‘Shouldn’t you stop that now?’ He indicated the tube that had become a lifeline to his son.

‘Don’t worry, gravity is a very slow business. I only know about it because I looked it up, out of curiosity, after one of Gran Gertie’s tapes.’ She studied Harry’s son, who would almost certainly have been dead by now if it hadn’t been for that cassette tape and Shelly’s interest in all things medical. ‘Odd how things turn out, isn’t it?’

Harry gave a sigh and rubbed his eyes, then cupped her chin and kissed her gently on the lips. ‘Thank you.’ She could feel he was trembling, or perhaps it was her.

‘Don’t worry about things you can’t change,’ she said gently. ‘I swear to do all I can for him, and you can thank Gertie for making the tapes, she probably saved his life. Please, go inside and check what’s happening. I’d like to know before I leave.’

*

In the air ambulance, Shelly removed the catheter, placed a lump of cotton wool over the tiny wound, and bent her elbow.

‘O positive, you said,’ the medic queried before sticking the transfusion needle into Elias’s arm.

She nodded. ‘Same as me.’

‘What you did was very unorthodox, and certainly not recommended, but I’m quite sure you saved this young man’s life with your quick thinking.’

‘He’ll survive then?’

‘Well, we’ll do our best, but it’s a bad bleed.’

Still feeling lightheaded, Shelly wondered what was going on in the dive bell. It sounded like a heart attack, but there was nothing she could do about it under the circumstances. Shortly, they landed on the hospital heliport and Elias was stretchered straight to A&E. Shelly confessed to feeling lightheaded and followed with one of the medics.

*

At ten o’clock that evening, Harry joined her at the hospital. She felt his rich brown eyes probing into her troubled soul wanting to see what was going on in there.

‘Has anyone told you, Elias’s going to be all right?’ he asked.

With that information came a rush of relief, and her moment to fall apart arrived. ‘Thank God!’ She turned towards him. He slipped his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace, giving her permission to let the tension go. She cried onto his shoulder for a minute, then gathered her strength and sat up straight. ‘Thank you, I needed that,’ she said, taking his handkerchief and blowing her nose. ‘Such a relief.’

‘You risked your life to save his, so it’s me who’s thanking you; and Elias too. Apologies for bitching,’ he said. ‘From now on, you can do anything you want as far as my son’s concerned.’

Shelly laughed limply. ‘That’s good. He’s no longer angry with me for monopolising his father then?’