Zoë’s determination to shut him out of her life as much as she possibly could was very difficult to accept. Over the following weeks, as the effects of her chemotherapy became increasingly apparent, Ben found it hard not to intervene. Some days she looked so worn out that he wanted to order her home to bed, but he knew he would be overstepping the mark if he did that. He comforted himself with the thought that at least she was still living in the apartment, which meant he could keep an eye on her.
March gave way to April and the weather improved almost overnight. Clear skies and sunshine brought a steady flow of visitors to Dalverston. There were a lot of hill walkers and ramblers about and, consequently, the emergency department was busier than ever. Ben lost count of the number of sprained ankles they treated. They were carrying several vacancies and some days they were pushed to the limit. He found himself working longer and longer hours, although that wasn’t a bad thing. At least, while he was working, he wasn’t worrying about Zoë.
One Thursday evening he was getting ready to leave when a call came through from the Incident Control centre to say there’d been an accident about ten miles outside the town. A helicopter ferrying a group of people home from the races at Haydock Park had crashed in the hills. There was no information yet about the number of casualties, but with Dalverston General being the nearest hospital to the site of the crash they would take the bulk of the injured. Ben called the team together and explained what had happened.
‘So far we don’t know how many people have been injured or how severe their injuries are. However, this type of accident can result in anything ranging from broken bones to burns if the helicopter caught fire.’ He looked around the group, not allowing his gaze to linger on Zoë. He had to treat her as part of the team. ‘Basically, it means that we need to prepare for every eventuality.’
‘Has the rapid response unit been deployed?’ Jo asked.
‘Not yet. Incident Control will get back to me once they’ve spoken to the police…’ He broke off when the phone rang. It was Incident Control again with more information, which he relayed to the group after he hung up.
‘The helicopter was carrying six people, including the pilot. The mountain rescue team has now pinpointed the exact location where it crashed and they are about to retrieve the injured. The rapid response unit has been officially deployed and we shall meet them at a prearranged spot as close to the site as possible.’ Picking up the daily roster, he skimmed through it. ‘I’ll be going and, Jason, you will too. Abby, you can come along as well—we’ll leave Jo here to sort everything out for when we get back.’
‘Thank heavens for that,’ Jo retorted. ‘I had my hair done this morning and I don’t fancy scrambling up the side of a mountain and ending up with the windswept look!’
Everyone chuckled as she patted her hair. Ben grinned. ‘And may I say how very nice it looks too.’
He jotted Jason’s and Abby’s names on the clipboard then checked the roster again. He really needed another doctor to go with them but Sam was tied up in Resus and he didn’t want to drag him away. That left Zoë but he was loath to include her in view of everything else.
‘I’d like to come along.’
Her voice cut through his musing and Ben looked up, a refusal already forming on his lips until he caught sight of her expression. She was daring him to say that she couldn’t go and he knew that if he did so it would result in an argument, which would only upset her. Talk about finding himself stuck between a rock and a hard place!
‘Fair enough,’ he said evenly, adding her name to the list. He checked that everyone knew what they were doing then led the way to the supply room, trying to batten down his anxiety. So long as he made sure that Zoë didn’t do too much, she should be fine.
It didn’t take them long to get kitted up in their outdoor gear, which consisted of fluorescent yellow and green waterproof jackets worn with matching trousers. Abby grimaced as she plonked a safety helmet on her head.
‘Not exactly what you’d call high fashion, is it?’
‘Oh, I don’t know.’ Jason leered at her. ‘It definitely does something for me!’
He dodged out of the way when Abby shook her fist at him. Ben followed them out of the room, wistfully thinking how much he would have loved to joke with Zoë that way. Since the day she’d had her first chemo session and made it clear that she didn’t want him poking his nose into her affairs, he’d felt as though he’d been walking on eggshells around her.
‘Abby and Jason seem to get on very well. Do I detect a hint of romance in the air?’
