At His Service: Her Boss the Hero: One Night With Her Boss / Her Very Special Boss / The Surgeon's Marriage Proposal

‘I hope this isn’t going to be another winch job,’ she said casually as she followed the men into the office where they would get details of the mission and do the initial map work.

But it was and again Mikki was left on station to keep herself busy. Not that there was any shortage of options. The stack of articles Tama had copied for her sat on a coffee-table near where he’d been sitting, and Mikki picked up one of the few she hadn’t read yet titled ‘Air Medical Transport of the Cardiovascular Patient’.

She sat down with every intention of absorbing what she needed to know concerning aspects such as the risk of patient deterioration due to a decrease in barometric pressure with rising altitude.

Was it her imagination that the soft cushions of this chair were still warm from their previous occupant? That there was a faint, musky, very masculine scent surrounding her?

Whatever. It was enough to make Mikki pull her feet up and curl deeper into the chair, oblivious to the faint smile curving her lips.

‘Cardiac reserve,’ she muttered aloud, her tone resigned. ‘The ability of the heart to increase output in response to increased demands.’

For the first time, as he watched the figure on the ground get smaller and smaller, Tama felt a pang of disappointment that Mikki had been left behind.

Had it really only been last week when he’d been wishing so fervently for a mission that would enable escape from her company?

Josh seemed to be reading his mind as Steve banked the helicopter and their forward speed increased.

‘Damn shame the mouse couldn’t come.’

‘It’s an injured tramper. We’re not likely to find a close landing space in that kind of bush.’

‘Get her winch trained, then,’ Steve suggested. ‘I’ll bet she’s keen.’

‘It’s way too early to even think about that,’ Tama growled.

His colleagues were silent for a moment. Wondering why he was in a bad mood perhaps? And who was he trying to convince, anyway? Them or himself?

‘She’s capable enough,’ Josh said. ‘Look at the way she threw herself into the HUET. Amazing!’

Tama simply grunted. They could think what they liked about his mood. He wasn’t about to admit his total agreement. Not out loud, that’s for sure. No reason not to let his mind play along those lines, though.

The princess was amazing all right and not just for the physical courage she had displayed during the underwater escape training.

She hadn’t whinged once about being left behind on mission after mission. She’d been using her time constructively to devour the pile of written material Tama had actually intended to daunt her. All those heavy articles on the conditions they could be expected to transport and considerations that came with treating complications at high altitude and in a confined space.

Josh broke into his thoughts. ‘You know, it could be useful to have a doc who’s winch trained.’

‘Why?’

‘There’s stuff she’d be qualified to do that we can’t.’

The disturbing notion that Dr Elliot could end up being better at this job than he was hadn’t occurred to Tama.

‘Like what?’ he snapped.

‘Oh, I dunno. Amputations?’

‘We can take on-line direction for treatment that’s out of our protocols if it’s a last resort.’

‘Yeah, but how much time does it take to find a doctor who can talk us through something like that? And what about, say, a thoracotomy?’

‘Cracking a chest in the field? Are you kidding? Just how likely do you think it would be for someone to survive that?’

‘They do it in ED.’

‘Almost never. And they generally have a cardiothoracic surgeon to do the procedure and a theatre to tidy up in afterwards.’ Tama knew he was being dismissive. Probably sounding more and more grumpy, but he didn’t like the idea of Mikki ending up better than him. To have something he’d worked for so damn hard handed to her on a plate—like everything else in her life.

‘Hey, I’m just saying.’ Josh shook his head, abandoning the conversation. ‘I reckon the mouse would be good to have around, that’s all. She’s really into the whole helicopter scene.’ He grinned at Tama. ‘She’s got the hand signals down pat, you have to admit that.’

‘Yeah.’

Tama turned his head to stare down at the ground. They were approaching the rugged, bush-covered hills that lay between the city and the coastline. Somewhere down there lay an injured tramper who was probably hypothermic by now because it had taken his friend a good few hours to walk out and call for help.

That’s what he should be thinking about. Not replaying the mental footage of Mikki standing in front of them, her face a mixture of satisfaction and an eagerness to impress, moving her body like some football team’s head cheerleader.

It wasn’t just the hand signals she’d mastered, though, was it?

