Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own creations.
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An objection on the tip of her tongue, the sound of rocks falling nearby has Heidi's attention and that of the police officer diverted as the crowd screams that one chunk of the cliff has just fallen off below the trapped victim.
Situations like these were the reason that she had been placed on desk duty in the first place. When Michelle had found out she was pregnant after the she'd sprained her ankle, she had been furious and given her a good dressing down before forbidding her from stepping onto a rescue site or even stepping into the rescue trucks. But that had been nothing to the looks that she had received from the two people that really mattered to her most: Vince and Jordan...
She couldn't think like this.
The team wasn't here, and she was. And if she didn't do something soon the cliff was going to fall away beneath Amanda Sydney and she was going to plummet several metres down to a likely death on the rocks and sand below.
Snapping into action she turned to the young police officer who stood with a terrified look on his face. 'Officer Pereira is it?'
The man nodded dumbly at her.
'I need you to focus. Look at me,' she said firmly. She didn't have time for this. Shaking his shoulders she brought her face in close. 'I need you to bring your police car as close as possible to the edge.'
'Why?'
'Just do it!' she ordered as she turned to Jordan's car. Hearing the solemn 'yes ma'am' as the young officer ran off, she turned back to the car. Come on Jordan, I know you keep a rope in here. Popping the boot, she found the jackpot. Attaboy.
The harness she pulled out was Jordan's size and as she slipped it on and settled it below her swollen abdomen, the first flicker of doubt planted a seed in her mind but she was quick to throw it off. It would all be okay. Throwing the ropes over her shoulder she made her way over to the crowd, quickly assessing who there could be of use. In addition to Officer Pereira there was an older female officer and what must be Amanda Sydney's family: an older man and woman, a woman her age and a young boy.
She could tell that the sight of a pregnant woman in rescue mode was off-putting for several of them, and she wasn't surprised when the older man voiced his thoughts. 'Are you sure you should be doing this?' he questioned. 'What, in your delicate state?'
'Well, do you have any abseiling experience Mr...?' she fired back, pushing aside the niggling concern. The quicker she could get down and up, the quicker it would be over.
'Sydney. John Sydney. I'm Amanda's father-in-law. This is my wife Sandy and daughter Milly. The young boy is Amanda's son Ethan...'
You didn't answer my question.
'... and ah no.'
'Well then I suggest you leave that to me.'
'Shouldn't we wait for the firies or something?'
'They're not going to be here for a while, and there is a risk that your daughter-in-law could be crushed to death.' She probably should have put that a different way, but it had the right effect.
Rigging a crude pulley system using the big tree near the carpark entry and the bull bar of the police car, Heidi threaded the rope through the ill-fitting harness as she explained what she was going to do. 'Mr Sydney, Officer Pereira and Officer...' – 'Bly,' prompted the officer helpfully – '... Officer Bly will be responsible for feeding the rope to me and keeping it tight.'
Turning to the young woman, she issued further instructions. 'Milly, I need you to stand near the edge and be my guide...' She broke off as she saw the young woman looked close to tears. 'I'm scared of heights,' she stuttered and Heidi had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. 'I'll do it,' said a new voice and Heidi turned to Sandy Sydney. She nodded her head in thanks.
They had heard nothing from Amanda since she had arrived and she'd been advised by Sandy that the last they had heard from her was when she had initially fallen through the barrier. 'Her scream was awful!' Sandy shuddered. After an initial attempt to spot her position, the edge of the cliff had crumbled further, and no one had heard from or seen Amanda since.
The pulley system set up, Heidi took a deep breath as she looked at everyone in position.
Thinking of one last thing, she gestured Milly over and handed her her mobile phone. 'If anyone rings – answer it.' The frightened woman nodded, gripping the phone hard as Heidi amended her instructions. 'And call for an ambulance if you haven't already done so.' Milly retreated back to the far side of the car park where young Ethan was standing.
