‘It’s a really, really long story, not one I really like to share.’
‘I apologise.’
‘No, please don’t. It’s nice that you care.’
‘I get it, though; families can be a nightmare.’
‘Something like that.’
‘She hasn’t been in touch?’
Nadia shook her head. ‘It makes me think this is a game to her, that she wanted drama. Without going into the details, it was the way she was for years before I moved over here. I had to get away in the end.’
‘It sounds hard.’ Maya paused. ‘How are you holding up?’
‘It’s all been a shock. I think I just need to get back to normal.’
‘I’m always here if you need to talk. Maybe we’ll have a night out, just the two of us, soon.’
‘I’d really like that.’
Maya went to fetch her trainers from the locker room and when she returned, talk changed to Beau and the hoax and how the crew felt about it all.
And as Nadia locked up when she left, she felt a sense of calm. This was her place, right here in Whistlestop River with The Skylarks, and nobody could take that away from her.
19
‘You’re doing a great job.’ Hudson sipped from his mug of tea as he watched Beau finish sweeping down the side of the airbase building.
Beau put the last of the debris into the garden waste bin as Hilda approached, returning from a job, and stirred up the grass surrounds as she came in to land.
It was a lovely dry June day and finally warm enough for short sleeves outside. It felt good to linger in the sunshine for a while, so Hudson didn’t rush to get on. They watched the crew disembark, their faces saying their job had gone well.
What took him by surprise was Beau watching the crew so intently.
‘Let me take that.’ Hudson took the broom and went to put it away. ‘Good job, guys,’ he said to Kate and Brad as they came inside the hangar and stowed their helmets on the shelf.
They briefly discussed the patient and the mission and by the time Hudson went out to find Beau, his son was talking intently to Vik as the pilot refuelled Hilda, having dragged across the lengthy hose from the bowser.
Hudson wondered whether they’d exchanged any words about the hoax but if they had, Vik had clearly decided the best way past this was to educate, given the information he was throwing in Beau’s direction.
‘How fast do you fly?’ Beau asked once Vik had finished a spiel about fuel consumption.
‘We frequently reach speeds of 150 miles per hour.’
‘That’s fast.’
‘Very. We can cover over two miles every minute. It can mean the difference between life and death for a time-critical patient.’
The fuel continued to sloosh into the aircraft.
‘I hear today could’ve been very different if The Skylarks hadn’t been there.’ Hudson didn’t miss Beau’s guilt when he said this – what gave it away was the slight dip of his head as he tried to hide behind his fringe again.
‘It would’ve been catastrophic,’ said Vik. ‘That man would have had no hope without pre-hospital care.’ He had Beau hold the nozzle while he replaced the fuel cap and then dragged the hose back to the bowser.
Beside Hilda, Vik put a hand on Beau’s shoulder. ‘We all appreciate the written apology you sent. It sounds like you won’t ever be a part of anything like that again, am I right?’
Beau shook his head vigorously. ‘Never. Unless it’s to report someone else doing it.’
