English Rose in the Outback

by Lucy Clark

  ‘Try and stay calm, Gracie. You’ve done an amazing job,’ Oscar yelled, bending down to speak as close to her ear as he could, but it was difficult when they were all carrying the stretcher, plus having their medical bags on their backs and bending down as they drew ever closer to the whirring chopper blades overhead.

  ‘How long is the flight to Darwin?’ Daisy asked Oscar.

  ‘Probably about an hour, maybe a little more,’ he yelled.

  ‘And how many bags of fluid do we have?’ but her question fell on deaf ears as Oscar continued to watch the teenager, her eyes wide, her breathing becoming more and more erratic.

  ‘Gracie? Gracie, can you hear me?’

  She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out and a moment later she started to shake.

  ‘She’s going into shock.’ They were almost at the helicopter now, all of them walking more quickly but also being careful they didn’t trip over any of the small branches and stringy bark that littered the ground around them.

  ‘Adrenaline is starting to decrease.’ Oscar’s voice seemed to boom through the area and all of them knew that the sooner they got her into the helicopter, the sooner they’d be able to treat her. It took less than a minute to lift the stretcher into the waiting chopper but it seemed like an eternity to Daisy.

  As Tori and Scotty locked the stretcher into place Oscar took his bag off his back and searched through it for the medication he needed. ‘She’s been so brave for so long,’ Daisy stated as she started doing Gracie’s observations, while Tori changed over the bag of plasma in order to keep Gracie as hydrated as possible.

  ‘Scotty, wrap the space blanket around her,’ Daisy instructed after reporting her observational findings to Oscar. When Tori had finished changing over the plasma bag, Oscar used the IV line to inject some morphine, knowing it would help settle Gracie down even more and keep her calm during transport.

  ‘If you and Oscar take her to Darwin, I’ll go back with Scotty and check on Gracie’s parents and let them know what’s happening,’ Tori stated. ‘I can organise a flight for them to Darwin so they can be by her side.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Daisy pulled off her gloves and put on her headphones, sitting in the seat next to Gracie’s, and buckled her seat belt, noting Oscar was doing the same.

  ‘Do you know if anyone has contacted Darwin hospital? And even if they have,’ she continued before he had a chance to reply, ‘do you think it would be at all possible if I could speak to Timothy before we land? I’d like to give him a fair assessment of what he’ll be dealing with.’

  Oscar nodded and spoke to the pilot through his headset microphone, asking when it would be possible to get someone from Darwin hospital on the radio.

  ‘We’ll be in radio range fairly soon,’ came the reply.

  ‘Thank you.’ Daisy spoke into her own microphone as she watched Oscar hook a stethoscope into his ears and listen to Gracie’s breathing. The teenager’s previous agitation seemed to have settled down due to the morphine doing its job. ‘It would be good if we could also send Timothy the photos you took.’

  ‘I want to have a better look at them.’ Oscar nodded. ‘Do you think we’ll be able to stay and assist with the surgery? I mean, is this Tim a decent sort or more of a get-out-of-my-theatre type of bloke?’

  ‘Timothy—’ she spoke his full name with emphasis ‘—is most definitely a decent sort of chap and I’m hopeful he’ll allow us to at least be present in Theatre. I’ve assisted with this sort of surgery before and the last one we did took almost twelve hours for the initial surgery. With surgery that long, oftentimes you need to accept all the help you can.’

  ‘We’re in range now.’ The pilot’s voice came through their headphones. ‘I’ll try and make the connection.’ As he did Oscar and Daisy kept monitoring Gracie closely.

  ‘Go ahead, Daisy,’ the pilot stated and a moment later Daisy heard Timothy’s voice through her headphones.

  ‘Daisy?’

  ‘Timothy.’

  ‘This is getting to be a habit, Dr Forsythe-York,’ he stated in his clipped British tones, which seemed to sound perfect alongside Daisy’s. ‘First you call me about Mrs Piper and show off with your do-gooder generosity and now you no doubt want another favour…or two.’

