Everyone nodded. Within a very short time they had formed four groups. Mike turned to Emma. ‘You and the lad can come with me. They can’t be far from here so let’s hope we can find them pretty soon.’
He didn’t add anything else as he started walking again but he didn’t need to. Emma knew that once it got dark, the chances of them finding the pair were very slim. She and Ryan followed the others along the track, scouring the land to right and left in the hope of spotting them. They came to a slight rise in the ground and Ryan suddenly stopped.
‘I remember this bit!’ he exclaimed excitedly.
‘How far is it from where you left your friend?’ Mike demanded.
‘Not very far, I think … ten, twenty metres, something like that,’ the boy told him.
‘Right then, let’s start shouting and see if they can hear us.’ Mike cupped his hands round his mouth. ‘Hello! Can you hear us? Are you out there, Doc?’
Emma held her breath. Ryan seemed so certain that surely he couldn’t have been mistaken? Mike shouted again but there was still no reply and her heart sank. They carried on for another few minutes and then Mike stopped and repeated the process. When a voice suddenly shouted back she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry because she felt so overwhelmed with emotion. It was all she could do to stumble after the others as they hurried towards where the sound had come from.
‘Am I glad to see you,’ Daniel began, standing up. He suddenly caught sight of her and Emma saw the shock on his face. It was blatantly obvious that he hadn’t expected to see her and all of a sudden she felt uncomfortable about her reasons for being there.
Crossing the narrow strip of ground that separated them, she crouched down beside the injured boy, busying herself with doing his obs while Daniel conferred with Mike. Although she could hear what was being said, it seemed to be happening at one step removed from her. It was only when Daniel crouched down beside her that everything snapped back into focus.
‘I’ll set up a drip,’ she said crisply, starting to rise, but he caught her hand and stopped her.
‘I didn’t expect you to come, Emma.’
‘No?’ She gave a little shrug, hoping it would convince him that her reasons had had little to do with him. ‘I thought you might need help, that’s all. With the boy.’
‘That was good of you. Thank you.’
His voice was low but she could hear the note it held and her heart reacted immediately to it. She stood up abruptly and hurried over to where Mike had left the bag of medical supplies. Saline, antiseptic wipes, cannula. She mentally listed all the things she needed because it was safer to concentrate on them than on anything else, far safer than letting herself think about the way Daniel had looked at her just now.
She took a deep breath, held it until she felt dizzy, then let it out as slowly as she could, but the thought didn’t flow away with it. It seemed to be stuck in her head, neon bright and incredibly scary: Daniel had been pleased to see her, surprised but pleased. What did it mean?
CHAPTER EIGHT
DANIEL could feel his heart thumping as he helped Emma set up the drip. It had been a shock to see her and there was no point denying it. Had she come purely to offer her services as a doctor, or because she had been worried about him?
His heart beat all the harder at that beguiling thought and he gritted his teeth. He was doing it again, letting himself hope for the impossible, and it was stupid to behave this way. Emma’s reasons for being here had nothing to do with him and everything to do with their patient!
He stood up abruptly and turned to Mike. ‘That’s about all we can do for him. The sooner we get him to hospital, the better his chances will be.’
‘The air ambulance is on its way,’ Mike informed him. ‘The problem is that it can’t land out here in the dark—it’s way too dangerous. We’re going to have to carry the lad to the nearest stretch of road and have him picked up from there.’
‘How long’s that going to take?’ Daniel demanded, his heart sinking at the thought of there being a further lengthy delay.
‘Fifteen minutes max,’ Mike assured him.
‘But it takes a lot longer than that to get back to town,’ Daniel protested.
‘It does, but I expect the team will use a different route to get him to the road,’ Emma said quietly beside him.
Daniel spun round, feeling his senses reel when he realised how close she was. Normally, she kept her distance, both physically and mentally, but she was standing so close to him now that he could feel the warmth of her skin. It was hard to concentrate when every cell in his body was so acutely aware of her.
