The Doctor's Society Sweetheart

by Lucy Clark

  ‘What can I do to help?’ she asked, bending to take off her shoes but then realising Dart still had his on. She straightened, realising that despite local custom shoes were always worn in a hospital environment where disease and infection were present. Looking around, she saw there were two stretchers propped off the floor with bamboo criss-cross frames. There were open shelves containing various medicines and equipment, as well as a large pile of blankets and sheets. It was well stocked and neatly organised. Next to it in the corner was a table, which held a large washing bowl with a small folded towel beside it. There was a bucket of water on the floor beneath the table.

  Dart glanced over at her briefly, before turning his attention back to the man, who was still wailing in pain. After seating the man on the stretcher, Dart went to the shelves and withdrew a needle and a vial of liquid, obviously some sort of painkiller. He didn’t even bother to swab the area but injected it straight away, soothing the man as best he could, given that Tarparnese didn’t sound soothing at the best of times.

  ‘What can I do to help?’ Emmy asked again, coming further into the room.

  Dart turned and took a sheet from the shelf next to her, before ripping it up into strips. ‘Stay out of my way,’ he muttered. Next he stalked the small distance to the table and poured some water from the bucket into the bowl. It was obvious he needed to clean the wound and deciding it might be better to ignore his instruction, Emmy scanned the shelves and found some disinfectant. She brought it over and placed it on the table without a word. Then she found some sutures and bandages, putting them on the small work area that was near each stretcher.

  Dart didn’t say anything else but, after washing his own hands, pulled on a pair of gloves and unwrapped the bloodied hand. ‘Just a gash,’ he said, more to himself than to anyone else. He translated his words to Hunklu, his patient. ‘An honourable gash.’ As he continued to debride the wound site, Emmy stood next to him, assisting him without a word, easily anticipating his needs. She had the locking forceps ready with the suture needle clamped firmly in place when he turned to look for it. They worked in silence and only after Hunklu’s hand had been sutured and cleanly bandaged did Dart speak.

  ‘I could have coped.’

  ‘I have no doubt, but you didn’t need to. I am a qualified doctor.’ There was just the briefest hint of annoyance in her tone but Emmy had been schooled years ago to always keep her emotions under control. Still, she wanted to make her point.

  ‘Hmm.’

  ‘Qualified to work here in Tarparnii as well. PMA approved. Signed, sealed and delivered to your door, Dr Freeman.’

  Dart’s answer to this was to raise his eyebrows as he disposed of the bloodied rubbish. He said a few words to Hunklu then sat him up and helped the man to remove his torn and stained shirt. ‘Ms Jofille, if you’d like to ask Meeree for one of Jalak’s shirts, that will be helpful.’

  ‘It’s Dr Jofille, if you don’t mind,’ she said pointedly, her frustration at his indifference starting to affect her. Hands placed firmly on her hips, she almost dared him to challenge her on the point. Why did it feel as though she was on the back foot again? In everything she’d ever done, from being a part of the Jofille family, going to medical school, to her current job, she’d always had to prove herself over and over, and after thirty-two years, she was getting sick of it!

  After the briefest of nods from the insufferable Dart Freeman, Emmy turned and headed out of the hut, making sure the mosquito screen door was shut behind her. Meeree was walking towards her and after quickly relaying Dr Freeman’s request, Emmy headed back into the makeshift hospital.

  ‘Where is it?’ Dart asked.

  ‘Meeree is bringing it,’ she said, once more calm and in control. She crossed to the patient’s side, smiling warmly. She decided that if Dart Freeman wanted to be brisk and annoyed with her—for whatever reason, that didn’t mean the patient should suffer. ‘Hello. I’m Emmy,’ she said. The patient was lying down now, a light blanket covering him even though the air was sticky and humid outside.

  ‘Hunklu doesn’t speak English,’ Dart muttered as he administered an injection of antibiotics.

  ‘He doesn’t have to,’ Emmy remarked, a touch of haughtiness in her tone as she continued to smile down at the man. She’d been visiting sick people in hospital since the age of eight years, her parents raising her to be a dutiful patroness of different charities and organisations. The fact that she’d followed in her grandmother’s footsteps and gone into the medical profession was something neither of her parents had expected or understood but, then, Emmy had come to realise that in doing the unexpected she often unwrapped another layer of who she really was deep down inside. Perhaps one day she would be content and eventually come to like herself just as she was.

