by Karin Baine
The sound of banging on the door reverberated around the room.
‘Guys, I know this is...er...bad timing but we really have an emergency out here. So if you could postpone this for now and get your clothes on, I’d really appreciate it.’ Peter was shouting so loudly it wasn’t hard to figure out what he thought of this match. Seeing Joe rolling around half-naked with his stepsister might have played a part in colouring that judgement.
‘We have to go. Peter definitely wouldn’t be hanging around unless he really had to. It must be serious.’ It was Emily who finally became the voice of reason. Someone needed their help, and everything else would have to wait.
Joe was dreading coming face-to-face with Peter more than whatever crisis was going on beyond this one.
‘Are we good?’ He wanted confirmation before they took this outside.
Emily nodded and attempted a smile. It would have to do until they were alone again and able to speak freely.
There was no putting this off any longer. They couldn’t afford to let any awkwardness take precedence over someone’s health. Joe opened the door to a scowling Peter.
‘It’s the chief’s son. You’d better come and see him.’ He turned on his heel, barely able to look at either of them.
Joe could hardly blame him. He was lucky he hadn’t been on the receiving end of a fist. Although there was still time. He quickened his pace to keep up with his probably now ex-mate, aware that Emily was content to hang back.
‘What’s wrong with him?’
‘He’s running a fever, vomiting, and generally in a really bad way.’
In this region there was always a chance those symptoms could be more serious than a run-of-the-mill stomach bug. Malaria, typhoid and dengue fever were also commonplace alongside the usual culprits. They were also potentially deadly. He’d seen them all on his travels, along with the variable outcomes.
Joe stopped abruptly.
‘We’ll need medical supplies if he’s too weak to come here for treatment.’ It was the first thing he should have checked before heading off, and showed how far his focus had strayed over the course of the evening. This wasn’t a typical nine-to-five job where he could clock off and have romantic nights in when he felt like it.
‘Of course. There’s no way he’d make it back here.’ Peter slowed too as if he should also take the blame for the oversight. They were obviously all a little shaken up and not thinking as rationally as they should in their rush to get away from the scene of the alleged crime.
‘I’ll go back and get them,’ Emily piped up from the back.
‘Pardon me?’ He wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly. Volunteering to go back meant she would have to find her way out to the chief’s house alone, in the dark. It was a clear sign how much she was dreading being left with her stepbrother, trying to make conversation. He wasn’t looking forward to it much himself.
‘I said I’ll get what we need and meet you both out there.’ She spoke louder, with a determination he couldn’t very well object to.
‘Will you be able to find your way in the dark?’ It was one thing for two ex-soldiers who’d been living here for weeks to track their way back with very little illumination and quite another for Emily, who was still getting to know her way around.
‘I’ll be fine. I’ll grab a lantern from the clinic.’
Oh, yeah, that made sense. He might have done that himself if he hadn’t thought he’d need both hands to fend off an irate stepbrother. Peter was keeping it together for now but he knew him well enough to know that rage was bubbling somewhere under that apparently calm surface.
‘We’re probably going to need antibiotics, paracetamol, a blood-pressure cuff, maybe an IV line—’
‘I’m sure I can handle it.’ Emily wasted no more time as she spun round and walked towards the light coming from the clinic.
He’d been so busy trying to cover all possibilities he’d neglected to give her any credit as his medically qualified equal in the process. That was another member of the Jackson family he was going to have to try and make amends with later. It wasn’t that he was trying to tick everyone off tonight, it had simply happened organically.
‘You heard her. We’ll go on without her.’ There was the tone of a big brother/kid sister talk waiting to happen and it wasn’t as if Joe could walk away and let them get on with it. He was very much a part of it.
‘Mate, I know what that must’ve looked like.’ He was literally cringing at having to remind Peter of what he’d just witnessed but he didn’t want to ignore the obvious tension and have their friendship fester because of it.
‘Unless I’m wrong, it looked like you were seducing my sister on the floor.’ Peter’s teeth were a glistening vision of naked aggression in the moonlight and Joe braced himself for imminent attack.
‘You’re partially right. Although I wouldn’t have said it was all one-sided. Emily’s a woman who knows her own mind—’
‘I don’t want to know the details, thanks.’
‘Right. I just mean we both like each other. We’re having some fun together.’
They’d been having a lot of fun right up until real life had barged in on them and burst their bubble. Up until the moment his love interest’s protective big brother had come looking for her, they had been discovering their own little piece of paradise. Alone in that room, in each other’s company, in each other’s arms it had been easy to forget their lives outside that door and not consider the consequences of their actions. Such as protection. They hadn’t discussed it and Joe had definitely been too carried away in the moment to think about it. Although his body had protested at Peter’s interruption perhaps it hadn’t been as ill-timed as he’d first thought.