She’d also learned the layout of the back of the helicopter by now and could find anything in the Thomas pack in no time flat. It had been fun testing her yesterday.

‘Find a large trauma dressing.

‘Where are the spare batteries?’

It could have been a game judging by the smile with which Mikki produced whatever she was asked to find.

‘Magill forceps.

‘Chest decompression kit.

‘Sharps container.’

She got fast enough to need more of a challenge.

‘A tourniquet, 16-gauge cannula, wipe, luer plug and tegaderm. Set up a running line of 0.9 per cent saline while I’m pretending to get the IV access.’

Not a peep came out of Mikki about why it might have been more appropriate for her to be the one putting a line in while Tama assisted by setting up fluids.

Unlike Josh, she’d never suggested it could be worthwhile accelerating her training because she could do more in the field than he was authorised to do.

In fact, not once since she’d set foot on their station had she pulled rank in any way. She hadn’t used her superior qualifications, any limitations that would have been perfectly reasonable given her gender, or any status associated with who her father happened to be.

He’d been expecting her to, he realised now. Ready to fight back. He wouldn’t have been at all surprised if the boss had called him in for a quiet word because Mikki had said something to her father and he wanted to make sure his daughter got everything she wanted.

Had she not said anything? How often did she talk to her father? Did she know that Tama knew who he was? His colleagues had agreed with him right from the start that Mikki was to be treated like any other trainee and it would be better not to even mention her family connections so maybe she didn’t realise they knew.

Were they both keeping that knowledge as a kind of ace up their sleeves? Would Mikki use hers first? Tama had to admit he was impressed that she hadn’t let anything slip. But, then, that admiration that had started so grudgingly had taken on a life of its own, hadn’t it?

Hell, even if this woman had resembled a potato in her physical appearance, Tama would have been impressed by now.

And she didn’t look anything like a potato.

She looked … amazing.

Tama sighed aloud. There it was, in a nutshell. He was attracted to her … big-time.

Josh had overheard the sigh. ‘Getting bored, mate? We’re almost there.’

‘Never bored,’ Tama’s smile at his friend was a kind of apology for his distraction. ‘Bring it on!’

OK. He was attracted to Mikki, but did it matter? He wasn’t going to act on it. The very idea was ludicrous. She was here to learn. From him. That put him in the position of being her superior. Her teacher. Ethically, he would be on dodgy ground if he let any kind of relationship interfere with that.

And he didn’t do relationships. Especially not with someone like Mikki. She was so not his type it was almost funny. Relationships meant you got close to someone, and if Mikki knew his background she’d look down on him. She wouldn’t be able to help herself. Just part of her social programming.

No. Tama liked where he was. He liked the respect—admiration, even—he could read in Mikki’s face. His past was his own so it was good that there was a very large barrier that would prevent him acting on his attraction. He didn’t need to think of getting that close.

Hey … nobody got that close so why the hell was he even thinking about it?

Because Mikki had got under his skin, that’s why. Far enough to make him miss her when she wasn’t around. There was no harm in appreciating the woman, though, was there? Playing a little?

Admitting the attraction was a release in a way. He knew what he was up against and he could handle it. From here on in, it was not going to distract him from the important things, like doing his job. This job, for instance. They were circling the area the GPS navigation system had identified. Any minute now and they would be into the rescue effort. Everything was good.

And if the next job meant that they had the mouse along to play, so be it. Tama could handle that, too.

The strident sound of the pagers came within minutes of the helicopter touching down but Tama appeared to be taking the details of the call with good humour. Mikki was watching him.

She’d watched the helicopter land and Tama and Josh climb out, laughing and talking as they’d made their way back inside. It had been so good to see them. Because she’d spent two hours studying and had had enough?

Yes, but that didn’t explain the way her heart tripped when she saw the now familiar shape of Tama heading her way. Her excitement wasn’t just about having stimulating company on station or the prospect of a new job that would include her in the action.

She had missed Tama’s presence. Missed the way he filled a room and gave even the air she breathed an extra dimension. He was larger than life, that was the problem. More so than any man she’d ever met. Some of that aura radiated and it was almost like the kind of adrenaline rush you got from facing a major challenge and succeeding.

It made her feel … bigger, somehow. Taller and braver and … special.

