Niall turned to see a swotty kid from his biology class at school. What was he doing here? ‘There’s a risk of secondary brain injury,’ the boy added.
Niall had no idea what secondary brain injury was, but the words brain and injury were enough to panic him. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to dial 999.
But the signal was non-existent.
‘Where’s the landline?’ he demanded.
At last someone answered. ‘It’s in the lounge. I’ll call an ambulance.’
But none of it was fast enough for Niall who waswatching his brother lying on the floor, the rosy, happy colour of his face being replaced by grey, and the words ‘secondary brain injury’ ringing in his ears like the ambulance siren he longed to hear but could take forever to arrive around here. There was no time to waste.
Niall jumped up and opened the kitchen drawer he’d looked in during a curiosity streak earlier and grabbed the keys that were lying there. ‘Come on, Sean. Stand up!’ He hauled Sean to an upright sitting position and wrapped his brother’s arm around his shoulder, rising up and bringing them both to a standing position.
How he got past the kid whose parents’ house it was and out into the Audi parked in the driveway, Niall didn't know. Later, he would discover that the kid was busy with some girl action of his own in the summer house.
With some help from willing but drunken bystanders, Niall folded Sean into the passenger seat, got into the driver’s seat and fastened both their seatbelts. He was about to pull out of the drive when he heard someone get into the back seat — Shona McCafferty.
‘Shona? What’re you doing?’
‘I’m coming with you. For moral support.’
Niall didn’t have time to argue. ‘Whatever.’
Niall was sixteen and hadn’t even begun driving lessons, but he’d learned a bit from his older brothers, so if he could get somewhere with this car, call an ambulance and meet it halfway then that was all he could hope for. He’d probably had three generous swigs of whisky an hour ago. He didn’t feel drunk. Thinking your brother was dead kind of sobered you up.
The car juddered as Niall started it and accelerated out of the driveway and into second gear. Given that he’d had any alcohol at all and no licence, he shouldn’t be driving,but they were in the middle of the country so there probably wouldn’t be any other cars or pedestrians. He couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Not when his brother might have a secondary brain injury.
The track ahead was pitch black and Niall fumbled for the lights he’d forgotten to turn on. The wipers flashed across the windscreen on fast mode.
‘Fuck.’ He managed to switch them off and after some more fumbling in which he sprayed the back windscreen with water, the headlights came on full beam.
The car swerved and he overcompensated by correcting the turn like a Formula One driver taking a bend.
Shona squealed.
Sean groaned.
‘You okay, bro?’
Sean grunted, which was something.
‘Stay awake, okay? Shona can you keep him awake?’
‘How?’
‘I dunno. Sing or something. Slap his face from time to time. Anything. Just don’t let him drift off.’ Niall gave his own cheek a little wake-up slap to keep his focus on the road. Driving was harder than it appeared and in the dark with two pissed passengers, it was even harder.
Shona was singing to Sean. ‘The wheels on the bus go round and round…’
‘Are you serious?’ Niall glanced round at her.
‘It was the first thing that came to mind. Make him feel safe, like when he was a baby.’
Niall was about to suggest that Sean didn’t need to be sent off to sleep like a baby when something darted across the road. He slammed on the brakes and they shuddered to a halt. Shona screamed and when he turned, he saw why. She hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt and had beenthrown through the gap between the driver and passenger seat.
‘Shona?’
‘What? What happened?’ She looked up, dazed.
