She walked back over to where Colleen was watching the fetal heart rate read out. “I’ll do an ultrasound next and see what the story is.”
Bella looked up at Sarah, and then over at Trevor, who was packing up his gurney. “Is Mouse, the fireman that helped us tonight, still here?”
Puzzled, Sarah looked over at Trevor. Was Bella’s head injury worsening? A fireman mouse?
“I haven’t seen her since we pulled in. How about I—” Trevor’s comment was abruptly cut short as his radio mike went off, advising him to pick up his partner as they were needed on another call. He looked apologetically at Bella. “Sorry, Bella, I gotta go.”
Bella gave a weak smile. “That’s okay.”
Sarah saw the disappointment in her eyes and knew Bella was trying to be brave. “How about I stick my head around outside and take a quick look while Dr. Baker here is doing the ultrasound?” Besides, Sarah was intrigued—what was a fireman mouse?
“Thank you.”
Sarah headed off through the plastic swing doors to the nurses’ reception area. Over in the corner there was a body in a uniform hunched over a notebook. Sarah’s feet were soundless in her rubber-soled shoes. It wasn’t her intention to sneak up, but she did have an opportunity to study the profile in front of her. She subtly cleared her throat to get the fireman’s attention. When the fireman looked up, she was caught off guard and briefly froze in place, as surprised eyes looked up at her. It seemed a stupid thing to think, but her mind was reeling and the best it could come up with was: Who knew a mouse could have such stunning blue eyes?
*
Making her way through the ambulance entrance, Mac slipped inside the hospital’s inner sanctum to the nurses’ station. The nurse on duty looked up with a smile, recognizing her uniform. “You come in with these guys?” Mac nodded. “The doctor’s in with them now. Why don’t you go and grab yourself a cuppa and bring it on back here. We should have some news by then. Cafeteria’s third corridor on your left, down that way.” She pointed down the hallway.
“Thanks. Do you want anything from the caff while I’m there?”
“If you could grab me a latte, I would love you forever.” she beamed.
“No worries.” She sauntered off in search of caffeine.
She got herself a hot chocolate, a jam doughnut for Bettsy, and the promised latte for the nurse. When she gave the nurse her steaming hot cup she was greeted with smiles and cries of being an angel. It had obviously been a busy night for everyone.
After her hot chocolate, Mac used the opportunity to seek out some fresh stocks of fluid to replace what she had used that night and decided to make a start on the report. She had her head bent over her notebook, writing up the details, when she heard a gentle yet subtle clearing of a throat. She jumped a little as she hadn’t heard anyone approach, then noticed the feet in front of her. Mac looked up to see the warmest, brownest eyes looking down at her. A beautiful face, softly framed by loose waves of sandy-coloured curls, smiled gently down at her.
“Did you come in with the pregnant lady and her partner from the MVA?”
For a brief moment she had no voice. In fact, she had no thoughts. She was mesmerized by the warm chocolate eyes looking at her. She recovered enough to nod and stand up. Breathe, Mac, breathe. Say something. You look like an idiot. “Um, yes, sorry. I did.” She held out her hand and found it enveloped by a soft, firm hand in return.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Macarthur. I thought you might like an update on the young couple you helped bring in tonight.”
Suddenly her hands felt sweaty with nervousness for the mother and child. She nodded again, fingers silently crossed for them both.
“Rob has predominantly superficial wounds and a slight concussion. We’ll keep him in overnight for observation. Bella looks to have dislocated her shoulder and she has a displaced patella, along with some bruised ribs. On top of that, she’s had a pretty solid knock to her head, which we’re keeping an eye on. The obstetrician is in with her now. There’s a possibility the umbilical cord has partially come away from the lining of the womb, which might account for some of the bleeding. An ultrasound will tell us more about what’s happening inside. Once we have a bit more information, we can work out a plan of care for her and the baby. But all things considered, she and the baby appear to be relatively stable at this stage.”
She let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding and smiled tiredly with relief. “That’s great news. Thanks for coming to tell me, I really appreciate it.”
“Bella has been asking about a fireman called Mouse—and as you are the only one here, and in the giveaway uniform, I figured it had to be you.” The doctor smiled openly as Mac nodded and felt herself blush a little. “I’ll go and check to see if the OB has finished the assessment. If you’ve got five minutes, I think Bella would like to see you.”
“Sure.”
“Okay, I’ll be back in a minute.” Just as quietly as she arrived, she turned and disappeared through the heavy plastic swing doors.
Mac was left standing there, rather like a mute statue. What was that? More importantly, who was that?
Before she had time to think any more, a nurse’s head popped through the swing doors. “You can come in if you like.”
Mac smiled in acknowledgement and entered through the doors. Rob was in one bed sitting up watching over at the next bed, where Bella was half reclining with an oxygen mask on, IV tubes, and a heart monitor on her and the baby. The captivating Dr. Macarthur was beside her bed quietly talking to another doctor in scrubs who was busy making notes on a chart.
Mac walked towards the beds. First she went to Rob who held his arms out for a hug. Mac stepped into his arms. “Thank you, thank you for everything,” he whispered in her ear. “I don’t know what I would do without Bella. I can’t thank you enough.”
