The Paramedic's Unexpected Hero

by Alison Roberts

  And...did he have anyone else significant in his life? Like a girlfriend?

  Kelly could feel her gaze being pulled back in Ari’s direction again but she resisted, keeping it firmly on the man who was still speaking.

  ‘The difference between our flying squad and a trauma retrieval team is that our team members and our ambulance are chosen and equipped for a specific purpose. We carry a state-of-the-art incubator and resuscitation gear and the team will always include an on-call obstetrician and/or paediatrician, depending on availability and what the job is. What we couldn’t do without are the ancillary volunteer members of the team who are rostered to be here twenty-four seven to assist us.

  ‘You are all experienced paramedics, midwives, nurses and drivers who are prepared to give up your time and use your skills to help us provide a service that has been demonstrated to save the lives of both mothers and babies. So...thank you all for being here and...welcome. I’m going to hand over to Kelly now, who’s one our long-standing paramedic volunteers and has now trained to a level where she might be leading the team if our specialists are unavailable.’

  Kelly could feel how every glance was on her now and she could feel her muscles tense. She didn’t want to be the centre of attention or get praised to a point where you might have people expecting you to be perfect. For them to be watching your every move, ready to pounce on any perceived faults and put you back in your place. She especially didn’t want Ari to think that she had an overinflated ego. Was he staring at her as well? Kelly actually ducked her head to avoid looking up but she knew the answer to that question because she could feel that tingle in her gut again and it was as strong as some kind of electrical current.

  ‘Kelly’s going to give you a brief outline of the types of obstetric emergencies you might expect to go to and the management from a pre-hospital perspective.’ Phillip was moving to sit down. ‘One of our neonatal paediatricians will talk about our protocols for caring for premature infants after that, and that’ll be enough for your first session. We have regular training evenings that will get you up to speed to assist with things like neonatal resuscitation and the use of incubators.’

  ‘And we regularly finish those training evenings over at the Kensington Arms.’ Kelly smiled at the group as she stood up. ‘It’s not all work and no fun, I promise. And I can tell you from personal experience that you’re going to meet some amazing people and learn a great deal about managing specific kinds of medical emergencies. Like our more common obstetric challenges such as major post-partum haemorrhage, a retained placenta, or an obstructed labour.’

  Kelly paused and looked around a group of people who were giving her their full attention. They were putting their hands up because they wanted to make a difference to women—and their babies—who might be in serious trouble and that was something she respected.

  ‘You know, I’ve given an introductory talk like this many times in the four years that I’ve been involved with the flying squad,’ she told them. ‘And I usually show you some flow charts of the protocols we follow and throw in a few boring statistics about how often these types of cases happen and what the outcomes might be but tonight I’m going to do something a bit different.

  ‘I’m going to tell you a story about a case I went to only a week or so ago where a midwife was clued up enough to know that something serious was happening. It wasn’t a callout to the flying squad but it could well have been. And it’s the kind of job where you know that you’ve made a difference because I can tell you about how it ended for both a premature baby and a young mother—let’s call her Susan—and that outcome is why we do what we do. And why I, for one, have found being a part of this team to be life-changing.’

  * * *

  Kelly was about to tell the story of how they’d met, wasn’t she?

  Ari was that “clued-up” midwife, and the compliment meant quite a lot, coming from someone whose work he respected so much. He could feel his lips were curling up on one side as, yet again, Kelly’s gaze sought him out in the far corner of this group.

  There was no doubt that Kelly had been pleased to see him turn up tonight. About as pleased as Peggy had been when he’d told her where he was going.

  ‘Oh, I’m so happy. If you see that lovely Kelly again, invite her to dinner. I want to thank her for taking such good care of me last week.’

  She wanted to do a lot more than that, of course. Ari had no intention of passing on an invitation that was such a blatant attempt at matchmaking but he did want a chance to talk to Kelly. He listened to her describing Vicky’s signs and symptoms and refrained from joining in when she invited the group to guess what their provisional diagnosis had been.