  ‘The barrier of language is irrelevant where a kind-hearted smile can mean a thousand words.’ She spoke softly, taking the man’s free hand in hers in a gesture of reassurance.

  Dart watched closely as his patient did indeed start to relax, smiling back at the pretty redhead who, at some point, had removed her hat. There were wisps of the auburn strands here and there, some having come loose during her long day travelling. Her blue eyes were bright and filled with compassion as she continued to smile at their patient. There were no cameras around and she was still giving this man all her attention. Was the show for his sake or was she genuine?

  When the man asked something in Tarparnese, she glanced at Dart, waiting for a translation.

  ‘Er…’ Dart frowned, trying to decipher in his mind what the man had just said. In truth, he hadn’t been listening properly. Instead he’d been intently watching Emerson-Rose, still amazed that the woman he’d seen on television and in the media was now standing here in this hut in the middle of a Tarpanese village, miles from Australia. She had beauty and brains—a lethal combination. He asked Hunklu to repeat the sentence then nodded.

  ‘He would like for you to stay until he falls asleep.’

  ‘Oh.’ She smiled down at Hunklu and nodded. ‘Of course I’ll stay.’ Without looking up, she ordered softly, ‘Bring me a chair and I’ll sit by his side.’

  Dart was stunned to receive such a command but there was something in her tone that made him obey instantly and that perplexed him even more. After that, he headed out to see what was taking Meeree so long with getting one of Jalak’s shirts, but once outside the hut he raked a hand through his hair and shook his head.

  Emerson-Rose Jofille had been in the village all of half an hour and already she was acting as though she owned the place. The rich always thought they were more important than everyone else in the world. He’d learned that lesson at a very young age. What the rich wanted, they took, and without care or thought to anyone else.

  Dart clenched his teeth. That simply wasn’t going to happen here, in this village, with these wonderful people. If the society princess wanted to be waited on hand and foot, giving out orders and expecting people to bow and scrape to her, she had another think coming. He squared his shoulders, knowing he was just the man to put Ms High-and-Mighty Jofille back in her place.

  Chapter Two

  WHEN the rest of the medical team returned to the village just after two o’clock that afternoon, Dart was more than grateful to have other people around. Emerson-Rose Jofille and her crew had already started filming, taking some footage of Hunklu in the medical hut, and were planning to cause further disruption to his day by insisting on filming the afternoon clinic, which was due to start in less than an hour.

  As the medical team alighted from the cargo trucks, which were their main form of transport, Emerson’s crew were there to make a nuisance of themselves, filming the arrival of the trucks and the way they lugged and unloaded the supplies back to the medical and storage huts.

  ‘Busy morning?’ Gloria, one of the PMA nurses, asked as she nodded to where Emerson and her crew were talking.

  ‘The clinic was hectic but I coped.’

  Gloria gave him a con
fused look for a moment then laughed. ‘Of course you coped. You’re Dartagnan Freeman. Man who can cope with anything. Silly, I was talking about the big celebrity who’s come here to film us and make us all into superstars. You simply must introduce us.’ The nurse pushed her hair back from her face and struck a pose. ‘How do I look?’

  ‘Sensational,’ Rick, Gloria’s husband, remarked as he walked up to where she and Dart were standing. ‘So that’s her, eh?’ Rick took a good look. ‘Woo-eee, that woman is gorgeous. The TV screen does not do her justice.’

  Dart looked over to where Emerson was standing, the sunlight shining down on her as though she’d been perfectly lit by a Hollywood photographer. Although she wore a hat, the sunlight still picked up the dazzling colours of her long plaited hair, her skin seemed to shimmer like bronze and her eyes, not hidden beneath sunglasses, were bright as she laughed at something her cameraman had said.

  The tinkling sound floated through the air and settled over him like a heartfelt sigh, so warm and comforting. The woman was captivating, more so than he’d expected, and realising that only made the need to keep his distance stronger. Dart immediately shook his head, clearing away the fuzziness.

