Licence to Dream (16 page)

‘There's a large bruise and grazing on your forehead. I should think you've got concussion.’ She didn’t like the way he kept drifting into semi-consciousness. She needed information from him. ‘Elless!’

‘Mmm? What?’

‘Where was your telephone? I need to call for help. Or do you have a mobile somewhere? If it's in the front part of the house, I may be able to get to it. We need to call an ambulance for you.’

He blinked up at her, then turned his head to study the remains of the little house. ‘Only got a mobile. Land line’s not connected. I'd just been using the mobile. It was on the table over there!’

She followed his eyes and saw what looked like the corner of a table flattened on the ground, protruding from underneath a heap of jagged timber pieces and debris. ‘Well, I'm not diving under any piles of rubbish to search for your phone. I'll run back to my house and call for an ambulance from there.’

‘No!’ He grabbed hold of her arm with a strength that surprised her. ‘I'm not going off in some damned ambulance. Look, if you can just give me a few minutes to recover, then help me to my car, I'll be all right to go and see a doctor about the leg.’

‘You won’t be able to drive anywhere in that condition.’

‘I'm not going in an ambulance.’

She heard him gulp. It was a soft, strangled sound and for some reason it made her feel sorry for him. ‘Why not?’

He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. ‘They took my wife away in one – after the accident. I was following her car in mine, so I saw it all happen. Then I followed the ambulance and – and I never saw Sandy alive again. Hate even to see an ambulance now.’

Meriel stared down at him, anger warring with pity. He was doing it again! Just as she’d settled down to disliking him, he’d said something that made her feel sorry for him. He wasn’t thinking straight about the ambulance, but it wouldn’t do him any good to get agitated. She fought against her own instincts, lost and patted his hand to offer comfort. He turned his over and grasped hers, not saying anything, but holding her tightly for a moment or two.

As his hand slackened, she said, ‘We'll see if we can manage without an ambulance, then. I’ll drive you into town if we can get you to a car. I hope there’s some sort of emergency service at the hospital.’

He looked at her. ‘Mmm. Small town. They usually call in one of the local GPs.’ Then his eyes closed and he drifted away again, so she waited. The sun was blazing down on them so brightly her eyes hurt, a cloud of bush flies was buzzing hungrily around nipping at her soft flesh, and her thoughts were buzzing just as loudly inside her head.

As soon as he opened his eyes again, she stood up. ‘I'll go and open your car doors to let the hot air out. When you feel capable of moving, I'll help you over to it and then I'll drive you to the hospital. I know where it is. I saw a sign.’

‘Mmm. Aw’right. Good idea.’ He tried to sit up and knocked his shoulder against a chunk of roof beam, which slid sideways with a domino effect on the piles of debris around them. Small pieces slithered this way and that, larger pieces rocked and hesitated.

As clouds of choking dust rose to torment their dry throats, Meriel tensed, ready to leap out of the way, but after a minute it all settled down again. Her voice came out more sharply than she’d intended, because she’d seen the only remaining wall of the lean-to shaking, and with it the wall of the main building. The edge of a loose piece of tin roof flapped around gently, as if in sympathy.

‘Don't try to move yet, Ben!
Please stay still!’

His words came out in a hoarse whisper. ‘Can't get out of this without moving.’

‘If you knock something else the rest of the house could fall in on us. Let me shift things gradually, till you’re clear.’

‘All right.’ He sighed and lay back again. ‘Thirsty as all hell. Feels like I've swallowed a bucket of sand.’

His voice sounded so rusty that she felt her own throat tighten in sympathy. ‘I'll see if I can find you something to drink.’

‘A brandy would be nice.’ He tried to smile, but the smile faded quickly. ‘Got some in the front room.’

‘And that's where it's staying! You're only having a sip of water, in case they have to operate on your foot.’

‘Bully!’ His voice was a mere thread of sound, but there was a hint of a grin on his face, which she took as a sign that he was feeling a little better.

She studied the house. The front part looked more solid than the remains of the lean-to. She went round to the front door, opened it and banged it shut a few times, poised to leap away. A few things rattled, but nothing else showed any signs of collapsing.

