‘No, no. He’s my neighbour. Tam Tavish. He lives alone…’
She’d explained exactly what had happened, as they got to work, checking Mr Tavish’s vitals and trying to bring him around. When there was no response, she’d seen the glance that had gone between the two medics and guessed that under their calm professionalism, they were concerned.
‘Ben, let’s get him downstairs quick as possible,’ the one who’d been talking to her said to his younger companion, before turning back to her. ‘Thank God all these young ones are never out of the gym because we’re going to need a bit of muscle.’
He wasn’t wrong. They’d managed to get the unconscious patient onto the stretcher, and then she’d followed them, insisting on carrying their bags, as slowly, carefully, they’d descended the ten flights of stairs, their breathing getting heavier with every floor.
By the time they’d got to the bottom, they were all gleaming with sweat and Kiki could feel her damp hair sticking to the side of her face. This wasn’t going to win any prizes for her best look.
The younger paramedic was the first one to recover his powers of speech. ‘Does he have any family, anyone we can contact? A phone number maybe?’
Kiki shook her head. ‘He has a daughter, but I don’t have her number.’
She’d tried to rack her brain. One of the advantages of working in a school that served this area was that if you cared to pay attention, you learned a lot about the community. And Kiki cared. She’d flicked through the connections in her mind. Mr Tavish’s daughter, Tammy Birch, had two boys, Ford in Primary two and Victor in Primary five. Kiki didn’t know the younger one, but she’d worked in the same class as the older one last year and he’d been best pals with… lovely wee Rohan Patel. Yep, that was it. And she’d remembered that the families shared pick-ups and drop-offs for out-of-hours activities because they lived next door to each other. And the Patels lived on Malcolm Street, because they’d invited the whole class over to celebrate Diwali that year.
‘But I know where she lives, so I’ll go and track her down and let her know,’ she’d told them, as they’d loaded Mr Tavish into the ambulance, before they’d roared off, blue lights flashing.
Malcolm Street. It was ten minutes away, and today of all days, she didn’t need this, but in the same moment she’d known that she’d had no choice. If there was a small blessing, it was that she’d closed both hers and Mr Tavish’s doors upstairs, she was wearing comfy shoes, and her bag was over her shoulder, so she didn’t have to go back up ten flights of stairs to collect anything. Instead, she’d turned and marched like an Olympic speed walker all the way to Malcom Street.
As she’d walked, she’d fought to suppress every emotion that threatened to overtake her. Worry for her neighbour. Fury that he was in this situation – an old man alone on the tenth floor of a dilapidated building. And then the fear had come.
Was this her future? Living there all her life until she was old, alone and couldn’t get out because the lift was broken?
Resolve and determination had pushed the doom and gloom right out of the way.
No. She had to get out of that flat. Had to create a different future. Had to have a chance of the life she might have had if she hadn’t spent the last fifteen years waiting for a man who’d let her down. And that, she knew, was her own fault. She’d been so grateful for his kindness when they were teenagers, so blinded by love for the young guy who’d been her only friend back then, that she’d excused every red flag that had waved at her since then. She’d let that happen, made that choice, given him that power, put his priorities above hers. She’d have liked more children. She used to think that when he came back for her it would be when he was ready to settle down and they’d have one or two kids that looked just like him. Now she’d settle for never seeing his face again, just as long as he helped to get her and Ava out of this life. For the tenth time today, she resolved that it was the least he owed her for waiting for him since they were in high school. Yet again, she’d told herself that when she saw him tonight, she was going to make sure that happened one way or another. And she was going to suck up the feeling of self-disgust that asking him for something would give her, because that’s what desperation had done to her. She had to make a better life for Ava, give her the chances that she deserved, and if she had to push her own pride and self-respect to one side to do that, then so be it.
That had been her last thought as she’d turned into Malcolm Street, where she stood now, surveying the empty road and pavements. Not a person in sight. Not a moving car. Not a sound. Until…
A gate creaked open and an elderly lady walking a dachshund came out of a house on the opposite side of the street.
Kiki dashed across the road. ‘Excuse me, I’m looking for the Birch family. Tammy Birch is the mum, and there’s?—’
‘Aye, two wee buggers. Ford and… Oh, I canny remember the other one.’
‘Victor,’ Kiki helped, hoping the ‘wee buggers’ was meant in an endearing way, but fearing it might not be.
‘That’s it. Put a football right through my front fence last week.’
Kiki’s gaze went to the large hole in said fence. Definitely not a term of endearment then.
The woman nodded to the house directly across the road. ‘They’re in there. Number 24. And tell them I’m still waiting for a joiner.’
‘Erm, I will. Thanks!’ she said, as she took off across the street, almost getting run over by an ice-cream van playing the theme tune fromStar Wars. It was like a miracle. Doors opened and sound escalated, as dozens of children swarmed from the houses. And right behind the two familiar ones emerging from number 24 was Tammy Birch, holding her new little one on her hip.
‘Don’t forget my raspberry sauce,’ she was yelling to Victor, who flew past her shouting, ‘Alright, Miss Strang,’ as if it was perfectly normal that Kiki was there.
Tammy at least registered some surprise as Kiki went through her open gate. Kiki knew she wasn’t allowed to have favourite parents, but if she had, then Tammy and her husband, Gary, would be two of them.
‘Kiki!’ she exclaimed, but then, it must have dawned on her that there had to be a reason for the sudden visit from someone she knew was her dad’s neighbour, and that it couldn’t be good. ‘My dad…?’
‘Tammy, that’s why I’m here. I don’t want to upset you, but he’s had a wee turn. He passed out on the landing, and I called an ambulance so he’s on his way to Glasgow Central. I wish I could tell you more, but that’s all I know. He was still unconscious when the ambulance left, but he was breathing.’
Tammy’s eyes immediately filled and began darting around for the boys. ‘Right, I’ll get there straight away. The stubborn bloody man. I’ve been trying to persuade him to come and live with us for months and he just won’t do it.’
‘I know,’ Kiki said, oozing sympathy. ‘Look, have you got someone who can take the kids?’
She felt a ball of anxiety tighten in her chest as she realised that the only thing she could do was offer to stay here with them. On any other night, she’d do it happily, without a second thought, but why tonight? Why?
