Chapters (67)
- Cover
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
There was a long wait while the phone played ‘The Skaters’ Waltz’ on a loop. Sam held it away from his ear. There was no one about, the close was like a deserted village, though presumably a few people were behind the shiny new front doors and swathes of icy gravel, the CCTV monitors, the security lamps. Beside the front door of the one Cat had gone through were two tubs containing small bay trees, which had been covered with fleece against the frost.
‘Michael Farmer.’
Sam’s mouth had gone dry and his stomach was tight. Please, he said silently, please.
‘It’s Sam Deerbon.’
‘Hi, I’ve just been in to see him again actually. He’s holding his own but it’s still too early to say if he’ll make it, Sam, he has a nasty infection in his wounds and the vital thing is to stop that becoming systemic. I had to put stitches in three of his pads, and his ear had to be stitched as well, he tore that on some barbed wire. He’s been warmed up gently and we’ve got him under a lamp, so I’m not worried about the hypothermia now, but he’s been through a hell of a lot, and he hasn’t got much energy to fight it all. I think it would be a good idea if you or your mother came in and saw him – he might buck up if he heard a familiar voice. They get very bewildered and then they lose heart when they’re away from home for any length of time, and so ill . . . just like people.’
‘Do you think . . . I mean, does his life still hang by a thread?’
‘Did I say that? OK, let’s just the thread is holding.’
‘But might it snap?’
‘I hope not. If he gets his spirit and the will to live back, it might hold. He’s a small dog and they often do better, just as they live longer.’
Cat was coming towards the car.
‘Thanks,’ Sam said. ‘One of us will come and visit.’
As he ended the call another text message came in.
Child 4 with temp and rash is worse. Will Dr Cat please make it her next call?
He handed it to her.
‘Right, that’s out at Meacham Green – I’ll direct you. Take the bypass, it’s safer and we can move faster.’
Sam focused on driving while Cat scrolled through the messages, occasionally giving him a direction, but otherwise, conversation was on hold.