7

 

The sound of children playing in the park filled the air as Freddie sat across the bench from Jason. He’d bought cheese salad subs and lemonade. For a moment she’d gone back in time, fifteen years to the day they sat in a similar park, talking weddings and bridesmaid’s dresses.

“Penny for them.” Jason smiled over at her.

“I was just thinking that you’re right. This is a hundred times better than sitting in some dingy pub eating fish with someone who gives me the creeps.”

“At last I’m right about something.”

Of course the company’s better, but I’m not telling him that. She eased her shoulders in the sunshine. The day was turning into another scorcher.

She sipped lemonade and brought the conversation back to work. She’d promised she’d share whatever information she found. Perhaps two minds really were better than one. She balanced the cup on its edge, rolling it from side to side.

“So, originally Baldhu was just a tin mine. Fairly ordinary, been owned by the Tirrel family for generations. Until five years ago, when an outlander bought it.”

“Outlander?” Jason paused, his mouth full of food.

“An outlander is someone who hasn’t lived here for about two hundred and fifty years and ten generations. Anyway, as soon as this outlander started working the mine, it wasn’t just tin they were bringing to the surface. Precious stones as well, agate, topaz, firestone...”

His hand fell to the table and he sat straight. “All right, you got my attention. You’re sure all of these stones are coming from the same mine? The guy couldn’t have got his facts muddled or you misunderstood what he said? The accent can be pretty hard to follow at times.”

“I understood him just fine. And yes, it’s all coming from a tin mine.” She reached into her shirt pocket for the card she’d picked up. “And guess who owns it.”

“No idea.”

“I’ll give you a clue. The owner hasn’t been seen in five months.”

“Just stop a minute. This is getting silly, now.”

“Huh?” Freddie did a double take. “You lost me.”

“He took over the mine five years ago. It’s five miles away and he hasn’t been seen for five months. You have a major overkill on the word five there.”

“You know, if you can’t focus on work for five minutes, sir, then maybe I—”

She broke off, her attention caught by a small boy on the other side of the picnic area. Something wasn’t right. He was coughing and coughing, his hand on his chest. She looked around for his mother or father, but there was no one in sight. Snapping back to the child, shock flooded her as she realized his pallor was grey and getting greyer. He collapsed to the grass, his eyes closing.

“I’m teasing...Freddie?”

Dropping her sub, she leapt to her feet and ran to the child. He lay prone, wheezing and gasping for breath. She knew instantly what was wrong—asthma. She reached the child and knelt beside him.

“Where’s your inhaler, sweetheart?”

“Muh-mee.” The child looked at her, terrified, tears in his eyes as he gasped for breath.

“We’ll find her.” Footsteps ran over to her and she looked up into Jason’s concerned face.

“Freddie, what’s happening? What can I do?”

“Call an ambulance. Tell them it’s a small child with an acute asthma attack.”

He nodded, pulling out his phone and dialing, as she turned back to the child.

“It’s all right, help’s coming. Can you sit up for me?” She undid his shirt and sat him up, leaning him against her. “What’s your name?”

“Pee—ter.”

She glanced around for his inhaler. Seeing it on the grass, she reached over and grabbed it. She pulled off the lid. “Peter, I need you to take three puffs for me. Can you do that?”

Peter grabbed her hand tightly. A panic-filled gaze stared up at her, his face grey and his lips blue. His mouth opened wide and his cheeks hollowed in a futile effort to draw in air.

“Good boy. First one.” She stroked his hair, talking quietly as he struggled to expand his lungs enough to inhale the meds. A hysterical woman ran to them, screaming Peter’s name. Freddie was grateful when Jason intercepted her, taking hold of her arms and talking to her calmly.

She turned back to Peter and offered the inhaler again. Her heart pounded and her breath caught as Peter’s eyes rolled up into his head and he fell limp in her arms.

No!

“Jason, hurry that ambulance.” She laid him flat on the ground, feeling for a pulse. There wasn’t one. She started CPR. One, two, three, four, five, breathe. One, two, three, four, five, breathe.

“Come on, Peter.”

One, two, three, four, five, breathe. One, two, three, four, five, breathe.

The small figure coughed and gasped. Relief flooded her. “Well done, sweetheart.” She turned him onto his side and offered the inhaler again. “Try to take a deep breath for me.” She could dimly hear someone screaming and figured it was Peter’s mother again.

Jason’s hand dropped on her shoulder. “It’s coming, should be here any minute.”

“All right, good.” She offered the inhaler again. “And again, Peter.”

Blue lights and sirens filled the air. Two paramedics leapt out of the ambulance.

“He crashed, but I got him back with CPR. He’s had three puffs of the inhaler.” She sat back on her heels, as they gave Peter a nebulizer and put him on a stretcher.

Peter’s mother had tears pouring down her face. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome.” Freddie watched the ambulance leave, only then realizing a small crowd had gathered to watch. They gradually dissipated.

“Are you all right?” Jason’s voice was gentle, his gaze full of concern as he hunkered down next to her. His hand was warm against her cold one.

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not fine. Come here.” Jason wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly.

Freddie clung to him, taking the comfort he offered. She was only too aware of how close a call that had been.

After a moment, Jason pulled back and looked at her. “Come sit back down, and I’ll buy you a coffee.”

“All right.”

He helped her to her feet and gently took hold of her arm, leading her back to the bench. “Sit there and don’t move.”

Freddie sat down, her body numb and cold. As Jason moved away, her hands began to shake. She shoved them into her pockets and closed her eyes. It could have been her lying there. Would anyone else have known what to do?

“Here.” Jason sat beside her. A cup rested against her lips and she took a few sips before taking it in her shaking hands. A few drops of the hot liquid spilled onto her skin. His hands covered hers, steadying the cup.

