‘We’ve also seen a horse-drawn cart, but haven’t collected it yet,’ said Georgie. ‘It will need a fair bit of repair work, which I’m sure you’ll be able to do. You might as well have it and take it to the farm as we won’t really need it, I don’t suppose.’
This was great news as a horse and cart would be needed for taking the kids out and for collecting stores and materials, and they both thanked the sisters again.
‘I know it’s not our place to offer,’ said Jane, ‘but we wondered if you might entertain moving to the farm also, if Bill and Emma were in agreement?’
‘Well, it’s a nice thought,’ said Sarah, ‘but no: we were born in this house and we’ll die here, as Dad did. We’ve got everything we need here and we’ll only be about four miles from you by road, and probably a bit less across country by horse!’
They chatted for a while longer and then Jamie said they would head off. Sarah asked Jane when she was due and she said mid-March, by her calculations.
‘Well, I’ll come over to stay sometime in February, then, to help with the birth, but we’ll talk more about that at a later date.’
Jane was grateful and also relieved. She thanked her and gave them both a hug then they departed, saying they would see them soon. When they got home Jamie said he supposed he should take the boat out fishing while the weather was good, even though his heart wasn’t in it with Megan on his mind.
‘You should go;’ she replied, ‘it might do you good and take your mind off things.’ Jamie agreed, so he got the rods and set off down the garden. He was out for around two hours and although it didn’t take his mind off Megan, he came back with three fish, one of which was a decent size.
The next day, Sunday, they were on tenterhooks all day with thoughts of going to the camp and collecting Megan. They wondered how she was and whether she would be well enough to come home. The day dragged; they couldn’t focus on anything and got very little done around the place. They didn’t know what time Major Cunningham had meant exactly by “late afternoon”, but by two-thirty they could stand it no longer so they set off in the BMW, with Max in the back.
When they arrived at the camp an hour later the soldier on guard was different from before, but he’d been warned of their arrival and directed them to the parking area as before, where Major Cunningham would meet them once he had been contacted. They waited for around fifteen minutes before the Major arrived and he greeted them, shaking their hands with a smile.
‘Well, you’ll be relieved to know that Megan’s doing okay and you can take her home today.’ They gave big sighs of relief and smiled, thanking him.
‘She’s out of bed and waiting for you. She’s going to have to take it easy for at least a month; maybe two. The wounds will heal okay and we’ve started a course of antibiotics for ten days, to combat any infection. She’ll need to keep the bandages on her head for a few days more at least. Because of the concussion she’ll probably experience dizzy spells, blurred vision or nausea for at least another month or more, so be aware of that. It’s best if she does nothing strenuous and just rests, basically.’
They shook his hand again and thanked him. As they walked to the medical tent where Megan was, the Major asked what had happened, saying he hadn’t had a chance before as he’d been too busy. Jamie gave him a brief account of the events and of their two run-ins with the guys at Battle. He also spoke of Jane’s attack on the day they’d met. Cunningham shook his head, saying what a shame it was that the few survivors who were left couldn’t work together for their own good. He didn’t pass any judgement on Jamie’s actions following Megan’s shooting. Just before they got to the tent Jamie told him they would be moving in a couple of months to their friend’s farm near Hooe as it seemed the best thing to do, what with having Megan now and Jane’s pregnancy. Cunningham said it seemed like a good opportunity for them and wished them well with it. Jamie gave him the farm’s address written on a piece of paper and said it was marked on Ordnance Survey maps.
‘Major Cunningham…’ Jane began.
‘It’s Tom… at least while there are no troops around!’ he said, and they smiled.
‘Tom,’ Jane continued, ‘we don’t know what’s going to happen in the future – I suppose none of us does – but if ever you’re in the area, or if there’s anything we can do for you, please feel free to stop by; you’ll always have a warm welcome from us.’ She shook his hand again and kissed his cheek. He was touched and thanked her, then shook Jamie’s hand. He wished them well, gave them a sharp salute and departed for other duties.
They entered the tent and saw Megan sitting in a chair beside her bed; she saw them and beamed, though it was tinged with pain. She struggled out of the chair weakly and they hurried over to her. Mindful of her injuries, they hugged her gently with tears in their eyes. She looked pale and fragile and clung to them for a long time.
‘Come on, honey, let’s take you home,’ said Jamie.
An army nurse standing nearby smiled at them and gave them Megan’s antibiotics, wishing her a speedy recovery. Megan hugged the nurse and said ‘Thank you for looking after me, Karen.’ She also gave them some strong painkillers, but said to use Paracetamol and Ibuprofen first, only using the strong ones if she really needed them, and not to mix them with others. They thanked her and left to return to the car.
Jane went in the back with Megan and Max gave her a warm welcome, barking and licking her face, which made her smile. Jamie drove home sedately and Megan slept for most of the journey with Jane’s arm around her. He parked in the garage and Jane took her into the bungalow. Jamie was just closing the garage door and saw Megan’s new bike against the wall where he’d put it on Friday evening. He sighed and shook his head, closed the door and went into the bungalow.
Over the next two weeks Megan’s recovery was slow but steady. They removed the dressings regularly and washed the wounds with saltwater, which seemed to help. She had dozens of small scars forming from the pellet wounds, from her neck down to her waist and covering most of her left arm. She avoided the strong painkillers after taking them a couple of times, as she said they made her woozy and constipated. Instead, she took only Paracetamol and Ibuprofen and gritted her teeth when it was very painful. She kept the arm in the sling and gradually was able to use it more as time went on. She had to be careful of making any sudden movements otherwise she got dizzy and felt sick.
They noticed a change in Megan during that time: it wasn’t just the wounds, the pain and the recovery, but something else. There seemed to be a new maturity to her because of what had happened. It was like she now had first-hand experience of what the world – and people – could be like, which was different from the five months she had spent surviving on her own. She was still quick to laugh and smile, but there was an underlying level of seriousness developing within her, or of sadness maybe. They spoke about it when on their own in the evenings and wondered if it was also the beginning of her transition into adulthood, which the attack maybe had hastened.
During those two weeks Jamie went to the farm every day to continue with their new home. On the Monday morning after collecting Megan he went there and gave everyone the good news about her return. He updated them on her condition and they were over the moon at the news.
He and Bill realised they needed to dispose of the two bodies outside Wickes, so they took care of it that afternoon when going back for more supplies. After getting what they needed from the store they went over to the pickup truck. Looking at it now, without the rage he had felt at the time and its associated adrenaline rush, it was a sickening sight. The driver had part of his skull missing and his face was an unrecognisable mess, while the guy on the ground had a huge hole in his chest and was covered in blood. Seagulls or crows had been picking at the bodies.