A Rose and a Promise, page 13
It seemed like an eternity before the all-clear finally sounded, but as soon as it did, Aled had only one thing on his mind: to find Jez and make sure Cadi had been nowhere near the station at the time of the attack.
As he emerged from the bunker, he saw a fire engine hosing a burning plane, while off to one side a human chain was extinguishing the flames engulfing one of the huts.
Seeing a Waaf hobbling towards him with blood gushing out of her leg, Aled ran over and caught her just as she fell into his arms. He carried her to the hospital, keeping a keen eye out for Cadi as he went.
Jez had been walking Annie at the far end of the base when the air raid siren sounded. Being a fair way from the nearest shelter he was praying for it to be another false alarm, but his hopes were shattered when he heard the Messerschmitt dive towards the airfield.
Running hell for leather towards the shelter, Jez praised Annie for being a good girl as she kept pace with him. The Messerschmitt was coming in for another attack, so he veered off towards the bushes and flung himself to the ground, clutching Annie close to him as he prayed that the Messerschmitt wouldn’t waste its bullets on a lone airman. Feeling a sharp sensation of heat streak up the left-hand side of his body, he threw his hands over his head, drawing Annie’s leash taut. He heard the plane pass above him and tried to stand, but it was no use. Blood was flowing freely from his wounds. He let go of Annie’s leash and shouted at her to go, but she stood frozen to the spot. The Messerschmitt was turning to come back for another round, and by sheer strength of will Jez dragged himself into the bushes, despite the excruciating pain searing through his body. Instead of running for safety, Annie followed him into the undergrowth, trembling with fear, and shuffled up next to him, the tip of her tail wagging ever so slightly.
Reaching out, he smoothed her ears as she barked at the planes. As she nestled closer he placed his arm around her neck. ‘Not to worry,’ he soothed, ‘they’ll soon be gone.’ He smiled weakly as she licked the side of his face. ‘Cadi’ll come and nurse us better,’ he told her, ‘and I’ll tell her what a good, brave girl you’ve been.’ Looking out from under the branches of the bush, Jez frowned as his vision began to blur. And then darkness enveloped him.
As soon as Cadi heard that RAF Finningley had been the station under attack, she dropped back into her seat and her foot hit the accelerator. Barely stopping for the guard to lift the gate, she pushed her way up through the gears, but the car still wasn’t going fast enough. Jez could be anywhere on base, but with him being an engineer it was more than likely he’d be near the runway, which is exactly where the Luftwaffe would aim to strike. She just had to hope that they’d had plenty of warning.
As she raced towards the base, she saw a bloom of black smoke on the horizon, and her heart sank. The Waaf had been correct. An image of Aled clambering into his plane entered her mind. How could she have forgotten that he was also in danger? Willing the car to go faster, she practically pushed the accelerator through the floor.
Seeing the gate to the base come into view she flashed her ID at the guard before pulling to one side. She got out of the car and glanced wildly around her before rushing off, only to be brought up short by the guard, who had caught hold of her by the arm.
‘Sorry, ma’am, but you can’t go runnin’ off without stating your business.’
‘My husband’s Jeremy Thomas,’ said Cadi, yanking her arm free from his grip. She stared at him incredulously. ‘You saw the pair of us together no more than an hour or so ago.’
The guard took her to one side as another car pulled up outside the gate. ‘You know I have to ask. If you wait here, I’ll deal with this…’ But he was talking to thin air. Cadi had seized the distraction to flee.
Protocol be damned, she thought as she belted towards the runway. Skidding to a halt, she caught the attention of a Waaf who was hurrying in the opposite direction.
‘I’m looking for Jeremy Thomas. Have you seen him?’
The Waaf shook her head. ‘Sorry.’
‘How about Aled Davies?’
The Waaf pulled a downward smile. ‘Sorry, but no.’
As the Waaf continued on her way, Cadi turned her attention to Annie’s kennel. If Annie was there, it was a good indication that Jez was safe. Her heart plunged as her eyes fell on Annie’s chain lying loose on the ground. Turning full circle, she desperately scanned the area for a sign of Jez, Annie or Aled. Frustration started to mount as she wondered where could they be, and she ran towards the throng of people helping to douse the flames coming from one of the buildings. Reaching the nearest man, she grabbed him by the shoulder.
