by Dawn Brookes
Rachel grinned at the term baby doc, a label used for junior doctors working on board cruise ships. She remembered Alex, an Italian doctor in his early thirties whose full name was Alessandro Romano. “Are the nurses the same ones? I hardly saw the senior nurse. Can’t remember her name.”
“Gwen Sumner, yes, she seems to have settled in for the long haul, and Bernard and Brigitte will also be there. I’m glad because we get on so well.” At that moment, Sarah’s phone rang. “Excuse me.” She pressed the call answer icon. “Hello? Oh hello, Bernard, we were just talking about you. What? Oh no! Will he be alright?
Okay. Yes, I can do that. I should be there soon – hang on a minute Bernard—
How long before we arrive, Mr Prince?”
“We’re approximately an hour away,” answered Rachel’s father.
“Should be there in about an hour.” Sarah went back to the phone call. “Missed you too – will do. See you soon.” Sarah frowned as she put her mobile away. “He sends his love.”
“What’s happened?”
“Brigitte’s been called home to Dijon. Her father’s been involved in a car accident and needs an operation, but he won’t go for surgery until he’s seen Brigitte.”
“Will he be alright?”
“Bernard says they are not sure, and Brigitte left in a hurry early this morning, so I guess we won’t know for a while.”
“Oh dear, poor Brigitte. I was looking forward to meeting her properly on this cruise, but I hope he’ll be alright. Does that mean you’ll be short staffed?”
“Yes and no. There’s a new nurse the cruise line has called out of induction so she’ll get a baptism of fire. Sorry for the pun, Mr Prince. I’ll need to help Bernard in the passenger lounge today, though, so won’t be easing myself back into things.”
“Oh well. At least they found a replacement in plenty of time,” Rachel’s father said.
“Yes, that’s true, and you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be happy in my lap of luxury,” agreed Rachel.
“You mean in the gym!”
They all chuckled. Rachel felt inwardly disappointed as she had hoped to spend some quality time with Sarah, but understood that her friend had a job to do.
“That’s all you need, first day back,” she said light-heartedly.
“I guessed we might be busy, but wasn’t expecting things to kick off quite so soon. At least Bernard will still be there.”
“Is Bernard the nurse from the Philippines?” asked Rachel’s father.
“Yes, he’s from Manila. At least I’ve just enjoyed three months lounging around. I’m sorry I didn’t see more of Rachel, but Mum misses me terribly when I’m away and she had sixteen trips planned for when I got home.” Sarah rolled her eyes.
Rachel had also missed seeing Sarah and wanted to talk through what had happened with the stabbing and threats made by Tansley, but that would have to wait. They had spoken briefly when they’d snatched time together, but not since the threats.
The car arrived at Southampton docks and Rachel’s dad drove towards the cruise terminals.
“You can take the lane on the right, Mr Prince. I’ll show my crew pass to the security guards,” directed Sarah.
They bypassed queues of traffic already building and pulled up outside the terminal where the magnificent Coral Queen was docked. Rachel got out of the car and showed her ticket to the port side crew. The crew quickly and efficiently removed the luggage from the car and stacked Rachel’s on to mega-sized luggage trolleys.
Sarah showed her crew pass and grabbed her suitcase and bags before turning to Rachel. “I’ll catch you later, Rachel. I need to walk along the port side to the crew entrance. Thank you for the lift, Mr Prince.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good journey – I’ll tell your parents I delivered you safely.”
Rachel hugged Sarah and then turned to her father. “Thanks, Dad. Here in plenty of time! Perhaps as well we left early.” She kissed him on the cheek.
“Bye, Rachel. Stay safe, we’ll see you soon.”
Rachel watched her dad drive away before turning and entering the passenger terminal. This year she had a VIP passenger ticket and should be able to bypass the queues and go straight on board. She smiled, thinking of last year when she was a cruise virgin. She now felt like a seasoned cruiser and was looking forward to shopping in New York. Despite the slight setback with Sarah, she was determined to enjoy herself and take full advantage of the opportunity.