  ‘She’s way prettier in person, don’t you think, Dart?’ Rick continued, still staring in Emerson’s direction.

  ‘Hey!’ Gloria punched her husband’s arm in mock indignation.

  ‘You’re even more gorgeous,’ Rick quickly amended. ‘And you’re the woman who stole my heart. It’s not for sale.’ Rick kissed his wife and Dart, for one split second, envied them their closeness. He’d felt closeness like that before, before his world had been torn apart. He straightened his shoulders and focused his thoughts. Now was not the time to be dwelling on the past.

  ‘As you’re both so eager to have Ms Jofille make you into superstars, feel free to have her follow you around during afternoon clinic. It’ll be one way to keep her and her crew out of my hair.’

  Rick raised an eyebrow at his friend. ‘You really don’t want them here? They’re doing good work, taking news of the situation here back to Australia.’

  ‘Maybe.’ Dart’s brow puckered in a frown. TV crews had come to Tarparnii before, full of talk about the difference their footage would make, but few had succeeded to actually deliver on those promises. ‘So long as they don’t get underfoot.’ Which, in his opinion, Emerson already had. He still couldn’t believe the way she’d ordered him about, or the way he’d simply done her bidding. His frown was still in place as he watched Emerson walk towards them, charmingly introducing herself to Gloria and Rick.

  ‘Welcome to the village. We’re so happy to have you here,’ Gloria gushed. ‘And can I just say that you’re so much prettier in person.’

  ‘Much prettier,’ Rick agreed with his wife.

  ‘Why thank you. That’s so sweet.’ Emerson smiled at them both then turned to glance at Dart. Her blue eyes were bright and welcoming, such a perfect blue in colour, like the sky on a cloudless day. He could understand why so many people seemed hypnotised by her. She really was captivatingly beautiful.

  Dart cleared his throat and shoved his hands firmly into his pockets, needing to put some distance between himself and any potential captivation. ‘Excuse me. I need to go and check on Hunklu.’ With that he turned on his heel and headed off.

  ‘Let me introduce you to the rest of the team,’ Gloria said, and Emmy allowed herself to be brought over to where a group of people were standing by the food hut, having a drink and something to eat.

  She only glanced once at Dart Freeman’s retreating back, wondering what on earth she’d done to deserve his disdain. She couldn’t fault his manners, he’d been as polite as was called for, but it was clear he wasn’t at all happy to have her and her crew here. Well, that was his problem and she only had to put up with him for the next week. Once her filming commitments were done, she could return to Sydney and forget all about the tall, dark and irritable Dart Freeman.

  As Gloria introduced her to the team, Emmy was surprised to find them a mixture of Australians, New Zealanders and Tarparniians.

  ‘This is Sue, our head nurse. Belhara, our main anaesthetist, Bel, one of our great surgical nurses, P’Ko-lat, who does a lot of our peacekeeping.’ Gloria laughed. ‘Uh, that’s like our reception work. She makes sure we don’t get flooded with patients and does basic triage, ensuring those who need our care urgently receive it.’

  Emmy shook hands with everyone, eager to hear their impressions of the medical work PMA was doing in Tarparnii. She was also surprised to learn that Bel and Belhara had been raised in this very village and had been taught their skills by PMA staff who had visited over the years, before being sponsored to do their official qualifications in Australia, returning home once they had been achieved.

  ‘Tarvon,’ Gloria continued, pointing to the medical hut where Dart and another Tarparniian were coming out of the medical hut, ‘is over there, talking to Dart. Tarvon will be taking over as PMA medical leader at the end of the week when Dart heads back to Australia.’

  ‘Dart’s heading back?’ Emmy looked towards where Dart and Tarvon stood on the top step leading up to the hut, both men deep in discussion, Dart pointing to where the clinic tents were set up, Tarvon nodding in agreement.

  Even just watching them, Emmy could tell exactly who was in charge here. Dart’s presence was very strong and commanding. It wasn’t simply because he was the tallest person in the entire village but the way he held himself. His back and broad shoulders were straight, indicating power. His firm, tanned arms were direct as he continued to point out what he wanted. His stance was relaxed, letting Emmy know he was a man comfortable with his own opinions and the responsibilities he had to his team. She unconsciously licked her lips.

