by Joanna Neil
‘Should we talk about conflicting signals here?’ He gave her a rueful smile. ‘Anyway, nobody’s taking any notice of us. We’re in the shade, away from where all the action is. And they’ll be gone soon. The bus will be taking them back in a few minutes.’
‘Won’t we be on that bus with them?’
He shook his head. ‘I’ve a boat waiting to take us back to the meeting point. I thought you might like to spend some more time here. Was I wrong about that?’
She shook her head. ‘No, I love it here.’
‘But you don’t want to be here with me, is that it?’ His features darkened, something bleak flickering in the depths of his eyes. ‘Are you still hankering after my brother?’
‘No, you have it all wrong, Connor. You don’t understand.’
‘No, I don’t.’ He sat up and wrapped his arms around his knees. ‘Perhaps you should explain it to me.’
She pulled in a deep breath. ‘You said I was giving conflicting signals, and perhaps you were right about that. I like being with you, I can’t deny it. But you have to know, one of the reasons I came to the island was because I was in a relationship with someone and it all went wrong.’ She swallowed. ‘I thought we had something going for us, but it fell apart, and in the end I felt I needed to get away from my ex. He hurt me, and I don’t think I’m ready for the dating scene again.’
‘I’m sorry he hurt you,’ he said softly. ‘But it doesn’t have to be like that with us. I’m not looking for anything heavy. I told you once before, I don’t want commitment, Alyssa, but you and I could have fun together. What would be wrong in that? I like being with you. You’re gentle, kind, fun to be with…intelligent…I look forward to seeing you, and whenever I’m with you I want to hold you close and cover you with kisses. Is that so wrong? I get the feeling you like being with me, too.’
‘I do. But when it comes down to it, you’re talking about sex,’ she said in a flat voice. She shook her head. ‘I don’t go in for meaningless relationships, Connor. I don’t sleep around, and I couldn’t accept the kind of situation you’re suggesting. Besides, maybe things start off that way, leisurely, friendly, no strings attached, but sooner or later, more often than not, the situation begins to change, and someone gets hurt.’
‘Like you and your ex?’ His glance skimmed over her, tracing a line over her taut features. ‘Do you want to tell me what happened?’
She moved her shoulders in an awkward gesture. ‘We were together for a couple of years.’ She sucked air into her lungs. ‘It started off as a mutual friendship and grew into something more as time went by. But then I found I was working more and more hours in A and E as I specialised, while he was left with time on his hands. He worked at the hospital, doing research, and his was more or less a nine to five kind of job. I think he grew tired of waiting for me to finish my shifts, and sometimes, when we had something planned, I had to let him down because I couldn’t leave my patients in the lurch.’
She frowned. ‘I think we might have made a go of things, all the same, but then I started to suffer from burnout. I needed someone to talk to, but suddenly he wasn’t there for me. He didn’t seem to understand. And for my part I began to wonder what kind of man he was if I couldn’t count on his support when I needed him.’
‘So you broke up with him?’
Her mouth turned down at the corners. ‘Not then, not right away. We talked things through and decided to try to put things right…only perhaps I was trying a little bit harder than he was. I went over to his flat early one day, planning to surprise him with a special dinner for his birthday and tickets to a concert…but I found he was already celebrating, with a girl from his research department.’
He sucked air into his lungs. ‘I’m sorry. That must have come as a killer blow.’ His eyes had darkened, his gaze moving over her.
‘Yes, it was.’ She lifted her chin. ‘I suppose you imagine that’s par for the course, the kind of thing that happens sooner or later when two people get together.’
He shook his head. ‘I’m thinking the man was a fool for playing around when he could have you as his girlfriend.’
She pulled a face. ‘Perhaps, deep down, he didn’t believe in commitment. Like you.’
‘Ouch!’ He winced. ‘I suppose I deserved that. But the truth is, up to now I’ve never met anyone that I wanted to commit to. It’s not much of a defence, I know.’
He looked so deflated that she couldn’t help but smile. ‘Shall we just agree to enjoy the rest of the time we have here on the beach? There’s more wine in the bottle—I notice you haven’t been drinking much—and then I’ll look forward to a ride in that boat you said you have waiting.’ She frowned as a thought crossed her mind. ‘It isn’t a rowboat, is it? I really don’t fancy paddling my way home along the coast, not after all that delicious food and wine.’
