Rescue Nights

by Nina Hamilton

  ‘Pete does have a special talent for making a request sound like an order,’ said Kate, as she pushed her nearly finished plate away and pulled cash out of her wallet. ‘As it looks like we both have some commitments today, I had better get a real start on my weekend.’

  As she got up from the table, Kate knew she should probably offer to share a ride with him to the beach. He was new to Cairns after all. However, nothing could make her extend the offer so, instead, she said her goodbyes.

  Four hours later, Kate had the unfamiliar sensation of being glad for Andrew’s presence at the beach. The dozen teenagers in her group would have been harder to wrangle on her own.

  They were at a beautiful beach twenty minutes to the north of Cairns. Crystal blue water stretched out before them and her feet were warm on the grains of white sand.

  The nippers portion of the club, the twelve and thirteen year olds had been gifted to them. Now Kate and Andrew were standing in front of them trying to hold their attention.

  ‘Yo,’ called Andrew. ‘Over here.’

  The excited chatter died down enough for him to lower his voice. ‘Kate and I are here to introduce you to Resuscitation Annie.’

  Andrew’s cut glass English accent had elicited some sniggers from the group, but his physical presence was distinctive enough that any amusement was shared behind cupped hands. The long sleeve sun safe shirt he was wearing still bore the creases of the newly purchased. Facing both a co-worker and a group of teenage girls and boys, Kate was glad her attire was similarly modest.

  Andrew soon had them sitting on the sand in a half circle, facing him, Kate, and their resuscitation dummy. ‘I have heard you guys are doing your third year of this so I want you to tell me what we do when we get someone from the water.’

  The teens had been well drilled in rescue protocol and started chanting in the half-bored way of an obviously much-practiced rhythm, ‘Check for danger for you and your patient, check for response, send for help, open airway and ensure it is clear, and check breathing.’

  ‘What do you do if the patient isn’t breathing?’ Andrew prompted.

  ‘Start CPR. Two rescue breaths followed by 30 compressions and repeat.’

  Kate could see that Andrew was taken back by how the teenagers had responded as one. ‘Remember Pete runs the surf club,’ she said, in response to his flummoxed expression.

  ‘Maybe he should be running the country,’ Andrew whispered, before raising his voice again. ‘OK let’s see whether we can get Resuscitation Annie to wake up?’

  Andrew got a few slight groans, but within minutes he had each pair taking turns and trying their technique on the mannequin. Kate, meanwhile, had the others practicing their response techniques. She looked over to where Andrew was solemnly teaching perfect CPR form to an undersized teenage boy. Kate had wondered whether Andrew would be able to take this task seriously, whether he would decide that, as a cardiac surgeon, teaching kids CPR was beneath him. Instead, he had impressed her with his focus on communicating his skill set.

  When he had rotated each nipper, Andrew beckoned Kate over to him. ‘Don’t let Pete know how good you are at this,’ Kate whispered. ‘Otherwise you will find yourself on the school circuit with me.’

  ‘Unfortunately all the damn kids have near perfect technique. Do you think that it is too late to yell at them in front of their parents?’

  Kate had to choke back a laugh as the group turned their expectant faces towards them.

  Andrew addressed the group. ‘Seeing as you have practiced on the dummy I am going to run through a full protocol on a real live volunteer.’

  He motioned to Kate, directing her towards the water’s edge.

  ‘Is this absolutely necessary?’ she asked.

  ‘Haven’t you read the latest studies that show children are more likely to have greater recall after watching simulated real activities?’ he replied.

  Without warning, Andrew pivoted and swept her up in his arms. ‘Now shut up. You are supposed to be a drowning victim.’

  Kate found that pretending to be drowned was the easiest course of action. She wasn’t particularly keen on looking into Andrew’s eyes, especially as she couldn’t help but feel every muscle in his arms and chest flex as he held her close. He was carrying her more easily than she might have expected, given her five-foot-eleven-inch height, lean muscle and curves.

  Any pleasure she might have gained out of being so lightly carried disappeared when he laid her down on the sand.

