Page 45 of Snowfall Over Halesmere House
‘That’s disgusting.’ Lily sounded horrified and Ella knew some of her relief had returned now that an adult was taking charge of her troublesome brother.
‘Okay Lily, we know.’ Ella cleaned Arlo up as best as she could and took off her jumper, pulling it very carefully over his head and wrapping it round him. ‘I need to get you downstairs, Arlo; I don’t think we should wait for the ambulance.’
Ella made Lily go down the steps on her bottom to where Noelle was waiting, crying as she pulled her granddaughter close. Then Ella helped Arlo walk to the door and sat down, sliding him cautiously onto her knee. ‘We’re going down the same way as Lily, okay. I won’t touch your arm.’
The stone was freezing beneath Ella’s legs, and she was hugely relieved when they made it safely to the bottom. Arlo was crying silent tears and she thought how incredibly brave he was being. She was pretty sure his arm was broken, and he must be in a great deal of pain. One glance at Noelle’s stricken face and Ella knew she would be little help. She felt for her car keys again, trying not to shiver in her T-shirt.
‘I’ll drive, Noelle. You need to sit in the back and support Arlo.’
Chapter Fifteen
Ella drove through the December night along unfamiliar roads as quickly as she could, very grateful to see the lights of town popping up after half an hour. All the way Noelle had been chattering nervously to the children, and Ella also heard her leave a voicemail for Max in anxious and hurried French. She didn’t understand everything Noelle had said but she could hear how frightened she was from her tone.
Once they got to A&E, they were quickly through triage and into a cubicle. Arlo had been given pain relief and was perking up now, excited about this new adventure and all the attention he was receiving. Ella was ready to cry gulping tears of relief when the young doctor examined him and everything except for his arm checked out normally. An X-ray was soon arranged; the doctor was as sure as she could be without further examination that Arlo’s arm was broken.
‘Ohnon,non, this is all my fault! Will he be all right?’ Noelle wailed, her hand clutching Arlo’s foot. The doctor was quick to reassure her that Arlo would be fine and hopefully surgery on his arm would not be required. Going over what had happened and why was not for now. Ella knew that would come later, and was a conversation Max needed to have with his mother.
Arlo’s right hand was gripping Ella’s and when she tried to slip hers free so the nurse could lift him into a wheelchair for the trip to X-ray, he clung on even tighter, his eyes pleading with her not to let him go. She didn’t, gently smoothing the hair flopping on his face as he was settled into the chair. His temperature was normal now and the doctor was satisfied he wasn’t hypothermic.
Lily wouldn’t let go of Ella’s other hand and she persuaded Noelle to wait in A&E in case Max arrived while they were gone. Ella felt the old terror of hospitals returning in the adrenaline still not quite dispersed from her limbs and the dull glare of lights, the strange stillness in the stricken faces she saw as they marched along corridors to the X-ray department. She wished her mind hadn’t taken her all the way back to that day when Lauren had been rushed from home and into hospital, remembering how quickly her apparently fit and healthy twin had faded as her body succumbed to the illness that had ravaged her so suddenly.
Ella felt the hurt hovering, threatening her outward calm, her concern for Arlo bound up with the relief that she’d got him safely here and the nurses and doctors would take care of him. That she’d bring him home again and see him tucked up in his own bed, a new day waiting and not the end she had feared in those first frightening moments when she’d seen him flat out on the floor beneath the broken ladder.
Her hand had stopped bleeding and she thanked the nurse who gave her a wipe to clean it. She was still covered in dirt from working in the studios, her hair felt grimy and dull, and she had blood on her T-shirt. They had to wait for Arlo’s X-ray results and she sank onto a chair beside him. Lily scrambled onto her lap and Ella began to tremble again as the warmth of the little girl’s body snuggled into hers. She saw the fright still apparent in Lily’s face and slid an arm round her shoulders.
‘It’s okay,’ Ella whispered against the top of her head. ‘Arlo will be fine, and we’ll all be home again soon. Once they know more about his arm, they’ll be able to do something to help it mend.’
‘Will Daddy be cross with me for letting Arlo get hurt?’ Lily’s voice was a murmur against Ella’s chest and her heart clenched.
‘Of course he won’t. Sometimes these things happen.’ She gently brushed Lily’s curls from her face. ‘My brother fell out of a tree once after we’d had a row. And another time he crashed his bike and broke a tooth and had to go to the dentist to get it fixed, like us being here with Arlo to get his arm fixed. But my mum and dad weren’t cross with us, and your dad won’t blame you either.’
‘You have a brother? What’s his name?’ Lily’s voice was sleepy. ‘Do you have any sisters?’
Ella swallowed back the truth; that was for another time. ‘My brother’s called Jamie. We used to fight when we were little, like you and Arlo, but we love each other really, and he’s always there when I need him.’
‘I want to be there for Arlo too when I grow up, like you and your brother, Ella.’ Lily raised her head to fix a serious gaze on Ella. ‘My mummy would want me to look after him because she’s not here. And Daddy too.’
‘Of course she would.’ Ella hugged Lily tightly, pressing her lips against her forehead. ‘But you’re still very young and it’s the adults’ job to take care of you both.’
‘Until I’m grown up?’
‘Yes, until you’re grown up – and good luck with bossing Arlo around then.’ Ella felt Lily smile. ‘I think he’ll try and do a bit of bossing of his own. He loves you, Lily, just like your daddy does. And your daddy won’t be cross with you, I promise. He’ll just want to know you’re both safe and well because he loves you so much.’
The results were back, and Arlo was delighted to have a confirmed diagnosis of a break above his wrist. He was excited by all the drama and happy to be on his way to the fracture room as a nurse wheeled him along, cracking jokes and making him laugh. The sound of something so ordinary made Ella almost giddy with relief.
Lily snuggled on her lap once again as they settled in the new room. Both children were fascinated by the plaster technician when he explained what he was going to do and asked Arlo to choose his favourite colour for his special cast.
Lily was standing on Arlo’s right side with Ella, staring at his arm as the technician worked carefully. She heard footsteps thundering down the corridor a few seconds before Max tore into the room with Ashley. His eyes raked Ella’s and she couldn’t miss the worry and relief in them as his gaze shot over to Arlo. She quickly backed up so Max could reach him, Lily’s hand still clamped in hers.
‘Hey buddy, what have you been doing?’ Max threw the technician a grateful glance as he ruffled his son’s hair and kissed the top of his head, trying not to get in the way. ‘This is a lot of excitement for a Thursday evening.’
‘I’ve broken my arm, Daddy, and I’m getting a special cast to make it better. Look!’
Ella felt a smile hovering at the triumph in Arlo’s voice. She was starting to shiver now her adrenaline had finally fled and Max was here to take care of his children. The room was warm yet she felt cold, achy almost, and a pressure was increasing in her temples.
‘Is that right?’ There was a suggestion of amusement from Max, and he let out a weary sigh.
‘We were playing in the flat and the ladder broke when Arlo tried to climb it, Daddy, I’m sorry. Mamie was busy and we wanted to explore.’