‘Oh, it definitely isn’t a rowing boat,’ he said with a chuckle. ‘It has a motor, and a cabin with a galley…as well as all the mod cons that a girl like you might like.’
‘I guess that’s all right, then. Everything for a girl like me…’ What kind of girl did he think she was? She gave him a teasing smile. ‘You seem to know me pretty well—but, then, you must have had me more or less sussed out when we first met and you decided I was after Ross for my own mercenary reasons.’
‘Ah, but that was way back…an age ago,’ he protested, his brows lifting. ‘Are you going to keep on holding that against me?’
‘Oh, yes,’ she said, a glimmer in her green eyes. ‘You’re definitely not off the hook, by a long way.’
He held a hand to his chest as though she’d wounded him deeply, and she smiled and sipped the wine he poured for her.
The moment had passed when he would have held her close and kissed her, and she mourned its passing. But it was for the best that she’d held him at bay, wasn’t it? It didn’t feel too good right now, but she’d get over it soon enough. She hoped.
CHAPTER SIX
‘THAT’S a really nasty sunburn you have, Ryan.’ Alyssa examined the cameraman’s back and shoulders, and frowned. ‘How did you manage to get yourself into such a state? Your skin is very red and it’s peeling, so there’s a risk of infection if it’s not treated.’
Ryan winced. ‘I was stupid, I know. I didn’t think a couple of hours out in the sun without my shirt would hurt. Only we stayed on the beach longer than I expected, and I fell asleep on my front while the others were messing about in the sea.’ He moved his hands in a helpless gesture. ‘I never knew sunburn could hurt so much. I’ve been feeling really light-headed and sick.’
‘Second-degree burns can be very painful.’ She went over to the sink and rinsed a cloth with cold water, giving it to him to hold over his forehead. ‘That should cool you down a bit and help take away the sick feeling.’
She checked her medicine cupboard for silver sulfadiazine ointment and used the sterile applicator to spread a thick layer of the cream over the damaged skin. ‘This is an antibiotic ointment, to prevent infection,’ she told him. ‘You’ll need to come in every day for the next two or three days so that I can treat you. But I’ll put a dressing on the shoulder for you, in the meantime…that’s looks to be the worst bit of all.’
‘Thanks, Alyssa. You’re a gem. It’s beginning to feel easier already.’
She smiled. ‘It’s the coolness, I expect. It’s very soothing, but you can help yourself by drinking plenty of fluids—not alcohol but lots of water, juices and so on, over the next day or so to prevent dehydration. And make sure you wear a shirt at all times to keep the area covered.’
‘Okay. Thanks again.’ He left a few minutes later, clutching a prescription for ibuprofen, to help him deal with the pain.
‘Another satisfied customer?’ Connor put his head round the door of her makeshift surgery as she was washing her hands at the sink. The company had provided a mobile unit for her, complete with desk, couch and everything that she would need.
‘I hope so. He had a n
asty sunburn.’
‘It must have been serious if you were using that,’ he said, watching her replace the lid on the tub of ointment. ‘The natives around here use something natural…gamalamee.’
She sent him a puzzled look. ‘I can’t say I’ve ever heard of it.’
‘No? It’s a bush medicine—the bark of the gumbo limbo tree, or gamalamee, as they call it hereabouts, cut into strips and boiled. When it’s cool, they place the strips on the burn to soothe the skin and help it heal.’ He smiled. ‘It’s sometimes known as the tourist tree.’
‘Really?’ She lifted a brow. ‘Why’s that?’
‘Because the red bark peels, just like the skin of the unfortunate tourists.’
She chuckled. ‘I can never be sure whether or not you’re teasing me,’ she said.
‘Not at all. It’s quite true. They say it helps a lot with sunburn.’ He peered inside her fridge and lifted out a jug of orange juice. ‘Is it okay if I help myself?’
‘Of course. Glasses are in the cupboard on the wall.’
