Sam
Iain, Ruby and I get a call-out. A teenager was 'exploring' some rocky caves down by the river bed and has fallen. When we arrive, his mother is with him. Young Lee is in a bad way and needs some treatment that we are not authorised to give as paramedics and that's all I am now, a paramedic – I mustn't over-step my role. I've made that mistake before and if it wasn't for my ex-husband, I would have lost my job. Again.
Anyway, we've had to send for a doctor, and while we're waiting, the mother comes to a sudden realisation.
"Timmy. Where's Timmy? Lee was looking after him."
The dog? So we all start yelling 'Timmy' at the top of our voices and looking around frantically for this furry chap, but it turns out that Timmy is not a dog at all.
We eventually gather that we are actually looking for Lee's three year-old brother. It takes a while due to Lee's condition and the pain he's in, but the lad finally manages to convey to us that his little brother is in another cave above the one he fell in. After falling, Lee tried to drag his battered body out of the cave to find help – which is why he was found on the riverbed outside the cave – and also probably what aggravated his initial injuries.
His mother was reading her book further along the riverbed, away from the caves – and only after looking up and seeing Lee lying there, did she realise something was wrong.
Cave rescue are currently unavailable. We've had this problem before – back when I was working at Holby as 'Dr Nicholls', and last time I went down the cave myself. This time though, it's a case of going up – up slippery, vertical cave walls to a hole in the ceiling of the cave - and without a safety harness, but it will be cold and dark up there – and the little child will be terrified. Not that I'm a fan of the dark myself, but I'll do it for the little one.
"Don't worry, I'll get him." I say, coming out of the cave – having examined it.
"Oh will you? Thank you – thank you so much!" The mother gabbles gratefully – but Iain won't hear of it.
"I was trained in line-rescue in the army." I remind him – because of course, so was he. "I'll go up with a blanket, check he's ok and wait with him until cave rescue get here."
"No, no, NO!" Iain responds firmly. "I don't care if you've won an award in the world championships. You are NOT going up there." He goes back to help Ruby with the patient.
"Oh, please. Timmy will be so scared up there." The terrified mother begs me. "He might try to come down on his own and end up falling too."
"Don't worry." I tell her again – making my mind up to help. "I'll go and look after him."
"I said NO, Sam!" Iain exclaims crossly, looking over his shoulder. "Besides you don't have a safety harness – or any climbing equipment."
"I'll free-climb it." I reply, unconcerned.
"No, you bloody won't." A familiar gruff voice retorts. No guesses which doctor they sent us then. "Stay there!" He adds sternly, turning back and kneeling next to Lee.
With everyone - bar the Mother, totally focused on the older lad, I take my chance and pick up one of the blankets off the ground. Tying it around my waist, I back away from them silently. Ruby looks up and sees me, but I press my finger to my lips and she turns back to Lee without saying anything. Clearly, she thinks I should rescue the youngster too.
I'm a good way up, when I hear Dylan's irritated tones. "Sam – you oaf! She never bloody listens."
And then Iain, yells even louder. "Sam, will you get back down here this instant!"
Dylan
"Shhhhhhh." I say quickly to Iain.
He looks at me indignantly. "You don't want her up there any more than I do, mate!"
"No. I don't." I retort, cross that my ex-wife has ignored me again. "But she's already up there now and if you distract her – she'll come back down faster than she means too! I don't want to have to treat her if she knocks herself out!"
Once Lee is stabilised, we watch Sam nervously as she climbs – looking for places to put her feet and hands. It's obvious that it's becoming increasingly difficult to do so as she climbs higher and the cave gets darker. On more than on occasion, Sam loses her footing on some lose rocks and I get ready to charge to her aid, but to my relief she manages to hold on and keeps climbing.
A thought suddenly occurs to me and I turn to the mother in bewilderment. "How did Lee get up there?"
"The same way the paramedic is." She replies. "He's a good climber – but he's not supposed to go climbing without the proper equipment. I'm afraid he's not very good at listening."
He's not the only one.
"He had a head torch." She adds. "But it broke when he fell."
"But the child, my wi- Sam's going to rescue?" I ask, still totally confused. "How did the three year-old get up there?!"
"Piggy...back." Lee gasps from where he's lying. He removes his mask. "I tied...him...onto my...back. I'm...sorry...Mum."
"Lee!" She exclaims crossly. "You put your little brother in danger!"
