“Okay, good. Look, I’ve made a couple of calls. Doris Brennan in the village used to be our local midwife. Said she’ll be here in around five minutes’ time. She’s retired now but helped deliver me and my brother. I also called the hospital in Fort William, in case we need an ambulance, but they said the roads in and out of Arkaig are still blocked. Nothing’s getting through.”
“Cheryl’s mum says that if the baby’s premature,” said Karl, “they’ll need a hospital that has the right facilities.”
“There’s a specialist maternity hospital in Glasgow,” said Rudy, nodding to Karl. “My mother’s on the board there. I could make a call?”
“What’s the point?” said Karl, looking desolate. “If the roads are blocked, we can’t drive her there anyway.”
“No, maybe we can’t drive,” said Rudy, looking to Trevor, his eyes lighting up. “But we can fly. Let me go and wake Helen?”
By five-fifteen that morning, the lodge had become a hive of activity. Doris Brennan, a little woman with a heavy accent, arrived with her large medical bag. She had a short and—from Trevor’s perspective—largely unintelligible exchange of words with Rudy before marching straight past the men up to the bedroom. Rudy came back with Helen, apparently having given her an update along the way, just as Trevor poured tea for everyone. Finally, Jessica, Antoni and Ingram—all woken by Mary’s cries and other sounds of activity—sat at the kitchen table with Johnny and Frank. With mugs of tea in front of them, they looked so washed out and weary, an onlooker might think they had just given birth themselves.
Trevor didn’t miss Ingram occasionally glancing at Rudy, but right at that moment, he didn’t give a damn. More important things were happening. Almost an hour later, Cheryl—accompanied by Helen—came to the kitchen to provide an update. Between the two, she told them, Mrs M and Doris had managed to calm Mary and make her more comfortable. Even though her contractions had not been regular at first, they had increased slightly, and Doris agreed it would be safer for all concerned if Mary went to the hospital.
“We told her Rudy’s plan,” said Cheryl, grabbing two mugs of tea and giving one to Helen. As she continued talking, the kitchen phone rang, and Rudy got up from the table to take the call. “Mary wants Mum to go with her and Karl. Doris has asked to come too, to support Mum. She’s such a love. I think Mum’s really grateful to have her there. Even though we can barely understand a word she’s saying.”
Helen giggled and nearly spilled her tea.
“And this lovely lady has agreed to fly them,” said Cheryl, looking fondly at Helen.
“Least I can do,” said Helen.
“It’s all arranged, Karl,” said Rudy, coming back to the table. “There’ll be an ambulance waiting at the seaplane jetty in Glasgow to whisk you and Mary to the maternity hospital. Can you ask Brenda to start getting Mary ready, and I’ll bring the Rover around to the side of the lodge. I can get you pretty close to where the plane’s moored. What do you need, Helen?”
“Just to warm up the engines. Should take about fifteen to twenty minutes. Then we can be off. I estimate around forty minutes’ flight time. How many am I taking?”
“Karl and Mary,” said Cheryl. “Mum and Doris, if you can fit them both.”
“I’ll stay,” said Damian.
Trevor’s heart sank at that remark, and if he’d got to know Rudy as well as he thought he had, his friend’s face showed the same dismay.
“No, you won’t, big boy,” said Helen adamantly. “I need a co-pilot. You’ll be flying next to me in case anything happens. That’s one of the conditions of me bringing you here. So that’s a full load of six. Rudy, can you drop us there now and come back for the others after?”
“Good idea,” said Rudy, fishing in his pocket for his car keys. “Maybe I should go warm up the Rover engine now while you pack, so we don’t have any delays.”
“Cheryl,” said Trevor, “can you take Karl and Jess with you to get Mary’s bags packed and help her down when she’s ready? Tell your mum not to worry about her luggage. If she hasn’t returned by New Year, we can bring them back in the Volvo.”
Cheryl, now accompanied by Karl and Jessica, headed back to the bedroom.
“Don’t worry, Trev. We’ll make sure Brenda gets back,” said Rudy, patting a hand on Trevor’s shoulder.
“Let’s pack our bags, Damian,” said Helen, turning at the kitchen door. “I’ll see you back here in five.”
“Rudy,” said Ingram, standing. “A word outside?”
Trevor stood then, took his place next to Rudy.
“Anything you have to say to Rudy, you can say to me.”
“It’s okay, Trev,” said Rudy, smiling gently before kissing him on the cheek. “I appreciate the gesture, but I’ve got this.”
Rudy followed Ingram outside into the small antechamber and, once they had gone, Trevor moved to the doorway to listen. Even though they spoke in hushed tones, he could make out every word they were saying.
“We’re not finished, you and me,” said Ingram. “I didn’t fly all this way here just to have you snub me. We’ve still got things to discuss.”
“I’ve nothing to discuss with you, Damian.”
“Yeah, we’ll see.”