  ‘Premature labour?’ someone suggested.

  ‘That could certainly explain some abdominal pain but not the amount of blood loss.’

  ‘Placenta praevia?’

  ‘Good thought.’ Kelly nodded. ‘But the classic presentation is painless bleeding in the third trimester.’

  ‘Trauma,’ a young man near the front offered. ‘I work as a nurse in ED and I’ve seen that kind of presentation. Had Susan had a car accident she thought was only minor at the time? Or a fall?’

  ‘That wins as being the closest differential diagnosis,’ Kelly told him. ‘And I could add that, due to the situation we found ourselves in, we had to consider the possibility of domestic violence.’

  A ripple of increased interest ran through the group. Many of these people were used to working in a controlled, clinical environment where there were security guards and plenty of colleagues if they found themselves in a dodgy situation. They were signing themselves up for frontline work in the community with all the unknowns that could bring, but they were up for it. Excited by the prospect, even. As Ari was. While there was still the worry of not being immediately available if Peggy needed him if he was on a night shift for the squad, this was exactly the kind of thing that fed his passion for the work he did. And Peggy wasn’t about to back down on that deal they’d made.

  Having been given the clue that what they were dealing with had very similar signs and symptoms to abdominal trauma in pregnancy, it was an easy step to discuss placental abruption and the treatment given before rushing “Susan” to hospital. Kelly finished her story with the successful outcome of the timely Caesarean and two lives that had been saved, and that was why Ari wanted to talk to her. He could give her an epilogue to that case history because he’d been up to visit Vicky earlier today when he’d been on the labour ward for a delivery.

  Any chance to talk had to wait until this introductory evening was over and the group, other than those on call at the hospital, drifted down the road to the pub. And then he had to wait even longer because there were so many people keen to talk to Kelly and ask questions about her experiences with the flying squad.

  ‘Do we really need to know everything about the settings for neonatal ventilation pressures and for the incubators? It sounded incredibly complicated.’

  ‘The more you know, the better you can assist the specialists but you’ll never be sent somewhere on your own, don’t worry. If there are no doctors available for whatever reason, the job is taken over by the ambulance service—usually with a rapid response vehicle, like the one I work in, followed by transport options of either an ambulance or a helicopter.’

  Even the bartender in the Kensington Arms wanted to talk to Kelly, judging by the grin on his face as he came to take her order.

  ‘Hey...it’s you again. Hope you’re not still waiting for that idiot who stood you up last week.’

  It was becoming familiar, that feeling of connection when Kelly’s gaze caught and held his own, but this time it was a whole heap stronger. He could see amusement dancing in her eyes but, below that, he could sense what he already knew—that Kelly understood why he hadn’t turned up that night and she’d not only forgiven him, she respected him for his choice
.

  The bartender hadn’t noticed anything significant in the blink of time before Kelly smiled back.

  ‘He’s far from an idiot and it wasn’t his fault. You must be used to us medical types.’

  ‘Some of the stories I hear being told make my hair curl.’ The bartender shook his head. ‘And meals that get abandoned by people rushing off to an emergency? Don’t know how you all do it. Now, what can I get you?’

  ‘A glass of white wine, thanks. Small one. Ari—can I get you something?’

  ‘Just a soda water for me. I’ll have to be on my bike in a few minutes.’ He took the glass from Kelly a moment later. ‘I just wanted to let you know about...you know... Susan?’

  ‘Oh?’ Kelly turned back swiftly after picking up her wine. ‘I’ve been wanting to follow up on her.’

  ‘I just caught her packing her bag. She’s about to be discharged, having made a good recovery from that emergency Caesarean.’

  ‘And the baby? It was a boy, wasn’t it?’

  ‘It was. He’s still in NICU but doing well, apparently. And...even better, there’s some support in place for dealing with domestic abuse. If...um... Susan wants to take it, that is.’

