“I’m going to call the hospital again, we need to get him help right away. It will be quicker in the chopper, but we need the paramedics to help me move him.” He ran to get a stretcher from the helicopter.
With Hari clinging to her chest, Delima ran inside to check on Ola. Evie kept talking to Ross, although she wasn’t sure he could hear her. She felt Andrzej’s reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Listen to the sirens, lass. The paramedics are almost here.” Evie felt as though she was in a nightmare.
“Why hasn’t he come round?” she sobbed. “There’s so much blood.”
“He’s taken a bad blow to the head,” said Iain. “You just keep talking to him. It’s the best we can do for now.”
After what felt like an eternity, two paramedics came running up beside them. To Evie they looked just like the men who had tried to save Brodie over twenty years before. They speedily and efficiently transferred Ross into the helicopter. His lips looked blue and the dressing they’d put on his head was soaked with blood.
There was room in the helicopter for Evie, and Andrzej told her he would drive to the hospital and meet her there. It was a race against time.
Chapter Fifty-Three
The Balfour Hospital
As soon as they landed, Ross was urgently wheeled away into theatre. He still hadn’t regained consciousness and his head injury was more severe than the paramedics had initially thought.
Evie was being checked out while an anxious police officer hovered at her elbow, desperate to take her statement about Amelia. The young sergeant managed to piece some of it together before doctors told him Evie was in no state to answer any more questions.
Edwyn burst into the room where Evie was being looked after. She started to cry when she saw him, “Oh Edwyn, she attacked Ross. It’s all my fault. I made her angry. And those poor little babies.” She began to wail in distress.
Edwyn hugged her and said, “She’s a psychopath. I should have seen it. We were all taken in by her. It’s not your fault. Try not to worry about Ross. They are doing everything they can to help him. The kids will be fine. They are with Delima and I’ve sent a doctor to see them at home. It will be easier for all of them.”
Evie looked at him in fear. “Where’s Amelia?” she whispered.
“Everyone is out looking for her and they will find her. Don’t you worry. I will go and try and find out what’s going on.”
“And Freya?” gulped Evie. “Is she any better?”
Edwyn hesitated. This was always one of the toughest parts of his job. The hard truth was Freya wasn’t getting any better. Edwyn had been checking up on her when the call had come in about Ross. Maureen was sitting by Freya’s bed, knitting a bright orange scarf and bravely chatting away, but it was clear her friend was in a bad way.
“We’ve not seen as much change as we expected,” Edwyn said gently. “But that’s no reason to give up hope.”
Evie went very pale. Ross and Freya, both in hospital. Could she really be facing the loss of the two people she loved most in all the world?
“Normally, we would be relying on Freya to get us through this. She’d be here reassuring us all. It’s like we have lost our anchor,” whispered Evie.
Edwyn put his arm around Evie’s shoulder. “Try not to worry too much. It’s early days and Freya is strong and stubborn. I’m going to ask Maureen to come and sit with you for a bit.”
“Thanks,” Evie said weakly. Then a thought occurred to her. “Edwyn, could you ring Liv? She needs to know what’s happened. I just don’t have the strength to talk to her right now.”
“Of course, I will,” said Edwyn.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Hoxa
Amelia was driving away from the house in a panic. She still had her money and passport in the bag around her waist but she was trapped. In the rearview mirror, she saw the helicopter landing and heard the ambulance sirens blaring. She knew she had to get as far away from the scene of her crimes as possible.
She muttered to herself, “That idiot, Ross!” Why had he decided to try and act the hero? She blocked out the loud thud of the van hitting his body and the sight of him bleeding on the road. Under cover of darkness, she’d find a place to hide out while she thought of a plan.
Liv and Rab had waited at Freya’s, hunkering down on her sofa, until Liv told him to go home and get some shuteye in his own bed. Unable to sleep herself, Liv kept checking her phone, but there were no messages.
“Forgotten about me again,” she told herself. “They couldn’t even be bothered to tell me what happened after I told them the truth about that bitch Amelia.” She sighed, “Always the same old story. I’m the one at the back of the queue that no one cares about.”
Feeling sorry for herself, she went to the kitchen to make herself a pot of tea when the phone rang. It was Edwyn. “Liv,I know it’s really late and I’m so sorry no one contacted you yet. It’s been an absolute nightmare. Evie asked me to call. It’s desperate.” Edwyn quickly filled her in on what had happened.
“The police are out searching for Amelia now.” He went on urgently, “Did she say anything to you about her plans? Or was there someone else on the island she knew? Or somewhere she could hide?”
