After the Storm (32 page)

‘Who is this?’

‘It’s Anna. I’m so scared Daddy.’

It was years since she’d called him that. Not since the Ricky episode.

‘What’s wrong?’ he sounded confused.

‘Rob’s been stabbed.’

‘Stabbed…?’

‘Yes, in the stomach. I’m calling from the hospital.’

‘Where are you? Are you in Mexico?’

‘No, we’re in Roatán; it’s this island off Honduras.’

‘What happened?’

Her father sounded more awake now. She could imagine him sitting up in bed and reaching for his glasses.

‘This man stabbed Rob in the stomach.’

‘But why would anyone—’

‘This man Teyo. He was following us because he thinks we know where this other man has gone, Owen Adams, the guy from the boat. He stabbed Rob and I’m so scared he’s going to come back here and finish the job off.’

She was talking fast and getting breathless and as she voiced her fears they were becoming ever more palpable and she understood what great danger she and Rob were in.

‘You need to calm down Annaboo. If you’re in the hospital, you’re quite safe.’

He hadn’t called her Annaboo for years either. It meant he was on her side but also that he thought she was exaggerating.

‘We’re not safe. You don’t know what it’s like here. It’s a weird kind of frontier place and there was a murder two days ago, a lovely woman we knew. He must think we know something about it. I’ve been sitting in Rob’s room all evening and fearing every person coming down the corridor and I’m freaked out Daddy, really scared. I need to go back to Rob’s room now. I’m scared to leave him any longer.’

‘Anna wait, I have an idea. I’m going to track down the British Consul out there and tell him there are two British nationals at risk. What’s the name of the hospital?’

She told him and she could tell he was writing it down.

‘I’m going to do this right now, OK. You must call me again in an hour, OK?’

‘Yes I will, in an hour.’

She put the phone down. At least her father had believed her and he was trying to help. She walked back to Rob’s room feeling a little less alone. She locked the door behind her and stretched out on the daybed close to Rob. He was still sleeping and his breathing sounded regular, thank God.

An hour later she left the room and locked the door behind her again. She called her father from the public phone and his voice sounded weary.

‘It’s not good news I’m afraid. I can’t raise anyone. I’ve looked on the website and the consular services are run out of Guatemala City.’

‘That’s no help at all.’

‘I know. I’m going to contact them again first thing in the morning. Report what you told me and insist that they make contact with you. Now darling I’m sure you’ll be safe in the hospital tonight.’

She knew that her father had thought about it over the last hour and decided that it was her over-active imagination at work. She did not have the time to persuade him otherwise.

‘Daddy listen, will you call Rob’s mum now. I haven’t called her yet and she needs to know. I’m scared to leave Rob alone in that room any longer.’

As she passed the nurses’ station she saw that it was deserted. Surely there would be some staff on night duty? Maybe the nurse was checking up on another patient. Rob looked so vulnerable lying on the bed all rigged up with tubes and drips and still sedated. He was as helpless as a baby. She knew it was no good looking for protection from outside and it was up to her now.

She stood at the window and looked out at the car park. It was nearly three in the morning and there was no activity below. She stood in a kind of trance for many minutes watching the cold light of the moon reflected on the bonnets and roofs of the few cars parked there. Those must belong to the staff she thought. She had got a sense that there were not many patients staying overnight in the hospital. Some small mammal was walking around the perimeter of the car park. Was it a cat? She tried to get a better look but the animal, cat or rat, had gone under one of the cars and was lost to sight. Then her eyes caught the glimmer of the lights of a car driving along the outer road of the town. The car was driving with just its sidelights on and these flashed as it rounded a corner. She saw it was heading in the direction of the hospital. The car slowed as it drew up outside the gates of Oaks Hospital and she saw that it had prominent fins. It came to a stop and did not drive into the car park and she watched as the lights of the car were turned off. She had a very bad feeling about that car. Who would be driving here at this time of night? She strained her eyes to see if anyone had got out but she could see no further activity. She suddenly wondered whether or not she had locked the door of the room when she came back from making her second phone call? No she hadn’t. She crossed quickly and peered out into the corridor. All was silent; no voices came from the nurses’ station, there was no sign of anyone at all. She locked the door and returned to the window to keep watch of the car park and the street beyond.

