by Karin Baine
‘I was going to, once we’d prepped for lunch. I thought it was too much drink but it hurts.’ With that, he doubled over and vomited.
‘Appendix?’ Sophie suggested.
‘Entirely possible. We need to get him down for tests right away.’ The location of the pain, the fever and vomiting all pointed towards appendicitis, something that couldn’t be left to chance. They would have to test his blood for signs of infection and X-ray his abdomen to confirm his diagnosis but he was certain that was what they were dealing with here.
Sophie commandeered one of the returning wheelchairs on his behalf and between them and the porter they got Pavel transferred into the chair.
‘The crew lift is still working.’ The porter pointed them in the right direction otherwise Luciano would have faced the prospect of carrying Pavel sedan chair–style down to the clinic.
‘Thanks. We’ll take him from here.’ He didn’t even have to ask Sophie if she was coming too.
Appendicitis often started with a dull cramping sensation. It was possible that the pain Pavel was experiencing meant the appendix was inflamed because it had been left too long without treatment. Usually they’d treat the condition with antibiotics until they reached the nearest port. Only blood tests and X-rays could tell him if his hunch was right and they were fast running out of time.
* * *
Despite being run off her feet with patients vying for her attention, Patrice provided a set of scrubs for Sophie to change into. ‘Welcome on board.’
They mightn’t have hit it off at the start when Sophie had questioned every aspect of Edith’s treatment but she certainly looked relieved to have the extra help now. No wonder. The waiting room and corridors were chock-a-block with injured passengers. Thankfully the lower decks had suffered minimal, superficial damage and there had been no major injuries reported so far. Hopefully those waiting would be patched up quickly and able to continue their holiday without too much disruption.
Luciano had already informed her that they needed to jump the X-ray queue as a matter of urgency, so he’d gone ahead, leaving Sophie to change in his office. Their earlier almost-kiss seemed like a lifetime ago now. Those fevered bodies entwined in this very room a short time ago had been doused with cold water even before the wave had hit.
Yet he’d gone after her. Why? When Luciano had been the one saying it was wrong and there was no future for them? He’d saved her too. He’d caught her with so much conviction he could’ve broken a rib. Now wasn’t the time to get into it but when the ship was calm again, she intended to stir the waters with him. She wasn’t going to drift away without a fight.
As soon as she’d changed and pulled her damp hair into a more manageable ponytail, she sought her place beside Luciano in one of the treatment rooms.
‘Do you want the bad news or the worse news?’ He pulled her to one side, with Pavel’s X-rays to hand.
Her stomach plummeted. She had hoped the tests would prove them wrong and he’d simply been suffering from an easily treated urinary tract infection. Appendicitis on a ship in bad weather wasn’t as straightforward as it might have been in a hospital.
‘His appendix?’
‘Ruptured.’ He was right, that was the worst possible scenario. Life-threatening. A ruptured appendix could spread the infection into the bloodstream and could be fatal if emergency surgery wasn’t performed to remove it and clean the abdominal cavity.
‘We need to get him to hospital for surgery at the next port, then?’ The hospital would be better equipped to perform the procedure than the medical centre, which was essentially an infirmary, not a hospital.
‘We do but we don’t know when that’s going to take place due to the weather. According to the captain, we’re too far out to have Pavel evacuated by helicopter and the weather is too bad to make it into port any time soon. I need to move now.’
‘You’re going to operate?’
‘I don’t see that we have any choice. We can’t wait for sepsis to set in.’
‘You’re sure you’re not rushing into this?’ It wasn’t that she doubted his medical opinion but this sounded too close to home. He’d told her he’d lost his wife to sepsis and was still reeling from the consequences of that. If he had another patient succumb he might never recover from it. She would go along with whatever decision he made but in this case she wanted him to be doubly sure he was doing the right thing.
‘You think I’d put a patient’s life at risk simply to justify my own existence? To prove I could’ve saved my wife if I’d acted sooner? I already know that, Sophie. Trust me, that’s something my conscience won’t let me forget. Oh, and to put your mind further at ease, the captain is in agreement that this is the best course of action in such life-threatening circumstances.’ He was trying and failing to control the volume of his voice, every inch of him as tense as a coiled cobra ready to strike.
It was understandable when she’d insulted his capacity as a medic and an honourable man.
‘I had to ask, Luciano,’ she mumbled, wondering if that was true or if she’d simply wanted to know for herself if he was truly over the manner in which his wife had passed. It was becoming more and more difficult for her to keep her distance from him, emotionally as well as physically. She didn’t want to cross that line with him if he was still confused about what he wanted. It would only cause him more heartache in the long run and she didn’t want to put him through that simply because she fancied him.
‘It’s a question I’ve already asked myself but I always put my patients first. He can’t, we can’t, wait any longer. The coastguard and closest hospital are on standby but this is an emergency. Believe it or not, we’re equipped to deal with those.’
‘I understand that. I wasn’t trying to undermine you or the facilities here.’
‘I should hope not. Along with speaking English, cruise doctors have to be able to perform advanced life-support practices, emergency cardiovascular care and minor surgical procedures.’
