by Fiona Lowe
Time rolled out at one-eighth speed as both of them stared at the visual display, willing it to show a normal heartbeat.
‘Yes! Sinus rhythm.’ Elly grinned at Gabe, high on the buzz of teamwork and a good save.
He met her gaze, his eyes sparkling with his own high, and her heart took a shock. Heat scudded through her and like oxygen to a flame it sparked and fanned the deeply buried ashes of her longing. Shimmers of delicious need tingled along her veins, diving deep until the embers flared into a hot and raging fire. Her hands trembled on the air-viva. Look away now! She dropped her gaze and concentrated on puffing air into Will’s lungs.
‘I need ice in towels for his burns,’ Gabe yelled to the torch bearers, the sound slightly strangled.
They continued to work in silence until the paramedics arrived and Elly gave a handover. ‘We’re taking him to the hospital’s helipad because he needs to be airlifted to Hobart, but I’ll ride with the ambulance.’
Gabe stood up. ‘I’ll call the Royal and meet you at the hospital.’
Dev stepped up. ‘Eleanor, ring me from the hospital when you’re ready to go home.’
She swung round. God, she’d forgotten all about Dev and the fact he’d driven her to the yacht club. ‘I could be hours, Dev.’
Gabe’s shoulders rolled back and he clapped Dev on the shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, mate, I’ll make sure she gets home safely.’
For the first time Dev’s eyes narrowed. ‘And exactly who are you?’
Gabe extended his hand. ‘Gabe Lewis, doctor, and good friend of Elly’s.’
Friends? Snapshot images of their time together formed a montage in her mind—lovers, colleagues and combatants were words that came instantly to mind, but friends? Perhaps once, but not now. Not when he’d broken her heart so badly.
‘Ready when you are, Doc.’
The senior paramedic brought her back to the moment and she nodded, checking Will’s vital signs. ‘Let’s go.’ With the air-viva in her hand she walked out, steeling herself not to look back.
CHAPTER TWO
‘SO, WHAT’S a girl like you doing in a tiny joint like this?’
The moment the roar of the helicopter blades had receded to a distant buzz, Gabe asked the question that had been constantly playing in his head from the second he’d spotted Elly at the yacht club. He hadn’t expected to meet anyone he knew from Melbourne, or from anywhere else for that matter, let alone Elly. He’d seen her across the room five minutes before she’d danced into his arms, giving him a few precious minutes to dig deep and attempt to cover his stunned and shocked surprise.
God, she looked amazing. Different, but still amazing. When his arms had wrapped around her soft, lush curves and when he’d breathed in her tantalising scent of tropical fruit and the tang of the ocean, he’d experienced the completely unexpected sensation of not wanting to let her go. But he knew that was just the trickery of memory and the body’s craving for familiar things. They’d split two years ago, with Elly accusing him of letting her leave and him furious that she wouldn’t stay. Now so much had changed in his life that craving for the past was pointless.
Craving for any woman was pointless because after what he’d been through with Jenna he was keeping his very complicated life as simple as possible. Work and the children consumed every waking hour and a good part of the night, and he had no energy left for anything else.
Her dainty sandals clacked against the gravel as they walked toward the hospital. ‘I live here, Gabe. You might recall that moving out of the inner city was something I talked about.’ Emerald-green eyes hit him with a bone-weary look. ‘It wasn’t something that you wanted so it makes more sense for me to be the one asking what a guy like you is doing in a tiny town like Midden Cove. I thought your plan included trekking in Nepal and base jumping in Norway.’
He recognised the hurt in her eyes, hurt he’d help put there and she’d cemented in. ‘I did the base jump but I haven’t got to Nepal.’
Her chestnut brows rose. ‘You’ve had two years, Gabe. What have you been doing? It’s not like you to let the grass grow under your feet.’
Jenna’s blank face swam before his eyes and he had to work hard not to flinch. Just keep it light.
‘Oh, you know me, I go with the flow and it hasn’t taken me to Nepal yet, but one day it will.’ Knowing that in the past Elly had often lost her train of thought when he’d smiled at her, he gave her a full-wattage beam in a desperate attempt to derail her.
