Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.

Chapter 2

"Are we there, yet?" Norman whined from the backseat of Trevor's bus.

"Norman! That's enough!" Dilys scolded. "Trevor needs to consecrate* on his driving." (*Deliberate malapropism of Dilys'.)

Trevor chuckled awkwardly. "Thank you, Dilys."

"Hey! What's that up ahead?" Sarah asked, pointing out the front windscreen.

"Why, it looks like smoke!" Bronwyn exclaimed.

"Oh, dear!" Trevor muttered. "We'd better see what's happened."

As Trevor drove over the rise in the road, everyone inside the bus caught sight of a fire at the bottom of the hill. Trevor slowed, and he pulled over to the side of the road, a safe distance from the fire.

"Mrs Chen, please keep the children on the bus," Trevor instructed as he got out of the bus. "Dilys, Helen and Bronwyn, you'd better come with me. We need to find out what's happened. I'll just grab my fire extinguisher…"

"That's Mercury!" James shouted with alarm, pointing at the flaming vehicle.

"Oh, no!" Bronwyn gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth. "Charlie said that Sam was going to spend the whole day in Newtown today."

"Trevor, you take care of the fire, if you can," Helen ordered, taking charge of the situation. "Bronwyn, come with me. Dilys, phone the fire brigade."

Trevor ran over to Mercury, and he began to extinguish the fire. Helen and Bronwyn didn't have to look too far before they found Sam, lying on his left-hand side on the side of the road, unconscious.

"Oh, Sam!" Bronwyn exclaimed, shocked.

"Don't touch him, Bronwyn," Helen instructed. "I want you to go back to the bus, and see if you can find any blankets on board. We need to keep him warm."

Bronwyn hurried back to the bus. Helen knelt beside Sam, and she gently placed two fingers against Sam's neck. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt his pulse. It was weak, but it was there.

Helen began to examine Sam more closely. She frowned with concern when she saw his left forearm. It was bent at the wrong angle, indicating a severe break, but it was hard to see much else in the fading light. Taking a deep breath, Helen began to gently feel Sam's injured arm. Even she had to wince in sympathy when she felt the break.

Please, don't wake up, Sam! Helen begged silently. Not yet, anyway.

…

At the Pontypandy fire station, Station Officer Steele was busy filing some documents, when the Map Screen-700 started bleeping, indicating an in-coming emergency. He pressed the button to listen to the message.

"There is a single-vehicle RTA on the Newtown Road, and it is on fire."

Station Officer Steele frowned with concern. RTA means a road traffic accident. It must be Mike. I hope Sam has managed to get him to safety. He slammed his fist down on the red alarm button. "There is a single-vehicle RTA and a fire on the Newtown Road," he announced over the loudspeakers.

Penny, Ellie, Arnold and Elvis left whatever they were doing upstairs, and they slid down the fireman's poles in an orderly manner.

"Ellie and Arnold, take Venus," Penny instructed, taking charge in Sam's absence. "Elvis, you come with me in Jupiter."

The crew followed Penny's instructions. They put on their firefighting uniforms as quickly as they could, and within seconds, they drove their respective vehicles out of the fire station, sirens wailing and lights flashing.

…

Back out on the Newtown Road, Dilys came over to Helen. "The fire brigade are on their way. How is he?"

"Bad," Helen replied softly. "I need some supplies to stabilise him. The last thing I want is for him to panic when he wakes up."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about Sam panicking," Dilys said. "Sam never panics."

"He could if he wakes up in agony and shock," Helen told her firmly. Seeing Sam's radio still clipped to his chest, Helen removed it and she pressed the 'talk' button. "Nurse Flood to Station Officer Steele. Come in, please."

"Helen? What on earth are you doing on our radio?"

"It's Sam's. He's been badly injured after crashing Mercury into a stone wall."

"What?" Station Officer Steele exclaimed, confused. "But I thought it was Mike's van that was on fire?"