Tama wasn’t looking at her right now as he talked to the dispatcher and scribbled down the co-ordinates he was being given. His head was bent and Mikki indulged herself for a second longer, her eyes feasting on the way tiny curls spiralled against the soft-looking skin at the nape of his neck. A vulnerable spot on a man who seemed anything but vulnerable. It made Mikki want to touch it. To touch him. She dragged her gaze away as Tama turned to hand the scrap of paper with numbers on it to Josh, who moved towards the wall maps.

‘Roger,’ he said finally. ‘We’ll get airborne as soon as we’ve refuelled.’

‘Another job?’ The question was redundant. Stupid, in fact, but Mikki couldn’t help asking it. Knowing that Tama would look in her direction when he answered. Wanting him to notice her.

The smile was a bonus she hadn’t expected. ‘Tractor rollover,’ he told her. ‘Forty-two-year-old farmer.’

‘Is he trapped?’

‘No, and the ground was reasonably soft by the sound of things, but he’s got chest injuries and the local ambulance crew is concerned about his breathing.’

‘How far?’

Josh was using his finger to trace lines on one of the large wall maps. ‘Here. Fifteen- to twenty-minute flight, tops.’

‘And it’s not a winch job.’ Tama actually sounded quite cheerful about the fact. ‘You good to go, Mouse?’

‘Absolutely.’

Finally. The frustration of the last few days evaporated and Mikki was left with a sense that the enforced time on station had actually been a blessing in disguise. She was familiar with the gear and the protocols. Far more at ease with these men. Confident, even.

It felt so right to be keeping step with Tama despite having to take much longer strides to stay by his side. Perfectly normal to climb into her seat, fasten her safety straps—lap belt first and then shoulder straps—and then glance up to be rewarded with an approving nod. This time, she actually felt like part of the team and that impression only strengthened when they arrived at the scene.

‘This is John.’ The local ambulance officer introduced them to their patient. ‘He lost control of the tractor on that hill and it rolled. He was caught under it and then thrown clear when it rolled again.’

The tractor was lying on its side, half in a ditch, close to where the ambulance was parked.

‘Steering … wheel …’ John groaned. ‘Got … me …’

‘Don’t try and talk, mate.’ Tama had his hand on John’s wrist, both to assess his pulse and convey reassurance through touch. ‘We’re going to look after you and get you to hospital, OK?’

John gave a single nod and then closed his eyes.

‘I couldn’t get a line in.’ The ambulance officer sounded apologetic as he noticed Josh pulling supplies from the pack. ‘His blood pressure was well down by the time I arrived. He’s pretty flat.’

‘You single-crewed?’ Tama asked.

‘Yes.’ The ambulance officer was obviously relieved to have a crew with higher qualifications to take over. ‘His airway was clear when I got here and there were no obvious signs of any neck injury. Breathing seemed OK, too. He said it hurt but his oxygen saturation was ninety-eight per cent.’

‘Down to ninety-five now.’ Josh dropped a tourniquet beside John’s arm and handed a stethoscope to Mikki as though it was part of a practised team routine.

Mikki fitted the earpieces.

‘What’s his blood pressure now?’ she queried.

‘It’s been a few minutes since I took it. It was eighty-five over sixty.’

‘Narrow pulse pressure,’ Tama commented. ‘We’re just going to have a look at your chest, John.’

The farmer didn’t open his eyes. He seemed to be concentrating on drawing breath. Rapid, shallow breaths that looked laboured.

‘Flail chest,’ Mikki noted, as Tama pulled aside the woollen shirt and cut John’s singlet with a pair of shears he pulled from a pouch on his overalls.

She watched for a moment longer, assessing the section of rib cage that was being sucked in the opposite direction to the rest of his ribs. There were multiple fractures there and the list of potential damage that might accompany them was long.

‘Have a listen,’ Tama invited, moving to make room for Mikki to crouch closer to their patient. ‘I’m going to check his belly.’

The injured part of the chest was on the left side. Low enough to make an internal injury to the spleen a distinct possibility, along with bleeding that could well be contributing to low blood pressure.

Josh was attempting to gain IV access and Tama’s hands were palpating John’s abdomen but Mikki focussed on what she was hearing with her stethoscope. Or not hearing.