"Yes. Well, let's just try to keep Lee calm, please. They'll be plenty of time for that later." I say hurriedly. "At least the child wasn't attached to his back when he fell through the hole."
Lee is not the only one who's going to get a talking-to later.
We all breath a sigh of relief when Sam reaches the hole and pulls herself through it.
"Timmy's a bit cold and scared but he's fine." She yells back. "He doesn't seem hurt – and there's a little torch up here with him."
"Oh, thank you!" The mother shouts back. "Thank you so much!"
I shake my head at Iain as I come out of the cave. "She'll give me a bloody heart attack one of these days!"
Iain shrugs at me. "You married her once, mate!"
Sam
"Hello, sweetie." I say gently to the crying child as he huddles in a corner – too frightened to move. "My name is Sam and everything is going to be alright now." I wrap the blanket around his shivering body.
"I'm Timmy." He whispers. "Lee fell."
"My friends are looking after Lee down there, ok – and your Mummy is down there too." I add.
"Want to get out." He mutters sucking his thumb and cuddling up to me.
"I know sweetie. There are some special people coming to get us out."
"Go down with you?" He asks hopefully.
"No, sweetie – I'm afraid going down the way I came up is too dangerous – so we just have to wait, ok? But your safe – and I'm not going anywhere."
He nods. "Sing to me?"
Dylan
As we wait for cave rescue, Sam's renditions of different nursery rhymes float down along with Timmy's cheerful accompaniment. We hear 'Baa baa black sheep', 'ten green bottles', 'ten in a bed' and 'five green speckled frogs'.
"She's doing a good job up there." Iain chuckles.
I didn't know Sam knew that many nursery rhymes. I didn't know she was that good with children. I suddenly wonder whether – if things had been different, Sam would have liked to have children with me. It's not something that really came up, because she was in the army and she was always away.
"Timmy's been learning them at nursery." His mother explains.
"Sam's definitely enjoying herself!" Ruby giggles as a very enthusiastic rendition of 'Row, row, row your boat.' starts up.
"Yes. Well, at least she's keeping the child happy." I remark dryly, but I'm secretly touched by the way my ex-wife is comforting the child.
Cave rescue eventually arrive and use their equipment to get Sam and Timmy out – although the latter refuses to detach himself from my ex-wife and she expertly abseils down with the youngster still attached to her. Only when he lays eyes on his mother does he allow me to check Sam over. She has a few grazes from her free-climb but insists that they don't hurt.
Sam
"You know he forgot you were divorced when you were climbing up?" Iain comments, nodding at Dylan as he comes back over after checking Timmy.
"It was a slip of the tongue." Dylan mumbles sheepishly, overhearing. "Why don't you ever do as you're told?" He retorts at me.
"Well, given that we're not married any more, you can't tell me what to do." I respond without hesitating.
"You never listened to me when we're were married." He grumbles.
"Well, you've just got a very unlistenable voice." I comment.
"That's not even a word, Sam." He snaps crossly.
"Well, it is now." I answer – intent on having the last word.
"You are the most irritating woman on the planet." Dylan complains.
"Well, you still married me." I smirk, as I climb in the ambulance next to Timmy and his mother – the former immediately attaches himself to me again.
"Do you want to travel in the front with me, Ruby?" Iain sighs. "Sam and Dr Keogh are having a domestic."
Dylan gets in and shuts the door. "I didn't know you were good with those." He whispers after a few minutes of sitting next to me and eyeing Timmy.
I raise my eyebrows at him. "I presume you mean children."
"You were like singing – and everything."
"Yes," I agree, wondering where this is going. I don't think he knows either because he doesn't say anything else until we get back to the hospital.
"That bite to eat, you mentioned a while ago – is it still on offer?" He asks.
"Yes." I agree. I had hoped to find another way to ask him when he turned me down but so far, I hadn't come up with any ideas. I was just biding my time.
"I'll see you later then?" He says hopefully.
"Ok." I smile as he goes one way and I go the other.
I get back to the paramedics station, as Jan comes out of her office. "Sam, I want a word." She announces sternly. "You should not – I repeat, NOT have done that, and you are not to do it again. Am I clear?"
"Yes."
"You will be sent on a refresher health and safety course. It is not optional." She adds as my face forms into a rather unimpressed expression.
"Ok."
My scolding now over, she shakes my hand warmly. "But well done for saving the child."