Jack was still busy on the radio. He hadn’t climbed back into the vehicle and she could see the rain drenching him as he stood in front of the headlights. She sucked in a breath. From his gestures, she could tell he was annoyed. He didn’t like not being in charge. He didn’t like not having complete control. She could sense all these things even from here. The resolute single-mindedness and obsession with the job were written all over his face.
It was so reminiscent of her father that it almost felt like a punch to the stomach.
She closed her eyes for the briefest of seconds. She was soaked now too. The rain was running down her face and cheeks, hiding the tears that were sneaking out alongside. She’d kissed this man. For a brief second she’d felt connected to this man—even though every part of her being told her to run in the other direction.
He’d told her about his girlfriend. He’d had his heart broken. Chewed up and destroyed by a set of circumstances that he’d had no control over. That on any other day might never have happened.
How did a guy who at heart was a control freak get over that?
How many nights had he spent awake asking the what-if questions?
She ducked her head back inside the car and rechecked Maleko’s obs. “We’re trying to get some more help. Hopefully you’ll be a bit more comfortable until we can get you out of here.”
She frowned as she looked at Bess’s complexion once more. Were her lips slightly more blue? She pulled out her flashlight. The headlights from the other car just weren’t strong enough and she needed to see a little better.
Darn it. Bess looked terrible. She clambered through the muddy ground around the car, her rubber boots almost being pulled from her feet. Jack was still arguing with someone on the radio.
She pulled out her stethoscope and slid it under Bess’s jumper. Definite decreased breath sounds on the right-hand side. It was likely that she’d broken one or more ribs. There was a good chance one had pierced her lung and caused it to collapse. Trouble was, she had no idea of Bess’s medical history. She knelt down and watched for a few seconds. All of Bess’s accessory muscles were trying to pull air into her body. While a collapsed lung would always cause problems, most people would still be able to get enough air through their other lung. Could Bess be asthmatic? Where had Jack put that purse?
She rummaged around the floor again and emptied the contents of the bag out onto the ground next to her, shining down with her flashlight to get a better view.
“What on earth are you doing?” came the angry voice.
“Quiet, Jack.” A wallet, lipstick, credit cards, pens, a phone with a cracked screen and about ten missed calls, a strip of paracetamol, another blister pack of blood-pressure meds and, yes, an inhaler.
She picked it up and checked it, then gave it a shake. Jack sounded annoyed now. “Can you let me back in?”
It was clear he wasn’t really paying attention to what she was doing—partly because the car door was blocking his view. She flipped the cap off the inhaler. “Bess, I’m going to give you a few puffs of your inhaler. I know you can’t really breathe in properly, so just try and get as much as you can.”
Bess was aware enough to form her lips around the inhaler as Amber administered the medication.
Jack obviously lost patience and nudged her with his shoulder as he tried to see what she was doing. But Amber wasn’t having any of it.
She rooted her feet to the sticky ground and held firm. “That’s right, Bess. You’re doing great. Let’s see if your breathing eases a little while we wait for some help.”
She shot Jack a dirty look as she straightened up and pulled her head out of the car. “Back off, Jack. I’m just as capable a doctor as you. You can’t be in charge of everything.”
Even as she said the words, she felt an instant pang of regret. The flash of pain across his face—her recognition of what he’d revealed earlier. She understood the theory of why he had an inbuilt feeling of wanting to be in control. She just couldn’t live with it.
They were incompatible in every which way.
Even though she wanted to reach up and brush some of the rain from his face right now. Even though as she looked at his lips all she could remember was that kiss.
She’d gathered confidence in the last few hours that she wouldn’t let anyone take away from her—not even Jack Campbell.
*
An hour later Ron looked at them both as they climbed out of the back of the fire truck. The ER was swarming with people. Some clearly patients, others with a whole variety of colored tabards on. It almost made her head ache as much as her body currently did.
“Oh, my missing docs.” Ron looked over as the patients were unloaded. He seemed much more comfortable now he could focus only on his ER. “What have we got?”
Amber spoke first. “This is Bess and Maleko. They were on their way from Hilo and were involved in a car accident.” Ron opened his mouth to interject but Amber kept talking. “Their son Aaron is one of the teenagers with meningitis.”
“Ah…” Ron’s eyebrows rose.
“Maleko has fractured his left tib and fib and had to be cut out of the car. He’s had ten of morphine at the scene around an hour ago. Bess is asthmatic and looks like she has a right-sided pneumothorax. Her color has only improved since she had some Ventolin, but she’s been struggling with her breathing since we found them.”
She was conscious of Jack standing behind her. She could almost feel him itching to talk but she was determined to do the handover properly.
Ron didn’t seem to notice any issue. He just turned and issued instructions. “Him, Cubicle Three, and her, Resus Room Four. Get me a portable chest X-ray and a chest tube tray. Find me a surgeon for Cubicle Three.”
He turned to face them again. “Quick question. They’re expecting to have some emergency flights available tomorrow for any tourists that want to leave. I can’t tell you what to do. But the next week or so will be mad. We’ll move into disaster
relief and emergency services mode. I still need doctors. Any kind of doctors. All kinds of doctors. And don’t expect to be paid. So, do have someplace you need to be in the next few days, or can you stay?”
“I’ll stay.”
“I’ll stay.”
There was no hesitation. Their voices sounded in perfect unison. And Amber turned on her heel and locked gazes with Jack.
Both of them looked in surprise at the other.
Her heart gave a couple of flips. What had possessed her? But as she looked around the crowded ER, she knew exactly why she’d agreed.
This wasn’t about her. This wasn’t about Jack.
But that still didn’t explain the fact she was secretly glad he’d also said yes.
CHAPTER SEVEN
BY THE TIME they reached the apartment that had been designated to emergency rescue workers, both of them were ready to collapse with exhaustion. Another emergency worker glanced at them as he was about to leave. He threw them a set of keys. “Your room is the one at the back. I hope you brought some extra scrubs. We’ve no spare clothes.”
He disappeared out of the door and they were left staring at each other. Jack shrugged. “Your room” made it sound like one room. Amber walked down the dark corridor and pushed open the door. Sure enough, there was one—not particularly big—double bed.
“I’ll sleep on the floor,” said Jack quickly. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable—even though they’d kissed. It was clear Amber still had issues with him.
Amber shook her head. The moon was the only light in the room at present. “Don’t be silly, Jack. I’m tired. You’re tired.”
She gave a half shrug. “After all, we’ve managed to share a bed before.” She held out her hands. “We could be here for the next few days. Let’s not make things difficult.”
He glanced around. “It’s a pretty small space.” He knew exactly what she was saying. They hadn’t had an official fight, but things just seemed uneasy between them.
She nodded. “It is. So let’s make the best of it.”