by Joanna Neil
“I can’t believe that you’re here,” she said, her breath coming in short spurts. “I’ve never been so relieved to see anyone in my life.”
He managed a wry smile. “Me, too. I felt I had to come and make sure that you were safe.”
A little glow started up inside her. “So you came here especially to make sure that I was all right?” She pulled in a deep breath. “I’m so relieved that’s all over.”
“So am I.” Rhys put his arms around her, gathering her up, and she went into his embrace, feeling that for once the world was spinning properly on its axis.
Abby shuddered. “It feels as though I’ve been working my way through one long nightmare,” she said. “Is it finally over?”
He stroked her hair, his other arm encircling her and keeping her close to him. Her whole body warmed at his touch. “It’s over,” he said. “Only, perhaps another dream is just beginning….”
Dear Reader,
I’ve always been fascinated by the work of the air ambulance teams, and I’m full of admiration for the way they respond to emergency situations. Their lives are filled with drama and fast-paced action, and I believe this is true for Emma, my heroine, too.
I hope you’ll enjoy traveling alongside her as she copes with the challenges of her work with the air ambulance service, and perhaps you’ll empathize with her difficulties as she faces up to trouble in her personal life…trouble that stems in part from her family situation and that leads her ultimately into danger. Will Dr. Rhys Benton be able to keep her safe?
Love,
Joanna
The London Consultant’s Rescue
Joanna Neil
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER ONE
‘THIS is all a bit unsettling, isn’t it? Do you think you’ll be able to cope with everything all right?’ Emma’s mother sent her a concerned look. ‘I’m surprised they changed your schedule at such short notice.’
Emma swallowed the last dregs of her coffee and reluctantly put her cup back down on the table.
‘I’ll be OK, Mum. Most doctors working in our A and E department get to do a stint with the air ambulance at some point but you’re quite right, it was a sudden change of plan. I wasn’t expecting to go out with them for a few months yet, but now that the registrar’s fallen ill, things have had to be hastily rearranged. The end result is that I’m going to be taking his place for a while. He’s not too happy about it—he wants to specialise in working with the rescue service and he was bitterly disappointed at not to be able to go on with things as arranged.’
She hesitated, and then added, ‘I dare say it will be good experience for me, though. It was unexpected, and I’m a bit at sixes and sevens just now, but I’m sure I’ll manage.’
Emma hunted around for her medical bag and started to throw in a few extra items, a roll of gauze and a pair of sharp scissors among them.
Her mother was still worried. ‘Didn’t I hear that Rhys Benton was working with the helicopter emergency service?’ She glanced towards the hallway as though she was half-afraid that Emma’s father would come downstairs and hear their conversation. She lowered her voice. ‘Are you likely to run into him at some point?’
Emma frowned. She had wondered about that herself. ‘It’s true that he’s with the air ambulance, but he’s always worked a different shift pattern from me. Our paths haven’t crossed so far, and I’ve been with A and E for more than a year now.’
She sent her mother a quick smile. ‘Actually, I’ve already met the doctor in charge, so at least I know that we’ll get on well together. Colin’s an easygoing sort of fellow. He’s married, and his wife has just had their first baby.’
She zipped up her medical bag and then scooped up her purse and car keys. ‘I suppose I’d better go. I want to get there early for my first day.’ She gave her mother an affectionate hug. ‘Thanks for breakfast, Mum. Say goodbye to Dad for me, will you? I hope he’s going to be feeling a bit better soon. Perhaps you and he could come over to my place for a meal when he’s feeling more up to it?’
Her mother nodded. ‘I’ll look forward to it. I’m sure your dad’s just a bit overtired, and that’s why he’s under the weather. He’s been working hard, trying to get this new business venture off the ground, and it’s all been a bit of a strain for him, given everything that he’s gone through in the past.’
‘I know, but I’m sure things will work out for him this time.’ They had to. Emma’s green eyes clouded as she thought about the way her father’s dreams had collapsed. If he had to suffer any more setbacks, he would surely be a broken man.
Her mother returned the embrace, and after another minute or two Emma set off for the hospital.
It was only a short tube ride away and a little while later she was in the hospital lift, heading for the top floor of the building where the air ambulance crew had their headquarters.
They were based in a block a short distance from the helipad, in a set of rooms that was stocked with up-to-the-minute equipment, with everything on hand for emergencies and communications.
As Emma entered, she saw a group of men gathered around a table, talking to one another while they checked the navigation system or monitored the computer screens. One of them, the tallest, looked up as she approached, and it seemed as though he was about to greet her, but then the smile froze on his face.
Emma stared at him in return and came to a sudden halt, her mouth opening and closing in dismay. It wasn’t possible, was it? How could this be happening to her? Hadn’t she assured her mother only a short time ago that there was absolutely no chance of her running into Rhys Benton…? And yet now he was here straightening up, his firmly muscled body taut like a coiled spring.
He was also frowning, his gaze moving slowly over her, taking in the mass of chestnut curls that framed her face and drifted down in wild disarray to brush her shoulders. His glance shifted to trail over her slender length and then returned to rest in scarcely veiled astonishment on her face once more.
