by Lucy Clark
‘A well-stocked kitchen first-aid kit,’ she remarked, having mentally planned to take Dustin next door to the surgery.
‘As Dustin said, it isn’t the first time he’s cut himself. After the last time I re-stocked the first-aid kit, to make it easier.’
‘Good thinking.’
He handed her the needle and turned Dustin’s head away so he couldn’t see what she was doing. He knew of old that the young man didn’t like injections of any kind. In fact, most of the people he’d come across during his medical career were rather averse to needles.
While they waited for the anaesthetic to take effect, she kept pressure on the wound. Joshua kept monitoring Dustin closely, taking his pulse and getting a blanket to put over him. The last thing they needed was for the tall American to go into shock. When the area around the cut was numb, Abbey asked for the suture. Carefully and with neat precision, she sutured the wound in Dustin’s hand closed.
‘Would you bandage that for me, please?’ she asked Joshua, who merely nodded. She started tidying up, wondering what was wrong with Joshua today. He was quieter, more stand-offish than he’d been in the past few weeks. Had he wanted to take the lead in suturing Dustin’s hand? If so, he should have said so. Abbey shook her head, annoyed that she was in love with a man who drove her crazy.
‘All done,’ Joshua remarked, and she nodded at his expert bandaging. She gave Dustin some painkillers and then together they helped him to his feet, Dustin leaned on Joshua’s shoulder as they headed out towards the residence at the rear where Rach and Dustin lived.
The children saw him and began running down the hallway, their pictures in their hands, Rach was hard on their heels. Abbey decided that Joshua could take care of things and returned to the kitchen to start cleaning up.
Joshua joined her soon after, picking up a broom and silently sweeping the area.
‘It’s fine. I can do it,’ she told him. He didn’t answer but kept sweeping. ‘How’s Dustin? All settled?’
‘Mark, Giselle, Rach, the twins—they’re all fussing over him but, yes, he’s settled.’ There was a scowl on his face and after another moment of silent sweeping, feeling the annoyance almost steaming from him, Abbey stopped what she was doing and turned to face him.
‘What’s the problem?’ she asked directly.
‘There’s no problem.’
‘There is. You’ve been as surly as anything today, more so than usual.’
Joshua stopped and leaned on the broom. ‘Surly? Me?’
‘Yes, you. So whatever it is, get it out in the open so we can deal with it. It’s obviously something I’ve done because you were fine with Mark earlier on.’
Joshua shook his head, peeved that she could read him so easily. It wasn’t right. She was supposed to be a woman who had come to town to help out for six months and then she would leave and go on her way, doing whatever she wanted with the rest of her life, and he wouldn’t care one iota. Instead, she was Abbey, the girl who had plagued him during medical school, who had come to his town and fitted in so perfectly with his friends and his children. The fact that she could tell when he was out of sorts and that she confronted him on the issue disturbed him way more than he was willing to admit. Miriam hadn’t been able to do that, often declaring she had no idea why she’d married him. His own wife hadn’t been able to read him yet Abbey could pick up that there was something wrong just by looking at him.
She knew him and he realised he couldn’t hide from her, the way he’d hidden himself from Miriam. The fact that she looked so gorgeous, with her eyes flashing fire, her chin raised defiantly, her shoulders squared as though she was preparing for battle, only made him ache for her even more. Not many women could look so incredibly beautiful when they were annoyed, but Abbey certainly did. Was that why he’d liked annoying her so much back in medical school?
‘Fine.’ He exhaled harshly, knowing she also wouldn’t drop the subject. When she sank her teeth into something, it was rarely she ever let go. ‘My kids like you better than me.’
The look on her face turned from complete stubbornness to one of utter incredulity.
‘What? You have to be joking.’
‘I’m not.’
‘Joshua, those kids adore you. You are their sun and their moon. You are their constant in life. You are the one they will always turn to, to kiss their knees when they fall over, to hold close when they cry, to make their world better.’
