Time: Present Day

Location: Paris, France

Mal said, "Where's Margot then?"

She'll be here after work along with Michy. They said that Layla was calling for us, especially Amanda so we dropped everything we were doing and all came over in the one car.

"That's funny . . . "

"What's so funny Mal?"

"Layla went to sleep on the transport.she is still heavily sedated, she is incapable of asking for anything, let alone particular visitors."

"I think I'll ring Michy and find out who rang her," Mal called her on his mobile.

"Hi Michy, it's Mal, I'm at the hospital. Can I ask who rang to tell you about Layla?"

"It was a male nurse, Andy, I think he said his name was. He said Layla was awake and wanted to see the family as soon as possible especially Amanda. How is the poor darling? Why what's wrong? She is alright isn't she?"

"Yes, she's okay, she's still asleep."

"Okay, beter get off the phone I'm driving, almost there, see you all soon.

Mal turned around to see the nurse checking Layla out, "Oh, hi, my name's Mal, I'm her boyfriend, could I speak to Andy, is he still on duty?"

"Non Monsieur." "Is that no, I can't speak to him, or no he isn't on duty."

"No, you must be mistaken, we only have two male nurses, both of them are on holiday at the moment though, neither are called Andy, no Dr Andy either. Perhaps he is where you should be," she said.

Mal's phone rang, it was Margot, "Hi Margot."

Where are you, I just rang Michy, she's going to the wrong hospital."

"We're, hang on, Where are we?" Mal asked the nurse.

"You are at the hospital of course, Monsieur. Pitié-Salpêtrière. They told me you were supposed to be admitted to Orley. They are expecting you. We do not turn people away here. But Madamoiselle Hart must be moved to Orley in the morning for insurance reasons.

"Why were we brought here then?"

"That I don't know Monsiour, you would have to ask the paramedics."

Mal went back to the phone, "Margot,,Margot, you there? She's gone . . . "

Carter and Teacher appeared, Teacher looked at Carter, "What's it to be Carter Cheval ? Does Layla stay with her new love or return to you, possibly forever. It's all up to you now, you have the skills to decide. Do you have the courage and the heart?"

Mal's phone beeped a message notification.

It was from Margot, it read, "Sorry got cut off . . , where are you? I'm waiting for you at Orley Hospital, you should have well and truly been here by now, what's keeping you?

"Shit!" Mal yelled. He looked at the phone again to make sure. There was no mistake, it must be Carter, in the answer bubble under Margot's message someone or something had typed, "Two bombs, one just outside, give the medics back their bag."

"Everyone, out, out of the building. Bombs! Nurse, can you get Layla out too. Chris, come with me!"

The nurse went to the intercom phone and said. "Code Rouge, Code Red." A siren wailed and a voice ordered the evacuation of the building in both French and English.

They went outside. Mal saw the ambulance trolley still outside the door. He lifted the side sheet and gasped as he saw the paramedic bag open with a timer on the inside of the lid, counting down. It read 4min 33 secs. Chris ducked under the sheet with him. "We've got to get this thing out of here. Maybe we could take it down in the lift?" Chris had a closer look, "I wouldn't do that."

"Why not?"

"I've read about them in my police course. They sometimes have a motion sensor, if so if they move, kaboom. I don't think this one has, the paramedics must have carried it in. It would be too risky. Look that other readout, it says 75 metres, and that's an altitude meter. It's probably set to go off if that changes too much. I think terrorists use them to blow up planes."

"Carter said there might be two bombs, and to give them back their bag."

"Carter?" Chris said incredulously.

Yeah, Carter, I'll explain later. Mal ran back into Layla's room and went over to the large window, he opened it looked down, he was amazed to see the patient transport vehicle they had come in parked in the car park under the window. The rest of the car park was almost evacuated. He could see people gathering 200 metres or so away, opposite the front entrance to the hospital.

He raced back to Chris and said, Hope you're right about the motion sensor! He pushed the trolley a bit, nothing happened, help me! They pushed the trolley into the room and ran pushing it in front of them towards the window. The window resisted for a split second then shattered, the trolley with the bomb went hurtling out the window.

"Thank God for floor to ceiling windows, eh? Let's get out of here, who knows where the other one is!!" They bolted down the fire stairway three steps at a time. They had hardly gotten to the first floor level when there was an enormous explosion. They looked across at each other a little amazed that they were still alive. "Outside, that was our bomb . . . run!" Mal shouted.

The male and female 'paramedics' were waiting for the bomb to explode.

They didn't realise that the bomb they were waiting for was just above their heads. It exploded with a force that penetrated the roof and took both of their heads off.

Mal and Chris had just reached the ground floor and were heading towards the automatic sliding doors when the ground exploded under their feet. The force sending both of them sprawling through the air and straight through the open sliding doors along with an array of carpet pieces and shattered floor tiles. The second bomb had been sent down to the basement record department. Luckily for Mal and Chris the record department was a fire proof area of reinforced concrete. It wasnt exactly bomb proof but the ceiling had afforded them some protection from the blast beneath their feet. They only sustained superficial injuries and had a myriad of doctors and nurses on the scene to attend to them.

"Where is Layla? Is she alright?" Mal struggled to get up against the fotce of a doctor and nurse eho were trying to get him and Chris to lie still.

The doctor finally said, "Will someone bring this Layla person to us before this guy breaks my arm."

Mal started to relax when he looked over past the doctor to see Amanda, and Layla's nurse wheeling the bed over to him, even better, Layla was sitting up in a flood of relieved tears.

Chapter 65 - Spiritual Intervention.

0 Comments