‘Emma? What are you doing here?’ Rhys’s voice was gravel deep, just as she remembered, cutting into her mesmerised thoughts, disturbing her fragile peace of mind.
For a long moment her voice seemed to have deserted her, and all she could think was that she might have asked him the very same question. He was the last person she had expected to come across, but here he was, as large as life, long-limbed, lean and superbly fit, his features clean cut, his jaw line angular and his whole appearance heartrendingly easy on the eye.
All the old feelings of aching loss and bitter disillusionment shimmered through her and she drew in a deep, shuddery breath. She had hoped that all these emotions had long since been well and truly buried, and it hurt to realise that they were there in full force once more, as though time had stood still.
Emma could see that he was still waiting for an answer. She said carefully, ‘Our registrar has gone down with some kind of bug, so I’m here in his place. I’m supposed to work alongside the crew as a trainee.’ Under his unblinking stare, her gaze faltered. ‘I thought Colin would be here. I was told to report to him.’
Rhys shook his head. ‘He’s away on paternity leave just now.’
‘Oh, I see.’ She absorbed that. ‘But he’ll be back in a week or so, won’t he?’ she asked hopefully, her head lifting a fraction.
‘I’m afraid not. He’s changed shifts, so that he can be with his family more. I’ve been asked to take over as the consul
tant in charge during daylight hours.’
‘Oh.’ Her tone was flat, and it occurred to her that she ought to have tried to disguise her disappointment. Maybe he had missed it, though, because his attention shifted to a sheaf of papers that were clamped to his clipboard and he was frowning again. Emma guessed that he was checking what she had just said. It didn’t come as any surprise that he was none too pleased to have her arrive there as a substitute for the registrar.
It seemed, though, that he must have realised that it was too late now to do anything about it. After a moment he said briskly, ‘I expect you already know Martin.’ He glanced towards the paramedic.
She nodded. ‘Yes, we’ve met.’
Martin gave her a quick smile, but Rhys was already moving on. ‘And this is James, our pilot, and Chris, the copilot.’ He waved a hand in the direction of the two men. ‘I imagine you must know them, too.’
‘Yes.’ She smiled their way briefly, and they responded in similar fashion, though there was a curious glint in James’s eyes, as though he sensed a source of friction between Emma and Rhys.
‘Good.’ The preliminaries over, Rhys’s gaze narrowed on her once more, and he said, ‘You’ll need to kit yourself out with a uniform.’ He indicated a cupboard at the far side of the room. ‘Rummage through the pile in there. There should be one in your size, and you can change in the dressing room.’
The atmosphere between them was decidedly tense, impenetrable, like a dark cloud barrier, and Emma didn’t wait to be told any more. She was glad of the excuse to escape, and hurried away to get changed into the bright outfit worn by the emergency service. She fretted in silence over the sudden change in circumstances, her heart still thumping erratically from the shock of seeing him here.
A few minutes later she was ready, but as she went to join the others she saw that the whole setup had changed. The crew was gearing up, and already the pilot and copilot were heading out towards the helipad. No one had told her that she needed to hurry, and she couldn’t help wondering whether they would have gone without her if she hadn’t been ready.
‘We’ve had a call out to a boating accident on the Thames,’ Rhys said, his tone curt. ‘Get your stuff together and we’ll be on our way.’
A little while later she settled herself beside him in the helicopter. The pilot already had the engine running, getting ready for take-off. Strapping herself into her seat, she looked around and saw that there was room for two patients to be brought in by stretcher and flown back to safety.
‘What happened? Do you know the details?’ she asked Rhys.
‘Only that two boats collided. There were a few casualties, but it looks as though we’re going to be dealing with a head injury and a fracture of some sort.’
‘It’s a bit early in the day for that sort of accident, isn’t it?’
‘Not really. It’s the holiday season, and I expect people get out onto the water just as soon as they can. You get a lot of inexperienced boaters taking to the water whenever the weather is fine.’
Emma subsided into silence as the helicopter took to the air. It was a strange sensation, being lifted up into the skies, and it wasn’t one that she had experienced before in quite this form. Soon, though, she adjusted to the situation, and she looked down at the landscape beneath her. She could see for miles around, and it was a heady sensation. Sunlight shone down on the river, making it look like a ribbon of glass, reflecting the buildings along its course, and skyscrapers rose majestically across the city of London so that she could pinpoint various landmarks along the way.
Rhys said, ‘Do your parents still live on the North Downs? I know there was some talk of them moving away.’
She grimaced. Why had he brought that up? Didn’t he know how much it had grieved her parents to leave the family home? They had brought up their daughters there and they had cherished the fresh air of the countryside, loved the freedom of having meadowland all around. Uprooting themselves had been almost more than they had been able to bear.
Emma didn’t tell him any of that, though. Instead, she said, ‘They bought a smaller place, closer to the City, so that it would be easier for them to commute. My dad put some money from the sale into property and spent some time refurbishing the building so that he could let it out as flats.’ It was one way that he was trying to recoup his income.