‘Do you mean to say that I could have got help here sooner if I hadn’t sent Ryan into the town?’ he demanded, the force of his reaction making him sound—and feel—distinctly tetchy.
‘I doubt it. The nearest road to here is fairly isolated. There’s very little traffic uses it, especially at this time of the year, so the chances of Ryan being able to flag down a car were pretty remote. You did the best thing by sending him back to town to get help,’ she replied calmly, although Daniel couldn’t help noticing that she avoided meeting his eyes.
Was she equally aware of him as he was of her? he wondered, then had to swallow his groan when his heart set off again, pounding away as though possessed. When Mike came over with a foil blanket for him to wrap around himself, he barely managed to nod his thanks. Forget about feeling cold and wet—it would be a miracle if he didn’t have a heart attack at this rate!
It took them just under the allotted time to stretcher the injured boy to the pick-up point. The police were already there and had set up a landing site for the helicopter in a nearby field. It arrived a couple of minutes later and Daniel handed over his patient, briefly explaining to the crew what had happened and what he had done. Five minutes later, it was on its way again. The police had also contacted the outward-bound centre where the two boys were staying and one of the teachers had come to collect Ryan. From the glum expression on the teenager’s face as he got into the car, Daniel guessed that he wasn’t expecting much of a welcome when he got back.
‘That’s it, folks. Let’s just hope the lad will be all right, eh?’
Mike voiced everyone’s opinion as they headed over to the vehicles. A couple of the reserve team had driven over to collect them and Daniel had to admit that it was a relief not to have to walk all the way back to town. Now that the adrenalin rush was dying down, he felt too cold and stiff to welcome the thought of a long walk home.
He slid into the back of one of the vehicles, moving over when Emma got in beside him. Another member of the team climbed in beside her so it was a bit of a squash. Daniel held himself rigid as they set off but it was impossible to avoid touching her as they swung around the bends.
‘Sorry,’ he murmured when once again he found himself cannoning into her.
‘That’s OK.’
She gave him a tight little smile then stared straight ahead, making it clear that she wasn’t keen to start a conversation. He wasn’t either, mainly because he didn’t want anything he said to be misconstrued. He sighed wearily. When had life become so complicated that he had to watch every word he said?
Emma couldn’t wait to get home. Sitting beside Daniel was sheer torture. Every time they rounded a bend, his shoulder brushed hers or his thigh pressed against her thigh and she didn’t appreciate the feelings it aroused inside her. It was a relief when the car drew up outside the house.
Daniel got out and offered her his hand but she pretended not to see it. Sliding across the seat, she got out and thanked the driver. The car drove away with a toot of its horn, its taillights rapidly disappearing into the darkness. Emma headed towards the front door, feeling her tension mounting when she heard Daniel’s footsteps crunching on the gravel behind her. All of a sudden she was achingly aware of the fact that there were just the two of them. She would have given anything to open the door and find Aunt Margaret at home but it wasn’t going to happen so she
had to make the best of things. Unlocking the front door, she summoned a smile.
‘I’ll put the kettle on while you get out of those wet clothes. Do you prefer tea or coffee?’
‘Coffee, please.’ Daniel grimaced as he stepped into the hall. ‘I’m soaking. I’d better take my clothes off here rather than drip water all through the house.’
He shed the foil blanket then dragged his sodden sweater over his head. Emma just caught a glimpse of a broad, muscled chest before she hastily turned away.
‘I’ll get the coffee on,’ she murmured, hurrying along the hall as though the hounds of hell were snapping at her heels. She filled the kettle then took off her wet coat and carried it through to the back porch so it could drip. When she chanced a wary glance along the hall there was no sign of Daniel, just a heap of sodden clothing lying neatly on the mat.