  ‘Dart’s three-month stint here in Tarparnii ends then.’ Gloria’s words broke into Emmy’s thoughts. She turned her attention back to Gloria and the rest of the staff. ‘PMA doesn’t let us work more than twelve weeks at any one time, mainly because the work is so full on that after twelve weeks you need to return to your regularly scheduled programming.’ Gloria laughed at her words, as did the rest of the non-Tarparniian team, nodding in agreement.

  ‘It’s good that PMA takes such good care of its workers,’ Emmy said, making a note to mention that in her programme. ‘So what happens next?’ Gloria, Sue and the rest of the team gave her a rundown of the ins and outs of what to expect at the clinic.

  Far off in the distance there was a loud rumbling noise and Emmy frowned as she looked around, but no one else seemed to notice anything.

  ‘Is there a thunderstorm coming?’

  ‘No.’ Dart spoke from behind her and Emmy turned round, a little startled to find him there. For some inexplicable reason her body seemed to tingle with awareness at his nearness but she quickly ignored such a sensation, telling herself she must be getting tired.

  Emmy looked up at the sky but couldn’t see any dark clouds gathering. ‘There it is again. That noise. It’s like thunder.’

  Dart stood next to her and looked up at the sky, frowning and no doubt wondering if she was completely loony. ‘Oh, that,’ he said a moment later, and to her surprise it appeared there was a slight smile twitching at his lips though he quickly brought it under control.

  ‘That’s the people from other villages, coming to the clinic. They can make quite a noise on their way here. Sometimes they do it because they’re simply excited to be receiving medical care. Other times they do it to let the soldiers know that they are civilians, not guerrilla fighters.’

  At the mention of the soldiers, Emmy couldn’t help the shudder that passed through her.

  ‘Problem?’ Dart asked as the rest of the medical staff started to break off, each heading to go through final preparations before the next clinic started. Within a few seconds, Emmy found herself alone with Dart.

  ‘No. There’s no problem.’ She met his deep brown gaze and was once again startled by the disdain she saw there. Was it for her
personally? Or for the cameras she’d brought into the village? She wasn’t quite sure. Either way, she had a job to do and she was going to do it, with or without Dart’s help. ‘It’s just that out here it really is another world.’

  ‘Same planet, different way of living.’ Dart agreed, before greeting a woman who walked towards them. ‘Have you met P’Ko-lat, Ms Jofille?’

  Emmy smiled warmly at the other woman. ‘Yes, we have met. I understand P’Ko-lat is crowd control as far as the clinic goes.’

  Dart was impressed with the way Emmy pronounced P’Kolat’s name. ‘Correct. P’Ko-lat speaks a bit of English and so should be able to help if you need a translator. That way you won’t need to bother anyone else while the clinic is on.’ With that, he turned and spoke to the receptionist in Tarparnese, and Emmy felt as though Dart had once more pushed her away and shoved her into a little box marked ‘Nuisance’. That’s all she was to him, like an annoying mosquito buzzing around. Well, she wasn’t going to let him swat her out of the way so easily. She squared her shoulders and when he’d finished talking to P’Ko-lat, she spoke clearly.

  ‘As I’ve already mentioned, Dr Freeman, I am licensed with PMA to—’

  ‘Work here,’ he finished for her, the thundering crowds who were headed their way starting to appear through the surrounding trees into the village clearing. ‘I remember, but until you understand the way clinics are run, you’re useless to me.’

  He turned and without another word headed towards the clinic tents where P’Ko-lat and Dr Tarvon were starting to accept the first patients. Emmy couldn’t believe the pain that seared her heart at his words and closed her eyes in an effort to try and control the rising helplessness that was starting to assail her.

  She was useless to him? She’d been useless to her father, to her mother, to society at large for most of her adult life. Being born into a privileged family meant she’d had certain expectations placed on her at a very young age. Her older brother, Tristan, may have been under enormous pressure to succeed, to be moulded as their father saw fit, but as a female Emmy’s one role had been pretty hostess. When she’d refused to simply be the debutante her parents had wanted and had instead enrolled in medical school, she’d been declared useless.