Diagnosis

by Lucy Clark

  ‘Great.’ Logan stepped out of his harness and climbed into the ambulance. Bruce was getting into the driver’s side and soon they were on their way back to Stawell. Logan pulled on another pair of gloves. Charli was already doing the man’s vital signs and Logan felt the abdomen where she’d previously sutured. He grabbed a stethoscope and listened.

  He handed the stethoscope to Charli and changed over the drip while she listened. ‘It doesn’t sound right, does it,’ she stated rhetorically. ‘Let’s go in and see what we can find.’ They quickly prepped him and Logan put an amnesic drug into the drip to ensure their patient didn’t regain consciousness during the procedure.

  Charli made an incision and checked around. ‘It’s the spleen,’ she said. ‘It’s ruptured. Suction.’

  They managed to keep their patient stabilised and by the time they arrived at Stawell Hospital, their patient was in dire need of the expertise of the surgical team.

  Charli breathed a sigh of relief when he was taken off their hands. ‘I didn’t need that.’

  ‘What? Working hard in an ambulance, after traversing a cliff?’ Logan smiled and put his arms around her, not caring in the slightest who saw them. ‘You’re brilliant, Charli.’ She gazed up at him and he saw that she was completely exhausted.

  ‘Come and have a seat for a while before we head back home.’

  ‘Mmm. That sounds nice,’ she sighed. She allowed herself to be led to the kitchenette and sat down, watching Logan make her a cup of coffee. ‘Actually, is there any herbal tea?’

  ‘Uh…’ Logan searched the cupboards. ‘Yes. Want a cup?’

  ‘Yes, please.’ Charli leaned her head back and closed her eyes. ‘When I’m working late at night in my lab, I sneak downstairs to Dr Hansen’s little kitchen and pinch some of his herbal teas. They’re delicious.’

  Logan chuckled. ‘Why don’t you just keep some in your lab?’

  ‘My lab assistant doesn’t like the smell of them. He has an over-sensitive nose. Dr Hansen doesn’t mind. I think he buys them just for me sometimes.’

  ‘He sounds like a nice friend.’

  ‘He is.’ Charli sighed again and Logan finished making her tea.

  ‘Your memories are starting to flow more smoothly now.’ Charli opened her eyes and looked at him as he placed her tea on the table.

  ‘I think it’s you. You’re so easy to talk to. You know when to prod and when to back away.’ She smiled at him and sipped at her tea. ‘Nice.’ Logan sat beside her and lifted her feet up onto his legs and began massaging one foot at a time. ‘Mmm. You’re good at helping people, Logan Hargraves, but it makes me wonder.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You give and you give, but do you ever receive?’

  ‘More than you could imagine,’ he said with total conviction. ‘Those kids have given me so much. The town of Halls Gap, the people, the patients, all of them, they’ve given me so much.’

  ‘I think it’s completely ingrained in you, part of your genetic make-up. You can’t help but be nice to people.’ She smothered a yawn. ‘It’s your MO. Logan—the knight in shining armour.’ She giggled, her eyes beginning to close. ‘Where’s your horse?’

  Logan merely smiled, glad she was so relaxed after such a stressful evening. Ten minutes later, Wil came in to find Charli snuggled down in her chair, sound asleep, her feet on Logan’s lap.

  ‘How’s everything going?’ Logan asked.

  ‘Good. Halley and Max have taken the other two guys back to Heartfield and are happy to keep them there. How’s your patient?’

  ‘Still in Theatre.’ Logan shook his head in wonderment as he gazed at the woman beside him. ‘Charli was amazing, Wil.’ Logan told him what had happened in the ambulance. ‘She gave that guy a better chance to fight for his life.’

  ‘How does that sit with her not being licensed to practise in this country?’

  ‘You may want to check that out for me, but from what I can remember she may well be licensed. At the conference, while she was speaking, she made a comment about the differences in operating theatres here. She was here for a week before the conference so my guess is that she did some demonstration operating during that time.’

  ‘So for her to do that—’

  ‘She’d have to be licensed,’ they both finished together.

  Wil nodded. ‘I’ll look into it for you.’ He gestured to Charli. ‘Looks as though your modern-day heroine is waking up.’

