Sixty-five. Meggie

I run over to Callie and snatch her out of Sephy's unresisting hands. Callie's warm but as limp as a rag doll.

Oh my God . . . I can't speak. Words have fled, threatening to take my reason with them. Shock is numbing every part of me. But only for a moment – a moment that lasts as long as a life time. Now terror is threatening to overwhelm me. Callie . . . I force myself to think. Think. Think. I've got to get Callie breathing again.

Please, God,
I know you can hear me.
I hope you can hear me.
If you're even up there . . .

I place my mouth over Callie's nose and open mouth and exhale – forcing myself to be gentle and not do it too hard. She has only baby lungs. I could do more harm than good. I don't know what to do. Panic rises up like vomit. I force it back down. But it won't stay down. I'm shaking. Quaking. I move my face to suck air into my mouth, then I cover Callie's mouth and nose again. Exhale. Slowly, gently.

I place two fingers down on her chest and press with a slow, steady rhythm. Press for three. Breathe for three. Press for three. Breathe for three. Is this right? Am I doing this right? I don't even know. Should I press for four? Breathe for five? I don't know. I should know. After three kids of my own, I should know. But I don't.

Call an ambulance . . .

No time.

Callie's run out of time. We all have.

Please, God . . .

Come on, Callie darling, you can do it. Breathe, darling. Please breathe.

'Is she going to be all right?' Sephy whispers.

I turn to her, screaming, 'Sephy, what've you done? WHAT'VE YOU DONE?'

Sephy looks at me and her face crumples. But I don't care about that. I don't care about her. I turn away from her face, awash with tears. If I look at her, I'll kill her. Right this minute. Right this moment.

'Is she going to be all right?' Sephy cries out. 'Is my baby going to be all right?'

I carry on exhaling, trying to force air, trying to force life back into Callie.

Callie Rose, breathe for me, darling.

Beside me, Sephy makes a strange sound – a harsh, gurgling gasp. And there's such a odd note to it, almost like a crack. I glance at her. She looks down at her daughter with the saddest expression I've ever seen. Was the noise she made the sound of her heart breaking? I hope so.

'Go and phone for an ambulance,' I tell Sephy.

But she doesn't hear me. She looks at Callie without a word, without even blinking. But the silent tears spill over onto her cheeks and keep coming.

Come on, Callie. Take a breath. Don't give in.

Callum, if you're watching over us, if you ever loved Sephy, if you love your daughter, bring her back to us.

Bring her back.

Please bring her back.

'Sephy, what've you done?'

Callie Rose, breathe for me, darling.

Breathe.

BREATHE.

Breathe . . .

If you can't wait to find out what happens
next, turn over for a sneak preview of the first
chapter of Checkmate, the riveting conclusion to
the Noughts & Crosses trilogy.