‘Thanks.’ He was still smiling as he poured juice for himself and offered a glass to Alyssa. ‘It’s also true that it’s one of the main ingredients in a bush tea called Twenty-One-Gun Salute.’ His eyes took on a devilish gleam. ‘It’s said to be a great aphrodisiac.’
‘Hmm. I think maybe we’d best not go there,’ she said with a laugh.
‘Perhaps you’re right. Anyway, you look cool and fresh,’ he said, looking her over as she accepted the cold drink. She was wearing a short-sleeved blouse and a loose-fitting skirt that floated lightly around her legs as she walked. ‘It’s in the high eighties out there.’
‘So you’ve come in here to escape the heat?’
He nodded, taking a long swig from his glass. ‘It’s my lunch break. I had to go and visit my father to see how he was doing, and this place was on my way back to the hospital, so I thought I’d stop by and see how you were doing.’
‘Everything’s going fairly well here, up to now, I think. How’s your father doing?’
‘He’s fine. The tests showed some ulceration, nothing more serious than that, and he has medication to clear it up.’ He studied her. ‘So what’s new here?’
She tasted the refreshing juice and took a long swallow. ‘Ross is back on site—he looks fit and well, so it seems he’s completely over the injury to his head. He’s so much back on form that he’s getting in Dan’s way, I think.’
He chuckled. ‘Is he?’
She nodded, giving a faint smile. ‘He was talking to Dan about needing to find a stand-in for Alex. There’s a water-skiing stunt coming up and they need to get it sorted quickly. Anyway, he told Dan he wants to do the stunt himself.’
He frowned. ‘So soon after a head injury? That’s definitely not on.’
‘Well, everyone seems to think Dan will agree to it. That’s the talk around here today. The thing with this job is that people tend to drop in here and I get to hear all the gossip. They confide all their niggling worries and problems in me.’
‘Well, I can see why they might want to do that. I notice that Ross, in particular, calls in on you fairly often.’
‘And how would you know that?’
‘As you say, people gossip. They know that he’s besotted with you. I only have to walk on the set and people are ready to help me catch up on the news.’
She absorbed that while he finished his drink and glanced at his watch. ‘Perhaps I should be getting back—’ He broke off as someone knocked on the door, and then Ross came in, supporting one of the stagehands, who appeared to be ill. He was also limping badly, and leaning on Ross as best he could.
‘Bring him over to the couch,’ Alyssa said quickly. She recognised the young man as one of the workers who had helped with the clean-up after the storm a few days ago. She’d stood alongside him in the flooded area of a small settlement and piled debris onto a waiting truck.
‘What’s wrong, Lewis?’ she asked. ‘How can I help?’
‘It’s my foot,’ he said, struggling for breath. ‘The pain is really bad.’ He was shivering, too, and looked as though he might pass out at any moment. This couldn’t simply be a problem with his foot, she realised. The man was sick.
‘Shall I take off his shoe and sock?’ Ross asked, when the man was settled on the couch. She nodded.
‘Please. I need to take a look.’ She put on a pair of latex gloves and examined the badly swollen area around Lewis’s ankle and part of his foot. ‘This is very red and angry-looking,’ she told him. There were blisters all around the area, as well as bruising beneath the skin, but in the centre there was an area of dead tissue. ‘Have you any idea how this happened? Did you graze your ankle at any time?’
Lewis nodded, sinking back against the pillows of the couch. A thin film of sweat beaded his brow, yet his body was racked with cold tremors. ‘I caught it on a rock some days ago. It was nothing really, but after the storm it really started to get bad.’
Alyssa reached for her stethoscope and listened to his chest. His lungs were rasping, and when she took his blood pressure she discovered that it was dangerously low.
‘Okay, Lewis, I want you to lie back for a while and rest, and I’m going to give you some oxygen to help with your breathing.’ She placed an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth and connected it to an oxygen cylinder. ‘Take it easy for a while,’ she said. ‘I’m going to have a word with Dr Blakeley, if that’s all right with you.’
He nodded and closed his eyes, and she turned quickly to Ross. ‘Would you get him something to drink while I talk to Connor for a moment?’ she asked.