“Take it easy. You were amazing.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“You saved that kid’s life. I’d say that’s pretty amazing.”

“I was just in the right place at the right time.” She took a long drink.

“It’s more than that, Freddie. You knew what it was, how to treat it. Even knew CPR, which is more than I do. To my shame, CPR is never something I learnt.” He looked at her. “I keep meaning to, just never got around to it.”

Freddie looked up, steam from the coffee misting up her glasses. “I recognized the asthma because I live with it.”

“I know. That’s why I dealt with the mother. I know that sense of helplessness—watching someone you love trying to breathe and not being able to do anything to help them.” His voice trembled, and he swallowed hard. “I only ever saw you having small attacks, but they were scary enough.”

Freddie nodded. “This was a pretty bad one. We caught it in time and got him the help he needed.”

“You don’t let it stop you though.”

She shrugged. “It’s not something I let matter. I mean, yes it’s something I live with every minute of every day, but it doesn’t define me or control me.” She paused and looked at him. “The thing is—being labeled asthmatic can be as debilitating as being labeled autistic or being stuck in a wheelchair. People see the inhaler and not you.”

“Just for the record, I never saw the inhaler. I saw you. But, it does matter, hon. I mean, what if you have a massive attack like that? I only ever saw the small ones before.”

“Then I guess you know what to do now.” She looked at him. “Hon?”

“Old habits. You mind?”

Freddie looked away and sighed. “Actually, yeah I do mind,” she said, lifting her gaze back to his. “We’re meant to be working, remember? And as much as I am enjoying your company at times, we can’t afford to lose sight of the reason you are here. Work.”

“All right. Tell me one thing. Why did you undo his shirt?”

“When you have an attack, your airways close, everything constricts. In a major attack it’s far worse. Loosening clothing means your lungs have one less thing to fight against in an effort to get air in.”

“I see.” He smiled at her. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

Freddie took a deep breath. “I will be.”

 

****

 

Later that evening, they sat in the lounge of the guesthouse poring over the pamphlets.

Jason sighed. He was only too aware that Nick Steele was watching him over the top of the paper from the other side of the room. “I wonder how the kid is.”

“I don’t know. Guess we never will. But if they treat it fast enough, which they did, even a major asthma attack is survivable.”

“Really?”

“Medicine is making advances all the time. I have two inhalers, well three, if you include the back-up. The brown is preventative, so I’d take that if I knew I was hiking or running or going out in the cold. The blue is the one I take at the start of an attack.”

“Where do you keep them?”

“My bag. The back-up is in my suitcase. And yes, I always check them before I go out. It’s a habit I can’t afford to let slip.”

Mrs. Bowman came in. “Would anyone like a bedtime drink?”

Freddie looked up. “Cocoa, please.”

“Same for me, please,” Jason added.

The Steeles asked for coffee and as Mrs. Bowman left the room, Freddie picked up another leaflet, flicking through it. “But like I said earlier, I don’t let it affect me. If I did, I’d sit at home all day and get nothing done.”

“Is that why you work so hard?”

“Part of it. Have you any idea how hard it is for a woman in my line of work?”

“You don’t seem to let that stop you.” He winked at her.

“I can’t afford to. I’m good at what I do. And the sooner I prove it to you the better.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He put down the pamphlets as Mrs. Bowman came back in with a tray. He took one of the two cups of cocoa and smiled. “Thank you.”

Freddie took hers and sipped it. “It’s good, thank you.”

Mrs. Bowman smiled. “Welcome. Just leave the cups on the tray when you’re finished. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Jason looked at Freddie, angling himself so he could only see her. He lowered his voice. “Well, explain your last comment about proving it to me.”

“That is why you’re here, isn’t it? Check my work out. So the sooner I prove my competency, the better for all concerned.” She took a deep drink of the cocoa and looked down at the leaflet in her hand. She raised her voice to a more normal level. “This looks neat. Wildlife preserve. Lions and tigers and bears...”

“Oh, my.” He grinned at her. “So you want me to take you to the zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow, huh?”

She grinned at him and laughed. “Only if we can stay all day.”

His laugh joined hers. “You are silly, Freddie.”

“That’s why you fell in love with me, remember?”

He nodded. And I still am. Not that he’d tell her that. “So, the zoo and where else tomorrow?”

She ran her finger around the rim of the cup, blowing on the hot liquid, before taking a long mouthful. “Well, it’s the same direction as some very pretty coastline if you get my drift.” Her fingers touched her pendant briefly.

“Clear as crystal.”

Freddie smiled, her eyes sliding closed for a moment.

His eyes narrowed in concern. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

Freddie rubbed her head. “Tired, it’s been a long day.” She took several more long drinks.

Jason smiled. She never did like things cold, preferring them scalding hot. “Then maybe turn in.”

“Yeah, I think I will.” She finished her drink and set down the cup. “See you in the morning. Night.”

“Night.” He watched her leave. She didn’t seem too steady, and he wondered if he should walk her upstairs. She turned and shook her head at him as if she knew what he was thinking, and he leaned back in the seat, sipping his cocoa.

Why did you bring her back into my life, Lord? Is there unfinished business between us that You want sorted? How many times do I need to apologize? I left her, and maybe I shouldn’t have, but after what Mike told me and seeing her in the arms of another man with my own eyes, I didn’t have much of a choice.

He yawned, his head starting to swim. Tiredness swept over him in a wave, sudden and unexpected. Standing, he headed up the stairs to his bedroom. He paused outside Freddie’s room, but the light was off and there was no sound from within.

Jason showered and changed and lay on the bed with his Bible. Everything was such a mess and so complicated now. There was only one way they were going to solve this and that was by turning the whole thing over to God. He knew Freddie wouldn’t, and he resolved to talk to her about that before asking her to church with him on Sunday.