He glanced round when Zoë fell into step with him, feeling his emotions see-saw as they always did whenever she was near. Although she looked incredibly fragile at the moment, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. That hadn’t changed, neither would it.
‘Possibly, although I should point out that Jason has enjoyed more romantic liaisons with the female members of staff than most people have had hot dinners,’ he replied, trying to deflect his thoughts away from such a pointless direction.
Zoë laughed. ‘I see. And is Abby one of his conquests?’
‘I don’t think so.’ Ben frowned. ‘That’s odd. I’d have thought she would have been top of his list.’
‘Maybe he doesn’t see her as just one of the many.’
‘You could be right.’ He looked at her in surprise. ‘How come you’re so clued up when it comes to relationships?’
‘I wish I was.’
She gave him a quick smile before she hurried on ahead. Ben followed her over to the rapid response vehicle they’d be using that night, a four-wheel drive equipped with the very latest technology. Jason offered to drive so Ben tossed him the keys and climbed into the passenger seat. Zoë and Abby were sitting in the back and he could hear them chatting as they left the hospital.
What had she meant by that comment? he wondered. Did she wish that she’d been more clued up when it had come to their relationship and done something to save it? Even though he knew it was too late to worry about it now, it was a tantalising thought.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE mountain rescue team had managed to retrieve two of the casualties by the time they arrived. Zoë jumped out of the vehicle and hurried over to where a makeshift treatment area had been set up. Canvas screens provided welcome shelter from the wind but it was bitterly cold despite the recent improvement in the weather. Ben followed her and he knelt down beside her.
‘Let’s see what we’ve got,’ he said, turning back the foil blanket that was helping to warm up the first casualty, a girl in her teens.
‘Oh, that looks nasty,’ Zoë murmured when she saw the section of bone that was poking through the girl’s right shin. She smiled at her. ‘Hi, my name’s Zoë and I’m a doctor. Can you tell me your name and how you came to be in the helicopter?’
‘Grace Southern, and I was hitching a lift back home to Carlisle. My brother’s a jockey, you see, and I went to watch him race. He drove me down there but he’s racing again tomorrow and couldn’t take me back. Peter arranged for me to travel back with a friend of his.’ She bit her lip. ‘It was my first trip in a helicopter and I was so excited about it, too, but I don’t think I’ll be going in one again.’
‘It must have been really scary for you,’ Zoë sympathised. ‘Try not to think about it right now. I’m going to make you comfortable and then have you transferred to hospital. Obviously, your leg is broken but can you tell me if you hurt anywhere else?’
‘All over.’ Grace grimaced. Even though she was in a lot of pain, she tried to put on a brave face. ‘I feel as though I’ve been tossed around in a tumble dryer and spat out at the end of the cycle!’
‘Ouch!’ Zoë winced. ‘Sounds horrible. I’ll just check you over and make sure there’s nothing else before I deal with that leg.’
She quickly examined the girl but apart from some spectacular bruising she couldn’t find anything else wrong with her, although it would need X-rays t
o confirm that. Ben had moved to the second casualty, a man in his forties who had suffered a head injury. He was unconscious and she could tell that Ben was concerned when he looked over at her.
‘We need to get him to hospital, asap. Left pupil is fixed and dilated so it looks as though there’s intercranial bleeding.’
‘When are the ambulances expected to arrive?’ Zoë asked as she dealt with her patient’s injuries. A shot of morphine for the pain would help to make the girl more comfortable so she administered that first then unwrapped a sterile dressing and placed it carefully over the end of the bone to minimise the risk of infection.
Ben checked his watch. ‘It’ll be another fifteen minutes at least.’ He glanced at the man. ‘I’m not sure if he’ll last that long. I know it’s a risk but I think he’ll have a better chance if we ferry him back in the four-by-four.’