  ‘Oh, do shut up, Timothy. Listen, I’m bringing a patient to you. A young teenage girl whose right arm got caught in a post-hole digger. Multiple lacerations, dislocated shoulder and olecranon, multiple fractures and extensive tissue damage.’

  ‘Ah. We had been notified of the transfer but I didn’t realise you were the treating doctor.’

  ‘One of the doctors,’ she added, and continued to explain the situation, giving an update on Gracie’s present condition. Oscar added his own opinion to the conversation and let Timothy know he’d taken photographs.

  ‘Is it possible for you to send them to my phone? Daisy should have the number.’

  ‘Still the same one?’ she checked.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Splendid. We’ll get them off to you directly.’

  Had her accent become softer as she’d spoken to Timothy? Oscar had to admit that they did sound good together, relaxed, at ease but, then again, they had known each other since medical school so it was only natural they’d speak to each other as old friends because that was exactly what they were.

  But were they more than just old friends? It meant nothing to him, of course. He was merely curious…curious about Daisy, about who she really was beneath that sometimes brisk exterior. Never before had a woman intrigued him so much and where that knowledge should have made him cautious, it merely continued to fuel the fire.

  Daisy Forsythe-York was an enigma and it was an attribute he found incredibly alluring.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  THEY SPENT FAR too many hours in Theatre, watching Timothy and his team perform a miracle. They were even allowed to step in and assist when one of the other doctors became too tired. At one stage, the situation didn’t look good and there was a possibility that Gracie might actually need to have her hand amputated, but thankfully that didn’t happen. At that moment, Daisy was glad that outback Aussies were as rough as guts and as tough as nails.

  ‘Finally we’re out of surgery!’ Oscar shuffled out of the theatres, pulling off his cap. ‘And that isn’t going to be her last operation, poor kid.’ Gracie was being wheeled to the intensive recovery unit where she would be closely monitored. ‘I haven’t done a stint like that since I was an intern.’ He smothered a yawn.

  ‘If you don’t like it, then never join the armed forces.’

  He frowned a little at the tone of her voice. ‘I wasn’t criticising,’ he countered softly and was surprised to see Daisy look instantly contrite.

  She closed her eyes for a brief moment before shaking her head. ‘I didn’t mean it like that.’ She hesitated, biting the corner of her lip as she shifted nervously from foot to foot. ‘Sometimes, Oscar, when I’m tired…’ Daisy paused, forcing herself to say the words even though she already knew what the reaction was going to be. ‘It sometimes comes across as being flippant or contradictory or rude. All I meant was that life in the armed forces can be a little…’

  ‘Out of the ordinary?’ he supplied and she instantly nodded.

  ‘Yes. Exactly.’ She held one hand out to him. ‘See? You do understand.’ She shook her head as she pulled off her theatre cap and tossed it into the appropriate bin. Then she took out the band and clips that were holding her hair into a loose bun.

  Oscar gasped as she raked her fingers through the long locks to try and untangle them. She glanced surreptitiously at him only to find him staring at her in a way that said he most definitely found her attractive. He wasn’t leering, he was…looking. And for some reason, she found she liked it. She quickly glanced away, unsure what she was supposed to do when he looked at her in such a way, his eyes saying that he wanted to take his sweet time kissing every inch of her face, to explore the delights she could offer, to savour the flavo
urs of her mouth.

  Daisy took a step towards the door. ‘I think I’ll get changed.’ She was shocked to discover her own voice sounding husky and filled with a hint of desire. There was no denying that Oscar Price was an incredibly good-looking man, giving the cliché of tall, dark and handsome some depth of meaning. He was so incredibly different from her past boyfriends that she wondered if that was the reason she was feeling this attraction towards him.

  ‘OK. I’ll meet you in the doctors’ tearoom and we can decide where we’re going to stay tonight.’