  ‘Ok,’ he said. ‘We are going to pretend that Kate had been lying face down in the water before I rescued her.’

  As he gave instructions, Andrew’s professional hands showed the kids how to check for a response, breathing, and the proper angle for clearing airways.

  In fact, Kate was worried that at any moment he might forget she was a real breathing person and start pounding on her chest.

  Instead, she felt him duck his head to her ear. ‘Ok, sleeping beauty, you have my permission to wake up.’

  Kate could feel the warmth of his arm lying next to her side. So she patiently waited for Andrew to move his body away from her own. She had no desire to end up tangled in his arms. That could be the beginning of the end for professional distance.

  When she did finally open her eyes, Andrew was kneeling beside her. One of the teen’s questions was distracting him.

  ‘Here I am miraculously restored to life.’ She said the words after she had manoeuvred herself to a standing position, careful not to touch skin to skin.

  ‘Class dismissed,’ Andrew called.

  The finality in his voice had the teens scattering. Most ran towards the water, with the abandonment of children who had only known life near the coast. Andrew and Kate were left looking at each other.

  ‘Going in?’ Kate asked.

  ‘Definitely,’ he replied, quirking a questioning eyebrow in her direction.

  She was dying for a swim herself, but felt now strangely reluctant to disrobe in front of Andrew. Pushing back against that awkwardness, she began pulling her shirt over her head before she could talk herself out of it.

  Anyway, with a speedo under her clothes it wasn’t like he would be getting much of an eyeful.

  Once undressed, she called, ‘Race you,’ before starting her charge towards the water.

  For a moment, as they ran, it would have been hard to distinguish them from the teenagers.

  Once she reached water, the coolness of it gave Kate a welcome jolt against her sun-warmed skin. And, as a wave lifted her off her feet, she got to feel the weightlessness she loved. Relaxed in the moment, she turned to Andrew to share this simple pleasure. It didn’t feel surprising to see him smiling right back at her.

  ‘I thought you Australians were supposed to be straightforward, honest people,’ he said, still grinning. ‘But you definitely gave yourself a couple of metres head start there.’

  ‘I was just trying to even the playing field. Your legs are much longer than mine.’

  Kate immediately regretted mentioning her body, as she watched Andrew’s eyes darken as he examined her legs through the crystal-clear water.

  ‘I don’t think I’ve noticed any particular shortness there,’ he said.

  As he was facing her, all Kate could think was that Lucy hadn’t exaggerated the sheer attractiveness of Andrew’s muscular chest. In fact, standing there with his blond hair cropped short, he looked more like a picture of an iconic Australian lifeguard rather than a doctor from half a world away.

  Kate turned her head and let herself be lifted by the gentle swell.

  Once upright again, she asked the question that had been in the back of her mind since she saw his steady hand with the teens. ‘Do you have any children of your own?’

  His laugh, when it came, was incredulous. ‘God no. I hardly think I would have been able to move a twenty-four hours flight away if that was the case.’

  ‘You would be surprised,’ Kate muttered, half under her breath. Being a par
ent hardly seemed to have restricted her own father’s career path.

  Andrew didn’t seem to have heard her as he continued. ‘I was actually surprised by these kids’ maturity levels compared to the first year medical residents who prop up my surgical theatre’s walls each year.’

  A shout from the teens swimming to their left had Kate smiling in amusement.

  ‘Come on, be fair,’ she said. ‘Surely by his thirties, a medical doctor has the maturity of say, a sixteen year old.’

  To give Andrew his due, he laughed.

  Ducking under the crystal splash of water, Kate pondered the question she was really curious about: did Andrew have a partner? Normally, by this time, working with any doctor she would know the answer as a matter of course. That was the problem with dealing with the startlingly attractive: you had to spend so much energy making sure you didn’t look like you were on the make.

  Andrew didn’t seem to have noticed this sudden preoccupation. ‘I’ve definitely swum in far worse beaches than this,’ he said, as he cupped his hands, capturing the pure clean seawater.

  ‘After living in Cairns, people find it hard to move away from the coast,’ Kate replied.

