Chapter 2 completed! Hope you like this one – Clive and Martha meet at last. Please review if you like – it keeps me going! Enjoyxx
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"Excuse me?" Clive looked up to find the kindly police officer had returned.
"The ambulance is ready Sir. Let's go"
Calling him "Sir" made Clive momentarily think of work - not for long though. They had reached their destination and Grace was clinging to him for dear life – she was grabbing his shirt tightly and was adamantly refusing to go with Jenny who had just returned and was trying to coax her into the ambulance.
"Listen. I know it's a lot to ask but she clearly doesn't want you to leave will you just stay with us until one of her parents arrives? I don't want to distress her any further than she has been already" reasoned one of the paramedics. He turned to Jenny to see what she would make of this suggestion.
"I agree I think it's for the best. Don't worry I'll be here I've another pupil who needs treatment as well" said Jenny. Sure enough Clive could see a little boy already in the back of the ambulance.
"Katrina has had to go and wait with the other pupils at the police station until their parents come to collect them, so I'm going with these two to the hospital. It would be good to have another pair of hands"
"Of course" said Clive, without really thinking. He didn't know why he said yes but there was something about this little blondie that pulled at his heartstrings.
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Inside the ambulance Grace was sat on Clive's knee. The paramedic dealing with Grace was quizzing Jenny with all sorts of personal questions about the little girl that she couldn't really answer. The only thing that they had been able to firmly establish was her age - Grace was only six years old. Two of her tiny hands were resting on top of one of Clive's. An oxygen mask needed to be placed over her face but Grace wasn't having any of it. Jenny and the paramedic were now arguing over how they should proceed and it gave time for Clive to whisper something into Grace's ear.
"If you put that scary mask on your face all by yourself" said Clive "I'll get you the biggest hot chocolate in the hospital I can find with lots of marshmallows and even a flake. What do you think?"
With no hesitation, Grace reached over, lifted the mask out of the paramedic's hands and placed it over her own face. The arguing duo were stunned into silence and in another situation Clive would have laughed out loud. However, the mask Grace had just put on made her look even more vulnerable.
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Martha had got to the hospital in record time – no surprises there. She had been directed to a corridor off the children's ward by a receptionist. However, she was not prepared for the sight that would greet her on her arrival. For the first time in a long while Martha Costello had been rendered completely speechless. She wanted to turn around and leave but she couldn't as she knew that this corridor led to Grace whom she wanted to see so desperately. It was too late as she had already been spotted.
"Marth" gasped Clive.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, marching over to him, speech swiftly returning. To say she had been floored by his appearance would be a severe understatement.
"My god I knew it. Grace is yours isn't she? I was at the scene"
Martha looked agitated at the mention of Grace's name. Clive picked up on this fact but before he could get a word in she cornered an approaching doctor.
She was like a tiger wanting answers – nothing's changed there then thought Clive. The doctor was looking to Clive for some support but he was distracted by Martha - he couldn't take his eyes off her. God she's beautiful he thought. She had not aged a single day since he had last seen her, and that had been more than six years ago.
"Someone from paediatrics is checking her over now" said the doctor.
"Please let me see my daughter" she pleaded. It made Clive quite upset to see her this way.
"You'll be able to see her very soon. Grace is going to be fine. But…" Martha was listening intently.
"…we are going to need to keep her in overnight for observation. She has a laceration on her right arm which we've bandaged up for her. She'll also have some bruising from the impact of the collision but because she was sitting at the back of the bus this should be minor. The main reason we're keeping her in is for smoke inhalation" Martha looked worried.
"It's not a lot but it's just a precautionary measure so we can monitor and keep an eye on her for a little while before she goes home, which should hopefully be tomorrow" Martha looked distraught she hated being apart from her daughter. Grace being alone in a strange place like the hospital scared her.
"I'm going to go and see if she's ready to come down now. This room is hers" said the doctor gesturing to the room beside them.
"Thank you Dr Peters" said Clive, expertly shaking his hand and reading his name tag at the same time.
After the doctor had left Martha began to press Clive for information "What on earth happened and where are her bloody school teachers?" demanded Martha clearly looking for someone to blame.
"A lorry crashed into the school bus. The driver's dead Marth" Martha looked momentarily shocked but not for long as Grace had just been wheeled into view.
"Mummy!" she cried. Grace had been changed out of her school uniform into a children's hospital gown. The waterworks started as soon as she saw her mum.
"It's alright you're ok sweetheart mummy's here and she's not going anywhere" said Martha, stroking her face and kissing it all over "You've been such a brave girl. I love you so much"
She was squeezing Grace's hand tightly and not letting go as her bed was wheeled into her room for the night.
Clive decided to not intrude and held back talking to one of the nurses outside the room for a while.
"Are you the father?" he asked.
Clive hesitated "No" he said, watching Martha wipe away the tears from her daughter's face through the window "Just an old family friend"
Martha soon came outside to talk to him, brandishing her car keys "There's no chance you could get something from my car for me? It's still the same. I'm parked illegally near the main entrance. There's an overnight bag on the front seat - she was meant to be staying at my mums tonight"
Martha looked stressed "Do you want me to ring her and fill her in?" volunteered Clive.
"No I don't want mum to come barging in and cause a fuss. I'll ring her myself now and tell her something has come up"
"You look annoyed" stated Clive.
"Grace doesn't care about staying over she thinks it's going to be one big, exciting, sleepover. She's asking for you. Apparently you've promised her a hot chocolate?" Clive chuckled. There reunion was interrupted again when Jenny reappears and looks flustered.
"Miss Costello I'm so sorry" Not married then observed Clive cheekily whilst Martha gave Jenny a hug.
"Don't worry it's not your fault. Accidents happen" She's changed her tune thought Clive.
"There's going to be a meeting about it with Mr Meadows within the next few days" continued Jenny "I've just found out the lorry driver had a stroke at the wheel"
"I know this sounds awful but I honestly don't really care at the moment, right now I just want to spend some time with my daughter. Thank you for coming to check on her though" added Martha "Where any other pupils hurt?" Clive got the impression Martha currently didn't really want to talk to anyone but she was making a good effort with Jenny nonetheless.
"Joshua Hunter is in for an overnight stay. He was one of the first off the bus but he has terrible asthma so they're keeping him overnight for observation. Will Grace get home tomorrow?"
"Fingers crossed" said Martha.
Jenny held out her hand to Clive "Thank you Mr?"
"Clive Reader" he said shaking it.
"I dread to think what would have happened if you hadn't have been there" Martha looked at him confused.
"He got Grace, Ruby and Bonnie off the back of the bus in the nick of time I'd say. Ruby was saying there was something wrong with their belts? There's a representative coming from the bus company to the meeting as well. Some serious discussions need to be had. Thank you so much again Clive. Goodnight Miss Costello" she finished before leaving as quickly as she'd came.
"She's making it sound a lot more heroic than it actually was" said Clive modestly.
"You never said" said a shocked Martha. She couldn't believe it he'd saved her daughter's life.
"Thank you" she said gratefully and sincerely, tears glistening in her eyes. She walked forward and enveloped him in a hug. Neither of them wanted to let go but Martha was the one to break them apart as she needed to go and be with Grace.
Clive stopped Martha by gently grabbing her by the arm before she could re-enter the room.
"Martha, Grace. Is she mine?" he asked already knowing the answer. Martha looked guilty, worried and fearful all at the same time if that was even possible.
"What do you think?" she said before leaving Clive standing alone in the eerily silent corridor - his world had just been turned upside down.