David frowned at her, but the expression slid to a smile when he noticed Annie looking down at him through the window. He waved; his niece babbled something he couldn’t hear and then the little girl’s mother joined her at the window.
Catherine – a grown-up Cat – smiled down at him as well, and then said something over her shoulder. Probably an answer to something her husband, Angus, had mentioned. Little Annie pressed her face to the glass to watch a porter trundle by with a hand cart.
The moment came and went in an instant.
“He’s had ten years, mum.”
“And it may take another ten, but he’ll come ‘round.” She embraced him and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll talk to him again. One day he will be glad you chose to wear that collar. Have hope.”
He made a face at her; she laughed.
The last whistle blew.
“I’m glad you convinced us to stay until this morning. I only wish we could visit longer,” his mother said as he helped her up into the train.
“Well, the next time Angus has business in London…”
“Yes, yes.” She looked down at him from the top step. “Give my regards to that friend of yours – to Lewis. And you behave.”
“Mother,” he ran a finger under his collar wryly and raised an eyebrow.
She smiled. “As I said: behave.”
He laughed.
David turned to go once the train started to pull away, and then it happened. At first he thought that it was some sort of explosion, the noise was so shriekingly percussive.
But it was worse than that.
As if of one mind, everyone on the platform began running toward the twisted mess through the steam and the smoke.
There was screaming. David thought he might have been screaming as well. The car that he’d seen his family climb into was the one crumpled around the engine that had jumped the tracks.
Mother. Cat. Annie. Angus.
He knew where they’d been sitting, but the crash had mangled the car and turned it on its side.
He couldn’t see them, and the air was hot around the wreck. It was very hard to breathe, but he waded into the twisted metal to reach them. There were so few rescuers.
Though he bloodied his hands and arms on the wreckage, David wasn’t quick or strong enough.
Of the four he’d put on the train, only little Annie got free of the crushed tangle.
Afterward, David had asked the doctor to explain what had happened. Why it had happened. The doctor’s blunt reply still resonated starkly, verbatim.
“I’m afraid there was nothing to be done for your mother or your brother-in-law, even if rescuers had broken through more quickly,” he’d said, his tone soft in a gruff attempt at condolence. “Your mother’s heart gave out; Mr. McNamara was standing when the crash occurred and his injuries were much too severe. They both would have perished almost instantly.
“Your sister, however: like your niece, she sustained no injuries in the crash. It was the smoke. Had she been pulled free more quickly…but no: the smoke was too much for her.”