A pregnancy would not have been a souvenir either of them would want to take away from this holiday romance. Emily was just getting her life back on track after her ex-husband’s betrayal and her bravery today was proof of that. She didn’t need to be tied to him for the rest of her days and vice versa. His personal issues would forever cloud any sort of long-term relationship and while this was still only a fling there was no reason to start trying to explain them. Unlike Emily, he wasn’t ready to share them publicly.
‘I thought I could trust you, man. You know what she’s been through.’
‘Yeah, and she needs this time away to try and forget it. I promise I won’t do anything to hurt her.’ He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he did. There’d be no trek long enough, or climb high enough to help him forget intentionally hurting either of them.
‘You’d better not. I’d hate to have to hand back my halo and take up arms again.’ At least there was a hint of humour in the thinly veiled threat.
Joe held his hand up. ‘Hey, I don’t want to be the one responsible for sending you back to the dark side.’
‘Then stay away from my sister.’
Okay, there wasn’t a trace of a veil hiding that one. If only it was as easy as keeping his distance. Been there, done that, ended up rolling around on the floor with her.
‘Sorry, bro, but I’m not going to do that. I don’t want any bad blood between us but I like Emily a lot.’ Joe waited for the explosions to start as he defiantly went against his friend’s wishes. He only hoped Emily was as steadfast in continuing the relationship after this or else putting his friendship with Peter in jeopardy was all for nothing.
Instead of further threats of fisticuffs, Peter let out a sigh. The resigned sound of his disappointment was almost as devastating to Joe’s equilibrium as the right hook he’d been expecting. Although he didn’t want to examine his feelings for Emily too deeply for fear of what he’d discover, it spoke volumes that he was willing to risk upsetting the very guy he’d come here to help.
‘I guess it’s my fault for pushing you two together but I thought I could trust you no
t to take advantage of her.’
Another blow where it hurt the most.
‘I would never do that. I respect her too much.’
‘It didn’t look that way to me.’
Joe’s insides shrivelled up with shame. It would be easy to misinterpret what had been happening between him and Emily as something tawdry when it had evolved so naturally and beautifully. He regretted Peter walking in on them but not a second of the evening up until then.
‘I’m sorry if you saw anything untoward but at the end of the day Emily’s a grown woman who makes her own decisions.’ There it was, the comment that could finally break their bromance. He was effectively telling the guy to butt out.
‘That lack of judgement is the reason she ran out here in the first place.’ Another sigh. ‘I could use a cup of kava right about now, and a bucket of eye bleach. Your bare backside is not an image I want to go to sleep with tonight.’
Joe exhaled a nervous laugh. ‘In that case, what do you say we forget it ever happened? I promise not to hurt your sister and keep my backside covered at all times.’ It was the best compromise he could come to and mean it. Anything more than that and he knew he’d have difficulty keeping his word. He and Emily still had unfinished business.
‘Hmm. I guess that’ll have to do but the first sign of Joe-related tears from my little sister—’
‘I know, I know, I should start swimming.’
‘As long as we’re clear.’
‘Crystal.’
It wasn’t anything Joe hadn’t expected. All things considered, he’d got off lightly. Yasi Island really had mellowed Peter out. In another time and place he wouldn’t have thought twice about knocking him out and Joe wouldn’t have blamed him. He’d spent many a long night on training exercises talking about his family, shared all the big achievements in Emily’s life with Joe as he’d read about them in cherished letters he’d received in Afghanistan. It was only natural tonight would seem like a betrayal and only time would let him prove otherwise.
As they reached the chief’s house he was glad they’d kind of cleared the air. Whatever was ailing the patient inside was undoubtedly going to be difficult enough to manage, without the added stress of a duel over Emily’s honour. He glanced back, checking for signs of her following, and could just about make out a bobbing flicker of light snaking through the village in the distance. Whatever the rest of the night had in store for him, he knew he would get through it better with her at his side.
CHAPTER NINE
EMILY KNEW JOE would have everything under control until she got there. At least as far as the medical emergency went. There were no obvious signs of a scuffle as she followed in their wake to the chief’s house. She hadn’t stumbled over any bodies so she’d take that as a sign he and Peter had either worked things out or chosen to ignore the humiliation they’d all just endured. It was going to take her longer to get over it.
She prayed Joe’s quick actions had covered most of her blushes but it hadn’t been enough to disguise what they’d been up to. Peter definitely would not approve, not because he was a prude, he was an ex-soldier after all, but because she’d chosen his best friend to get over her break-up. At the same time she realised Joe wasn’t something she was willing to give up. Not yet. That time would come soon enough and she didn’t want to miss out on anything he had to offer.
Tonight had only been a taster of what they could have together and not something she would easily forget when her body was still thrumming with sexual awareness. As long as she remembered this wasn’t real, that they were never going to be part of each other’s lives away from here, she shouldn’t have to worry about anything other than enjoying the moment with Joe. Well, apart from her stepbrother walking in on them after passion had taken hold.
