Page 88 of All We Want for Christmas
‘I’ll never hurt them.’ Flynn could not help his sense of injustice and loss, but his overriding emotion was sadness for the time he’d lost – and despair that Imogen had decided he was the kind of man she could never trust to be a parent to his daughter. ‘I’m part of their lives now and I intend to stick around. And it’s going to take a long time for us all to get used to this – but it’s what Molly wants and I have no intention of missing a moment more of her life or Esme’s.’
He stomped down the path and got on his bike, revving the engine a bit too hard, knowing it would probably disturb the neighbours. It was childish but he didn’t care: tonight had been way more turbulent than he’d ever imagined. He’d held his emotions together for so long, trying to be the grown-up in the situation, and now the dam had burst. And the one person he wanted to be with right now, the person he knew would soothe and calm him, was Lara.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Lara woke with a dry mouth and fuzzy head despite her restraint the previous day. She got up and dressed, wrapping up warm for the Boxing Day outing with Jazz and her crew. For the umpteenth time since he’d ridden off from the staff lunch, she wondered how Flynn had got on at Molly’s.
That peck on the cheek under the mistletoe had been so bittersweet, leaving her longing for so much more. She hoped he’d had a great time and had pictured them all laughing and opening their gifts round the tree. Family time was so important and she always looked forward to catching up with hers. Online only made her long to be with her loved ones in person all the more, but, she reminded herself, today would be fun. Jazz’s crew were always up for a laugh and she was always warmly welcomed there.
Her mobile rang and she scooped it up, expecting to hear Jazz’s voice making arrangements, but it was an unknown caller. She was in two minds whether to answer but, in the end, she risked it.
‘Er. Hello. Is that Lara?’ It was a man’s voice.
‘Er. Yes …’ she said warily.
‘It’s Harvey Sinclair here. You don’t know me but I’m amate of Flynn’s. You borrowed my wife’s leathers not long back?’
‘Yes, I did.’ Lara was confused and then the tiny hairs on her arms stood on end. Flynn’s best friend calling her: his voice weary and unsure.
‘I’m afraid I’m calling you with some not very good news. It’s Flynn. He’s been in an accident.’
Lara collapsed back onto the bed, her heart pounding.
Bad news. Accident. The words sliced through her.
‘Oh my God. Is he OK? Oh, please don’t say he’s—’
‘He’s alive,’ Harvey said. ‘I’m sorry to have upset you and I don’t have many details, but he was in a pretty bad way from what I could gather.’
Tears of shock rolled down her face but she forced herself to ask. ‘How bad?’
‘I’m not sure, but I think it was nasty. Flynn’s dad phoned me about an hour ago. Understandably, he was upset and not that coherent. The police found Flynn’s parents’ details as the emergency contact on his phone. Apparently he came off the road on a bend, ended up in a ditch, and was airlifted to hospital in the early hours. He’s in Whitehaven General. That’s all I can tell you, but I thought you’d want to know.’
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Flynn had been watchingThe Snowmanon TV and then he realised he was actually inThe Snowman. He was flying like the boy, holding the Snowman’s hand and wearing striped pyjamas and an old-fashioned dressing gown.
As he soared over the snowy landscape, lights twinkled in the villages below. It was magical and peaceful. Then he found himself alone and falling.
The descent to earth was rapid and headlong. He twisted over and over until, once again, he was on the road in the dark, speeding along on the bike around twists and turns.
Something loomed ahead; something that had come off the fells and through the woods. It was a creature … not human. A memory stirred somewhere in the depths of his fractured consciousness … of a horseman riding across the fells and the devil springing up. Where had he heard that story before? He grasped at the memory but it eluded him, and then all he knew was darkness.
When he woke up, he had no idea where he was. It wasn’t heaven – perhaps some kind of purgatory, because he couldn’t move and the pain in his legs and head was so bad it made him feel sick.
People were talking but their voices sounded distorted,like a recording in slow motion. He couldn’t understand a word they were saying. Someone in a mask loomed over him. He tried to talk and no sound came out.
The next thing he knew, he was lying still in a dark room. Eventually the voices started again and he had the sensation of movement. There were lights so bright they hurt his eyes and ahead of him was a dark tunnel. He was paralysed, powerless to escape. The faces of people flashed in front of him; strangers and people he knew and loved. Work colleagues, his mum and dad, Molly, Esme, Harvey – and Lara. The tunnel crept closer and closer, becoming a giant mouth that opened wider, ready to swallow him up.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Lara didn’t remember much of the journey to the hospital other than gripping the wheel of the car to stop her hands from shaking. Every dark thought imaginable – and then some – had raced through her mind. She’d managed to text Jazz the news before she left and then rushed out to the car, almost slipping on the ice in her haste.
Somehow, after what seemed like the longest and worst journey she’d ever made, she arrived in the midst of blue lights, ambulances queuing outside, and people being pushed to and from the entrance in wheelchairs.
It might be Boxing Day but the festivities were definitely on hold for some people. Her own life felt as if it was on pause too. The walk from the car park to the reception desk consisted of some of the worst minutes of her life.
For all she knew, Flynn might be dead. That possibility made her feel faint with terror. She wanted to race into the A&E reception, push everyone queuing aside, and scream: is he alive? Please let me see him!
