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‘So how are you, Sean?’ Jack was oblivious to her embar-rassment. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Being in the wrong place at the wrong time as usual,’ Sean muttered, wrenching off one of his gloves and checking the boy over again. ‘I didn’t know you were in charge of this lot now, Jack. This lad’s in a bad way. Nasty head injury—in and out of consciousness—fractured ribs and a compound fracture of his tibia—we splinted that down below.’
‘Right.’ Jack frowned as he looked at the boy lying on the stretcher. ‘Anything else?’
‘He’s wet through from the waterfall and heading for hypothermia. His right ankle’s gone—but he was climbing in trainers so that’s hardly surprising. At a guess that’s probably why he slipped. We’ve put him in a polythene survival bag but we need to get a line in and get him off this mountain fast.’
‘Trainers? In this weather?’ Jack shook his head and exchanged a look with Sean. ‘Nothing changes, does it? The mountains are still full of blithering idiots keeping us busy. Why on earth didn’t he stay at home and watch television?’
‘It’s Wednesday. Nothing on.’ Ted Wilson, the equipment officer, grinned wryly at his team-mates, his humour ever present even in an emergency.
Ally was on her knees beside the stretcher. ‘Pete? Pete, can you hear me?’
The boy lay still, his pallor frightening.
‘You know him?’ Sean was frowning down at her and stupidly she felt tears prick her eyes. Poor, poor Pete.
‘Yes.’ She cleared her throat. ‘He’s one of my patients.’
‘Local boys?’ Jack rolled his eyes and shook his head, his look of exasperation tempered by the worry in his eyes. ‘They should know better. It’s bad enough rescuing tourists without having to start on the locals as well.’
Ally wanted to tell them that Pete was just trying to prove himself but she couldn’t break a confidence so instead she mentioned the diabetes and then invested all her energy into doing what she could to save the boy. He groaned and opened his eyes, focusing with difficulty on the people around him.
‘It’s OK, Pete.’ Ally ripped off one glove and stroked his face gently with her slim, warm fingers, before checking his pulse. At least he was conscious. ‘You’ve hurt yourself, sweetheart, but we’ll soon sort you out.’
‘Big softy is our Ally. She ought to be reading him the riot act, not holding his hand,’ Jack murmured to Sean, before picking up the radio and issuing more orders.
‘S-sorry…’ Pete winced and coughed slightly, his face contorting with pain.
Ally frowned. She didn’t like the look of him one little bit. His lips were blue and his breathing was laboured and irregular. She glanced urgently up at Sean who was discussing the best way to carry the boys off the mountain.
‘Problems?’ In an instant he was crouched down next to her, the light-hearted banter of their previous encounter gone. The self-assurance was still there, but for some reason she found that oddly reassuring. She had a very bad feeling about young Pete.
‘I can’t—’ Pete took a jerky breath and then another, and his eyes bulged with panic.
‘It’s OK, Pete. Just try and relax,’ Ally soothed, jerking her head towards two of the team members who were hovering. ‘Let’s sit him up.’
Together they carefully lifted him into a sitting position so that he could breathe more easily and Ally looked at Sean. ‘Pneumothorax?’
Sean nodded, his mouth a grim line. ‘Could be. He’s certainly broken some ribs.’
And one of those ribs could have punctured a lung.
‘What’s happening?’ Jack was frowning and Sean rose to his feet in an easy movement, talking to Jack in low tones while Ally sat with Pete, monitoring his condition and reassuring him while he struggled with his breathing.
Gently she unzipped the top of his jacket and examined his neck, her heart sinking as she recognised the cardinal sign of pneumothorax. Giving Pete a quick smile, she stood up and joined Sean who was discussing the options with Jack.
She touched his arm, feeling the rock-hard muscle under his jacket. ‘He’s got tracheal deviation. We need to get him off this mountain fast.’
Sean shook his head, bracing himself against a sudden gust of wind. ‘No way. It’s compromising his breathing. If we could arrange an air evacuation then maybe we could risk leaving it, but as it is—’ He broke off and gave a shrug. ‘It’s going to be a long and difficult carry off, and he’s not going to make it unless we sort his breathing out.’
Jack frowned. ‘So what do you suggest?’
‘We’ll have to put in a chest drain.’ Sean gestured to the team members carrying the medical equipment.
‘We carry a disposable chest drain,’ Jack informed him quickly. ‘It’s just that we’ve never seen it used before.’