‘Here goes nothing,’ she muttered. Moving cautiously she walked into the central passageway. The door to the rear section was open at the far end. To the left was the bathroom. ‘Thank goodness!’ she muttered. Before she went inside it, she looked along towards the end and froze. Above her, were the jagged edges of some broken roof timbers. But some of the edges weren’t jagged – they were newly sawn off, just where the two parts of the house met.

Her breath caught in her throat and horror curled inside her belly.
Fresh saw marks?
Surely someone hadn't been trying to hurt Ben deliberately? Why would they do that?

‘Meriel! Are you all right?’

His voice was faint, but it recalled her to her main task, which was to get some water for him. To her relief, the bathroom tap was still working, so she bent for a quick slurp, then filled the tooth mug and dampened the dusty facecloth that was lying among the debris in the sink. On the way out, she studied the edges of the roof beams again, sharp lines against the sunlight, shaking her head in disbelief. Definitely sawn through.

Ben was still lying in the sun with his eyes closed. She could see the tension on his face and the sweat on his forehead. His mouth was half open and he was breathing raggedly. Now wasn’t the time to say anything about the roof.

She let him sip a little of the water and used the rest to bathe his face, leaving the wet cloth across his forehead while she tried to think how best to get him out of there.

After a few minutes, he grasped her hand and squinted up at her. ‘Thanks. That feels a lot better.’ Then he frowned. ‘Where did you get that water from?’

‘The bathroom.’

His fingers jerked on her wrist and tightened.
‘What?’

‘I was very careful. It was the rear lean-to that fell down, not the main house. I just went into the bathroom.’ She hesitated. Should she tell him now? But he looked so white she shook her head. No. Not yet.

‘Don't take any more risks like that!’ His voice was urgent. ‘Please. Nothing's worth risking your life for. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you.’

She patted his hand. ‘Believe me, I’m being extremely careful.’

Slowly his fingers relaxed and he let go of her arm. When she looked down, his eyes were closed again and his face had a dirty whitish tinge that made his suntan look like poorly applied make-up.

‘Well, all right or not, just stay where you are while I check out your car.’

She reached his car and glared at it. Trust him to have a huge four-wheel drive! She was too small to drive cars like this comfortably.

Leaving the rear door of the vehicle open she went back to help Ben. Carefully she moved more of the debris then helped him stand up. He clung to her for a minute as he swayed to and fro on one leg.

‘Still feel a bit dizzy,’ he muttered.

‘We'll go very slowly. There's no hurry.’

It took longer than she’d expected to get him to the car, because they had to keep stopping so that he could rest. His arm lay heavy and warm along her shoulders, a hot breeze wafted around them and beige dust rose from the dry earth at every step they took. They seemed to be alone in a sun-scorched universe, with the heat pulsing around and through them.

Tina circled them as they walked, giving the occasional yip, though whether that was for encouragement or in protest at the way she was being ignored, it was impossible to tell.

When they got to the car, Ben leaned against it, breathing hoarsely and still clutching Meriel. ‘Wait. Just a minute.’

Tina crept forward and whined at them.

‘That your dog?’

‘Yes.’

‘Didn't see a dog the other day.’

‘I only got her yesterday. And you've got
her
to thank for me finding you. She ran away and came over here exploring, so I had to come after her. She was whining and standing near where you were lying, refusing to move. I couldn’t see you because you were covered in debris, so I wouldn't have realised you were there but for her.’

‘Owe her a big juicy bone for that.’ He closed his eyes again and leaned his chin against the top of Meriel's head. ‘Still feel a bit woozy,’ he admitted, his breath hot in her ear. ‘Nauseous too. Can't move just yet or I'll disgrace myself.’

‘I told you, there's no hurry. Stand still until you feel better. I couldn't lift you up again if you fell.’

After a couple of minutes he stirred. ‘I think I can move now.’ His voice was tight, as if everything were a huge effort.

Carefully Meriel eased him down, breathing a sigh of relief when he was sitting safely on the edge of the rear seat with the swollen foot sticking out. ‘Just slide slowly backwards. That's right. Good, good.’

She left him there while she ran back for the piece of the sawn-off rafter she’d seen lying on the ground, wrenching it away from its chunk of roof tin. It was heavier than she’d expected but she dragged it across to the car and managed to heave it up into the rear. It seemed wise to keep some of the evidence safe.

