‘What are your names?’ asked Cara.
‘I’m Sally and my boyfriend’s Bob. We crashed over some stones just under the surface of the snow…’
The three men were swiftly opening their rucksacks and the twins each took out a bulky object like a sleeping bag. ‘Buffalo jackets,’ explained Ian briefly as they swathed the patients in them. ‘Got to get their body temperatures up.’
Cara nodded, noticing the confused and glazed expression of the lad. She knew the dangers of hypothermia, how it could quickly lead to disorientation and sleepiness—lethal combinations on a freezing hillside when one was lost and injured.
‘If we can just get their body temperatures up by even three degrees in the next half-hour, it could make a difference between being alert or in a coma,’ said Jake, pulling a structure out of his bag which sprang up into a kind of tent. ‘This shelter’s windproof and if we all get in, our bodies should raise the air temperature.’
He handed Cara a small instrument. ‘Take a printout of their blood-oxygen saturation levels and BP with this oximeter—could be useful information when we get them to hospital.’
Cara placed the peg of the instrument onto Bob’s finger, noting the readout of his pulse and other functions.
‘His BP’s low—eighty over fifty,’ she murmured. ‘He looks in shock to me—pallid, sweating.’
Jake bent down and slit the boy’s ski-pants with a knife and very gently peeled back the material. He looked at the leg carefully and pursed his lips.
‘No wonder he’s in shock—this looks like a compound fracture,’ he said quietly to the other three. ‘The skin’s punctured across the tibia, and that’s probably a piece of bone protruding through the wound.’
Sally’s colour had begun to return. She looked much more alert, but very anxious. ‘What’s happened to him—what’s he done to his leg?’ she said in a high, frightened voice.
‘He’s fractured his leg, but the good news is we can give him immediate first aid to try and stop infection getting into his wound and splint the limb prior to getting him away from here.’ Jake’s voice was kind and he patted Sally comfortingly on her shoulder as she started to cry. ‘Let’s just have a look at your arm first,’ he said gently. ‘See how serious that is.’
Sally drew it gingerly out of the buffalo jacket and looked in alarm at a huge black bruise that covered her lower arm. She gave a sharp intake of breath. ‘Oh, heavens, look at that. What have I done to it?’
‘It looks very painful,’ said Cara, ‘but it should heal well over the next week. We’ll put a sling on it to keep it still. I don’t think you’ve broken anything from the way you’re able to move it, but it’ll have to be X-rayed in hospital.’
Sally’s face looked stricken. ‘It’s the first time we’ve been skiing properly. We were trying to get away from the crowds. It seemed nice and empty here, but it got so cold…’ Her voice trailed away miserably.
Ian and Max delved into their packs and brought out sterile dressings and a square to make a sling.
‘Och, well, next time you’ll know to stay on the piste where there’s always help at hand—and perhaps wear something a little more robust! The mountain’s no place to take a gamble with the weather.’ Ian’s smiling eyes took the sting out of his words as he started to put on the sling, and Sally gave a watery grin.
‘I don’t know if I’ll be doing this again,’ she whispered.
Jake was laying out a collapsible splint, snapping the joints into place. He looked up at Cara.
‘Before we strap this splint on I think we’ll give him 10 mils intravenous morphine to keep his pain under control.’
‘Yep. I’ll cover the wound, try and keep it as clean as possible.’
Cara looked round at the little team, impressed at the quiet and efficient manner way everyone worked together and the comforting way the twins were talking to Sally, reassuring her and keeping her calm.
Bob had begun to come round slightly and he gave a deep groan. ‘What’s happened to my leg?’ he said in a slurred voice. ‘It’s so painful…’
‘You should feel more comfortable soon—we’ve given you something for the pain,’ said Cara soothingly. ‘I’m afraid you’ve broken your leg, so we’ll have to support it with a splint before we move you.’ She turned to Jake and dropped her voice. ‘I hope we can get him out of here soon—his pulse is a bit thready. Where does the helicopter come from?’
‘I have rung them,’ said Jake. ‘It’s not an air ambulance this time as there isn’t one available. It’s an RAF helicopter so it won’t have the equipment on board I would like—still, it’s a darned sight better than lugging Bob and Sally three miles down the hill. As it is, they can land a few hundred yards away on a plateau by this ridge. We three men can just about stretcher Bob that far and, perhaps with your help, Sally can walk it.’
