Her Mistletoe Wish (6 page)

‘Change rooms are this way,’ Reggie said, before Flynn could ask. They walked quickly along the corridor, down the side of A and E towards the changing rooms. ‘Retrieval suits will be just inside the door. Once you’re changed, we’ll meet back in the corridor, grab the retrieval gear and head up to the chopper.’

‘I guess all that experience in the Caribbean has come in handy. I hope I can remember what we need to do,’ Flynn remarked as they hurried along. ‘I’ve been working very much inland for the past few years.’

Reggie smiled at him reassuringly as they reached the changing room doors. ‘You’ll be fine and if you forget, just ask me.’

‘I’ll do that,’ he promised, as he punched in the code for the male changing rooms at the same time she tapped in the code for the female changing rooms. ‘See you in five minutes.’

‘Or less,’ she remarked, pushing open the door.

Ten minutes later, they were both changed, seated in the chopper with their medical retrieval backpacks and ready for take-off.

‘Any word from the surf lifeguards?’ Reggie asked their pilot through the headset.

‘I’ll patch you through to Bergan,’ he replied.

‘What’s the latest?’ Reggie asked a moment later as they headed out towards the sea.

‘They’ve got the man in the boat. Left arm is partially detached, incision bites to left side of abdomen,’ came Bergan’s clear words. ‘There is also a report of a second victim. Young girl, twelve years of age. Lacerations to right side, unconscious, right foot missing.’

Reggie closed her eyes as Bergan spoke, knowing full well that Flynn could hear every word through his own headset. She tried to picture the victims’ wounds, tried to keep her mind focused, imagining herself moving through the motions of treatment. At times like these they couldn’t afford to think about the personal, about those poor people who had suffered such horror. In order to remain professional, they needed to remain detached.

‘The boat should be on the beach in two minutes.’

‘What’s our ETA?’ Flynn asked the pilot, watching Reggie closely, whose eyes were tightly shut. He knew she was trying to think things through, to imagine the wounds and the treatment they’d require. He could also remember the first time she’d been like this. Their very first retrieval together.

They’d been sitting in an ambulance, being driven from the hospital on Sint Maarten, towards a luxury hotel where several guests had been crippled with a gastro bug. As they’d been the only surgical residents
at the hospital, it had fallen to them to treat the patients. Flynn had met Reggie only the day before and while he’d been instantly attracted to her, he hadn’t been at all sure how she performed under pressure.

‘She’s far too happy for her own good and although she did well in ward round, I have to wonder if she’s got what it takes to cope in emergency situations,’ he’d told Violet when he’d spoken to her on the phone after his first day.

‘I’m sure she’ll be fine, Flynn,’ Violet had responded. The two had known each other since they’d been toddlers, their mothers the best of friends, and Violet had been the closest thing he’d had to a sister. Their mothers had always said that one day the two of them were destined to marry, but both he and Violet had laughed it off, preferring to remain just good friends. ‘If she’s a qualified doctor and doing the same surgical training you are, then she must have some smarts,’ Violet had wisely pointed out.

Flynn had frowned, unable to believe the instant attraction he’d felt towards his new colleague. Perhaps doubting her abilities was his way of dealing with that unwanted attraction? At any rate, he’d hoped she was good because he hadn’t really fancied having to carry the weight of running the surgical team on Sint Maarten on his own for the next six weeks. ‘I’m still not convinced.’

‘Anyway,’ Violet had continued, ‘Tell me about the more relaxed pace of life. Nice and slow? Sunshine all the time? I hope so because seriously I thought your parents were going to pressure you into a coronary if you hadn’t left.’

‘You’re exaggerating, Violet,’ he’d returned.

‘Six weeks of sun, surf and drinks with little umbrellas in them. Utter bliss.’

‘Sunburn, sand stuck everywhere and incompetent colleagues.’

Violet laughed at him, not taking his words seriously. ‘She must be pretty if you’re already labelling her as incompetent. You always do that, Flynn. It’s a protective measure. Any time you feel out of your depth, you look for the negative.’

‘I do?’

‘Look, Flynn, just promise me you’ll stop burning the candle at both ends and try to enjoy yourself. Get to know this colleague of yours. What did you say her name was?’

‘Regina Smith. Although she’s already informed me that she hates being called Regina, that she much prefers Reggie—like she’s some sort of trucker. Then she throws her arms around me in one of those uncomfortable friendship-hug things, telling me what a wonderful time we’ll have working together. Far too happy for her own good.’

