The helicopter dipped in the sky, and the pilot came on for the last time.
‘Prepare for landing.’
Anonymous shapes turned into definite structures. Grace was puzzled that they appeared to be above central Athens and not coming into the airport, which was to one side of the city.
A large, illuminated building came into view, with blue-lit ambulances pulling up to its entrance far below them.
They were going to land on the roof of the hospital! She’d seen it done in movies, and in any other circumstance she’d have been excited.
A steep drop knocked the breath out of her, but the touchdown on the tarmac was soft. The paramedics were up and headed for the exit with Will in moments. The man who’d allowed her on leant in as he passed.
‘Stay put until we’ve got him on the ground.’
Grace managed to touch Will’s hand as the trolley passed.
She rushed down the metal stairs as soon as she could and followed the others into the lift that opened its doors onto the roof.
It was a tight squeeze, but she wasn’t waiting for the next one.
When it stopped a few floors down she kept within touching distance as they raced the trolley along the passageway. At the end of the corridor, a big sign saidoperating theatrein both Greek and English.
The doors swung open, and Grace saw a gowned-up team waiting on the other side. The paramedic who’d been kind to her put his hand on her arm.
‘This is as far as you go.’
Grace reached forward to give Will’s hand one last stroke before the doors slammed shut in front of her.
How could she ever have thought they could be friends? Who was she kidding?
She was falling in love with him. Pure and simple.
It had taken something truly horrific to shake the truth out of her. She’d already had one man she loved torn from her. She couldn’t go through it again. Grace bowed her head and prayed.
ChapterTwenty-Six
Ahand on her arm brought Grace out of a daze. For a moment she struggled to remember where she was. She looked up at a woman wearing a blue uniform. A nurse’s uniform. She was in a hospital, the place she hated most in the world.
For a moment she thought it was Phil she was waiting for, waiting to hear whether his latest operation had finally got rid of the cancer that was taking over his body.
But of course it wasn’t Phil. Her husband was long dead. The events of the evening came back to her in a rush. It was Will in there. Will was being operated on at this very moment. There were people behind those doors trying to save his life.
‘I’m sorry, but you can’t stay here.’
It was like the woman was talking to her through a glass barrier.
As soon as she finished speaking, a trolley with another patient lying flat on their back was rushed past them and through the magic doors.
The nurse held out a hand and Grace took it and staggered to her feet.
‘I’m Eva, and I will take you to our reception area, where you can wait for news.’
Grace looked back at the metal doors that had swallowed up the next patient and slammed shut in her face again.
‘But I want to go in there.’
Eva pulled on her hand.
‘It’s not possible. Please come with me.’