Sean gave a humourless laugh. ‘Well, stick around—this is your lucky day.’
‘What else do you need?’ Jack was the epitome of professionalism, demonstrating with his quiet calm just how he’d managed to mastermind so many successful rescues over the years.
‘Local anaesthetic and scalpel.’
Ally caught Sean’s arm again, her expression urgent. ‘Sean, you can’t! It’s too risky to put in a chest drain here.’
‘You have a better suggestion?’ Sean removed his thick protective gloves and flexed long, strong fingers.
‘Not really.’ Ally bit her lip and glanced anxiously at Pete, who was lying with his eyes closed, a bluish tinge surrounding his lips. ‘But we’re half way up a mountain—he might die…’
Sean moved her to one side and took some anaesthetic from one of the team. ‘And if we do nothing he will almost certainly die. His breathing is becoming more compromised by the minute. Look at him.’
‘But it’s an emergency technique.’
Sean gave her a half-smile and unsheathed the needle. ‘And this is an emergency.’
Ally watched him stride confidently over to Pete and tried to squash her anxiety. Maybe Sean was right. Maybe they had no choice.
She walked back to Pete and knelt beside him, smiling with a confidence she was far from feeling. Would Sean be able to do this?
‘Leave him as much clothing as you can,’ Sean ordered in an undertone. ‘He’s already colder than he should be.’
Carefully Ally removed Pete’s jacket, watching Sean out of the corner of her eye as he snapped on sterile gloves.
‘Jack, have you got strong scissors?’
They were slapped into her hand without question and as quickly as she could she cut through the fabric of Pete’s jumper and shirt, exposing a small area of his ribs.
‘Good thinking.’ Sean was next to her, positioning himself to give the local anaesthetic. ‘He’ll stay warmer that way. Jack, I need high-flow oxygen here.’
‘On its way.’ Jack handed the mask to Sean and hovered, watching over his shoulder. ‘Do you want Entonox?’
Ally shook her head quickly and shifted to give Sean elbow room. ‘No. Never in this sort of chest injury. It can turn a pneumothorax into a tension pneumothorax. What else have you got?’
‘I’ll look.’ Jack vanished and returned in less than a minute with a syringe which he slapped into her rapidly freezing fingers. ‘Any good?’
Ally scanned the label. ‘Fine.’
‘Tell us what you’re doing, will you, Sean?’ Jack stood behind Sean, squinting down at the younger man. ‘We haven’t seen this done before.’
Neither had Ally. At least, not since her casualty days years before, and never halfway up a mountain in a howling gale. She was a GP, for goodness’ sake, not a trauma doctor. And what was Sean’s specialty? He didn’t seem at all nervous but, then, he didn’t seem to be the sort of man who would ever be nervous about anything. His hands were rock steady and his manner totally relaxed, although Ally wasn’t fooled. The man was working fast and with a skill that left her open-mouthed with awe.
‘OK, he’s had pain relief.’ Ally handed the empty syringe to one of the team and flexed her fingers quickly to warm them. ‘I’ll get a line in while the anaesthetic works.’
Sean nodded approval and Ally reached out a hand for a venflon. Her fingers were stiff with cold and she seriously doubted she’d find a vein with Pete this cold. Still, maybe… She frowned down at his arm.
‘Squeeze there for me, Jack.’
Jack’s hands closed like a vice and she flicked the skin and mentally crossed her fingers. The cannula slid into the vein and she released her breath. Thank goodness.
Sean gave her a brief smile. ‘Well done. Now get your gloves back on before your hands freeze. OK, I’ve given local anaesthetic and I’ve prepared a sterile field. God, it’s cold! I’m going to make a small incision here. You’re doing well, Pete—this will help you breathe.’
Ally watched as he used the scalpel with quick precision and then inserted his gloved finger into the incision.
Jack hunkered down next to her, his voice soft. ‘What’s he doing that for?’
‘To check that part of the lung isn’t stuck to the chest wall,’ Ally replied in an undertone, squeezing Pete’s hand gently.
‘That’s fine,’ Sean said quietly, and pushed the tube with just the required amount of force. ‘I’m in. That should do it.’
Ally released the clamp.
‘Cough for us, Pete,’ Ally instructed gently, watching as air bubbled up through the fluid in the bottom of the drain.
‘Bingo,’ Sean muttered softly, rising to his feet in an easy movement and gesturing to Jack. ‘That drain must be kept below the level of the lungs. If it goes any higher then the fluid drains back into his lungs and we’re in trouble.’