Violet wasn’t able to stop laughter from flowing down the telephone line. ‘She sounds fantastic, Flynn, and perhaps just what you need for the next few weeks. A little holiday romance, eh?’

‘Bite your tongue. You know I’m not interested in any sort of relationship. Not with the pressure our parents are putting on us.’

‘It’ll never happen, Flynn. You and I are destined to be best friends. Nothing more. Now go. I have a feeling that this Reggie Smith may just surprise you.’

And she did. As they travelled in the ambulance,
heading towards that luxury hotel, Reggie’s eyes were closed as though she was trying to catch up on her sleep.

‘Conserving your energy?’ he asked.

‘No.’ She spoke the single word before opening one eye to look at him, the corners of her lips turning upwards. ‘Concentrating.’ She closed her eye and lapsed back into silence.

‘Er…OK. Well, would you like to talk about what sort of scenarios we might encounter and how you envisage us handling the situation to ensure an effective and prompt outcome?’

‘That’s what I’m doing,’ she replied. ‘I like to close my eyes and picture the situation, visualise myself treating the patient. That way I know exactly what equipment I need and the best way to handle things.’

‘You…
picture
yourself doing this?’

‘Yes. Try it.’ She opened one eye again and looked directly at him. ‘Close your eyes.’

‘I don’t think—’

‘We have another five minutes before arrival. Just try it at least.’ She closed her eyes again and, feeling utterly stupid and knowing he probably looked ridiculous, Flynn eventually closed his eyes.

‘Let’s say the patient complains of right-sided abdominal pain with localised tenderness in the middle. I see myself palpating their abdomen, ensuring it isn’t appendicitis or hernia. Although there’s an outbreak of a gastro bug, it doesn’t mean that one of our patients isn’t suffering from that but is rather suffering from something far more serious. Not that I’m trying to imply that gastroenteritis isn’t a serious condition but simply pointing out that we need to be on top of things.’ She
paused to take a breath but before she could start again he jumped in.

‘You’re a talker,’ he stated, opening his eyes, feeling mildly silly for agreeing to do things her way but impressed she’d actually managed to get him to comply.

Reggie’s grin was bright and wide, like her gorgeous blue eyes as she opened them to look at him. She leaned forward in her seat, as far as the seat belt would allow and looked directly into his eyes. ‘I’ve been told the only way to shut me up is to kiss me.’ She waggled her eyebrows up and down suggestively and then sat back in her seat and openly laughed at the stunned look on his face. ‘Relax, Flynn. I don’t bite.’ She winked at him. ‘Not unless you want me to.’

The old cliché somehow sounded fresh coming from Reggie’s lips and it was only then he realised he’d been staring at her mouth, as though his thoughts were more than willing to follow her lead.

And indeed, the first time he had kissed her had been to shut her up. He couldn’t remember what she’d been talking about but he did remember not hearing a word of what she’d been saying, more fascinated by the way her lips moved, wanting desperately to kiss them, to show her just how desirable she was.

Now, many years later, with so much water having flowed rapidly under the bridge between them, Flynn wanted nothing more than to lean forward and kiss those incredibly perfect lips of hers…lips that fitted so snugly against his own. How he’d yearned for them over the years. How he wanted to pick up where they’d left off. How he wished he’d been stronger back then and had stood up for what he’d really wanted out of life.

‘Preparing for descent,’ the chopper pilot said.

‘Copy that,’ Reggie returned, and opened her eyes. She looked directly at Flynn. ‘Ready?’

‘Yeah.’ He nodded his head for emphasis and cleared his throat, unsure whether she’d heard him properly through her headphones. He needed to pull it together. To be professional. He knew Reggie—and their patients—were counting on him but sometimes it was difficult to be around her, especially when there were so many memories of their time together intruding into his thoughts.

As the chopper landed and they disembarked, Flynn tried not to notice the way even the blue and yellow overalls made Reggie look sexy. Carrying their gear, they headed over to where the surf lifeguards’ boat was being pulled up onto the sand. Reggie was taking the lead on this one and he’d learned, that first day, as they’d treated over thirty patients at the hotel for various complaints, that she was indeed an exceptional doctor.

Bright, talented and absolutely gorgeous. A lethal combination and one he was far from being immune to.

