knew that during the summer months teenagers congregated on the beach in the evenings. The local police did their best to keep things under control but the odd broken bottle and syringe had been cleaned up the following morning by vigilant locals. Had the little girl picked something up from the sand?
Michelle was shaking her head. âShe didnât wander from the picnic rug. I would have noticed if sheâd picked something up.â
âHer vital signs are improving and her sats are good,â Sam murmured, keeping a close eye on the child.
Anna was still questioning the mother. âWhat was the very last thing she was doing before she collapsed, Michelle? Try and think. It could be very important.â
âEating the picnic.â Michelle glanced at her husband for help. âShe was eating a ham sandwich, Ithink. No, it was crisps. Because I was nagging her about not touching the healthy stuff.â
John frowned. âActually, thatâs wrong, too.â His brow cleared. âShe was drinking, Miche. I remember now because her crisps fell onto the sand when she reached for her can.â
Sam glanced up. âCan?â
âFizzy drink.â
Samâs eyes narrowed. âHad the can been open for a while?â
Michelle bit her lip. âNot really. A few minutes, I suppose. Sheâd certainly had a few sips from it. Why?â
Anna picked up the questioning, following Samâs train of thought. âAnd did she drink straight from the can?â
Michelle nodded, her expression anxious. âWhy? Why would that make her ill?â
âBecause wasps crawl into cans of fizzy drink,â Sam said grimly, turning back to the child and checking her mouth and throat. âOur guess is that she may have swallowed a wasp.â
âOh, my God.â Johnâs face was pale. âYou think sheâs been stung in her throat?â
âPossibly.â
John closed his eyes briefly and then looked at his wife and shook his head. âWe had no idea.â
âLucky you brought her here as quickly as you did,â Sam said. âHer breathing is improving and her heart rate is good. Weâll get her transferred to thehospital and theyâll keep her in overnight just to be sure.â
âKeep her in?â Michelle stroked Lucyâs hair to keep her calm. âBut if sheâs betterâ¦?â
âThereâs a chance she might have a relapse,â Anna explained, glancing towards the window. âI can hear the ambulance now. Weâll transfer her to hospital and they can take a good look at her throat.â
âA wasp in the can. I canât believe I didnât think of that,â Michelle groaned, shaking her head in disbelief. âAnd I think Iâm such a careful mother.â
âAccidents still happen, Michelle, and youâre a great mother,â Anna said quietly, walking towards the door as the paramedics hurried in, guided by Glenda. âHi, Todd. We need to get this little one to hospital quickly.â
She explained what had happened, gave him a summary of the care theyâd given and then looked at Sam. âOne of us ought to go in the ambulance with her. You or me?â
âIâll go,â Sam said immediately. âYou might be needed here. Iâll grab a lift back from someone.â
Now that the immediate danger to the child had passed, Anna swept her dark hair away from her face and gave a reluctant grin. âGood work, McKenna. Maybe youâre not as rusty as I thought.â
âIf thatâs supposed to be a compliment then Iâd say you need more practice.â He returned the smile and straightened. âYou didnât do badly yourself, Riggs. Good teamwork.â
Teamwork.
She frowned, slightly unsettled to realise that that was exactly what had happened. Theyâd worked as a team. A very effective team. And it wasnât at all what she would have expected. In the