‘Breath sounds well down on the left side,’ she reported. ‘And heart sounds are muffled.’

‘I can’t find a vein,’ Josh said. ‘You want to try, Tama?’

‘In a sec.’ Tama was holding Mikki’s gaze. ‘What are you thinking?’

There was respect in that gaze. A willingness to let her make decisions about treating a man who was critically injured. Mikki didn’t want control, however. She wanted teamwork.

‘Narrow pulse pressure,’ she said, instead of offering a diagnosis. ‘Tachycardia. His jugular veins are distended, see?’

Tama glanced at the bulging veins in John’s neck and nodded curtly. ‘Tamponade?’

Mikki tapped the chest wall. ‘Could be a tension pneumothorax. Or a combination of both.’

‘Chest decompression or a pericardiocentesis?’

Mikki touched John’s neck. ‘No tracheal deviation.’ Her gaze travelled to a face partially covered by an oxygen mask. ‘He’s going blue. What’s the oxygen saturation now?’

‘Ninety per cent.’

‘John? Can you hear me?’ Mikki rubbed his collar-bone. ‘Can you open your eyes?’

There was no response.

The farmer was in shock and deteriorating fast. If air was entering the chest outside the lungs because of trauma to the ribs, it could be compressing his heart and lung and would be fatal if that air wasn’t removed. If he was bleeding around his heart as a result of the crush injury, that vital organ would cease to function and he would die very quickly.

‘What would you do first?’ she asked Tama.

‘Your call,’ he responded quietly. He wasn’t testing her. She could see that he was weighing up exactly the same considerations she was. If one procedure didn’t help, they would have to try another anyway. What was paramount was making a decision and getting on with it.

‘Pericardiocentesis,’ Mikki decided swiftly. ‘Followed by a chest decompression if it’s needed.’

‘You happy to do it?’

Mikki nodded. ‘I’d like a monitor on.’

There was a narrow space around the heart where blood could create enough pressure to stop it functioning. A space that was easy to miss with the point of a needle. Not going far enough would mean not removing the blood. Going too far would mean pushing a needle into cardiac tissue and potentially creating further complications.

Tama put the leads of the monitor on. Josh pulled out the kit she needed. Mikki put on a fresh pair on gloves and didn’t allow her thoughts to go anywhere near the idea of failure, even though this was technically a lot more difficult than an intubation.

‘Keep an eye on the trace, please,’ she asked Tama. ‘I’m going in slowly and I want to know if you see any changes in rhythm.’

Their patient was unconscious. He didn’t feel the needle entering his chest just under his breastbone. Mikki angled the needle at forty-five degrees, aiming for the left shoulder blade. She pulled back on the plunger as she kept advancing the needle.

‘Ectopic,’ Tama warned, his voice very close behind her. ‘Ventricular.’

Mikki slowed. She was close. She pulled back on the plunger as she kept advancing the needle, a millimetre at a time.

‘Bingo,’ she said softly, seconds later. It was easy to draw back the plunger now. The syringe filled with blood. ‘Twenty mils should be enough to make a difference if the tamponade’s the main culprit.’

They all watched for a minute to see John’s respiratory efforts improving and his blood pressure creeping up.

Another minute and he began to regain consciousness. Less than five minutes later they had intravenous access established, fluids running and their patient stable enough to transport. The short flight to the hospital was a busy time of reassessment, monitoring and further treatment and it wasn’t until well after the handover to emergency department staff that Mikki discovered how impressed her colleagues were.

‘He would’ve died if you hadn’t been there,’ Josh told her. ‘That was awesome, Mikki Mouse.’

‘It’s an effective procedure when it’s needed.’ Mikki tried to sound modest. ‘But it’s not that different to a chest decompression for pneumothorax. I’m surprised you don’t have it in your procedures.’

‘It’s coming in.’ Tama’s voice had a curiously rough edge as though the words were hard to get out. ‘I wouldn’t mind getting a head start on it, though.’

‘I’ll run through it with you on a manikin any time you like.’

‘Cool.’

Josh wanted to discuss the case as they flew back to base. To go over the signs and symptoms and talk more about the lifesaving procedure, but Tama was curiously quiet. Mikki caught him watching her with an oddly assessing gaze.