‘Of course. He’s really ill, isn’t he?’ he said, under his breath.
‘I think so, yes. It’s good that you brought him to me.’
She glanced at Connor, whose expression was sober as he checked the results on the blood-pressure monitor. ‘His pulse is very high,’ she murmured, moving away from the couch so that Lewis couldn’t hear what was being said. ‘And combined with the low blood pressure, I believe he’s going into shock. I think we should get him to hospital right away.’
Connor nodded. ‘He’s dehydrated. Can we get an intravenous line in? And I think it would be wise to give him a strong broad-spectrum antibiotic. We’re looking at sepsis here, and we need to act quickly.’
‘Yes, I think you’re right about that.’ It looked as though Lewis’s whole body was inflamed by some sort of infection. ‘I’ll see to it.’
She’d recognised straight away that it was a grave situation, and for a moment or two she felt the familiar rapid increase in her heartbeat and the knot in the pit of her stomach. Somehow, though, having Connor close by made her feel much stronger, and his presence was reassuring, helping her through this. After a while her hands became steadier and she started to think more clearly.
She said thoughtfully, ‘But what could have caused the wound to flare up like that? What kind of organism are we dealing with here? Something waterborne? I know he was standing in flood water next to me the other day, and his legs were bare.’ She shook her head. ‘I’ve never seen anything quite like it before. There’s an area of dead skin that will need surgical debridement.’
‘It could be Vibrio,’ Connor said. ‘Sometimes after tropical storms it blooms quite profusely in flood water. Molluscs feed on poisonous plankton, and the bacteria can be passed on to people, either through being eaten, if the shellfish aren’t prepared properly, boiled, and so on, or they thrive in water and can infect wounds, which is what I think might have happened in this case.’
‘And it’s more dangerous this way?’
He nodded. ‘Extremely so. Lewis is already in a bad way, near to collapse. I think we should take him to hospital now—we can go in my car. It’ll be quicker than waiting for an ambulance.’
‘Okay. I’ll get him ready.’
She set up an intravenous line in Lewis’s arm to remedy the dehydration and try to restore the balance of his blood pressure and heart rat
e, and at the same time she explained to him that they needed to get him to hospital. ‘They’ll do blood tests and make sure you get the right antibiotic to deal with the infection,’ she told him. ‘In the meantime, I’m going to inject you with the strongest one I have, and that should help to stop it in its tracks.’
Between them, Ross and Connor helped him out to the car, while Alyssa held the fluid bag of normal saline aloft.
She sat with him in the back of the car while Connor started up the engine. ‘Thanks for your help, Ross,’ she said, giving him a light wave before the car moved away. Ross was subdued, shocked, she guessed, by what was happening. ‘Try not to worry. We’ll take care of him.’
Once they arrived at the hospital Connor went into action, hooking Lewis up to a cardiac monitor and checking his vital signs once more. Then he took samples of his blood for testing.
‘His breathing’s pretty bad,’ he said, turning to Alyssa, who was looking on. ‘I suspect there’s a lot of inflammation there, so I’m going to put him on corticosteroids to try to reduce it. And as soon as I get the test results back, I’ll give him electrolytes to restore the acid balance of his blood.’ He frowned and turned to the nurse who was assisting him. ‘We’ll put him on a vasopressor drug and see if that will bring up his blood pressure some more. It’s still dangerously low.’
‘Okay, I’ll get things ready for you.’
A porter took the samples over to the lab and Connor called for a surgeon to come and look at Lewis’s wound.
‘All we can do now is wait for the results to come through,’ Connor told Alyssa some time later. ‘It shouldn’t take too long for some of the simpler ones to come back from the lab, but he won’t be able to go to surgery until we have his condition stabilised.’ He glanced at her, taking in her worried expression. ‘How are you holding up? Are you okay? I know these situations are worrying for you.’
‘I’m all right.’ She frowned. ‘It’s very strange, but for the first time in a couple of years I haven’t had that awful, prolonged sick feeling in my stomach when I’ve had to deal with an emergency. It was there, but it was over very quickly. I can’t explain it.’ She looked at him. He was so calm, so thorough in everything he did, reliable, capable…everything she dreamed of being.
