‘We were right around the corner,’ the mother put in. ‘The traffic was heavy, and I knew I could get her here before an ambulance even got out. I didn’t even think about head or neck injuries. I know I should have.’
‘It’s okay,’ soothed Saskia. ‘I just wanted to see if Molly remembered what had happened and how she felt.’
‘I was told the CT scan was fine?’
‘It is. Please don’t worry. I just wanted to check once more for good measure. Right, Molly, let me go and get my equipment, and then I’m going to give you just a little injection in the back of your head to make sure you don’t feel anything—okay?’
‘Okay.’ Molly nodded cheerfully.
Confident about her patient, Saskia headed out of the bay for a couple of suture kits and some local anaesthetic, glad the little girl didn’t seem in any distress, either physically or emotionally.
She was on her way back to the bay when she saw Anouk dashing past the doors at the end of the ward, flanked by two porters pushing a gurney. Relief washed over her. At least her friend was all right. But it didn’t look as though they were going to get chance to talk any time soon.
‘Right, here we are,’ she popped back through the curtain. ‘Mum, can you sit here for me? And, Molly, can you lie face down on the bed, looking at your mummy? Good girl.’
Quickly and efficiently she began cleaning the area, and then carefully administered the anaesthetic.
‘You might feel a bit of a sharp sting, but then it should feel better. If you can keep as still as you can, sweetheart? Wow, good girl—that was brilliant.’
‘Mummy says I’m very brave,’ Molly said proudly.
‘Mummy is right.’
She distracted the girl for a few moments longer whilst the anaesthetic took hold.
‘Okay, this shouldn’t hurt, but if you feel any pinching at all you let me know—all right, Molly?’
‘All right.’
Working speedily, Saskia began her sutures, twelve in all, and they were made easier by the fact that the five-year-old kept still and focused on her mum, who chatted to her quietly throughout about Nana and the red shoes.
Would she be as calm and collected if it was her child?
She could imagine Malachi being so. It was a nice feeling. But she told herself it was probably just hormones.
‘Okay, Molly, we’re all done,’ she declared as she finished up. ‘You were amazing.’
‘Good enough for jelly sweets, Mummy?’
‘I think maybe you were.’ The young woman bent down to kiss her daughter tenderly.
‘Right, just rest here while I go and fill in the discharge forms.’ Saskia smiled, piling the detritus back into the cardboard bowl and slipping off her gloves.
Just a little longer, to check Molly was okay, and then they could leave. With a final word of congratulation to the brave girl, Saskia slipped out of the bay and back to the desk, to bring the case up on the screen.
Her colleague was on her within moments.
‘When you’ve finished that one, Saskia, there’s a nine-year-old in Bay Twelve, complaining of shoulder and back pain. Also caught in the explosion.’
‘No problem,’ Saskia confirmed.
It looked as if it was going to be a long night.
* * *
It was twenty-four hours before the last of the major incident casualties were cleared, either to various departments or home. There were a few stragglers with non-life-threatening injuries still left to be brought in by road, but most of the air ambulances had stopped bringing in critical cases a while ago. The road ambulance arrivals—along with the usual A&E walk-ins—could be dealt with by the new shift.
Her work was done, and Saskia was more relieved