by Anne Fraser
Ian looked at his mother. His lower lip trembled.
‘You don’t have to go back already, Mummy. You said you were staying for ages this time. Daddy, tell Mummy she can’t go. She has to stay here with us.’
Cameron’s eyes were hooded. He looked at his ex-wife.
‘Do you have to go? Can’t you stay a little longer? For your son’s sake, if nothing else?’
‘You know I can only tolerate it here for so long, Cameron. Besides, I need a new dress for the dance as well as checking in with the agency. I’ll be back before you know it.’ She reached out and tweaked her son’s cheek. ‘You know I’d take you with me if I could, don’t you, darling? But there’s school. And anyway Daddy doesn’t like me to take you away.’ She slid a look in Cameron’s direction, seemingly waiting for a response. When she didn’t get one she continued, ‘I think we’d better leave Dr Galbraith to get dressed, don’t you, Cameron?’ She raised an elegant eyebrow in Meagan’s direction. ‘I’d invite you to dinner, but I’m sure you have plenty you’d rather be getting on with. My family has taken up too much of your time as it is.’
Meagan felt herself flush under the woman’s thinly veiled hostility. She couldn’t imagine wanting to spend an evening in her company.
‘No, I think I’ll have a long bath and watch a movie. Thanks all the same.’ Meagan turned to Ian and Effie.
‘Thank you both very much for your company this afternoon. I can’t remember when I last had such good crew.’
‘Does that mean we can do it again?’ Ian’s cheerful smile had disappeared. Once again he looked like the solemn child older than his years that Meagan had first met.
‘Any time. You just phone me whenever it’s a good day, and if I’m free we’ll just pack a picnic and go. If that’s all right with you?’ Meagan asked Rachel.
‘Whatever,’ Rachel replied, shrugging her shoulders and looking bored. ‘Although I have to say I’m surprised, if you are so keen on kids, that you haven’t any of your own.’
Meagan flinched. Was it possible that this woman knew? No, it couldn’t be. No one knew except Charlie. It had been a stab in the dark. Rachel couldn’t know. She picked up her rucksack and shivering, through whether it was from the cold or something else she couldn’t be sure.
‘I’ll return your sweater to the surgery, Cameron. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll say goodnight.’ She walked away and didn’t look back.
Later that evening the weather turned stormy. The rain was lashing against the windows and they rattled at the onslaught. Meagan was surprised at how quickly the weather had changed, just as Cameron had predicted. He had been right to cut their boat trip short.
Meagan shivered. The house felt cool and she eyed the fire apprehensively before rolling up her sleeves and making an attempt at getting it going. Happily, after her third failed attempt Mrs McLeod appeared, and with a certain amount of disdainful clucking got it going for her.
‘I’ll do it for you this time, but watch carefully so you can manage yourself next time. I won’t always be around to help.’
Meagan was getting the distinct impression that the housekeeper didn’t approve of her.
‘I’m sure I’ll manage next time. I’m quite good at picking things up.’
Mrs McLeod harrumphed, lifted the pail by the fire and headed towards the door.
‘Where are you going with the bucket?’ Meagan asked.
‘Out to the peat stack at the back of the house. You’ll need more to see the fire through the evening.’
‘Oh, no, you don’t. It’s wild out there.’ Meagan took the pail from the protesting woman’s fingers. ‘If anyone’s going, its me.’
Reluctantly, Mrs McLeod let Meagan take the bucket. She handed her a torch. ‘Here. You’ll need this. It’s as black as the peat you’re going for out there.’
By the time Meagan returned, Mrs. McLeod had set a pot of tea and a couple of scones on the table, and was tying a scarf around her head.
‘Get out of those wet things and warm yourself by the fire,’ she said brusquely, but Meagan could tell that she was beginning to unbend. ‘I’ll be off to the house before the weather gets any worse.’
Immediately, Meagan put her jacket back on.
‘I’ll run you up quickly.’
‘No, indeed you won’t,’ the older woman protested. ‘We island women are a lot tougher than you city girls. Although—’ she smiled at Meagan ‘—you are not quite as useless as I thought you might be.’