‘But they do what you tell them to, rather than listening to me. I’ve noticed it since you got into town. First Jimmy and then Becka. They love spending time with you, playing with you, laughing with you.’
‘You’re jealous,’ she said with astonishment.
‘What if I am?’
She laughed and shook her head. ‘You’re a twit.’
‘Thank you. I can always rely on you to speak your mind.’ He put the broom down and made for the door but Abbey quickly intercepted him, putting her hand on his chest to stop him.
‘Stop and listen to what I’m saying.’
He backed away, her brief touch already having sent his desire for her into overload.
‘Your children love you, just as you love them, and while you may have been watching me with them, I’ve also been watching you with them.’
‘And?’
‘And you need to spend more time doing things with them, rather than just being there with them. Join in with their silly, crazy games. Lie on the floor and colour in, play chasy with them.’
‘Is that why you do it? Is that why you interact with them?’ There was a complete vulnerability to his words now and Abbey smiled, pleased she’d managed to get through. ‘You are so good with them, Abbey. So natural, so caring, so…’ He broke off, watching as she swallowed a few times. It was then he realised she was working hard at controlling her emotions. There may have been a smile on her face but there was sadness in her eyes.
‘Oh, Abs. I’m such a cad. Here I am badgering you because I’m jealous of the way my children respond to you when you’ll never…’ He stopped again and exhaled harshly, noting that his words were making her tear up.
‘I’ll never be able to have my own children,’ she finished for him. ‘It’s OK, Joshua. We can talk about it. I may have spent the past three years coming to terms with that fact but I also know there are other ways for me to become a parent.’
‘Are you thinking of adopting?’
‘I can’t. Not as a single mother. But I have thought about fostering. Of course, given my work schedule once I leave here and return to the city, that could also pose a problem.’ She shrugged. ‘I have options. That’s something that keeps me going.’ She brushed a hand across her eyes, wiping away the tears and pulling herself together.
When she left here. Even hearing her say those words filled his gut with despair. She couldn’t leave Yawonnadeere. She fitted in so perfectly and she seemed to be so happy, most of the time…when he wasn’t upsetting her.
‘I’m sorry, Abbey.’
‘I asked you to tell me what was wrong, remember? Can open—worms everywhere.’ She smiled, wiggling her fingers, trying to lighten the atmosphere and make a joke of how she was feeling because even just talking about her future, the one she would no doubt spend alone, was something she tried not to dwell on. With the removal of her reproductive organs, with the emotional stress and strain of the situation, Abbey had often ended her days curled in her bed, hugging her pillow close as she cried away the pain. She knew there were ways for her to become a mother and that was great, but deep down inside there was also the emptiness that she wasn’t a proper woman any more. The essence of her femininity had been cruelly ripped from her body and now she was just a shell. She appeared whole on the outside but she was hollow within. The biggest problem of all was that she hated herself for feeling this way. She should count herself lucky that she made it.
She was a rational, logical woman. She prided herself on staying in control of her emotions and now, at times lik
e this, when Joshua looked at her as though she were the most incredible woman in the world, like he just wanted to scoop her up and hold her close, protect her, care for her as he did his children, she found it more difficult to cope.
‘And I’ve just swept the floor,’ Joshua remarked, watching the emotions flit across her face. Pain, anguish…despair. The need to gather her close, to have her gorgeous body against his was becoming harder to fight with each passing day he spent in her company.
He had hoped that over the past few weeks he’d managed to get himself to a point where he could work alongside her and remain personable but aloof. Now, seeing her like this, all those good intentions went out of the window and floated away with the warm breeze. She was too hard to resist and he put the broom down, intending to go to her, to pull her into his arms, to tell her that he was going to help her make everything better…when the phone at his hip started to ring.
It was the emergency phone and he quickly answered it. ‘Dr Ackles.’ He listened, then barked out, ‘We’re on our way.’ He snapped the phone shut and replaced it, his mind now in medical mode.
‘The helicopter at the rig has just crashed.’