  ‘You didn’t grow up here, did you?’ Andrew asked.

  ‘Adelaide,’ said Kate. ‘Nice place but a little lacking in the winter tropical warmth.’

  A whistle from the beach had both of them turning their heads. They could see Pete waving, so they turned and began wading in.

  ‘Good job today,’ Pete commented, when they finally reached him. ‘Are you going to join me and the parents for a BBQ this evening?

  Before Andrew could say anything, Kate jumped in. ‘Sorry Pete, I’ve plans for this evening.’

  She couldn’t help but be abrupt. Andrew’s company might be fine, and she might have adored Pete’s wife, but two dining experiences with Andrew today would just be too much.

  Standing there, pulling her clothes over her still damp body, Kate just wanted out. Luckily, Pete was a typical older Australian man, so no goodbye kisses were necessary.

  She was able just to wave goodbye, in good conscience.

  ‘See you for the start of hell week,’ she said.

  Chapter Five

  As a leading cardiothoracic surgeon, Andrew thought he had long ago left weeks of nightshifts behind him. Yet, here he was, sitting around a table with Joe, and with Ben, sharing the kinds of stories that bored men do. Kate was off working on her computer, something she had been doing since the beginning of the shift, keeping to herself.

  As all residents in any major hospital learnt, everyone had their own way of surviving the nightshift. The helicopter base, aesthetically sparse as it was, was actually accommodating for these long nights. There was a small lounge with a large television, a kitchen with a variety of food and non-alcoholic beverages available, and two small on-call rooms with fold-out beds.

  ‘The first night is always the longest and most boring,’ said Joe, as he and Ben went to leave the kitchen, heading for the army cots.

  The older men had assured him that their homes were too loud during the day to get proper sleep. Unlike every hospital Andrew had ever worked in, noise was not a problem here. Only the two-way radio, set to an emergency frequency, buzzed occasionally. However, none of the half-mangled words were meant for their base.

  Andrew went in search of another form of entertainment. He walked down the half-lit corridor, carrying the portable radio, to where he could hear soft rock playing. Andrew stood at the window and peered inside.

  ‘I’ll be damned.’ The words he spoke were soft, an exclamation.

  Kate had suspended herself upside down in the air. She had one leg wrapped around an elastic rope, both hands holding metal rings.

  From a risk management perspective, he was a little concerned. The thin blue mat on the floor didn’t exactly look like it would do much to cushion a head-first fall.

  Andrew pushed at the swing door. ‘Are you preparing for a new circus career?’ he asked his still hanging co-worker.

  In a move full of controlled grace, Kate brought herself right way up, although her feet remained off the ground.

  ‘I only wish the circus would take me,’ she said.

  As she brought her feet to the floor, Andrew started to feel he had interrupted a private meditation. Annoying this woman seemed to be his speciality. Kate was in exercise gear with her uniform lying on the ground, as if it was a superhero suit waiting to be donned.

  ‘Sorry. Am I disturbing you?’ he asked.

  ‘The gym is all of ours,’ she said. ‘Especially on a night like this.’

  Andrew took her at her word, and dumped his towel and gym bag in the corner. ‘You’ll have to tell me what you were doing there?’ he asked, as he went to stand beside her. ‘I’m sure those ropes weren’t there the last time I toured the gym.’

  Kate laughed but didn’t break her concentration as she stretched her leg behind her. Well, she might be concentrating but Andrew had a hard time doing the same. Now, his mind was completely caught up in the way that her slender legs were encased in tights and her tank top hugged her body. Even her hair in a severe plait and her face stripped with no makeup was not going to ruin the view.

  ‘I’m the only one who likes the straps, so I store them on the rafters,’ said Kate, gesturing towards the roof.

  ‘They look more like instruments of torture than fun,’ he observed.

  ‘Most exercise is, and, apart from anything else, I think practising different ways of holding on to something isn’t the world’s worst idea, if ever the chopper wire was to slip from under my arms.’

  ‘There is that,’ he said.

