Janet’s stomach turned: resuscitation was not good. Resus meant that Olivia was critically ill, that her life was in danger, that they were trying to revive her.
‘She’s going to be all right, though?’ Elise said.
‘We are doing everything possible,’ the clerk said.
‘My daughter,’ Janet said, ‘she’s taken the same drug. Would it be possible to have someone check her out?’
‘Any symptoms at the moment?’
‘Just dizzy,’ Elise said, ‘and I’ve got a headache.’
‘Fill this in with your details.’ She passed them a form.
Janet helped Elise complete the form and Janet returned it, then she got Elise a drink of water from the fountain and stepped outside to call Vivien. It was tempting to wait for more news, better news, but Janet knew that they would be absolutely desperate for every morsel of information. It would be cowardly not to ring her now and tell her.
Vivien must have had the phone in her hand, she answered immediately. ‘Janet?’
‘We’re at the hospital,’ Janet said. ‘Olivia is in resuscitation.’
‘Oh God.’
‘We haven’t seen her yet, but she’s young, she’s strong.’
‘Yes,’ Vivien said.
Janet felt her eyes prick. She sniffed. ‘I’ll ring you as soon as we know anything else.’
‘Thank you.’
Elise kept nodding off, reminding Janet of when she was a little girl and would fall asleep at the dinner table or in the shopping trolley. Elise complained she was hot but when Janet felt her she was clammy. She made her drink more water, wondering whether they should ask again about seeing a doctor.
Janet rang Ade, speaking with a calmness that belied her true state. Telling him the minimum – not that there was much more to tell.
‘Good God, shall I come down?’ he said.
‘No, stay with Taisie. I’ll ring you when we know what’s happening.’
‘What the hell was she doing taking drugs?’ he said. ‘She’s fifteen.’
‘Not now,’ Janet said.
‘Do you need me to do anything?’
‘No, thanks, we’ll see you later.’
Elise’s name was called and Janet went with her. The triage nurse took her pulse, blood pressure and temperature and listened to her heart. She made a note of the circumstances.
‘Your pulse is quite high and your temperature too but I don’t think we need to give you anything at the moment. Something like this, we’ve no idea what’s in it so we don’t have any antidotes and we don’t know if other drugs will create an adverse reaction. So, plenty of fluids and don’t go to sleep. You are staying here?’
‘Yes,’ Janet answered.
‘If there’s any sudden change, let someone know,’ the nurse said.
Janet sat with Elise, bone weary, stomach fizzing with acid. New casualties arrived, those with minor ailments waited. Some stepped outside for a cigarette, ignoring all the signs forbidding smoking anywhere near the building. Janet fleetingly wished she smoked, something to break the tension of waiting, a salve for the stress.