‘I worked as a theatre nurse for a while. I can assist.’ His eyebrows shot up. ‘What? You’re not the only one who had a working life outside this ship.’
He shook his head. ‘You’re always surprising me, Sophie, that’s all.’
She didn’t know what that meant other than that he’d never asked about her previous work experience and vice versa. All they really knew about each other was based on their time together during this trip. It had proved enough for her to let Luciano close but she wasn’t sure he was ready to let her in.
* * *
With the anaesthetic administered, it was time to do what Luciano did best: work under pressure. In contrast to his time working in the hospital, he hadn’t been tested too often during his time at sea. Usually the priority was keeping the patient stabilised until they could reach land. However, they weren’t unused to dealing with emergencies. Getting the coastguard out to evacuate a patient by helicopter was rare. Not only did it put vulnerable patients at risk, it could be dangerous for the crew and everyone on board. It was strictly limited to emergencies and better weather.
They had a small operating room with the equipment to carry out one of the most common emergency abdominal surgeries. But Luciano was finding it difficult not to consider the implications of the appendix having already burst, especially when he’d lost his own wife to a blood infection.
‘Scalpel.’
Sophie handed him the instrument and he made the first incision into Pavel’s stomach, cold sweat beginning to form all over his body.
It had been some time since he’d done anything like this and there was a lot riding on the outcome—not least his burden of guilt. He couldn’t lose anyone else this way. Certainly not if Sophie believed he was doing this to somehow make up for his wife’s death. It was precisely the opposite. His growing feelings towards Sophie led him to believe he was finally moving out of his mourning perio
d. He’d never forget Renata or what had happened but life had to continue without her. That was what scared him. Not knowing what the future held or if he’d lose someone else.
Death could happen in an instant. If they hadn’t acted so quickly with Pavel he could’ve died. He still might. Life was a fragile thing. But so was Luciano’s heart. He wasn’t sure it would withstand losing someone else he loved. It was that fear that kept him from getting too involved with anyone else.
‘Dr Montavano? Luciano?’ Sophie registered his hesitation but he was confident in his medical skills. It was fate that unnerved him. All the expertise in the world couldn’t help if events like this were predetermined. Perhaps the wave had happened so they would come to Pavel’s aid in time. Perhaps Renata was always going to die, no matter what he did or didn’t do. In which case, it made a mockery of his attempts to avoid any emotional entanglements. There was no way to outrun destiny and only a fool would try. Sophie standing here beside him was proof. They kept being thrown together—sometimes literally. These were all signs he should stop fighting his feelings and just let fate take its course.
‘I...er... I am just going to divide the fat and underlying tissue to expose the site.’
‘Yes, Doctor.’ Sophie helped with the positioning of the self-retaining retractors to hold the tissue out of the way so he could work freely.
He did a finger sweep to locate the appendix before carefully tying off both ends. With precise movements he dissected it and disposed of it into the tray Sophie held out to him.
‘I need to irrigate the abdomen.’ It was necessary to eliminate any bacterial contamination to prevent septicaemia by flushing out the area with saline. Once it was all drained away again, and he had checked the gall bladder and liver to make sure they hadn’t been affected during the procedure, he was able to begin closing the wound.
To Luciano, suturing was a signal that he’d completed his task and he could begin to relax. It was something he had plenty of experience doing on board. There was no shortage of gashed knees around the pool or drunken passengers cut by broken glasses they’d dropped.
‘We’ll leave the drainage tube in to make sure all infection is clear and keep him on antibiotics and painkillers for a few days.’
‘How long do you think it will take for him to recover?’
‘It will probably take a few weeks to get back to full health. Hopefully most of that will be done in a hospital.’
When the crisis had been averted and Pavel had been sewn up again, Luciano breathed a bigger sigh of relief than he’d ever done in a hospital emergency department.
‘Thanks for your assistance, Nurse Blythe.’ She’d been a quiet, calming presence beside him, assisting his progress with her physical support and a quiet confidence in his abilities.
‘Any time, Dr Montavano. It was my privilege to work with you. You saved his life. You should be proud of yourself.’ Only Sophie’s eyes were visible above her face mask but they expressed genuine respect for him.
‘No, we did and I think we deserve a drink after that.’ Today had been a wake-up call. Life was too short and, as he knew all too well, could be snuffed out at any time. He couldn’t spend the rest of his life worrying and grieving when every second was too precious to waste. Instead of trying to quash his feelings towards Sophie, he should be celebrating the fact that he’d met someone who’d resurrected the side of him he’d thought had died with Renata.
‘Are you allowed to socialise with the riff-raff? Isn’t there a danger you’ll get mobbed? You’re the closest thing to a celebrity around here.’ She was mocking him but he didn’t care when she made him laugh so easily. Even if nothing happened between them, he enjoyed being around her. He didn’t need to keep punishing himself by remaining in isolation.
‘I was thinking about the crew bar. You’re a member of staff now.’
‘Ah, so it’s just a drink between two work colleagues after a difficult day?’
