‘Right, that’s all I can do for him. It’s up to the surgical team now. Can you give them a call, Jayne, and tell them we’re sending another one up to them?’ Seb stripped off his plastic apron and gloves then glanced across the room. ‘How many is that so far? I hope someone is keeping count.’
‘Too right we are,’ Marilyn piped up from the next bed. ‘Young Gary and I have a bet on as to how many folk we get to patch up tonight. My guess is fifty, although junior here reckons it’s going to be nearer the hundred mark.’ Marilyn shook her head. ‘That’s the trouble with these young guys. They overestimate the size of everything!’
Everyone laughed, even Gary. Libby smiled, too. There was a wonderful rapport between the members of the team and that undoubtedly helped them work so well together. She couldn’t help comparing it to the stuffy approach of her colleagues in the practice where she worked. There was very little camaraderie there, sadly.
‘I think we’ve earned a break before the next batch arrive.’
She looked up in surprise when she realised that Seb was speaking to her. ‘I’m quite happy to stay on here if someone else needs a break.’
‘Thanks, but that’s not the way we do things.’ He glanced at the two nurses. ‘I want you both to take a break now. The canteen is open so make sure you get something to eat.’
Cathy and Jayne didn’t quibble as they left Resus together. Libby frowned as she glanced at the other teams who were still working on their patients. ‘Don’t you want to give them a hand first?’
‘There’s no need. They know what they’re doing and they’re more than capable of doing it, too.’
Seb urged her out of the door, sighing when he saw how reluctant she was to leave. ‘Trust me, Libby. I know what I’m doing. A major incident like this is extremely stressful for everyone concerned, so you need to recharge your batteries whenever you get the chance. This could go on throughout the night and we need to be able to treat the patients with the same degree of care and attention whether they’re the first to arrive or the last.’
‘You really think it will go on for that long?’
‘Yes, I do. This is just the tip of a very big iceberg so let’s prepare ourselves for the long haul, shall we?’ He led her to the lift then grinned at her. ‘I don’t know about you but I’m starving.’
‘I wouldn’t mind a cup of coffee,’ she admitted.
‘I thought so. What time did you leave Sussex today? It must have been around lunchtime, I imagine.’
‘I set off straight after morning surgery finished. I had a half-day owed to me and decided to take it today so I could drive up here.’
Libby stepped into the lift, feeling suddenly nervous. There had been too much going on before to talk about the reason for her visit, but now it seemed that they had some time to themselves.
‘You made very good time. It’s a long drive, especially on a Friday when there are so many people trying to get away for the weekend.’
Seb pressed the button for the sixth floor then leant against the wall. His eyes were hooded, making it difficult for her to guess what he was thinking. Was he waiting for her to bring up the topic uppermost in both their minds, or did he prefer to make small talk until after the emergency was over?
It was impossible to decide so in the end she took the coward’s way out. Maybe she should have got it over with while she had the chance but she couldn’t quite bring herself to say the words that would effectively end their relationship. It seemed too cold and too clinical to talk about it here in the lift so she would wait until later.
‘The motorway was really busy but the traffic wasn’t too bad once I left it.’ She shrugged, hoping that he would follow her lead and let the subject drop for now. ‘Thankfully, I’d just got here when the storm broke otherwise that would have delayed me.’
‘It’s been a bad one,’ he agreed, straightening up as the lift came to a stop. He put his hand on the small of her back when she hesitated after they got out. ‘The canteen’s this way.’
Libby didn’t say anything as he guided her along the corridor but she was absurdly conscious of the pressure of his hand on her back. Her cotton blouse provided very little protection. She could feel his strong fingers resting against her flesh and a tide of heat suddenly rose up inside her as she recalled all the other times when she had felt them on different parts of her body…
‘Here we are.’
Seb let her go so he could open the door to the canteen. Libby scurried through it as though pursued by a horde of demons. She could feel her pulse racing as the blood surged though her veins and she bit back a groan of dismay. It had been ages since she’d reacted this way around him. The physical side of their relationship had gone the way of the rest and it had been months since they’d made love. How ironic it was that today of all days she should suddenly remember how wonderful their sex life had been!
‘What can I get you?’
Seb waited while Libby sat down at a table in the corner he had chosen for them. It had been a deliberate decision to sit there because it would afford them some privacy.
‘Just coffee will be fine, thanks.’
‘Are you sure?’ He drummed up a smile, determined not to let her know how difficult this was for him. He didn’t want to talk about getting divorced, today or any other day. Although he knew how far apart they had grown in recent months, he’d always assumed that they would be able to work through their differences somehow or other, the ‘other’ being that Libby would decide to move north to be with him.
Now he could see that it had been his biggest mistake. He shouldn’t have let matters lie, let them fester. He should have told her that he loved her and wanted her, but instead he’d allowed his pride to get in the way. Now he was going to pay the ultimate price for his arrogance and he could only hope that he and his pride would be very happy together.
