by Anne Fraser
The thought brought him snapping to attention. Hey, don’t go there. She wasn’t his type. Even though he hardly knew her, it was obvious Georgie wasn’t the love-me-and-leave-me type of woman. And there was the matter of the dead husband. Widows were even more off-limits than married women. He liked his relationships uncomplicated and temporary, and something in his blood told him Georgie was neither.
He sank back in his seat. Hell, he had three months. Plenty of time to find out more about Georgie McArthur, and thinking about what he was going to do about her was much more interesting than his own problems.
CHAPTER THREE
ON Monday morning, Georgie was back in Glasgow and ready to return to work. She left the house earlier than usual, wanting a few extra minutes so she could check up on Jack’s mum. When she arrived at the hospital, she went straight to the neurology ward. If Jack’s mother was still in hospital, this was where she’d find her.
And, sure enough, in the first single room, sitting up in bed with Jack beside her was the woman from the mountain. Apart from the bandage around her head and a nasty bruise on her cheekbone, she looked as if she was recovering well.
As soon as Jack noticed Georgie in the doorway, he picked up his crutches and with remarkable dexterity hopped towards her.
‘Hey, Mum. This is Georgie,’ he said. ‘You know, the lady from the mountains. The one that helped you and rescued me.’
Georgie felt her cheeks grow hot. ‘I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration, Jack. I wasn’t the only one involved. There was a whole team of us, in fact—including the RAF.’
‘I told her about the helicopter and the winch. It was so cool. Almost worth breaking my leg for,’ Jack said excitedly. ‘But if you hadn’t come onto the ledge, I could have fallen before the helicopter came back for me.’
Georgie shrugged her shoulders. It was clear Jack had his own version of events and was sticking to them.
‘Thank you so much for everything you did,’ the woman in the bed said softly, her eyes damp. ‘If it hadn’t been for you, I don’t know what might have happened.’ She flicked her eyes in the direction of her son.
‘We were lucky that the RAF could help. You’re not the first to get in trouble in the mountains and I dare say you won’t be the last.’
Just then a man appeared, pausing in the doorway as if uncertain of his welcome.
‘This is my dad, Georgie,’ Jack said, his eyes shining. ‘He’s been here all the time since they brought Mum in. And he says he’s coming back to live with us. Isn’t that right, Dad?’
The man crossed over to the bed, took his wife’s hand in his, and smiled down at her. Georgie could tell that, whatever had been wrong with this couple’s marriage, they still loved each other deeply. Sometimes it took a near tragedy to bring people to their senses. Georgie had seen it before. Happily, it seemed as if Jack’s optimism back on the ledge had been well founded.
‘This is my husband, Steve, and I’m Caroline,’ Jack’s mother said. ‘It seems crazy that I didn’t even know your name until Jack told me.’
‘So you’re Georgie,’ Steve said, pumping Georgie’s hand. ‘I can’t thank you enough for bringing my wife and son safely back to me.’ As he turned to look deep into his wife’s eyes, Georgie knew he wasn’t simply talking about the rescue. She swallowed the lump in her throat. So often in A and E, they didn’t get the chance to follow up on their patients. This was a rare pleasure.
The sound of a cough behind her made her whirl round. Logan was standing in the doorway, holding a bunch of comics.
‘I see Nurse McArthur has beaten me to it,’ he said in his deep, almost accent-free voice. ‘The nurses told me they plan to discharge you later today so I just wanted to check up on you myself.’
He wasn’t in uniform. And he’d shaved. Dressed in a tailored suit with a blindingly white shirt, he looked different, less approachable than the day they’d met and Georgie felt inexplicably tongue-tied.
‘I’d better get down to the department,’ she said hastily. ‘My shift’s due to start.’ She made a show of looking at her watch. ‘Oh, in about five minutes. I’m really glad that you’re all doing so well. It makes everything worthwhile.’ And before anyone could stop her she was charging back down the stairs as if she was being chased by demons. Which, in a way, she guessed she was.
