by Lucy Clark
‘Easy, Joe.’ Smitty laughed. ‘And this is your son, eh? You and Joe?’ He raised an interested eyebrow.
‘Yes.’ Rachael felt no need to explain as it really wasn’t any of the paramedic’s business.
‘The resemblance is as plain as day.’
‘That’s what everyone says.’ Declan smiled proudly.
Rachael turned to Joe. ‘So what’s going to happen here?’
Joe pointed out to the tarmac where two semitrailers were parked—a small gap between the rear of one and the front of the other. ‘We’re going to jump a car through the gap between the trucks.’
‘Are the trucks going to be moving?’ Declan asked.
‘No. They will be in the movie but that part’s already been shot. This is just the camera angles of the jump between the trucks.’
‘There are cameras in there?’
‘They have cameras everywhere. When we’re doing a stunt like this, sometimes you only get one crack at it. The more cameras they have rolling, covering the different angles, the easier it is for the directors and producers to choose which ones they need.’
‘There’s a fire truck over there.’ Declan pointed to where two men were dressed in full firefighting gear.
‘As I said, all safety angles are covered.’
‘But plenty of people have suffered severe injuries as well as being killed during stunts,’ Rachael pointed out.
‘Surprisingly, not as many as you’d think, and nine times out of ten the people who have died while doing stunts either didn’t work out the angles correctly or didn’t take the necessary safety precautions. Sometimes producers cut corners to meet their budget constraints, which means not enough money to do the stunt properly. Sometimes the stunt people involved aren’t as qualified as they make out. Wong knows every single person on his team and knows exactly what they’re capable of. He’s highly sought-after for a lot of action films, and at the moment I think he’s booked solid for the next four years.’
Rachael was surprised. ‘What? One movie after another?’
‘That’s his job, Rach.’ She shook her head, quite bemused.
‘The actors are booked for longer than that. The guy who’s playing the lead in this movie has his shooting schedule worked out for the next six years.’
‘Wow! That’s amazing.’ Rachael and Declan watched this alien world with continued amazement.
Wong headed over to them. ‘Joe, you set?’
‘All ready. How’s it looking?’
‘Good. Almost ready to go.’ He looked at Rachael. ‘There are going to be loud explosions so cover your ears, OK? You, too.’ He pointed to Declan. ‘Got to take care of Joe’s family.’
Rachael smiled at him, deciding to ignore his last remark. ‘Thanks for the warning.’ Wong headed back and Joe pulled on a headset so he could listen to what was going on.
‘Joe? Where are the explosions?’ Rachael asked, peering closely at the vehicles.
Joe pointed to the truck in the rear. ‘In there. The truck explodes in the movie.’
‘Why?’
‘Because someone has just shot a missile at the car and that’s why the car is jumping between the trucks, and the missile hits the second truck instead.’
‘Oh.’ Rachael frowned. ‘What about the poor truck driver?’
Joe laughed. ‘What truck driver?’
‘In the movie. What about the truck driver?’
‘The truck driver isn’t important to the story.’
‘But does he get out in time? Is he hurt?’
Joe smiled. ‘I don’t know, but if it makes you feel any better, I’ll raise your concerns with the director and find out.’
‘Thank you.’ She couldn’t help the tingles that spread through her from his smile. It really was lethal.
‘Ready on the set.’ The call came and Rachael reached for Declan’s hand, giving it an excited squeeze. She watched him for a second and again saw animated delight on his face. She was thankful to Joe for giving him this experience…even if it meant Declan would hardly sleep tonight.
‘Quiet on the set,’ came the next call, and Declan dropped his mother’s hand to watch intently. Rachael shifted out of his way and turned to glance at Joe, only to find him watching her. She hadn’t realised just how close they were to each other. Joe took a step closer and she could feel the warmth emanating from his body.
His gaze seemed to devour her and she gasped at the intensity she saw in his blue depths. Her heart rate doubled in an instant and a flood of excitement ripped through her. She tried to swallow but found her mouth dry and licked her lips.
