‘Oh, Joseph! You fool! You bloody stupid fool! Stay with me! You’re going to be fine, you hear me, just fine. I’m not losing the best sergeant I’ve ever had, not now! Talk to me, Joseph!’

‘B-best sergeant?’ Blood began to seep from the side of his mouth, but there was the slightest smile there now. ‘Hon-honestly?’

‘No, you’re the biggest idiot I’ve ever met!’

‘Ma’am!’ Despite his weight and poor condition, Dave ran like a harrier towards Nikki, then almost fell down beside her. ‘Are you alright?’ He gasped. ‘My God! Sergeant Easter!’ He staggered back up again. ‘Paramedics! Over here! Quickly!’

‘You, and those guys in green, are the best thing I’ve ever seen, PC Harris!’

Joseph clung tightly to her hand. ‘Ma’am! You have to know, if there was the chance to rewind, I’d do it again.’ He coughed and gave a little cry of pain. ‘I mean, what … what if she had been just an ordinary mum collecting her kid?’

‘But she wasn’t, Joseph.’ She stroked his hand and gently pushed the hair from his face.

‘But I couldn’t have taken that risk with an innocent life, could I?’

‘No, no, of course not.’ The tears were now almost blinding her. ‘But just you lay still, the medics are here now.’

He looked at her, his eyes suddenly wide with fear. ‘I don’t feel good.’

Nikki leant over him. ‘Just you hang on there, Joseph Easter, and that’s an order!’

‘Tamsin. Tell Tamsin …’

‘Tell her yourself.’

‘Plea—’

‘Joseph? Joseph!’

‘It’s okay.’ She felt a hand on her shoulder. ‘We’ve got him, ma’am.’

As the ambulance crew took over, Nikki felt Joseph’s hand slip from hers, and she sank back on her heels and cried like a baby.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

NIKKI SAT OUTSIDE the resus room and clutched a beaker of hot chocolate. She was surprised to see that her hands were still trembling. It had been two hours since they first stabilized Joseph, but they were still not confident enough of his condition to send him to theatre.

‘I put plenty of sugar in, Guv. It’ll help with the shock.’ Dave sat across from her, stirred his own drink and looked bemused. ‘Tell me, how come so many people here seem to know you?’

It was true. She was better known by her first name here, than by the staff in her own nick. And there was little point in covering anything up any more. She was tired, sick to death of all the subterfuge. ‘My daughter is in here, Dave. She’s on the High Dependency Unit. Has been for a long time now.’

‘Daughter? But I didn’t—’

‘No one did. Except the superintendent, and recently Joseph, and he found out by accident.’

‘But, ma’am! That’s awful! I could have helped, I’m sure!’