When Sergeant Oscar Blaketon finally made it to the hospital he found Phil Bellamy in a side room more or less climbing the walls
"Bellamy?" Blaketon asked concerned by his young constable's agitation.
"Sarge." Phil looked relieved. "Where's Eileen, Sarge. She's coming to the hospital isn't she?"
"Well of course she is but she had to get someone to see to the bairn first," Blaketon pointed out. "I think Gina Ward has said she'll take her for a bit. How is Rowan any road?"
"Waiting for someone to tell me summat. But its bad Sarge. There's summat really wrong."
"How do you mean?" Blaketon pointed to a chair. "Look, sit down here and tell me, proper like."
Phil collapsed into a chair and rubbed a hand over his eyes. Blaketon pulled up another chair and sat opposite him.
"He were sick twice in the ambulance," Phil said. "And we, me and the ambulance lad, we just couldn't keep him awake, he kept drifting off. In between all that he just kept rambling like. They wanted to give him a bit of oxygen but Nick, well, he wasn't having that at all, got really aggressive. Well that's not Nick is it Sarge? And on top of all that he kept asking where Kate was."
Blaketon swallowed hard. Getting up he moved to the window his back to Phil.
"It isn't good is it Sarge?"
Blaketon looked back at Phil. "I - I don't think so, lad, no."
"Bloody John Riley!" Phil clenched his fists in anger. "Did you get him by the way?"
"Aye, CID are dealing with him. We had no trouble, he came in like a lamb."
They looked up as a door opened and a doctor came in. Phil got to his feet aware he was shaking slightly.
"I'm Dr Carstairs, one of the neuro-surgeons," the man said crisply. "You're with Nick Rowan I understand? What about family relations? Are they on their way?"
"Yes, Eileen Reynolds. She's well, she's aunt to Nick's wife, who died not long ago. Eileen is the closest relative Nick has, nearby," Blaketon said trying to condense a complicated situation into as short as sentence as possible.
"Right. We'll need to speak to her the moment she comes in."
"Doctor." Blaketon cleared his throat. "Its bad isn't it?"
The man hesitated. Then he said, "I don't know if you picked it up but your Constable was hit twice with a weapon I'm told was a crowbar."
"Twice!" exclaimed Blaketon.
"Yes. The first blow, I would say, was across the temple and it seems to have been more of a glancing blow albeit it opened up quite a nasty cut. Its the second blow that seems to have caused more damage, damage you couldn't see. Its just above his ear, just so." the doctor said, indicating.
"Damage?" Blaketon whispered.
"What that second blow has done, is, it has ruptured a blood vessel in the space between Nick's skull and his brain. And that blood you see, that is leaking as a consequence has formed a blood clot which in turn is pressing on Nick's brain."
"Is that why, he was behaving like he was?" Phil asked.
"If you mean drowsy, confused and aggressive, then yes absolutely," the doctor agreed.
"So what happens now?" Blaketon whispered.
"We absolutely need to operate. What we will do succintly is drill burr holes just into the space and drain off the bleeding and the clot to take away that pressure."
Phil sat down on his chair again. "Is - is Nick going to be all right?" he asked weakly.
"I am sorry. There are just too many variables for me to answer that right now," the doctor said. "What we do need to do, is act quickly so the moment Mrs Reynolds arrives we need to speak to her."
He left the room and the two police officers looked at each other.
"Bellamy," Blaketon said hoarsely, "Keep a watch out for Eileen arrriving. I need to phone the station."
John Riley was getting increasingly agitated. He had been taken to Whitby Police Station and was being interviewed by two CID detectives. One was Detective Sergeant Brook and the other Detective Inspector Tilbury. They were both grave and the atmostphere in the small interview room was tense. The only other person in the room was Riley's solicitor.
Leaning over the table slightly Riley said, "How's the copper?"
"Do you mean PC Nick Rowan?" Brook asked.
"Well, yeah."
"Just had a call from Ashfordly Police Station who in turn have had a call from Sergeant Blaketon who is at the hospital." Tilbury paused. "PC Rowan requires brain surgery."
Shocked Riley sat back in his chair. "What?"
"You battered him over the head with a crowbar Riley," Brook pointed out. "What did you think, he'd just get up with a bit of a thick head?" He paused. "The hospital say that it is clear that PC Rowan was hit twice. The first impact, did not cause too much damage, its the second blow that has caused the most damage." He picked up a piece of paper. "This witness statement bears testimony to that. Mrs Flynn from the linen shop over the road witnessed the assault. She says you hit PC Rowan once, then raised the weapon - a crowbar - and dealt him a further blow."
John shook his head. "I don't know what I were thinking," he said.
"Mr Riley," began his solicitor but John shook his head.
"No, I need to come clean, well, I'm bang to rights aren't I?" he said miserably. "I just needed money, I thought it'd be easy. I never meant no one to get hurt."
"If you didn't intend to hurt anyone," said Tilbury, "why did you hit Rowan twice? There was no need was there? The first blow would have put him out of action."
"I just wasn't thinking." John gripped the edge of the table. He looked at the two police officers. "Be level with me. What am I looking at here?"
"A long stretch," pointed out Tilbury. "Actually you're lucky. Not long since we were hanging people for murder."
"Murder!" Riley yelped.
"Well of course it'll be bloody murder, if Rowan doesn't make it!" Tilbury leaned forward. "And don't get your hopes up. Even if he does pull through, you're still going down for attempted murder Riley."
Jean Riley had received a phone call. She was in the hall way taking the call. Her sister was sat in the front room, George her husband next to her.
"Who was it on the phone?" Rita asked George.
"An Inspector from Ashfordly Police Station," George explained. "I don't know what it was about but it must be to do wi' John."
"Do you think he's done owt daft?" asked Rita.
"Its all he ever does do," grunted George.
At that moment Jean came into the room. She was chalk white. Rita and George got up, worried
"Oh love," Rita exclaimed putting her arm round her.
"Its our John," Jean said slowly. "He's only gone and robbed a pawnbroker's in Ashfordly."
"He's what!" gasped Rita.
"And then, whilst making off like, he's battered a copper with a crowbar." Jean put her hands up to her face. "That nice PC Rowan from Aidensfield who tried to help me. Rita, John's hurt him very badly. They say John could be looking at murder charges."
"All right, Jean," George said. "Come on love. We'll go over to Ashfordly shall we, see if we can find out a bit more."
She nodded then, "But the kiddies!"
"I'll look after them love," Rita said gently. "You go with George now and see if you can find out what's what."
Jean shook her head. "I think this is all my fault!"
"Oh don't be daft," George said, "how could it be?"
"Well, I said to John didn't I, get things sorted, clear our debts and then maybe I'll think about coming home. And he must have thought this, robbing the shop, the way to do it, to get money."
"And that doesn't make it your fault love," George said gently. "Now come on. Lets go and find out a bit more shall we? Come on now."