Before Meagan had a chance to protest further, Mrs. McLeod had left.
Once she’d had a bath and something to eat Meagan, took her book and curled up in front of the fire. The wind had risen further and the little house shook as the wind rattled the windows. She was glad that she didn’t have to be out on a night like this. Once or twice the lights flickered. She had been warned that the electricity often went down during storms. Meagan hoped there were some candles stashed somewhere, but if not she’d just have to make do with an early night. Not a bad idea, she thought as she toasted her feet in the warmth of the fire and snuggled deeper into her thick dressing-gown.
She was just about to go to bed when there was a knock at the door. As she opened it, the force of the wind almost took it out of her hand. Standing in front of her was Cameron. His hair was plastered to his forehead and he was dressed in oilskins.
‘Can I come in?’ He had to shout to make himself heard above the wind. It would serve him right if I left him there, Meagan thought. Then he’d know what it felt like to be soaked to the skin. But something in Cameron’s expression told her that this was no social call. Silently she stood back and let him enter. He strode over to the fire and warmed his hands.
‘We need your help, Meagan,’ he said. ‘One of the fishing boats didn’t return this evening. Search and Rescue are sending a helicopter. It’s too stormy for a lifeboat. I’m going with them but we need all hands on deck at the hospital if we find them. And that means all the doctors at both practices. There are four men on that boat.’ He looked anguished. ‘And I know them all.’
‘Of course. I’ll get dressed straight away. But why didn’t you phone? I could have gone straight to the hospital.’
‘Have you tried your phone in the last couple of hours?’ he asked. ‘The lines are down. The mobiles too. It doesn’t help with the communication problems. And, anyway, I didn’t want you driving to the hospital on your own. It’s high tide later tonight and the wind is already pushing the waves over the causeways. If you don’t know exactly where you are going it’s easy to lose your way. But we will need both cars, so you’ll have to follow me closely. I hope to God people have stayed off the road.’
As Meagan ran upstairs to get dressed he called after her, ‘Be as quick as you can, Meagan. I need to be ready to leave the minute the chopper gets here.’
Within minutes they were making their slow way towards the hospital. Meagan was gripping the steering-wheel so tightly she could feel her nails digging into the palms of her hands. Even with the wipers on their fastest setting she could barely see the road in front of her. Instead, she concentrated on following the red rear lights of Cameron’s Jeep. As they crossed the causeway that separated the two islands, water spewed over her four-wheel-drive. For one horrifying moment Meagan thought she was going to be swept away. Why had she ever thought life was going to be unexciting here?
At last they arrived at the hospital, only to find that they were the only medics there so far. The doctors who lived on the south of the island were still making their way. However Meagan was relieved to find that Dorothy and Sophie from the practice had managed it and were waiting with the three hospital nurses to offer what help they could.
‘Any sign of the helicopter yet?’ Cameron asked.
‘They haven’t been able to take off yet. They’re waiting for another crew member and for the wind to die down.’
Cameron cursed. ‘The longer those men are out there, the less chance they have.’
‘Cameron, I’ve got the coastguard on the radio.’ Dorothy handed Cameron the radio receiver. ‘Luckily we have radio contact still,’ she said to Meagan. ‘The hospital here is well set up, thank goodness, for emergencies like these.’
Everyone listened in silence as Cameron took the call. It was evident from his expression that it was more bad news. As he replaced the receiver he turned to the anxious group, his expression grim.
‘More trouble, I’m afraid. A car has gone over the side of one of the causeways. Luckily it isn’t submerged—at least not yet—but the driver is trapped and the tide is rising. The fire brigade is on it’s way now. Dorothy, could you get me the surgical kit? I need to go. The driver may have to be cut out.’
‘I’ll go, Cameron,’ Meagan offered quietly. ‘You wait here for the helicopter.’
He shook his head. ‘It’ll be at least an hour before it’s here. The other doctors should be here by then if I’m not back.’
