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She’d expected suicide, but saw at once that the blood, of which there seemed a terrifying amount, seemed to be issuing from Lin’s vagina. Her tracksuit bottoms were sodden and she was wheezing, while her neck, face and hands were covered in an angry red rash.
‘Lin,’ said Robin, ‘what’s happened?’
‘Leave m-m-me,’ whispered Lin. ‘J-j-just leave m-m-me.’
Robin heard footsteps outside the cubicle and hastily unlocked the door to reveal the worried faces of Penny and assorted female kitchen workers.
‘I’ll get Dr Zhou,’ said Sita, who disappeared.
‘N-no,’ gasped Lin. ‘N-n-not Zhou, n-not Zhou…’
‘You need a doctor, Lin,’ said Robin. ‘You’ve got to see a doctor.’
‘N-n-not him… I d-d-don’t want him… I’m fine… it’s fine…’
Robin reached for Lin’s hand, which was hot, and held it.
‘It’s going to be OK,’ she said.
‘N-n-no it won’t,’ said Lin faintly, now gasping for breath. ‘N-n-not if she g-g-gets Zhou… p-p-please…’
Robin could hear men talking outside the dormitory and a few minutes later, loudest of all, she heard Dr Zhou.
‘Get out of the way!’ he shouted as he entered the bathroom, and the women surrounding the cubicle scattered. Robin remained exactly where she was, and felt Lin’s fingers tighten on hers as Zhou appeared in the open doorway.
‘What the bloody hell have you done to yourself?’ he shouted, looking down at Lin, and Robin read panic in his face.
‘Nothing… nothing…’ wheezed Lin.
‘I think,’ said Robin, feeling terribly guilty about betraying Lin, but afraid of the consequences if she didn’t speak, ‘she might have eaten some plants.’
‘What plants?’ shouted Zhou, his voice echoing off the tiled walls.
‘Lin, tell him,’ said Robin, ‘please tell him. Think of Qing,’ she whispered.
‘M-m-mug… wort,’ said Lin, now gasping for breath.
‘Get up,’ snarled Zhou.
‘Are you mad?’ said Robin, looking up at him. ‘She can’t stand!’
‘Get two of the men in here!’ Zhou bellowed at the women who’d retreated back into the dormitory.
‘What are you going to do?’ Robin demanded.
‘You, move!’ Zhou barked at Robin, who remained exactly where she was, still gripping Lin’s hand.
Now Will and Taio appeared at the cubicle door. Taio looked disgusted, Will, simply horrified.
‘Wrap a towel around her,’ said Zhou, ‘we don’t want mess everywhere. Then carry her to the farmhouse.’
‘N-n-no,’ said Lin, starting feebly to resist as Taio began to roughly bundle a bath towel around her.
‘I’ll do it,’ said Robin, batting Taio’s hand away.
Lin was hoisted to her feet, the towel wrapped around her, then carried away by Will and Taio.
‘Clean that mess up,’ were Zhou’s parting words to Robin, and as he left the bathroom, she heard him bark at somebody else, ‘You, go and help her.’