‘Have you seen Jeremy Thomas?’
The man shook his head. ‘Sorry, not since before the air raid.’
‘Where was he when you saw him last?’
He pointed towards the gate. ‘I think he was going to meet his wife.’
‘What about Aled Davies? He’s—’
The man interrupted her. ‘I saw him carrying a Waaf into the medical unit.’
Breathing a massive sigh of relief, Cadi pounded towards the base hospital, only stopping when she heard someone shout her name. Turning quickly, she ran towards Aled. ‘I can’t find Jez. I’ve asked around, but it seems no one’s seen him or Annie since before the attack.’ Her bottom lip trembled. ‘Where is he, Aled?’
Aled’s jaw flinched. ‘He wasn’t at his post when the air raid sounded – I know because I asked a Waaf, and she said he wasn’t there.’
Cadi sagged with relief. ‘Thank God for that.’
‘I was on my way to see if Annie was in her kennel—’ Aled began, but Cadi cut across him.
‘I’ve already looked, and she’s not there.’ She glanced up at Aled’s face. ‘You’re worried, aren’t you? You’d not be looking for him otherwise.’
Aled laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. ‘No news is good news.’ But deep down he was indeed worried, because he knew that if Jez were unhurt he would have tied the dog up as soon as the all-clear sounded and run to help where he could. A sudden thought caused him to brighten up. ‘I bet you Annie’s run off, and Jez has gone looking for her.’
Cadi couldn’t help feeling doubtful; she knew her husband kept the dog tethered at all times, for her own good. ‘Do you really think so?’
He nodded. ‘She hates loud bangs, but that’s nothing compared to a proper assault. She’ll have been scared out of her wits; might even have broken her collar. I reckon she’ll be hiding either behind or under one of the buildings, and Jez is probably trying to coax her out – especially if the building’s on fire!’
He began racing over to the burning hut, Cadi close on his heels, but after a quick scan they could see neither Jez nor Annie. ‘We need to do a proper search,’ he told her. ‘I’ll work my way around the outskirts on the east side, and you take the west. If we haven’t found them by the time we meet, we’ll continue our search in ever decreasing circles until we do.’
Trying to feel as confident as Aled sounded, Cadi did as he instructed. Scouting every building which was raised off the ground, she would stop periodically to call out to Jez and Annie. In the distance, she could hear Aled doing the same. It did occur to her that if Jez was looking for Annie, they might have missed each other somehow, but she had a sinking feeling that they couldn’t find him because something terrible had happened. Even if Annie had been hiding, surely she’d have come out by now?
As she continued to walk, her attention was caught by a line of holes going towards one of the shelters. Curious as to what had caused the marks, she walked over. Bending down, she pushed her finger into one of them and dug out a spent bullet. Standing up, she followed the trace of bullet holes until she got to the last one. A puzzled look crossed her face. Why had they ended so abruptly, when the German pilot appeared to be heading straight for the shelter? The answer came to her when she saw a pool of dark liquid a little further on.
Tears already forming, she looked along the trail of blood towards the bushes, and saw an open hand protruding from under the lower branches.
Screaming Jez’s name, Cadi flew towards it, and nearly tripped over Annie, still lying faithfully by her master’s side.
Tears flooded Cadi’s face as she collapsed on to her knees beside her husband. Blinded by her emotions, she didn’t see Aled as he dashed towards them, or the expression on his face when he looked down at Jez. Instead, shaking Jez by the shoulder, she pleaded with him to wake up, whilst Aled yelled for someone to bring a stretcher. As they waited for help to arrive, he knelt down beside Cadi, who stared up at him, through soulless eyes. ‘He’s not waking up and I don’t know what to do.’
Aled’s words caught in his throat. ‘Help’s on its way. We’ll soon have him in safe hands.’
Seeing two men running over with a stretcher, he gently pulled Cadi to one side so that they could get to Jez. Watching earnestly over their shoulders, she wrung her hands anxiously. ‘Is he going to be all right?’
Taking great care, they slowly rolled Jez on to the stretcher, and the extent of his injuries became clear. She stared in horror at his wounds, as the men carefully removed him from the bushes.