‘Then I’m coming with you,’ Meagan said. ‘No argument. We can keep in touch with the hospital by radio. If the helicopter looks as if it’s on its way and the others haven’t made it by then, one of us can come back.’
‘I haven’t time to argue. Dorothy, we’ll take the radio with us. Keep in touch. Come on, then, Meagan. Let’s go. We’ll take my car. It’s too risky for you on your own.’
Once again Meagan had to brave the lashing rain and wind. She couldn’t begin to imagine what it was like for the fishermen. If they were alive they must be freezing as well as shocked. Although the outside air temperature wasn’t particularly cold, she knew the temperature of the Atlantic sea could kill within minutes.
It took them ten minutes to drive to the causeway connecting the middle Island to the southern one. The fire engine was there before them and they were glad of its flashing lights to guide them quickly and safely towards the stricken vehicle. Cameron was out of the car almost before he had brought it to a halt and Meagan hurried after him.
‘Any luck, Angus?’ he called out to the fireman as he approached.
‘Hello, Cameron, it’s good to see you,’ the burly islander responded. ‘It’s a visitor to the island. His wife and two kids were in the car with him. We’ve managed to get everyone but the driver out. His foot is stuck and the tide is rising. It’s up to his shoulders now and he’s beginning to panic.’
‘Any chance you could pull the car out, occupant and all?’ Cameron asked.
‘We’ve already thought of that. But I’m afraid there’s no chance. If we had more time then maybe. As it is, we have ten, maybe fifteen minutes left before the water rises above his neck level.’
‘Right, then, let’s take a look.’ Cameron slid down the side of the causeway and slipped into the water. Tall though he was, the water came up to his hips. The front of the car was pointing downwards, meaning that the driver would be even lower than they were. Meagan knew that unless Cameron could release the man, they would have to amputate the foot. But she didn’t know if it was even possible to amputate below water. And if they couldn’t amputate, what would they do? They couldn’t just leave him to drown.
She slid down the slope after Cameron, knowing that a fireman was following with the medical kit held above his head clear of the swirling water. Whatever Cameron decided to do, he’d need help. She watched as, after leaning through the passenger window to say a few words to the frightened but conscious driver, Cameron’s head dropped below the water. A minute later he surfaced.
‘It’s pretty murky down there,’ he shouted over the wind. ‘Even if I had time to amputate, there is no way I’d be able to see well enough. However, there is a little bit of space between his foot and the pedal. I think I might be able to pull it out with brute force. I am just going down for another look. Keep an eye on the patient, would you?’
As he dropped once more below the surface of the water, Meagan slid into the freezing cold water, gasping as she felt herself lose feeling. If it was this cold for her and she was only in up to her waist, what would it be like for the car driver? She also knew that the car was in a precarious position. At any moment it could slide deeper into the water, taking its occupant—and possibly Cameron—with it. She realised they were working against the clock.
‘What’s your name, sir?’ she asked
‘Richard,’ he said.
He looked pale and his lips were blue. With the cold, or did he have internal injuries? Whatever the reason, Meagan was sure he was going into shock soon, if he didn’t drown first. She reached into the bag for an oxygen mask and cylinder. ‘Could you hold on to the cylinder?’ she asked the fireman standing beside her. She slipped the mask over Richard’s face, talking to him in a calm voice. ‘We’ll give you something for the pain in a second,’ she said.
Suddenly the car, with a screeching of metal on rock, started to slide further into the sea. The fireman pulled Meagan away from the car, preventing her from being dragged with it.
Meagan held her breath as for one dreadful moment she thought the car was going to completely disappear under the water, but it stopped after sliding a few inches. Without thinking about the danger, Meagan went back down after it. Richard grasped for her hand and held it. He was clearly terrified. Meagan looked around for Cameron. Had he been trapped under the moving car? She couldn’t stop herself crying out with relief when his head reappeared.
‘Whew! That was close,’ he said, and unbelievably he winked at Meagan. Was it possible that the man was actually enjoying the danger?
‘I think we can get him out if the firemen pull while I manoeuvre his ankle. The only thing, Richard,’ he said, turning to the patient, ‘is I’m almost sure your ankle is broken. It’s going to be pretty painful doing it this way.’