Had she passed muster this time, perhaps?

She got the impression she had and the sheer joy that gave her was startling enough to make her want to sit quietly and savour it. She let Josh continue talking and just made the right noises when needed. Even after they landed and climbed out of the helicopter, Josh was still talking.

‘Man, I’m starving,’ he announced. ‘Did we have lunch?’ He didn’t wait for Tama’s response. ‘So long ago it doesn’t count, anyway. I’m going to make a mountain of toast.’

He set off towards the messroom.

Steve was still busy shutting down the helicopter.

Mikki was suddenly alone in the hangar with Tama and, without looking, she knew he was staring at her.

She ducked her head. ‘I’m pretty hungry myself. I’ll go and help Josh with that toast.’

‘No.’ The single word stopped her in her tracks. ‘Wait a sec. I … want to talk to you.’

Mikki turned. That odd note was in his voice again. As though he was saying something he would rather not be saying but felt compelled to.

There was certainly something compelling about his gaze. Mikki couldn’t look away.

Tama looked as though he was seeing her for the first time.

She could see respect.

Acceptance.

And something more.

Something that made her toes curl and her blood tingle.

It was Tama who broke the eye contact. Slowly. Deliberately. He cleared his throat and stared fixedly above her head. Mikki didn’t follow his line of vision. She wanted to watch his face when he said whatever was important enough to make him look like this.

‘I know you’re keen,’ he said gruffly. ‘But I have to be seen to be careful about following the rules, you know?’

Keen? Mikki focussed on Tama’s face, her mind one step ahead of him.

Dear Lord, he’d noticed the way she’d been watching him. The attraction wasn’t mutual, as she’d thought, and he was about to tell her he couldn’t teach someone who fancied him.

‘But I’ve changed my mind,’ Tama continued. ‘If you really are that keen, we can … you know … do something about it. The boss doesn’t need to find out.’

The flush of colour entering Mikki’s cheeks got rapidly hotter. Was he offering her sex?

‘How ‘bout it?’ Tama finally looked down and caught her transfixed gaze.

‘Ah …’ Mikki couldn’t think of a thing to say. Talk about direct! ‘Yes, please’ might be equally direct and honest, but it lacked a certain something.

Tama lowered his voice to a sexy rumble. ‘You want to, don’t you?’

Oh … help! There was no denying that. And Tama was doing that thing with his lips again. That quirky half-smile that went with the twinkle Mikki was coming to recognise. Pure mischief. She sucked in a breath.

‘I guess I could …’

Her hesitation was all too plain.

‘I know it’s more than a bit out of order. Way too soon and all that, but you know what?’ The twinkle gained intensity. ‘I reckon you’ll do OK.’

Mikki’s jaw dropped. ‘Oh …’ Maybe she hadn’t measured up as well as she’d imagined.

Her reaction didn’t seem to be what Tama had expected. He frowned. ‘So … you want to start now?’

‘Now?’ Mikki squeaked. ‘Here?’

‘Where else?’ Tama was looking over her head again. ‘It’s the only place I know of that’s got a winch simulator.’

CHAPTER SIX

‘WINCH training? Already?’

‘I’d barely started before we had our days off. I should be able to get into it properly this week. I’m lucky, Dad. Usually you have to wait months to get this sort of training.’

Mikki heard a deep sigh that travelled remarkably well, considering her father was currently on the other side of the world.

‘I’m perfectly safe, Dad,’ she said patiently. ‘So far all I’ve been allowed to do is learn safety stuff and terminology and how to wear the harness and hook carabiners on and off things. My feet haven’t left the ground and when they do, it’ll only be in the hangar.’

‘At the rate you’re going, you’ll be dangling out of a helicopter on a bit of string in no time.’

Mikki laughed. ‘It’s a wire capable of holding a ton of weight, as you well know. I’ll bet you’ve done more research than I have about what’s involved with helicopter crew training.’

Her father chuckled. ‘Knowledge is power, you know. I believe you’ve got bush and snow terrain survival training coming up as well. Do you know when?’

‘No idea. I would imagine they wait for a group of trainees before that kind of operation. I’ll have to ask Tama.’

‘Tama,’ her father repeated thoughtfully. ‘Hmm …’