‘Of course you couldn’t bloody find it! Because it’s not bloody there! You operated on the wrong bloody arm!’
Her word reverberated round the tiny space. I made a huge effort, but there was no chance. Laughter bubbled inside me, as unstoppable as a greased elephant on a helter-skelter. I curled into a ball and couldn’t stop. It was so funny. His face. Her face. All that effort. All that pain. All that blood. And it was the wrong bloody arm!
I was still laughing uncontrollably when something cold slid into the back of my hand.
I awoke some time later, blinked a little and looked around me. I lay in a little pool of light. An oasis in the dark, echoing space that was TB2. As far as I could see, I was alone. I couldn’t see either Leon or his pod, but that didn’t mean they weren’t here somewhere. I hoped.
My right arm was hugely bandaged and resting on a pillow. The other arm had a tiny red mark on the inside, just below my elbow. I could barely see it. Actually, I could barely see anything. I floated, warm and comfortable on a pink, fluffy cloud of peace and security. There was no pain. This was more like it. Things were looking up. The complete absence of any sort of threat was a very welcome change.
There was also a complete absence of Leon. I had no idea what time it was. Or what day it was. Or even what year it was. Where was he? Surely it wouldn’t take that long to make the return jump to Pompeii, open the door, toss out a successfully removed tag, and jump back again. Minutes? Seconds? He must be here, somewhere.
Hard on that thought, I heard the ramp coming down. He was back.
I was quite unprepared for the great wave of – something – that left me breathless. I heard Dr Foster say, ‘Just a few minutes,’ and then he stepped into my little pool of light.
At some point, he’d had a shower, shit, and shave, and picked up some clean clothes, so he looked reasonably presentable. And exhausted.
We stared at each other. I remembered my instructions and didn’t say a word. Which was good, because I couldn’t think of anything to say, anyway. I tried to smile, but it was a very poor effort. His was even worse.
He turned abruptly, wandering aimlessly around the pod before finally fetching up at the foot of my bed, picking up Helen’s scratchpad and pretending to read her notes.
Finally, he said, still not looking at me, ‘I thought I’d lost you. Again.’
I said nothing.
‘Helen says you’ll be up and about soon. At the moment, you’re stuffed full of some very serious medication.’
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me.
He finally looked up. I noticed his burns were healing. At some point Helen had renewed his plastic.
‘The tag is gone. As is Pompeii. Dieter and I patched my pod as best we could, and I jumped back. There were bodies everywhere. The heat was unbearable. The mountain was still belching muck into the atmosphere. I threw the tag out into the street and it was covered almost immediately. I don’t know if the Time Police were still there. I don’t know if they would have been able to pick up the signal, but your plan will still hold. They tracked you there. They saw you there. There was a violent explosion. Your signal was gone. Whether they believe you’re dead or not, they can’t track you any longer. No one knows you’re here but the medical staff, Dieter, and Dr Bairstow. You have your life back.’
Yes, I did. And what was I going to do with it?
I held out the one hand that still worked and he came and sat on the bed. It was nice to have him so close again.
‘Anyway, what I wanted to say, Max, is that you’re safe now. They don’t know you’re here. In a day or two, we can go wherever we like.’
He smiled, and his was as wobbly as mine. ‘It was quite a ride, wasn’t it? Just like old times.’
I nodded. Just like old times.
‘I wanted to say … I know we haven’t known each other long and we agreed to take things very slowly … but I wanted to say …’
God, he was hopeless.
I lifted his hand to my cheek and held it there and it was almost too much for both of us.
‘Lucy …’
He stroked my cheek and, leaning forward, kissed me gently.
My world rocked. I hoped it wasn’t anything to do with the medication.
‘I have a lot to say to you, but all that’s for later. The main thing is that you’re safe now and they will never find you again.’
The ramp came down. Fast. I heard running footsteps. Dr Foster was pushed backwards into the TB2. Somewhere, I could hear Hunter shouting.
Two black-clad figures strode forwards, their weapons at shoulder height, covering the pod.
Hunter was hustled in, struggling in the grip of another one. Even as I looked, she kicked out viciously. He yelped and backhanded her to the ground. She scrambled to her feet, furious and ready to tear him apart. He pulled a pistol, pushed her against the wall, and held it to one eye. The message was unmistakable.