She ran upstairs to her room and changed into dry jeans then went back down and gathered up Daniel’s clothing to take it through to the kitchen, putting his sweater and jeans straight into the washer. His boots were soaked so she stuffed them with newspaper and left them in the corner to dry. By the time she’d done all that, he reappeared, shaking his head as he came into the kitchen.
‘You shouldn’t have cleared up after me, Emma. I’d have done it myself.’
‘It wasn’t a problem,’ she said lightly, not wanting him to attach any significance to her actions. She had done it purely because she liked order in her life, not because she’d wanted to help him, she assured herself. She headed towards the kettle then stopped when he waved her aside.
‘I’ll make the coffee. It’s the least I can do.’
Emma opened her mouth then hurriedly shut it again. Arguing about who should make the coffee would be extremely childish. Walking over to the cupboard, she lifted out the biscuit tin and set it on the table. When Daniel brought over the tray, he looked hopefully at her.
‘I hope there’s some chocolate biscuits in there.
There’s nothing like comfort food when you’re feeling cold and miserable.’
‘There should be.’ Emma took the lid off the tin and nodded. ‘You’re in luck. There’s a new packet of chocolate digestives—your favourites.’
‘So you remember which biscuits I like?’ His tone was even but she felt the blood rush up her face when she realised how revealing that had been. If she had erased him from her life then why on earth would she remember his taste in food?
‘Yes,’ she said firmly, knowing there was no point lying. She looked him straight in the eyes. ‘I’m hardly likely to forget, bearing in mind the amount of biscuits you consumed when you worked here.’
‘Hmm, I suppose not.’ He grinned. ‘I could claim that I’m a reformed character and only eat them in exceptional circumstances but that would be cutting off my nose to spite my face.’ He helped himself to a biscuit. ‘All I can say is that it’s my only vice, or the only one I’m willing to admit to!’
He chuckled as he bit into the biscuit and Emma felt a little flurry of heat run through her veins. She had forgotten how endearing he could be when he was poking fun at himself.
The thought troubled her and she picked up the pot, quickly pouring coffee into two mugs. She didn’t want to think about Daniel’s good points, certainly didn’t want to remember the reasons why she had fallen in love with him. She needed to focus on the way he had treated her. She had been willing to give up her dreams for him but it hadn’t been enough. His career had meant far more to him than what she could have given him.
Pain lanced her heart and she took a gulp of her coffee then coughed when the hot liquid shot down the wrong way. Putting the mug down on the table, she tried to catch her breath but it felt as though her lungs had gone into spasm.
‘Are you all right?’ Daniel leant forward and looked at her in concern. ‘Emma?’
Emma tried to answer but there was no way that she could force out even a single word and she saw him leap to his feet. Moving swiftly behind her chair he slapped her on the back and with relief she felt the constriction loosen. Sucking in a deep breath, she finally managed to speak.
‘I’m all right now.’
‘Sure?’ He went over to the sink when she nodded and filled a glass with cold water and gave it to her. ‘Take a couple of sips of this.’
Emma obediently sipped the water then set the glass on the table, feeling embarrassed about having caused such a fuss. ‘Some of the coffee must have gone down the wrong way.’
‘Easily done,’ he said lightly, sitting down again. He slid the biscuit tin across the table. ‘Aren’t you going to have one?’
‘I’m not sure if I should risk it after what just happened,’ she said wryly.
Daniel laughed. ‘Go on—live dangerously. Anyway, I’m a dab hand at the Heimlich manoeuvre if the need arises.’
Emma grimaced as she selected a biscuit. ‘Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.’
‘Fingers crossed,’ he said, suiting his actions to his words.
Emma chuckled as she bit into her biscuit. Daniel had a real gift when it came to putting people at ease. Some of the doctors she had worked with seemed to enjoy feeling superior, but Daniel wasn’t like that. He cared too much about other people to want them to feel uncomfortable around him.
The thought surprised her because it didn’t gel with the image she had held of him for the past few years. If Daniel was the single-minded, ambitious man she had believed him to be, surely he wouldn’t care about anyone else’s feelings?