He groaned when her tongue flicked out and he embraced the instant tightening in his gut. His gaze flicked to her lips and the need to have them pressed against his was overwhelming. He wasn’t used to these sensations any more and she’d been the only woman who had ever made him feel this way. Her lips were still parted in anticipation—he could almost taste her.
‘Rach.’ The deep timbre of his voice made her tremble in a way she thought she’d never experience again. ‘You drive me crazy.’
‘Mmm.’ She was incapable of forming rational or even irrational sentences. All that mattered was the way Joe made her feel. She was alive—truly alive for the first time in fifteen years. How would he react when he learned there had been no other? That he was her one and only true love? He’d hurt, humiliated and rejected her, yet for some masochistic reason she’d remained in love with him and knew it was a love which would last for ever.
He shifted ever so slightly, coming to stand behind her. No longer holding her gaze, he looked unseeingly out at what was happening on the set. She did the same, not really seeing a thing but instead focusing on the way he made her feel.
She gasped again and bit her lip as their fingers touched. The slight roughness of his skin tingled against her soft hands as he tenderly refamiliarised himself with that one small part of her. His arm brushed against her body, sending shocks of pleasure through her.
He laced his fingers with hers, squeezed her hand and her desire grew. He was touching her. He wanted her. Her eyelids fluttered closed for a fraction of a second as she worked hard to control her outward expression. He shifted closer, his body brushing her shoulder. She couldn’t breathe but it didn’t seem to matter. All she needed was him, and right now she had him.
‘I can’t take it.’ The words were whispered for only him to hear.
‘I know. You drive me insane. You always have.’
‘Joe.’
‘I need you.’
‘I know.’
The director called ‘Action’ over a loudspeaker which made her jump, her back pressing into Joe’s. He dropped her hand to steady her, his enigmatic scent winding itself around her. Both of them kept their gazes locked straight ahead, looking as though they were focusing on what was happening before them while all the time their bodies were conducting a completely different action sequence.
The car revved its engine then a squeal of tyres was heard, the smell of burning rubber filling the air. The stunt driver picked up speed, heading for the ramp that would help tip the car up on two wheels, not only to make it slim enough to fit between the two trucks but to also help get the car airborne.
A loud explosion shocked them both and they sprang apart like guilty teenagers, severing all contact. Joe was there one minute and gone the next, grabbing his emergency medical kit before he left. Rachael scanned the area wildly, trying to figure out what had happened. She turned to see Smitty and his colleague rushing over after Joe.
The scene played out before them in slow motion as she and Declan stood there, completely stunned as people yelled, people ran, everyone doing what they were supposed to be doing in order to fix whatever had gone wrong.
‘Mum?’ Declan reached for her and she held his hand. ‘What happened?’
‘I don’t know, darling.’
The firefighters were heading towards where the car had now come to rest on its roof a lon
g way off from where Joe had said it should land. She scanned the area for Joe but couldn’t find him.
‘That car’s lost a wheel.’ Declan pointed to the stunt car. ‘Where’s the wheel?’
As Declan spoke, Rachael saw Joe crouch down beside someone and rip open his medical kit.
‘Over there.’ The food she’d eaten earlier churned in her stomach as she saw the wheel not far from where Joe was bending over his patient. He glanced over to where she and Declan were still standing and motioned for her to come over.
‘Joe needs me.’ She took a deep breath to calm her stomach, straightened her shoulders and put her professional face on. ‘Stay here, Declan.’
‘But, Mum…’
She thrust her bag at him. ‘Call your grandparents and ask them to come pick you up. I don’t know how long I’ll be here.’
‘Can’t I stay and help? I can help someone while I’m waiting, can’t I? I can carry things, I can make drinks.’
‘I don’t know what the protocol is.’ It was then she spotted Ivan, who’d served Declan that hefty helping of prawns. ‘Excuse me,’ she called, and he came over. ‘Can you help us?’
‘I want to help,’ Declan said earnestly.
‘I need to get to Joe.’
Ivan looked at the two of them. ‘You go,’ he said to Rachael. ‘Come on, mate. You can help me. I’ll take good care of Joe’s son, you can be sure of that,’ he promised.