She tugs on the rope to check it's tightness and made her way to the edge. A voice stops her when Officer Bly voices one last concern. 'Are you sure?'
A rock broke off somewhere below them and smashed into the beach below. The question is answered when a scream follows soon after. It would appear that Amanda Sydney had now regained consciousness.
It was surprisingly easy clambering down the cliff face. Once she got used to the fact that she had to make sure each movement kept pressure off her pregnant belly, she climbed closer and closer to the crying woman below her.
Ready to advise Sandy that she was almost onto the ledge, the rope suddenly pulled taut just short of the ledge and it wasn't without a flare of pain to her lower body. 'What's going on Sandy?' she yelled up before she received a 'Sorry!' in response. One hand and foot on the cliff face as she waited for the people up top to get their act together, she was not prepared for when the rope suddenly went loose again and she dropped the last few feet to the ledge. Her knees jarred as she swore under her breath. Thankfully the distance hadn't been far.
Turning to the lady now hugging the cliff face on the small ledge they were currently housed on, she took in a deep breath. Clearly no one had thought to share the news with her with Amanda Sydney was pregnant – and if size was anything to go by – she must be pushing nine months.
She had no time to waste. 'Hi I'm Heidi. I'm here to get you out of here,' she said in the most reassuring manner possible, not waiting for a response - and ignoring the fact that Amanda was looking at her pregnant belly - before she looked upward again. 'Tie it off. Send down the rope,' she roared. 'Quick.'
She spots the rope thrown into the air before she begins to pull of her harness. As she does so, she explains to Amanda exactly what they are going to do. Harness removed she faces Amanda who has gone white as a sheet. Stepping forward, Amanda then lashes out and grabs her arm in a death grip as she whispers in fear. 'My baby...'
'You'll be alright ma'am,' she promised, praying to God that it would be true, as she gestured for the heavily expectant mother to step into the harness. Harness secured, and with Amanda breathing heavily and clutching her swollen abdomen, Heidi turned for the second rope, smoothing a hand over her own. So far, so good.
The rope had slithered down and now lay just out of her reach. Raising her hand to grip it, she pulls it down a little further and swiftly makes an impromptu harness. Holding the circle in her arms, she tries to pull the rope down further again in order to slip it over her body, but the rope wouldn't budge.
Tugging on it hard, she looked up at the cliff and found that it was caught on a root of sorts. Swinging the rope from side to side, she finally got it free and pulled it toward her, but not before realising that her movements have dislodged a rock.
'Oh crap.'
Hands working furiously, she pushes the rope down her body to fit in her armpits below her breasts and pushes them both as close to the cliff face as possible. Looking upward she saw the incoming rock bounce off the cliff face just above them at such an awkward angle that it sent the rock careening off to their left, missing their position by less than a metre.
She took in a deep breath as she heard the frantic call of Sandy above. 'Are you okay?'
'We're okay,' she responded as she checked Amanda's harness and rope. It would have to do. 'Amanda – they're going to pull you up nice and slowly okay? It's nothing to worry about. We're going to get you to the top of the cliff as soon as possible okay? Okay?'
'Okay,' was the small response, but she could see the steely resolve now present in the woman's eyes.
'Okay,' said Heidi one last time before she tugged on the rope. 'Pull her up nice and slowly,' she yelled to Sandy as the older woman yelled back her understanding and Amanda began to make her slow ascent.
Heidi shouted out instructions and words of encouragement as Amanda got closer and closer to the top. She heard Sandy yell that she could see her daughter-in-law, but her next words were drowned out by a rumbling noise.
Heidi was momentarily confused as she saw no rocks tumbling toward her from above, but then with a sinking feeling she realised that the rumbling were coming from below.
The cliff was falling.
As she frantically searched for a foothold on the cliff face – not trusting the rope to hold her entire weight – she could only think of one thing: Jordan was going to kill her.
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Next Chapter: Oh dear...