“Well done,” Newt said.
Ru gave a shy smile. “I’d not done CPR before, except on a foal. Good thing I’d read how to do it on a human.”
“My God, Ru! You didn’t just jump in and pull her out then?” Leigh said.
“There was no one around. What else could I do? I had to breath twice into her mouth. She came round after the second set of chest compressions. It was scary.”
“I bet.” Newt patted Ru’s hand.
Ru looked at Leigh. “Have you ever done CPR on a horse?”
“On a foal, yes, several times, but not a fully grown horse. I know it can be done, andhasbeen done, but the pressure needed on the chest is considerable. One person on their own couldn’t sustain that amount of effortandprovide ventilation.”
“I once gave CPR to someone on the mortuary table,” Newt said. “Much to the horror of my fellow students. Resurrection turned out to be impossible, but for a moment, I had this idea that I was actually witnessing the Lazarus syndrome. How everyone sniggered. But I’ve never seen as much movement coming from a body as I did from that one, twitching and farting and groaning.” He turned to Leigh. “Sometimes I wonder if you’ve died in the night.”
Leigh mock-stabbed him with his fork. Ru laughed. Everyone settled down to eat, and though Ru didn’t put much on his plate, at least he was eating something. Jasim pressed his knee to Ru’s and Ru pushed back.
“I can’t thank you enough for saving Thana,” Jasim said. “If she’d died… Oh God, I don’t know what my brother would have done. Never forgiven me—for a start.”
“But it wasn’t your fault she fell in,” Marcelo said.
“Not directly. Her mother was supposed to be watching her. But if she’d drowned in my pool, where there’s no protective barrier, then I don’t think Waqas would have ever forgiven me.”
“Well, she’s okay, so you’re okay.” Ru smiled at him.
“What about you? How are your ribs? Do you need time off work?”
“I’m fine. It was a glancing blow.”
“Up to riding?”
“Yes.”
Jasim looked at Joaquin. “How about we play a few match chukkas tomorrow? Two of us paired with two grooms?”
“Which two of us will you put together?”Nicolásasked.
“We’ll swap around, but who shall we have on the team to start?” Jasim turned to Paolo.
“Rodrigo is fit enough now. Him and Mike. Mike as One, Rodrigo as Back.”
Jasim nodded. “Then Marcelo and Joaquin with Diego and Ru.”
Ru clattered his fork onto his plate. “Me?”
“Don’t you want to?” Jasim asked.
“Yes.” Ru stared straight at him.
“You’ll be number Two, offence and defence. Diego will be number Three, the playmaker.”
“How am I supposed to sleep now?” Ru asked and everyone laughed.
They might be laughing, Ru thought, but he was serious. Jasim was playing him in a game of polo? Jasim’s foot pressed against his and Ru knew he was trying to calm him down.
“I wish I could watch,” Newt said. “Sadly I have a date with a suspected murder victim. Though I’m pretty sure she didn’t hit herself in the head with the axe.”
“I think I might rather watch you,” Ru mumbled.
