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“Sire, I’m sorry to disturb you, but I’ve just heard—there’s been a terrible multi-vehicle accident on the main freeway to Kazat, where the fête is. We’ve been trying to call your wife and the driver, but there’s no response from them or the bodyguards. We don’t have news yet as the emergency services haven’t reached them.”
Kaden heard her words and tried to react, to move. But it was as if his limbs were instantly weighted down with wet cement. He couldn’t get up. He could feel his blood draining south and put his hands on his desk to hold on to something.
His secretary started crying and the foreign minister stood up. “Sire, I’ll get your car immediately.”
Kaden stood up then, even though he couldn’t feel his own legs, and said with an icy calm which belied the roaring in his brain, “Not the car. Too slow. Get the helicopter ready and make sure there’s a doctor and a paramedic on board. Now.”
What felt like aeons later, but what was in fact only thirty minutes, Kaden’s helicopter pilot was setting down in a clearing beside the freeway. All Kaden could see was a tangled mass of vehicles, a school bus on its side, with steam billowing out of its engine, and lines of cars blocking the freeway.
The flashing lights of the first emergency vehicles were evident, and there were people blackened from smoke and fire rushing everywhere. And amongst all that twisted metal and heat was Julia. Kaden’s mind shut down and he went into autopilot. He simply could not contemplate anything beyond the next few seconds.
The blast of heat nearly pushed him backwards when he got out of the chopper, but Kaden ignored it and waded straight into the carnage. He shouted at the young, scared-looking doctor with him, “Stay beside me!”
All around them people were wandering around looking dazed, with blood running down their faces, holding hands and arms. But to Kaden’s initial and fleeting relief there seemed no serious-looking injuries. He focused on the school bus on its side, and as he went towards it, acting on instinct, he finally saw the Royal car. It was skewed at an angle near the bus, ploughed into the steel girder which ran down the middle of the highway, and near it, on its roof, was the security Jeep.
Kaden’s heart stopped. He ran towards the car, and when he got there, his lungs burning, ducked his head into the back seat. It was empty. He felt sick when he saw the trail of blood that led out of the car.
He stood up. “Julia!”
Nothing. Panic at full throttle now, he went towards the other side of the school bus and stopped dead in his tracks, a mixture of overwhelming relief and incoherent rage making him dizzy. Julia was handing a small child to her driver, who was in turn handing it to someone else. Adults who looked like teachers were standing in groups with other children, crying. Julia’s kaftan was ripped and bloody.
He went towards her and she saw him. “Oh, Kaden—thank God! Please … you have to help us. There are still some children trapped inside, and the engine is leaking petrol.”
She looked half crazed, which he could see was due to shock and adrenalin, and in the periphery of his vision he could see people standing with phones, taking videos and photos. Very deliberately he put his hands on Julia’s arms and bodily moved her out of harm’s way. He looked at the doctor and said, “She’s over five months pregnant. If anything happens to her you’ll be held personally responsible.”
Julia protested. “But, Kaden, there are still children—”
He cut her off. “You stay here. I will go and get the children. If you move one inch, Julia, so help me God I will lock you in the palace for the rest of your life.”
Through a haze of shock and panic Julia could only feel limp with relief as she watched Kaden stride back to the bus, climb up, and reach in to help pull the children out. Within minutes they were all accounted for, and Julia had already instructed the now terrified-looking doctor to go and help the injured children instead of babysitting her. She was helping too, ripping material off her dress to tie around bleeding arms and legs.
She felt herself being lifted upwards and was turned into Kaden’s chest. His eyes burned down into hers. “Are you OK? Are you in pain anywhere?”
Julia shook her head. Some of the shock was starting to wear off, so she was aware of how deranged Kaden looked. She put it down to the accident. “I’m fine. We need to help these people …”
But her words were muffled against Kaden’s chest as he pulled her into him and hugged her so tightly that she couldn’t breathe. Eventually he pulled back. “We’re getting out of here right now. I need to get you to the hospital.”
Julia protested. “I’m fine—what about all these people? The children? They need help more than me!”
But Kaden wasn’t listening. She could see an emergency medical plane circling overhead, and more choppers landing. The scene was swarming with emergency staff now, and the young doctor was busy.
When she still resisted, Kaden uttered an oath and turned and picked her up into his arms. Julia opened her mouth, but closed it again at the stern set of his features. He looked as if he was going to murder someone, and she felt a pang when she recalled what he’d said to the doctor. “She’s over five months pregnant …” He must be livid with her for putting their babies at risk.
She was in the chopper and secured within minutes, and then they were lifting up and away from the mayhem. Julia was comforted to see that the emergency vehicles were already speeding back towards the city, and other choppers were loading up with patients.
Kaden couldn’t speak because of the noise but Julia was glad. She wasn’t looking forward to what he had to say.
“Kaden, why don’t you just spit it out? You’re giving me a headache, pacing around like a bear with a sore head.”
He stopped and glared at her, his jeans and shirt ripped and dusty. “You’re a national hero. Do you know that? With one fell swoop the entire nation is in love with you.”
“What do you mean?” Julia was confused.
Kaden picked up the remote and turned on the TV. A rolling
news channel was showing images of the crash, and then it zoomed in on Julia, where she was handing a small child to someone.
She glanced at Kaden. He’d gone grey.