“Hey, it’s okay.” She patted him on the shoulder, slowly releasing herself from his embrace. “I’m happy you’re both out okay and in good hands here.” She patted him on the hand and moved over to Bella who was watching in the next bed.
“Hiya, Bella. Looks like you’ve got the full five-star treatment, huh?” Bella smiled and nodded. Mac looked at the doctors and the nurse, then back at Bella. She moved closer. “When this is all over, one day, when baby bubble here is old enough, you call me and I’ll take them for their first ride in a fire truck. How’s that sound?”
Bella smiled. “We’d love that very much.” Tears ran freely down her face. She reached out and grabbed Mac’s hand and hoarsely whispered, “Thank you.”
Mac reached out and gently touched Bella’s cheek. “You are most welcome. Rest up now. I’ll try and drop in a bit later and see how you’re all doing. Okay?”
“I’d like that.” Bella’s eyes were shining with fatigue and the effects of the medication they had given her.
Mac stayed a few more minutes until Bella had lightly dozed off. She gently extricated her hand and tucked Bella’s back under the bedcovers. She turned to see Dr. Macarthur watching her intently. She shyly lowered her head. “Thank you for letting me see them.”
Dr. Macarthur smiled and nodded as Mac turned quietly and left through the swing doors back to reception, where Bettsy had arrived and discovered the bag with the jam doughnut in it and was halfway through devouring it, sugar dusting his ginger beard.
He had the good grace to look sheepish as he looked up with a mouthful. “I hope that was mine. I figured you didn’t want it, having left it behind here with your gear.”
Mac shook her head and laughed. “Lucky for you then, hey, big fella?”
Smiling, they picked up the gear and headed outside to the waiting truck.
Chapter Three
Four a.m. had been and gone some time back. Mac knew she should have been tired, and in truth, she was exhausted, but the after wash of adrenaline from the call-out kept her going. She would hit the wall, it was inevitable, and when it came, it would crash over her like a wave, all but knocki
ng her off her feet. But she wasn’t quite there yet.
She’d dropped Bettsy off, restocked, reequipped, and done the paperwork and was going over the night’s events, mentally looking for cracks or things that could have been done differently should there be a next time.
She rang the report in, got washed and changed and made ready for bed, even though most nights after a call-out, she rarely slept. Just the routine was comfort enough sometimes. Then she waited. The wave slid closer. Her mind passed from active, productive thoughts, to restlessness, finally slowing to a state of numbness. A place of disassociation. Sometimes snapshots of the evening’s events flashed across her mind’s eye. Other times the blankness was large enough to bleed the mind of its remaining energies. There was nothing left. Totally spent, she embraced surrender, closed her eyes, and slipped into the arms of sleep.
Sunlight pierced through partially cracked lids and stabbed with cruel brightness, daring her squinting eyes to open and do battle with the day.
Rolling over, Mac looked at the clock on the bedside table. “Crap!” She had overslept. “Damn it.” She threw off the bedcovers, and her feet hit the floor. Berating herself, she knew she should have checked her alarm before falling into bed only a handful of hours ago. Somewhere along the line she must have dozed off, which was a bit unusual of late. Between bouts of insomnia and late call-outs, sleep had been a very distant friend these past few weeks.
Start the coffee machine, shower, change, grab hot coffee and fruit, head out the door, and get on with the day. Late was late and there was nothing to be done about it now but to get going and try and pick up some time along the way.
It was a beautiful morning, as the sun rose and christened the sparkling dew-covered landscape. Although living on the outskirts meant a fair drive into town most days, it was mornings like these where the drive in transported her soul to a peaceful, refreshed place. It was a nice gentle way to start the day as she drove past bush blocks and small farms, the urban interface increasing with each click closer to town.
All too soon, the traffic and business that come with urban living became more and more concentrated. Mac forced her mind to pick up in sharpness and attentiveness as she weaved her way through the solid morning traffic. Stopping at the lights, she began to run down mentally the checklist of things to do, people, places, appointments to keep. Hopefully, if the day went well, she might be able to swing by the hospital and check on Bella. Who knows, maybe she might even run into Dr. Hot Chocolate Eyes. What did she say her name was again? Funny how she just magically appeared and disappeared without making a sound.
Blaring horns startled her. She had missed the change in lights and now had frustrated people behind her, honking their horns for her to move on. She waved an apology, put the truck into gear, and moved off. She must have been more tired than she thought. What an airhead. With a more concentrated effort she continued the journey into the office. Pulling up in the car park a few minutes later, she grabbed her briefcase, only to be slapped in the face with a cold breeze that took her breath away as she disembarked from the car. Any colder and it might as well snow.
By contrast, the office was hot and stuffy as she pushed through the doors. As she slid past the service desk, she smiled and waved. “Morning, Martha.”
She was greeted with an echoed, “Morning, yourself, young lady. Heard you and John had another late night last night.”