  Daisy glanced at him again and immediately wished she hadn’t. He’d taken a few steps towards the door and was reaching out past her to push it open. She stood, stuck to the spot, unable to move as she looked up at him, his body close to hers. Lifting her chin, she tried desperately to make her usually intelligent mind work yet all she was aware of was his warmth, his subtle spicy scent still evident even after the long and hot day they’d endured. He exuded everything that was the epitome of masculinity. She edged further away, trying desperately to have her legs compute the signals her brain was sending but all she felt when she moved were more tingles, more awareness of just how much Oscar’s closeness was affecting her. She needed to either get out of the room, or throw herself into his arms. That thought alone helped her to snap her mind back into gear.

  ‘Well…I shall go and get changed and…er…meet you in the doctors’ tearoom where we can continue with the conversation about where best to stay this evening.’ With the politest smile she could paste onto her lips, she continued to back out through the open doorway, desperate to ensure not one part of their bodies touched. When she was clear, she all but sprinted back towards the female changing rooms, unable to believe everything that had happened in the past five or so minutes. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and stared in shock. Her cheeks were indeed red, her eyes were dark with a repressed desire and her lips looked plumper than she’d ever seen before. Her loose hair was in a wild mess around her face and shoulders, making her look nothing like the poised finishing-school graduate that she was.

  Why had she felt the sudden urge to throw herself into Oscar’s arms? Was it because the other night, when he’d comforted her, she’d felt as though he’d really cared? He’d listened to her blubbering, he’d fetched her a drink, he’d been attentive and kind. He’d supported her and she hadn’t had that kind of support…especially from a man she found attractive…for a very long time. There was no use denying to herself that she was attracted to Oscar. She’d lied to herself many years ago, believing her family life was a normal one, and when she’d realised the truth she’d vowed never to lie to herself again. However, although she might accept that she was attracted to Oscar, she also knew there was really nothing she could do about it. At the end of her contract here, she would need to return to the UK, to make one more effort to get her mother into rehab again.

  Her mother. Daisy sighed and shook her head. How was she supposed to support her mother effectively from the other side of the world? It was so difficult and gut-wrenching to watch someone you loved waste away from such a disease, especially one that could be helped. She bit her lip and closed her eyes for a split second, remembering how upset she’d been just after speaking to her mother on the phone. Poor Oscar hadn’t known what to do and Daisy hadn’t known what to say. She couldn’t tell him. She’d made that mistake years ago with Walter and it had—

  No. She wouldn’t rehash the past. She’d made a mistake once and she’d learned from it. Talking about her family life was taboo and, besides, she doubted Oscar needed to be bothered by her personal problems. So long as she did her job well, so long as she supported him with the medical needs of the town, then that was all she had to be concerned with. She most certainly didn’t need to be distracted by the way he made her feel, by the way he would sometimes stare at her mouth as though he wanted nothing more than just to gather her close and kiss her senseless. Even at the thought, Daisy had to sit down on the bench in the changing rooms because her knees had suddenly decided to give way. Oscar Price was gorgeous. She couldn’t deny that and the more she got to know him, the more she liked him as a person.

  But they came from very different worlds. His life was clearly here in Meeraji Lake and her life was… At this moment, she had no idea where her life was. It didn’t seem to be in England or working with the army or living in the outback. She was in limbo and she didn’t like it one little bit.

  Daisy started to feel exhaustion setting in. She’d been running on adrenaline ever since they’d received the call about Gracie, but as she changed out of the theatre scrubs into her own clothes and tidied her hair back into its neat bun again she couldn’t seem to stop yawning.

  Wherever Oscar was planning to stay, she sincerely hoped it wasn’t too far away and when she met him in the doctors’ tearoom, she still continued to yawn.

  ‘Good thing we’re not planning to head back to Meeraji Lake. You’re wrecked,’ he said.

  ‘Sorry, I’m…’ She yawned. ‘I’m trying not to yawn.’

  ‘Go ahead.’ He yawned as well and she couldn’t help but smile. ‘How about we stay across the road in the emergency medical accommodation?’

  ‘We wouldn’t be putting other doctors out of a bed, would we? I’m happy to stay at a nearby hotel or something.’

  ‘I’ll give the place across the road a call and see what the score is.’ Oscar headed to the phone on the wall and dialled the appropriate extension. As he organised their accommodation, she went to the sink and had a glass of water. She was still supposed to be keeping her fluids up after the heatstroke, but after such a gruelling long stint in Theatre it was no wonder she was feeling a little dehydrated.

