‘Sorry about that. This is a busy ambulance station so we’ll get a bit of that kind of disruption but the resources we have here make this an ideal training space.’ She smiled at the group. ‘It might also remind us of why we’re here. I know that you’re all doctors with your own busy practices so I want to thank you for taking the time to join this programme and become a valuable extension to emergency ambulance services. You’ll leave here with a specialised kit including the latest technology we have available, for example, a video laryngoscope that can make the difference in a difficult intubation but, more importantly, you’ll leave with the skills you need to use it and any rust brushed off other skills you might not use on a regular basis.’
She had the attention of every one of the dozen or so people in this room but Jenna could feel a particular intensity coming from that man at the back. It was an effort not to let her gaze get immediately drawn back to him but, for some reason, that intensity was oddly disturbing.
‘Bit of housekeeping before we start,’ she continued. ‘Toilets are out the door to the left and you’ll find the fire escape there as well. Food and drinks will be supplied for breaks and lunch and, please, if you go outside, stay within the red lines by the buildings. As you can tell by how early the sirens go on, some of our crews are very keen to get to a Code Blue priority call and it wouldn’t be a good look if anyone on a FRAME course got squashed by an ambulance. Now...let’s do a quick round robin, to get started. We’ll introduce ourselves, say where we’re from and maybe why we’re here?’
Her smile widened. ‘I’ll start. I’m Jenna Armstrong, a critical care paramedic. I live not far from this station in south London and I’m here because I’m passionate about this course. I started developing it quite a few years ago and I’ve been all over the country getting it up and running. It’s been going long enough now for statistics to confirm that it’s one of the most effective strategies we’ve put in place to save lives in more remote areas. It’s something I’m very proud of. And it’s something that I can promise has the potential to make an important difference to you—and to the communities that you care for.’
There was a moment’s silence when she finished speaking. Had she sounded a bit over the top? Too passionate? But it was hard not to, when this had been the total focus of her life for so long.
The only thing that had really mattered for so long.
It didn’t take long to get around the group. Jenna ticked names off her list as they introduced themselves. Melanie, Ravi and Judith had come from as far away as rural areas near Basingstoke and Brighton. There were older doctors, like Peter and Jack, who felt they were getting rusty on emergency procedures and young GPs, like Susie and Indira, who were nervous about being so far away from major hospitals and advanced ambulance services. It wasn’t deliberate, but the man at the back was the last person to introduce himself.
‘I’m Mitch,’ he said, quietly. ‘I’m one of four GPs in the only medical centre in Allensbury, which is a small town in Surrey.’
Jenna was frowning at the sheet of paper in front of her. Mitch? The only person who wasn’t ticked off was an Andrew. Then she noticed his surname and almost smiled because it fitted him so well to go by a shortened version of Mitchell.
Because it was just that bit different?
‘I’m here because I think we get so caught up in the ordinary busyness of general practice that we can miss opportunities to keep up to date,’ Mitch said. ‘And...you never know—that one skill we got rusty in might be the one skill we absolutely need to save someone’s life.’
His voice was deep enough to be a bit like his body language and how he looked. Unusually attractive. Calm and confident but...somehow contradictory? Was it Jenna’s imagination or was there something he wasn’t saying, here?
It had only been polite to look up from the paper that listed the expected attendees for the course and meet this man’s gaze as he continued speaking but it was suddenly difficult to break that eye contact.
Because she felt like she recognised what was different about him.
He was searching for something.
Something of personal significance.
And...disturbingly enough to send a tiny chill down Jenna’s spine, it felt like she might have been singled out as the only person who could help him find what it was he was searching for.
Copyright © 2021 by Alison Roberts
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ISBN-13: 9780369711946
Caribbean Paradise, Miracle Family
Copyright © 2021 by Harlequin Books S.A.
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Julie Danvers for her contribution to The Island Clinic miniseries.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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