Enter the cavalry!

Easy As Falling Off A Bike.
by Angharad.
part 110.

I switched on the torch and shone it on Simon's groaning body. I saw the blood and I screamed and screamed. Then as if someone had slapped me, I came to my senses. Now was not the time for these hysterics, I could do that once he was in hospital.

I pulled out my mobile and called 999. Once my brain was engaged it began to do things properly. I had grid references for this spot from long use of entering them on computers. I quoted them faultlessly. Once I mentioned gunshot wounds, they asked me to describe Simon's situation.

"He's lying on his back, he's bleeding from his mouth and there's blood on his chest. He's got his eyes closed and he's groaning."

"Okay, help is on it's way and police have been notified, keep talking to him, any change call us again. Keep talking to him, if you can keep him from slipping into unconsciousness, it will help."

I slumped down on the ground alongside the man I loved. I held his hand and talked to him.

"Simon, Simon come on lover, open those eyes and look at me."

I wiped the blood from his face, it wasn't coming so much from his mouth any more. Was that a good sign.? He coughed and some more blood came! Oh hell, he's been hit in the lungs.

I moved around behind him, resting his head on my knees and threw my coat over him, I knew I had to keep him warm. I kept talking to him and felt his breathing slow. Oh shit! The ambulance wouldn't have the keys to the forest gate. Fucking dormice, why couldn't I have stayed at home and looked after my dad, then this wouldn't have happened.

I kept talking to him, in the torchlight I couldn't really see his colour, nor could I feel his pulse in his neck, but he was still breathing so I assumed he was still alive.

I heard a helicopter circling overhead and for the first time I felt some relief, the searchlight was streaming through the trees and eventually it picked us up. It stayed hovering presumably to assist the rescue party.

Another helicopter arrived overhead and I wondered what was happening, then it circled around and I heard it making approach noises, like it was trying to land. There was a clearing a couple of hundred yards away, he was obviously trying to land there.

There were sirens in the distance growing louder as police 4x4s approached us, and at speed. The helicopter above us just hovered, the light wavering as the pilot tried to hold his exact position.

I looked at the scene, my rucksack was in pieces, bits of paper were everywhere, the image intensifier was in bits, one of Simon's shoes was lying near the bag, and there was coffee dripping out of the bag. It was a total shambles. I kept talking to Simon as I heard footsteps moving towards us. This time they were the good guys.

A second searchlight helicopter arrived on the scene and began sweeping the woods, looking or the perpetrators I supposed, but I wasn't sure. I didn't know they had two helicopters, maybe they'd got another force helping them?

A paramedic ran into our mess and quickly crouched down, "They still about?"

"No, I heard them run off when I screamed."

"Okay, let's have a look."

While he examined Simon, another ran up with a stretcher followed by three armed police, who took up positions to protect us. They had night sights on their guns.

"Right he's in shock, lets get him into the hospital," said the paramedic to his colleague and they loaded Simon onto the stretcher and strapped him on. Four of them then picked him up and ran to the chopper, the air-ambulance. One of the police asked me to stay, they would take me to the hospital as soon as they knew what had happened.

I explained who I was and what we were doing. That my light had faded and I asked Simon for new batteries and it just happened, bang and he was flying through the air nearly landing on top of me.

I pointed out from where the shot seemed to come, and he went off with a powerful torch to examine it. The helicopter shadowed him.

His colleague who had been listening, said, "What, you come here by yourself?"

"I have to, to collect my data. Usually, I feel quite safe. The first time I have an escort and this happens. It's all my fault." With that I burst into tears.

"Who is your friend?" asked the copper when I'd stopped wailing.

"Viscount Stanebury."

"Fucking hell! It's not is it?"

"You think I'd lie to you?"

"A genuine nob eh?"

"I beg your pardon?" I didn't like his tone even though he was supposedly on my side, protecting me.

"What?"

"He's a nice man, a real gentleman."

"Like him then, do you?"

"No, I love him," I sniffed.

"Oh okay love, I didn't mean anything."

I didn't believe him, but I wasn't going to make an issue over it. I heard more voices and footsteps approaching and into the scene of the incident. I glanced at the new arrivals, one was obviously an inspector or something, the others were plainclothes.

Once again we played twenty questions, as soon as I told them who Simon was, their level of interest increased.

"Is there any reason why someone should shoot at either of you?" asked the more important of the two in mufti.

"Not as far as I know, unless they don't like dormice."

"I don't think they shot at the dormice, did they?"

I shook my head. "Can I pick up my stuff?"

"Sorry miss, it's a scene of crime and a serious one, we need to do a full search in daylight."

I shrugged my shoulders, "Can somebody take me to the hospital, I'd like to see how Simon is and I need to call his sister."

"You're his girlfriend?"

"Yeah, he was taking me to see his parents on saturday. Oh hell!"

"Something the matter Miss?"

"Yeah, I have an exam at eleven o'clock, it was now approaching four."

"What university exam?"

"Yeah, the oral part of my master's."

He was about to say something when one of his men spoke into his radio. "We could have a lead on the shooters, sir."

The detective inspector took out his phone and dialled, "Take her to the hospital, will you?" he instructed one of his uniformed men, with whom I was about to leave when I spotted Simon's car keys.

"If I take these can I drive myself in his car?"

"Only if someone goes with you."

"Why?"

"Just do as I ask, please Miss."

"Okay," we walked towards the car park, me carrying the surviving image intensifier, and my torch.

"I'll drive Miss," said the young PC and I surrendered the keys without any argument.

"Can you use that thing to see how he is?" I asked as we sat in the car.

"Sure," he said and called his colleague at the hospital. After a short conversation, "he's in theatre."

"Oh hell!"

As we drove I tried to phone Stella but she wasn't answering. Was everything going to go 'tits up' tonight. I left messages on her voice mail and the ansafone at the cottage for her to call me urgently.

As I got to the hospital, I spotted her sitting in a side room off 'Admissions', I rushed in and we hugged.

"I've been trying to call you," I said sobbing.

"Sorry Cathy, they know Simon and called me from A&E. What the hell happened?"

I told her and then about the letters. Her face darkened, "Who the fuck is threatening you?"

"I don't know."

"Have you told the police?"

"No, I don't know if it's related. It's one thing to sent stupid letters another to shoot someone."

"You should tell them."

"The police thought they had a lead on the shooters, can we wait and see what that is first."

"If Simon dies, my father won't rest until he's paid back the perpetrator of this, this stupid attack."

"If Simon dies, he won't need to. I'll kill them myself." I surprised myself, the venom in my voice was so acid, it practically stripped the paint off the walls.

Stella gave me a startled look, then relaxed. "You really love him don't you?"

"Stella, I would willingly have taken the shot for him," then I burst into tears and she hugged me. "He's not going to die is he?"

"I don't know," she sniffed back at me and we both bawled the place down.