  Charli shifted, stretched and yawned before opening her eyes. When she realised that she had two men watching her she sat up, feeling very self-conscious. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘Don’t be,’ Logan said quickly.

  Charli put her feet on the floor and raised her hands to her hair. Finding it messy, she quickly finger-combed her blonde locks and pulled them back into a neat ponytail. Logan was mesmerised, watching her graceful movements.

  ‘So, Logan, have you called your mum?’ Wil asked, breaking the silence.

  Logan quickly looked to his friend. ‘Hmm…ah…What?’

  ‘Your mother? Have you called her?’

  ‘You’re about the sixth person to ask me that. Yes, I’ve called my mum.’ He shook his head. ‘When everyone asks me like that, it makes me feel as though I’m a mummy’s boy who still lives at home at the ripe old age of thirty-three and needs to check in if he’s going to stay out after dark!’

  Charli chuckled. ‘It does sound pretty bad, you have to admit, Logan.’

  Logan shook his head as Wil joined in her laughter. ‘Thankfully,’ Wil added, ‘everyone knows the real reason you need to let your parents know what’s happening.’ He looked at Charli. ‘Our man here was the local hero when he stepped in to look after those children. Every woman in the district thought he was as good if not better than Superman.’

  ‘All except one.’ Logan raised his cup to his lips.

  ‘Well, Barbara was hardly in this district, and don’t tell me you’re still pining for her.’ Wil stared at him in amazement. ‘From the few times I met her, Logan, I have to tell you my honest opinion of the woman was that she was a piranha.’

  ‘Barbara the Piranha?’ Charli glanced at Logan, trying to suppress a grin.

  ‘Go ahead. Laugh all you want.’ He drained his cup, placed it on the table and then leaned back in his chair, stretching. ‘It was a long time ago.’

  Charli watched the stretch with interest, the way his shirt pulled against his biceps and firm trapezius. She was only vaguely aware of what the two men were saying.

  ‘Yeah, but, please, mate, tell me you’re not still carrying a torch for her.’

  ‘No way. That torch snuffed itself out long before Trev and Alison’s accident. I just hadn’t realised it. Women like that and I don’t mix—that much I’ve learned. Besides, the past five years have been the most rewarding of my life.’ He stood and collected their cups from the table. ‘I’m a family man now and that’s the way it’s going to stay.’

  ‘Whew.’ Wil wiped imaginary sweat from his brow. ‘I’m pleased to hear that—about Barbara, I mean. She was bad news.’

  ‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ Logan said in mild defence. ‘She was just a woman who knew her own mind and wasn’t going to let anything divert her. She wanted to be a prominent doctor’s wife and, as far as I know, she is. She married a guy I went to medical school with who’s more content with the amount he charges his patients than actually caring about his patients.’

  ‘What do you think, Charli?’

  Charli switched her attention from watching Logan to his friend. ‘Think? About…’ She stopped and cleared her throat. ‘About what?’

  ‘About Logan and his non-existent love life,’ Wil said. Logan glared daggers into his friend’s back before glancing at Charli. Her eyes were wide with shock and he could also see the beginning spark of desire.

  He needed to nip this in the bud—and quickly. ‘You don’t need to answer that,’ he told Charli in an offhand manner. ‘Wil only asks questions like that becaus
e his own love life is even more non-existent than mine, and he doesn’t have the excuse of looking after children to fall back on.’

  Wil shrugged. ‘He’s right, unfortunately. Got any friends who are single?’ he asked Charli, and then cringed after he’d said the words. ‘Uh…sorry, Charli. I forgot.’

  ‘You and me both.’ She stood and another yawn escaped her lips. ‘Excuse me. I’m pretty beat but before I forget, Logan said you had some news for me.’

  ‘Oh, yeah. With the emergency and everything, it slipped my mind.’ Wil glanced at Logan and then back to Charli. ‘You might want to sit down.’

  ‘Is it that bad?’