‘I’ll get Mark and Giselle.’ Abbey was instantly in doctor mode and as they gathered what they needed, she couldn’t help but admire just how incredibly well they all worked together. A well-oiled team, and it was one she was beginning to realise she didn’t want to leave. Not ever.
Chapter Nine
AFTER they’d said goodbye to the children, leaving them in Rach’s capable care, they all bundled into Joshua’s ute, everyone discussing several scenarios, mentally going through the supplies they’d need. Mark called the Royal Flying Doctor Service to let them know of the situation and to have their planes on standby. When they arrived at the rig, the guard already had the boom at the gate up ready for them. The emergency sirens blaring loudly.
Joshua drove them as close as he could to the helicopter landing pad, the wind swirling up around them creating a dust storm.
‘Everyone put on safety goggles and masks,’ Joshua ordered, and Giselle quickly handed everyone a pair. The wind was fierce and punishing and within a second of stepping from the ute Abbey was already covered in a fine layer of orangy-red dirt. Just as well she hadn’t been wearing white today, she thought idly to herself.
Her eyes widened and she blinked, almost in complete disbelief, as she looked at the helicopter, which had tipped over on its side, the rotors all chipped and broken off, pieces of the landing pad and other debris littered here and there.
She followed Joshua to where Pierre was standing, the HOp now back to full health. ‘Terry, one of the flight crew, is badly injured,’ he said, handing them all fluorescent yellow jackets. ‘We’ve managed to turn the helicopter’s engine off and several of the crew are working to get the twenty-odd passengers out. Over there.’ He pointed. ‘Terry will be the first priority.’
Abbey nodded, grabbing her medical kit close to her chest as she went behind Joshua, one hand on his shoulder in case she lost him in this dust storm. Mark and Giselle had gone over to the helicopter to assist with the evacuation and treat anyone with minor injuries.
Walking over to where Terry lay took longer than she’d anticipated because it felt like the wind was attacking from all sides. Never had she been out in such weather conditions before and she had a new-found respect for the people who lived out here, the dry season often bringing this sort of orange dust storm.
Pierre had organised things most effectively and there seemed to be people absolutely everywhere she looked. He had crews assisting the passengers, crews making sure the helicopter didn’t burst into flames. There were people everywhere, making the landing pad look like a busy nest of ants…ants who were all wearing bright yellow jackets to make them more visible.
‘Stay close,’ Joshua called, taking her hand in his so they could traverse the area, giving support to each other. ‘I need you with me, not blown away.’ Abbey’s heart did a silly little flip at his words even though she knew that wasn’t at all how he’d intended them. Of course Joshua only needed her in a medical sense and they continued to pick their way through to Terry. Two other crew members moved out of the way to make room for the doctors.
‘Report?’ she asked the men loudly, trying to take in what she was seeing. Joshua had the medical kit on the ground and was busy trying to pull on a pair of gloves before getting out some bandages in order to stem the bleeding of the man lying before them.
Abbey remembered Pierre had said the man’s name was Terry and it appeared he’d been impaled by a piece of broken rotor from the helicopter. There was a lot of blood and the man was barely conscious. Abbey quickly put her kit down and opened it up, using the shelter of their bodies as best she could to keep things as dust free as possible. Her own hands were already dirty but she still managed to pull on a pair of gloves, not sure they were going to do much good in keeping the dirt away but it was worth a try.
‘Terry’s not too good,’ one of the crew members said. ‘We tried to put bandages and stuff around the bleeding but there’s just so much of it.’
‘OK. We’ll take it from here,’ she said, and pulled some more heavy-duty packing from her medical kit.
‘Severe lacerations to abdomen,’ Joshua said, then turned to one of the crew. ‘Get Pierre to notify Morgan that we’ll need his plane. If we can stabilise Terry and then move him to town, we have a chance of saving him.’ He stopped as Terry moaned again.
‘Is he allergic to anything?’
‘No.’ Joshua’s answer was immediate and direct and Abbey wondered just how much this man knew of the crew and their medical histories. No doubt, he knew everything. He was that sort of doctor, clear, concise and thorough. ‘Past medical history includes an appendectomy and tonsillectomy but that’s it.’
