconscious. He didn’t appear to have any other wounds, just the nasty gash on his head.
She didn’t know how long she sat there, but lights suddenly dazzled her, coming from straight ahead. Was it another motorist heading towards them? She had to warn the driver about the fallen tree blocking his path. Ought she to stop whoever it was and ask for help? At least he might help them to get to a hospital.
The other car was still some distance away so she might yet be able to catch the driver’s attention. She reached over and switched on the lights, flashing them on and off several times. Then she pushed open the passenger door and tried to step out into the road.
The force of the billowing, gusty wind almost knocked her over and she fought desperately to keep her balance, holding onto the car door. In the gloom she saw that the other driver had stopped and was getting out of his vehicle.
‘What on earth are you doing? Get back inside the car.’ It was Connor’s voice and she was so stunned to see and hear him that she stayed where she was and stared at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
‘In the car,’ he said again, taking her by the arm and urging her back inside. Making sure she was securely settled in her seat, he came and sat in the back of the vehicle.
He must have been shocked by what he’d seen as he’d driven towards them, but he steeled himself now to reach forward and examine his brother, quickly assessing the damage.
Alyssa struggled to gain control of herself. Relief had washed over her when she’d seen him, but now the enormity of the situation was bearing down on her. Her heart beat a staccato rhythm. ‘He has a head injury,’ she told him, ‘but he’s semi-conscious. I’ve been trying to talk to him, to keep him awake.’
He nodded. ‘We’ll have to get him to the hospital. It’s not too far from here.’
‘I wanted to do that, but I knew, from the size of it, that I wouldn’t be able to shift that tree on my own.’
‘Of course you couldn’t.’ He studied her, his expression taut. ‘Are you all right? Are you hurt in any way?’
She shook her head. ‘I’m fine,’ she said.
‘Are you sure?’ He reached out and touched her cheek as though he would physically check her out. ‘You were shaking when I first got here.’
‘Really, I’m okay.’ She frowned. ‘What are you doing here, anyway? How did you know we needed help or where to find us?’ That had to be the only reason he was out here on a night like this. He’d come specially to find them.
‘When you didn’t come home when I expected you I tried to call both of you on your mobiles. I guessed there was no signal, which made me all the more concerned. But I managed to get through to the Reef Bar on a landline, and the bartender told me you had left there almost an hour previously. I was worried.’ His expression tightened. ‘I didn’t like to think what might have happened to you.’
‘So you came to find us.’ Thank goodness he had cared enough to do that. The brothers might have their differences from time to time, but Connor’s loyalty was unshakeable. She frowned. ‘You took a big risk coming out here, knowing what conditions were like.’
‘I had to find out what had happened. Anyway, I have a solid, four-wheel drive that I keep for times like these. I assumed Ross would have avoided the main highway.’
He looked around. ‘Okay, you stay here. I’m going to try to move the tree to make things safer for anyone else who comes this way. Then I need to get Ross out of here.’
‘I’m coming with you.’ She’d already started to slide out of the car, and when he started to object, she said quickly, ‘You’ll need help.’
Perhaps he could see from the determined tilt of her chin that there was no point in arguing with her. ‘Make sure you keep hold of something at all times,’ he said.
They set to work. Between them they attempted to pull the tree from the car, battling all the while against the raging storm. Rain drove into Alyssa, drenching her, and the wind took her breath away.
‘Here, give me your hand,’ Connor said when he was satisfied the road was clear. ‘I’ll help you back to the car.’ She did as he asked and they huddled together against the driving force of the wind.
‘Sit back in the car while I move Ross,’ he said, but she shook her head.
‘I’ll give you a han
d. We don’t know if he has any other injuries, and we need to be as careful as possible,’ she warned him. ‘I’ll hold the door open for you.’
He pressed his lips together. ‘All right…But, as before, make sure you keep hold of the car, or me, at all times.’
‘Okay.’
He went around to the driver’s side and slowly, carefully, eased Ross over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift. Alyssa helped to keep Ross’s body from twisting or jerking in any way, and between them they managed to transfer him to the back of Connor’s car. Even in the darkness she could see it was a top-spec model. There was no time to dwell on that, though. The gale howled all around them, whipping the branches like a maddened beast. Alyssa’s teeth started to chatter.