  ‘Uh…yeah.’ Wil waited until she was seated and glanced at Logan again before he began. ‘I’ve managed to trace your steps as far as Melbourne. Thanks to Logan, we knew you’d been at the medical conference last weekend. The hotel you stayed at have faxed me through the printout of your account. I have it at the police station if you’d like to have a look at it.’

  ‘Is she still registered there? Her belongings, work papers, not to mention her passport must be somewhere.’

  ‘That’s where it gets strange. They said you’d checked out yesterday morning.’

  ‘Yesterday was Tuesday. She was in Halls Gap well before six o’clock!’

  ‘What time?’ Charli’s voice was quiet.

  ‘It was done via the before-hours checkout. They didn’t process it until after eight o’clock. They said the room you’d stayed in was vacant. No belongings or anything else were left.’

  ‘What about the car hire?’ Logan asked. This wasn’t good news. If Charli’s passport and belongings were missing…

  The two men watched as Charli stood and started to pace up and down in the small room. ‘You hired the car when you had first arrived in Melbourne over a week ago. Everything was paid up front.’

  ‘Something’s not right here,’ she said.

  ‘You’ve got that straight,’ Logan agreed. ‘Something is wrong, Charli, and the answer is in your amnesia.’

  Charli looked at Wil. ‘You said there was no sign of a struggle, no sign that I wasn’t alone when I fell.’

  ‘Which can only mean you were out walking alone.’ It was Logan who said the words. ‘You need to walk when you’re upset or agitated.’ Charli stopped pacing and glared at him. Logan only raised an eyebrow as if to say, See?.

  ‘Something was bothering you,’ Wil said, taking a small notebook from the top pocket of his uniform. He found his pen and started to write things down. ‘You had a hire car, started driving and ended up here. You needed to get control of your thoughts so you went for a walk.’

  Both men looked at Charli. She shrugged. ‘It’s possible.’

  Logan realised she was tired and they’d talked enough for the moment. ‘Well, Dr Summerfield, regardless of how you ended up here, it’s now time for you to get your beauty sleep.’

  ‘Are you implying that I look awful?’ she challenged him, glad for the lighter tone.

  ‘I wouldn’t dream of it.’ He stood and pulled out his phone. ‘I’ll just send a text message to my mother on her cellphone so I don’t wake the kids, and then we’ll go.’

  ‘OK. I’ll visit the bathroom, first,’ Charli said.

  ‘I’ll check on the patients.’

  ‘I’ll head off. Drive safely, you two.’ Wil put his notebook away and headed out the door with a cheery wave. Logan finished sending the message to his mother and then studied his phone more closely.

  When Charli returned, he said quickly, ‘What was your apartment security code again?’

  ‘Testing my anterograde memory, Doctor?’

  ‘No. I know there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m figuring out a clue.’

  ‘Uh, 18,12,68,37,88,73,’ she recited, amazed at how easily the code came to her.

  ‘You like Tchaikovsky. Look.’ He held out his cellphone. ‘Look at the numbers in relation to the letters. The last four sets spell out “overture”.’

  Charli looked at the phone, then at Logan then back to the phone again. ‘You’re right!’

  ‘Don’t sound so surprised. I may not have your IQ level but I’m no dummy.’

  She smiled at him. ‘I never said you were.’ She held his phone out to him. ‘Pumpkin time?’

  ‘Hmm?’

  ‘It means time to go.’ She giggled. ‘You know, Cinderella leaving the ball at midnight because her carriage is going to turn into a pumpkin.’

  ‘Oh that pumpkin time. Sure. I knew that’s what you meant.’

  She laughed as they headed out to check on the patients. ‘I’m sure you’ve read the story to your kids quite a few times.’

  ‘Try a few hundred,’ he whispered as they entered the ward. He checked on the patients, wrote up some medication prescriptions in case they were needed and said good-night to the nursing staff.

  When they walked out of the hospital, it was after midnight. Both were silent as they started the half-hour drive back to Halls Gap. Logan dug around in the console for a tape and finally found the one he wanted. He put it on and soon the strains of Tchaikovsky filled the air.