Richard lowered his mask and managed a nervous smile. ‘A bit of pain is better than the alternative, wouldn’t you say?’ he said. ‘Just do what ever you have to, but get me out of here.’
The wind was still rising and the waves whipped the words from his mouth, but Meagan knew what Cameron intended to do.
‘There’s no time, Meagan. We have to give him a shot of morphine, then the firemen will pull him out while I dislodge his ankle. It’ll be painful, but with a bit of luck he’ll pass out.’
In the end it happened just as Cameron said it would. They got him out and he came around in the ambulance a few minutes later.
‘My family?’ he moaned. ‘Are they all right?’
‘Yes. They’ve gone ahead to the hospital to be checked over,’ Meagan soothed the frantic man.
Richard tried to sit up.
‘Just relax. It’s only a precaution. They’re fine. They didn’t leave until they knew you were safely out of the car and we promised we were right behind them.’
He sank back down and Meagan replaced the oxygen mask.
‘You go in the ambulance with him. I’ll drive,’ Cameron said.
Meagan looked at Cameron. His hair was plastered to his forehead and streams of water ran down his face. Although he must be very cold, he showed no signs of discomfort. If anything, Meagan thought he looked entirely at home with the elements. She, on the other hand, was shivering.
Cameron ran to his Jeep and returned with a thick jacket.
‘Here,’ he said. ‘Put this around you. When you get to the hospital, make sure you get out of those wet clothes immediately.’
‘Second time today I’ve been soaked,’ Meagan said, attempting a smile. ‘And the second time today I’ve borrowed your clothes.’
Cameron looked at her. ‘You did all right back there.’ He grinned and Meagan’s heart thudded. But before she could reply he was running back to his car.
The hospital was a hive of activity when Meagan arrived with Richard in the ambulance. The injured man’s family were sitting in blankets, looking bedraggled and shocked, but according to Dorothy they were fine except for a few cuts and bruises. Not having taken the time to change out of his wet clothes, Cameron was on the radio.
‘T
he helicopter still can’t take off,’ he said. ‘They’ll let us know as soon as they can. But another trawler has spotted the boat. It’s still afloat, although limping slightly. It’s too choppy for the trawler to get any closer, but there’s still hope that the men are all right. In the meantime, I’m afraid there is nothing we can do except wait.’
‘Hey, Cameron, will you, please, go and get changed?’ Dorothy said crossly. ‘You’re dripping all over the floor.’ Despite her tone, Meagan could see she was simply concerned about him. ‘Richard’s ankle is being X-rayed and then if, as we suspect it is broken, we’ll attend to it. He’ll need to stay the night. In fact, the whole family should. There’s no way they can go back out in this.’
Cameron stood for a moment surveying his team. Satisfied that everything was under control, his eyes lighted on Meagan.
‘Dr Galbraith, did I not give strict orders that you were to change out of those clothes the minute you got back?’
‘I think you should use the shower first,’ Meagan said. ‘I’ll stay with the patients.’
With a couple of strides Cameron was by her side. ‘Out of here,’ he growled. ‘Unless you want me to lift you bodily into the shower?’
Aware of the amused glances from the staff and certain that Cameron would do what he threatened, Meagan backed out hastily. ‘I’ll only be a minute,’ she said.
When she returned, wearing a clean pair of scrubs and some theatre clogs she had found in the changing room, Dorothy thrust a steaming cup of coffee into her hands. Suddenly she felt exhausted. It had been a long day and it wasn’t over yet. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much physical exercise. Who needed a gym? She put the cup down and closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the department seep into her bones.
She must have fallen asleep briefly, because the next thing she knew she was being lifted onto a gurney and covered by a blanket. She looked up through half-closed eyes to find Cameron looking down at her, his expression inscrutable. She started to sit up, but he pressed her back down.
‘Take a rest while you can,’ he said. As she started to protest he stopped her words with a finger on her lips. ‘It’s good to rest when you can. I promise I’ll let you know when we need you.’
