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Authors: Catrin Collier
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Diana’s skull, just below the hairline, that ran two inches long and half an inch wide.
‘There’s too much blood to see if there’s glass in it.’
Taking a sterile dressing from Andrew’s bag, she removed the tea towel and gently covered the wound.
‘Ronnie?’ Bethan called his name twice but he refused to look at her. ‘The ambulance is coming.’
He continued to gaze down at Diana, holding-her hand, white and very small in his own.
‘It will be better if I go with her, Ronnie,’ Andrew said briskly, reverting to his no-nonsense professional manner. ‘You can follow with Bethan in the car.’
‘You’ll have to come in the car with me, Ronnie,’ Bethan repeated slowly.
Huw appeared in the doorway. ‘The ambulance is here, and Tina and Will have arrived.’
‘Tell the driver to bring the stretcher in.’ Andrew touched Ronnie’s arm. ‘We’re going to move her now. Do you understand?’
‘Why don’t you take Will and Tina upstairs to the children?’
Bethan’s plea fell on deaf ears. Ronnie refused to relinquish his hold on Diana’s hand as the ambulance men lifted her on to their stretcher under Andrew’s direction. He walked beside her as they carried her outside. Huw had moved the crowd back but Bethan could see them all craning their necks in the hope of getting a good look at Diana on the stretcher. The ambulance driver and his mate, both experienced professionals, finally managed to prise Ronnie’s fingers away from Diana’s as they loaded her into the back of the ambulance.
‘Get him in as quickly as you can,’ Andrew ordered Bethan as he climbed up beside the stretcher. ‘He’s in shock.’
‘I recognise it when I see it,’ Bethan snapped, the strain exacting its toll on her. ‘You’ll see her soon, Ronnie, I promise,’ she murmured in kinder tones, gripping his hand tightly, as one of the men closed the doors.
Despite all Bethan’s efforts to coax him indoors and away from prying eyes, Ronnie continued to stand, watching until the ambulance drove down to the main road and turned the corner. Then he began to scream.
‘Get him on the sofa and hold him still,’ Bethan shouted as Huw and William struggled to push Ronnie through the door and into the parlour. After they managed to remove his overcoat she pulled up his sleeve and injected him. ‘Don’t let him go until his eyes close and you can feel him relaxing.’
‘Remind me never to quarrel with you, Beth.’ William practically sat on Ronnie as Bethan picked up the telephone to call a second ambulance.
‘How is Diana?’ Tina whispered from the top of the stairs as Bethan replaced the receiver.
‘We’ll know more after they’ve operated.’
Tina ran down the stairs, ‘Don’t give me that hospital double talk. I’m not one of your bloody patients. Diana’s your cousin and my sister-in-law …’
‘Beth knows that, Tina.’ Huw laid his hand on her shoulder. ‘Why don’t you go back up and see to the kids?’
‘They’re all right for the moment, that young copper’s with them.’ She looked down at Ronnie, who was slumped on the parlour sofa.
‘I knew he was in shock, I just didn’t realise how bad he was. I’m sorry, Tina,’ Bethan apologised. ‘It had to be done. I had no choice.’
Tina went to the kitchen door. Transfixed by the mess of broken and upturned furniture, crockery and bloodstains she turned to Huw. ‘What happened?’
‘I don’t know. We had a call at the station, I recognised the address …’
‘In God’s name, why won’t anyone tell me what’s going on?’
‘Because none of us knows, love.’ After verifying that Ronnie was well and truly out of it, William went to her. Pulling her head on to his shoulder, he held her tight as she started to cry. ‘Try to think of the children. They need you now because with Mam away you’re the one they know best.’
The shrill sound of an ambulance bell rang closer.
‘You’ll let us know what’s happening,
‘There’s too much blood to see if there’s glass in it.’
Taking a sterile dressing from Andrew’s bag, she removed the tea towel and gently covered the wound.
‘Ronnie?’ Bethan called his name twice but he refused to look at her. ‘The ambulance is coming.’
He continued to gaze down at Diana, holding-her hand, white and very small in his own.
‘It will be better if I go with her, Ronnie,’ Andrew said briskly, reverting to his no-nonsense professional manner. ‘You can follow with Bethan in the car.’
‘You’ll have to come in the car with me, Ronnie,’ Bethan repeated slowly.
Huw appeared in the doorway. ‘The ambulance is here, and Tina and Will have arrived.’
‘Tell the driver to bring the stretcher in.’ Andrew touched Ronnie’s arm. ‘We’re going to move her now. Do you understand?’
‘Why don’t you take Will and Tina upstairs to the children?’
Bethan’s plea fell on deaf ears. Ronnie refused to relinquish his hold on Diana’s hand as the ambulance men lifted her on to their stretcher under Andrew’s direction. He walked beside her as they carried her outside. Huw had moved the crowd back but Bethan could see them all craning their necks in the hope of getting a good look at Diana on the stretcher. The ambulance driver and his mate, both experienced professionals, finally managed to prise Ronnie’s fingers away from Diana’s as they loaded her into the back of the ambulance.
‘Get him in as quickly as you can,’ Andrew ordered Bethan as he climbed up beside the stretcher. ‘He’s in shock.’
‘I recognise it when I see it,’ Bethan snapped, the strain exacting its toll on her. ‘You’ll see her soon, Ronnie, I promise,’ she murmured in kinder tones, gripping his hand tightly, as one of the men closed the doors.
Despite all Bethan’s efforts to coax him indoors and away from prying eyes, Ronnie continued to stand, watching until the ambulance drove down to the main road and turned the corner. Then he began to scream.
‘Get him on the sofa and hold him still,’ Bethan shouted as Huw and William struggled to push Ronnie through the door and into the parlour. After they managed to remove his overcoat she pulled up his sleeve and injected him. ‘Don’t let him go until his eyes close and you can feel him relaxing.’
‘Remind me never to quarrel with you, Beth.’ William practically sat on Ronnie as Bethan picked up the telephone to call a second ambulance.
‘How is Diana?’ Tina whispered from the top of the stairs as Bethan replaced the receiver.
‘We’ll know more after they’ve operated.’
Tina ran down the stairs, ‘Don’t give me that hospital double talk. I’m not one of your bloody patients. Diana’s your cousin and my sister-in-law …’
‘Beth knows that, Tina.’ Huw laid his hand on her shoulder. ‘Why don’t you go back up and see to the kids?’
‘They’re all right for the moment, that young copper’s with them.’ She looked down at Ronnie, who was slumped on the parlour sofa.
‘I knew he was in shock, I just didn’t realise how bad he was. I’m sorry, Tina,’ Bethan apologised. ‘It had to be done. I had no choice.’
Tina went to the kitchen door. Transfixed by the mess of broken and upturned furniture, crockery and bloodstains she turned to Huw. ‘What happened?’
‘I don’t know. We had a call at the station, I recognised the address …’
‘In God’s name, why won’t anyone tell me what’s going on?’
‘Because none of us knows, love.’ After verifying that Ronnie was well and truly out of it, William went to her. Pulling her head on to his shoulder, he held her tight as she started to cry. ‘Try to think of the children. They need you now because with Mam away you’re the one they know best.’
The shrill sound of an ambulance bell rang closer.
‘You’ll let us know what’s happening,
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