‘What else would it be?’ He didn’t see any reason to label it as something else in case it didn’t work out or scared her off. She knew about his past and his current confusion. It would be understandable if she didn’t want to get involved in his mess when all she was looking for was a bit of fun on holiday.
‘You’re right. It’ll be nothing more than two people meeting at the same time in the same place, socialising outside work.’ Her teasing made it evident she didn’t believe it any more than he did and there was a chink of hope that it wasn’t too late to act.
‘I trust I’ll have to go and get changed. Unless it’s some sort of fancy-dress theme we’re going for?’
‘I’ll come by your cabin at about eight.’ He had no choice but to accompany her when he’d have to practically smuggle her in. It was a risk taking her into crew quarters, even if she was a temporary recruit, but he was willing to do it if it meant he could spend more time with her.
‘All right. It’s a date,’ she said blowing him a kiss as she left and almost sending him into cardiac arrest.
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘NOT A DATE,’ Sophie reminded herself in the full-length mirror at the end of the bed. Luciano had told her exactly that when they’d made the arrangement.
It didn’t matter that her body was burning for more or that his vocal protest hadn’t matched his body language. He was still in mourning and therefore it didn’t make any sense to keep a candle burning for him. She’d only get burned. Besides, after-work drinks with a colleague was still more of a social life than she’d had in a long time.
There was a rap on the door.
‘Not a date,’ she reiterated. Yeah, right. That was why she’d showered, blow-dried her hair, put make-up on and dressed to impress.
On her way to answer the door her heart gave an unprompted leap, trying to escape the confines of her chest. Why did the prospect of spending the night with Luciano seem more intimidating than assisting him with emergency surgery?
She forced herself into an I’m-not-bothered-at-all casual stance as she opened the door...until she saw him leaning against the door frame in his black turtleneck and dark grey chinos. Cartoon-style Arooga! signs went off in her head and she imagined her eyes had popped out on stalks. He’d shaved and his hair had that fluffy, just-washed look, and he smelled divine—of citrus and the sea. Forbidden fruit and freedom.
‘Hey.’ She suddenly felt very shy.
It might’ve had something to do with the way he was looking at her. As though the royal blue silk jumpsuit Edith had talked her into buying ‘for one of those fancy dinners they do with the captain’ was the disposable wrapper on a sweet he was about to devour. It was not an unwanted reaction and perhaps exactly what she’d been hoping for when she’d chosen the outfit tonight.
‘Too much? Not enough?’
The longer he took to reply the more room there was for the doubt crows to set up roost.
It was way too many rapid heartbeats until he answered, ‘Just right.’
‘Just call me Goldilocks.’ She flicked her hair off her shoulder with the sass of a woman who knew she could have anything she wanted—including the sexy man at her door.
‘I thought you might like to go for dinner first. Have you eaten?’
‘Not yet.’ Her stomach had been in too much turmoil at the prospect of spending the evening with Luciano to contemplate eating a meal. Now she was glad she’d waited. It would line her stomach before they went for drinks but it would also give them more time together.
‘Dinner it is, then.’ He offered her his arm and she hooked her own through it as they made their way through the corridors into the glitz of the atrium, where the awe-inspiring chandelier hanging from the ceiling seemed to illuminate every deck and the glass staircase glittered with encrusted crystals.
‘Wait, doesn’t dinner lead us into date territory?’ There could be little doubt about what was happening now bu
t she liked teasing him. He’d told her he hadn’t as much as looked at anyone whilst in mourning so taking someone out for dinner wouldn’t be an everyday occurrence for him. Or her.
‘We don’t have to label this as anything. Let’s just go with the flow, Sophie.’ He seemed much more at ease about going out as he adopted her recent philosophy; it brought a smile to both of their faces.
‘Are we going to one of those posh restaurants? I suppose you can get a table any time you choose. The rest of us mere mortals have to join a waiting list before we can gain admittance.’
As they strolled arm in arm past the queues of people outside the Japanese and French restaurants, she admitted to feeling smug. She’d had her time as a solo diner and not only was she in the company of the most handsome man on board but one of the most important. Even out of uniform he drew nods of respect from those around him. He took it all in his stride but Sophie took it as the measure of the man as much as the doctor that he was appreciated and liked by all. Including her.
‘I thought we’d go somewhere more exclusive.’ Bypassing all the other guests, he took her towards the lift and pressed the ‘up’ button. They were the only ones in the lift but the atmosphere between them was buzzing with expectation for the evening that lay ahead.
Perhaps the crew had a separate restaurant and he had a chef friend who was going to cook specially for them.
When they arrived on the now-familiar deck and walked towards the all-day buffet, that fizz of excitement suddenly went flat. She was aware that everyone else who was walking around, plates in hand, helping themselves to the array of food, were dressed very casually. Shorts, T-shirts and sundresses were the uniform here, and she was distinctly out of place. The eyes assessing her outfit told her so.
‘I think I’m a tad overdressed. I wish you’d told me this was what you had in mind.’ It didn’t matter to her where they went when Luciano’s company was the main attraction but by building her hopes for something fabulous he’d left room for disappointment.