Jennifer Taylor - Mr. Right All Along

‘Can you phone for an ambulance? A boy’s fallen into the river and he isn’t breathing. I’m going to see what I can do to help.’

He turned and jogged down the path, not waiting to see if Eve did as he’d asked. He knew she would, knew too that she would follow and help him. They were certainties like the sun rising each morning and setting each night and he could cope with them. What he couldn’t handle were all the unanswered questions buzzing around inside his head. Could he stick to being Eve’s friend? Or would he end up wanting more than friendship? And if he did, could he resist? Or would he give in?

He ran down the path to the river, ran as though his life depended on him getting there, but no matter how fast he went, he couldn’t outrun the questions.

Did he?

Would he?

Should he?

Could he?

He wished he knew!

THEY CARRIED ON trying to resuscitate the boy long after it became clear that it was hopeless. Eve took over again, pumping the child’s thin chest while Ryan breathed into his mouth. She wanted to tell him to stop, wanted to assure him that they’d done everything possible, but she couldn’t seem to find the words. How could she tell him that life was extinct when it was obviously so important to him that they save the boy?

The ambulance arrived at last and it was a relief to let the paramedics take over. Ryan supervised as the crew followed procedure and gave the boy a shot of adrenaline then tried to defibrillate him. They tried twice more but the result was the same: a flat, unwavering line on the screen. The boy was gone and now all that could be done for him was to inform his parents.

Ryan’s face was set as they watched the ambulance quietly drive away. There was no need for flashing lights or sirens now, Eve thought sadly. She forced herself to smile when Maureen came over to them, seeking reassurance.

‘We did everything possible, Maureen. There’s no knowing how long he’d been in the water before your husband saw him, so the odds were against us from the outset.’

‘I know that, love. It’s just so hard when it’s a child, isn’t it?’ Maureen’s face crumpled and tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘Those poor parents. I can’t imagine how awful it’s going to be for them when they find out.’

‘I know,’ Eve agreed sadly. ‘Is he a local child, do you know?’

‘No. Apparently, the family’s here on holiday. They’ve rented a caravan over at Fulbrook Farm,’ Maureen explained, sniffing noisily. Her husband appeared just then, grey-faced with shock, and led her away.

Eve sighed as she turned to Ryan, who had been standing silently to one side. ‘That’s it, then. There’s nothing more we can do.’

She thought he hadn’t heard her at first but then he nodded. Swinging round on his heel, he led the way up the path, pausing briefly to give the police officer who had attended the scene his name and address. Eve gave hers as well, nodding when she was informed that she would be required to make a statement later. It was procedure and she would do what had to be done even though it gave her no pleasure. A young life had been lost and it was a tragedy.

Was that why it had had such an impact on Ryan? Had it reminded him of losing his brother? He had never told her how his twin had died but it could explain why he seemed so deeply affected by what had happened. Eve bit her lip as she followed him into the house. Whilst she didn’t want to become too involved in his affairs, she couldn’t walk away when he needed her. It wouldn’t be fair, especially after the way he had listened to her, listened and not judged her as he’d had every right to do. He had been a good friend in the past and he had been a good friend today too. Talking to him had made her feel so much better.

The thought surprised her, although she didn’t dwell on it. Walking over to the kettle, she switched it on and then turned to him. ‘I could do with a drink. How about you?’

He shrugged. ‘Fine.’

He sat down, his face shuttered, his eyes blank, and Eve knew she was right. This had as much to do with losing his brother as it had with them failing to save the boy’s life. Pulling out a chair, she sat down, feeling a little flutter of alarm in the centre of her chest. If she asked him to tell her about his brother, it would be even harder to keep her distance, but how could she not ask? Not try to help? It would be a mark of cowardice and she refused to be a coward ever again.

‘I hope I’m not speaking out of turn but I can see that this has affected you. Has it brought back memories of your brother?’

‘How did you guess?’ He sighed as he tipped back his chair and stared at the ceiling. Eve had a feeling that he didn’t want her to see just how much it had affected him and felt hurt before she realised how silly it was. Her feelings didn’t matter; it was how Ryan felt that was important.

‘What happened to him?’ she asked, trying to inject a degree of objectivity into her voice that she didn’t feel. She cared that Ryan was hurting and it worried her. She was too emotionally scarred to find the right balance and it would be far too easy to get swept along in a direction she shouldn’t take.

‘He suffered a cardiac arrest. There was no warning. He just dropped down onto the ground and died.’

‘How awful!’ she exclaimed. ‘It must have been a terrible shock for you and your parents.’

‘It was.’ His tone was flat. Eve guessed that it was the only way he could talk about what had happened, by keeping his emotions under control. ‘Scott was always superbly fit. He was a brilliant footballer—he played centre forward for our school—and he took his training really seriously. He wanted to turn professional and he would have made it too. He was actually playing a match when he died. There was a scout there for one of the big league clubs and Scott was just superb, and then all of a sudden he fell to the ground.’

He stopped, his expression so bleak that Eve’s heart ached for him. Reaching out, she touched his hand, unaware of what she was doing. She just wanted to comfort him, to console him, to offer anything she could that might help to ease his pain.

‘I’m so sorry, Ryan. Really I am.’

‘Thank you.’ He dredged up a smile. ‘It’s got easier with time but it still upsets me whenever I think about it.’

‘It’s bound to.’ She withdrew her hand, suddenly realising what she had done. A shiver passed through her, although for some reason she didn’t feel as panicstricken as she might have expected. She cleared her throat, not wanting to explore that idea either. ‘Do you know what actually happened to him?’

‘Yes. It was long QT syndrome.’

‘That’s a disorder of the heart’s electrical system, isn’t it?’ Eve clarified.

‘That’s right. The QT interval is a measurement on the ECG tracing that reflects the electrical activity in the ventricles. In LQTS the length of time it takes the electrical system to recharge itself after each heartbeat is longer than normal. This can create a very rapid, irregular heart rhythm, which results in no blood being pumped from the heart. If that happens the brain is deprived of oxygen, causing a sudden loss of consciousness or even death.’ He grimaced. ‘Sorry. You must know all that. I’m just so used to explaining it at various fundraising events that it’s second nature to trot out the whole spiel.’

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