‘Penny for them.’
Emma looked up when he spoke, feeling her heart lurch when she saw the way he was watching her so intently. Why did she have the feeling that he really wanted to know what was troubling her? She had no idea but it was that thought which made her reply without pausing to consider the wisdom of what she was doing. ‘I was just thinking what a contradiction you are.’
‘Really?’ His brows rose as he picked up his mug of coffee. He took a sip of the hot liquid then placed the mug carefully back on the table. ‘In what way?’
‘Well, you’ve never made any bones about the fact that you’re very ambitious, have you, Daniel? And yet in some respects you don’t fit that bill.’ She shrugged when he looked quizzically at her. ‘You genuinely seem to care about people and it’s rare that the two go hand in hand.’
‘Of course I care. I wouldn’t have gone into medicine if I hadn’t.’
Emma frowned when she heard the edge in his voice, wondering if she had touched a nerve. ‘One doesn’t always follow the other,’ she pointed out. ‘I’ve worked with a number of doctors who openly admitted that they decided on medicine purely because it seemed like a good career choice.’
‘They’re the exceptions. Or I hope they are.’ He stared down at the mug he was holding. ‘In my opinion you can’t do this job properly unless you genuinely want to help people.’
‘So how does your desire to help people equate with wanting to go into private practice? Surely you could help far more people by working for the NHS?’
‘Rich people get sick too, Emma.’ He glanced up and she was surprised when she saw the sadness on his face because she wasn’t sure what had caused it. ‘Having money doesn’t protect you from all the usual ailments.’
‘I know that.’ She leant forward, suddenly impatient to get to the bottom of this mystery. The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed that Daniel of all people should be so keen to follow this course. ‘And I’m not suggesting that people who can afford it shouldn’t have the right to choose to pay for their treatment. But setting yourself up in private practice doesn’t seem like something you would want to do. I just can’t understand it, if I’m honest.’
Daniel wasn’t sure what to say. If he admitted that he’d never had any intention of going into private practice, he would have to tell her the truth. How would she feel if he admitted that he had deliberately misled her? Hurt, angry, upset; she was bound to feel all of those things. But would she under
stand that he had been trying to protect her, stop her doing something she would regret?
‘What’s to understand?’ he said shortly, knowing it was a risk he wasn’t prepared to take. ‘Everyone has their aims in life, including you. What made you decide to become a surgeon?’
‘Because I saw how surgery could improve people’s lives when I did my rotations,’ she said simply. ‘That’s why I chose it.’
‘There you are, then. You chose your path and I chose mine. It’s as simple as that.’ He stood up abruptly, pushing back his chair so fast that the legs scraped across the tiles. ‘I think I’ll have an early night. Hopefully, a good night’s sleep will ease some of the kinks out of my aching muscles.’
‘Of course. I’ll see you in the morning, I expect.’
‘If I manage to drag myself out of bed.’
Daniel summoned a smile but it was a poor effort, he knew. He left the kitchen and headed upstairs to his room. Switching on the bedside lamp, he sank down on the bed, wishing with all his heart that he could have done things differently five years ago. Letting Emma go had been the hardest thing he had ever done yet he was more convinced than ever that it had been the right thing to do. Maybe they would have had a few years of happiness together, but eventually she would have regretted giving up her dreams to be with him.
He took a deep breath. No matter how hard it had been, it would have been so much worse if Emma had ended up hating him.
Emma spent a couple of hours watching television after Daniel retired to his room. The plans she’d made to go to the cinema had been put on hold because she couldn’t be bothered getting ready to go out. However, by the time the old grandfather clock in the hall struck nine, she was bored stiff. She switched off the set and made her way upstairs. She reached the landing and paused to listen but there was no sound coming from Daniel’s side of the house. Obviously, he was fast asleep, worn out after his exertions that day.
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