‘Where do you want me today, Don?’
‘You’re crewing with Maggie. Aratika One. We’ll send you out for anything that’s called in as status one. I might send Cooper out with you as third crew if he’s on base—if that’s okay with you. He’s still getting up to speed with all our protocols.’
‘Sure.’ Fizz nodded, letting Shirley take her plate from her hands. Smiled, even, although her heart had just sunk a little.
She didn’t want to work with Cooper Sinclair.
No, that wasn’t true. She did want to work with him, she just didn’t want him to know that he was messing with her head more than a little. How mortifying would it be if he guessed how often she’d thought about him since their little adventure on the beach? More than that, it was disturbing that she was feeling this way. She didn’t want to be hoping for something that might or might not happen. Fizz needed things to be normal. If something happened, great. If it didn’t, it didn’t matter. It was when you started hoping, or worse—planning, that you left yourself vulnerable to disappointment. Heartbreak, even.
Maybe even a friendship with this man wasn’t a good idea.
A friendship with ‘benefits’ was absolutely not a good idea.
‘He needs to go on the next job that involves the coastguard, too,’ Don added. He turned towards Cooper. ‘You haven’t met anybody there yet, have you?’
‘No.’ Cooper was taking his empty plate to where Shirley was still busy clearing up.
‘Come with me. I’ve got a copy of their standard operating procedures in my office. You might want to have a browse if you get any downtime today. You’ve done a training course for boat rescues, though, haven’t you?’
‘Yes. I did a holiday season with a coastguard unit in Cornwall a few years back.’
Fizz watched the two men head for the stairs. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be much in the way of downtime today. The sooner she had the distraction of being whisked away to assist on a job where somebody was critically injured or ill, the better. It wouldn’t matter if Cooper was there, either. Once she was focused on a patient, there was no way she would have any head space for anything other than what needed to be done to save a life or at least make someone a lot more comfortable.
She jumped as she heard Shirley’s voice right behind her.
‘Oh my,’ the older woman said. ‘He’s a bit of a looker, our new lad, isn’t he?’
‘Oh?’ Fizz feigned surprise. ‘I hadn’t noticed.’
Shirley’s breath came out in snort that said she didn’t believe a word but she bent to start wiping the table. ‘I wonder if he’s got a kilt,’ she murmured. ‘Imagine that...’
‘I’d rather not.’ Fizz didn’t have to feign the sincerity in her voice. Her fingers felt for the pager clipped to her belt, tapping it gently. Willing it to start beeping and advertise an incoming call. With a bit of luck, it would happen very soon, so she’d be out of the building by the time Cooper came back down those stairs.
* * *
It was hard to concentrate on the standard operating procedures of the coastguard that related to the safety of extra personnel on board.
Cooper was too aware that Fizz was present in the staffroom as well. Right at the far end of this large space, mind you, because she was having a game of pool with Andy the pilot as they waited for a call to come in, but he was still aware of her.
What had it been about, the intensity in the look she’d given him, just before she’d hurriedly finished her breakfast and almost jumped to her feet to get away from the table? It was confusing, that’s what it was.
She’d barely been able to remember his name when she’d seen him again and then she’d given him a look that had made him feel like there was some sort of deep, significant connection between them.
Cooper might not believe in that nonsense about ‘love at first sight’ but he certainly knew that ‘lust at first sight’ existed. This didn’t feel like a simple mutual sexual attraction, though—he was quite familiar with what that felt like. This felt...different. Unpredictable, perhaps. A bit wild. Dangerous, even...
Rather like Fizz herself.
The first call that came in was for someone to be first on the scene at a traffic accident on the main road that led into Wellington from the north. Joe and Cooper got dispatched and fought their way through the stalled traffic to find a car that had been clipped by a truck and had then gone into the path of another car in the neighbouring lane. The truck driver was uninjured and angry that someone had cut in in front of him like that.
‘I had nowhere to go. You can’t just stop a ten-ton truck like it’s a dodgem car, you know?’
The driver and passenger of the third vehicle involved had only minor injuries—a bumped elbow and a mild whiplash that would need checking out at an emergency department. The driver of the other car was still trapped in his vehicle but he was conscious and said he felt fine. He also smelt strongly of alcohol.
At this time of the morning? Cooper and Joe shared a glance.
‘Must have been a good night out,’ Joe murmured. ‘Let’s see if we can get a collar on him. Once an ambulance gets here, I think we can make ourselves available again. There’s nothing that’s going to need advanced management here and it’s going to take a while.’
A fire service truck had managed to get through the traffic jam with the help of the police and its crew were getting their cutting gear ready to free the trapped driver. Traffic on the other side of the road seemed to have come to a standstill as well and there were horns being sounded by frustrated commuters who just wanted to get to work.
Despite the noise around him, Cooper could still hear the chop of rotors overhead and looked up to see one of Aratika’s bright yellow rescue helicopters airborne and rapidly gaining height. Was Fizz on board this time—being taken away to help with a serious emergency?
