Mimi saw that Callie was waiting on the other side, helping Tara up to her feet. Her heart swelled with pride that she’d stayed to help. She would have understood if Callie had stumbled away from the car and collapsed, but instead she was holding it together to be there for her little sister.

‘Go to our car, stay with the twins and your dad. I’ll be right there, okay?’ Mimi called out to them.

Callie had both her arms wrapped around Tara. ‘Mum, get out of there. What if it . . . what if it catches fire or . . . or . . . explodes or something?’

‘That’s not going to happen,’ she said firmly.

‘But I could smell something in there . . . petrol maybe. Please, please get out.’

‘I’m just going to help your uncle and then I’ll get right out and I’ll be with you, okay?’

Callie looked like she wanted to argue further but Mimi cut her off. ‘Callie, listen to me. I need you to go to the twins. They’re okay, but they need you. Go.’

Callie nodded and she and Tara backed away from the car.

*

Darren

He wasn’t cut out for this — he hadn’t updated his first aid in years. When would help arrive? Should he pull her out of the car? Lie her down to start CPR? Or was he not meant to move her? What if he did more harm than good? Why couldn’t she just wake up or give him a sign that she was okay?

‘Andrea, please, can you hear me? Open your eyes, please!’

He felt a hand touch his shoulder and he spun around to see his mum standing behind him, breathing hard.

‘Mum! What are you doing? You’re hurt, you need to wait for the paramedics.’

She shook her head. ‘I need to help.’

‘I don’t know what to do, she won’t wake up. And I haven’t even been to the last car yet.’

‘It’s okay. I saw Mimi over there helping them.’ She looked down at Andrea’s still form and for a second her brisk demeanour slipped. ‘Oh God, is she . . . ?’

‘I don’t know. And I don’t know what to do.’

Jill seemed to snap back to attention, as though the fact that Darren was at a loss meant she had no choice but to pull herself together.

‘We need to check if she’s breathing.’ Jill leaned over into the car, lowering her ear next to Andrea’s face, and held still for a few seconds.

‘I can’t feel anything,’ she said after a moment. ‘Or hear anything. If she’s not breathing then we need to start CPR.’

‘But do we pull her out of the car? Lie her down?’

‘No. We’ll just put the seat back a little so we can tip her head back and do it here.’

‘Are you sure? How do you know what to do?’