Zoë could tell he wasn’t completely happy with that idea either. Weighing up the pros and cons of moving the man or waiting for an ambulance wasn’t easy but she knew he would make the right decision. She padded the area around where the bone had broken through the flesh then used an inflatable splint to stabilise the girl’s leg. Fortunately the drugs had kicked in by then so Grace wasn’t in too much pain. Jason and Abby had finished unloading their supplies and they came over to help. Jason treated the girl to a killer smile.
‘That’s going to be a real talking point amongst your friends.’
Grace blushed as she took stock of the young male nurse’s handsome face. ‘I’ll get them all to sign it if I have a cast on…Will they put a cast on it?’ she asked, turning to Zoë.
‘It depends what the orthopaedic surgeon decides is the best way to treat it,’ Zoë explained, deciding not to go into the ins and outs of whether the leg would need external fixation to hold the bone in place. It could be a daunting prospect and she didn’t want to alarm the girl when she appeared to be coping so well.
‘Well, if you do end up with a cast then I bag first go at signing it,’ Jason said, winking at Grace.
Ben rolled his eyes. ‘Some people have no shame, that’s all I can say. Right, we need to get this guy out of here pronto and see what’s happening further up the hill.’
Jason fetched a specially adapted stretcher that fitted into the rear of the rapid response vehicle once the seats were lowered. Using a padded head restraint to minimise the risk of further injury, they lifted the man onto it and loaded him on board. Abby volunteered to drive him back so Jason handed over the keys. Ben radioed back to base and explained what had happened, emphasising how serious the situation was. With a bit of luck the casualty would be in Theatre within the hour.
Once Abby had departed, one of the rescue team offered to escort them to the crash site. The helicopter had come down at a point halfway up the mountainside and Ben guessed it would be a tough climb to get there. Instinct told him to leave Zoë down below, but he knew they would both be needed. His gaze rested on her for a moment as he struggled with his conscience. There were people needing their help but was it right to expect Zoë to make the climb in her condition?
He sighed. There wasn’t time to debate the issue, but as soon as they got back, he and Zoë were going to have a long talk about what she could be safely expected to do. And if she didn’t see sense then he was prepared to pull rank and stop her pushing herself so hard. He’d done enough tiptoeing. It was time he acted.
Zoë could feel Ben looking at her and knew that he was debating whether or not she should be allowed to make the climb. She was quite prepared to argue her case if need be, but in the end he didn’t stop her. It should have felt like a victory but she couldn’t help the shiver that ran through her as she looked up at the mountain. Was she really up to the task of climbing that slope?
In the past week her treatment had seemed to sap her strength so that it had been an effort to keep going. She’d also been sick on several occasions, although she’d managed to conceal the fact from everyone else, including Ben. What with being pregnant and undergoing chemotherapy, she wasn’t exactly in tip-top condition. She could be more of a hindrance than a help, but if she cried off, it would feel as though she was giving up. She took a deep breath. One way or another she was going up that mountain!
It was a tough climb and even Ben had difficulty in places. Zoë was in front of him and he could hear the laboured sound of her breathing as she struggled on. This was madness! he thought savagely. What was she trying to prove? That she could cope with anything? Or, more likely, that she could cope without help and especially not his?
It was another five minutes before they reached the crash site. Ben sucked in a welcome breath as he took stock of the scene. The helicopter was lying on its side. The tail had sheered off on impact, leaving a gaping hole in the fuselage through which the rescue team had gained entry. There were two bodies lying on the ground, covered by blankets, and a man sitting slumped against a tree. That meant there must be one casualty still inside the helicopter. Turning to the others, Ben rapped out instructions.
‘Jason, you come with me and we’ll see what’s going on inside. Zoë, you attend to that guy. He can be taken down to wait for the ambulances if he’s fit enough to be moved.’
He didn’t give her time to object as he strode over to the helicopter. Enough was enough and there was no way that he was allowing her to endanger herself any further by crawling inside the wreckage. Two members of the rescue team were trying to free the pilot when Ben worked his way inside the fuselage. The instrument panel had been stoved in, pinning the man to his seat. Ben introduced himself then crouched down in the narrow gap between the seats.