  ‘All done. Plenty of room with beds to spare for others who may need them. They’re also organising for some meals to be sent over.’

  ‘That’s very nice.’

  ‘It appears young Gracie is something of a celebrity in medical circles. After all, it isn’t every day someone comes in with such an injury and requires extensive surgery to put them back together and, therefore, the doctors who have been looking after her are also entitled to the celebrity treatment.’

  ‘Excellent.’ Daisy yawned again and in the next instant realised Oscar was by her side with his arm about her waist.

  ‘Let’s get you across the road. You need food and sleep.’ They left the doctors’ tearoom, Oscar keeping his arm firmly around her waist in case she should collapse. She really was that tired and she was annoyed with herself for feeling so vulnerable when he was around. She needed to keep her guard up, especially when she was this exhausted.

  ‘Could we possibly organise a toothbrush from somewhere, do you think? I can’t sleep properly without brushing my teeth.’

  ‘I remember,’ he said softly.

  ‘Pardon?’

  ‘That first night when you were delirious from heat exhaustion, you kept asking for your toothbrush.’

  ‘I did?’ Embarrassment flooded through her. ‘I’m terribly sorry I was such a nuisance.’

  ‘You weren’t a nuisance, Daisy. Far from it.’

  ‘Are you laughing at me?’ she asked as he led her from the theatre block, calling a few goodbyes to people he knew. Daisy wasn’t sure it was a good idea for the two of them to walk through the area with his arm firmly around her waist but at the moment she also wasn’t sure whether she could walk unassisted.

  ‘Not at all.’

  ‘Why is it that since I landed in this country, I’ve been nothing but tired?’

  This time he did chuckle. ‘Probably because you’ve been pushing yourself too far, too fast.’

  ‘I always do that. It’s my thing.’ Her words were barely audible as she yawned twice while speaking.

  Daisy wasn’t sure of which way they were going but she trusted Oscar to get her where she needed to be. It was odd to be trusting someone she barely knew, but she did. She did trust him. She wasn’t sure she’d ever trusted an
yone so quickly and she’d had to work in war zones where she’d been reliant upon other people to protect her life. She’d trusted them—in the end—but in the beginning she’d been concerned they wouldn’t be able to keep her safe.

  Oscar ensured she ate something and then, much to her surprise, he produced a toothbrush and tiny tube of toothpaste from behind his back like a magician. She laughed and gratefully brushed her teeth before slipping between the cool, cotton sheets, the ceiling fan whirring gently overhead.

  When Daisy awoke the next morning, she had no idea where she was. She lay still, eyes opened, taking in the surroundings of the room. The whir of the ceiling fan helped her to remember she was in Australia and she relaxed, knowing that it would only take a few weeks before she could wake up and not be alarmed by that feeling of not knowing where she was.

  Closing her eyes, she snuggled deeper beneath the sheet, the heat of the day already trying to sneak in behind the closed curtains. It was only then she realised that the light was coming in from a different direction. How was that possible? The curtains in her room were on the left and these curtains were on the right.

  She opened her eyes and sat bolt upright in the bed, looking around the room. Then it all came flooding back to her. The emergency with Gracie, staying overnight in Darwin. Oscar! She glanced at the other side of the bed but he wasn’t there. She listened carefully. Was he in the en-suite bathroom? She’d been so utterly exhausted the night before, she couldn’t remember much of what had happened. Exhaustion had always been her Achilles heel. When she was tired, she became a little delirious. Now, though, she was wide awake and very alert but still couldn’t hear any sounds from the bathroom.

  Flicking back the sheet, she stood, pleased to see that she was still dressed in the clothes she’d worn beneath her retrieval overalls yesterday. Creeping around to the bathroom, she listened at the closed door for a moment. No sounds. She knocked. No answer. She tentatively opened the door but the room was empty. She quickly made use of the facilities and, when she exited the bathroom, she jumped with surprise at finding Oscar in the room, setting down a tray of food.