Smithy paced up and down the A&E waiting room, everyone else was at the accident scene taking statements trying to figure out what had happened. Smithy had gone to the hospital with Cienna knowing he should remain at the scene, Gina watched him go and never said a word. It had taken over an hour to cut both of them out, it was mainly clean up and traffic control by the time they had left. Hundreds of witnesses but no description of the driver who had caused the smash, he had vanished into thin air.
All the witnesses said the same thing the mercedes ran the red light at anywhere between 40-60 mph and slammed into the panda. Everyone one said that they had no chance to get out of the way, and that the driver and the passenger jumped out and vanished. The front of the car was caved in so it was going to be a while before the engine number could be checked, there were no registration plates on the car and a body had been found in the boot. Oh, there was also a bag on the back seat full of money, whatever the occupants had been doing hitting Cienna and Luke had given them police attention they didn't want.
'Sgt?' a very young looking doctor came over to where he was stood.
'How is she?' Smithy couldn't help himself he had to check on Cienna first.
'PC Newman has minor head injuries but serious lower body injuries, she took quite a hit from the impact and then the car rolling just made them worse, she's listed as critical at the moment, she's being prep'd for surgery now.' she told him.
'Can I see her?' he asked.
'No,' she said registering the look on his face, 'I'm sorry, we need to get her into surgery immediatley. Are you close?'
'Yes, we.... we're...' Smithy couldn't speak, he was too scared that he wouldn't see her again.
'I'll see if you can go up to theatre with her,' the doctor said as she started to walk away.
'Thanks. Um... how's PC Ashton?' he'd better ask.
'He's in better shape,' she turned back to him, 'he has fractures an a concussion, we'll make him comfortable, then you can speak with him briefly.'
'Thanks,' Smithy replied not really concerned with seeing Luke at the moment.
-----
Smithy stared into space as he listened to the doctor tell Cienna's mum what her injuries were. He had gone up to theatre with her but hadn't been able to even touch her as so many medical staff went with her, there was blood and tubes everywhere. He closed his eyes and could see Cienna trapped in the car, he and Nick had been the first on the scene and he had stopped dead when he saw the car, he prayed that he hadn't cost her her life by doing so.
'Smithy,' Jenny Newman came over to him.
'Jen, I'm sorry. I should've....'
'Should've what? This isn't your fault, it was an accident,' Jenny's two other daughters were both paramedics, she was a nurse in A&E herself, she knew these things happened.
'If she had been driving, she wouldn't be in surgery right now.'
'True, if Cienna had been driving they'd still be at the station,' they both smiled at that, Cienna loathed driving and never drove if she could help it.
'Sgt. Smith,' Gina walked up behind him, 'how are they?'
'Um, Insp. Gina Gold, Jenny Newman Cienna's mum,' Smithy introduced the two women.
'Mrs. Newman, please to meet you, just wish it was under better circumstances,' she looked at Smithy. There was a pool running on how long it would take Smithy to propose, she would have prefered this meeting to take place at a wedding.
'Please call me Jenny, I've heard a lot about you!'
'Oh, I don't like the sound of that,' she wriggled an eyebrow at Smithy.
'All good I assure you.' Jenny's smile faltered as she let go of Gina's hand.
Smithy filled Gina in on the injuries as a nurse came over to tell them that they could talk to Luke. Jenny pushed Smithy to go with Gina, no point both of them sitting there waiting.
-----
'Have we got an ID on the body yet?' Phil Hunter asked as he entered the morgue.
'Cienna's in surgery, Luke's got broken bones. I'm sure they'll be touched by your concern.' Nick replied.
'Nick,' Phil was shocked to see him.
'Aren't MIT coming down?' Nick decided to keep it all business, for now.
'We don't know it's a suspicious death yet,' Phil walked over to the viewing window.
'You mean CID want to solve this before MIT turn up,' Nick shook his head at him, 'can't let MIT take the glory can we.'
'There's more than a body involved, or have you forgotten.'
'No sarge I haven't forgotten,' Nick looked on as the pathologist held up a bullet he had pulled from the body, 'looks like a suspicious death to me.'
-----
'Luke,' Gina said gently, they had been warned that he had been quite heavily sedated. He had a concussion a broken arm, broken leg, and 4 broken ribs.
'Ma'am,' Luke slowly opened his eyes, 'I never saw them coming, I think Cienna did, she...she shouted but I never saw them.'
'It's OK Luke,' Gina told him much to Smithy's distaste, 'yeah it's OK,' he thought, 'he's not fighting for his life.'
'Just tell us what you remember,' Gina ignored the look on Smithy's face.
'That's it, I don't know what happened.'
'Witnesses say you had your blue lights on,' Gina said, 'why?'
'Kids,' Luke started to drift off but Gina's hand on his good arm pulled him back, 'kids in the car infront wern't wearing seatbelts, Cienna wanted to speak to the driver.'
Luke started to drift off again and Gina ushered Smithy away from his bed.
'We'll leave it for now, he's just confirming what witnesses have told us,' Gina watched Smithy looking at the clock, Cienna had been in surgery for about an hour, 'go wait with her mum, you'll be no use anywhere else.'
'Ma'am,' Smithy said walking away, he knew he should argue but didn't want to leave.
'Dale,' Gina grabbed his arm, 'she's tough, she'll be OK.'
Smithy made a half hearted attempt at a smile and walked away.
'She has to be OK,' Gina said to herself, she didn't know how Smithy would cope if she didn't make it.