It was about ten minutes later when she heard something. It was a faint footfall in the corridor outside the room. She waited for the nurse to tap and say she was coming in to do a check on Rob. But no tap came. No voice came. With a feeling of profound dread she moved away from the window and silently made her way over to the door. As she walked over she saw that the door handle was being moved, was being lifted up and down. The person on the other side of the door had established that it was locked. Anna put her ear to the door. And then she heard a click, click, clicking as a knife was brought to bear on the lock of the door. She knew it was Teyo and she knew he had come to kill her and Rob. He was unpicking the lock with his knife. She had a moment of total paralysis and her mind went blank.

Then she remembered the stool in the bathroom. She crept in there and took hold of the stool by its round cushioned seat and walked back to the door, making no noise. She needed him to believe that she was asleep. She positioned herself so that she would be hidden when the door opened. An element of surprise was the only advantage she had. She held the stool firmly with the three chrome legs pointing outwards. Click, click, click – Teyo’s knife was feeling into the lock and pressing against the resistance of the catch. It was dim in the room. There was only a night light by Rob’s bed, and the light from the corridor under the door. She watched the handle with horror as Teyo tried it again. Still the lock held. She heard him pull the knife out and then jam it back into the lock with greater force. How had he known to come to this room? Who had told him? And then the lock gave and the door started to open. She lifted the stool above her head and as Teyo moved into the room she brought the legs of the stool down onto his right arm with all her strength. She never understood where she got the strength from but she felt the impact of her blow shudder through the leg of the stool as she smashed it onto his right arm. He grunted with pain at the blow but he held onto the knife and continued to push into the room. With a wail like a banshee coming unbidden from her lips Anna swung the stool up and at his face. This time one of the metal legs made contact with his jaw. She heard the sound of metal hitting bone. He grunted and staggered back, struggling to say on his feet. As he tried to regain his balance, still clutching his knife, she drew her right leg back and then kicked up hitting him right between his legs with her last ounce of energy. The knife fell from his fingers and skidded across the floor. He rolled on the floor clasping his balls and groaning.

The screaming and the crashing had woken Rob from his drugged sleep. He watched in amazement as Anna lifted the stool again and crashed one of the legs against the back of Teyo’s right shoulder. She grabbed the knife from the floor and pointed it at him and, because it had worked before, Anna started to scream for help at the top of her voice. Teyo was lying sprawled out on the floor but she never took her eyes off him. She was ready to attack him with his knife if he should move. She screamed and screamed for help and then she heard footsteps running along the corridor and the night nurse ran in, followed closely behind by the orderly.

‘Such courage,’ Rob managed to say as he looked up at Anna.

Anna was on her way to Rob’s family house in Crouch End. It had been an exhausting ten days; a roller coaster of hope and despair. The British Embassy had got involved and had sent an Honorary Consul to check up on Anna and Rob. Teyo had been arrested on the night he was found in Rob’s room and was facing two charges of attempted murder. He was locked up in the local prison and Anna had slept a little easier lying on the daybed by Rob’s side.

After his early signs of improvement Rob had started to run a very high temperature which indicated that an infection was taking hold inside him. The doctors had pumped him full of antibiotics and had sedated him heavily but he was clearly getting worse. Anna was in daily contact with Rob’s mother Robin giving her bulletins on his condition. When Robin heard that Rob was sinking she cut short her honeymoon and flew into Roatán. The moment she saw her son she was a woman possessed. She had arranged for Rob to be flown back to London under medical supervision and installed in a London hospital.

And still Rob was in a critical condition. Anna hadn’t left his side for days. Robin joined her at the hospital each morning and the two women went down to the cafeteria. They sat opposite each other nursing their coffees.

‘I need you to do something for Rob,’ Anna said.