Running alongside the stretcher as they hurried him into the medical unit, Cadi stared at the blood-streaked wedding ring on Jez’s limp hand. Seeing a host of doctors as well as nurses running to his aid, she clasped the hand in hers. ‘Jez, it’s me, Cadi …’
A doctor ushered her firmly but politely out of the way, and one of the nurses steered her to one side. ‘Do you know him?’
Tears trickling down her cheeks, she nodded slowly. ‘I’m his wife.’ Her guts wrenched as she heard the nurse give a sharp intake of breath.
‘I understand that you want to be with your husband, but it’s important that the doctors are free to work on him. Is there anyone who can look after you?’
Aled, who had been standing to one side with Annie, stepped forward. ‘I’ll stay with her.’
‘Can’t I at least come in the hospital?’ Cadi pleaded.
The nurse nodded. ‘We’ve a room where you can wait’ – she looked at Annie – ‘but I’m afraid you can’t bring the dog in.’
Cadi spoke in leaden tones. ‘Her name’s Annie, and she never leaves his side … you can’t take her away from him now.’
Seeing that the nurse was about to object, Aled took her to one side and spoke in lowered tones. ‘I’m no doctor, but I can see he’s in a bad way, so do you not think you could bend the rules just this once? It’s not as if we’re taking her into the operating theatre. You can see how much it means to his wife.’
The nurse agreed, albeit reluctantly. ‘All right. But if anyone asks, I know nothing.’
Aled gave her a grim smile. ‘Thank you.’ Looking over his shoulder, he gestured for Cadi to bring Annie over to join them.
As they entered the hospital, the nurse pointed them in the direction of the waiting room, before fielding another nurse who had come over to object at Annie’s presence. Cadi entered the room, but Aled hung back. ‘I’ll be with you in a minute.’
He approached the nurse, who was eyeing him expectantly. ‘Can you make a phone call for me, please?’
‘Certainly. Who to?’
‘RAF Fiskerton. Can you let them know that Sergeant Cadi Thomas has been delayed and that she needs to stay with her husband?’
Nodding, the nurse was about to rush off when Aled put an arm out to detain her. ‘Sergeant Thomas has close friends at Fiskerton, one of whom is Mr Thomas’s sister.’
The nurse gave him a sympathetic look. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they handle the information sensitively.’
‘Thank you.’ He took a moment to gather himself before joining Cadi in the waiting room. He’d seen many men shot up, but Jez had to be the worst he’d seen outside of a dogfight.
He entered the room to see Cadi comforting Annie, who was whining quietly.
‘I’ve spoken to the nurse, and she’s going to inform RAF Fiskerton of your whereabouts.’
‘Thank you.’ Keeping her face close to the dog, she kissed the top of her soft, silky head, then looked up through tear-brimmed eyes. ‘I knew Annie hadn’t got away from him, because he promised me he’d never let her off leash again.’ She brushed away a tear before it had time to fall. ‘The pilot of the plane was trying to shoot them before they got to the shelter.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘Why would anyone do that? Why target an individual, when your orders are to disable a base?’
‘Jez and Annie were in the wrong place at the wrong time,’ said Aled simply. ‘As for why the pilot did what he did, only he knows the answer to that.’ He stroked the setter’s head. ‘We’ve always taken the mickey out of her for being a scaredy cat, but not today. Today Annie showed us she has the heart of a lion.’
‘She loves him more than she loves herself,’ said Cadi. ‘She put her life on the line to stay with him because she knew…’ Unable to finish the sentence, she fell into silent tears.
Aled stared at his feet. He didn’t need Cadi to complete the sentence; he knew exactly what she was trying to say.
The door to the waiting room opened, and one of the doctors who’d run out to Jez came in. ‘Mrs Thomas?’
Nodding, Cadi gripped hold of Aled’s hand. ‘Yes?’
‘I think you should come and see your husband.’ He glanced at Annie. ‘Is this the dog I’ve been hearing so much about?’
‘Her name’s Annie,’ said Cadi automatically. ‘And yes, she belongs to my husband.’
‘You can bring her too.’
‘But the nurse said we weren’t to take her out of the room …’ Cadi began, but Aled hung his head. He knew there was only one reason why the doctor would make such an exception.
‘That was then, but now I’m saying she can go with you.’ He glanced at Aled. ‘Are you related to Mr Thomas?’
