Chapter 14
Will
Trips always seem longer when no one is talking, and the last half hour in the car with Nikos and John was excruciatingly silent. Makes me nervous, and I’m tapping my thumb on the steering wheel, suddenly feeling the need to go much faster than I am. I’m clearly hurting my chances with Kat’s parents by boring Nikos to tears, and all I can think of is getting home and pulling Kat into a long kiss. I need that much more than I need speed.
“The road back always feels longer,” John says, and I want to give him a kiss for breaking that silence.
Nikos snorts. “Will here is doing the speed limit, that's the problem. This car can do twice that.”
I roll my eyes. “Life is not a racetrack, Nikos. It's not always about getting somewhere fast. It's about enjoying the ride.”
He makes an impatient noise. He used to be a jokester, great company when we were younger. Someone you could depend on for a good time. Now he's sour, negative, and he sure doesn't waste time putting everyone down. Is our friendship best left in the past? At the very least it’s clear he’s not going to put in a good word for me with Kat’s parents. He’s a dead end in more ways than one.
John asks, “What's that in the distance?”
I narrow my eyes. A blue car perhaps? “If they've broken down, we should stop and see if we can help. I'm no mechanic, but I can change a tire if needed.”
“Of course, you have people doing that for you,” Nikos mumbles.
I'm getting a headache from rolling my eyes so much. I am definitely at my wits end. I start braking smoothly and come to a stop on the side of the road in front of the blue car.
This car looks familiar. I narrow my eyes and we step out onto the road, Nikos huffing and rolling his eyes as he trails behind.
“Hey, that's Kat's dad!” John shouts and a feeling of dread washes over me. We sprint over. Nikos crawls. Kat's dad is slumped over the steering wheel, clutching his chest and breathing heavily.
Oh, God. Something’s happened to Kat’s father. I’m bursting into action even before John shouts, “He’s having a medical episode! Help me, Will!”
My heart thundering in my ears, I unclip his seatbelt, and Jon and I extract him from the driver’s seat. This man hates me, but I don’t care. He’s Kat’s father, and I’ll do anything to keep him breathing.
John shouts, “He's having a medical episode. Help me, Will.”
I unclip his seatbelt, and John and I extract him from the driver's seat and lie him down on the grass, in recovery position.
“Are you okay, Mr. Featherstone? How many fingers?” John holds up three fingers.
Mr. Featherstone’s glassy eyes move uncertainly between myself and John, but he mouths three .
“You're going to be okay, Mr Featherstone. Good thing we found you.” I fish out my phone and dial 111, the local emergency number. “Hello, operator, I'd like to request an ambulance. Road to Glenorchy.”
“What's the issue?” the dispatcher asks.
I cover the speaker. “What do you reckon’s wrong, John?”
John squints. “Maybe a heart episode. Tell them to come quickly.”
“Okay, my friend who's a paramedic says it's probably a heart episode. Please come quickly.”
After leaving my details with the operator, I kneel next to Mr Featherstone. “You're going to be alright. Stay strong. An ambulance is coming. I'll ride with you.”
Kat's dad nods.
I turn to John. “Once the ambulance is here, please take my car, drop Nikos home and leave it at the lodge.”
There's a strangled noise from Nikos’s direction. Both John and I turn to look.
Nikos snaps like a twig and collapses to the ground with a sob. His uncle is on the ground, almost unconscious. I exhale and get up to see what's got into him.
I pat his back uncomfortably. “Hey man, it's okay. Kat's dad had a lot on his plate, with the flour mill being closed. He’s going to be okay.”
Nikos sobs even harder. “I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. It shouldn't have come to this.”
John narrows his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Yeah, Nikos, what do you mean?” The concern I’d felt for Nikos is churning into something else—dread. This isn’t a man concerned for his uncle. This is a man who’s done something wrong.
Nikos blows his nose on his sleeve. “When she first told me about it, it sounded like a little harmless fun. Earn some money, take you two down a peg or two… I didn't want to hurt anyone, I swear!” He sobs again.
The ambulance siren draws closer, and they park up behind us. I sigh and toss the keys to John.
“Okay, I'm going now. Talk to John. John, tell me what's up later. I know it's going to give me a headache.”
John nods before he hoists Nikos up, and takes him back to the car.
The paramedics transfer Mr. Featherstone to the ambulance. I purse my lips, and climb in, while dialing Kat's number.
“Liefie… don’t be scared.”
“Oh God. What do you mean, Will?”
I shouldn’t have started with that. I swallow. “Your dad is going to A&E.” Something catches in her throat, and all I hear is a raw, aching cry that terrifies me. “I’m with him in the ambulance. I’ll see you there.”
“Yes… yes.” But her voice is muted, like she’s somewhere else far away.
“I love you.”
But the only answer I get is silence. She’s already hung up. I shove my phone in my pocket, knowing Kat’s scared voice will forever give me nightmares.
I lean back in the ambulance. I need to stay strong for her. Then I can investigate what Nikos was saying.