Page 82 of On the Edge

She pressed Jack’s shirt to Poppy’s face.Bright crimson blood seeped into the white cotton.

‘I’m worried she might vomit,’ Nel said once the ambulance was on its way.‘Help me turn her on her side.’

They repositioned her.Nel checked her ears for blood.Clear, thank god.

‘What now?’he asked.

‘We wait.’

Chapter 53

An eerie stillness took hold as the storm moved out to sea.Nel and Jack sat on either side of Poppy, watching the stairs, willing the ambos to come.But it was Jimmy who appeared first, followed by the female officer Nel had met earlier.

Nel’s eyes filled with tears of relief.She went to stand up as Jimmy reached them, but her legs buckled under her.He crouched down beside her.

‘I’ll radio for an ambulance,’ he said.

‘It’s on its way,’ Nel said.Poppy’s lips were blue.‘She’s breathing, but she’s too cold.’

Jimmy turned to his partner.‘Richie, can you get a blanket?’She gave him a nod and ran up the stairs.

‘What happened?’Jimmy asked.

‘Ryan attacked me.He was screaming about Sophie.I thought I was going to die, Jimmy, but then Poppy turned up, I don’t know why,’ she gasped, ‘and she hit him and then he punched her and she fell.’

‘Where’s Ryan now?’

‘I don’t know.’

Richie returned with a blanket and lay it over Poppy’s body.Jimmy reached for his radio to put an alert out about Ryan.

‘How did you get here so fast?’Nel asked, as he holstered the radio.

‘We were looking for Ryan.We found the ring.’

‘You did?’

He nodded.‘He arrived home when we were there and found a note from Sophie.She said she had to go to Adelaide.He lost it, yelling and swearing, then he punched the wall and left.I’m so sorry, Nel.I should have realised you were in danger.’

‘You couldn’t have known—’

She stopped at the sound of a siren growing steadily louder.Thank god.

Jack gave her a tentative smile as the ambulance pulled up in the distance, red and blue light illuminating the wet bitumen.Two paramedics appeared, a blur of navy blue moving towards them.

‘I’m Donna,’ the middle-aged woman said.‘This is Carl.What happened?’

Nel moved back to give them space.‘She was punched in the temple.She’s lost a lot of blood.I’m concerned about internal bleeding.’Nel swallowed.‘I’m a doctor.’

‘What’s her name?’Donna asked, feeling Poppy’s skull for fractures.

‘Poppy Berry.She’s my niece.’

‘Shall I call for backup?’Carl asked.

‘No time, we need to get her to hospital,’ Donna said, holding a large dressing against the wound.‘But her breathing’s weak, we’re going to need to intubate her first.’

Nel crossed her numb fingers as Donna inserted an endotracheal tube into Poppy’s mouth.Her eyes, which had been fluttering open and closed, were staying closed now.Donna positioned a mask on her face.There were tears in Jack’s eyes.