Aled shook his head. ‘No, but he saved my life once.’ He looked at Cadi. ‘If you need me, I’ll be right here.’
Before they entered Jez’s room, the doctor spoke plainly to Cadi. ‘I’m afraid I have to tell you, Mrs Thomas, that whilst we’ve done all we can, I’m afraid it’s not enough.’
Cadi heard Aled curse softly behind her, and she spoke in hollow tones. ‘How long?’
The doctor’s voice was grave. ‘We’ve sent for his mother, but it’s highly unlikely she’ll make it in time to say goodbye.’ He looked at her with deep sympathy. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Cadi walked into the room as though she were in some awful dream, none of which was really happening. Heading straight for Jez’s bed, she glanced at the nurse who had allowed Annie to stay. ‘Can he hear me?’
The nurse nodded. ‘We think so.’
Taking Jez’s hand in hers, she brushed his fingers against her cheek, kissing his knuckles as they passed her lips. ‘Hello, cariad. It’s me, Cadi.’ She smiled down at him, her eyes glistening with tears as she spoke. ‘I’ve brought Annie to see you. She’s been ever such a brave girl.’ Still holding his hand in hers, she gently brushed the hair from his face before kissing his forehead. ‘Oh, Jez, I love you so much. Please …’ Seeing his eyes flutter, she held his hand close to her chest. ‘Jez?’
He opened his eyes the merest fraction of a slit, the sides of his mouth tweaking as if he were trying to smile. Kissing the knuckles of his fingers, Cadi gazed lovingly at him. ‘I knew you’d wake up. Oh, my darling man, I love you more than words can say.’
When Jez spoke his voice was only just on the cusp of her hearing. ‘I love you too.’
Leaning forward, Cadi kissed him on the lips, her heart aching as she felt him try to respond. She blinked, sending tears cascading down her cheeks. ‘You’ve got to fight this, Jez. I don’t want to be on my own.’
He opened his eyes a fraction more, and fixed her with a pleading gaze. ‘You must promise me something,’ he whispered.
‘Anything,’ Cadi responded, squeezing his hand.
‘Find happiness with someone else. I couldn’t bear to think of you ending your days alone.’
‘But I don’t want anybody else,’ sobbed Cadi. ‘I only want you, so you see you can’t —’
Jez interrupted her. ‘Please, Cadi. Just p-promise me …’
Seeing his eyes begin to close, Cadi spoke fervently. ‘I promise, my darling …’
A faint smile wavered on his lips as he took a small, peaceful breath. ‘I love you, Cadi Thomas.’
She smiled through her tears. ‘And I love you too.’ She felt his hand go slack in hers as the light faded from his eyes, and let out a cry of anguish as she flung herself across her husband’s chest. And Annie, still sitting beside her master, gently licked his limp hand before raising her muzzle and letting out a howl so mournful there was no mistaking its meaning.
Hearing Cadi’s cries, Aled burst into the room and rushed towards the bed, only to be fielded by the nurse, who was shaking her head. Leading him back into the waiting room, she said, ‘She needs to let the pain out. I know it’s hard, but you must leave her to grieve.’
Aled glared at the woman, his eyes shining with unspent tears. ‘I can’t just leave her on her own.’
‘You’ll be here for her when she needs you, but right now she needs to be with her husband.’
Aled stared at the nurse through glassy eyes. ‘He saved my life. Where the hell was I when he needed me most?’
The nurse smiled compassionately. ‘You couldn’t have saved him no matter how quickly you’d got to him. His injuries were too severe.’
‘I could’ve done something.’
The nurse raised a sharp eyebrow. ‘Not unless you’d taken his place.’
Aled stared at her. ‘In a heartbeat, if it saved Cadi from going through such pain.’
The nurse looked confused. ‘Are you related to Mrs Thomas?’
Aled shook his head. ‘No, but we grew up in the same village.’ He could still hear Cadi’s sobs. ‘Are you sure I can’t do anything to help her?’
‘She’ll come to you when she’s ready.’
Aled eyed her doubtfully. ‘Maybe if it was someone else, but Cadi’s a strong, independent woman who doesn’t like to rely on others. I worry she might try to carry this burden on her own.’
