Life for them both was finally looking up.
45
Karen couldn’t wait to leave the office. Today had seemed like the longest work dayever.
Still, only three weeks to go ’til the wedding and then she and Shane were flying to Thailand for a blissful two week honeymoon.
At this point, they both needed the break. He’d really been putting in the hours at work lately to the point that they barely saw one another. The wedding would be small, but Shane was insistent that they pay for everything themselves – reception, flowers, honeymoon etc, without having to resort to more borrowing. Hence the additional overtime.
She checked her watch again, hoping that by some miracle the hands might’ve reached five o’clock. No such luck.
She was also looking forward to the upcoming bridal shopping trip to Belfast with Jenny this weekend. If shedidn’t get a dress soon, she might have to think about wearing a suit to the registry office. Karen didn’t think Shane would care either way - he loved her as she was and that was all that mattered.
Though with the hours he was putting in, there hadn’t been much loving lately. She wondered if getting married would have a negative effect on their sex life. She should ask Tessa, although maybe she wasn’t the best person just now. With only a month or so til the baby’s arrival, her friend was getting bigger by the minute and the last time Karen had spoken with her, had been inconsolable about that.
“What if I can’t lose all this weight after?” she moaned. “I’ll never go outside the front door again.”
Karen smiled, trying to imagine what Tessa would be like as a mum and wondered if she would ever be able to think seriously about parenthood herself. It didn’t appeal in the slightest, and listening to Tessa recount tales of ‘all day and all night’ sickness didn’t endear her to the possibility any further.
She decided to quickly check in with Shane before leaving the office. He would still be at his desk, slogging away on the new toll bridge project that was taking up most of his time.
“Sorry, Karen – he left about half an hour ago,” the receptionist asked when she phoned the main switch, having got message minder on his personal phone. “Will I take a message or …?”
She frowned. “Not to worry thanks, I’ll catch him athome.” She was almost certain Shane had told her earlier that he was working late tonight.
Oh well, she mused, grabbing her jacket and knocking off for the day. Must have been a change of plan.
46
Aidan instinctively jumped up, quickly casting aside the poker game he and his fellow on-duty fire officers were engaged in, once the alert sounded.
“RTA, M50 southbound,” his colleague called out as they all hurried to get changed. “Persons trapped, persons reported, two vehicles – get a move on, lads.”
Aidan grimaced as he got into his gear. Road Traffic Accidents were the worst. He lifted his fire helmet from where it hung on the wall and followed the others out to the fire vehicles.
“Take Second, will you?” directed the Station Officer.
Seemed like this crash was a serious one, too.
Aidan nodded and dutifully rushed towards the truck, passing the Jaws of Life on the side of the unit. He hated the sight of that equipment and the eardrum-piercing screeching while prying open metal to safely remove crash victims. The part of this job that he dreaded the most.
Two fire vehicles soon hurtled out of the station, sirens screaming past the rush-hour traffic, and the station officer radioed further instructions from the unit up ahead as they raced towards the crash scene.
“Colin and Tony – fend off. Aidan and Donal – airbags.”
Two would be responsible for sectioning off the crash scene, ensuring that the rescue team and the paramedics had enough space. Since he and his colleague had been given airbag duty, Aidan knew that at least one vehicle involved in the crash had tipped over and thus airbags would be used to lift it back up so that the rescue team could access passengers.
Paramedics and police were already at the crash site. When they reached the location, he and his partner jumped out and immediately grabbed the airbags, deploying as directed.
But as Aidan hurried toward the mangled vehicle on the tarmac, his breath caught in his throat.
“Jesus Christ …” he whispered hoarsely, “I know that car.”
47
Tessa decided to check on her patient Mrs Clearly once more, before going off duty.
“How are you feeling now?” she asked the elderly lady who had been complaining of a ferocious headache.