Bring it on.
Chapter 4
So much for boarding quickly, thought Rachel, finding herself jammed behind a sizeable fractious party checking in via the VIP entrance. Rachel watched the crowd advancing slowly ahead. They were speaking a foreign language that sounded Eastern European, but it wasn’t clear where exactly until she made out a few words of Russian. A large Russian population had based itself in Leeds, and police personnel who wanted to go up through the ranks were encouraged to learn at least one other language, so Rachel had picked up a smattering of Russian. It helped if the suspects didn’t realise they might be understood.
The group moved through security at a snail’s pace with many demonstrating their displeasure. An English man, clearly the tour guide for the increasingly disgruntled group, worked his way through the crowd, explaining they would need to co-operate fully with security up ahead to speed up the process.
When he spotted Rachel, he asked, “Would you like to go ahead, Miss? We might be a while.”
“If the party doesn’t mind, then yes, please – otherwise I am happy to wait.”
The guide spoke in fluent Russian to another man who appeared to be in charge to check whether it was okay to let her through first.
The man answered, “Da.”
“My brilliant command of Russian tells me that was a yes,” said Rachel.
The man acknowledged her with a smile. “Follow me, and I will take you to the front of the line.” He had obviously picked up some American colloquialisms as well as Russian. The British rarely use the term ‘a line’ for a queue.
Rachel followed him through the crowd. He looked aged late thirties. Short in stature, around five foot six, he was of slim build with thinning brown hair and slightly bulging dark-blue eyes. Wearing a grey suit with a white shirt and blue tie, he also wore a badge stating his first name, Thomas, and his company, Ronson Tours. As a policewoman, Rachel had processed this information automatically within seconds. It was all part of the rigorous training from probationer days.
Rachel felt eyes boring through the back of her head as the crowd parted to allow her through. The women looked around ten years younger than the majority of their male counterparts and were lavishly dressed in expensive-looking designer clothes. Most of them also wore high heels. Rachel guessed from previous experience that the long walk up through the tunnels and gangways to board the ship might cause some of the women to regret their choice of footwear.
“Here we are, Miss.” Thomas stopped at the front of the queue.
“Thank you,” said Rachel, smiling at him sympathetically, acknowledging he could be in for a long day. The group members were becoming increasingly boisterous the longer they had to wait.
“There is a problem with one of the scanners,” Thomas explained.
Rachel was called forward by a security guard to pass through the entrance. Once through the scanners, she heard a huge roar of approval. The second scanner was now working and Thomas’s group moved through.
Rachel walked uphill along the enclosed makeshift gangway, surrounded by members of the Russian tour group, barely understanding a word as they chattered away happily.
Not that good at Russian then.
They looked wealthy and walked with an air of self-indulgent superiority that suggested they were used to getting what they wanted. The mixture of strong but expensive perfume was at times overwhelming in the enclosed space – although a scent of Estée Lauder’s White Linen felt more reassuring as it was her mum’s favourite.<
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Once on board, Rachel was offered a glass of champagne. Taking a flute from the waiter, she ambled towards one of the food courts open to passengers, her stomach complaining over missed breakfast. There were a few others who had also boarded the ship early milling around – most people were not meant to arrive until after midday, although Sarah explained that the vast majority arrived earlier. As long as the disembarkation of passengers from the previous cruise had gone smoothly, people were allowed to board to wait in one of the many communal areas until their rooms were ready.
After eating a shrimp salad and finishing the champagne, Rachel moved into one of the lounges and sat people-watching for a short time. The Russian group gradually filed through, and Rachel spent some time counting them, getting to twenty before estimating it was a group of around thirty people in total, with stragglers still making their way on board. After becoming tired of watching them, she texted her father to let him know she was safe before calling Carlos.
“Hello, Rachel, I miss you already.” Carlos answered the phone immediately.
“You don’t see me that often and I only left you yesterday. You can’t be missing me.”
“Yes, I know, beautiful, but it’s different because you’re leaving the country.”
