As if they’d done this many times before. As if they would keep doing it, perhaps for the rest of their lives. An unbreakable team.
Soul-mates...
* * *
How on earth had she ended up in what had to be the most dangerous situation she’d ever faced in her career? There was water covering Kelly’s feet now and the car was beginning to rock in the increasing current of the flood waters. The splashes combined with the heavy rain coming through the open door beside her and she could feel it trickling beneath her raincoat to soak her scrub suit and chill her whole body.
What was even more extraordinary, mind you, was that she could feel she was actually quite safe as long as Ari was there. And somewhere in the back of her mind, as she reached for the lever to try and flatten the back of the driver’s seat, was the knowledge that even if the worst happened and this car got washed away, she knew that she wouldn’t willingly be abandoning Zoe, even if it was to try and save her own life. Because she knew that it wouldn’t even occur to Ari to do that?
She could hear him explain to Zoe how to use the inhaler for pain relief when her next contraction started and, although his voice was muted by the sound of water rushing past and fire officers getting closer to the vehicle and shouting instructions as they brought heavy equipment down the bank, just the calmness of that rumble of his voice was enough to reassure Kelly that he was in control. That they were in control of managing their patient, at least. The seat mechanism was still working and Kelly had pulled the back down as far as she could.
‘Okay, Zoe, breathe in through the inhaler...hold it...keep holding...now breathe out, still through the inhaler. Kelly? Can I have some fresh gloves, please?’
‘Sure.’ She found the large-sized gloves in the kit. ‘Do you want the Doppler now?’
His hand covered hers as he reached for the gloves and the brief glance told her that there might be more urgent things to do than find out the baby’s heart rate. A fire officer was leaning in the open side of the car as Ari pulled on the gloves.
‘We’re going to break the window on the driver’s side,’ he told them, ‘so we can get that door off and get the patient free. I’m going to put this sheet of plastic over you all to keep you safe from the glass, okay?’
‘Okay.’ Kelly answered for them both. Ari was busy talking to Zoe.
‘I need to check what’s happening down below as soon as this contraction is over, Zoe.’
Zoe pulled the inhaler from her mouth. ‘I can feel something,’ she groaned. ‘I need to push...’
‘Hang on. Try not to push just yet. Pant for me, sweetheart. Or blow, like there’s lot of candles on that cake and you want them all to flicker.’
Somehow, Ari was twisting his big body so that he could reach between Zoe’s legs at the same time as the plastic sheet was being stuffed into the interior of the car and Kelly was helping to pull it over them.
And then...there they were. The three of them very close together inside a strange plastic tent. There was thumping and crashing outside and the sound of breaking glass and the noise of pneumatic tools starting up but it faded into the background as Kelly leaned over Zoe’s head, holding a torch to try and give Ari some light.
‘I can feel baby’s head,’ he told Zoe. ‘Let’s see if we can get you into a better position and then you can push on your next contraction.’
There was no way Zoe could move her trapped foot but she was able to bend her other leg.
‘I don’t want to push,’ she sobbed. ‘I don’t want to have my baby here. Get me out...please...get me out of here...’
‘It’s okay, Zoe.’ Ari had his mouth close to his patient’s ear. ‘We’re here with you. Your baby wants to come now and it’s okay. We’ve got this. You’ve got this...’
He caught Kelly’s gaze for a second. He didn’t need to tell her that there was a limited time to deliver this baby safely now that it was already this far on its way. Even if the fire service got the door off in the next minute or two and could bend metal enough to free Zoe’s foot, they weren’t going to be moving her anywhere until this baby was born. Kelly squeezed through more of the gap between the seats to get close enough to hold Zoe’s hand and try and help encourage her as her next contraction began.
‘You can do this, Zoe. We’ve got you.’ The grip on her hand was crushing her fingers but Kelly barely noticed. ‘That’s it...you’re doing great.’ With her other hand she was still holding the torch to provide some light for Ari.
‘Push, Zoe.’ Ari’s voice was commanding. ‘That’s it. Good girl... Keep it going...push...push...push...’
‘I...can’t,’ Zoe gasped. ‘It’s too hard...it’s... Ahh...’
‘You’re almost there. One more push...’
‘As hard as you can,’ Kelly urged. In the spotlight from the torch, she could see the baby’s head between Zoe’s legs, between Ari’s hands as he supported the infant and gently tilted its body to help deliver the first shoulder. And then, with another, sharp cry from Zoe, it was over in a rush, with Ari managing to catch the slippery bundle before it could get anywhere near the water that had risen almost to the level of the seats as the door was being prised off this side of the car.
They were still all inside the plastic cocoon as Ari lifted the baby whose first cry cut through the cacophony of noise from outside the tent as access was gained to deal with the pedals trapping Zoe’s foot. Kelly had to move now. To find what they needed to cut the umbilical cord and what she had that she could cover the infant with to prevent hypothermia. And then they needed to get him to a safe space as fast as possible but, for a heartbeat, she was caught by the look on Ari’s face.
