Chapter fifty-six
It was Laura Best who brought the news to Greg. Maggie Fielding had been declared dead outside the hospital after being hit by an ambulance and a bus. Both drivers were being treated for injuries in A & E. The second crew member in the ambulance had also been admitted with a suspected heart attack. And a baby was delivered at the scene as its mother died.
Greg felt the news like a depression. She had taken another life, and two were still in the balance. Alex’s condition was still critical, which was why he was still at the hospital.
Laura Best held a clipboard in her hands as if she were doing a tour of inspection. Her chocolate suit and cream shirt were of good quality. Her hair shone and her skin and make-up were immaculate. She would one day reach the higher ranks, if only because she looked good.
‘Is Alex Taylor up to talking?’ she asked.
He raised his eyebrows. ‘What do you think?’
She tapped her pen on the clipboard impatiently. ‘I’m asking you, Greg.’
He snatched the pen out of her hand and snapped it in two. ‘You will address me as Inspector, DC Best. Why do you want to speak to Dr Taylor?’
Her face flushed and her eyes immediately sparkled with temper. ‘Because I want to clear up this mess and all the rubbish I’m now hearing about her being innocent.’
Before Laura Best knew what was happening or could utter a word of protest, Greg dragged her halfway down the theatre corridor. He shoved her through the double doors and let her see the place where Alex Taylor almost died. The blood-soaked cloths and towels still lay on the floor, the equipment used to save her life left abandoned. They had only just moved her down to ITU, and no one had yet had a chance to clean up.
‘That blood you see is Alex Taylor’s blood. She is fighting for her life, you stupid woman!’
Laura’s face had now gone white. ‘Well, she tried to kill herself, didn’t she? Jakie Jackson let her escape. She was bound to try and commit suicide.’
Greg clamped his hands around her shoulders and dragged her over to the operating table. He pointed at the blood-stained armrests. ‘Alex Taylor was strapped to this table, her arms pinned, her legs bound, unable to defend herself, and Maggie Fielding slit her wrists and left her here to die. Everything Alex Taylor told us was true. All of it. Maggie Fielding abducted her and put her through unimaginable torture. She killed Amy Abbott, Lillian Armstrong, Fiona Woods, and tonight she attempted to murder Alex Taylor.
‘You were wrong, DC Best, and so was I. But guess what? I’ll probably get a promotion for collaring Maggie Fielding, while you, Laura Best, all the time you’re working for me, will stay a DC. So you might want to think about a transfer, far away from me, where you can dig your spurs into some other fool’s back.’
There was a brief silence after she left the theatre suite before Nathan took her place. ‘I take it that was personal?’
Greg shook his head. His voice was firm. ‘No, not any more. That was professional.’
Nathan gave a faint smile. ‘Alex is stable. She’s going to make it.’
Then Nathan suddenly doubled over and vomited. Greg grabbed the only clean cloth he could find, discarded swabs from the suture tray, and handed them to him.
He felt the depression inside lift as hope took its place. ‘That’s great news, Nathan. You’re a bloody good doctor.’
Nathan shrugged, spitting hard before wiping his mouth. ‘I had a good assistant.’
Greg remembered her cold bloodless lips beneath his own and knew that it had been a close call. He looked at the two clocks on the far wall – one counting minutes and the other simply telling the time – and was shocked to see it had just gone midnight. ‘What time do you knock off?’
‘Four hours ago,’ Nathan replied.
‘You want a Christmas drink?’
Nathan nodded. ‘Yeah. A big one. A hell of a big one.’
They walked back along the corridor, seeing Alex’s blood still on the floor. It had dried now and would soon be washed away. Greg kept his eyes on the trail all the way down the corridor, and then suddenly he realised: Alex had let them know where she was being taken. She had led them to her. He didn’t know how she did it, but he was sure she had somehow let herself get cut so that she could leave them this trail.
His admiration grew stronger. She was the bravest person he knew – in the face of no one believing her, she still coped.
*
Alex opened her eyes and knew she was safe. She could hear ventilators and monitors beeping and the noise of colleagues working. Nathan was the first face she had seen when she opened her eyes earlier, and he had quickly reassured her that everyone knew she was innocent and that the police were now out looking for Maggie Fielding. He had also spoken to Patrick and let him know that she was safe. Patrick, he said, had cried. Nathan said it in a way that would allow her to forgive Patrick. Allow her to walk away from Nathan.
She had seen the greyness in his face and the strain in his eyes and, separated from all other emotion, standing alone, she saw his uncertainty. Questioning his right to be in her life? They had only just begun the first step on this new path. It was a beginning. When he placed his hand against her cheek she had leaned into its warmth.
Maybe one day she would tell him how she had tried to kill herself. The clear decision she had made as Maggie Fielding abducted her in the corridor. She had so badly wanted to die there and then, and put an end to her fear. It hadn’t mattered to her in that second as she sliced her neck along the blade that she would die – only that it would be over.
Maybe one day she would tell him when she was brave again. When she accepted that she was Alex Taylor, a doctor who saved people’s lives, who had faced things that most people can’t even imagine.?.?.?.?.
Acknowledgements
This book would not have been possible without the support and encouragement from my husband, Mike, our three children, Lorcan, Katherine and Alexandra, and daughter-in-law, Harriet. You guys inspire me daily with your utter selflessness and determination to be good people. Thank you for allowing me time to finally finish!
Thank you also to my six brothers and five sisters, especially to Sue, Bernie and brother-in-law, Kevin, for reading the earlier drafts – how lucky are we to have shared so much, especially our incredible parents.
A very special thank you to Dr Monica Baird, Consultant Anaesthetist, and Dr Peter Forster MBBS FRCA for their generous time and expertise. Thank you both so very much. Any mistakes are of course mine!
Thank you to Martyn Folkes for always keeping opinions honest!