"Well, it isn't," Helen snapped. "Now, listen to me carefully. I need someone with medical knowledge to stop in at my place, and grab my large first-aid kit. It's in the cupboard next to the bar fridge upstairs. There's a spare house key hidden under the flower pot next to the back door. I also need them to bring me at least two vials of morphine from the bar fridge. I'll also need them to drive here in my ambulance, so we can transfer Sam to hospital. Do you have anyone who can do that?"

"Yes! I'll just ask Firefighter Phillips. Ellie? Did you hear those instructions?"

"Yes, sir! We've just arrived at the Flood's house, sir. I'll get those things, and I'll be there shortly."

"Thank goodness!" Helen muttered as she put down the radio. Sam stirred a little and he groaned softly. "It's okay, Sam. Help will be here shortly."

Bronwyn finally returned with a couple of blankets, which Helen carefully lay over Sam. Having extinguished the fire, Trevor joined the others.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

Helen shook her head. "I'm afraid we can't do anything until Ellie arrives with my kit. Maybe you and Dilys could go back to the bus to help Mrs Chen with the children?"

Reluctantly, Trevor and Dilys headed back over to the bus. Bronwyn gently took hold of Sam's uninjured right hand.

"He will be okay, won't he, Helen?"

"I won't lie to you. He's is a very bad way. He could have some internal injuries that we don't know about, or maybe even a spinal injury. The sooner we get him to hospital, the better."

At that moment, both ladies heard multiple sirens wailing in the distance.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Bronwyn breathed with relief.

…

Mike was sitting in his van listening to the radio, when he heard the sirens. Getting out, he was surprised to see Jupiter and Venus approaching. He began waving to get Penny's attention. She saw him, but she kept going, as did Arnold in Venus.

"Huh?" Mike was confused. "I wonder where they're off to in such a hurry?"

A few minutes later, Ellie came along driving Helen's ambulance. She slowed down and stopped when she saw Mike.

"Ellie? Why are you driving Helen's ambulance?"

"There's been a serious accident further up the road," Ellie explained. "Sam's been injured. We'll get to you as soon as we can. Are you warm enough?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Okay. Just hang in there, Mike." And Ellie accelerated away, siren blaring.

…

Dull, throbbing pain and intense cold brought me back to my senses, and a groan escaped through my lips. I could hear the familiar sound of several sirens wailing in the distance. They were getting closer. Someone gently placed their hand on my right shoulder.

"Shh… Sam, it's okay." I recognised the voice as Helen's. "Don't move. You've been badly injured."

"How bad?" I asked in a hoarse whisper.

"I'm not sure, but your left arm is broken. Can you feel it?"

I grunted in pain. "Yes… My shoulder hurts too."

"Okay. What about your neck?"

"I'm…not sure." Blinking open my eyes, I looked around. It was almost dark, and a light sprinkling of snow was beginning to fall. "Can you take my helmet off, please?" I asked. "It feels so heavy now."

Helen shook her head. "Not yet. I need to brace your neck first. Penny's coming with the rest of the team. Just try and stay calm. That's what you always tell us to do in a crisis."

"I've just realised that that's a lot easier said than done!" I quipped.

Helen chuckled. "Do you hurt anywhere else? How are your legs?"

I wriggled my toes a little. "I can move my toes, so I think I'm okay there. I'm feeling rather dizzy though."

"You've probably got concussion. It wouldn't surprise me if you do."

Groaning, I closed my eyes. The sirens were a lot closer now, and they were starting to give me a headache. I think Helen realised this, because she picked up my radio.

"Helen to Penny. Can you please make a silent approach?"

"Copy that, Helen."

I breathed a small sigh of relief after the approaching sirens were turned off. The silence was strangely comforting.

Minutes later, I heard several vehicles stopping nearby, followed by running footsteps.

"Elvis and Arnold, dowse Mercury in foam to ensure the fire is completely out," I heard Penny say. Then, I felt her kneel down beside me. "Is he…?"

"He's still alive," Helen reassured her. "I asked for a silent approach because the sirens were irritating him. Sorry if my request scared you."

