Page 61 of Falling for Provence

Theo was quiet and pale and not even attempting to move, which was a good thing, but it was also a warning sign for Julien that he could already be in serious trouble from internalbleeding. Children were so good at compensating for blood loss by increasing their heart and breathing rate, but they could crash fast, too. The way Theo’s eyes were drifting shut, like they did when he was on the point of falling asleep, sent a chill down Julien’s spine.

He caught a glimpse of Ellie as the back doors of an ambulance opened and uniformed medics came towards him carrying their packs of gear. She was standing, watching. A blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a frightened face that was almost as pale as Theo’s.

And then he forgot all about her.

With Theo on the stretcher minutes later and word, via the police officers on scene, that the helicopter had landed further up the road and the crew was awaiting transfer of the patient, the work to make sure he was stable enough to travel kicked up a gear.

There were rushed introductions and a rapid collection of information about the condition of their patient and what exactly had happened in the accident. All while Julien maintained the stability of the branch. He wasn’t going to let it go, he told the medical team. He was a paediatrician himself. He knew what he was doing.

The SAMU doctor put his hand on Julien’s shoulder as he spoke. Did he want him to change his mind?

‘Non.’ There was no way Julien could let anyone take over this responsibility. He could do this, no matter how difficult it might be. He prepared to focus absolutely on his task as they got ready to roll the stretcher towards the ambulance and then drive to meet the helicopter. But something was interfering with his concentration.

‘Ellie…’

She was still standing there, watching him. And she was close enough to hear him utter her name. She came even closer untila police officer put an arm out to stop her getting too near the stretcher.

‘Non,’ he barked. ‘Arrêtez là.’

Julien told him who Ellie was. That she’d been in the car with him. He asked for someone to make sure she got home to Tourrettes-sur-Loup.

The officer nodded. He could arrange that.

‘Ellie ne parle pas beaucoup français,’ Julien added.

‘No problem,’ the officer said, in English. ‘I’ll stay with her.’

Julien moved only his eyes to catch Ellie’s attention. ‘I’m going to the hospital with Theo,’ he told her. ‘This policeman will see that you get home safely. If you’re sure you’re not hurt?’

Ellie’s eyes were huge and still so very frightened. She looked down at Theo and then back to Julien.

‘I’m not hurt.’ She shook her head for emphasis. ‘But could I come with you anyway? With Theo?’

The stretcher was starting to move and Julien had to move with it. He tightened his fingers around the doughnut dressing that was providing another level of support so that the stick remained stable. He had to stay with his son. He had to summon the courage to face any upcoming decisions and be strong for Theo, and he knew that things could get a lot worse before there was any chance of them getting better.

There was no time to explain that he was part of a fight for Theo’s life. That it felt like a fight for his own life as well and there was nothing Ellie could do to make that any easier, however much she might want to. That it would be better forhernot to be there if the worst happened. He couldn’t begin to try and put that into words.

All he could do was shake his head.

‘You can go home, Ellie,’ he said, his gaze already shifting back to Theo. ‘We don’t need you…’

21

Julien didn’t want her to go with them.

Ellie totally understood that his focus was on Theo to the exclusion of anything or anyone else. Nobody would have the time or inclination to translate what was being said or done. She would only be in the way.

Theo had his father with him. Julien was with his precious son.

They had each other to cling to as their world was tipping upside down.

She understood that neither of them needed her, but that only made her feel more frightened.

Bereft, even…

The journey home to La Maisonette, after watching the helicopter take off and carry what felt like a large part of Ellie’s heart away with it as it flew towards Nice, seemed to take an excruciatingly long time. She’d thought it was because she couldn’t communicate with the silent police officers in the front seats, but it turned out that time had simply slowed to a crawl because it was just as slow after she arrived at the small house that suddenly no longer felt like a sanctuary.

She gave Pascal dinner that he wasn’t remotely interested in eating. She didn’t bother even thinking about getting any food for herself because she knew she wouldn’t be able to swallow a thing. Ellie was uninjured, apart from a few scrapes and bruises, so it wasn’t anything physical that was causing the pain she could feel. She sat outside, barely noticing the remnants of storm clouds catching the colours of the sunset, with her little dog on her lap, her arms wrapped around him, seemingly content to stay there for as long as it took to offer her comfort that couldn’t be found.

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