The Sun Sister (The Seven Sisters #6) - Lucinda Riley Page 0,127

arms.

‘Help!’ I ran out into the deserted corridor. ‘Somebody help!’ As no one responded, I remembered I still had my cell and went back to pick it up from my bed to dial 911.

As an operator answered, I gave the address of The Ranch and tried to respond to their questions. Mercy, the night nurse on duty, came into the room, her eyes widening in horror as I pointed to the bathroom.

‘It’s Vanessa,’ I managed. ‘She’s hurt herself . . . I don’t know if she’s okay . . . I don’t know . . .’

Mercy ran into the bathroom and I could see her begin to resuscitate Vanessa, whose small body looked completely limp.

‘Ma’am?’ came a voice from my cell. ‘Ma’am, an ambulance will be right with you. Please make sure someone is at the front entrance to meet the paramedics and lead them to the patient.’

I dropped the cell onto the bed and ran to the bathroom, panting in shock. ‘The ambulance is on its way. Is she going to be okay?’ I asked Mercy.

‘Grab me some towels, honey,’ she said briskly. ‘We gotta stem the bleeding. A nurse from the clinical ward should be here any moment to help.’

With a deep gulp – I’d always been bad with blood – we both took an arm and I did as she directed, wrapping the towels as tightly around the gaping wounds as I could. I sat there on the floor, the towel in my hands getting steadily wetter as I held it. I saw a small kitchen knife on the floor by her and picked it up.

‘How in the hell did she get hold of this?’

‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way,’ Mercy sighed. ‘She probably snuck into the kitchen asking for something or other and stole it while no one was lookin’.’

Another nurse appeared in the bathroom and I let out a huge sigh of relief.

‘Thanks, Electra, Vicky can take over from you now. Can you run to reception and tell them to ask security to open the gates for the ambulance?’

‘Of course.’

I pelted to reception and gave them the message, then went to the nearby restroom to wash my blood-soaked hands. When I got out, two paramedics were already wheeling a gurney through the glass doors. I led them to our room and watched numbly as they tended to Vanessa. They placed her on the gurney and I followed them through the building and out into the parking lot, where the ambulance’s blue lights were flashing, lighting up the night.

‘Will she be okay?’ I asked one of the paramedics as they lifted the gurney inside the ambulance and Mercy followed it.

‘We’ll do our best, ma’am,’ he said. ‘We need to leave right now, though.’ He made to close the ambulance door, but I instinctively put out an arm to stop it.

‘I’m coming with you. Vanessa needs me,’ I added to Mercy.

‘Electra, it’s best you stay here. Vanessa is in good hands now.’

‘No! I’m coming.’

‘Okay then,’ Mercy said, ‘we’ll ride with Vanessa together, honey.’ She offered me her hand to help me up into the ambulance.

‘Right, ma’am,’ said one of the paramedics. ‘You sit down just there and strap yourself in while we see to your friend. Hold on tight now.’

I’d never been in an ambulance before and I’d always imagined they’d be the ultimate in comfort suspension. But no, as the siren went on and we set off at high speed, I hung on to the handle attached to the side as we swerved and bumped our way towards the city. I watched with a mixture of disgust and awe as the paramedics worked to insert lines into Vanessa’s painfully thin and wounded arms.

‘The vein is shot in this arm, I’m going for the top of her hand,’ I heard one say.

I winced and turned away as I saw the damage that constant needles had done to her inside elbow.

‘BP dropping,’ said the other as a machine beeped urgently. ‘Heart rate slowing.’

‘Stay with us, Vanessa.’ The guy now trying to get the needle into her hand continued to talk to her.

‘How far now?’ I asked.

‘Not far, ma’am.’

‘It’s still dropping! Get that line in!’

‘I’m doing my darnedest here!’

Five minutes later, the ambulance screeched to a halt, the back doors were flung open and Vanessa’s gurney was rushed inside.

I unstrapped myself, my heart banging against my chest as Mercy helped me climb out and together we walked inside to the bustling emergency room. I was ashamed to admit