  ‘Mmm...’ Kelly glanced over her shoulder but the other members of tonight’s group were busy getting to know each other and weren’t close enough to overhear. ‘That can be tricky. People—even intelligent people—can get caught in dysfunctional relationships. It can be quite hard to escape.’

  That tiny frown line between her eyes was a dead giveaway for Ari. She knew what she was talking about because she’d been there. It was as if she was offering an excuse for having been stupid enough to have been caught herself. He wanted to touch that line and smooth it away. Instead, he just made the connection that came automatically with their eye contact.

  ‘I know how hard it can be,’ he said softly. ‘But thank goodness some people are brave enough to make that escape, however long it takes. Let’s hope Susan is as well.’

  The way Kelly’s eyes widened was almost invisible but, thanks to that connection, Ari was quite sure that she’d received the message that he understood more than she might have realised. And that he applauded the effort it might have taken for her to make that escape. Not that this was the place or time to talk about it.

  ‘How’s Stacey doing?’ Kelly asked hurriedly. ‘And Peggy?’

  ‘Stace is okay, I think. She finally went to an antenatal appointment. They’re not sure of a due date because the best time to estimate gestational age by ultrasound is between weeks eight and eighteen. It gets less accurate after that and this baby may well be small for dates given the lifestyle Stace has been living, but she could be nearly eight months along.’

  ‘She’s still with Peggy?’

  ‘Yes. And seems to be behaving herself. Peggy’s not about to let her go back on the streets and you already know how stubborn my mum can be. Hence why I’m here tonight so that she rings the hospital tomorrow and hopefully gets a new date for surgery.’

  ‘How’s she doing?’ That frown line had reappeared but this time it was there from a sincere concern for someone else’s welfare and Ari’s heart melted a little. Kelly the paramedic was a genuinely kind and caring person and the thought that anyone could have treated her badly was unacceptable.

  ‘She’s doing well,’ Ari said. ‘Her pain’s under good control. She wanted me to pass on her thanks to you for helping her so much last week.’

  ‘It was a real pleasure.’ Kelly smiled. ‘I like your mum a lot.’

  ‘She likes you, too.’

  That smile was doing something weird to Ari’s brain. It seemed to be reminding him that Kelly might need someone to tell her how amazing she was. That she might need a friend. Telling him that he was quite capable of being that friend and ignoring any attraction that might be there. It was also undermining that resolve about what he wasn’t going to tell her.

  ‘She also wants you to come to dinner with us so that she can thank you herself. If that’s not unethical or anything, given that she’s been your patient?’

  There was surprise in Kelly’s eyes now but the way she caught her breath suggested that the surprise was not unpleasant.

  ‘That depends...’

  ‘On what?’

  ‘On whether Peggy was simply a patient or whether I can consider her to be a patient that’s the mother of one of my colleagues from the flying squad. Or, even better, a friend’s mum.’

  ‘That’s an affirmative.’ Ari nodded solemnly. ‘On both counts.’

  It was true. He was looking forward to working on the same team she was so passionate about. He could also be a friend, if she wanted him to be—the best friend it was possible for anyone to be. It certainly seemed as if she liked that idea, judging by the sparkle in those amazingly blue eyes, but her tone was just as solemn as his had been.

  ‘That’s okay, then,’ she said. ‘I’d love to come to dinner.’

  * * *

  Well...this was a bit awkward.

  There she was, having just knocked on Peggy’s door and a text message pinged into her phone at the same moment the door was opening.

  ‘That’ll be Ari,’ Peggy told her as she opened her message. ‘He just rang me to say he’s running a wee bit late.’

  ‘Mmm...’ Kelly was scanning the message. Ari was certain it was a false alarm but his client was anxious enough to need further reassurance so he was meeting her at the hospital.

  ‘Come in, come in,’ Peggy urged. ‘And never mind about Ari. This will give us a chance to have a chat.’