Joe noticed the direction of his glance. ‘Don’t worry, mate. I’m sure you’ll get the chance to go and play later. Fizz is the biggest trauma magnet we’ve got. It’s just a matter of getting your timing right.’
A blip on a nearby siren had cars edging sideways and an ambulance managed to get close enough to the scene to allow its crew to start unloading their gear. Before long Cooper and Joe would be free to make their skills available where they might be really needed.
Cooper smiled. ‘As they say...timing is everything.’
And perhaps fate was giving him a chance to take a good look at this instant attraction. To think about it and realise that it really wasn’t a very good idea to go any further down that particular track. Fizz was like no other woman he’d ever met and it was quite possible that he could get chewed up and spat out without even seeing it coming.
Due to the crumpled, jammed doors on the driver’s side, Cooper had to climb into the other side of the car, the moulded, plastic cervical collar in his hands. He needed to put this on to protect the driver’s neck until it could be cleared from injuries, because a crash that had mangled this car enough to trap him had also had a real potential to cause a neck injury. The fact that this patient was drunk meant that he might not be so aware of any warning signs, like pain.
‘Don’t need that thing,’ he told Cooper. ‘I’m fine, man...’
‘It’s just to be on the safe side,’ Cooper said. ‘Especially for when we get you out of here. Keep as still as you can. I know it’s not the most comfortable thing, but it’ll keep your neck safe. I’m going to sit behind you while they cut the car up and hold your head to be extra sure it doesn’t move, okay?’
The firies covered both Cooper and the driver with a sheet of plastic to protect them from shattering glass as they cut into the mangled metal and then peeled it away to give access to the patient.
The noise of the pneumatic gear was far too loud to be able to talk, or even think particularly coherently for a minute or two. It was a small
space of time in which Cooper focused on keeping this patient’s neck as safe as possible. And, just for a moment, it occurred to him that he should really keep his own neck safe as well. Not physically, but emotionally.
Fizz could be a challenge he might regret going anywhere near.
But Cooper could feel a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.
That was precisely why he’d come to the other side of the world, wasn’t it? For a new challenge?
CHAPTER FOUR
IT WAS ONLY a glance.
It only lasted a split second.
But it was...annoying.
Fizz finally latched the central buckle of her harness together as the skids of the helicopter lifted off the ground. And, yes, she should have had it fastened a few seconds prior to that but she’d been leaning to pull a pair of gloves free from their box so that she could put them on in transit and be ready to hit the ground running at the other end of this short flight.
It wasn’t that Cooper had said anything. Or even caught her gaze. But she had seen the tilt of his head and just knew that he was watching. Waiting for her to buckle herself in safely.
Had she really decided that it was a bit disappointing, only minutes ago, that it seemed like she wouldn’t even be on base at the same time as Cooper for the whole of her shift today? That she’d have to wait a whole week to see him again, unless she was on duty in the ED when he came in with a patient? Now not only was she heading to an emergency with him in the same helicopter, Cooper was her partner instead of third crew. Maggie had cracked a tooth this afternoon and made an appointment with her dentist for when the shift ended but this job had meant that she might not get back in time. It had been Don’s suggestion that Cooper take her place.
‘You reckon he’s up to speed, Joe?’ he’d asked, out of Cooper’s earshot.
‘I reckon.’ Joe had nodded. ‘Give him a go. I’m willing to bet he’ll cope with anything you can throw at him.’
So here he was. Sitting in seat beside her in the cabin of this helicopter. Being the safety-belt police.
‘Did the whole page come through for you, Cooper?’ Fizz knew her tone was a little too crisp. ‘You up to date on what we’re going to?’
‘Car through a shop window.’ He nodded. He was pulling on a pair of sterile gloves himself. ‘Victim hit by the car and then pinned under shelving that came down. Crew on scene are calling for backup for a possible pelvic fracture.’
Fizz nodded. ‘If it is a pelvic fracture it could be a time-critical injury and land transport would take far too long with this being rush hour.’
Cooper’s head was tilted as he peered down through the window. ‘We’re heading north, yes?’
‘Yes.’
‘The road certainly looks crowded.’
‘We’re heading for Upper Hutt,’ Fizz told him. ‘One of the four cities that make up Wellington’s metropolitan area. The main road north hugs the coast. This one goes inland.’
‘There’s a lot of forest down there.’
‘That’s Rimutaka Hill in that direction.’ Fizz leaned into her safety harness, stretching towards Cooper to point through the window on his side. ‘Beyond that is the Tararua Forest Park. Brilliant for tramping if you’re into that kind of thing.’
‘Love it.’ Cooper nodded. ‘How ’bout you?’
Fizz couldn’t help her lips curving into a grin. ‘I got winched down once in a rescue. It was brilliant.’
Cooper’s eyebrows rose. ‘You’re winch trained?’
‘Not exactly. I’m hoping to be before too long, but that time I got taken down in a nappy harness. The patient had a major chest injury that needed a bit of surgery.’