It was fascinating to see the stretcher being put together—all that equipment in three bags, thought Cara wonderingly. Then they heard the clatter of the helicopter above them, and Ian went out to wave to them and signal them that the patients were ready to move.
‘Cara, you and Sally go ahead—path-find for us, so that if you see any dangerous holes or ravines you can let us know. We’ll take this slowly.’
It took nearly fifteen minutes for the small convoy to get to the helicopter, by which time two of the crew had met them and helped the stretcher party to carry Bob. Cara puffed out her cheeks in relief. It hadn’t been easy walking through the tough terrain, supporting Sally.
‘I shall go with Bob and Sally in the chopper to the hospital,’ explained Jake. ‘Cara, you go back with Ian and Max to the lift. Thank God it’s still light. By the way, you did a good job.’ His eyes twinkled at her. ‘You’ll be getting used to helicopters soon!’
‘As long as I don’t have to fly them,’ Cara remarked, pulling off the thick woollen hat she was wearing.
He smiled down at her, his eyes watching the wind sweep her hair into a wild halo. ‘Don’t forget that I still owe you a meal you promised you’d have with me,’ he said softly. ‘We’ll arrange that next week—no getting out of it! What do you think?’
Cara’s cheeks dimpled. The day seemed to be getting better and better! ‘I’d love to—as long as there isn’t a helicopter mixed up in the evening!’
‘That’s a promise, then!’ He started to make his way towards the machine, then stopped and turned round. ‘Damn! I’d quite forgotten. Could you do something for me, Cara? I’ve got a present for my sister in my car—it’s her birthday and I bought it this morning on the way here. I don’t want her to feel neglected! If I give you the keys, could you get it from the front seat and put the keys back under the mat of the driver’s seat?’
‘Sure. Shall I take it to her?’
‘If you would. I don’t know how long I’ll be at St Cuth’s, but our cottage is only about ten minutes up the hill from Ballranoch.’ He scribbled down directions on an envelope and gave them to Cara.
‘Tell her I’ll be back as soon as I can. Oh, one other thing. My sister—she’s rather disabled. It could take her a little while to answer the door, and also…’ Then his voice trailed off as if he’d changed his mind about saying anything else.
‘Yes?’ asked Cara.
‘Nothing. It doesn’t matter. Thanks for doing that.’ He turned and strode off.
Cara felt a wave of happiness go over her—he seemed to have forgotten his hubris over the night they’d spent on the island and his consequent cooling off. Suddenly it seemed they could be good friends after all.
The cottage was a lovely whitewashed building with a wonderful view across the valley. Ivy had grown over the door, giving it a soft, unmanicured look that was rather attractive. Cara knocked on the door—there didn’t seem to be a bell—and after a while a sharp voice called out.
‘Who is it?’
‘It’s Jake’s colleague from work, Cara Mackenzie. I’m just delivering a parcel he asked me to bring to his sister. H
e’ll be delayed—he had to deal with an accident on the hillside. Two skiers were hurt and he’s gone with them to hospital.’
Cara heard the woman click her tongue impatiently, then a bolt was drawn back and the door opened. A woman in a wheelchair looked up at Cara. She had deep blue eyes just like Jake’s, but as the long black hair which shielded one side of her face fell back, it was as if a beautiful painting had been cruelly defaced. A terrible raised white scar ran right across the woman’s cheek and down to her neck. Where the scar met her eye socket, the muscle had become twisted, the skin puckered and drawn. Ursula Donahue had clearly been very beautiful, but the terrible trauma her face had suffered had made a travesty of that loveliness.
Cara swallowed, masking her shock at the sight of the injury. She wondered what terrible accident had caused it, and a thousand thoughts raced through her mind. She remembered her father saying that he believed Jake’s sister was very reclusive—now she understood why. She was puzzled, though. Surely these days plastic surgery could have restored some of the cheek muscle, removed some of the livid scar? As a doctor, she was surprised Jake hadn’t suggested that to her.
She pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind and held out the parcel. ‘You must be Ursula.’ She smiled. ‘Jake was afraid he might be back very late—he didn’t want you to think he’d forgotten your birthday.’
‘You’d better come in,’ Ursula said, propelling herself backwards and wheeling round to lead the way to a cosy room at the back of the house. ‘What time will he be back? He didn’t say he’d be on duty this weekend!’
Jake’s sister had rather a terse, charmless manner, reflected Cara.
‘Apparently some of the team are off sick—I think he’s doing emergency cover for them,’ she explained.
‘Well, that’s typical, I suppose! Thinks of everyone else but his nearest and dearest—and today of all days! Anyway, thanks for letting me know and bringing the present. I guess he must have bought it this morning!’
She stared at Cara silently for a moment, her eyes sweeping over her tall figure and face, rosy from the day’s exercise. ‘So you’re Gordon Mackenzie’s daughter, are you?’ she said at last. ‘How long are you going to be helping Jake, then?’
Cara smiled inwardly. Her direct line of questioning wasn’t unlike her brother’s! ‘I don’t know really. I hope my father will retire now and enjoy a bit of leisure.’
Ursula wheeled her way to a cupboard. ‘So you could be working for him for some time?’
‘Possibly.’ Cara’s reply was guarded—she didn’t want to commit herself to anything yet.
Ursula smiled brilliantly at Cara, the scar making her mouth twist. ‘Since you’re here, why don’t you have a drink with me? After all, it is my birthday. I’d like to celebrate it with someone!’
‘Well, just a quick one…I’ve got to get back to my little boy.’
‘Of course. Here, have a little red wine I’ve been keeping for a special occasion.’ Ursula turned her wheelchair to face Cara. ‘I heard you had a little boy. You and he have come back to live with your father—is that right?’
‘Yes, I look after him on my own.’ Cara’s voice was rather defensive. There was no secret about the fact that Dan’s father wasn’t around, but she hated that feeling that somehow she’d failed. Toby had left her, she hadn’t been good enough for him.
‘I see…It must be difficult, being a single mum.’ Ursula took a sip of wine and said casually, ‘Tell me, how do you find working with my brother?’
‘Oh, fine…He’s a great doctor, a most reliable colleague.’ No need to tell Ursula about the tense atmosphere there’d been between them for the last few weeks, especially now that things were easier between them.
Ursula smiled and twirled the glass in her hand, looking at the red liquid as it caught the light. ‘He’s worked hard to get where he is. It’s not been easy, of course, but he has the ability and the perseverance to go a long way—if he’s single-minded enough.’ She looked steadily at Cara. ‘I suppose that’s why he’s never sustained any kind of a relationship. Plenty of girls have been after him, of course, but they’ve all ended up with broken hearts! He can’t afford to jettison everything he’s worked for to be held back by a family!’
She laughed as if to soften her words. ‘I think he’s the kind of man who finds complete fulfilment in his work. It wouldn’t surprise me if he eventually wanted to get higher up the ladder, perhaps become the medical officer for the local health authority.’
Cara nodded slowly. ‘You could be right. He…he seems very dedicated to his work.’
Was there a hidden agenda in Ursula’s words? Cara wondered. Was she trying to tell her something, prevent her from being hurt? It sounded as if Jake had been fending women off quite a lot. And it was as she’d suspected—he was an ambitious man who wanted no hangers-on. A woman with a child in tow who fell for him would be a millstone round his neck up the slope of advancement.
Ursula’s words echoed in Cara’s ears all the way home. It was an irony that on the day she felt Jake had put his doubts about their friendship behind him his sister should tell her the truth. The warning was clear—stay away from Jake or have your heart broken! She knew she couldn’t bear to be hurt again. The pain of Toby’s betrayal still seared through her, the shock of finding out the truth so brutally stamped for ever in her mind’s eye. Whatever attraction she felt for Jake she would have to suppress, even though today he had suddenly seemed so…friendly.
‘Hands off, Cara!’ she said sadly as she parked the car in the drive. ‘Dr Jake Donahue isn’t up for grabs!’
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘EXCUSE me, could I come past, please?’
