The Secret Path by Karen Swan (summer beach reads TXT) 📕

She thinks her son will suffer for no reason if we move him to a hospital. She believes everything the Awa says.’

Holly was quiet for a long moment. ‘Look, we’ve both had situations like this before. Remember that Jehovah’s Witness family I had in? The girl was trampled by a horse and they wouldn’t accept the blood transfusion?’

Tara nodded sadly, not wanting to remember it.

‘The number of times I have wanted to scream, watching as people’s bloody faith makes them walk out of an A&E department and you know, you just know, they’re going to drop dead in the street.’ She gave a hopeless shrug. ‘But at the end of the day, they have autonomy over their bodies. And even if we disagree, even if we know they’re wrong . . . that is their right.’

‘But it’s so hard, Hols,’ Tara said, talking through gritted teeth as she stared back at her friend with shining eyes.

Holly nodded. ‘I know it is. It fucking sucks.’

‘—would like some fresh coconut water?’

They looked across the beach to find Jed walking across the sand with two topped coconuts, straws sticking out at jaunty angles. It was a jarringly cheery image at such a downcast moment and all the more perverse given the tragedy was his.

‘Thanks, Jedders,’ Holly said, her voice determinedly even as she took one. Tara noticed Jed kept his gaze down as she took hers.

‘Let me know when you’re ready for a proper breakfast, okay?’ he asked.

‘Thanks, Jed,’ Tara said flatly.

They both watched him walk back over the sand, towards the beach bar.

‘See how he didn’t look at me?’ Tara murmured, sipping her drink. It was exquisite.

‘Yeah. Well, that’s a sign he knows, doesn’t he? He knows it’s the wrong thing.’

Tara sighed, looking out to sea, watching the waves roll in in a hurry. There was a definite storm brewing on the horizon, the sky dark and moody. ‘. . . So what happened here last night, anyway? Rory’s out cold.’

Holly gave a groan. ‘They had a session. Fire on the beach, music, dancing, the works.’

‘Dancing?’

‘If you could call it that. Stumbling, mainly. Jimmy was most unimpressed. Dev managed to stand on a bit of broken glass.’

‘Ow.’ Tara winced.

‘Yeah.’ Holly rolled her eyes. ‘It was fun cleaning that out, I can tell you. Sand everywhere.’ She took a sip of her coconut water. ‘Hey, you don’t have any antibiotic cream, do you? I’m already all out.’

‘Yes. It’s in my kit, in the bag.’

‘Great. I’d better slather it on when he wakes up. He probably won’t even remember – until he tries walking on it.’

‘Was he that drunk?’

‘They all were.’ Holly glanced at her. ‘Rory seemed right up for getting caned.’

‘Mmm, doesn’t surprise me. He’s annoyed with me for being gone when he got back yesterday, and then going straight out again with Jed.’

‘Poor baby. Is he feeling neglected?’ Holly asked, pushing out her lower lip.

‘Well, I am a terrible girlfriend, let’s face it. I forgot our anniversary, worked through his birthday. Now I’ve abandoned him on holiday.’

Holly kicked her lovingly. ‘He’s hit the jackpot with you and he knows it. He’s your perfect match.’

‘Yeah, yeah, I know – me with a willy,’ Tara said, rolling her eyes. ‘But I don’t blame him. You can see why he’d be hacked off. He’s come all this way and we’ve scarcely seen each other. We may as well be in London, working.’ She dropped her head back against the hammock, closing her eyes against the sun. And something else . . . ‘Talking of which, I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet – I had a call from Helen McPherson.’

Holly looked up. ‘What?’

‘They’re doing an internal investigation, after, y’know . . . the other day.’

‘The little girl?’ Holly’s head tipped to the side sympathetically.

Tara felt her throat tighten. ‘Mmm.’ She swallowed. ‘Rory says it’s standard procedure.’

‘Well, he’s right. But it’s still a shitty thing to go through. Given her parents put her in theatre in the first place, there’ll be a police investigation, surely?’

Tara nodded as the memories bubbled up, unbidden. ‘It’s been bad enough just trying to deal with losing her. It was such a shock. It all happened so fast, and . . .’ She automatically pinched the bridge of her nose before remembering there was no headache to assuage. Her hand fell away. ‘I mean, what were the chances of a blade falling loose? Have you ever even heard of such a thing?’ She spread her hands wide in disbelief.

‘Never.’ Holly reached for her hand and clasped it in her own. ‘Which is why you can’t blame yourself for not thinking to check for it. It was a freak one-off.’

Tara stared back at her, wanting to believe her friend’s words, that this was logic talking and not kindness. ‘It’s all just left me feeling . . . shaken, you know? Like everything’s about to come crashing down. I mean, if they took my licence, I don’t know what I’d do.’ Her voice slid up an octave.

‘That’s not going to happen.’

‘You don’t know that.’

‘Oh yes I do,’ Holly replied calmly. ‘You’re the best they’ve got.’

‘Rory says I’m their show pony.’

Holly’s mouth tightened. ‘You’re the best they’ve got,’ she repeated.

‘He’s always telling me I can’t save everyone.’

‘That, he and I can agree on.’

‘But Hols, right now, I can’t seem to save anyone.’ She thought again of Paco, still lying on the mattress in the hut, the sound of the jungle alive and pulsating around him. ‘They won’t even let me help.’

‘Look, you’ve tried your best, but you’re fighting their emotion with logic and they’re not going to hear you.’

‘But he’s going to die, Hols.’

‘Probably, yes,’ Holly agreed, looking angry again, her mouth flattening into a line. ‘But if there’s nothing they will let you do, then there’s nothing you can do.’

The two women stared at one another, frustration in both their faces.

‘We could kidnap him,’ Tara suggested after a silence.

‘Shit, I can’t even tell if you’re joking.’ Holly gave an uncertain laugh. ‘You probably actually know people for that kind of thing.’

Tara wasn’t sure if she was joking either. The words had just escaped