Jack gave a brief nod, his expression grim. ‘No problem. One of the lads can carry the drip and the other can carry the drain. Good work, Sean.’
Ally finished taping the drain securely and listened to Pete’s chest, smiling with satisfaction at what she heard. Jack was right—Sean had done good work. And judging from his quiet confidence, he’d done the procedure many times before, but surely not in circumstances as difficult as these?
He caught her glance and raised an eyebrow. ‘What?’
Her eyes teased him with a mixture of humour and admiration. ‘I don’t know what sort of doctor you are but I’d hazard a guess that you’re not an obstetrician.’
‘You don’t think I can deliver a baby?’
Ally had to admit that the man would probably succeed at anything he set his hand to. ‘Well, that was pretty impressive, Dr Nicholson.’
‘For a macho idiot, you mean?’ His teasing drawl made her blush.
‘I admit that my first impression of you was wrong—but you called me a dizzy blonde.’
‘So I did.’ His smile faded and his gaze was intent. ‘And I was wrong about that, too, wasn’t I? So maybe we’re quits.’
Ally shifted under his watchful scrutiny, suddenly aware of every female part of herself. She’d never met a man who made her feel more like a woman than Sean did. To cover her awkwardness she concentrated on making Pete comfortable, aware that Sean was still watching her while the mountain rescue team made the final preparations for their descent.
‘You made good time down that mountain. The mist was awful—I thought you might get lost.’
Jack glanced curiously from one to the other and gave a short laugh. ‘Lost? Our Ally? You have to be kidding! She used to be our best team member until—’
‘We’re ready when you are, Jack,’ Ally interrupted quickly, reluctant to have the details of her private life broadcast to this stranger.
Sean gave her a sharp look. ‘You were in the mountain rescue team?’
Ally’s eyes challenged him. ‘They do take blondes, you know.’
Sean’s eyes gleamed with appreciation but he carried on dealing with the patient, skilfully preparing him for the arduous trip down the mountain.
Jack snorted. ‘Ally was in the team for more than a while. She knows these fells like you know the inside of a beer can. She wouldn’t get lost if you put her head in a bag.’
‘Now, there’s an idea for keeping her quiet,’ Sean said dryly, tugging on his gloves and yanking his Balaclava back down over his face. ‘OK, folks, let’s get these guys off this mountain.’
CHAPTER TWO
IT TOOK the best part of an hour before they reached the waiting ambulance. Ally and Sean supervised as the stretchers were lifted into the vehicles.
Risking a surreptitious glance at Sean, Ally’s eyes skimmed his hard, male profile, resting for a moment on the strong nose and dark jaw.
‘Good-looking devil, isn’t he?’ Jack shot her a knowing grin and she gave him what she hoped was a casual smile as they moved away from the ambulance.
‘If you like Milk Tray.’
Jack looked baffled. ‘What’s Milk Tray got to do with it?’
Ally’s cheeks dimpled into an impish grin. ‘You know, man dives under water, scales mountains, leaps off cliffs and all because the lady loves…remember?’
Jack grinned. ‘Oh, right. Yes, that’s our Sean. Women usually can’t leave him alone.’
She could well believe it. There surely wasn’t a woman alive who wouldn’t find Sean Nicholson attractive. Dark-fringed lashes shielded an expression of cool indifference which she’d seen change to burning anger and molten sexuality.
As if sensing her scrutiny, he turned suddenly, one dark eyebrow lifting questioningly as he caught her looking at him. Throwing a final remark to one of the team members, he strode over to them, his eyes fixed on Ally.
‘Take a hike, Jack.’ It was a quiet order and Jack glanced curiously at the two of them before strolling back to his colleagues, whistling softly.
Ally’s heart thudded. Why on earth had she been stupid enough to get caught staring like a besotted teenager?
‘So how do you know Jack?’ She huddled deeper inside her jacket, although whether for protection from the weather or Sean she wasn’t sure. He made her nervous and he knew it.
‘I don’t want to talk about Jack.’
Ally shrugged casually and concentrated on watching the ambulance. ‘So what do you want to talk about, Dr Nicholson?’
‘Us.’
Her heart stumbled and her eyes flew to his. ‘Us?’
He reached out a hand and tugged off her hat, a wry smile twisting his firm mouth as her totally unmanageable blonde curls tumbled over her shoulders.
‘So…I was half right. Blonde—but not dizzy.’
