He knows they had come perilously close to living through such a scene. By all accounts, it could so easily be Georgia lying here. Callum wants to find that boy Danny’s hand and shake it till his wrist falls off.
He keeps in step with Liam as they head back along the maze of corridors, wall after wall of sickly yellow. Neither of them speaks until after they arrive at the cafeteria and pick out sandwiches and hot drinks. ‘Let’s sit,’ Liam says. ‘I’m not sure we’re allowed food on the ward – we might have to smuggle some sandwiches in for the girls.’
A few weeks ago it had been Liam’s fiftieth birthday party. Callum recalled how well and happy his brother had been that night, a beer in his hand, his arm around Helene, singing old folk songs with his friends. How quickly things change – now every crease and crevice shows up against his grey skin, and his eyes are bloodshot. Today he looks old enough for a bus pass.
‘What have the doctors said?’
‘She took a bit of a knock to the head when she fell, so they were worried about swelling on the brain. That’s why they’ve sedated her, but all the test results today are positive, so everyone is pleased about that.’ Callum nods but Liam remains serious. ‘They operated on her leg last night, so hopefully there’s no lasting damage. Now we’re just waiting for her to wake up.’ His voice cracks on the final few words. ‘I just can’t believe it, Callum. This is something that happens to other people – not us. We live in the safest place in England, don’t we? I still feel like I’m waiting to emerge from a nightmare. Tell me, what’s Georgia like today?’
Callum shrugs. ‘I’m not sure – she’s keeping her feelings close to her chest and won’t talk to me or her mother. She wanted to go to school this morning and we let her, although I’m not sure we should have – I’ve been worried sick about her ever since I dropped her off.’
‘What did she say to the police?’
Callum hesitates. ‘I wasn’t there. But Anya told me she didn’t see much, it all happened very fast.’
‘So, she couldn’t give a description of who was driving?’
‘No, the car came at them from behind, Liam, there wasn’t any time.’
‘Jeez, Cal, we need to catch this bastard, and Georgia’s our best chance. I’ll call her this afternoon and see if she can remember anything else.’
Liam stares out into the distance, his jaw tight. Callum grimaces at the thought of Georgia being interrogated by her emotional uncle.
‘She’s already spoken to the police, Liam – and I think they plan on coming back later as well. Perhaps we should give her a bit of space . . .’
Liam leans towards his brother. ‘Cal, do you know how critical every hour is, following an incident like this? The longer it goes on, the more the leads drop away, and the less everyone cares. Take a good look at Sophia, for god’s sake. Don’t you want to do everything in your power to get the scumbag who did this to your niece? Isn’t that a little more important than everyone being well rested?’
People are beginning to watch them. Callum puts his hand out to pat his brother’s arm, saying, ‘Of course, of course,’ but Liam jumps back as though he’s been scalded.
‘Just don’t. DON’T. I’m so bloody angry, and all we’re doing is sitting here waiting for Sophia to wake up. I’ve called everyone I can think of but all they’ll tell me is that they’re working hard, and I’m to be with my daughter and family. I’m a policeman, Cal – this is what I’m trained for – but when it happens to my own child it turns out that all I can do is sit on my hands. Christ!’
Callum sees an elderly lady sipping tea close by flinch at the sudden volume increase. He’s uncertain of what to say. Being the younger brother, there had been a pattern in place by the time he became aware of it, and it has continued throughout their lives. Callum can’t recall any time he has been called on to play comforter to Liam, not even when their father died. They had both spoken clearly and calmly at the funeral, but Callum had gone home after the burial and broken down in Anya’s arms. He never knew if Liam had done the same.
As Liam sits rigid in front of him, Callum hunts for something to say. He feels awkward that he is the lucky one, his daughter intact except for one or two grazes. While he is grateful that it wasn’t worse, that both kids are alive and Sophia will recover, he knows that it’s too much to ask Liam to see any kind of solace in this at present.