Chapter 10
The next few days working at The Templar proved to be busy for Megan. Although she enjoyed waiting on and talking to the locals, she came home in the evenings absolutely tired out. She wasn’t used to being on her feet all day, having only ever worked behind a desk. Wandering home from the pub slowly in the early evening dusk, Megan promised herself a luxurious, hot bubble bath and an early night. Seeing the charming row of stone cottages with their lantern porch lights glowing homely in the twilight gave Megan a reassuring warmness. It was amazing how soon Treweham had become her home and she genuinely couldn’t envisage living anywhere else now.
She noticed her next-door neighbour’s side gate was open. Frowning, she wondered why, aware that Zac, her neighbour’s black Labrador, slept in his kennel in the back garden. Old Ted always made sure Zac was secure and locked in. Sure enough, there was the dog ambling along the roadside, sniffing the flowerbeds, intermittently cocking his leg. Where was Ted?
Running across the road, Megan gently took hold of a vaguely surprised Zac. ‘Come on, old boy, you shouldn’t be outside here on your own.’ She patted Zac’s head, slowly led him back into his garden and locked the side gate behind them.
‘Ted!’
There was no answer. Megan saw the back door was ajar, so she gently pushed it open and shouted again for her neighbour. Still there was no answer. Megan entered the cottage. All was still and quiet, except for the faint crackle of the radio.
‘Are you there, Ted?’ Megan made her way into the sitting room. Ted was slumped in the armchair by the fire. ‘Ted!’ Megan rushed to him and eased his shoulders up. His face was pale and moist, but he was still breathing, just, in shallow little gasps. ‘Ted, I’m ringing for an ambulance, stay with me,’ she pleaded whilst reaching for the mobile lodged in her jeans pocket. She punched out 999, was put through immediately and gave all the necessary details. Megan grasped Ted’s hand and squeezed it hard. ‘Please stay with me,’ she whispered. The ticking of the mantelpiece clock emphasised how slowly the time was passing. Zac whimpered in the kitchen, sensing something was wrong.
‘Come here, Zac!’ she called out. Zac wandered in slowly, his head bent and he whimpered again. ‘It’ll be all right, Zac,’ she reassured, hoping she was right. Zac sat next to her and licked her hand, which was clutching Ted’s.
At last the ambulance arrived. Two paramedics rushed in and assessed Ted. ‘I just found him here, slumped in his chair about twenty minutes ago,’ Megan started to ramble, now that shock had set in. One of the paramedics put something delicately into Ted’s mouth. Then they carefully lifted him onto a stretcher and carried him out to the ambulance, Megan following.
‘We’ve managed to stabilise him,’ one of the paramedics said over his shoulder, whilst opening the ambulance doors. ‘We need to get him to the hospital as soon as possible. Can you inform his family?’
‘Yes, of course,’ Megan hovered on the road, not really knowing who that would be. She watched Ted being bundled into the ambulance. Within seconds the blue lights were flashing and the ambulance sped off. She went to stand motionless in the middle of the road, watching it go.
Suddenly a loud horn sounded, making Megan jump with fright. She just managed to turn in time to see a sports car swerve, marginally missing her. Her heart pounded in her chest as she took gasps of air. She squinted her eyes to make out the car’s registration plate, TOB 1. The lunatic! Megan started to tremble, her shock levels peaking with all that had happened, and tears began to spill down her face.
‘Are you all right?’ a soft voice spoke somewhere behind her. She turned round to see through her tears a blurry figure standing in front of her. The figure was a young man in combat pants and a white T-shirt. He put an arm loosely round her shoulders and guided her off the road.
‘It nearly killed me…’ stammered Megan.
‘I know, I saw. He’s a bloody idiot,’ the man stated flatly. Together they made their way back down the lane to the cottages. ‘I’m Nick, by the way. I live up the track,’ he signalled back towards a dirt track, off the main road. Then he frowned when Megan led them into Ted’s cottage. ‘This is old Ted’s cottage.’
‘Yes,’ Megan paused, ‘I’ve just found Ted slumped in his armchair and called an ambulance. I live next door.’
‘Oh, no.’ Nick’s face contorted with emotion.
‘I’m Megan.’ She offered her hand, which was still shaking. Nick held it, making her feel safe and warm.
‘Pleased to meet you, Megan.’
Zac suddenly barked, startling them both. ‘I’ll look after Zac. We’d better lock up here.’ Megan bent down to stroke a bewildered face with questioning brown eyes.
‘Poor chap, he’s wondering what’s going on.’ Nick joined Megan to stroke him. ‘He’s been with Ted since he was six weeks old. I remember giving him his first set of injections. I’m the local vet,’ he said by way of explanation. Then he straightened up. ‘I’ll check the windows are closed upstairs.’
Nick made his way to the stairs whilst Megan put the fire guard up to the fire. The embers were still warm, which hopefully meant Ted hadn’t collapsed too long ago, and she’d found him in good time. Once the cottage was locked up the three of them went next door to Megan’s.
‘Come in, Nick. Would you like a coffee?’ she asked, pushing the front door hard as it had been sticking.
Nick smiled wryly, ‘I think you need something a little stronger than coffee.’
‘Probably,’ agreed Megan, ‘but the strongest I’ve got is wine.’
‘Wine it is then.’
Soon they were both sitting outside on the new wrought-iron furniture Megan had bought for the courtyard garden, with Zac snug at Megan’s feet.
‘Looks like you’ve made a friend there.’ Nick pointed towards the sleeping dog.
‘Yes, he’s lovely.’ Megan looked up to the inky, dark sky scattered with star dust. The mild evening air was filled with the daffodils’ heady, sweet scent. ‘Cheers,’ Megan handed Nick a glass of sparkling white wine.
‘Cheers.’ Nick took the glass and gave a hard sigh. ‘As far as I know, Ted doesn’t have any family, I don’t think there’s anybody to notify about his collapse. I’ll go and visit him in the morning.’