She didn’t even blink. ‘But the flow has brought you here?’
Hell, this was going to be harder than he’d thought. He refused to talk about the real reason he was in Midden Cove, not yet anyway, but he knew he had to give her something so the questions would stop. ‘There’s great sea kayaking around the peninsula.’
‘Isn’t that a bit tame compared with base jumping?’ Her usually open and friendly demeanour had a distinct chill.
He opened the door to A and E and forced himself to lean back as she passed through before him. ‘Not when there’s a sou-wester blowing. But mostly I’m in town because my parents recently retired down here and I’m visiting them.’
‘James and Cathleen Lewis are your parents?’
Her eyes widened to rippling pools of green that called to him, tempting him to dive in deep and become part of her. You moron. Haven’t you learned anything in two years? Desire like this will only cause you more heartache.
A barbed arrow of reality plunged in deeply. Hell, she knew his parents! He silently dammed small towns and hoped against hope his mother hadn’t shown Elly her wallet photos of the children. ‘Yep, that’s Mum and Dad. ‘ He worked on keeping his tone casual. ‘Are they patients of yours?’
She shook her head, her knuckles whitening on the edges of her white coat. ‘No, but if they need medical care in the next few weeks then they’ll see me as I’m the only doctor in town at the moment. I’ve met them briefly at a Coast-Care meeting but I didn’t make the connection with you.’
A breath of relief rushed out. He wanted to be the person who told her about the children. He owed her that but blurting it out on their first meeting wasn’t the way to go. ‘There’s no reason for you to connect them with me. As you say, me and small towns are not exactly a match, and when we were dating they were living in Hong Kong.’ Words tumbled over each other and he worked on slowing them down to his usual laid-back speed. ‘Dad’s decided he wants to be surrounded by vast tracks of space. I give him a year and he’ll be chomping at the bit to head back to the mainland.’
‘You might be surprised. Midden Cove has a way of getting into your blood. ‘ She tucked her chin-length hair behind her ear.
A snag of something akin to disappointment slugged him. He’d always loved her long, soft locks. Loved burying his face and hands in their silky length and breathing in their rich vanilla scent. ‘You changed your hair.’
The corner of her mouth lifted, the action resigned. ‘I changed a lot of things, Gabe. Some changes were forced on me and some I chose myself.’
Old hurt rumbled through him at her choice to leave him. Almost two years ago they’d both been immovable about what they wanted and unfortunately those wants had been poles apart. ‘Fair enough.’
She scrawled her signature across Will’s paperwork and then slipped off her white coat, exposing lightly tanned shoulders.
His gaze immediately drifted lower to the bead-adorned neckline and the hint of creamy soft breasts that nestled underneath. Breasts he’d once considered his. Blood pounded directly to his groin as memories of long afternoons spent exploring every centimetre of her body rushed back with an intensity that shocked him. His libido had been AWOL for months and this was a seriously inconvenient time for it to return.
Picking up her evening bag, she spoke brusquely. ‘You can drop me home now.’
He stifled a groan and tried to pull his recalcitrant body back together. The offer to drive her home had been spontaneously made the moment he’d laid e
yes on the up-tight bloke who’d called her Eleanor. Now, the idea of sitting in the close confines of his car with Elly seemed too much like a temptation he’d have to work hard to resist. ‘Sure. Let’s go.’
He fished his keys out of his pocket and they walked silently into the now-inky night. He looked up and stopped. The Southern Cross hung low, and the Milky Way wove through the sky like a carpet of dazzling crystals. ‘This sky is amazing.’
Elly shrugged as if it was no big deal. ‘The moonshine’s masking most of it but if you hang around long enough it will fade and you might even see the aurora australis.’
‘The southern lights? You can see them from here?’
‘Sure. Midden Cove is one of the best places.’ She left him staring at the sky and opened the car door, settling herself in the passenger seat.
His body went rigid and he starting walking again, this time very quickly. Hell, how had he forgotten about the car? He hauled open his door, thankful he’d turned out the interior light after too many flat batteries, and hoped she wouldn’t glance into the back seat where the moonlight silhouetted the children’s car seats.