O
N THE BEACH
, the surf lifeguards had set up a shield to give them some privacy while the man, whose name was only given as Kev, was carried from the lifeboat to where Flynn and Reggie were opening their emergency backpacks, ready to get to work.

‘Establish IV line, get that plasma up and going, stat,’ she stated, and Flynn nodded.

‘Agreed.’ Although they both knew what they were doing, it was important to communicate effectively and clearly exactly what procedures they were undertaking.

As soon as Kev was placed in front of them, they both had their gloves on. As Kev was wearing a wetsuit, Flynn took out the heavy-duty scissors and immediately began cutting away the neoprene fabric so they could better see what they were dealing with. After peeling away the section from his chest, most of which was covered in blood, Reggie hooked her stethoscope into her ears to check Kev’s heart rate while Flynn grabbed a large bandage and applied pressure to Kev’s left arm, ensuring it was as secure as possible to assist with stemming the bleeding.

‘Hi, Kev,’ she said to the man, who was semiconscious. ‘I’m Dr Reggie Smith with Sunshine General.
This is Dr Flynn Jamieson. We’re here to help you.’ She smiled at him as she unhooked the stethoscope. With the paramedics on the scene, one of them came over and was able to hold Kev’s head stable until they could get a neck brace onto him.

‘The girl.’ Kev spoke the words through gritted teeth as Flynn picked up a penlight torch from his medical kit and performed Kev’s neurological observations. As they worked, both Flynn and Reggie called their findings to each other.

‘Heart rate is elevated.’

‘Pupils equal and reacting to light. Best to put the line in his foot,’ Flynn remarked, before looking down at Kev. ‘The girl’s been found. The surf lifeguards are bringing her in now.’

‘She was…being taken farther…out to sea. Had…to save her.’ His words were disjointed but understandable, which showed his cognitive function was clearly working.

‘You did great, Kev. Now I need you to try and relax. We’re here to help you.’ Reggie was taking the tubing she required from the sterile packaging. She checked both feet for pulses and reported they were both there. She also asked Kev to wiggle all his toes for her and although it hurt, he was able to do as she asked. ‘You’ll feel just a little scratch,’ she told him as she prepared to insert the cannula into his foot.

‘I’ve felt more…than that today,’ he retorted. ‘What…what are you doing?’

‘You’ve lost a lot of blood, Kev,’ Flynn told him. ‘We need to replace those fluids as soon as possible. Once we have some fluids into you, we can give you something
for the pain. Can you wiggle the fingers on your right hand for me?’

‘I’m not important,’ Kev told them.

‘I beg to differ,’ Reggie replied, as one of the other paramedics came over to help. She left him to finish off inserting the drip and turned her attention to Kev’s abdomen. ‘I just need to have a little look around, see what The damage is, and then we can give you something for the pain,’ she told him.

‘The girl. The girl…is all that’s important,’ he said, his teeth gritted in pain. ‘Need to save the girl.’

‘You did save her,’ Flynn reassured him.

‘I did?’ At this news, Kev seemed to relax a bit. He closed his eyes. ‘Couldn’t save my own girl but…this is good.’

Reggie and Flynn briefly looked at each other, wondering what on earth Kev could be talking about. The bite marks on Kev’s abdomen were clear but deep. Flynn had already packed one of the puncture wounds with gauze and Reggie grabbed another bandage from her kit and applied pressure to one area on Kev’s lower left abdomen.

‘Hold this,’ she instructed the paramedic, who had now finished setting up the drip. ‘I think it’s time we gave you something for the pain,’ she told Kev. ‘Are you allergic to anything?’

‘No. No, but had a heart attack…six years ago now…but good since,’ Kev replied, unable to shake his head as the paramedic was now attaching a neck brace to keep Kev’s head as still as possible.

‘And you’re not taking anything? No fish oil?’

‘Vegan now,’ he told her. ‘Flaxseed oil.’

‘Good. That’s all fine.’ Reggie reached into her medical
kit for the syringe that had already been drawn up with the medication and clearly labelled. ‘Check ten milligrams of morphine,’ she said.

Flynn glanced over, checked and confirmed the medication she was about to give Kev, before replying, ‘Check.’

‘There you go, Kev,’ she told him as she administered the medication via the butterfly cannula. A few moments later Kev’s features began to relax.

Now that Kev was out of pain, Flynn was able to increase his investigation of the abdomen. ‘Not sure if the patient has voided, given the wetsuit, but possible bladder and kidney rupture, large and small intestinal damage but both lungs appear fine. Suspected fracture to left neck of femur and probable pelvic bone damage.’