‘How long will it take to get him out of there?’
‘Hard to say, Doc. We could do with some heavy-duty cutting gear but I don’t rate our chances of getting it up here,’ one of the rescuers explained, working away with a pair of metal bolt cutters. He managed to cut through a small section of the panel but there was another section underneath that had to be dealt with next.
Ben frowned. ‘This could take a while and I’m worried about the effect of all that metal bearing down on him. Can I take a look and see what’s going on?’
He traded places with one of the rescuers so that he could peer beneath the overhang of metal. The pilot’s left leg was twisted sideways, his foot lying at a right angle to the leg. No doubt the ankle was broken and there was probably ligament damage too, although that wasn’t Ben’s main concern. Crush syndrome, a condition in which the damaged muscles release excessive amounts of protein pigments into the bloodstream, causing the kidneys to fail, was a very real possibility. Then there was reperfusion injury, inflammation and oxidative damage caused to the tissues when the blood supply was restored. He gently tested the pilot’s legs, more concerned than ever when he discovered how swollen they felt as it wasn’t a good sign.
He and Jason fixed up a drip to compensate for the drop in blood volume and moved out of the way. By the time the last section of metal was removed, Ben was desperate to get the pilot out.
‘We’ll be as careful as possible but this could hurt,’ he warned him. He’d given the man a shot of morphine but it wasn’t an easy procedure to remove him from the helicopter. As soon as they were outside, Ben explained what he wanted doing.
‘Zoë, I want you to deal with that ankle. Jason, I need a second line in as soon as we’ve got him on the stretcher. Let’s get a move on. We want him in hospital like yesterday.’
Everyone did their very best and in a remarkably short time they were on their way. There were a lot of willing hands to help but it was tough going. Ben carried one end of the stretcher while Jason held both drips. Zoë was following behind but he didn’t dare take his eyes off the path to check that she was all right. He would have to hope that she was being careful but this was the last time she was coming out on a shout.
They made it down to the road in one piece and Ben was relieved to see an ambulance waiting. Abby had returned and she offered to drive Jaso
n and Zoë back while he accompanied the pilot. Ben just caught a glimpse of Zoë’s white face as he climbed into the ambulance but it was enough to strengthen his determination. She could protest all she liked, but she couldn’t carry on like this: he wouldn’t let her!
By the time they reached the hospital, Zoë felt dreadful. It took her all her time to clamber out of the vehicle and follow the others inside. Abby held the door open, grinning as Jason staggered inside, loaded down with their equipment.
‘Good to see him doing something useful for a change, isn’t it, Zoë?’
‘It is.’ Zoë summoned a smile but it demanded an awful lot of effort and Abby looked at her in concern.
‘You look terribly pale. Why don’t you go and have a cup of tea? It might perk you up.’
‘That would be great, so long as you don’t think I’m deserting you,’ Zoë replied gratefully.
‘No way!’ Abby lowered her voice. ‘I think you’re really brave, Zoë. If it was me having to undergo chemo, I’d have signed myself off work. You’re a real trouper, in my opinion.’
Zoë was deeply touched and felt her eyes fill with tears. ‘Thanks,’ she said, turning away before the other woman noticed them. She dumped her protective clothing in the bin to be cleaned and headed for the staffroom. A cup of tea would help to revive her and then she would go back to finish her shift…
A wave of nausea washed over her and she dashed into the lavatories. By the time she’d finished throwing up, she felt totally drained. She rinsed her face under the cold tap then stared into the mirror over the basin. What a sight she looked! Her face was paper-white, her hair sticking in clumps to her forehead, and the black circles around her eyes made her look like a panda. All of a sudden it was all too much and tears began to flow down her cheeks. She didn’t know how she was going to get through this!
The Doctor's Baby Bombshell Page 11