Connor made sure that his brother was securely fastened into his seat, and covered him with a blanket that he retrieved from the boot of the car. Alyssa went to sit beside Ross, talking to him the whole time, trying to get him to answer her. Connor took off his jacket and draped it over her.
‘But you’ll need it,’ she protested.
He gave her a wry look. ‘I think right now you need it more than I do.’
He went around to the boot of the vehicle once more and came back a moment later to hand her a first-aid kit. ‘There are dressings in there, and bags in case he’s sick.’ He frowned. ‘He’s badly concussed.’
Then he slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. The car purred into action and a moment or two later heat began to waft around Alyssa as he engaged climate control. It was one small comfort after what they’d been through. Very soon they were on their way to the hospital.
They’d gone a mile or so, and had emerged from the leafy lane to turn on to a road leading to a small settlement area. A creek ran alongside a cluster of wooden houses, and Alyssa guessed it had burst its banks and flooded the area, because the land all around was awash with water. She could see the moon glinting on the surface ripples. Flimsy roofs had been torn off the wooden outhouses, and here and there doors were missing.
She peered through the gloom. Even with such conditions causing havoc all around them, a group of people huddled in the wide, covered entrance to what she guessed was an old, brick schoolhouse. One of them, a man in his thirties, she guessed, started to wave frantically, trying to get them to stop.
Connor carefully drew the vehicle to a halt, glancing at Ross in the back. ‘Are you still with us, Ross?’ he asked.
Ross mumbled a reply. His eyes were closed and he seemed oblivious to what was going on. Alyssa had covered the gash on his head but the dressing was soaked with blood.
Connor wound down his window a little. ‘What’s the problem?’ he asked.
‘It’s my little girl—she was swallowed up by the creek—it swept her away and she nearly drowned. We rescued her, but we can’t get her to breathe—she needs to go to hospital. Can you help us?’
Alyssa wondered what the child was doing up at this time of night. Whatever the reason, it was a horrendous situation these people had found themselves in—she doubted that any of them had transport that would withstand the journey to the hospital.
She glanced at Ross, wondering if she dared leave him, because Connor was already climbing out of the vehicle to go and see what he could do to help. ‘I’m a doctor,’ he told the distraught man. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’
Now that she focussed more clearly, Alyssa could make out a small figure lying in the covered porch. The child couldn’t be much more than five years old, she guessed.
Connor knelt down beside the girl and checked her breathing and her pulse. Then he looked in her mouth for any obstruction and made a finger sweep search. Alyssa guessed he found something because he shook the debris free of his hand and started to press down on her chest, with steady, rhythmic movements.
Alyssa made up her mind what she had to do. Turning to Ross, she said urgently, ‘I’m sorry, Ross, but I have to go. I won’t be long, but I think Connor might need some help. I promise I’ll be back with you in a few minutes.’
Keeping her head down, she struggled through the storm to get to Connor. Hands reached for her, and the small assembly drew her into the relative safety of the archway.
She knelt down beside Connor. ‘What can I do?’ she asked.
‘Take over from me. I’ll go and get the oxygen kit from my car.’
‘Okay.’ She took his place, going on with the CPR, while Connor searched in the boot for his medical kit. The little girl wasn’t moving. She was deathly white, her lips taking on a bluish tinge, and Alyssa’s heart turned over with dread. How could this happen to such a small, helpless child?
‘Can you do anything for her?’ the father pleaded. ‘She isn’t breathing, is she?’ His voice broke. ‘We were having a birthday celebration. That’s why she was up so late. But then she wandered outside…’
Connor returned and straight away checked the little girl’s pulse. ‘It’s very faint, but she’s still with us…’ He looked down at her frail form. ‘Just a little more effort, sweetheart. Breathe for me. Try to fill your lungs, you must breathe.’
He placed the mask over her face and then looked up at the child’s father. ‘What’s her name?’
‘Bijou. It means “jewel”.’
Connor smiled. ‘That’s a lovely name.’ Then he turned back to the child and said softly, ‘Breathe for me, Bijou. You can do it, I know you can.’