‘And the arm?’ Reggie asked, after she’d rechecked Kev’s heart rate. She took the stethoscope out of her ears and met Flynn’s gaze. He didn’t need to say anything—the look in his eyes told her that the arm didn’t look at all good and the chances of Kev keeping it were minimal.

‘Took the brunt of the attack.’ Kev’s words were barely audible. She nodded, indicating she understood exactly what he was not saying. The salty sea wind was whipping around them and she was glad of the screens the paramedics had erected. The lifeguards on the beach were keeping the onlookers at bay as best they could. When a shark alarm was raised, it tended to send a thread of panic through everyone who was around, whether they’d been in the water nor not.

‘The boat? The boat?’ Kev asked, still concerned, even though the morphine was definitely working. ‘Is it in? Where’s the girl?’

‘The sea’s a bit choppy,’ one of the paramedics reported. ‘They’ve got her in the boat. They’re on their way,’ he reassured their patient. Still, Kev seemed slightly agitated again. Something was clearly bothering him.

‘Wasn’t supposed to…turn out like this,’ he mumbled, and Flynn frowned.

‘Let’s get him back to the hospital so he can be prepared for surgery. With the sounds of sirens in the distance, it appears the cavalry is on the way so we can leave the girl to Bergan and her team.’

‘Good thinking.’ Reggie pulled her walkie-talkie from the medical kit and contacted the helicopter pilot. ‘You ready to head back?’

‘Got a patient for me?’ he asked.

‘Copy that. Name is Kev—that’s all I have at the moment. We’ll stretcher him now. ETA six minutes.’

Now that the transfer was organised, Reggie did a final check of Kev’s vitals, pleased to see he was responding well to the fluids and pain medication, and yet he still seemed uneasy. Then again, he’d just been bitten by a shark but her intuition told her it was more than that.

‘Good news, Kev,’ she said brightly. ‘We’re getting you off the beach.’ She checked the bandages they’d applied, pleased with his situation. They’d managed to get to Kev as quickly as possible and even though he was in his late fifties, it was clear that he was the type of man who looked after his health.

‘Wait. Wait.’ Kev’s eyes snapped open, the look in them as wild as the sea. ‘The girl. Is she OK? I need to know. Please? Please?’

‘They’re still coming in, Kev, but the other staff from
Sunshine General have arrived. They’re brilliant and know what they’re doing. They’ll take good care of her.’

‘We need to get you back, Kev. Your abdominal injuries need further treatment and surgical interven—’ Flynn started.

‘I need to give you…a message,’ Kev interrupted, his tone forceful.

‘For whom?’ Reggie asked, trying to use her calming voice to placate him a little. They needed him transferred as soon as possible but she didn’t want to risk agitating him further by not giving him the respect he deserved.

‘Write it down.’

‘It’s all right. We can do this back at the hospital. You’re nice and stable now and we’d like to keep it that way,’ she told him.

‘Please? I need to give you a message…for my wife.’

‘You’re going to be fine, Kev. You can tell her yourself when you see her.’

‘No. No. She hates me.’ He closed his eyes at the words. ‘Write it down.’

Reggie looked across at Flynn, who shrugged one shoulder. ‘He’s the patient. It’s his call.’ She nodded and pulled off her bloodied gloves before reaching into the medical kit, finding a pen but no paper.

‘Wait a moment,’ one of the paramedics said, unzipping his overalls and digging into his trouser pocket before pulling out a clean napkin. ‘Use this.’

‘Thanks.’ Reggie accepted it from him then looked at Kev. ‘What do you want me write?’

‘I hope saving this girl…makes up for not saving ours.’ Kev closed his eyes as he spoke and for a moment Reggie’s throat closed over, an immediate lump
forming there, which was difficult to swallow over. Kev had lost his daughter? ‘Did you get that?’

‘Uh…’ She quickly scribbled down his words. ‘Yes.’

‘Also, tell her to remember…remember Coffs Harbour at New Year’s…and the dingo dance.’

‘Dingo dance?’ Reggie raised her eyebrows as she looked at Kev. ‘Sounds interesting.’

‘You got that?’ he asked again, and she nodded.

‘All written down,’ Reggie reassured him, before tucking the pen and paper into a pocket in her retrieval suit. ‘What’s your wife’s name?’ she asked.