Ally took a deep breath. She was feeling pretty dizzy at that precise moment.
‘Sean—’
‘I want to see you again, Ally.’
His eyes trapped hers and her heart thudded against her ribcage. The man certainly came straight to the point. Whatever happened to ‘perhaps you might like to’ or ‘would you consider?’. But that was Sean all over, or so it seemed. What the man wanted, the man got.
She lifted her chin and feigned indifference. ‘Why? You want abseiling lessons or first-aid training?’ She used bravado to cover up how shy and uncomfortable this man made her feel, and he laughed out loud, a powerful figure, his feet planted slightly apart, shielding her from the curious glances of the rest of the mountain rescue team.
‘Neither.’ His smile curled around his insides. ‘I want you, Dr McGuire.’
Her palms were damp and her breathing was difficult. ‘And what about what I want, Dr Nicholson?’
His lazy, totally male appraisal made her heart lurch. ‘You want exactly the same as me—it’s just a question of whether you’re brave enough to admit it on such short acquaintance.’
For a moment Ally stared at him, almost hypnotised by his gaze. She didn’t want the same as him. She didn’t. She had Charlie. A safe, steady relationship with none of the fire and heat that this man poured over her.
‘You’re assuming I’m not involved with anyone.’
He stared at her for a long moment, a muscle working in that hard jaw. ‘Are you?’
‘Yes.’
‘And he lets you wander the fells on your own?’ He scowled angrily. ‘You should ditch him. No man worth his salt would allow that. He should be protecting you.’
‘Charlie doesn’t own me.’ She forced herself to hold his gaze. ‘And I don’t need protecting.’
His jaw tightened. ‘That’s a matter of opinion.’
‘Sean, we’re off!!’ Jack shouted across to them, and Sean’s mouth tightened.
‘We’ll finish this discussion another time.’
He turned on his heel and walked towards the ambulance, leaving her trembling. What did he mean, they’d finish the discussion another time? With shaking hands she pulled her hat on. She didn’t want there to be another time. She never, ever wanted to see him again. Not if she lived to be a hundred. He made her feel vulnerable and exposed. He brought all her emotions to the surface, emotions that had been hidden for a long time and needed to stay hidden. She didn’t want to be forced to confront those feelings. She had Charlie now, and life might not be exciting but it was stable and predictable and that was all she wanted. Wasn’t it?
* * *
‘Mummy, did you really save two boys?’
‘Who told you that?’ Ally sipped her tea and mentally ran through everything she had to do before surgery. Mornings were always such a rush.
‘Uncle Jack.’ The little girl pushed her arm into the cereal packet and removed a fistful of cornflakes.
‘Charlotte McGuire, that’s disgusting!’ Ally removed the packet with a frown and pushed a piece of toast towards her daughter. ‘If you’re still hungry eat some toast.’
Blue eyes clashed with hers. ‘Toast is yuck.’
Ally took a deep breath, reminding herself that mealtimes should never be a battleground. ‘You liked toast yesterday.’
‘Well, I hate it today.’ Charlie scowled and then shrugged, obviously deciding that the toast looked quite tempting. ‘OK. One piece. If you shape it like a house. Why didn’t they die?’
Calmly Ally buttered the toast and cut out windows and a door. ‘Why didn’t who die?’
‘Those boys.’ Charlie munched happily, obviously forgetting that toast was supposed to be ‘yuck’. ‘Uncle Jack told Grandma that they were lucky you happened to be there because if you hadn’t they might have died.’
‘Well, they certainly shouldn’t have been walking without the right equipment.’ Making a mental note to talk to Jack about being so graphic in front of five-year-olds, Ally picked up the rest of the breakfast things and stacked them in the sink.
‘How would they have died?’
Ally gritted her teeth. Thanks, Jack. Thanks a bunch. ‘Well, it was very cold, sweetheart, and people can die of being too cold. But they’re fine now, so why don’t you just forget about them and get ready for school?’
Charlie didn’t want to forget it. ‘Karen doesn’t always wear her coat in the playground so does that mean she could die?’
‘No, it doesn’t,’ Ally said quickly, wiping her hands on the towel. ‘It isn’t the same thing at all. The boys on the mountain were wet through from a waterfall and that made them even colder. And up in the mountains is much colder than the playground. Now then, if you don’t hurry up and clean your teeth you’re going to be late.’
Charlie slipped off the stool, skipping through the kitchen to the stairs.
Ally breathed a sigh of relief. Having a five-year-old with an enquiring mind was a mixed blessing.