The A and E department was already busy, although it wasn’t quite eight. After changing into her uniform of trousers and tunic, Georgie made her way to the staffroom where the ward report would be about to start. Inside she found Lata, one of her colleagues, studying the board where all the patients were written up.
‘Hi, Georgie. Good holiday?’ she asked.
Lata, with coffee-coloured skin and almond-shaped eyes, was naturally reserved but she had a mischievous sense of humour and Georgie enjoyed working with her. Being a mother to Jess meant there was little time or opportunity to socialise, so the team in the A and E department were the closest thing to friends and family—other than her brother and mother, and Jess, of course—that Georgie had.
‘Eventful,’ Georgie said with a smile.
‘The new consultant’s starting today,’ Lata continued. ‘Dr Hughes has called a meeting at lunchtime so we can all meet him. The place is buzzing. Apparently he’s here to establish a new emergency outreach service—and he’s a bit of a hunk.’
Before Georgie had a chance to quiz Lata further, or to admit that she’d already met the ‘hunk’, the door opened and Dr Hughes, the consultant in charge, came in with Jamie and Sarah Carruthers, the two other consultants that made up the medical team. Jamie and Sarah were married and had recently returned to the hospital after a stint in Africa. They also had a young son, who, although older than Jess, was an occasional playmate of Jess’s. Georgie would take Jess with her to Sarah and Jamie’s home or Sarah would bring Calum over to hers, and the two women would chat while their children played.
As usual Sarah looked jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Had it been anyone else, Georgie would have hated her on sight, but Sarah was funny and self-effacing and the two women had hit it off straight away.
‘Glad to see you back,’ Sarah said, dropping a kiss on Georgie’s cheek. ‘We missed you. How’s that adorable daughter of yours?’
They caught up for a few moments before taking their seats to discuss their patients. The final member of the shift was Lizzie, the nurse in charge, who wasn’t expected to join them until later as she was dealing with over-anxious parents reluctant to trust their child was over the worst.
‘So tell us. What’s the story behind the new consultant?’ Lata asked when the report was finished.
‘Everything will be revealed later, when the back shift comes in.’ Dr Hughes smiled. ‘In the meantime, folks, we have patients to see.’
The morning passed quickly. There was the usual mix of colds and sprains as well as broken limbs to deal with. Unusually for a Monday morning there was nothing too dramatic. Georgie grabbed a sandwich for lunch and was just making herself a coffee to wash it down when Lizzie called her into her office.
Lizzie was never one to waste time in idle chit-chat and came straight to the point.
‘You’ve probably heard by now that we have a Dr Harris joining us for three months?’
Georgie nodded. ‘I’ve already met him.’
Lizzie was surprised. ‘You have?’
‘There was a rescue on Ben Nevis at the weekend. I ended up attending. Dr Logan was part of it too. He flew in with the RAF search and rescue team. He’s pretty good, from what I could see.’
‘I heard about it,’ Lizzie said ‘There was a paragraph in the papers. But how come you were involved? I thought you’d given up working with the Lochinver Mountain Rescue?’
Georgie grinned sheepishly. ‘Timing, I guess. Kirk got the callout and I just happened to be the only one he could rope in…’
‘I expect a blow-by-blow when shift’s over,’ Lizzie said warningly.
‘Okay, but there’s no
t much to add.’ Georgie tried to sound casual. ‘So what about Dr Harris?’
‘He’s on loan to us from the army. All the doctors working at the front line are required to take three months off to work at civilian hospitals and he’s been sent to us.’
‘He’ll be working in the department?’ Georgie asked, her heart doing that annoying pitter-patter again.
‘He specialises in acute trauma care. The army’s always up to date with the latest advances in treatment. In fact, that’s why he’s here.’
‘Oh?’
‘For some time now, Glasgow NHS has been in talks with other boards across Scotland about setting up a rapid response medical team.’
Georgie frowned. ‘He mentioned it when we met, but don’t we already have that?’
