Page 41 of Forgive Me Not
‘Yes. Yes we can. Come on. Ted!’ she shouted. ‘Get the kids to jump. One at a time. It’s okay, trust us. We’ll catch them. It’ll be all right.’
At that moment, Stig and the other men staggered out of the building, faces blackened, eyes streaming, coughing and retching.
‘It’s no good,’ Stig spluttered, a glistening red burn on his forehead. ‘Visibility is practically nil and you just can’t breathe. Everything is too hot to touch.’
‘Hurry up, Ted,’ Emma yelled. ‘Get them to jump.Now!’
‘Children, don’t be afraid,’ shouted Rita. ‘This is a magic blanket. It’ll feel like the softest trampoline.’
Sobs travelled through the air. Small, scared faces peered down. Footsteps came running. It was Polly and Alan. They grabbed the blanket too. First a little girl jumped, screaming as she fell. Polly hauled her off and took her away to comfort her. Then her brother landed. Alan took care of him. Sirens finally sounded, and in a flash, a fire engine and an ambulance appeared in the street. Emma wrung her hands as a ladder was raised. Everyone stared up at the window.
Eventually Ted and his wife climbed to safety. He was wheezing badly. His wife saw him to the ambulance and then hunted out her grandchildren.
The next couple of hours passed in a blur. Another ambulance turned up and everyone who’d gone into the shop was checked over. The crowds cleared. Eventually the flames were put out. Emma congratulated Rita on her initiative. She hugged the children and promised them they could visit the farm to feed the pigs in a couple of days. Villagers appeared carrying trays of steaming coffee and sandwiches and handed them out to everyone. The teashop’s owner offered Stig a free lunch the next day, and the hairdresser told Rita to call in for a wash and blow dry.
Ted came over, shaking his head. ‘You could have been killed,’ he said in between coughs. ‘You don’t know us. Why would you help?’
Stig wiped his eyes. Black streaks still covered his face. He looked years younger without his bobble hat, which hid a thick mop of chestnut hair. ‘Strangers have helped me often enough on the streets. Saved me from a beating. Given me food.’
‘You’re a hero – and your friends,’ said Ted’s wife in an unsteady voice, eyes red, hair dishevelled. ‘I’m not sure I’d have been that brave for people I didn’t know, let alone people who’d been trying to drive me out of town.’
‘Maybe I am. Maybe not,’ said Stig. He shrugged. ‘I’ve got my physical life to lose, yes, but no wife, no kids, no career…’
Ted’s eyes glistened. He held out his hand. Tentatively Stig shook it. The cheesemonger then went round to every single person who’d helped and did the same before clambering back into one of the ambulances. To be on the safe side, the paramedics wanted the children checked over at the hospital.
Phil came across, talking to the Duchess. He handed the lead to Stig and dropped his bags at his feet. Stig got to his knees and spoke gently to his dog, stroking her head and ruffling her ears.
‘You’d better come back to the pet shop for a shower,’ said Emma, and looked at Phil. He nodded.
Stig stood up and wiped his nose on his arm. ‘Nah, I’m okay. The wash basin at the train station will do. I’ll head up there now. Fill Tilly in on all the gossip. Are we still invited over to the farm tomorrow night?’
‘Of course.’ She gave him a hug.
A paramedic from the second ambulance came over. ‘Look, mate – Stig, is it? – can’t I change your mind? We’re getting off now. You really need that burn dressed properly at the hospital. Otherwise it won’t heal properly.’
‘Thanks, but no. I’ll just give it a wash. It’ll be fine.’
‘Why on earth not?’ Emma raised an eyebrow. ‘It could get infected.’
His mouth set in a firm line and he looked down at the Duchess.
‘Leave her with me until you get back,’ said Phil gruffly. ‘And your belongings if you like. You can pick them up first thing. The Duchess will be fine – I’ll make sure of that.’
‘Hop into the ambulance then, mate,’ said the paramedic.
Stig hesitated. Then he knelt down again and promised the dog he’d be back. ‘Cheers, Phil,’ he said. ‘But watch out. She turns nasty during a full moon.’
Phil noticed Stig’s expression and mirrored his smile.
As Stig accompanied the paramedic back to his luminous vehicle and clambered in, Phil caught Emma’s eye. She was staring at him. ‘What?’ he said.
On the spur of the moment, she hugged him too.
9–7 months before going back
‘Hands up all of you who blame someone or something else for your addiction,’ said Tess.
Emma’s hand shot up along with everyone else’s. It was late September. The first day of rehab in Sheffield. No sooner had she been shown to her room than she was called down to join an initial getting-to-know-you session. She sat in a bare white room, not dissimilar to the one where she’d done the Listening EAR sessions back at Stanley House.