A lot of what she could read in his expression was reflecting the same relief that she was feeling—that the baby was crying and not in need of resuscitation in an impossible setting but she could see much more than that in his eyes as well. The whole miracle of birth was amazing enough in any circumstances but to snatch a victory in what could have been a disastrous situation was...well...it was overwhelming enough to bring the prickle of tears to the back of her own eyes. Kelly was never going to forget this moment. Or the way Ari was looking at her right now. As if they had been a team forever and nothing was going to break that bond of trust.
For a heartbeat, Kelly actually believed that she could return that trust. That it might be possible to recapture that dream she’d once had of finding a person that she could trust—and love—enough to want to spend the rest of her life with them, and it was something that she wanted to believe so much that it hurt. But this was not the time to allow what was an emotion rather than a coherent thought any more than that tiny blink of time.
Already, Kelly was turning away, the conscious part of her brain listing the items like the clamps and sterile scissors and foil survival sheets that she needed to locate in the kit. It was time to cut this baby’s umbilical cord and wrap it up to carry to a safe, warm place where they could complete an accurate Apgar score and check that all was well. It would only be moments before Zoe could also be lifted from the car and carried to the warmth of the ambulance for a proper assessment and transport to hospital, probably with the third stage of her labour happening en route.
Maybe later—much later when the chaos of this call out had finally been sorted—she might get drawn back to that moment and find that it would be only too easy to conjure up that sense of longing for a lost dream again. Or maybe it would be better to simply leave it where it was, as part of an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime experience that would never happen again.
Like holding this newborn baby in her arms, wrapped up in the foil sheet, as firemen reached in through the open doors to take the kit out of the way and then help her out of the vehicle and up the bank to safety. At the same time, more rescuers were lifting Zoe from the car. As Kelly made sure she had a secure grip on the precious bundle she was holding as someone drap
ed a blanket around them, a quick glance over her shoulder showed her that Zoe was now in Ari’s arms. He was standing knee deep in the swirling, icy water of the stream and his head was bent so that his mouth was close to Zoe’s ear, as if he was saying something he wanted only her to hear. It must have been something reassuring, Kelly thought, judging by the way Zoe wrapped her arms around his neck and tucked her head beneath his shoulder and against his chest—as if she’d found the safest place in the world.
Or maybe that was how anybody would feel once they were in the circle of those arms? Kelly shook the notion away almost as quickly as it surfaced. Errant thoughts, imagining what it might be like to be a lot closer to Ari Lawson than was appropriate for a colleague—even one who was a good friend—were becoming a bit of a habit. A bad habit that had the potential to undermine her focus on her work. It only took a shift of her glance to the tiny face visible in the crook of her elbow to regain that focus and the pressure of supporting hands on each side of her was, quite literally, another step in the right direction.
‘Let’s go, baby,’ she whispered. ‘We’ve got this...’
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘IT’S NOT BROKEN.’ The orthopaedic registrar was staring intently at the computer screen where the X-ray of Zoe’s ankle was illuminated. ‘Looks like just some bad bruising.’
Ari caught Kelly’s glance. ‘Exactly what you thought,’ he murmured.
There was a glow of satisfaction in her eyes. ‘Had to get an X-ray to be sure, though. How’s that paperwork going?’
‘Almost done.’
Ari was adding the clinical description of his part in Zoe’s rescue and the birth of her baby to their report, including the third stage with the delivery of the placenta that had happened as they’d travelled back to hospital with Zoe in the second ambulance, which had had both a stretcher and baby carrier available. Her baby had been well enough to travel with the new mother, having not needed the incubator in the flying squad’s ambulance.
They were in one corner of the larger resus room that had been ready for Zoe on arrival at the Kensington and, until a few minutes ago, it had been a crowded space. Members of the obstetric team on call had joined the emergency department staff, paged to check that there were no complications from Zoe’s dramatic labour under such challenging conditions, but apart from a minor tear, it appeared that all was well. The paediatrician who had also been paged had been quite happy with the condition of the baby, who was now cradled in Zoe’s arms, sound asleep after all the excitement.
Bruce, the volunteer driver for the flying squad, had come to tell Kelly and Ari that the squad’s ambulance was cleaned up and ready for a new crew and that he was heading home with their shift done and dusted. A police officer had also come in not long ago to tell Zoe that they had managed to contact both her husband and her parents and they were all on their way to see her.
‘I’m pretty much done with the paperwork, too.’ Kelly pushed back a strand of her hair that had come loose. ‘Did you know that there are reporters waiting outside and a television news crew? They’ve already got pictures of the scene and some of the story from the police but they’d like to talk to us before they come in to get an interview with Zoe and some close-ups of the baby.’ She grinned at Ari. ‘We might be a little bit famous.’
‘It’s the kind of story everybody loves, I guess.’ Ari signed the bottom of the patient report form. ‘Some real drama and danger and not just a happy ending but a cute baby as well.’
