Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
M ax sprinted after Dilly, struggling to keep up as she raced to the end of the jetty.
‘Mum!’ she screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing all around. She spun around frantically, scanning every direction. ‘She was here, standing right here! You must have seen her.’
Finally, Max caught her up. Out of breath, he placed his hands on his hips as he inhaled deeply. ‘My God, you’re fast.’
‘Did you see her? Which way did she go?’
‘See who? Dilly, what’s going on?’
‘My mum! She was standing here, looking straight up at me,’ Dilly insisted, her voice choked with emotion. ‘Which way did she go?’
‘Dilly, you’re not making sense, I thought your mum was dead.’
‘No, she’s survived. She had to have survived because I’ve seen her twice this week. Once at the gallery and just now,’ Dilly argued, her words tumbling out so fast they were almost incomprehensible. Her eyes were still darting around, searching for any sign of the woman she had seen through the binoculars.
‘Dilly, breathe,’ Max urged, lightly gripping her arms. ‘You aren’t making any sense.’
‘Which bit don’t you understand? She must have survived the accident. My guess is she has amnesia and can’t remember who she is, but somehow she’s found her way back here. Tell me you saw her.’
Max shook his head slowly, his heart aching for her. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t see anyone.’ He kept his hands on her shoulders as Dilly’s eyes searched his, looking for confirmation. But all she found was concern and confusion.
‘Let’s get you back inside.’
‘I don’t want to go back inside. We need to find her.’
Max looked all around. All they could see were dog walkers, a couple holding hands walking towards the bay and a group of fishermen loading up the lobster cages ready for the morning.
Dilly felt a surge of helplessness wash over her. She was utterly convinced that she’d seen her mum, despite Max’s certainty that no one had been near the jetty. Once again, she wrestled with her own doubts. Was her mind playing tricks on her? Were these sightings driven by stress or possibly unresolved grief?
Max gently probed, ‘What does your dad say about this?’
Dilly remained silent, her eyes unfocused. She suddenly felt herself swaying.
Max noticed it too and reached out to steady her, but it was too late. Dilly’s knees buckled, and she fainted, her body going limp in his arms. Max carefully lowered her to the ground, ensuring her head was supported.
‘Dilly,’ he said, his voice urgent.
Immediately he dialled the emergency services. Thankfully the causeway was open, allowing an ambulance to get through. As he hung up the call Dilly began to stir, her eyelids fluttering open. ‘Don’t panic,’ he said softly, his voice calm and reassuring. ‘You’ve fainted but you’re going to be fine.’
Dilly looked disoriented. ‘I don’t feel…’ she murmured, trailing off as she closed her eyes again.
Max gently squeezed her hand. ‘Just stay still. You don’t need to move. The ambulance is on its way, and even if you feel okay in a minute, it’s better to get checked over.’
Five minutes later, Max had carefully helped Dilly move to a chair on the ground floor of the lighthouse, trying to keep her as comfortable as possible. She sat there, pale, but tried to reassure him. ‘It’s okay, I’m feeling okay now,’ she said. But as she finished speaking, she suddenly clutched her stomach and winced with pain.
Max’s eyes widened. ‘Do you think it’s something you’ve eaten? Food poisoning?’ he asked.
This was the moment Dilly had been dreading but had known was inevitable. But she didn’t want to tell him like this. She took a deep breath. ‘Max,’ she said, looking into his eyes. But before she could say any more the distant sounds of sirens cut through the air, growing louder as the ambulance approached the lighthouse.
‘The ambulance is here. Do you want me to call your dad?’ he asked, already reaching for his phone. The question hung in the air, heavy with implications. Dilly hesitated, torn between the need to share her secret and the fear of how he would react. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘But Max…’
‘It’s okay, just try and stay calm,’ he said, squeezing her hand. But Dilly shook her head, tears welling up. ‘It’s not okay, Max. I’m sorry.’ Her voice cracked with emotion. She couldn’t look him in the eye.
‘Sorry about what? You don’t need to apologise for fainting on me.’ He leaned down and kissed the top of her head gently. ‘The ambulance is here now. Let’s get you checked out, just to be safe.’
The piercing siren had stopped, and Max moved to the doorway as the paramedics arrived. He watched as one of them went to the back of the ambulance and retrieved a wheelchair, whilst the other approached him carrying a medical bag. She smiled. ‘Hi, I’m Polly.’
‘Dilly’s in here,’ Max said, stepping aside to let them in.
The paramedic immediately set to work, asking Dilly a series of questions as she prepared her equipment. ‘Can you tell me where you’re feeling pain?’ she asked.
‘Stomach.’
The paramedic nodded, taking out a blood pressure cuff. She wrapped it around Dilly’s arm and began to inflate it. ‘Your blood pressure is very low.’
‘What would normally cause that?’ asked Max.
‘There’s a number of possible scenarios, emotional stress, fear, pain.’
‘Pregnancy,’ replied Dilly, closing her eyes.
‘Are you pregnant?’ asked Polly.
Dilly nodded.
‘How many months?’
Dilly briefly closed her eyes. ‘At a guess around four months. I’ve only just found out. Will everything be okay?’
‘Let’s get to the hospital and get a scan sorted and then the doctors will be able to tell you more.’
Dilly nodded, her eyes finally meeting Max’s. The shock was written all over his face. ‘I’m sorry,’ she mouthed, feeling the weight of the unspoken words between them. She knew he must have plenty of questions. Even though they needed to have that conversation, right now wasn’t the moment… again. She watched Max gather her things, including the bunch of keys and her bag.
‘Is there anything I can bring along for you?’ he asked. His voice was steady but he didn’t look directly at her.
‘You want to come with me?’ Dilly asked, surprised.
‘I’m not going to leave you on your own.’
‘Thank you.’
The paramedics helped Dilly into the wheelchair, and Max locked up the lighthouse behind them. As they reached the ambulance, he climbed in and sat next to her, holding her hand tightly. The gesture meant the world to Dilly, especially after the bombshell she’d just dropped.
‘I wanted to tell you,’ she whispered, her voice cracked. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Max squeezed her hand. ‘Don’t worry about that right now. You and the baby are the priority. Everything else can wait.’
As the ambulance sped towards the hospital, Dilly felt a flurry of emotions. Guilt gnawed at her, not just for hiding her pregnancy but also for the thoughts she had entertained earlier that day. The idea of a termination had crossed her mind, but now, knowing there could be a possibility of losing the baby, she knew for certain she would never have been able to go through with it. She wanted this baby, no matter what challenges lay ahead, and all she could do was pray that everything would be okay.