‘I think the best thing is to let the man himself explain,’ Lizzie said. ‘There’s a general meeting about it at the end of our shift. But seeing as you’re going to be involved more closely than most, I thought we should have a chat first.’
‘I am?’ Georgie squeaked. This was unexpected! Her heart catapulted inside her chest.
‘Yes. He’s asked for you especially. Now I understand why. You must have impressed him.’ Lizzie quirked an eyebrow, waiting for Georgie to fill her in.
Georgie’s heart gave another uncomfortable kick. ‘He asked for me? Especially?’ This was getting ridiculous. She really had to stop repeating everything Lizzie said.
Before Lizzie could answer, there was a knock on the door and Logan swept in without waiting for a reply. Her heart started banging against her ribs again. Grief, was it going to do that every time she saw him?
‘Here’s the man himself. I’ll let him explain, shall I?’
‘I think that might be easier,’ Georgie replied, trying not to show how flustered she felt.
Logan took the chair next to hers and stretched out long legs in front of him.
‘How far have you got?’ he asked Lizzie.
‘Not far at all, I’m afraid. I think it’s best if you explain.’
‘Okay.’ He leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on his knees, his eyes locking onto hers. ‘This is the way it works. We’re planning to set up a team from here that will mainly, but not solely, be involved in medical emergency retrievals—or MERT, as we call it.’
‘Don’t we already have one of those? I mean, with the Scottish Ambulance Service?’ Georgie asked.
‘Up to a point. As you know, the Glasgow City Hospital will soon be the largest in the northern hemisphere, with a tertiary centre for most specialities.’
Georgie nodded. Work had started a couple of years ago to transfer paediatric services from its current stand-alone site, and the Glasgow City Hospital currently took spinal injuries from across Scotland. Add its world-class neurology wards and bring the burns and spinal units into the equation and it was easy to understand why the hospital was in the throes of a massive expansion.
‘It also currently has a substantial helipad—big enough for large helicopters to land and take off, as well as being ten minutes away from Glasgow airport. It’s got great advantages.’
Georgie nodded again. ‘I know that the Scottish air ambulance has to land at Glasgow airport and the casualties are transferred the last few miles to us by road.’
‘With the exception of having to land a few miles away from the hospital, the air ambulance can only pick up casualties where there are runways,’ Lizzie interrupted. ‘And that leaves the majority of Scotland’s rural areas out on a limb. With the exception of the Highlands and Islands, which have their own rescue service.’
‘So we use one of the other rescue services that have a helicopter for those circumstances. The navy, the RAF, the coastguard—’
Logan interrupted. ‘True. Unfortunately, at the moment the air ambulance and the other rescue services currently only carry paramedics. While they can manage most emergencies very effectively, there’s still a small group of people who’d survive serious injury if…’ Logan stressed ‘…the helicopter was manned with a doctor and a nurse who could carry out advanced life-support procedures at the scene. Just like we currently do in the army behind the front line. We think of it as bringing the ER to the patient.’
Although it was good that the service was going to be improved, Georgie still didn’t see what all this had to do with her.
Logan continued, ‘London has developed a rapid medical response team, which has been running for a few years now, and as Lizzie said, the Outer Hebrides has another system, which uses doctors to go to patients who are too far from hospitals to get there quickly. But we’re going to do something slightly different here. We plan to form a small team with a doctor and a nurse or paramedic who’s trained to work to strict protocols. Unlike the current system in London, or the one in the islands, the team will only attend those emergencies where advanced life support will make the difference between life and death. We call it “grab and go” or “stay and play” in the army. We either pick up the victim and start life support immediately in the helicopter—grab and go—or if that’s not possible, the doctor and paramedic do the same thing on the ground—stay and play—until the casualty is stable enough to be airlifted.’ He grinned. ‘I know the terminology sounds a bit frivolous, but I can assure there is nothing casual about the army service. Besides, it describes what we do excellently.’ He stretched, locking his hands behind his neck.