  The crinkles around Peggy’s eyes made her smile so utterly welcoming that any awkwardness simply evaporated. Until Kelly arrived in the kitchen, that was, and found Stacey sitting at the kitchen table, glaring at her. This was the first time that Kelly had seen her properly and the teenager’s face looked too thin beneath eyes that were as dark as Ari’s. Her bright red hair was in long spikes on one side and shaved on the other and she had a silver ring through the bottom of her nose. Her stare was definitely unfriendly.

  ‘What’s she doing here?’

  ‘I told you that one of Ari’s friends was coming to dinner.’ Peggy patted Stacey’s shoulder as she walked past. ‘Don’t eat that whole bag of crisps, okay? You’ll spoil your appetite for proper food.’

  ‘She’s Ari’s girlfriend?’ Stacey shook her head. ‘Nah...he’s never brought a girlfriend home in his life, has he?’ Her huff of sound was dismissive. ‘They’ve never lasted that long, that’s why.’

  ‘I’m just a friend,’ Kelly told her. ‘Ari and I are going to be working together sometimes.’

  ‘On a flying squad.’ Peggy made it sound like the most elite working environment possible. ‘’Specially for mothers and babies. Real emergencies. He’ll sleep at the hospital sometimes to do a night shift. Maybe with Kelly.’

  Stacey snorted. ‘He’ll be sleeping with Kelly?’

  ‘No.’ Peggy and Kelly spoke together in a mix of indignant and admonishing tones and then they looked at each other. For a beat, as they made eye contact, Kelly could see that Peggy was hoping there might be something more than friendship in her relationship with Ari. Kelly had the uncomfortable feeling that Peggy might be able to see exactly the same thing in her eyes but, if she did, it just gave the two women an understanding that closed any gap between them. And it made them both smile.

  ‘Can I do anything to help with dinner?’ Kelly asked. ‘It smells wonderful but I’m not sure you should be on your feet too much.’

  ‘It’s just a roast. The oven’s doing all the work. And I’m good, thanks, lovey. I’ve got my pills and patches sorted out so I’m not in any pain at all at the moment.’ There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. ‘Maybe I don’t even need that operation.’

  Kelly grinned. ‘You wouldn’t go back on your half of the deal, though
, would you?’

  Stacey held up her crisp packet to tip the last crumbs into her mouth. ‘She’s having the operation in a couple of weeks,’ she informed Kelly. ‘And I’m going to be looking after her when she gets home.’

  So there...her tone suggested. You’re not needed here...

  Or maybe it was more like a warning to stay away from Ari? Kelly remembered Peggy saying that Ari had looked after Stacey when she had first arrived—a miserable baby going through drug withdrawal—and that it had been hard work, even for a baby whisperer. How many hours had he spent soothing that baby? she wondered. And how strong would the bond between them be? Did Stacey know her biological father or had Ari been the only man to help care for her as a young child, even though he would have only been a teenager himself back then? Anyway...she could understand why Stacey might feel possessive.

  ‘It’s good that you’ll be here,’ she told Stacey. ‘I’m guessing it’s quite hard to stop Peggy doing more than she probably should be doing.’

  ‘Oh, pfff...’ Peggy flapped her hand. ‘Come and sit down somewhere comfy. Would you like a glass of wine? Or a cup of tea?’

  ‘A cup of tea sounds wonderful. Oh...and I brought this for you...’ Kelly handed over the box she was carrying. ‘Just something for dessert. A mud cake. It can go in the freezer if you don’t need it.’

  ‘Ooh...that’s your favourite, isn’t it, Stace? Mud cake?’

  Stacey shrugged. ‘I’ve kind of gone off chocolate.’ She pushed herself to her feet, the baggy, purple corduroy dungarees she was wearing almost hiding her bump. ‘I’ll be in my room,’ she told Peggy.

  ‘Don’t mind her.’ A few minutes later Kelly carried the tray with the teapot and cups down to the other end of the kitchen where they could sit on the couch. ‘She’s got a lot to cope with at the moment and she’s trying hard. She’s actually got a heart of gold hidden under all that angst.’