A shudder ripped through her. She was an adult, one who’d gone through an acrimonious split from her husband and deserved some fun and excitement in her life. That didn’t mean one frowning look from her stepbrother wouldn’t regress her back to that role of naughty kid sister, even when she hadn’t done anything other than let loose for once. They were going to have to discuss what had happened, what was happening, between her and Joe so she could reassure him she knew what she was doing. Even when it seemed so far removed from her normal behaviour.
Joe and Peter already had proceedings under way when she caught up with them at either side of the patient’s bedside.
‘We thought he’d be more comfortable in my bed and we’ve stripped him down to try and bring down the fever.’ Her stepbrother didn’t waste any time on small talk, which suited her fine. They could discuss personal matters later in private, or not at all—either worked for her.
The small room was cramped with the chief and the three of them crowded inside, so she stood back, trying to remain invisible until she was needed. No such luck when Joe had anything to do with it.
‘I need a thermometer if you have one in there.’
She rummaged around her bag and produced one while he stood with his hand out, waiting, as if he was the lead surgeon and she was the theatre nurse. It wasn’t much of a stretch, she supposed, in this scenario where she was a spectator rather than the one taking readings.
‘You’ve got a temperature of forty degrees, so we really need to get that down. I’ll need plenty of water to keep him hydrated and we could use something to keep him sponged down. It would really help if we could clear as many people out of here as possible. Emily, I’m going to need your help to get this under control.’ The crowd parted like the Red Sea to make a clear path between her and Joe, everyone watching for her reaction. Probably for different reasons.
‘I’ll get the water.’ Peter’s gaze flitted suspiciously between them as though they were trying to engineer another reason to be alone.
He shouldn’t have worried. Emily needed time to process what had taken place tonight before they ended up back in the same scenario. It seemed neither of them were able to control themselves when left to their own devices and as yet she hadn’t decided if that was detrimental to her well-being or not. Physically, there was no doubt they were compatible. It was the more personal aspects of getting involved that caused her concern. Her emotions were still in recovery and she didn’t think they could cope with another mauling, no matter how unintentional.
Eventually Peter made a move towards the door, with the chief soon following behind.
Although it didn’t make the room any less suffocating as she had to face Joe and try not to mention the incredible time they’d had together before fate had intervened.
‘Nete is presenting with fever, along with muscle and joint pain. Did you bring some paracetamol?’ He put her to shame with his thoughts being solely for his patient and not lingering back at their love shack. From here on they were merely medical colleagues working together to treat their patient. Everything beyond that could wait until their patient was back on track.
‘Yes. That should help bring that temperature down too.’ Important in preventing fits and further complications.
‘Can you sit up for me?’ He put a hand on the young man’s back and eased him up from the bed amid a lot of wincing.
Joe gestured for her to stand beside him. It was only then that she noticed the rash dotted across Nete’s flushed skin, little islands of white in a sea of red.
‘Have you been near any stagnant water recently?’
Emily’s mind had instantly gone to all of those childhood illnesses mostly eradicated via the vaccination programme back home, but Joe obviously had different ideas about the source of the rash.
‘I was down by the river a few days ago.’
Joe frowned, clearly disturbed by the information.
She knew herself that areas of stagnant water were a breeding ground for mosquitoes, airborne viruses and bad news.
‘Could you ge
t me the blood-pressure cuff, Emily?’
‘I’m just going to wrap this around your arm,’ she said to Nete. ‘There will be a tightening sensation as we inflate the cuff but there’s no need to panic. It’s just how we test your blood pressure.’ She knew the patient was too lethargic to really pay attention to what they were doing but it was important for her to have a role here and not fall back into the old pattern of feeling surplus to requirements. Joe had specifically asked her to assist him and this kind of emergency was exactly why she was here.
The lines on Joe’s forehead grew deeper with the low reading she recorded. Although low blood pressure could be a sign of good health and fitness in someone of this age, coupled with the other symptoms it could be an indicator of heart or neurological disorders.
Joe loosened the cuff, squinting at the arm beneath as he did so and refastening it. ‘I’m just going to do something called a tourniquet test. This means the cuff will tighten again for a few minutes.’
Emily watched in silence as he inflated it to the midpoint between the systolic and diastolic blood pressures, unease snaking through her body. She’d read up on tropical illnesses before venturing out here to practise and the tourniquet test was used to diagnose something far more serious than gastroenteritis. Dengue fever, also known as break-bone fever because of the associated joint pain. It was no wonder he was whimpering with pain even in his dazed state or that Joe was becoming increasingly concerned.
There was the threat of potentially fatal dengue haemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome, neither of which they were equipped to treat. There was no intensive care unit in which to treat him if he needed it. Neither was there access to laboratory tests to confirm the initial diagnosis, which was why they would have to rely on this tourniquet test. With more than twenty petechial red spots from broken capillary blood vessels visible per square inch of skin, Joe’s hunch was proved right.
