TWENTY-SEVEN #3
‘I’ll take her,’ said Dom in a tone that was not to be argued with.
Even so, Henderson didn’t seem to care. ‘It’s not a problem.’
‘I said, I’ll take her.’ Dom picked up the first aid kit. ‘Do you need anything from here?’
‘Maybe a proper sling.’
Within a few minutes, my arm was in a much more comfortable position in a proper sling. ‘Let’s get you down to A&E,’ said Dom. ‘You all good here, Grainger?’
‘Boss.’
Dom turned to Henderson. ‘Get some breakfast.’
Henderson had no choice but to do as he was told, while I went off with Dom. I somehow kept it together as I left the canteen barn. Each step was one of relief as I got further and further away from Henderson.
As Dom steered the Range Rover out of the estate, I watched him tap at the screen and call up Oliver’s number.
It wouldn’t have been my choice to phone Oliver at this point.
I would have preferred to wait until I had been seen by the hospital.
But I understood the trust between the brothers.
They didn’t keep secrets, even little ones.
The call went to voicemail. Dom didn’t leave a message. I guessed they probably didn’t need to. Oliver would automatically call back.
We got to the hospital without any call back. I was checked in, triaged and then told to go along to x-ray.
Dom found me in the waiting room.
‘Hopefully I won’t have to wait much longer,’ I said.
Dom checked his phone and switched it to silent. ‘Alex,’ he said quietly.
I tensed. I had been waiting for this since I’d got in the car. ‘Yeah?’
‘What exactly happened up there?’
‘What I said.’ I had rehearsed the casual response in my head. I wasn’t lying, but I wasn’t telling the whole truth. I couldn’t let Oliver hear this from anyone else. There was too much to tell. Dom looked at me for a long moment. He didn’t ask again.
My arm was x-rayed, and fortunately, there were no broken or fractured bones.
I just needed painkillers and another fresh sling, together with a support splint for my wrist.
Then we were back on the road, heading home.
I was aware that I had referred to Risk as home.
I couldn’t remember a time when I’d done that before.
Dom spoke before I had a chance to think about it any further.
‘Whatever is happening, you don’t have to do it alone,’ he said, keeping his eyes fixed ahead on the road.
I didn’t know how to answer that and carried on looking out of my window at the hedges rushing by, their colours blurring into one.
Dom carried on. ‘I just need to know you’re safe. So I can tell Oliver not to freak out.’
I sighed. ‘He’s going to freak out, isn’t he?’ It wasn’t really a question.
‘Probably,’ said Dom in that dry matter-of-fact way I was getting to understand as his way of dealing with most everything. ‘But that’s his problem. Not yours.’
I hadn’t thought about it that way before.
As if by mentioning his name, we managed to summon him up. The hands-free rang out, filling the interior space of the car as if Oliver were there in person.
‘Dom.’
‘All right?’
‘What’s up?’
‘I’m in the car with Alex. She’s okay, but we’re on our way back from A&E.’
‘What do you mean she’s okay, but you’re on your way back from A&E? Is she there? What the fuck’s happened?’
‘We said you’d freak out,’ said Dom.
‘Alex? You there?’
‘Oliver. I’m fine,’ I said.
‘Why have you been at the hospital?’
‘If you shut up for a second, she’ll tell you,’ said Dom.
‘I was out for a run this morning, and I slipped. I’ve not broken anything, but I’ve hurt my arm. Shoulder is a bit sore, and so is my knee, but that’s all. I’ll live.’
There was a moment of silence.
‘I’ll be up tonight,’ said Oliver.
‘No, you won’t,’ I cut in. ‘You absolutely do not need to do that. I am fine. Dom has everything under control.’
‘I can be up there in four hours.’
‘I’m sure you can, but you’re not going to.
You’re going to stay there. You’re going to carry on with whatever you need to do.
Then you’re going to pick Noah up, like you normally do.
Go home, and then I’ll FaceTime you tonight.
But you are one hundred per cent not coming up today, tonight or in the morning.
Come up tomorrow evening like you said. We are not deviating from the original plan.’
There was an even longer silence this time.
‘Okay,’ he said finally. ‘If you’re sure.’
‘Yes. I’m sure.’
I appreciated him giving way to me on that. It would be a massive overreaction to race up here. Much as I would have loved him to, I also knew that I was putting off the inevitable. I just needed a bit longer to get my head straight about what I was going to do.
‘Where are you now, Dom?’ asked Oliver.
‘Ten minutes out.’
‘I’ll speak to you later.’
‘Okay.’
‘Alex, please go and rest now,’ said Oliver. ‘Whatever you had planned, it will keep. You are officially signed off sick today.’
‘Yes, Boss.’
‘Hmm… Call me this evening.’
‘I will.’
He hung up. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.
‘You know he’s going to interrogate you when he calls later,’ I said.
‘I know.’
Dom’s phone pinged a WhatsApp message alert.
I opened my eyes and looked at the screen.
WhatsApp message from Oliver.
Dom looked at it too. ‘He’s already started.’