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‘Yeah, I’ll bet.’ Lucas flipped off the penlight. ‘Okay, well, I’m disappointed to tell you that I can’t find anything wrong with you.’
Lisa slipped off the gurney, sliding her feet back into her heavy boots. ‘Sure you didn’t miss anything?’
Lucas shrugged. ‘I can try again, if you want.’
‘Nah. Thanks, though. I’ve got to go and see what’s happening.’
‘Dave’s not going to be out of surgery for a while yet.’ Thea spoke quietly.
‘Yeah, I know.’ Lisa twisted her lips together.
‘Why don’t you have a cup of tea with us?’ Lucas looked around to see whether anyone was waiting for Lisa, but no one seemed to be.
‘I want to find out what happened.’ Lisa’s face took on a sullen look, and suddenly it hit Thea. She’d been busy worrying about whether her own actions would stand the test of scrutiny, and not even thought that Lisa had been driving when the accident had happened.
‘Wait here, Lisa.’ She rose from her seat.
‘I’m going—’ The argumentative tone sounded in Lisa’s voice again.
‘Sit. Down.’ Both Thea and Lisa started, and Thea almost sat down, even though Lucas’s words were directed at Lisa. She supposed that bringing up a teenager had honed the sudden command in his voice.
Lisa sat back down on the gurney.
‘Stay there. If you don’t do as you’re told, I’ll admit you.’
‘What for?’ One last trace of Lisa’s defiance remained.
‘I’ll make something up. I don’t suppose you have a cough?’
* * *
Lucas fetched a cup of tea for Lisa, keeping his eye on the cubicle door. Thea had bolted, obviously on a mission to get whatever information she could, and he wasn’t about to let Lisa make a break for it in the meantime. Ten minutes later Thea returned, a grim smile on her face.
‘Okay. There’s no news on Dave yet, but there’s something else…’ She sat down next to Lisa on the gurney. ‘The other driver was drunk. There were a couple of eyewitnesses, who both said they saw you turning into the hospital and that the other guy came round the corner and shot the lights, going straight into you. There was no way you could have seen him.’
Lisa stared at her for a moment, and then clapped her hand over her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut. ‘Oh. Thank God.’ She shook her head. ‘No…I don’t mean that…’
‘I know what you meant.’
Lisa slumped against Thea, the tough exterior of an experienced ambulance driver suddenly dissolved. ‘I thought it was my fault.’
Lucas just managed to hook a cardboard bowl from the pile and thrust it into Thea’s hand before Lisa was sick. It was a short, sharp reaction, and Lucas got rid of the bowl while Thea looked after Lisa.
‘Ugh.’ Lisa took the paper towel that Thea proffered and wiped her mouth. ‘Is the driver all right, then? The car looked as if it was a complete wreck.’
Somehow Lisa managed to carry off the combination of utter disgust for the driver of the car with concern for his well-being.
Thea grinned at her. ‘Broken arm. Apart from that and being under arrest he’s fine.’
‘The police are here?’
‘Yes. Keeping a low profile, but they breathalysed the guy and the last anyone saw of him was that an officer was following him round to X-Ray.’ Thea slipped her arm around Lisa’s shoulders. ‘Come on. I’ll help you clean up, and then we’ll get a cup of tea. By that time there might be some news.’
* * *
By the time they got to the relatives’ lounge Dave’s wife was already there, accompanied by two men, still in uniform and obviously just off shift. Lisa faltered when she saw her and Thea squeezed her arm.
‘Lisa! I’ve been worried about you.’