He slid into the leather seat and pressed the ignition button. ‘So where’s your place?’ Perhaps she’d invite him in and then he’d tell her about the children.
‘Turn right and take the second left. ‘ The metal of her seat belt clanged against the plastic lock as she tried to find the clasp.
‘Here, let me.’ He leaned over and her hair brushed his cheek as he snapped the buckle into place. The infusion of berries and the beach filled his nostrils and he hated the way he found himself breathing more deeply.
‘I can’t believe you parted with the Porsche.’
He felt her intense gaze on him as he steered the vehicle out of the car park. ‘It’s tucked up in the garage in South Yarra. This four-wheel drive is good for getting up to the out-of-the-way places for hang gliding. ‘ True, but it’s not the reason you bought it.
She glanced at the BMW logo. ‘I think the locals would call this a Toorak truck, not a four-wheel drive.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘I’ll make sure I get it dirty so it can hold its own in the car park.’
She laughed, a throaty, joyous sound devoid of all the tension that had been rolling off her from the moment she’d looked up into his eyes at the dance. ‘My place is just up here on the left with the ti-tree hedge.’
He slowed, his headlights making out the hedge and catching glimpses of what looked like an old fishing cottage; the antithesis of the spacious apartment they’d shared in Melbourne. Once, they’d shared a lot of things.
She clicked the release on her seat belt, her tension slotting back into place like a wall. ‘Thanks for dropping me home and I hope you have a lovely visit with your parents.’
No hint of an invitation there, pal. Well, hell, he could match her strained politeness and raise it. ‘It’s great to see you. Perhaps we can have coffee and catch up at a more sensible time?’ So I can tell you about the children.
‘I don’t think so, Gabe.’
This time the barb stung and he snapped. ‘Look, I’m being polite here in a difficult situation. I had no clue you’d moved to Midden Cove. Hell, I didn’t even know you’d left Melbourne, so me being here is not in any way part of an attempt at reconciliation.’
Her body recoiled against the seat as if he’d slapped her. ‘Lucky I wasn’t under any illusions, then, wasn’t it.’
Remorse raised its head and he ran his hand through his hair, regretting that he’d inadvertently hurt her. Again. ‘I’m sorry, that came out wrong. I get it that you don’t want to see me and if you want, I won’t bother you while I’m here.’
That means you have to tell her now.
No way, not now, not like this.
Elly gave him a curt nod as her hand reached for the doorhandle, antipathy mingling with her intoxicating scent.
Memories instantly piled up of happier times—moments when they’d laughed until their sides had ached, occasions when they’d finished each other’s sentences. Times so far removed from this where they now sat side by side like strangers.
Despite what she’d said about wanting to leave Melbourne, he’d never understood that to mean coming to such an isolated spot as Midden Cove. He gave her a wry smile, and asked the question that had been on his mind from the moment he’d seen her. ‘Just tell me one thing. Are you really happy here, El?’
This time she blinked. Twice. Then with a toss of her head, which sent her rich chocolate hair flying around her face, she stepped out of the car. ‘I’m perfectly happy, thank you.’ Without looking back, she slammed the door shut behind her.
He didn’t believe her.
Elly sat at her kitchen table and stared out through her glass patio doors, watching a little blue wren take on his reflection in a territorial battle. That settled it: housework was a health hazard to birds and she shouldn’t bother to clean the glass again. She sipped her tea and tried to focus on what she had to do on this sunny Sunday. Her list was long and she really should get going on it, but her brain was stuck on Gabe.
Gabe was in town.
It shouldn’t matter a jot to her that he was in ‘the Cove’, but her brain mocked her by spinning that one thought around like a scratched CD.
More importantly, how long is he in town? She lowered her mug and groaned. Why hadn’t she asked him that last night? But she knew the answer—she’d been petrified that if she did ask she’d sound too desperate. Desperate for him to leave or desperate for him to stay, she wasn’t certain, and both ideas had actively competed for a brief moment. So when he’d suggested coffee, she’d panicked and the ‘ice queen’ had come out to protect her.