  Kate suddenly turned to him with a challenging light in her eyes, ‘Do you want to try?’

  Andrew nodded his assent and stripped down to the simple white t-shirt he was wearing under his uniform shirt.

  Kate adjusted the length of the elastic straps. ‘Be careful,’ she said. ‘If we get called out tonight, you don’t want to have overdone it and have ended up with strained arms.’

  ‘I’ll manage,’ Andrew laughed. ‘I could probably bench press you.’

  For one long moment, both of them stood there, eyes locked. Andrew felt a kick of heat deep in his belly. A flash of thought had him imagining Kate held above him, on him, naked and reckless. He was brought back to earth when Kate actually took a physical step back.

  She busied herself again with the rings, ‘It takes a different kind of strength.’

  Andrew decided that tonight he was going to ignore her constant aspersions on his masculinity. Maybe he wouldn’t have understood so well if she hadn’t felt the need to put some distance between them. He had obviously enough effect on her to make her retreat, a strategy he supposed she was very unused to.

  ‘Hands on the rings,’ she ordered. ‘Leverage your weight until your arms are rigid and your feet are off the ground.’

  Andrew followed her instructions. Luckily, he worked out long and hard on a regular basis. Therefore, his lift was strong, even if it lacked the weightless grace that Kate had demonstrated.

  ‘OK?’ Kate asked, tilting her head back to look at him.

  ‘Just waiting for the hard part,’ Andrew grinned.

  ‘Sure, doctor,’ Kate’s eyes sparkled with what he suspected was unholy pleasure, so he knew the next few minutes were unlikely to be pleasant. ‘Raise your legs in front of your body, so they are pointing towards me.’

  Andrew could only thank years of mountaineering for his core strength. He might be in pain but he wasn’t allowing Kate the satisfaction of seeing him fail any of her silly tests.

  ‘OK, doctor,’ she said. ‘You better get down now. The Commander won’t forgive me if one of his doctors ends up with a dislocated shoulder.’

  Andrew took her at her word and lowered his legs slowly. He released and landed as lightly as his six-foot-two frame would allow, ‘I don’t break very easily.’

  Kate neatly tossed him his
work out towel. ‘Treadmill or weights?’ she asked.

  ‘I’d say lady’s choice, but you offered. You run, I’ll lift.’ Andrew went to the weights bench and began choosing his level. ‘This place is very well equipped.’

  ‘One of the local gyms was doing a refit, and they passed the excess our way. As you may have already guessed, the helicopter service is pretty popular around here.’

  ‘I’m not sure whether it is the service that is popular or you guys specifically?’ said Andrew. He thought maybe that a bit of a compliment might warm the atmosphere.

  However, it looked like she wasn’t biting.

  ‘Oh no,’ Kate assured him. ‘It is definitely the service. A few of our doctors have been absolute bastards and the town kept on treating them with a lot of respect.’

  Ouch. Well he certainly wasn’t going to ask her if he belonged in the bastard category. The problem with Kate was she might actually tell him.

  The sound of the treadmill starting was a good excuse to stop the chat.

  Forty minutes later, Andrew had done a weight rotation and watched Kate run like it was a mission. There was something soothing in the quiet. It was a unique experience for him to be in the workplace, with no clamour, with no demands for his attention.

  That didn’t mean he was going to allow Kate to keep on ignoring him. She would just have to figure out her own way to run and manage a conversation.

  ‘So the boys tell me your dad was an architect,’ he started.

  ‘Yes, my mother too,’ Kate said.

  Andrew waited for her to continue, but it looked like the one word was it.

  ‘Any brothers or sisters?’ Andrew tried again.

  ‘Two brothers.’

  ‘The core strength needed for those straps seemed to be pretty similar to the strength a pole dancer might need. Are you sure you didn’t strip to get through university?’ he asked.

  Kate punched the stop button on the treadmill, and for a too long moment, Andrew was worried he had gone too far. Then she threw back her head and laughed. A raunchy full laugh that was unlike anything he had previously heard from her mouth. It was enough to tighten the muscles of his stomach.