‘Right.’ With fingers that felt quite awkward, Abbey withdrew a vial of morphine and a needle and started drawing up the shot. ‘Take these scissors,’ she said to one of the crew. ‘Cut his trousers away. I need to administer this into his thigh.’ She unwrapped a swab while she waited and a moment later she jabbed the needle into Terry’s thigh. It took less than a minute for the analgesic to take effect. Terry’s features seemed to smooth as the pain was lifted from him.
‘Can we get him inside?’ She had to lean in close to Joshua to ask the question and almost pulled back when her lips actually brushed against his cheek. She swallowed over her increasing awareness of this man she loved and pushed it firmly away. Now was not the time.
‘Pierre will, no doubt, send over a stretcher as soon as possible. Should be here soon,’ Joshua had swivelled around so that now he was talking into her ear, his warm breath fanning her neck and not only warming her through but also giving her goosebumps, which flooded her body with tingles. It was a most bitter-sweet sensation and again one she didn’t need right now. ‘Now that you’ve given him something for the pain, we’ll get him transferred inside and then keep him as stable as possible while we wait for the airlift.’
Abbey’s mind snapped back into doctor mode as she pulled back, looking at Joshua. ‘Are you OK to operate?’
‘I’ll have to be, won’t I? Terry needs immediate medical attention.’ If Abbey was with him, standing opposite him in the small theatre back in Yawonnadeere, he felt sure that he could cope. When he’d had to operate on Pierre, it had been Abbey who had given him strength and now he was relying on that.
Abbey pulled out another wad of packing and changed the dressing. ‘As soon as we pull that piece of rotor out, he’ll bleed. Getting him out of this dust is the first step but he’ll need saline and plasma.’ She started to reconstruct a similar ring-type bandage to the one Joshua had already used in order to pack the wound tightly around the piece of blade still sticking out of Terry’s abdomen. The last thing they needed was for the obstruction to be moving around inside Terry, causing more damage as they shifted their patient.
‘Once he’s anaestheti
sed, we need to find the offending arteries and get him stable.’ She kept attending to Terry’s bandages as she spoke. Without immediate surgical intervention, Terry would indeed die and the last thing Joshua needed was another death plaguing his conscience.
He was about to tell her that he would be OK to operate so long as she stayed with him, that it was important that she accompany him back to their surgery, instead of staying here to help Mark and Giselle. He needed her. As the thought came into his mind, his heart also registered the fact that he not only needed her in Theatre with him, giving him strength, he needed her in his life.
He pushed the thought away, focusing on his work. The stretcher arrived and it took five of them to carefully move Terry onto the stretcher and carry it indoors, out of the dust.
‘Anything I can do?’ Pierre asked, coming alongside Abbey.
‘Check with Giselle and Mark and get a report to us on the condition of everyone on that chopper. Tell Mark we need him to anaesthetise so he’ll need to come with Joshua and me now. Get any trained first-aid workers out here to assist Giselle with whatever she needs.’
‘Consider it done,’ Pierre said, and it was then she remembered Joshua telling her that she was now part of Pierre’s ‘family’. It made her feel less like a locum who was here for six months and more like a part of the team. It was nice.
Once inside and away from the dust, she stripped off the yellow safety jacket as it was too big and had been impeding her movements, leaving it in a heap by the door. Abbey lifted her goggles onto her head and pulled her mask down below her chin, coughing a little.
‘How long before Morgan gets here?’ she asked Joshua as they performed Terry’s observations again.
‘Not long.’ When Joshua was satisfied, they carried Terry into the corridor to the far door, which was where they were scheduled to meet Morgan. It wouldn’t be easy for the pilot to fly in this sort of weather but Joshua assured her that Morgan was the best of the best of the best!
When the plane arrived, they were ready, only waiting on Mark to arrive. Once Terry was transferred and strapped into the small plane, Abbey sat beside him and performed observations again, Joshua looking out into the bleakness in search of Mark.