Boy, did she need protection. She didn’t trust herself not to go down the self-destructive path of wanting to spend time with him, which was completely ironic given his response.
Me being here is not in any way part of an attempt at reconciliation.
Gabe was nothing if not honest. He was right, too. Reconciliation wasn’t an option because nothing had changed between them and their lives were on two different trajectories. She took another sip of her tea. She still couldn’t believe he hadn’t trekked in the Himalayas because it had been the idea of that trip that had precipitated their demise as a couple.
She could remember his excitement clearly as he’d organised the delivery of Nepali food—a meal of dhal with roti and curried vegetables—before making her a cup of chai and presenting it with the glossy brochures. It would have been the third trip they’d taken in a year and it wasn’t that she didn’t love to travel, she did. But she’d also had an overwhelming need to stop and settle down.
I’m not interested in settling down, El. Come travel the world with me, it will be more fun.
And here she was in Midden Cove, working, and he was still travelling, although not to the places she’d expected.
The past is over, move forward. Giving herself a quick shake, she picked up her phone and got an update on Will, who was still critical and in ICU at Royal Hobart after skin graft surgery to his hands and feet. As she rang off, a text came through from Dev, suggesting lunch. She should go. She started to key in a reply when her phone rang.
‘Sorry to call you, Elly, but we’ve got an elderly tourist here with shortness of breath.’ Sandy, the experienced RN, sounded apologetic.
She swallowed a sigh as she glanced at the postcards on her fridge. Her medical practice partner, Jeff, and his family had taken off for a few months’ camping around Australia and although she was thrilled they were having such a great trip, the timing for her was lousy. She hadn’t had a complete day off in three weeks. ‘I’m on my way.’
‘How long have you been feeling unwell, Mr McGovern?’ Elly’s fingers gently probed under her patient’s jaw, feeling for raised lymph nodes.
‘My name’s John, love, and I’ve had the blasted cold for over a week. It started just as I got off the boat from Melbourne. We’ve come to visi
t the grand-kiddies and the new baby, but getting sick has put a bit of a dampener on things.’ He sighed. ‘Rachel, my daughter, she’s not too happy with me now the baby’s got the sniffles too.’
Elly felt for the poor bloke. ‘Viruses are in the air all the time. So you’re Rachel Morgan’s dad?’
‘That’s right.’
Rachel was Jeff’s patient so she wasn’t really familiar with the family. ‘How are you sleeping?’
‘That’s why I’m here. My cold’s pretty much on the turn but it’s this damn cough that’s really bothering me. The wife’s complaining I keep her awake at night.’ The grandfather winked at her. ‘I thought it prudent not to mention she’s snored for years.’
Elly laughed. ‘Sounds like a very wise move, John. Did you have a sore throat with this cold?’
‘A bit of a sore throat but that’s all gone now. I just feel tired, you know, run down.’
She nodded as she picked up a tongue depressor. ‘I’ll check your throat. Open wide, please.’ She peered into the back of his throat, which didn’t look inflamed. ‘Can you lift up your shirt, please, so I can listen to your chest?’
‘Go for your life, Doc.’
Elly pushed her stethoscope into her ears and listened to John’s breathing. The lower lobes were clear with no rales, and she ruled out pneumonia. ‘You can have a post-viral cough that lingers after a cold.’
John nodded. ‘Thing is, this cough seems to be getting worse, not better.’
Elly’s radar went on alert. ‘How do you mean?’
‘Well, when I cough, I can’t seem to stop and it’s hard to get my breath.’
She checked his pulse, which was regular and ruled out any cardiac issues. ‘What about your breathing when you stop coughing?’
‘That’s fine.’
‘Do you or have you ever suffered from asthma?’
He shook his head and gave a tired smile. ‘They say Tassie’s got the cleanest air in the country but here I am hacking away like I’m a packet-a-day smoker.’
Her phone buzzed. ‘Excuse me for just one minute, John. ‘ She took the call from Sandy, who told her that she had four more people with similar symptoms to John waiting to see her. So much for a quiet Sunday.