50 womansweekly.com
Suzanne Ahern begins her intriguing romance
Between
US
I
t was so simple; a
split-second decision
like so many she’d made
before. It was raining and
she could see her bus up
ahead, pulling into its stop.
If she didn’t get across the
road quickly, she’d miss it.
And then what? When,
in the weeks ahead, Kim
thought back to this precise
moment she realised that
she hadn’t even made an
actual decision. It had been
more a gut feeling. She just
had to catch the bus. The
week had felt never-ending.
She hated her job, she was
bone-tired and desperate
for a takeaway. So, in that
moment, she scanned the
almost stationary traffic for
a space she could squeeze
through and stepped off the
pavement. What she hadn’t
been aware of was the
cyclist courier weaving his
way at speed through the
crawling congestion.
✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿
It was a Friday-night football
match. How dangerous
could it be? Rav had given it
no thought whatsoever. Well,
you wouldn’t, would you?
This was London. It was
raining. Yes, the grass would
be as slippery as an ice rink
in places but that was how it
They were two strangers caught
in the most unlikely of
circumstances – but was their
connection strong enough to last?
went sometimes. All you
needed was a little bit more
care and attention. Apart
from the fact his kit would be
filthy by the end of it, Rav
wasn’t remotely bothered.
The goalkeeper told him
later that the ambulance
arrived for him at 7.19pm.
They had only been playing
for 12 minutes when
someone skidded and
slammed into his left side.
He couldn’t remember,
which was probably just as
well. From that moment
onwards, there were only
two things that stayed with
him: the blinding white
brilliance of the floodlights
above him as he lay on the
field and the faint ringing of
bells from the church nextdoor to the grounds. He
didn’t know what kind of
service they announced, but
the sound was gentle and
rhythmic, and they somehow
calmed him as he drifted in
and out of consciousness.
✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿
The noise woke her. Or did
it? Was she awake, really? Or
still asleep? And why? Where
was she? Kim closed her eyesagain, the confusion in her
head actually hurting. A
proper, physical pain. Tears
pushed their way onto her
cheeks. She had no idea
why. Except for the pain, ofcourse. And the cold fear
that ran through her body.
The fingers of her left hand
touched something cold and
smooth. Fabric, maybe. But
there was nothing to her
right. Nothing. Not even any
fingers to stretch. She opened
her eyes. Panic. Where was
she? Was this the bus? Was
she at home, in bed? Nothing
was normal. Nothing feltright. Too bright. Too dark.
And way, way too much
noise. Kim opened her
mouth and screamed as loud
as she could.
A face came close to
hers, out of focus but with a
smiling mouth.
‘Kim? Kim? Can you
hear me?’
Was she still screaming?
She tried to talk back.
‘Kim, I hope you can hear
me. My name’s Mandy. I’m a
nurse. You’ve been involved
in an accident. But you’re
safe now. You’re in hospital.
Try to stay calm, my love. It
will help.’
The face pulled back and
other shapes passed close to
her, several different handsKim, I hope you can hear me.
My name’s Mandy. I’m a nurse
PART
ONE