She grabbed both coats and Charlie’s schoolbag, and they climbed into Ally’s little car to drive the short distance to her friend Karen’s house.
They were met at the door by Tina, Karen’s mother.
‘Hi, there!’ She gave them a bright smile and ruffled Charlie’s hair as the little girl darted past her to join her friend who was finishing breakfast in the kitchen.
Ally bit her lip and looked at her gratefully. ‘Thanks, Tina. I don’t know what I’d do without—’
‘Forget it! You know we love having her.’ Tina gave her a friendly push. ‘Get going or you’ll be late for surgery. Don’t forget our Hallowe’en party on Saturday. Are you coming?’
Ally shook her head. ‘I’m working, but Mum will bring her.’
She gave her friend a quick hug and sprinted back to her car, thinking how fortunate she was to have a good friend who was prepared to have Charlie to play every morning for the short time before school so that she herself was able to make morning surgery without being late. Her parents collected Charlie after school and looked after her until Ally finished evening surgery. Fortunately the senior partner, Will Carter, restricted her on-call responsibilities so she rarely worked evenings or weekends. All in all, the arrangements worked well, although she would have liked to be at home for Charlie more.
A feeling of sadness shot through her and she pushed it away. She had no choice about the way things were and she never had. She did the best she could in the circumstances.
She pulled into the surgery at the same time as Will.
‘Morning, beautiful! How’s that girl of yours?’
Ally rolled her eyes. ‘Too inquisitive for her own good.’
Will laughed. ‘You wait. It gets worse.’
‘Don’t tell me that!’ Ally threw him a grin. She adored Will. Nearing retirement age, he had developed a practice that the whole of Cumbria admired. Without Will she would never have survived the trauma that had surrounded Charlie’s arrival. ‘Karen Butler is having a Hallowe’en party on Saturday and they’re all dying of excitement.’
Will frowned and pushed open the health centre door for her. ‘Aren’t you working on Saturday?’
‘Yes, but it’s not a problem.’ Ally tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. ‘My mum is taking her and that’s fine by Charlie.’
‘Sure?’
Ally nodded as they walked through to the spacious reception area. ‘Quite sure, Will, but thanks for the thought.’
She knew that Will would have taken over at the drop of a hat and she didn’t want that happening. He already picked up more than enough of her workload so that she could spend as much time as possible with Charlie.
Will greeted the reception staff in his usual cheery manner and strode through to the staffroom, still talking to Ally.
‘Talking about Saturday, Tony Masters is having a dinner party and I thought—’
‘The answer’s no, Will!’ Ally interrupted immediately, knowing what was coming. The same thing that happened every time they were on their own together. Will trying to play Cupid. With the best of intentions, admittedly. ‘I know what you’re going to say, and not only do I hate dinner parties where I’m the available woman but I’m quite happy as I am. I don’t need you matchmaking.’
Will scowled and flicked the switch on the kettle. ‘Ally, you’re young and beautiful and you shouldn’t bury yourself because of Charlie.’
‘Charlie and I are fine.’ Ally shrugged off her coat and hung it up, before filling her mug and standing by the door ready to make her escape into her consulting room.
Will’s mouth tightened. ‘You’re far from fine! You don’t have a social life, apart from Charlie’s friends, I know you struggle financially because that louse—’
‘I’m independent, Will, and that’s what matters to me.’ Ally gave him a gentle smile. ‘It’s love and constancy that matter to a child, not luxuries. Charlie and I are happy. You’re much more upset about it than I am!’
‘Too right I’m upset about it,’ Will growled. ‘You should have someone to look after you.’
‘Oh, yes?’ Ally’s gentle blue eyes hardened. ‘Well, the men I meet aren’t very good at that if you remember, so now I look after both of us by myself. On my own.’
Will looked sad. ‘You deserve so much more…’
Ally’s face softened and on impulse she walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ‘You’re a lovely man, Will, but there aren’t too many like you around.’
Will stared down at her. ‘But if I knew someone—’
‘Will! Drop the subject, will you?’ She gave him an exasperated look and made for the door. Didn’t he ever take no for an answer? ‘I’m happy. Charlie is happy. Now, if you’ll excuse me I’ve got a surgery to take.’
‘OK, OK, I’m sorry.’ Will raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and smiled ruefully. ‘You can’t blame me for trying. Consider the subject dropped. Don’t go yet—I need a quick word about a patient before we start surgery.’