FIVE #2
‘Your head wound isn’t too bad,’ said Alex, as she cleaned it with some sterile wipes. ‘I’m going to put some Steri-strips just to keep the skin together. You won’t need stitches. You’ll probably scar, though.’
‘Like I’m worried about that.’ Grainger sat still while she applied the dressing.
‘Right, now for your ankle, which I’m pretty sure is broken or at least fractured,’ said Alex. ‘I need to get it strapped up and make it stable. Once we can get you out of here, I suspect you’re going to need it in plaster.’
‘Great,’ muttered Grainger.
Alex was efficient at her job. That was obvious.
She’d be a great asset to the firm. She hadn’t panicked once, and she was dealing with Grainger firmly, but not without compassion.
She had just got on and done her job with a cool head.
This was turning out to be the most unusual job interview I’d ever conducted.
While Alex dealt with Grainger, I went out to fetch Paddy and Noah from the car. There was an eerie grey light outside. It wasn’t snowing anymore, but there was a chill in the wind. I turned the collar up on my jacket.
‘All right, Boss?’ came Paddy’s voice.
I looked to the left and saw a ladder propped against the veranda, with Paddy halfway up, leaning down to look at me from under the soffit of the porch roof.
I went around the outside of the veranda to foot the ladder. ‘What’s up?’
‘Satellite plate was hanging off. That’s why we’ve not been able to get any signal.’
‘Can you fix it?’
‘Temporarily. Might do for the night.’ A few minutes later, Paddy was down from the ladder. ‘See how we get on.’
Almost immediately, my phone started pinging with text and email alerts as it automatically connected up with the satellite. ‘It’s done the trick. Cheers for that. Go inside now. I’ll get Noah.’
‘Grainger all right?’
‘Physically, he’ll be okay. Not sure if Alex has a remedy for fallen pride. Don’t mention the broom. Apparently, he was surrounded, and it got the better of him.’
Paddy grinned. I knew he absolutely was going to mention the broom.
‘I’ll get the fire going. It’s fucking freezing in there.’ As he went inside, I heard him calling out to Grainger. ‘Where are they? The Broom Gang? I’ll sort them out for you.’
‘Fuck off,’ came the inevitable reply.
I got Noah from the car, and we went inside, where it was marginally warmer.
‘Hey, Noah. Want to help me get the fire going?’ Paddy was kneeling in front of the log burner, setting up some kindling.
It was another twenty minutes before we’d got Grainger onto his bed and his ankle strapped up. He made a bit more of a fuss at that and was clearly in pain, but once he was settled, he stopped grumbling.
‘You need to stay warm and get some rest now,’ said Alex.
We left Grainger in his bedroom with the door open and went back out to the main part of the cabin.
‘What’s the plan now?’ asked Alex as she put a kettle of water on to boil. She took her phone from her pocket and connected to the satellite phone system with the password I’d given her. Her phone sounded with several alerts. Good to know the temporary fix of the dish was holding up.
‘There’s no way we can drive out of here tonight,’ I said.
‘There’s more bad weather coming in overnight,’ said Paddy. ‘We’re going to have to bunk down here.’
I looked around at the sparse living room. It wouldn’t be great, but I’d slept in worse places.
‘The cabin along the way is empty, but there’s still loads of gear in it,’ came Grainger’s voice through the open door of his bedroom.
I went over to the doorway. ‘How much stuff?’
‘Enough for you, the boy, and the doc to be okay for the night. You can take a few extra blankets from here and some food. Get the wood burner going, and you’ll be fine. It’s a three-bedroom cabin. At least that way we all get a good night’s sleep.’
‘What do you reckon, Alex?’ I looked over at her, but she was distracted by her phone. ‘Alex?’
I moved away from the door.
She looked up suddenly, a dash of colour hitting her cheeks. ‘Sorry. What was that?’ She shoved her phone into her pocket.
‘Bunking down in the other cabin? You, me and Noah.’
‘I’d sooner be in the same building as Grainger,’ said Alex.
‘I have Nurse Paddy,’ said Grainger.
‘Yeah, and I have a professional duty of care and personal responsibility,’ she countered, popping her head around the door frame.
I noticed Paddy raise an eyebrow, and the corners of his mouth twitched in amusement.
‘I’ll be fine. Paddy will come and get you, if needs be.’
‘Paddy is not qualified to make a medical decision as to whether I’m needed or not.’
Alex wasn’t taking no for an answer. Not from Grainger anyway.
‘Boss, tell her I’ll be all right,’ called out Grainger.
I leaned back against the counter and folded my arms. ‘Not my shout.’
Alex nodded in my direction before turning back to the patient. ‘So, we are back to where we started. I stay here and keep an eye on you. Now stop being difficult and cantankerous. If you stop moaning, I’ll let you have another shot of whisky.’
Grainger was silent for a moment, and I imagined him weighing up the options, and then he begrudgingly agreed. ‘Why didn’t you say so in the first place?’
‘I’ll go over and get the other lodge ready for you and Noah,’ said Paddy.
‘I tell you what,’ I replied. ‘Just bring the bedding over. No point trying to heat two lodges. We can all stay here for the night. Alex, you have the second room. Noah can have the small room and Paddy, and I will kip out here.’
‘I don’t mind giving up my bed,’ said Alex.
‘I know that,’ I replied, pushing away from the counter. ‘But Paddy snores like a warthog, I wouldn’t inflict that on you.’
Paddy shrugged. ‘Can’t deny that.’ Then he was pulling on his coat and heading out the door. ‘Want to come and help?’ he asked Noah.
‘Yes.’ Noah jumped up from beside the fireplace, and I watched the two of them head out into the already dark afternoon. Next moment, there was a squeal, swiftly followed by shrieks and laughter. I went over to the window. ‘Snowball fight.’
Alex came to stand beside me. ‘Shame they get to have all the fun.’
‘It would of course be highly unprofessional to join in,’ I said, continuing to watch them.
‘Absolutely. Not to mention we are both inappropriately dressed.’
‘I mean, if there were some spare coats we could use…’
‘That would solve the problem.’
‘We could see it as part of your interview,’ I said.
‘Team building exercise.’ She turned towards me.
‘Exactly.’
I went over to the cupboard and took out two wax cotton jackets. I tossed one of the jackets at her.
She pulled it on over her suit jacket. It was too big, and only her fingertips poked out of the cuffs. ‘Almost an initiation test?’
She caught the woolly hat I followed up with and put it on.
‘Yeah. Some might indeed say that.’ And then we were out of the door, jumping down the porch steps, gathering up snow, and joining in the chaos.
I saw Paddy give me a curious look. And to be fair, I’d earned that.
I didn’t do frivolous, and I couldn’t remember the last time I had a snowball fight.
But to see the delight on Noah’s face made it worth it.
As for Alex, I knew already I was going to offer her the job.
And if I were honest, I had decided that before we’d even stepped foot on the plane.