‘I heard that he had tried something of the sort. How have things worked out for him?’
She said cautiously, ‘It’s taken a while, but he’s beginning to make some headway. There were a few setbacks along the way, with disruptions with the builders and so on, but things are beginning to fall into place.’ That was a hefty understatement. Her father had struggled all the way after his business had collapsed, and it had seemed as though nothing had gone right with the next venture he had taken on.
She felt uncomfortable, talking about her father with Rhys of all people, and by way of a change of subject she asked, ‘What about your parents? Do they still live up at the hall?’
‘They do. It’s been in the family for generations, so I doubt they would willingly sell up.’
No, she could understand that. The hall was surrounded by acres of land, and the house itself nestled into a hillside, a picturesque building of weathered yellow stone set against a backdrop of trees and flowering shrubs. Coming from the same village as Rhys, Emma had been a visitor to the hall on a number of occasions. His parents often held open house, hosting fêtes and charity sales in the grounds, and she had come to know him and his family well over the years.
All the easy familiarity that passed between them had come to a sudden stop, though, after the awful accident at her father’s restaurant. Nothing had been the same since then, and that was hardly surprising, given that Rhys’s sister had been hurt that day. What should have been a pleasant meeting for lunch with a friend after a morning’s shopping had turned into something too dreadful to contemplate.
She glanced up at him now, and saw that his expression was strained. Was he remembering, just as she had done? He had been careful not to make any mention of it up to now, but they both knew that what had happened two years ago was there between them, stinging like an open wound.
‘How is your sister?’ she asked in an apprehensive tone. ‘I tried to keep in touch with her, but she moved house and I haven’t been able to contact her in a long while.’
He grimaced. ‘I think she’s recovered well enough from the physical wounds—they were the least of her problems, after all—but I wouldn’t say that she was all right by a long way. The mental scars will take much longer to heal.’
‘I’m sorry.’
He nodded, but didn’t say any more.
‘OK, folks. This must be the place.’ The pilot’s voice reached them suddenly and jolted them back to the present. ‘There’s quite a crowd gathered down there, and it looks as though the press have arrived already. I can see someone with a camera, taking pictures. I guess the police must have their hands full.’
Emma’s glance took in the curving stretch of the River Thames as the helicopter descended and settled onto firm ground once more. She saw that they had landed some distance from a wharf where boats were moored, bobbing gently on the water as they were tossed by a slight breeze.
Rhys and Martin were already on the move, exiting the helicopter. Emma hesitated for a moment, still finding her feet after the unaccustomed flight, but then she quickly followed suit, preparing to jump down from the belly of the aircraft. Rhys put out an arm to steady her and, much as she was wary of accepting his help, she was thankful for that gesture of support.
‘Are you OK?’ he asked.
She nodded. ‘I’m fine, thanks,’ she mumbled. She wasn’t, though, not by a long way. His strong fingers gripped hers and a swift current of electricity rippled through her hand and along her arm and jerked her out of her safe cocoon of isolation. She didn’t want to acknowledge that he had any kind of effect on her at all.
He looked at her quizzically
for a second or two, and then released her, turning away and heading over to the riverside where people were assembled at the water’s edge. She followed him, forcing herself to breathe deeply in order to calm herself.
As they approached a concrete slipway, and it was plain to see that there had been some kind of collision. Two small motorboats had been pulled up out of the water onto the landing stage, and it was clear that they were badly damaged.
Debris floated on the water, washing away downstream, and Emma saw that there were shifting sandbanks hugging the bend of the river, exposed by the low water level.
‘What happened here?’ Rhys went to talk to a paramedic from the ambulance that was already at the scene, and together they hurried to where a man and boy lay injured on the slipway. At the same time Emma noticed that a man and a woman were being wheeled to the vehicle, in readiness for their journey to the nearest hospital.
‘As far as I can make out, the couple in the first boat misjudged the curve in the river and took the bend too wide and too fast. The man in the other boat was coming in the opposite direction and manoeuvred to avoid being hit, but swerved into the side of the slipway. He was thrown overboard and hit his head on the side of the concrete ramp as he went into the water. His son, Matthew, toppled over with some force and fell against the side of the boat. Apparently, he put his arm out to save himself and it looks as though he’s ended up with a broken bone.’
Rhys winced. ‘Ouch. That sounds nasty. Are they both conscious?’
‘The boy is. The father has a GCS score of 8 and his condition seems to be deteriorating. He was pulled out of the water only just in time—he very nearly drowned.’
‘He was wearing a life jacket, wasn’t he?’ Rhys was already bending to examine the man.
‘Yes but it wasn’t inflated properly—either that or there was a tear in it somewhere.’
Emma went with Martin to assess the boy’s condition.
‘Hello, Matthew,’ she said, kneeling down beside him and greeting him with a smile. ‘I’m Emma—I’m a doctor, and this is Martin, a paramedic. We’ve come to take you and your dad to hospital, but first I want to take a look at your arm, and then we’ll see if we can make you feel a little more comfortable. Is that all right with you?’