“I’ll be back before you realise I’ve gone.” She smiled as his landline rang in the background.
“Sorry, darling, better answer this. I’m expecting a call – enjoy your trip and think of me. Ciao.”
“Bye, see you soon.”
Rachel smiled again like a Cheshire cat after the call ended. They were not at the ‘I love you’ stage yet, but Carlos really had been a godsend over the past year. He was supportive without being suffocating and allowed her to be herself, something that her ex had never done. She hadn’t grasped how stifling that relationship had been until she was able to look back objectively. Carlos was not at all stifling; rather, he was romantic while allowing her space. He had been her rock over the past six months and she wanted to reciprocate after this holiday.
Rachel spotted Sarah passing through the lounge, now dressed in an officer’s uniform, heading towards the gangway leading to the passenger terminal. Sarah smiled and waved before making her way briskly towards the exit. Rachel stood up to stretch her legs and almost bumped into someone.
“Here you are again.”
The voice came from behind and she turned to see Thomas standing there. She looked down because of their height difference.
“I’m not sure I introduced myself, my name’s Thomas.”
“Yes, I know, you’re wearing a name badge. I’m Rachel,” she replied.
Thomas looked down at his lapel sheepishly. “Whoops, I forget I’m wearing it most of the time. Are you travelling alone, Rachel?” His enquiry appeared sincere rather than a chat-up line, although it wasn’t always easy to tell the difference.
“Not really. I have a friend who works on board and I’ve met a few of the crew before.”
“If you would like to join any of our activities, please do. No offence, but a pretty face would brighten up my days. This could be a challenging cruise.”
Coming from anyone else, this line would have annoyed Rachel, but Thomas appeared to be earnest in his request, although he might have worded it differently. She was used to men complimenting her beauty, but often wished they would just talk to her without bringing it up all the time.
“I’ll bear that in mind, as long as you don’t mention the pretty face bit again,” she said firmly.
“Okay, it’s a deal. Here’s a list of our activities. Please join us for any of the ones that take your fancy.”
Rachel took the piece of paper and looked at the long list, feeling rather sorry for Thomas. “Surely you’re not expected to attend all these!”
“No,” he chuckled, “just the ones with the initials TG next to them. Thomas Gabriel, at your service, ma’am. The cruise director has allocated members of the entertainment crew to run a lot of them. My job’s just to keep the guests happy so they don’t fall out or get bored.” He leaned closer. “They are stinking rich – one of them is a Russian oligarch,” he whispered. “There’s also a diplomat among them, a group of businessmen, and lots of WAGs. I don’t know who’s who myself yet.”
Rachel knew WAGs referred to wives and girlfriends. It would be intriguing to learn more about this interesting group; she was wavering, wondering what to ask Thomas. At that moment, one of the women called him away.
This cruise is going to be interesting besides relaxing, Rachel thought as the announcement for passengers to make their way to their staterooms whenever they were ready came over the ship’s speakers. Opting to head up to her luxury suite on deck fifteen, she tucked the programme away in her handbag, deciding to look at it later.
I might well take Thomas up on his offer.
Chapter 5
Sarah and Bernard checked the passenger health questionnaires and were satisfied the results raised no concerns about a potential norovirus (Norwalk) outbreak. They returned to the ship through security, and on the way Bernard brought her up-to-speed with all the latest crew gossip.
“Guess what? I found out why Gwen asked for a transfer from the last ship,” he boasted.
“Okay, I suppose you’re going to tell me – so why?”
“She had a fliiiiing with the chief medical officer. Well, a bit more than a fling, actually, on Gwen’s side. When she realised it was going nowhere and he wouldn’t be leaving his wife, she worried about losing her job if news got out, so asked for a transfer.”
“Wow! That I would never have imagined. Gwen seems so quiet and demure. Poor woman. And how – may I ask – did you manage to wheedle that information out of her?”