‘Michaela.’

‘OK. That’s all done. Now, I really think it’s time we get you onto that chopper and back to the hospital.’ Reggie smiled down at him.

Once again Kev seemed to relax a bit more but he looked determinedly at her and asked, ‘You’ll let me know about the girl?’

‘As soon as we know anything, we’ll let you know,’ she told him. With the assistance of the paramedics they transferred Kev to a stretcher. ‘Take him over to the chopper. I’ll just quickly debrief Bergan and Mackenzie,’ she told Flynn, who nodded. She watched for a moment as the screens were lowered and the lifeguards did their best to stop onlookers from taking photographs on their cellphones. The police were there as well, a few of them clearing the way for Kev to be carried to the helicopter.

As she started to walk away, a police officer came running up to her.

‘Is it all right to talk to the patient now? We need to try and piece together what happened.’

‘He’s been given morphine and Penthrane so he
might be a little vague on details but give it a go,’ she encouraged. ‘We need to have wheels up in five minutes.’

‘Understood,’ the police officer said, and headed off after Flynn and the paramedics who were carrying Kev’s stretcher towards the chopper.

Reggie quickly trudged her way through the sand towards Bergan, the wind still whipping at her hair. It was at times like these she was glad she’d cut her hair short. Reggie looked around at all the beachgoers, some packing their things up and leaving, others standing behind the area the police had cordoned off, teenagers taking photographs with their cameras and cellphones.

Emergency personnel were doing their jobs, working together like a well-oiled machine. Reggie hadn’t even been aware of the police arriving but without them who knew how many people would have tried to sneak a look around those screens while she and Flynn had been treating Kev.

‘We are a curious species,’ she murmured to herself as Bergan walked over to her, the two meeting out of earshot of onlookers. ‘Hey, there.’

‘Your patient all ready for transfer?’ Bergan asked.

‘Yes. Left arm almost completely torn off. Amputation is a definite consideration but I’ll get John to consult when we get back to the hospital.’ Reggie pointed to where the surf lifesaving boat, after battling high waves brought on by an oncoming storm, was finally reaching the beach. ‘You and Mackenzie OK to take care of the girl?’

‘Yes. You’ll probably be in Theatres by the time we return but I’ll keep you informed.’

‘Kev—my patient—was really concerned about the girl so I’d appreciate that.’

‘No problem.’

Reggie turned and jogged towards the chopper, looking back to see them lifting the young girl from the boat and carrying her to a second screened-off area, away from prying eyes. She certainly hoped the girl was strong enough to make it through.

‘Excuse me!’ a woman called from behind the police tape, and when Reggie looked at her, the woman quickly ducked beneath the tape and ran towards her. ‘I’m looking for Kev.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Reggie said, her tone filled with apology. ‘You’ll need to wait behind the tape.’

‘I’m his…er…wife. Michaela.’

Reggie nodded. ‘Yes. He’s told me about you. Come with me. You can ride in the chopper with us.’

Michaela face turned pale. ‘So he really has been attacked. I thought it was a bad joke.’

‘We need to go now,’ Reggie urged, breaking into a jog and urging Michaela along. ‘Kev needs immediate surgery.’

Michaela shook her head. ‘I never come to the beach. I can’t stand it but he loves it.’

‘Never mind about that now.’

‘But you don’t understand. I only came down so he could sign the divorce papers. I’ve been pressuring him to do it for months but he kept refusing.’

They’d reached the chopper and Reggie’s heart went out to the woman as she read guilt and remorse in Michaela’s eyes. She placed her hand on Michaela’s shoulder, her words warm. ‘Focus on being brave for Kev.
It doesn’t matter what’s happened in the past, he needs you now. Can you do that?’

Michaela seemed to consider that for a moment before she nodded. ‘Yes.’

‘Good. Let’s get you into the chopper.’

‘Why does everything bad happen at Christmas?’ Michaela muttered as she climbed into the chopper, sitting down and allowing herself to be strapped in by the pilot. Reggie introduced her to Flynn, who had just finished doing Kev’s observations.

‘Can he hear me?’ Michaela asked, as the rotors of the helicopter started to whirr above them.

‘He’s been given pain relief to make transport easier,’ Reggie said apologetically as she strapped herself in and donned her headphones.

‘Six minutes and we’ll be at the hospital,’ the pilot announced, then the chopper lifted smoothly upwards.