Declan handed his mother back her bag. ‘You call Grandma and I’ll help out till she comes.’
Rachael nodded and quickly made the call, telling her mother to mention Joe’s name to the security guard. Then she left her bag at the medical station and headed over to help.
‘Declan OK?’ Joe asked, as she knelt down beside him and pulled on a pair of gloves.
‘He’s fine.’ Rachael turned her attention to their patient and gasped when she realised Joe’s patient was his friend, Wong. ‘Status?’
‘Unconscious. BP’s dropping. Pupils sluggish. Chest sounds tight. Airway’s clear. He’s bleeding somewhere but I’m not sure where. Check his legs.’
Rachael reached for a pair of heavy-duty scissors from Joe’s kit and started cutting away Wong’s jeans before beginning her examination. ‘Left femur has lacerations, left tib-fib feels fractured. Right is fine.’
‘Left femoral artery?’
Rachael took a closer look. ‘Doesn’t look like it.’ Joe was setting up an IV drip as Smitty came over.
‘Anything you need?’
‘Need to intubate and get him out a.s.a.p.’
‘I’ve called it in. Reinforcements are on their way.’ Smitty rifled through Joe’s extensively stocked medical kit, handing the equipment to Joe as he needed it.
‘Checking abdomen,’ Rachael said. She cut away Wong’s shirt and both she and Smitty gasped. ‘I’d say every rib is broken.’
‘Did he get hit by the wheel?’ Smitty was astounded as he secured a cervical collar around Wong’s neck.
‘Yes.’ The one word from Joe was clipped yet full of emotion.
‘Rino—ah, he’s the stunt driver,’ Smitty added for Rachael’s benefit, ‘feels to have fractured both legs. He’s conscious, BP is slightly higher but that’s to be expected. Collarbone doesn’t feel too good either and he’s probably got a case of whiplash, but he’s had so many I think he’s used to it. My partner’s just fixing him up now.’ Smitty paused for a breath. ‘They’ve checked the car. The axle sheared right off.’
‘And that’s how the wheel came off?’ Rachael asked, as she gently touched Wong’s abdomen. ‘The bleeding’s internal. Smitty, get a bag of plasma going.’
The paramedic headed off and was back with the equipment they needed. He set up the plasma while Joe finished intubating Wong. Rachael took his vital signs again. ‘BP still not good. Pupils still sluggish. Stay with us, Wong.’
‘Let’s get him ready to transfer.’ Joe gave the order, firmly in control of the situation. He glanced at Rachael but the look on his face was that of a stranger. She’d received that look from him before—on the day of their annulment—and it was one that still had the ability to freeze her heart.
Her eyes widened in alarm and all the insecurities she’d thought she’d dealt with fifteen years ago came flooding back in that one instant. Why was he looking at her like that? She was here. She was helping. There was no cause for him to treat her this way. Her mind began to search through a list of reasons, the list she’d come up with all those years ago for him treating her the way he had, but at the moment she needed to focus on her job.
She pushed them away and they all went…all except one. The question started repeating itself over and over in her mind. It had refused to be pushed away fifteen years ago and it was refusing to go now.
What had she done wrong?
CHAPTER FIVE
‘READY to transfer,’ Smitty said.
Rachael found it hard to look at Joe as they did their job. She ripped off her gloves and rolled them up into a ball, glancing around for a bin.
‘Over there.’ Joe pointed when he realised what she was looking for. ‘Smitty, take Wong. I’ll get to the hospital as soon as the situation is stabilised here.’
Smitty nodded as he wheeled the patient towards the waiting ambulance. ‘What’s next?’ she asked Joe, as he picked up his medical kit and carried it over to where the stunt driver was lying on the ground not far from the car wreck. They knelt down and pulled on gloves.
‘Hi. I’m Rachael,’ she said to both the patient and the two men with him. The patient had a blanket over him and when she lifted it, it was to find his shirt had already been cut open. He was wearing shorts and work boots—the costume the real actor would be wearing in the movie, she realised.