‘The Scottish Ambulance Service will continue to attend to emergencies such as women with difficult labours and other routine emergencies, but the MERT, based here, will be on call for the rest. They will go out with the RAF, navy or coastguard ‘copters if required, similar to the way I did on Saturday—whenever head and spinal injuries or patients with severe breathing difficulties are suspected. Anything, in fact, where specialist resuscitation or stabilisation skills can be utilised.’
‘That all sounds very interesting,’ Georgie said after a silence. ‘But I still don’t see what it has to do with me.’ Although somewhere in the pit of her stomach she was beginning to have an idea.
‘Easy. I want you to be on the team.’
‘Me?’ The question came out with another annoying squeak and she flushed.
‘Yep. You. Amongst others.’
‘Surely there’s others better qualified. Lizzie, for example?’
Lizzie was shaking her head. ‘As the department manager, I’m needed here. After me, you’re the one with the most experience and your background makes you the natural choice.’
‘I need someone with a level head,’ Logan continued. ‘Someone who stays calm under pressure and who knows how to prioritise. Someone who is used to tricky situations and can improvise. All skills you showed in abundance on the mountain. Plus you’re not scared of heights, so I assume you’re not fazed by flying, or being at the end of a winch. You told me you’ve volunteered with the rescue medics in Fort William too. All useful, necessary experience.’ He was watching her carefully.
Not scared of heights? Well, once she would have agreed. Now she wasn’t so sure. ‘I’m only part time,’ she protested. ‘That must make a difference.’ Her heart was galloping. This wasn’t at all what she had expected. She didn’t do rescues any more. Not since Ian had died. After his death, she had decided that she couldn’t risk leaving Jess without either parent. It just wouldn’t be fair. And then she had moved down to Glasgow, wanting to put some distance between her and the mountains that had killed her husband. If she hadn’t been in the wrong place at the wrong time, she would never have gone on Saturday either. She was finished with climbing. Finished with putting her life in danger.
But a tingle in her spine suggested otherwise. Back there on the mountain, she had been exhilarated by the rescue. She had missed being part of something where what she did made the difference between life and death. And being part of the team Logan was suggesting wouldn’t mean putting herself at risk. Nerve-racking and challenging perhaps but not dangerous. She had coped with being up in the h
elicopter too. But Georgie knew there was another reason for the shiver of anticipation. Apart from anything else, it would mean working in close proximity with Logan. Every day. Oh, my word!
‘But you’re planning to be full time after the summer holidays, aren’t you?’ Lizzie said, bringing her back to earth. ‘It’ll probably take that time to get it fully operational.’
‘And you won’t be the only one. One of the experienced paramedics from the Scottish Ambulance Service will be trained to work opposite shifts with you. And later we’ll be training Lata alongside you to cover the shifts when you aren’t on duty.’
The sneaky so-and-so hadn’t said a thing about it when they’d spoken earlier. Just wait until she saw her. The very least Lata could have done was warn her.
‘Will you be the only doctor? Or will Sarah or Jamie be training too?’
‘Eventually. But before we train other A and E specialists, I need to work with an anaesthetist to set up and agree protocols. Managing patients with compromised airways is one of the most common scenarios we’ll be dealing with. Dr Fairbrother, one of the ITU consultants here, has agreed to work with me and he and I have already started to put something together. He and I will take turns in going out on calls. To begin with.’
Georgie didn’t know the anaesthetist to whom Logan was referring. That was part of the problem working in a big hospital; you didn’t get to meet all the staff. However, she couldn’t imagine Logan selecting someone who wasn’t at the top of their game to work on an initiative that was this close to his heart.
‘Obviously once I return to the army, the system needs to be set up with a cohort of doctors who know and are comfortable with the protocols and procedures, and that is likely to be Sarah and Jamie, along with two or three anaesthetists and a trainee doctor.’ His lips twitched. ‘Dr Hughes tells me he’s too long in the tooth to want to be abseiling from helicopters and learning new tricks, so I’ve promised him that he’s off the hook. Any questions?’