Page 83 of The Wishing Tree Beside the Shor
‘Because I’ve messed this up so badly—’
The hug is cut off by my phone ringing and I’m surprised to see Godfrey’s name flashing on the screen.
‘Hello?’ I answer it cautiously.
‘Fliss, thank heavens!’ Godfrey’s voice is harsh and panicked. ‘You need to get down here quick! There’s been an accident!’
I don’t think I’ve ever run so fast in my life. It usually takes ten minutes to walk to the strawberry patch from home, but I make it in under five. Godfrey is standing on the roadside, and he yells my name when he sees me dashing towards him. He must be waiting for the ambulance to direct them in.
‘What’s wrong? What’s happened?’ I shout without slowing down. He didn’t get as far as telling me who was hurt or what had happened on the phone.
‘It’s Tonya! She’s had a fall. I think her hip’s broken. People of our age don’t recover from things like this!’
I barrel across the car park and crash through the gate to the coastal path, where Cynthia is tottering on her Zimmer frame outside the entrance to the strawberry patch. ‘Oh, Fliss, what a relief!’
‘Has someone called the paramedics?’ I shout as I run towards her.
‘Not yet! We can’t find a phone!’
‘But Godfrey just called …’ I skid to a halt in front of the open gateway, metal panels back up on either side, narrowing the entrance like it was at first. I can see Tonya lying on the ground, surrounded by Alys, Ffion, and Mr Barley. I feel sick enough at the thought of Tonya being hurt, but the sight of Ryan kneeling beside her too makes the nausea double. Of course he’s there. It wouldn’t be an emergency without him.
‘Quick! You go to her and I’ll call the ambulance! Give me your phone!’
‘If no one’s called an ambulance, what’s he …’ I don’t have time to question what Godfrey’s doing out on the road. I scramble my phone out of my pocket and shove it at her as I go in, only slowing down as I approach the group gathered around the poor woman lying on the ground. She’s on her back, one arm gingerly cradling her hip without actually touching it, and someone’s put a folded up jacket under her head.
‘Cynthia’s calling an ambulance,’ I say as I kneel down beside Alys. Ryan’s on the opposite side of Tonya’s prone position and I stay as far away from him as possible.
‘My phone’s missing.’ Ryan doesn’t look up. ‘Tonya’s is smashed, Alys’s hasn’t got a signal, the battery’s dead on Mr Barley’s, and everyone else’s is back in their rooms.’
‘Hello, Fliss dear,’ Tonya says feebly, sounding frail and wobbly. She’s one of the fittest among them, and it’s shocking to see her looking so shaken and weakened.
At least she’s conscious, that’s something. The hand that’s not cradling her broken hip is hanging limply in mid-air, like she’s tried to raise it and given up halfway through, and she’s letting out a series of long moans.
‘Has anyone moved her?’ I ask the others, avoiding looking at Ryan while I try to remember what I’ve seen people on TV do in an emergency. ‘Has she hit her head?’
‘I don’t know. I didn’t see what happened.’ Ryan speaks to the strawberry plant next to him, avoiding my gaze too.
‘Why has no one called an ambulance yet? Where are the staff? You could’ve shouted for the nurses in the time it’s taken me to get here!’
‘What?’ Ryan looks up at me, confused eyes meeting mine and then looking away again sharply. ‘This happened seconds ago. No one’s had time to call an ambulance.’
‘Godfrey called me nearly ten minutes ago!’
‘What?’ Ryan’s eyes meet mine again.
Alys and Mr Barley exchange a look, and I watch as another look I don’t understand passes between the three of them and down to Tonya.
‘Action!’ Ffion suddenly shouts.
In the blink of an eye, Mr Barley has yanked Tonya to her feet and all four of them are stampeding towards the exit like those lizards you see scampering across desert sands to outrun a snake. Alys runs in zigzags to evade capture.
‘What the hell?’ Ryan says, sitting back on his knees like the sonic boom of their sudden movement has knocked him backwards.
‘Tonya!’ I shout after them. ‘Aren’t you hurt?’
The four of them pile out of the gate and Mr Barley slams another metal panel into place. Alys slings a heavy silver chain around it, which Ffion padlocks and whips the key out with a flourish before Ryan’s even got to his feet.
I look up at him in bewilderment and he reaches out a hand to pull me up. I’ve slipped my hand into his before I’ve realised I’m not meant to be doing that, even though he lets go the second I’m on my feet, and we both start walking towards the entrance.