‘This is Rino,’ Joe said. ‘What have you broken this time?’ He smiled down at his friend as he started to check him out.
‘Legs,’ Rino said, his eyes still closed. ‘How’s Wong?’
Rachael knew whenever there was bad news to give, the easiest way was to come right out and say it. ‘He’s not good.’
Rino clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes even tighter. ‘Should have checked it out more thoroughly. It’s my fault.’
‘We all should have checked it out more thoroughly,’ the other man sitting beside Rino said. ‘How were we to know the axle was going to shear? We take every precaution possible, we check and double-check, but still things happen.’
‘It’s my fault,’ Rino said again.
‘Nah, mate. It’s the manufacturer’s fault for not testing the axle properly. There’s no way we could have foreseen this happening,’ Joe remarked.
Rachael checked Rino’s pupils and was pleased to find them equal and reacting to light. She listened to his chest and took his blood pressure, which was slightly elevated—but that was to be expected.
‘So you’ve been in a few accidents?’ she remarked, as Joe drew up an injection of pethidine.
He smiled and opened his eyes. ‘Yeah. Quite a few. Never had a doc as pretty as you look after me, though. It’s nice to have a change from Joe’s ugly mug.’
Rachael laughed.
‘You’re brave, saying such things when I’m holding a needle,’ Joe countered.
‘Pethidine?’ Rachael queried quietly.
‘He’s allergic to morphine.’ He indicated the Medic-Alert chain around Rino’s neck and Rachael read it. Joe knew these people and she was glad he’d stayed, even though she knew he’d desperately wanted to go to the hospital to be with Wong.
‘This should help until the ambulance arrives,’ Joe said. ‘Then we’ll get you hooked up to an IV and a bag of plasma.’
‘I know the drill.’ Rino closed his eyes again. ‘Every bone has been broken at one time or another.’
‘Then I’d say you definitely know the drill.’ Rachael and Joe checked his legs. ‘Possible fractures to right tibia and fibula. Left doesn’t feel as bad, except for the laceration above your knee. Can you wiggle
your toes for me?’ He could. ‘Good. Do your legs feel funny, like they have pins and needles?’
‘No. Spine doesn’t feel broken.’
‘Really?’ she raised her eyebrows. ‘When was the last time you broke it?’
‘Two years ago,’ Joe answered for him, a teasing note in his voice. ‘He has volumes one and two in casenotes and X-ray packets at the hospital.’
‘Everything’s well documented, then,’ Rachael commented. ‘Good. We’ll add a few more X-rays to the packet when we get there.’
‘Just to be on the safe side,’ Joe added.
Rachael continued checking his ribs. ‘Right T4 and 5 don’t feel good. Left side is good.’ She felt her way to his collarbone. ‘Clavicle is fractured on the right side.’ She felt both shoulder joints, thankful they didn’t feel dislocated. She made her way down his arm but couldn’t feel anything. ‘Wiggle your fingers for me.’ He did. ‘Squeeze my fingers.’ He did. ‘Good.’
The sound of the ambulance sirens could be heard. ‘Sounds like your ride,’ she told him. ‘You have a bruise from the safety harness but thank goodness you were wearing it.’
‘I’m safety conscious,’ he remarked. ‘We all are.’
‘Joe told me that earlier.’
‘Still didn’t help,’ Rino growled.
‘You and I both know these things happen from time to time and it’s no one’s fault.’
‘But Wong—’
‘Wong is receiving the best medical attention, just as you will. Leave it for now.’ Joe’s words were final as he placed a bandage over the large laceration on Rino’s left leg. ‘It’ll need stitches but this will hold you until you get to Accident and Emergency. Rach, do his obs again.’
As the ambulance arrived, Rachael looked over and saw her parents being directed by a security guard onto the back lot. They looked as lost as she’d felt when she’d first arrived. She glanced around for Declan but couldn’t see him.
‘I’ll go to the next patient,’ Joe said, also catching sight of her parents. ‘Hand over to the paramedics and get Declan sorted out.’
