She was slumped against the steering-wheel, eyes closed, blood pouring from a cut on her head.

Glancing into the back seat, Alex saw that Daisy was still safely strapped in her car seat and was crying noisily.

She seemed to be OK, which was more than could be said for Jenny.

Panic pulsing through his veins for the second time in twenty-four hours, he fumbled for his mobile phone and rang for an ambulance, his voice shaking as he gave their position, all the while tugging at the door which had obviously become jammed in the accident.

Ordering them to bring a fire crew as well, he tried the other side of the car and managed to get the door open.

With a rush of relief he slid into the passenger seat. ‘Jenny. Jenny, it’s Alex. Talk to me.’

He lifted a hand to her neck, checking for a pulse, and then heard the sound of a siren.

He checked her airway, satisfied himself that it was clear and that she was breathing, and did a quick assessment of the rest of her injuries. She didn’t appear to be bleeding anywhere apart from the cut on her head and he could see her feet and legs.

Then he leaned into the back seat and swiftly checked Daisy.

‘Well, at least you’re crying, angel, which means you’re conscious,’ he said softly, checking her as best he could while she was still in her car seat.

‘Alex?’ The face of one of the paramedics appeared at the window and he turned with relief.

‘Mike, get the baby out of here—and be careful with her. I think she’s all right but I can’t be sure. Then get back here with a backboard. Jenny might have hurt her neck.’

There was no way he was going to risk moving Jenny without some sort of support to her cervical spine.

As the fire engine arrived, Jenny opened her eyes.

‘Jenny!’ Alex’s voice was hoarse and he stroked a gentle hand over her head. ‘Sweetheart, can you hear me?’

Her eyes drifted closed again and he fought against the panic that rose inside him.

‘Jenny!’

She opened her eyes again and looked at him. ‘Daisy?’

He let out a groan of relief at her croaked question. At least she could remember something about what had happened.

It was typical of Jenny that her first thought was for Daisy.

‘Daisy’s fine and we’re going to get you out of this car really soon. We’re just fetching a backboard.’

‘My head hurts.’

‘Anything else? Does it hurt anywhere else?’

His tone was urgent and there was a brief pause while she thought about his question. ‘No. I don’t think so.’

The next half-hour was a blur of frantic activity while everyone worked to free Jenny from the car.

Finally she was in the ambulance and Alex scrambled in beside her. ‘OK. Move!’

Jenny looked at him, her face bruised and battered. ‘You can’t leave your precious car by the side of the road—someone might drive into it.’