When she went to check on Ben, he was slumped against the far corner of the seat and his eyes were closed. Then he opened them, flailed one hand round and tried to run the window down, but the ignition wasn’t switched on. ‘Too hot.’

‘I’ll have it open in a minute. Shall I fasten the seat belt round you? I don't want you rolling about and hurting that foot again.’

‘No. Leave it. Rather sit sideways.’ His voice was slightly slurred.

She suddenly realised she’d forgotten one rather important thing. How could she have been so stupid? ‘Where are your car keys?’ If they were under the debris, she’d have to run across the block and drive her own car round here, then help him move from one vehicle to the other.

He didn’t seem to hear her. ‘Sunglasses in the glove compartment,’ he muttered, his forehead creased into a frown and one filthy hand shading his eyes.

She found the sunglasses and passed them to him, grimacing with him as he knocked the earpiece against the bruise on his forehead and sucked in a sharp breath.

‘That's better.’

‘Tell me where your car keys are,’ she repeated patiently.

‘In my pocket.’ His fingers scrabbled at his jeans, but he couldn’t seem to co-ordinate well enough to pull the keys out.

‘Let me get them. You lie still.’ She had to kneel on the edge of the seat and lean across him, slipping her fingers past the soft warmth of his bare midriff into the nearest pocket.

The keys weren’t there, so she had to lean further and try the other pocket.

‘You smell nice,’ he murmured, nuzzling at her ear.

She jerked at his touch. ‘Just lie still, you idiot!’

He put his arms round her, trapping her on top of him. ‘Mmm, yes. Could lie here like this all day. Love your perfume.’

‘It’s flower soap, not perfume.’ She breathed a sigh of relief as her fingers touched metal. ‘I've got them.’

One of his arms was round her.

‘Let me go, you fool. We have to get you to a doctor.’

Instead he pressed his lips against her cheek. ‘I'll let you go in a minute. I need kissing better first.’ He pressed his lips to her other cheek.

‘You're the one kissing me, so how's that going to help you get better?’ In spite of her worries about his injuries, she had to smile.

‘I knew there was something wrong. You ought to be kissing me, of course. Go ahead! I probably won't have to see a doctor at all if you kiss me better.’ He puckered up his lips.

‘Look, Elless, we need to – to get you some help.’ She tried to wriggle away from him and the arms tightened still further around her. She did not dare pull away too forcefully in case she banged his swollen ankle or his bruised forehead.

‘Kiss me better first!’ he insisted. ‘Then I'll let you go.’

He wasn’t thinking straight and it was no use arguing, so she kissed him quickly on the lips.

‘Not good enough. You need a lot of practice at kissing, if that's the best you can do.’

‘Elless– ’

‘Won't let you go till you kiss me properly.’

She leaned towards him. ‘You’re crazy.’ This time her lips lingered on his and she drew a shaky breath as she moved away.

‘That's better,’ he stared into her eyes. ‘Your lips are beautiful. Made for kissing.’

‘Elless, we need to get you to a doctor.’

‘Your hair gleams like silver silk in the sunlight.’

He ran his fingers through it and she shivered involuntarily at his touch.

‘Not really an ice maiden, eh, Ingram?’

She closed her eyes and sighed. ‘No.’ What use was it denying the obvious?

‘We’ll try this again when my head stops thumping.’ The fingers stilled and then the hand fell away to lie loosely across her shoulders. His eyes closed and he started frowning again.

She wriggled free of him. ‘You're delirious,’ she said. ‘You shouldn't – ’

His hand suddenly fastened on her shoulder. ‘I'm recovering rapidly. Better by the minute. And I'm perfectly aware of what I'm doing and also of how you're responding to it.’

A fusillade of barks and whines broke the spell.

She seized the opportunity to slide off him and out of the car. She didn’t dare move quickly because of his injured ankle and was relieved when he made no further effort to stop her.

Now he was grinning at her. Why?

‘You've not only got nice legs, you have a delightful taste in underwear.’

She looked down and gasped, flushing scarlet and pulling her rucked-up tee shirt down over the very minimal bra she was wearing. ‘Let's get you to a doctor now, Elless. You're not – you don't realise what you're doing.’