Suddenly, Fizz had to look away from Cooper. Because she was remembering the kind of intimate body contact that was involved when you were strapped to someone else like that. Imagining how different it might have been if Cooper had been the paramedic taking her on that exciting descent into a small clearing in the forest. The thought was gone as soon as it came, but it was enough to ring an alarm bell. Just how had she lost her focus to that extent? A momentary loss of control, maybe, but it was a reminder of why it was disturbing to be experiencing this crush or whatever it was. Her brain hadn’t been hijacked by that kind of detour since...well, since she’d fallen in love with Hamish, probably.
It couldn’t be allowed to happen again.
‘Andy? Have we got any update from the scene?’
‘Fire service are still working to stabilise a wall that’s been damaged. No update on patient status. We’re going to land on a football field that’s about two hundred metres from the scene. ETA two minutes.’
Fizz gave a single nod, drawing in a deep breath. Focus was not an issue now. Someone could bleed out internally from a pelvic fracture if one of the main blood vessels had been damaged and the ambulance road crew that had responded to the incident would not have the skills or gear to deal with that kind of critical emergency. She had her harness unfastened the moment the skids were on solid ground again. She shoved one trauma pack towards Cooper and then grabbed a second one herself. She was moving fast, even as she looped the straps over her arms, and she was jogging by the time she spotted a police officer signalling from the edge of the field, but she knew that Cooper was keeping up with her pace. She could feel the solid shape of him so close behind that she would be able to see him if she turned her head just a little.
She didn’t. Fizz kept her gaze firmly on where she was heading.
* * *
Man, this felt good.
The police officer leading the way to the scene was shouting information over his shoulder as they ran.
‘Victim’s a fifty-six-year-old male. He was in the direct line of the car when it came through the window at speed. Elderly driver apparently stood on the accelerator instead of the brake.’
‘Is he conscious?’
‘No. But the paramedics there don’t seem to think he’s got a head injury. His legs are in a bad way.’
‘How far now?’
‘Just around this corner. You’ll see the crowd.’
Cooper could already see the reflection of flashing lights in the windows of buildings they were passing. He could feel the tension that was always there when you were approaching an emergency situation. There was nothing like this moment in time to make him feel so focused. His brain could work faster, his senses were all on high alert and he had enough experience to be confident that he could deal with whatever was waiting for them.
Them...
This wasn’t just about being on the periphery of the action in this new job while he got himself up to speed on any protocols that were a little different from what Cooper was used to and to allow his colleagues to get to know and trust his abilities.
He was the paramedic partner to the doctor on duty right now. Another set of hands, skills and knowledge to complement those of the more highly trained medic. A vital member of this small team. And it felt like a team. Maybe it was because they had worked together once already, at that accident scene, but it felt like more than that. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to be loping along beside this woman, heading for what could be a challenging emergency situation. There was a sense of connection—a kind of recognition—that might be disconcerting on a personal level but it was exciting on a professional one. Cooper knew that Fizz would tackle anything. And that she was skilled enough to improve their odds of being successful.
Not only would she tackle anything, mind you, she’d head straight in without giving her own safety enough thought. Cooper actually grabbed her arm as a group of emergency service personnel stepped aside to let them onto the scene.
‘Watch out,’ he said. ‘There’s glass everywhere.’
There was. The car had gone through a plate-glass window and shards of it were still clinging to parts of the frame, looki
ng like the points of vicious spears.
Fizz yanked her arm free. Or maybe she was just continuing to move forward and was too focused on what lay ahead to bother acknowledging the warning. They were beside the car that had crashed into this building now. Cooper could see the backs of people crouched over someone on the floor. He could see broken shelving that had been lifted clear and pieces of timber that were propping up a damaged wall. He could also see the hazards like tins of canned food that were rolling around when they got knocked and wet patches on the floor from broken bottles of liquid. He still had his arm out when Fizz slipped a little on a wet patch but she clearly didn’t need, or want, any assistance with her balance this time.
Fair enough, but that wasn’t going to stop Cooper keeping an eye out for any other hazards. Or doing whatever he could to mitigate them.
The local ambulance crew looked relieved to have backup. They relayed all the information they had as Fizz and Cooper smoothly took over the management of what was clearly a critically injured patient and they were there to assist as much as they could. Fire officers were working around them to try and clear debris and make sure the area they were working in was stable, providing background noise to the urgent communication taking place between the members of the medical team.
‘Blood pressure’s dropping...systolic’s down to ninety-five.’
‘I’d like another line in. We’re going to need a blood transfusion.’
‘Multiple fractures to both legs...’
‘I can’t get a femoral pulse...’
‘Pelvis is unstable. Let’s get a pelvic binder on...’
‘Cooper? I want to get control of his airway. Can you draw up some drugs for me, please? For an RSI?’
‘Sure.’ Cooper unrolled the kit to find, draw up and then administer the anaesthetic agents required for the rapid sequence intubation. He was right beside Fizz, his fingers on the neck of their patient to provide cricoid pressure as she carefully inserted the laryngoscope into the mouth and then tilted it until she had a clear view. He had the bougie ready to put in her hand and then the tube to slip over the top for her to position in the trachea. And then it was time to pull the guide device out.
Resisting Her Rescue Doc Page 5