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The ride to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary was interminable. Martin pressed Shona’s side once the blood seeped through her clothing. Lloyd’s van hadn’t followed. Martin breathed out a long sigh. They pulled up in front of the Emergency Department. His father ran in and came out with a patient trolley and a nurse.
“Oh, I thought so,” the nurse said to Martin. “You’re Caitlin’s cousin, Martin. And you must be her Uncle Kieran,” she spoke to his father. “I recognised you from her photos.”
“Aye, we are, but we have a young woman with a gunshot wound.” His father cut the nurse off and helped Shona onto the gurney.
They rushed inside and raced through the corridor to the main treatment area where people sat on or around patient trolleys. IV poles stuck out in their pathway and staff sped past them. Monitors beeped, and people shouted orders. Babies cried, and moans of pain filtered from behind curtains.
“A Resus bay has just become free. Go to Bay Seven!” The younger nurse then called to an older woman. “Milla, come.”
Milla pulled the curtains to Bay Seven behind her. “Jan.” She waved the younger nurse closer and spoke low. “Others have been waiting longer.”
“Aye, I know but this girl had a gunshot wound. It’s Caitlin’s Uncle Kieran.” She pointed to Martin’s father. “And that’s Martin.”
“Oh, hi,” Milla said, her shoulders relaxing.
Jan and Milla worked on Shona. A Dr Kumran came into the cubicle and gave some orders to them.
“The bullet has passed through,” Dr Kumran told Martin’s father. “So we’ll clean her up and she should be fine with some antibiotics to prevent infection,”
“How’s Caitlin? She’s not turned up for work yet.” Jan’s big eyes peered into Martin’s face. “She was due back last week. I went around to her flat, but I couldn’t get an answer.”
“And we can’t get her on her mobile, now that they’re working again, sort of,” Milla said, opening a dressing pack out onto a treatment trolley.
Martin turned to his father whose expression was grave, and he chewed his lip.
“Dad?” Martin’s neck cooled. “Have you found her yet?”
“What do you mean ‘found her’?” Jan’s gaze flicked from Martin to his father.
A chill ran down Martin’s spine.
His father took a deep breath. “Caitlin went missing when our home was ransacked nearly a month ago.” He shook his head. “We haven’t heard from her since.”
“Have you looked?” Jan sounded accusing.
“Excuse me.” Martin’s father stood straighter and pierced the younger nurse with his gaze. “I have tried to get the police to look for her but gave up because they’re so busy. I’ve hired a PI, not that it’s really any business of yours.”
Jan looked at the floor. “I’m sorry. I just...” She walked out of the cubicle.
“Jan?” Milla called after her, and then returned to dressing Shona’s side.
Martin sat by Shona and held her hand while Milla cleaned the bullet wounds, front and back, and stuck bandages on them.
“Who’s Caitlin?” Shona looked up at Martin.
“She’s my first cousin and...” Martin shrugged. “We don’t know where she is or if she’s even alive.” His throat closed over and he leaned forward, resting his head on Shona’s shoulder. It was comfortable, and he could breathe there. She didn’t flinch, and her hand came up and touched his hair, and stayed.
“Thank you, Mr Moffatt,” Shona said over Martin’s head.
“You’re welcome, Shona.”
“How’d you get the money?” Martin flicked his head up from Shona’s shoulder. “I thought you said we’d lost everything.”
“Remember what I taught you, son? Those that have money know how to borrow it, make it, and keep it.” His father chuckled. “I must admit, with this crash it wasn’t easy. I’ve had to call in many favours.”
The curtain to the Resus Bay Seven skidded open on its rail then a policeman stepped in behind Jan.
“I hear you have a gunshot wound to be reported,” he said.
“Aye, and a murder,” Martin said. “And a missing person.”
“Aye, and kidnap.” Martin’s father had spoken at the same time. “A murder? What are you talking about, son?”
“In the grounds of Ravenscraig Castle ruins you’ll find a body of a young man,” Martin spoke directly to the policeman. “He’s Davy McMichael.” Martin’s words caught in his throat.
His father then gave the policeman the details of Caitlin’s unaccounted-for-absence, Martin’s kidnapping, and the situation at Queensferry.
“Och, well.” The officer shook his head. “I’ll make my reports and you come to the station and give your statements but I cannae promise much action at present. We are inundated with work.”
“I can well imagine,” Martin’s father commented.
“I dinnae think ye can, actually.” The policeman’s shoulders lifted in a sigh. “Just between you, me, and the gatepost.” The officer leaned close to Martin’s father. “The cache of illegal weapons, which have been stored at police headquarters since the last amnesty on weapons, has been stolen. There are more guns, knives, automatic machine guns and God-knows-what out there now than there ever has been.” He tilted his head. “If I were you, and had the means, I’d hide away until all this shite settled down.” He nodded and left the cubicle.
Martin blinked. It couldn’t get worse, could it?
His father spun back to them. “Right, are we done, Milla?”
Milla nodded. “Just need that script for antibiotics filled.”
“Aye. Thank you,” he said and took the script from Milla.
Jan opened the curtains for them.
“You okay?” Martin helped Shona sit up.
“Aye.” She looked at him and then at his father.
“This is what we’ll do.” His father leaned in close to them. “We’re getting your mother, sisters and anybody else.” He paused and looked at Shona. “Shona, we’ll stop by your home on the way. You live in Edinburgh, don’t you?”
Shona nodded, her brow furrowed, either in pain or in concern over what his father was saying.
“We are going.” Martin’s father looked him in the eye. “We’ll find a safe place to ride out this mess.”
“And Caitlin?” Martin asked. They couldn’t go without Caitlin.
“We’ll still search for her, son.”
“But—” Shona stiffened under Martin’s arm.
“What?” Martin turned to her.
Shona took a breath. “Should we no’ stay and call the Government to action?’
“No, Shona.” Martin’s father shook his head. “Let’s be safe until the trouble settles down. It’s spiralling out of control out there, and we need something to hold onto while it does. We’ve got to survive this, so we can fight another day. That’s what’s called for at present. We can bother the Government from a secure hiding place.”
Martin straightened and held tight to Shona. She stood, and he tucked her by his side, following his father past beeping IV pumps and monitors. Once outside, the afternoon sun warmed Martin in the calm carpark.
He lifted his face to sunshine and breathed in deep. The world was changing.
No. He shook his head.
It had changed, and would never be the same relatively secure world in which he’d grown up.
He glanced down at Shona. They’d be together, and safe with his family. He’d make sure of it.
Then he’d find a way to make it all right again.
In time.
THE END
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