Officers escort Ava and Isaac to a waiting police car, and I see in Peter’s eyes the sadness of not being able to reach his sister, and I pray that one day he will.
‘Will they be OK?’ I ask a young PC. But despite his reassurances, this isn’t a textbook case, something he may have read about or seen before. He has no more idea than I have how this will affect them going forward.
Rory and Maxen left in ambulances a short while ago, sirens blaring. Rory, the paramedics told me, is in a critical condition, and Maxen has lost a lot of blood.
Willow wraps her arms around me, and as we hold each other she whispers again, ‘I knew you’d come, Rose. I knew you would never let me down.’
‘We should go,’ Aaron says as she releases me, closing the door on Floral Corner, and the five of us head into the night, my arm firmly round Becky.
We stop by the cars, and Peter reaches for Willow’s hand. ‘Hey there,’ he says, speaking to her for the first time. ‘I’m Peter.’
She takes his hand. ‘I know who you are,’ she says.
‘You’re so grown up,’ he says, as she lets go of his hand as quickly as she took it and drops her arm to her side. ‘I used to look after you when you were little.’
She shakes her head. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t remember.’
‘Well, you wouldn’t. You were so young when …’ His eyes tear over. ‘I can’t believe we’ve found Ava. Your real mum.’
‘My birth mum,’ she corrects.
‘Yes,’ he says. ‘I hope I’ll get to see you again.’
‘You will,’ she says, but she doesn’t raise a smile. None of us do. ‘You can count on it.’
He hunches his shoulders and walks through puddles towards his car.
‘Are you sure you don’t want to stay at the cottage tonight?’ I call after him.
‘No, you’re all right,’ he says. ‘I’ll book in at a bed and breakfast.’ He raises an arm in a weak wave.
‘And get your head checked out?’ I add, as he gets into his car.
Becky and I get into the back seat of Aaron’s car, and I wrap her in my arms. She’s still drowsy. As yet I don’t know if Rory drugged her when he took her – time will tell, but I’m here, right by her side.
Willow sits in the front. She’s silent now. In shock – as we all are.
‘Are you all buckled up?’ Aaron asks, before starting the engine. It’s as he pulls away a delayed text arrives on my phone. It’s from Aaron, and must have preceded my voicemail telling him where I was:
We will stay at Ocean View Cottage tonight.
Tomorrow we will go home.