‘Five minutes, maybe ten. We’ll winch him down on to the dinghy and walk it over.’
Rafe had no clear idea of what that might involve, but Mimi seemed to and she nodded. ‘We’ll strap him into the carry cot as tight as we can. He seems a lot calmer now.’
‘Hope he stays that way.’ The firefighter winked at Mimi. ‘Baby...’
She laughed. ‘Wanna try calling me that when I don’t have my hands full?’
‘Nope.’ He walked away, chuckling.
When everything was ready, Wolfie was carried through to the balcony and lowered down on to the dinghy. Men were standing, waist deep in water, on four sides of the craft, ready to guide it back to the waiting ambulance.
Mimi seemed about to climb over the balcony, to accompany the dinghy but Rafe lay his hand on her arm.
‘My turn, this time.’
For a moment he thought she might argue with him, even though it was obvious that his height and strength made him the one for this particular job. Instead she nodded. ‘Better take this.’
She pressed the EpiPen, containing the Naloxone, into his hand. It was highly unlikely that he’d need it now, but it was a kind of acceptance, that he was right.
‘Thanks.’ Rafe climbed over the balcony, wading through the freezing water towards the lights on the other side.
* * *
They’d handed Wolfie over to the ambulance crew, and Rafe had called the hospital to make sure that they were aware of the possibility that the incoming patient had a ruptured spleen. Then he’d made for the car, found a pair of sweatpants in his overnight bag and stripped off his soaked jeans in the cramped confines of the front seat.
The sky was beginning to show the first signs of an approaching dawn as Rafe drew up outside Mimi’s cottage. Now that she had nothing to do, fatigue had taken over and she was already yawning. As soon as he got back to the hospital and into a hot shower, Rafe reckoned he’d be yawning too.
‘What day is it?’
He had to think about the answer. ‘Thursday.’
‘Yeah. That’s right, Thursday. I’m off duty for three days, now.’
‘Right. Get some sleep.’
‘I’ll text Jack first...’ She felt in her pocket for her phone and then seemed to give up, unequal to the task of finding it.
‘If he’s got any sense he’ll be sleeping. Probably in a warm bed in the church hall.’ A warm bed sounded like heaven at the moment but, however cold and tired Rafe was, he couldn’t resist stretching these few moments out just a little.
‘Suppose so.’ Mimi stifled another yawn. ‘What are you doing now?’
‘I should get back to the hospital. Get a few hours’ shut-eye and then back on the road.’
She thought for a moment. ‘Why don’t you stay here? You won’t get any sleep in the doctor’s on-call room today, and anyway you need to wash and dry your clothes. And you won’t have to drive back out here to pick me up later on.
‘Pick you up? Where am I taking you?’
‘I don’t have a vehicle or a partner, remember?’ A little quiver of her lip betrayed her uncertainty. ‘If you still want me around, that is.’
He wanted her. ‘Think you can put up with me?’
A tired grin. ‘I’ll try.’ She opened the car door and started to climb wearily out. ‘So are you coming...?’
Rafe reached for his overnight bag and pulled it out. Locking the car, he followed her up the front path and into the house.
Mimi fussed about a bit, leading the way into the spare room and switching on a lamp by the bed, which gave so little light that it served only to stop him from bumping into the furniture. She gathered a few items of washing that were drying by the window and then collapsed the drying rack.
‘Leave your clothes in the basket in the bathroom and I’ll put them in the washing machine tomorrow morning.’