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nothing we can do to…’
    ‘Adrenalin,’ Lenski says quickly, ‘I see this on television. They give the man the adrenalin and he wake.’
    ‘No,’ Anne says as Andrew gets to his feet, ‘it doesn’t work like that…’
    ‘He needs rest,’ Andrew says.
    ‘We no have time for rest,’ Lenski says.
    ‘You have to listen…’
    ‘No!’ Lenski snaps, cutting Anne off with an angry glare, ‘Maddox he strong. Maddox he…he strong…we need Maddox now.’
    ‘He is unconscious,’ Andrew says through gritted teeth.
    ‘He no be this thing. He no be. He wake. Maddox…MADDOX…WAKE UP!’
    ‘Lenski, stop it…’ Anne says imploringly.
    ‘He has been shocked what…six…seven times?’ Andrew asks, shaking his head at the panic in the young Polish woman. ‘He needs to recover.’
    ‘How long recover?’
    ‘Lenski, we’ve told you this. We do not know.’
    Lilly watches as Lenski snorts air through her nose while pushing her hands through her hair. A rare show of worry and panic showing on her face.
    ‘Kurcze…’ Lenski mutters, throwing a worried look at Lilly. ‘Take gun…you know to shoot? We move quick yes?’
    ‘Pardon?’ Lilly asks, blanching at the sudden rush of words.
    ‘They see. They see Maddox go down. They see,’ Lenski says reaching over to take the pistol from Anne. ‘Take it…take gun…you know to shoot?’
    ‘Nick showed me,’ Lilly says, hesitating before taking the pistol, ‘Lenski…I don’t understand.’
    ‘Show me you know to use gun,’ Lenski demands, nodding at the pistol in Lilly’s hand.
    ‘Lenksi…’
    ‘Show,’ Lenski orders.
    Lilly looks at the doctors who shrug and show as much confusion as she feels. With a sigh, Lilly holds the pistol in two hands and moves closer to the lamp. She presses the button on the side of the butt, releasing the magazine which she slides out into the palm of her waiting left hand. She pockets the magazine and slides the top back, turning the weapon over to drop the chambered round out onto the low table. With the safety on she puts the pistol down and pulls the magazine from her pocket. The bullet from the table gets slotted back into the top and she presses down, remembering every word Nick said as his hands worked over hers, showing her the movements. Push the top bullet down, feel that? More pressure means the magazine is full, less pressure means it’s not full. Yeah? He smiled when he said that. His white teeth framed in his tanned face and that strong jawline. His eyes so hard. The eyes of a killer but vulnerable, wounded and brave all at the same time. She could have stared into his eyes forever. Always check though he said, nodding at her as he spoke and moving closer so his broad shoulder was brushing against her. Always check, take them out and put them back in so you count the rounds…Dave said we have to do that…so we know when we’ll run out. It feels a hundred years ago now. The warm sun on them. The heat of the streets and the fear knotting in her stomach that Billy was in danger but somehow Nick made it better. It was the worst time of her life but the best too. Those snatched minutes with him. The kind way he spoke and how he kept trying not to swear and then apologising when he did swear. He said he would save Billy and he did. How do you do it? She asked him, having already seen him slide one out but wanting to keep his hands on hers for as long as possible. Like this. Together they slid the rounds out, counting them off until the last one popped out and into his rough calloused hand that was so gentle in the way he touched her. What now? She asked and he smiled that shy grin. Put them back in. They did it together and she knew Nick wanted to let her go so she could do it herself but she also felt his reluctance to release her hands.
    ‘Eight,’ she says sadly into the dark room with the glow from the lamp reflecting from the glistening tears in her eyes that blink quick and heavy. ‘He’ll have another