The kind of story that Ari knew would be a career highlight and one that he would remember for the rest of his life. And, professionally speaking, it had been an experience that only he and Kelly would ever share. Nobody else could ever truly understand the flash of fear that had come with the scrape and rock of the car shifting on the rocks, with them both knowing that if it got washed away it was quite possible that neither of them would survive. And nobody else could relate to that astonishing wash of relief on hearing Zoe’s baby cry for the first time because it could only have been that intense due to the unusual combination of factors—not just the danger and the tension but the fact that he and Kelly had been working so closely together under that plastic tent.
That bond of being a team that Ari had been aware of as they’d started that job had strengthened tenfold now and, even though his clothing was still damp enough to be chilling his body and he had mud splatters from head to foot, including in his hair, he wasn’t in any hurry to leave this room. Or perhaps it was Kelly’s company he didn’t want to leave because he didn’t want to break this new bond. Or to turn his back on the kind of glow that Kelly had right now—the kind that advertised the confidence and satisfaction of an exceptionally challenging job well done.
The kind of glow that Ari would want her to have as often as possible because it meant that she was happy with who she was. Proud of herself—as she should be. He would prefer to make sure that it would be remembered so well that Kelly could tap into it if—or probably when—she had moments when she doubted her own self-worth. Like maybe the next time her path crossed that of the bastard of an ex-boyfriend and he tried to put her down again.
When they’d said goodbye to Zoe, brushed off her heartfelt thanks and admired the baby again, they slipped out of the resus room. They had a choice of whether to head for the locker room, where they’d left their personal items like street clothing this morning, or to go to the waiting area where they knew the reporters had gathered.
‘You were amazing out there.’ Ari paused to nod towards the doors that led to the waiting room. ‘You deserve to be more than a little bit famous.’
‘You were the real hero. I think I’d rather have a hot shower and some dinner.’
‘Oh...you and me both. I’d better text Stacey and see if she wants me to bring takeaway home.’ He pulled out his phone and started tapping even as he kept talking. ‘I’d like to pop in on Peggy but I can’t go anywhere like this and by the time I’ve been home and cleaned up, it’ll be too late to come back.’
‘You could shower here.’ But Kelly was staring at Ari’s head as they moved, by tacit consent, towards the locker room. ‘How did you get so much mud in your hair? I think you’ll need some heavy-duty shampoo rather than just soap.’
Ari’s phone buzzed. ‘I don’t need to take food home,’ he told Kelly. ‘Apparently Stacey has a friend visiting and they’re making cheese toasties. Hey...why don’t we both shower here and go across to the pub? Being almost famous calls for a celebration, doesn’t it?’
‘I’d rather use my own shower,’ Kelly said. ‘I’m only down the road a bit. Ten minutes’ walk at the most.’ Ahead of Ari as they reached the locker room, she turned to glance over her shoulder. ‘You could come too, if you like. I’m sure I’ve got a beer lurking in the back of the fridge behind some wine and there’s the best Chinese takeaway almost next door. That way you’d still be close enough to go and see Peggy before you head home.’
There was no reason to take Kelly up on her offer, given that there was a shower available in the locker room and he could find something to eat across the road.
But there was every reason to take up her offer, because it meant that he could put off breaking that new bond with Kelly for a bit longer. Plus, he had to admit he was curious to see where Kelly lived and get more of a glimpse into her private life. That curiosity along with the undeniable reluctance to leave her company won any internal debate with ease.
‘Can we take my bike? I’ve got a spare helmet in a pannier and that way I can be somewhere else in a hurry if I need to.’
‘Sure.’
Kelly’s smile assured him that it was no big deal but was the slight hesitation he’d been aware of before her answer and the way her glance slid away from his trying to tell him something else? That maybe he’d made the wrong choice here? That he was taking a new turn on a pathway that might be impossible to undo? He brushed the warni
ng off as irrelevant until he was standing very close to Kelly a short time later, his fingers brushing the soft skin beneath her chin when he was helping her fasten the strap of the helmet.
Oh, man... Had he ever felt a tingle of awareness quite like that when he’d touched a woman’s skin? He didn’t dare catch Kelly’s gaze because he didn’t want her to see any hint of what he was feeling. Instead, he drew in a slow breath and slammed internal doors on that tingle and any significance it might have. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—go there. For both their sakes. A bit of self-discipline was all that was needed here and exerting that kind of self-control had never been a problem for Ari.
‘Have you been on a bike before?’
Kelly shook her head.
‘You don’t need to do anything except hang on. Best if you put your arms around my waist.’
Best for safety, anyway. It might not be quite such a good thought when it came to that self-control, Ari decided when he felt Kelly’s arms tighten around his waist and her body pressing against his back but, somewhat to his surprise, it actually helped. By the time he had parked his bike by the steps that led down to Kelly’s basement flat, being so close that they were physically touching each other was feeling familiar. No different from any friend he might have offered a motorbike ride to.
* * *
Something had changed.
Something big...
Kelly wasn’t quite sure what it was but she knew it had happened because of how dangerous that mission to help Zoe and her baby had been. Because circumstances had pushed her and Ari to work alone together in a life-and-death situation. An oddly intimate situation at the most crucial point, in fact, because they’d been cut off from even the rest of the rescue effort by that thick plastic sheeting.
The Paramedic's Unexpected Hero Page 10