BOTH could have been forgiven for thinking the sound some sort of air raid siren, tensed as they both were.
But when the sudden bell of a fire alarm was heard throughout the square it was River who was distracted first and Lewis sensing his moment almost dove for the base of the monument before he could think about what he was doing. He landed with a crack and winced at the pain but with his hands clutched tightly around his prize.
Immediately River was upon him, her fingernails dug into the back of his hands trying to force him to let go. Lewis got to his feet as quickly as he could somehow taking River with him. She clung onto his back and Lewis lumbered there for a moment not knowing what to do with someone this tenacious. Finally he managed to turn half around trying to force her from him by jolting her against the monument.
Had he noticed the office workers piling into the square for the fire drill then Lewis may not have been so brutal with a woman. He hadn't, but they had. Five or six of them came running at him and he knew already that they weren't going to be receptive to his claims of 'she started it.'
River continued to claw at his hands and Lewis tried to lose her from him while there was still a few steps between him and the women who were now screaming for him to let her go. He had little time to wonder what fight they were watching. Within seconds they, as well as River were upon him and it was the distraction that River needed to snatch it from his hands.
She was off and running a moment later with Lewis trying to give chase. He had managed one or two steps before one of the women had his arm. Even though River had escaped they were reluctant to see him go without punishment.
It was all the time that River needed and with shouts of encouragement from behind her she was onto Tithebarn street and across the road without looking back. Within a few steps she was at the entrance to Moorfields station and starting to think that she could be home and dry. River couldn't have seen the woman waiting for her. She couldn't have seen the woman's stiletto'd foot trip her up and landing River heavily on her front, her head ricocheting of the wall of the station, the sudden jolt forcing her hands to let go. It skidded across the floor and down the steps towards the ticket office. River could only watch, her body weak from shock as the woman casually strode over to it, picked it up and walked through the ticket barrier.
When River came to Lewis's was the first face she saw. Quickly followed by the rest as River realised that she'd gathered quite a crowd. She looked for the concern on their faces, but it was Lewis who looked the most concerned of all. River instinctively tried to get to her feet and he instinctively tried to help her but she quickly pulled away. Reaching for her again Lewis got a tighter grip this time as he told the gathered crowd, "She's fine thanks."
At this the crowd began to quickly lose interest. A serious injury was the least that they expected. One by one they moved away and Lewis led River out of the station.
Once outside he released her arm and let her rest against a wall. Her chin had already turned a nasty shade of deep blue and as she bent to put a hand to an injured knee Lewis felt something that he hadn't been allowed to feel in all the seven years that he had been Grace's father. He felt useful.
"We need to go." he said.
River looked at him incredulously. "What makes you think I'm going with you?" She said. She had no real defence against him now but River still wasn't giving in without a fight, even if it had been reduced to a verbal one.
"That woman who took your stuff, she was the woman who sent me here this morning. I think she might have conned me." Lewis said looking embarrassed now.
River seemed unconcerned with this. "No really, why?" She asked again.
Lewis looked at her for a moment shuffling his feet before telling her, "Because this is the most excitement my life has had for years."
"That's really sad." River said and started walking.
"I know." Lewis said under his breath. "Where are we going?" He said louder and started to follow on.
"Down here for now." River said pointing.
"On one condition" Lewis said catching up with her and her hobbled leg. "You've got to tell me what it is!"
To be continued...
