The coastguard is still trying to get the information out of the tanker’s owners and they aren’t being very co-operative, it seems.’
‘Does the coastguard think they might be able to head it off?’ Seb asked, frowning as he considered the implications of such a scenario. Obviously there would be casualties from both the tanker and the drilling rig if there was a collision, but that wasn’t his only concern. If there was a chemical spillage, it could spread for miles along the coastline and that would put many more people at risk.
‘There are tugs on their way to it but it doesn’t sound very hopeful.’ Gary grimaced. ‘The coastguard says there’s a storm brewing and it’s going to be a bad one, too. The guy I spoke to didn’t rate their chances of avoiding a collision very highly.’
‘In that case, we need to prepare for the worst-case scenario.’ Seb swung round and headed for the office. Gary followed him inside and closed the door.
‘You think it warrants major incident status?’ the younger doctor asked, going pale at the thought.
‘I think it’s worth putting everyone on standby,’ Seb told him firmly, picking up the phone. ‘The last thing we need is to be caught flat-footed.’
He dialled the major incident headquarters and asked to speak to the duty officer. He was put straight through, although he didn’t need to explain why he was phoning—the coastguard had beaten him to it. He nodded when the duty officer explained that an announcement was being prepared and that it would be aired over local radio within the next half-hour.
He hung up and opened the top drawer of the filing cabinet. He took out the file that contained the names of all the staff who were designated to work during a major incident and handed it to Gary.
‘Check who’s already here then make a list of the others so the switchboard can contact them, will you? I’ll go and tell everyone what’s happened and start winding things down in here. The last thing we need is a waiting room full of patients if we end up with a major emergency on our hands.’
‘What about the air ambulance service?’ Gary asked hurriedly as Seb made for the door. ‘Do I need to get in touch with them, too?’
‘You may as well, although they probably know about it by now.’ Seb turned and stared out of the window, sighing when he saw the black clouds that were massing overhead. ‘It looks as though it’s going to be a very long night.’
Friday: 4 p.m.
THE storm broke just as Libby was turning in through the gates of the hospital. Raindrops as big as golf balls struck the windscreen, forcing her to slow down to a crawl. She switched on the wipers to their fastest setting but even then they couldn’t cope with the deluge.
Rubbing the back of her hand over the glass to clear away the condensation that was forming on it, she peered out. There was a sign up ahead, directing her to the car park, so she cautiously headed in that direction, surprised by the size of the hospital complex. Seb had told her that a whole new wing had been built to house the trauma unit during the recent renovations but she’d not realised before just how impressive it was.
No wonder he’d wanted to work here, she thought as she searched for a parking place. He had always enjoyed being in the thick of things and thrived in a crowd, whereas she preferred to be with a small group of people whom she knew well. She frowned as she manoeuvred the car into an empty space. She’d never realised before how different they were in that respect.
She switched off the engine then found her umbrella. Opening the car door, she stepped out and gasped when the wind immediately tore the umbrella from her hand as soon as she tried to open it. It went bouncing across the car park, its spokes getting battered and broken as it was tumbled around. She sighed as she locked the car doors. There was no point going after it so she would just have to get soaked, although it was annoying when she’d wanted to appear totally in control when she saw Seb.
She made her way from the car park and followed the signs directing her to the trauma unit. Even though it was barely four o’clock, the light was fading fast. The storm was gathering momentum and she was relieved when she spotted the entrance up ahead. If the wind got any stronger, she doubted if she’d be able to stay on her feet and that would be the last straw—to turn up at Seb’s place of work covered in mud!
Libby hurried inside the building then paused to get her bearings. The reception desk was straight ahead with a large waiting area to the right. Rows of chairs were neatly lined up in there and there was a drinks machine in the corner next to a rack of magazines. The place looked exactly as she had expected it would do, apart from one major omission: there were no people.
Where were all the patients? she wondered, looking around. The walking wounded as well as the seriously injured who filled up every accident and emergency department in the country? She couldn’t believe this was a normal Friday afternoon. Seb had told her several times how busy he was and that there weren’t enough hours in the day to see all the people who turned up. Obviously, something must have happened…
‘I’m afraid the emergency department is closed at the moment.’
Libby swung round when a nurse suddenly appeared. ‘I’m not a patient,’ she explained hurriedly. ‘I’m here to see Dr Bridges.’
‘Dr Bridges is too busy to see anyone at the moment,’ the nurse said firmly. ‘I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.’
‘Libby!’
They both turned when they heard Seb’s voice. Libby summoned a smile but she could see the shock on his face as he moved towards her. ‘Hello, Seb. I seem to have chosen a bad time to arrive. Sorry.’
‘There’s no need to apologise. You weren’t to know that we were in the middle of a major incident alert.’
He returned her smile but she could hear the tension in his deep voice. Was he wondering why she had turned up like this, out of the blue? It was three months since they’d seen each other, and that meeting couldn’t be classed as a success by any stretch of the imagination. The weekend had been a strain for both of them; they’d found it difficult to think of anything to say most of the time. They had drifted so far apart now that they seemed to have no common ground any more.
She’d been relieved when Seb had decided to cut short his visit and return to the north-east. However, it had been that meeting which had helped her make up her mind about what she wanted to do. It had proved once and for all that their marriage was dead and that the best thing would be to end it rather than allow it to drag on.
Now here she was, about to do that very thing, yet she couldn’t just baldly announce her decision. She and Seb needed to sit down and work out the details, like who should have which items of furniture, for instance. However, the likelihood of them being able to do that now seemed extremely remote.
‘Sorry. I’m forgetting my manners. I should have introduced you two. Cathy, I’d like you to meet my wife, Libby. Or Dr Olivia Bridges, if you’d prefer her official title.’
Libby summoned a smile as Seb introduced her to the other woman but she could see the wariness in his eyes when he turned to her and knew that she was right. He had guessed why she’d come and she wasn’t sure if that made