‘How about a sandwich to go with that coffee?’ He managed to hold the smile, although it felt as though his emotions were being forced through a shredder and spat out at the other side. ‘It’s going to be a long night, and if you’re serious about staying on here to help then you’ll need something to sustain you.’
‘Of course I’m serious about helping,’ she said sharply. ‘Why shouldn’t I be?’
‘No reason at all. Sorry.’ Seb held up his hands, palms out, in the universal sign of surrender, and she sighed.
‘I’m sorry, too. I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. I’m just a bit on edge…’ She broke off, obviously thinking better of what she’d been about to say.
Seb hastily turned away. He certainly didn’t want to encourage any revelations if they had to do with the dire state of their marriage. ‘I’ll fetch you a sandwich then you can decide if you want to eat it or not,’ he said as he beat a retreat.
He sighed as he tagged onto the end of queue by the counter. He was starting to feel like the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz: always running away instead of facing up to any danger. However, at some point during the weekend he would have to pluck up his courage. He and Libby were going to get divorced. There! He’d managed to think the unthinkable and now all he had to do was to learn how to live with it.
He bought a ham sandwich for Libby and a double portion of shepherd’s pie for himself plus drinks then went back to their table. It was break time for those on night duty so the canteen was crowded and he saw several people glance their way. He knew most of the staff at the Grace Darling Hospital by now and they knew him, too, so no doubt his marital status had been picked over and discussed many times.
How would they feel if they knew what was really going on tonight? he wondered as he unloaded the tray. Would they sympathise with him or with Libby? Should he have moved here to fulfil his dream of running a top-flight trauma unit, or should he have stayed in Sussex and saved his marriage? Should Libby have given up her job and moved here with him, or had that been expecting too much?
He had no idea whose side these people would take i
f it came to a choice between him and Libby—hell, even he wasn’t sure if he would take his side any more! How could a job—any job, his or Libby’s—compare to the life they’d once planned together?
Maybe they were both to blame for what had happened. They had lost sight of the important issue, which was their love for each other. If they had put that first then the rest might never have happened. Now it would be almost impossible to get back to the point where it mattered more than anything else. Somewhere along the way their love for each other had been relegated to second place and he had a horrible feeling that was where it was destined to stay.
CHAPTER SIX
Friday: 8 p.m.
‘TREATMENT room. There’ll be someone there to take the patient from you.’
Libby stepped aside as the paramedics rushed the trolley into the building. She moved to the next ambulance and climbed on board so she could make a quick assessment of the patient. They’d had over thirty casualties brought through the doors so far and there were still a lot more to come.
The fire which had engulfed the tanker and the gas rig had injured many people. They were being brought ashore by the air-sea rescue teams, as well as by local fishermen who had responded to the mayday call the coastguard had put out. She had been doing triage since she’d got back from her break—sorting out the most severely injured so they could be treated first. It was quicker if she did the job outside so she was meeting the ambulances as they arrived. Now she nodded as the paramedic finished reciting a list of the drugs the patient had received on his way to hospital.
‘Take him to the cubicles and tell the staff that he’s a priority three.’
‘Does that mean I’m at the end of the queue, Doc?’ Despite the burns to his hands and his face, the man managed to grin at her. ‘Story of my life, that is. I’m always at the back when they’re giving anything out!’
Libby laughed. ‘In this instance, it means you’re a winner. The more severe your injuries, the higher up the list you go.’
‘I’d better not complain, then.’ The man sobered. ‘I saw the state of some of my mates and I wouldn’t want to trade places with them, I can tell you.’
‘I know.’ She patted his shoulder. ‘We’re doing everything we can for them.’
‘I know you are. Thanks.’ He smiled as the paramedics slid the trolley out of the ambulance. ‘OK, guys. Wagons roll!’
Libby sighed as she climbed out of the ambulance. The bravery that had been displayed that night had been truly moving. It wasn’t just the helicopter rescue crews, although they certainly deserved a special mention. It was the men who’d been working on the rig, too. She’d lost count of the number of times a patient had told her that he owed his life to his workmates.
‘How are we doing out here?’
She swung round when she heard Seb’s voice and felt a little thrill run through her when she saw him standing by the main doors. She’d seen very little of him since they’d come back from the canteen—he’d been working in Resus while she’d been outside. However, during that time, he’d never been very far from her thoughts.
‘Not too badly,’ she said, going over to him. She pushed back the hood of the fluorescent yellow raincoat she’d been given to wear, and shivered when a few drops of rain trickled down her neck.
‘You’re frozen!’ he exclaimed in concern. ‘Do you want to swap with one of the others? I can send Jayne to relieve you if you’ve had enough of getting soaked.’
‘No, it’s fine. I just had a drip trickle down my neck—that’s why I shivered.’ She eased her finger inside the collar to wipe away the vexing droplets, and he grinned.
‘You never did like the rain very much, did you?’
‘Not when it’s trickling down my neck,’ she retorted, hunching up to see if that would help her to get at the dribble.
‘Here, let me do that for you.’ Before she knew what was happening, his hand slid inside the collar of her coat. ‘Remember the time we hired that cottage in Wales and it rained non-stop for the whole weekend?’ he said, running his fingers over the damp patch of skin just below her nape.