Robin looked tired as she raised her beautiful sad eyes to Anna’s face. ‘What is it, my dear?’

‘You must believe Rob about the drug bust and you must tell him that you believe him.’

Robin looked faintly outraged.

‘I don’t understand why you’re raising this now, Anna. My boy is fighting for his life.’

‘That’s exactly why I’m raising it now. It hurt him so much that you didn’t believe it was Elliot who reported the commune and he needs you to believe him.’

Robin sighed.

‘Robbie hated Elliot the moment he set eyes on him.’

‘You sure that wasn’t a two-way thing? Rob says Elliot was always calling him a loser, out of your earshot of course.’

Robin shook her head wearily.

‘You weren’t there and can’t possibly understand. There is always conflict between a child and a step-parent. A child’s hostility is a very powerful thing and Robbie nearly broke us up.’

‘But he didn’t break you up. You’re still together and you’re married. Tell him that you believe him.
Please
.’

There had been a long drawn out and awkward silence after that.

The next day had been the turning point. Anna was sitting by Rob’s bed and she thought he looked slightly better. He was still attached to two drips but had spent a calm night and his temperature was coming down at last. The doctor came in and examined him. Now he said to her:

‘He scared us there for a bit but the antibiotics are working and he’s improving now.’

She cried with relief and joy and wanted to hug the doctor. Instead she called Robin and told her the good news.

‘Oh joy,’ his mother said.

Yesterday Rob had been well enough to be taken home to his mum’s house to convalesce. He was lying on a reclining chair looking at his mother’s garden. His mum had planted lavender and fuschia and polyanthus and the bees were droning around the pink and purple blooms. His mum came out of the French doors and joined him.

‘How’s my best boy doing today?’

She sat down beside him.

‘Getting better and feeling stronger. Mum, there’s something I’ve been thinking about for ages and I need to talk to you about it.’

‘I know darling.’

‘You know?’ he looked puzzled.

‘I know you want me to believe that Elliot reported the commune to the police.’

He looked surprised at her words.

‘Well yes, I
would
like you to believe that. And he did Mum. I know he did. But, that wasn’t it.’

‘So what is it darling?’

Rob took hold of his mother’s hand and squeezed it gently.

‘I
need to know
who my dad is.’

‘Oh darling—’

‘Listen, please. It’s not just because I nearly died. I’ve been feeling this way for months. I need to track him down. I need to make contact with him.’

Anna got off the bus and headed up the road to the Edwardian house where his family lived. She rang the doorbell and Robin opened the door to her. She thought his mum looked a bit shaken, but she hugged Anna and said in a warm voice:

‘He’s resting in the garden.’

Anna hugged her back.

‘Well I better go find his lordship then.’

Anna was pouring Rob a glass of water. She held the glass to his lips as he drank.

‘Thanks. I’m glad my Mum came to Roatán,’ he said.

‘She had to cut short her honeymoon to get there.’

‘I know and I’m getting a lot of satisfaction from that thought,’ he smiled weakly.

‘That means you’re definitely getting better. She loves you so much Rob.’

‘I told her that I need to track down my dad. And she finally agreed to help me.’

‘Oh Rob, I’m so pleased.’

‘It matters you see. You need to know where you come from. Even if it’s bad news, even if it turns out he’s a drunk or a wife beater.’

Later, inevitably, they returned to the subject of Owen and Kim who still loomed so large in both their minds.

‘Do you think we’ll ever hear from them again?’ Rob said.

‘No chance. Owen doesn’t want anyone to know where they’ve gone. He sold his boat and he ran away.’

‘That’s a harsh thing to say Anna. He’s had so much trouble in his life.’

‘Harsh maybe, but his running away nearly got you killed. And I’m not ready to forgive him for that yet.’

She stroked the hair away from his forehead and kissed his eyelids with their long dark lashes that gave him that immensely endearing look.

‘But I was wrong about Kim. She is a good person, so loyal and faithful to Owen. It can’t be an easy life for her and I wish we’d parted on better terms,’ she said.