“Stingers!” Bernard looked overly pleased with himself. A stinger was his own special mix of spirits, a recipe he kept a closely guarded secret, refusing to tell anyone what went into the toxic cocktail. Sarah had sampled a glass once but, after the hideous burning sensations akin to swallowing acid had set her throat on fire, had vowed never to touch one again. The only recognisable spirit in the drink was vodka, but she had no idea what else it contained.
“I’m surprised she’s still alive.”
“Now, now – you know how everybody loves my special cocktail.”
“Not exactly everyone,” Sarah protested.
“Okay, not everyone,” Bernard continued his bragging. “But ever since then, Gwen’s been putty in my hands.”
He rubbed his hands gleefully. Sarah looked sceptical – unable to imagine the Australian senior nurse being putty in anyone’s hands.
“You wish!” She nudged Bernard good-naturedly.
They arrived at the medical centre in good humour. Gwen greeted Sarah, who found it difficult to conceal a smirk when looking at the boss.
“Welcome back, Sarah.”
“Thank you, it’s good to be back. I’m so sorry to hear about Brigitte’s father.”
“Yes, it’s a sad situation, but let’s hope for the best.”
Sarah noted Gwen seemed happier and more settled than when they’d worked together previously. Perhaps Bernard’s stingers had a wider effect than expected.
“Where’s the new girl?” asked Bernard, mischievously. As he did so a tall, dour looking woman, skinny with cropped light-brown curly hair, dark green eyes and a wannabe attractive freckled face, entered the office. The woman’s appearance was just how Sarah imagined the girl George from the Famous Five books would have looked, except more austere and a lot older – mid-to-late thirties, Sarah surmised.
“This is Lauren, our new nurse who has stepped in at short notice to help us out,” announced Gwen. “Lauren’s from Connecticut in the United States, but has been working in Africa for the past two years. Prior to that, she worked in emergency rooms – casualty to you Brits, Sarah. Lauren, meet Sarah and Bernard, your new colleagues.”
Sarah smiled and attempted to shake hands. The other woman took the proffered hand, but dropped it
again all too quickly.
“Hi, welcome aboard, good to have you with us. Bernard’s a tease, so don’t let him get to you,” Sarah said.
“Hi,” said Lauren, not offering any other words. Sarah looked at Bernard for help.
“Yes, I’m Bernard, at your service, ma’am. Anything you need to know – I’m your man.” Lauren did smile at Bernard – almost flirtatiously, Sarah observed.
Strange girl, I do hope this won’t be a difficult colleague. Ship life’s too confined to work with troublesome personalities.
Gwen interrupted Sarah’s train of thought. “Lauren’s already met Graham and Alex, but will need a tour of the ship. I’ve explained the uniform policy and put her in Brigitte’s room for now. The ship is full to the brim and we have six full days at sea, so I don’t need to tell you how busy we’ll be. Lauren is very experienced, so once she’s familiar with the ship and its procedures, she won’t need babysitting.”
Thank goodness for that.
Bernard groaned in response to Gwen’s announcement regarding the number of passengers on board. “It’s been hard without you, Sarah. Now we have to do without Brigitte. Sorry, no offence.” He looked at Lauren, who appeared to be somewhere else. Sarah wasn’t even sure the woman had heard what Bernard said.
Gwen ended the meeting. “Meds are all stocked up – surgery starts straight after the emergency passenger drill. Bernard, can you show Lauren around the ship and explain where to go and what to do when on call? You’re on call, Sarah. You’ve had quite enough holiday.”
She laughed. This was the first time Sarah had seen Gwen laugh out loud, and it made her look much younger and more attractive. The senior nurse was older than the rest of them – early forties, Sarah thought – and had always played the congenial but aloof boss. She never joined in socially with the rest of the team, but considering the background Sarah had just discovered, it was not hard to understand why. Pleased that Gwen seemed relaxed, because it occurred to Sarah that Lauren might not know the meaning of the word, she felt at home already. She’d recently turned twenty-six, and her mother hoped she’d settle down once the travel bug was out of her system, but there was no hurry to comply.