The front door was ajar, all the lights on, inside more young people, and an atmosphere she recognized: the drained, worried faces, the stunned silence or muted comments.
‘Where’s Olivia Canning?’ she said to a couple sitting on the stairs. They both held bottles of Spanish beer, slices of lime wedged in the necks.
‘Through there,’ the girl said, nodding at a door towards the back of the house.
As Janet reached it, the door swung open and a uniformed cop came through. Behind him she glimpsed the high-vis jackets of paramedics.
‘Olivia Canning,’ Janet said.
‘You her mother?’ said the cop.
Janet shook her head. ‘My daughter’s with her. I’m DC Scott.’
He blinked, reassessing her. ‘They’re bringing her out soon. Taking her up to A &E.’
‘Do we know how-’ Janet began but he apologized, ‘Sorry, I need to get names and addresses.’
Janet stared at him.
‘She’s unresponsive,’ he said. He didn’t say any more. Janet swallowed, fought the fears crowding behind her breastbone. She went into the room.
‘Mum.’ Elise broke away from a group of teenagers huddled to the left of the room and came to Janet, who hugged her. Olivia lay on the floor on a stretcher. The paramedics had put an oxygen mask over her face, a cellular blanket around her.
‘Can you get the door?’ the nearest paramedic said.
Janet released Elise and pulled the door open.
‘Cheers,’ he said. They lifted the stretcher, releasing the wheels that turned it into a trolley, and guided it slowly through the entrance hall.
‘Which hospital?’ Janet asked.
‘Oldham General.’
‘Did you ring Vivien and Ken?’ Janet said to Elise.
Elise looked wrung out, puffy red nose, swollen lips, mascara smeared black under her eyes. She pressed her lips together and more tears came. ‘They’re away for the weekend,’ she said.
‘But you were staying… Oh God. Away where?’
‘Edinburgh,’ she squeaked.
‘They need to know, now!’ said Janet.
‘I don’t have their numbers.’
‘Christ!’
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-’
‘What? Spin me some story?’ Janet had almost rung Vivien to check she was happy about the arrangements. But she had trusted Elise. She took a deep breath. ‘Never mind about that now. We need to get to the hospital and get Vivien’s number from Olivia’s phone. She’s never collapsed like this before, has she?’ Janet studied her daughter’s face.
‘No.’
‘What was she drinking?’
‘Just cider.’
‘Just cider,’ Janet said. ‘How much cider?’
‘Not much,’ Elise said.
‘Did she take anything?’ Janet was vaguely aware of people in the room clearing up cans and dirty glasses.
‘No,’ Elise said. Too quickly. Janet looked at her; Elise wouldn’t meet her gaze. ‘What did she take, Elise?’ Janet lowered her voice, repeated the question, ‘What did she take?’
‘It was legal, Mum.’
‘What?’
‘They call it Paradise.’
‘Paradise,’ Janet said. ‘Did you take it as well?’
‘Yes. It’s supposed to just give you more energy, a bit of a buzz.’
Janet felt like screaming.
‘Did you tell the paramedics?’
‘Yes.’
Thank God for that. ‘Come on.’ Janet, her blood boiling, frightened and furious, led her daughter out into the hall.
They were stopped at the front door by the police officer. ‘I need your name and contact details,’ he said to Elise.
‘Elise Scott,’ she said. She gave her address and her mobile phone number.
‘And you rang the ambulance?’ he checked.
‘Yes.’
‘You accompanied Olivia to the party?’
‘Yes,’ Elise said.
As they got into the car and Janet started the engine it struck her that she’d seen no other middle-aged adults at the house. ‘Where are the boys’ parents?’ she said. ‘Weren’t they supposed to be supervising?’
‘They went to the theatre,’ Elsie said. ‘They’ll be back later.’
‘Bloody hell, Elise, was there anything else you lied about?’
Elise began to cry. Christ, Janet thought, just let Olivia be all right, please. Let her be OK.
Janet’s phone rang again while she was parking at the hospital. Unknown number.
‘Hello?’ she answered.
‘Janet, it’s Vivien Canning,’ her voice shook, riddled with fear, ‘we’ve just heard from the hospital. Have you seen her?’
‘Vivien, I’m so sorry, we’ve just got here,’ Janet said. ‘We’ll try and find out what’s happening.’
‘They say she took drugs,’ Vivien said.
‘Yes, some sort of legal high, apparently.’
‘Ken is going to get a hire car, there are no flights at this time of night. Oh God, Janet.’
It could’ve been me, Janet thought, Elise on the stretcher.
‘Please, anything you hear, anything at all-’
‘Of course,’ Janet said, ‘I promise.’ Even with the best driving in the world it would take four hours to travel from Edinburgh.
Elise had her eyes closed. Janet shook her, a rush of terror that she was having the same reaction. ‘Are you all right?’
‘Just dizzy.’
‘I’m going to ask them to look at you,’ Janet said.
‘I’m fine.’
Janet glared at her.
‘OK,’ Elise said, close to tears.
At the Accident and Emergency reception, Janet first asked after Olivia.
‘Are you a relative?’
‘Loco parentis,’ Janet said, ‘our daughters are friends. I’ve just spoken to Olivia’s mother, they’ll be here as soon as possible, coming down from Edinburgh. I was looking after Olivia while they were away.’ As an afterthought Janet showed her warrant card. This would mean that she was CRB-checked at least – fit to work with children. That seemed to be enough. The clerk looked at the screen. ‘She’s in Resus.’
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.