‘It’s a promotion from fly-on-the-wall. I’m extremely happy with it...’
He settled back into his seat as the next patient arrived. For all the differences and personal touches, Arianna’s practice was much the same as his. She was thorough and capable, the kind of doctor that everyone aspired to be. But, unlike him, she wasn’t one part of a greater machine that provided him with support and backup. She’d achieved all of this by herself.
* * *
Ben’s Greek extended to ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ and he clearly didn’t understand the word sýzygos. That was a relief, because it had passed the lips of more than one of her patients this afternoon. Yes, he was undoubtedly good husband material. And no, his name wasn’t on her list of prospective husbands because, believe it or not, and most people didn’t, she didn’t possess such a list.
It was nice having him here, though. He had obviously divined what ailed a number of her patients, just from watching her examinations, but he didn’t interrupt with any of his own observations. Compared with her father’s constant questions about whether she knew what she was doing with her life, it was a welcome show of respect.
‘So.’ She turned to him as the last patient closed the door of the surgery behind her. ‘What do you think?’
‘I think you’re making a difference.’
‘It’s not exactly cutting-edge medicine.’ Arianna wondered how he would respond to her father’s assertion, that if she was going to work for a living she should choose something a little more high-profile. Or at least somewhere a little more high-profile, like the city.
Ben winced. ‘What do you want me to say? I’m a working GP too, so clearly I think that this makes a difference. What I see here is that if I had the ability to know my patients a little better, then I could make more of the kind of difference you’re making here.’
‘Okay.’ Arianna held her hands up in an expression of willing defeat. ‘What I actually wanted you to say was that it doesn’t matter where you practice. Now you’re telling me that it does and that I’m doing better than you.’
He chuckled. ‘Fair enough. It doesn’t matter where you practice, then. You’re still doing more for your patients than I can. Are you ready to go now? I’m looking forward to seeing the Lava Lake.’
The conversation was turning into a flirtation, possibly because Ben’s smile made everything a flirtation, and possibly because of the warm feeling that his approval gave. Arianna’s phone rang and she picked it up from the desk, watching as Ben turned towards the window, staring outside to the large garden at the back, where Mrs Kyriakou and her daughter Athena were bidding their goodbyes to the last of the children they’d been minding while their mothers were visiting the surgery.
The message being relayed to her was the last thing she wanted to hear right now. The Lava Lake, along with Ben, started to recede from her immediate future.
‘Ben, I’m sorry but the Lava Lake’s going to have to wait. I’ll find someone to take you back to Ilaria—something’s come up.’
‘What’s happened?’ He was suddenly alert.
‘There’s been an accident on one of the fishing boats. I have to take the boat out to meet them.’
‘Can I help? I’m assuming you have no other medical staff available.’
‘Are you sure...?’ Arianna swallowed down the objection that Ben was on holiday because she really could use his help. ‘I can’t wait for Andreas to get here; it’ll take him too long.’
‘Then let’s go.’
* * *
Ben carried Arianna’s medical bag as they both hurried down to the harbour. A young man was waiting for them at the dock, and Arianna translated what he said for Ben as they all climbed into the boat.
‘They’re drifting, somewhere over there.’ She pointed towards a clear expanse of sea. ‘They had engine problems and a couple of the crew have b
een hurt, so we’ll need to give them a tow as well. Georgios is coming with us, to help.’
At the mention of his name, Georgios held out his hand to Ben and the men nodded a hello. Then he turned to stand with Arianna at the helm, obviously giving her directions. When a fishing boat became visible, Georgios took out his phone, obviously speaking to the people on board and then relaying the gist of the conversation to Arianna.
‘Well, they’re not sinking, so that’s good news.’ Arianna was staring ahead of her as she steered towards the boat. ‘I think the best thing for us to do is to go across onto the fishing boat and see how badly the men are injured, while Georgios sorts out a towing line.’
‘Okay. Just tell me what to do and when to do it.’ Ben smiled at her. Arianna was confident and capable, and there was no trace of hesitation in her manner. Clearly she remembered the panic and confusion of the ferry, but it seemed she’d put it behind her and had no fear of the water now.
She manoeuvred the boat alongside the fishing boat, a larger wooden craft with a small cabin towards the back and nets tumbled across the deck at the front, as if they’d been hauled in with haste. One man sat alone, nursing his arm, and the other four were clustered around a prone figure.
He clambered up onto the fishing boat, turning to help Arianna. But she was already beside him, stretching down as Georgios passed her medical bag up to her. Above the clamour of the sea there was no sound other than the moans of the stricken man. Ben’s gaze caught Arianna’s and she nodded in silent agreement. There was a different note to the cries of a patient in crisis, and it sounded as if someone had been badly hurt.
‘If you take a look at the man sitting over there...’ She looked around, motioning over to one of the fishermen. ‘Dimitris speaks a bit of English. Best we can do, I’m afraid... If you need splints or a sling, there are some in the long chest on the left, in the cabin of my boat.’
‘That’s great, thanks.’ Arianna had given him all he needed, despite the almost unbearable feeling that he should stay with her, be there for her, Ben knew that a division of labour was best for their patients. She’d call him if she needed him. He hoped.