‘I…um, yes. The weather was dreadful, wasn’t it?’ she said, hoping he wouldn’t notice the slightly breathless note in her voice. He was only trying to help her, she told herself sternly, but it was no good. The feel of his fingers rubbing her skin was too enticing; she could feel ripples of sensation spreading from the spot where he was touching her and running through the whole of her body.
‘I would never have believed it could rain so hard if I hadn’t seen it for myself.’ He chuckled, his hand stilling for a moment as he glanced down at her. ‘We were so wet, in fact, that the tips of our fingers actually started to shrivel!’
‘Not an experience that I’m eager to repeat,’ she replied tartly, and he laughed.
‘Me neither, although there were some good moments, as I recall.’
‘I’m afraid I only remember how wet it was.’
She stepped away from him, running the zip right up to the top of its track, although it was a bit like bolting the stable door after the horse had fled. Now that Seb had touched her, he was unlikely to do it again but she didn’t intend to take any chances.
She cleared her throat, striving for a casual tone, but it wasn’t easy to achieve it when her body was tingling from both the touch of his hand as well as the resurgence of old memories. Although the weather had been atrocious, it hadn’t spoiled the weekend. They’d been working so hard in the months leading up to it that it had been wonderful to finally be able to spend some time together.
Tears suddenly stung her eyes as she remembered how they had made a huge fire in the living-room grate and sat in front of it, toasting bread for their tea. It had been such a little thing yet it seemed to sum up the wonder of their relationship. They hadn’t needed expensive meals or exotic holidays: they’d only needed to be together. What a shame it was that they had allowed themselves to lose sight of that one simple fact.
‘So do you want to carry on out here, or do you want to swap places with Jayne?’ Seb’s tone was polite almost to a fault but it didn’t fool her. He knew what she’d been thinking because he’d been thinking about it, too.
‘I’ll stay out here for a bit longer.’
Libby swung round before he could say anything else. There was no point thinking about all the good times they’d had—it would only make it harder for both of them. Those days were in the past and it was the present she had to concentrate on now. However, knowing that she wasn’t immune to him made her feel very vulnerable indeed. A shiver ran through her as she recalled how it had felt when he had wiped away that drop of water. One touch and it seemed that she was like putty in his hands!
Her face flamed as she hurried over to the next ambulance. The paramedics greeted her with a smile, unconcerned that she was a stranger to them. There were a lot of staff from other departments working there that night so they had no reason to wonder who she was or what she was doing there. They didn’t know that she was Seb Bridges’s wife, come from Sussex to ask her husband for a divorce, neither did they care. They just wanted to get the job done with the least amount of hassle possible.
Libby took a deep breath then squared her shoulders. She would follow their example and get through this night the best way possible, too. And, once it was over, she would get on with her life.
Seb went back to Resus and checked the X-rays that had appeared on the computer in his absence. His patient, Brian Johnston, had multiple fractures: both femurs, left tib and fib, pelvis.
Seb logged them up, one after the other, using them to blot out everything else. He wouldn’t think about the way Libby had reacted to his touch just now. He wouldn’t worry about what it had meant, or if it hadn’t meant anything. He wouldn’t even think about that weekend in Wales and how wonderful it had been to spend the time together. He would think about his patient and how he could help him because it was the only way he would survive this increasingly st
ressful night.
‘How’s his BP?’ he asked as he went over to the bed.
‘I’ve seen better.’ Cathy pulled a face as she glanced at the monitor.
Seb frowned as he turned to look at it, too. The patient’s BP was in freefall, plunging faster than a runaway lift. ‘Looks like internal bleeding to me. Have you spoken to the surgical team?’
‘Yes. All the theatres are in use at the moment. Our guys hope to finish up in about twenty minutes’ time, barring any mishaps,’ Cathy explained.
‘He won’t last for twenty minutes. At this rate his BP will be through the floor in five. Get another line into him while I check those X-rays again. I’d prefer to know where the bleeding is coming from rather than play take my pick.’
He went back to the computer. Reading an X-ray was a skill in itself, and with so many and so varied injuries it was difficult to decipher exactly where the bleeding might be coming from. He leant forward and stared at the shot of the patient’s pelvis. Was there a faint shadow around the pubic symphysis which could indicate internal bleeding?
‘Have a look at this, would you, Ben?’ he said, calling over the radiologist. He pointed to the screen. ‘Does that look like a shadow to you?’
‘It could be.’ Ben took off his glasses and bent until his nose was almost touching the screen. He was extremely short-sighted but his skill at deciphering an X-ray was second to none. ‘It’s worth taking a closer look, if you want my opinion,’ he said finally, popping his glasses back on.
‘That’s good enough for me.’ Seb clapped him on the shoulder then went back to the bed. Marilyn had just despatched her patient to the assessment ward so he beckoned her over. ‘I might need a hand here, if you wouldn’t mind.’
A Night to Remember Page 4