Alyssa watched him. He cared so much that this tiny girl should live. He wasn’t going to give up on her while there was the remotest chance, and she desperately wanted him to succeed. She was numb inside, scared about what might happen, but she went on with the CPR without interruption as Connor rhythmically squeezed the oxygen bag.
Bijou suddenly spluttered, turning her head to one side and dislodging the mask. She coughed and seemed to choke, and then after a second or two she tried desperately to suck air into her lungs. When she settled once more, Connor held the mask over her nose and mouth. ‘That’s it. Good girl. Take your time. Breathe in…that’s it, nice and deep.’
Alyssa smiled, overcome with joy. ‘She’s going to be all right.’ She glanced up at the parents. ‘We must take her to hospital all the same, to make sure everything’s as it should be.’ There could be some irritant after-effects of having water in her lungs, and the hospital would be the best place to make sure she received the right support.
Connor agreed. ‘We can take her, along with one parent. I’m sorry, but I’ve no room for any more because my brother’s injured and I have to take him to hospital. Who will it be?’
‘I’ll go with her.’ The child’s mother stepped forward. Her face was drained of colour, etched with the strain of seeing her daughter struggle for life. ‘Thank you so much for what you’ve done. I don’t know what to say. I can’t thank you enough.’
Bijou’s father joined in. ‘Yes, yes…a thousand thanks. We owe you so much. Thank you.’
The small crowd of people helped them back to the car. The little girl was very cold but they managed to find a blanket for her, and Alyssa removed her wet dress and carefully wrapped her up warmly before placing her beside her mother in the back of the car.
Both she and Connor checked on Ross. He was still quiet, sitting with his eyes closed, occasionally retching.
Alyssa was glad of the warmth of the car once more. Connor drove carefully, looking ahead for signs of trouble but keeping on a steady path towards the hospital. It was hard to believe the evening had turned out so badly.
‘We’re here. Let’s get everyone inside.’
Alyssa looked around, startled to find that they were at Coral Cay Hospital already. Her mind had wandered, thinking about Connor’s calm, assured actions as he’d battled to save the small child, and how careful he’d been to make sure his brother came to no harm. She didn’t like to dwell on either outcome if he hadn’t turned up when he had.
He made his report to the on-duty registrar, and Bijou was whisked away to the paediatric ward
. The registrar spoke soothingly to the child’s mother. ‘We’ll make sure she’s thoroughly warm and then we’ll examine her to be certain there’s no ongoing damage,’ he said. ‘She may need a chest X-ray and antibiotics, or possibly even medication to stop any spasm of the airways. That can sometimes happen a few hours after the event, so we’ll keep her in for observation.’
Ross was wheeled to a treatment bay, where one of the emergency doctors started to check him over, looking for signs of neurological damage. ‘We’ll get the wound cleaned up and apply a fresh dressing,’ he told Connor. ‘He’ll probably be glad of some painkillers, too. Leave him with us for a while.’
He looked Connor over and then glanced at Alyssa. ‘You both look as though you could do with getting out of those wet clothes. We could find you some fresh scrubs to wear and then maybe you’d like to warm up from the inside. Our cafeteria is still open.’
‘That sounds good to me. Hot soup would be just the thing.’ Connor sent Alyssa a questioning glance, and she nodded, her mind somewhere else, watching the small girl being wheeled away.
It was beginning to dawn on her how close she had come to seeing a child die. The thought hit her like a hammer blow, leaving a heavy, aching feeling in the pit of her stomach. She felt faint. She didn’t know how to handle the emotions that rippled through her like a shock wave.
Connor held out his hand to her. ‘I’ll show you where you can change,’ he murmured. He gave her a sideways glance, a questioning look in his eyes.
She nodded, unable to answer him just then. The events of the night were beginning to crowd in on her and she had an overwhelming feeling that she was about to cry. The responsibility of being a doctor was awesome, and she didn’t think she could cope with it for much longer.
He showed her to a room where she could dress in private, and handed her a large, white towel and a set of scrubs.
‘Thanks.’
He left her, again with that thoughtful, musing glance, and once she was alone she stared at herself in the mirror that had been fixed to the wall.