  Charli felt herself instantly relax and her eyes began to close. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

  Logan was surprised to hear her breathing turn deep so soon but he didn’t blame her for wanting to sleep. She must be so annoyed and frustrated, not knowing who she was or what had happened to her. She was scared as well—he’d seen that in her eyes tonight when Wil had been talking. To combat it, she’d started to pace. Nervous energy.

  Her memory needed time to heal. The book he’d borrowed from the hospital library detailed the symptoms of retrograde amnesia as well as hysterical amnesia. Physically, her head appeared to be all right. She had a bruise on her skull but that would heal. According to the textbook, she would start to remember the events leading up to her arrival in Halls Gap within two to three days of the initial incident, but as there was also an emotional trauma present, it might take months for it to heal. It was all a matter of unlocking what she’d been trying to suppress in the first place.

  She started to twitch a little, which concerned Logan, but then he realised she was only dreaming. Then her breathing started to become fast and shallow and he realised the dream wasn’t such a good one after all. As much as he wanted to wake her, he knew she needed to dream out the pain that was surrounding her. The question was, how much would she remember on waking?

  He pulled the car into the driveway outside his house and, watching her closely, cut the engine.

  As though on cue, Charli gasped and jerked upright. ‘Chuck! No!’ Her eyes were wide open but he wasn’t sure she was seeing things clearly as she appeared to be groping around, fighting against the restraining seat belt.

  ‘Charli?’ he said softly, and she turned frightened eyes to him. She was still struggling against the seat belt so he pressed the release button.

  Her breathing was harsh and for a few moments he wasn’t sure she saw him—really saw him. Slowly, her breathing began to settle. ‘Logan?’ Her voice was a whisper. ‘Logan, is that you?’

  ‘Yes.’ He touched her hand. ‘It’s me. Everything’s all right.’

  ‘No. No it’s not. They’re coming for me. They’re after me.’

  He watched her closely, wondering if he should tell her she’d called out Chuck’s name. ‘Who?’ he tested.

  ‘I don’t know. I’m running…always running.’ Tears had started to stream down her face and she was really trembling. Logan growled something inaudible and climbed from the car, stalking around to her side to help her out.

  Once she was standing, he hauled her into his arms and held her close. ‘Cry it out, sweetheart. Cry it out.’

  It was then she began to sob. Her body was racked with spasm after spasm and he knew the worst thing was that she had no idea why. He knew he’d feel that way if the positions were reversed.

  ‘Hold me. Hold me, Logan,’ she whispered frantically against his shirt. H
e was cold, they both were, but he couldn’t move. He gathered her closer, as close as he possibly could, his arms strong and firm about her.

  The urge to protect this woman for the rest of his life was incredibly strong and Logan vowed then and there that if anyone tried to hurt her, they’d have to go through him first.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ONCE Charli had cried out all the tears and tension which had mounted to boiling point, Logan led her inside. His mother greeted them and when she saw that Charli was upset she whisked her away to the bedroom. Logan was deeply concerned for Charli but knew his mother’s natural caring would help settle her for the night.

  He raked a hand through his hair, exhaled harshly and worked desperately hard to get his body under control. Just holding Charli in his arms had been enough to send him almost over the top. So many emotions, so many feelings, and the surge of protectiveness hadn’t helped.

  He checked on the children, trying not to think about Charli. Owen and his friend Mikey were sleeping soundly, the covers strewn all over the place. He smiled and straightened the covers back over them, then checked the heater as it was going to be another cold night and he didn’t want either of them to freeze. Then he headed into the kitchen.

  He boiled the kettle, more for something to do rather than anything else. He was sitting at the bench, looking into his cup, thinking of how beautiful Charli was—the way small strands of hair would fly free in the breeze, the way her eyes twinkled when she smiled—when his mother came in.

  ‘She’s settled now. I made her take some paracetamol because she was bound to have a headache after crying like that.’

  ‘You heard her?’

  ‘I heard you pull up and was…curious as to why you didn’t come straight in.’ His mother gave him a contrite look. ‘I looked out the window to make sure everything was all right. I swear, Logan. That’s the only reason I looked. I wasn’t snooping.’

  He smiled. ‘It’s all right, Mum.’

  ‘You were good to let her cry it out.’ Rose shook her head. ‘She’s very fragile.’