Cara pushed her way through the long line of people waiting in Reception. It seemed unusually full and chaotic, even for a Monday morning.
‘Ah, Dr Cara. Am I glad to see you!’ Sheena Burnett, the practice nurse, looked up in a beleaguered way through the glass partition. ‘Karen’s not turned up. It’s most unlike her. I’ve tried to ring her at her house, but there’s no reply. And to top it all, the computer’s crashed! Karen’s the only one who understands it!’
‘Wonderful! So we don’t know who we’ve got or the order they’re coming in?’ Cara came through to the office and grinned at Sheena’s pink, harassed face. ‘My horoscope said I’d have a challenging day—it was right!’
She looked at the tottering pile of mail on the desk and the blank screen of the computer. ‘Somewhere in the system are about seventy blood and biopsy results that need checking,’ she said ruefully. ‘I can’t see us finishing early.’
At least, she reflected gloomily, she’d be too busy to think about Jake. It was a paradox that since learning from his sister that he wasn’t interested in romance, she couldn’t help dreaming about the man, even wondering what it would be like to be loved by him! That was why she’d kept out of his way for the past week, hoping that out of sight would be out of mind!
‘This is bedlam,’ snarled Sheena, grabbing the phone and answering its persistent ring.
Cara flicked a glance at the sea of faces through in Reception. ‘You don’t think Karen’s had an accident, do you? What about Ian? Perhaps we could get him on his mobile—I think the number’s somewhere here. Where’s Jake?’
‘Emergency call in the village. I’ll try and get hold of Ian.’
While Sheena grappled with the demands of the office, Cara went back to Reception and held up her hand. ‘Quiet, everyone,’ she said loudly. ‘We’ve got a bit of a glitch with the computers this morning, so we don’t know the order of our patients. Would the person booked in for eight-thirty come to my room now? Dr Donahue shouldn’t be long.’
Two people immediately stood up and stared obstinately at each other, one obviously being Jake’s patient, the other Cara’s. ‘I’m the eight-thirty appointment,’ they said in unison.
‘Then I’ll see you in alphabetical order.’ Cara smiled at them sweetly.
Her firs
t patient was an old gentleman with a badly inflamed finger. ‘I was pruning my roses,’ he explained. ‘I always do them in early spring—and a thorn gave me a very deep jab. Now it’s throbbing away and very sore. I told my wife it would be all right, but she insisted I come here.’
‘She was quite right, Mr Dunne,’ said Cara. ‘It looks painful and very red and hot. If you’d left it untreated it could spread quickly to other areas. Cellulitis—infection of the tissues—must be treated quickly. Can you remember if you’ve had an antitetanus injection in the last five years? I can’t bring that information up on the computer at the moment, I’m afraid.’
‘Aye, I had one not so long ago.’
‘That’s good. No need to repeat that, then. However, I want you to take one of these tablets four times a day—that’s very important—and finish the course.’ She handed him a prescription.
The elderly man frowned. ‘One tablet four times a day?’ he repeated slowly. Then he smiled. ‘I’m a stupid old fool—I was trying to work out how you could take the same tablet four times!’
Cara laughed. ‘That will teach me to be clearer! Come back if it hasn’t improved in three days. I’d like you to keep the hand elevated. If Sheena can put a sling round it, that would be a help for you. If you wait, she’ll do it for you when she has time.’
She followed him to the door and caught sight of Jake. He smiled when he saw her patient.
‘Ah, Peter! Glad I’ve seen you. I was about to reply to the invitation you sent me for the exhibition. I look forward to coming, thank you very much. And I hope to buy one of your paintings this time.’
‘Aye, it’ll be a good evening. I’ve done quite a bit of work over the past year. Make sure you come early. And it’s not just my work, you know—we’re trying to get other local artists to contribute.’
The old man stumped off to speak to Sheena, and Jake turned to Cara. ‘Peter Dunne’s a local artist—he does wonderful landscapes of the countryside round here,’ he explained. ‘He’s having an exhibition next week.’ He looked quizzically down at Cara. ‘I’ve been meaning to ask if you’d like to come with me and perhaps we can have that meal I mentioned? You seem to have been very elusive this week—it’s been hard to find you.’
The Bachelor Doctor Page 10