"That's okay."

Someone else ran over to us. "I've brought everything you wanted," Ellie said. "They were exactly where you said they'd be."

I opened my eyes in time to see Ellie hand a large red bag with a white cross on it over to Helen. Venus' and Jupiter's headlights lit up the entire area, making it possible for the rescue team to see what they were doing.

"Thank you, Ellie."

While Helen fumbled around in her first aid kit, I felt Bronwyn gently squeeze my right hand. Turning my head slightly, I smiled reassuringly at her. I'm not sure if she could see it though, because of my helmet.

"You mustn't move, Sam," Bronwyn gently reminded me.

"Right, Ellie," Helen said. "Can you cut off Sam's right sleeve for me, please, while I prepare the morphine?"

After she'd received a pair of scissors from Helen, Ellie moved around behind me. She knelt in the snow beside Bronwyn. "Sorry, Sam, but I'm going to have to wreck your uniform," she apologised.

"I don't care," I muttered. I was beginning to tire due to the shock and the cold.

I was still lying on my left-hand side, so Ellie carefully repositioned my right arm before she began cutting the sleeve of my firefighting jacket. I shivered as a chilling breeze swirled fresh snow all around us.

"I'll go and fetch some more blankets," Penny volunteered. I heard her run over to Jupiter.

Ellie had finished cutting my jacket sleeve off by the time Penny returned with the blankets. I was glad that Ellie had left the sleeve of my station uniform intact, because it provided my shoulder with a little bit of warmth. Helen moved around behind me, and she knelt where she would have easy access to my right shoulder.

"Okay, Sam. I'm just going to give you some morphine, and then we'll get you into the ambulance."

I just whimpered in response. I was in so much pain that I barely even noticed the needle. It only hurt a little when Helen pulled it back out. Bronwyn tucked the blankets around me.

"That should start to kick in in a few minutes," Helen said. "While we're waiting for it to start working, Ellie, can you please help me brace Sam's neck for the journey to Newtown?"

"Of course. What do you need me to do?"

Helen removed a neck brace from her first aid kit. "You have the most important job, Ellie. I need you to support Sam's neck while I remove his helmet and fit the brace. You cannot let him move, understood?"

Ellie must've nodded because I didn't hear her say anything in reply. Helen showed Ellie exactly where to place her hands to support my neck. Once she was satisfied, Helen carefully removed my helmet. I breathed a small sigh of relief once it was off. Helen then secured the brace around my neck.

"Excellent, Ellie!" Helen praised. She glanced over her shoulder. "Elvis and Arnold? Can you please bring over the stretcher from the ambulance?" She looked back down at me. "How are you feeling now, Sam?"

"Hmm?"

Helen slapped the back of my right hand. "Wake up, Sam! I need you to stay awake."

"Tired…" I muttered, and I closed my eyes again.

…

Helen frowned with concern when she saw Sam close his eyes again. "Sam?"

Sam didn't respond. Sighing, Helen felt his neck for his pulse, just as Elvis and Arnold hurried over with the stretcher.

"Is he…?" Bronwyn asked fearfully.

Helen shook her head. "He's just lost consciousness again, Bronwyn. Hurry up with that stretcher, you two. We need to get him to hospital as quickly as possible."

Once Elvis and Arnold had the stretcher in position, they helped Helen, Ellie, Penny and Bronwyn carefully roll Sam onto it. Bronwyn gasped when she saw Sam's left arm flop uncontrollably. It didn't appear to be attached to him anymore. Helen carefully felt Sam's left shoulder.

"It's just dislocated," she explained. "I won't pop it back in now, just in case there's more broken bones that we don't know about. Let's get him into the ambulance. I'll put some padding around his arm once we're inside. That should help cushion it on our way to Newtown."

Minutes later, Sam had been loaded into the ambulance. Helen and Ellie climbed into the back with him, while Penny went and sat at the wheel. As soon as everything was ready, Penny turned on the siren, and she began driving the ambulance towards Newtown.