LITMIR.BIZ

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he lived but a stone’s throw away.

      ‘I’m not sure,’ he told him, ruffling the boy’s fair locks. ‘It depends on what your mother has to say.’ And he went on his way, thinking that it might be quite a lot, with words like ‘presumptuous’ featuring prominently.

      * * *

      As Selina walked Josh across the village green to her brother’s house early on Tuesday morning she was wondering if she’d done the right thing by agreeing that he could go to school.

      He was getting around all right on crutches and in every other way was back to his normal self, but her confidence had been badly shaken by the accident and on Monday morning she’d been to see the headmaster.

      It had transpired that the blame lay equally between Josh and the school. On his part because he’d unfastened the gate to get the ball, and on their part because the fastener on the gate hadn’t been completely childproof. There had also only been one playground supervisor on duty instead of two.

      ‘We admit that we are partly to blame, Mrs Sanderson,’ the headmaster had said, ‘but Joshua knew that he wasn’t allowed to leave the school yard and…well…we both know what happened. He got carried away in the excitement of the moment and all he could think of was to retrieve the football.’

      ‘What about the motorist?’ she’d asked and the head had smiled.

      ‘He was an elderly man passing through and, luckily for Joshua, a very cautious driver.’

      She’d shuddered.

      ‘Yes, indeed.’

      And now, in half an hour’s time, she would be back at the ambulance depot, and some time after that Jill would drop Josh off at school before taking the twins to their playgroup. And with Gavin already on his way to another day in Accident and Emergency, they would all be in their appointed places.

      For some reason she was apprehensive about what the coming day might hold for her. She’d last seen Kane Kavener on Friday afternoon when he’d taken her home to change.

      The circumstances under which they’d met weren’t what she would have wished, but there was no putting the clock back. And they were going to be workmates, for heaven’s sake! The best way to approach the coming meeting at the ambulance station was with pleasant, polite professionalism and see how that went down.

      As soon as she walked into the staffroom behind where the ambulances were garaged, Selina was surrounded by those going off duty and those coming on.

      ‘How’s the boy?’

      ‘How’s young Josh?’

      Their concern brought a lump to her throat.

      These were people who were seeing pain and sickness every day of their lives, often in their more dire forms, and a degree of impersonality was the only way they could cope. But when it came to one of their own—and it was Selina, who had already had one awful tragedy to cope with—they were right behind her.

      She was aware that Kane was on the perimeter of the group around her, standing to one side, aloof and silent as if he didn’t belong, but when their eyes met he smiled.

      It wasn’t on a par with the morning sun, more a relaxing of the face muscles, but at least it was a welcome of sorts, and with a feeling that it was going to be a very interesting day she helped herself to a mug of hot tea and waited for him to make the first move.

      He didn’t have to. She’d barely put the drink to her lips when the station officer appeared and beckoned her over.

      ‘I believe you’ve already met Kane Kavener, who is to replace Charlie Vaughan,’ fifty-year-old Mark Guthrie said. ‘You will partner him as you did Charlie…and, Selina, make him welcome. He’s a newcomer to the unit and a stranger in our town, and you know how keen I am to have harmony amongst the staff.

      ‘A couple of the other guys would have liked you to be partnering them, though I can’t think why,’ he went on, with a twinkle in eyes that could be as bleak as a winter day when things went wrong. ‘But Kane is here as Charlie’s replacement and you were his partner.’

      The twinkle was still there as he said, ‘It’s not always wise to let you folks have all your own way. So just to be awkward I’m putting you with the one who isn’t too keen on working with a woman, and those who are bursting to turn out with you remain as before.’

      There was a troubled frown on her face.

      ‘I don’t want to be an object of distrust…or desire. All I want is to do the job to the best of my ability and then go home to my son.’ Her voice was flat. ‘So Kane is putting up with me on sufferance? What’s he got against womankind?’

      ‘Probably nothing. He came with excellent references. Was a top performer at his last place. So perhaps—’

      ‘He thinks that the casualties we collect won’t be the only passengers?’ she said tightly.

      ‘I don’t know. But if he does, you’ll have to show him how wrong he is, won’t you?’

      ‘Yes, won’t I?’ she agreed, and as Mark departed for the inner sanctum of his office Selina went to face the day with a man she had been prepared to like but now wasn’t so sure.

      But he had taken the trouble to visit Josh in the hospital and she couldn’t let it pass without thanking him. So as he turned away from the refreshment counter where he’d been chatting with Olga, the tealady, she said, ‘It was good of you to go to see Josh on Saturday night. He’s short of male company.’

      That would let him see that even if he was sexist, she wasn’t. But then he wouldn’t know that Mark had just spilled the beans about him preferring a male partner.

      ‘It was my pleasure,’ he said easily. ‘I’m renting a flat that’s only minutes away from the hospital.’

      ‘And have you settled in all right?’

      He grimaced. ‘It’s not exactly from the Better Homes Guide, but because of coming down here at the last minute I took the first thing I was offered. However, in the near future I shall be looking to change my habitat, maybe to somewhere in the vicinity of your delightful village.’

      Long-lashed violet eyes observed him in surprise. That might have been nice to know if it hadn’t been for the fact that he wasn’t keen to work with her.

      ‘I’m sure you’ll find somewhere,’ she said casually. ‘Not everyone can settle into country life.’

      It was his turn to stare. So that was it, he thought. She might have to put up with him workwise, but she didn’t want her home territory invaded.

      Their first call of the day came through at that moment, putting an end to the stilted conversation. Kane was already moving, with Selina right behind him.

      One ambulance had already gone out while Mark Guthrie had been talking to her and now it was their turn.

      As they left the canteen Kane pressed the button to activate the machinery that would raise the heavy metal exit doors, and once they’d climbed aboard they were off within seconds.

      They were allowed eight minutes to arrive at the scene of the emergency and by that time would have discovered from information received on the computer in the cab what degree of urgency there was in the request for an ambulance.

      The most urgent, like heart attacks or chest pains that might lead to cardiac arrest or the sudden onset of other life-threatening illnesses, along with serious traffic accidents or major catastrophes, were classed as red alerts.

      Less serious-sounding accidents, inside and outside the home, were amber alerts, and anything not so urgent, yet requiring the service of am ambulance, were logged as green.

      Being prewarned about the seriousness of the incident that they were approaching gave the crews the chance to prepare themselves for whatever lay ahead.

      Obviously

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