Washed Away. Carol Marinelli

broken his arm because I wasn’t watching him properly because I was too scared to leave Paul.”

      Beth’s tears were starting again, and hating herself for her insensitivity, Cheryl sneaked a quick look at her watch.

      “He’s a seven-year-old boy,” she said firmly. “And seven-year-old boys are notorious for breaking bones. Believe me, I see it every day. You need support, Beth.” Cheryl squeezed the other woman’s hand again. “Everything you’ve told me—how you’re feeling, Hal’s reaction, your fears for the new baby—are completely normal reactions, given what you’ve been through. Is there anyone here you can talk to?”

      “I’ve got lots of friends.” Beth shrugged. “My mom’s nearby.” But her expression belied her positive words and she started to cry again. “They just don’t understand, though. Dr. Holland was great. He warned me I’d feel like this. He said he’d call in, and that I could phone him anytime day or night if I was feeling anxious.”

      “He sounds nice,” Cheryl ventured. “He’s the one who just had the heart attack, isn’t he?”

      Beth nodded. “He’s Turning Point’s one and only doctor, but he was more than a doctor to me, he was a friend. Noah’s good—the vet,” she added, and Cheryl nodded. “He comes round for a drink every now and then and lets me ramble on about Cody and that horrible day, but I know, even if he tries not to show it, that he’s not really into babies. Not the two-legged type anyway. He’s only interested in his career.”

      “I know the type,” Cheryl said, deliberately keeping the edge from her voice. But she did know the type—she’d been married to one, after all.

      “There’s no one I can really talk to about it, Cheryl. No one at all.”

      Only then did Beth’s plight really hit Cheryl. God, how she wished she were at work. Piles of leaflets and phone numbers were available at the nurses’ station. A psychiatrist was just a telephone call away.

      But there weren’t such resources here, and even her time was in short supply.

      “Beth, if there was any way I could put things off I’d stay awhile longer, but I really do have to get back.” Cheryl squeezed her hand again. “I have to set Flynn’s arm and return to town, but please don’t think I’m just walking out on you. You really do need some help, and I’m going to do my best to see you get it. Do you want me to ask Mitch to send Hal home?”

      Immediately Beth shook her head.

      “Please, Cheryl, don’t. It will only make things worse. Look, I’m not about to do anything stupid. I just need some help.”

      “Well, you’ve taken the most difficult step—admitting it,” Cheryl said softly.

      “If I could just get a decent night’s sleep—”

      “You need a bit more than that,” Cheryl broke in. “But it would be a good start. Look…” Standing up, Cheryl turned on a smile and hit Beth with a good dose of practical assertion. “I’m going to speak to Amy Sherwood about you. She’s a doctor who’s come to Turning Point to help with the evacuation. Now, I’m not going to lie and say she’s going to race over. We’re supposed to be here to deal with an emergency….” Cheryl’s voice trailed off as she realized her insensitivity. Okay, this wasn’t exactly the cutting edge of trauma nursing, but it was an emergency to this family at least, and as a nurse, as a woman, Cheryl knew that she couldn’t just dismiss this family’s problems, and neither would Amy. “She’s a great doctor, and once I’ve explained your situation to her, I know that she’ll want to help. Of course, we’ll first have to see how the storm pans out, but once it’s over, either you can come into town or Amy will come out to you before we head back to Courage Bay. We can get the ball rolling. Look, if you ask her nicely, she might even throw in a prescription for something to help you sleep.” That comment lightened the loaded atmosphere just enough for Cheryl to do the hard bit.

      “I really do have to get back, Beth. I’m sorry I haven’t got more time….”

      “I understand.” Beth nodded bravely, and Cheryl’s heart went out to her, every shred of nursing instinct telling her that this woman really needed help.

      For the next little while Flynn was a model patient, asking endless questions as Cheryl applied the back slab. An incredulous smile broke out on his face as Cheryl bandaged over the plaster slab.

      “It doesn’t hurt anymore,” he said.

      “Great, isn’t it?” Cheryl grinned. “But keep it dry, or it will go all soggy.”

      “Thanks so much again,” Beth said as she followed Cheryl to the hallway. “For everything, Cheryl.”

      “Can Flynn have this?” Pulling a chocolate bar out of her pocket, Cheryl gave it to Beth who seemed to remember something and dashed off.

      “Wait there!” she called, but was back seconds later with a large tin. “The cookies I baked.” She smiled, handing them over. “Share them around the crews, but make sure Hal gets a couple from me.”

      “Will do, on one condition.”

      “What’s that?”

      “You get back inside and put your feet up. Forget the housework, forget the baking, concentrate on you and your boys for now.”

      CHERYL WOULD HAVE RUN to the Jeep, but the wind was so strong, it was more a case of two steps forward, one step back. And as for breathing…Cheryl had no trouble getting air in. It whipped into her throat and pushed its way into her lungs uninvited—but breathing out was almost impossible. The driver door swung back in her hands as she opened it, and she had to battle the wind to close it once she was inside.

      Starting the engine, Cheryl prepared to drive off. The rain was so loud on the roof, she at first didn’t register the pounding on the driver’s window, then frowned in concern as she saw a drenched Beth banging furiously on it.

      Cheryl didn’t dare try opening the door again. Pushing the power window switch, she felt a moment’s un-ease, wondering what on earth could have forced Beth to leave her son and baby and run out in this weather.

      “What’s happened?”

      “The storm’s shifting course,” Beth shouted against the wind. “It just came over the radio….”

      Cheryl felt her heart lurch. Mitch had been right!

      “Is it going to hit Turning Point?”

      “They’re not sure, but it’s swerved from its predicted course and it’s coming closer than they expected. A couple of nearby rivers have already burst their banks. You need to get back, and quickly, before the route back to town floods and you’re stuck here!”

      Cheryl nodded. “Get inside, Beth.” The wind almost whipped the words out of her mouth. “Secure the house.”

      “I will.” Beth nodded. “There’s a shortcut you could take.” She was pointing behind the house. “There’s a private road. Follow it down, then take a left at Hansen’s Barn.”

      “Where?”

      “Hansen’s Barn. You won’t be able to miss it. It’s an old, derelict barn. There’s a bridge…”

      The conversation was becoming more difficult with every word, and Cheryl shouted over the wind. “The road behind your house?”

      Beth gave a rapid nod. “Then swing a left.”

      “Call Mitch,” Cheryl instructed her. “Tell him I’m coming. And Beth…get inside!”

      Cheryl could feel the adrenaline kick in as she drove off, only this time it wasn’t welcome. It wasn’t the usual surge of excitement that hit her when an alert came in. This was the first fluttering of real panic as she contemplated what they could be facing if Hurricane Damon hit this region full force. She thought of her colleagues, Dana, Nate and