Martha not only commanded the service desk, but was station mother to all who worked under the firehouse roof. Martha could have retired several years back but opted to stay on and supervise her family. The station house was Martha’s house. With her milk-coffee complexion and deep brown eyes from her Maori parentage, she boasted a subtle state of stocky that comes with middling to later years, but was always smartly dressed, with hair immaculately styled short, swept up in a classic style. And she seemed ageless. She looked over the rims of her glasses at Mac.
Mac stopped by the mail pigeonholes and was sorting through what needed attending to and what could wait. “Mm, just one of those busy weeks I guess.” Mac’s official status was a combination of part-time and voluntary, and whenever she was in the office, there was always plenty to play catch up on. “That’s one lazy wind outside. Did you catch the weather report? Do they think it might rain?”
“Perhaps, tonight they think we might see a storm.”
Mac waved the mail, smiling at Martha. “Well, I’d better get on with it. Catch up with you later on.”
Martha stood up and handed over a container, along with a mug of hot chocolate. “Take these with you as you go. A little sugar sustainer to keep you going through the morning.”
Mac closed her eyes and sniffed the air. “Those biscuits smell like another wonderful low-fat recipe of yumminess. You spoil me.” Her stomach rumbled in anticipation.
As Martha started to walk out the door she chuckled and threw over her shoulder, “Low fat indeed! I don’t know any of those recipes, which is just as well because you don’t eat enough, young lady.” Martha waved her away. “Okay, petal, go gently.”
“You too, Martha.” Mac walked down the corridor to her office. She sank into the chair and turned her computer on, quickly checking the weather update for the next twenty-four hours before diving into reports and putting the finishing touches on the training program for the intake of new recruits later in the month.
Taking a break, Mac chuckled and sat back at her desk, munching appreciatively on one of the biscuits when the chief stuck his head around the corner. “Hey, Mac. You got five minutes?”
“Sure, Chief. What’s up?”
Captain “Chief” Thomas O’Reilly was firefighting blue blood. His father had been captain, and his father’s father before him. He was as tough and courageous as any human being could be, but still proudly embraced his fire family with a gentle family man’s disposition. But the Irish blood ran through him, sure and solid. Chief O’Reilly could tell a fine yarn in a good mood, or he could lay you on the carpet and rip you a new exit hole as soon as look at you if you screwed up. There weren’t too many people in the station that hadn’t been on the receiving end of both the chief’s good and bad side, but all to a letter were proud to serve under the man and wouldn’t want it any other way.
He lowered himself to the visitor’s chair in her tiny office. “I was doing the half-yearly personnel reports and noticed you haven’t taken any leave for close to two years now. Want to explain what that’s all about?”
Wow. Of all the things she thought the chief would want to talk to her about, she would never have picked the subject of going on leave. She shrugged and put her pen down. “I never really gave it much thought, to be honest. Not much of an explanation, I know, but I love doing what I do. Why would I want to take a break from that?”
Chief offered her a smile. “Because this is a part of life Mac, not life itself. Everybody needs a break sometimes, or to do something different. You need to rest and recharge your batteries. You have the highest number of call-out stats of both paid and voluntary ranks. I’m concerned that you’re going to burn out if you keep going the way you are. I would much rather you be away for a couple of weeks on R & R, as opposed to losing you to something more serious somewhere down the track.”
Mac looked down at the paperwork on her desk. She had made firefighting her life. It challenged her and pushed her to her limits some days, but it also provided her with a sense of stability and safety that came with knowing your place in the scheme of things. It filled her days and nights with purpose. It left her too tired to do other things, to think, to socialize, and to put herself out there. She liked her life just fine like it was. She was content.
“Mac, there’s no easy way to say this, but you are starting to look like I feel some days. It’s time for you to get out of here, meet new people, have a change. Live a little.”
She sighed and looked up. “I feel fine, honest. I don’t need a break.”
“Uh-huh, well, I thought you w
ould say as much. So I am taking you off the roster for the next month and reassigning you to some community-education projects.”
“What?”
“You’ll be going to a couple of schools and healthcare facilities, conducting inspections and running fire safety courses.”
“You’re not serious, Chief. Really?”
The chief nodded.
“But Eddie normally does that stuff. He loves it! C’mon, Chief, giving classes is not my thing.”
“Eddie and Barbara are heading off for a month to help their daughter, who is due to provide them with their first grandchild any day now. I need someone to step in, and I have nominated you.”
“I don’t suppose—”
The chief shook his head. “Nope. You’re it. You can finish the day here, then tomorrow you can swing by my office and pick up the portfolio of places and classes needed, and you can have the rest of the week off roster to plan how you want to do it.” The chief stood with a hint of a smug smile on his face. Mac was frozen in place in shock. She was stuffed. The chief had obviously had this all planned out for some time before presenting it to her. She was the next senior in line to Eddie and had the necessary instructor and inspector qualifications. Shit. There was no getting out of it.
“You’ll be fine, Mac. It’ll be a good change. And you know what they say, a change is as good as a holiday.” With that, the chief winked at her and walked out.
“Shit, shit, shit!” She put her head in her hands. It wasn’t the cleaning up of her desk, or loose ends to tie up—she’d always managed to be fairly organized and on top of things, so there were no major concerns there, but going out and playing nice to people? In groups? Really? Damn the chief.
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