Love Islands: Summer Kisses

Nathan landed beside her with a thud, dropping to his knees and gently touching her arms. ‘Rachel? Are you okay?’ He couldn’t stop the concern lacing his voice.

Her arms were trembling and she lifted her head slowly, licking her dry lips. Her eyes flicked from side to side. ‘It’s done?’

The wave of relief in her eyes was obvious. He had to hold back. He had to really hold back. It would be so easy just to wrap his arms around her and give her a quick hug of comfort and reassurance. But this was Rachel. This was Rachel.

He’d already experienced the briefest contact with her skin and he’d no intention of doing it again. No matter how relieved he was to see she was okay.

His black bag thumped down next to him again—the black bag he should have been carrying in his hand. Something shot through him. His first thought should have been for the patient but it hadn’t been. His first thought had been Rachel.

She was still looking at him. Staring at him with those big brown eyes. As if she were still in shock after what had just happened.

He had to focus. One of them had to do their job.

He grabbed the stethoscope from her hands and bent over to sound Jack’s chest. Now that the barrels were out of the way he could get access quite easily. It only took a few minutes to hear the air entry in each lung. He pulled a pen torch from his back pocket and checked both of Jack’s pupils. Both reacted, although one was slightly sluggish. He grimaced. ‘We really need to get some neuro obs started on this guy.’

His voice seemed to snap Rachel to attention. She jumped to her feet and held out her hands towards the crew members who were handing a stretcher towards them. It only took a few seconds to load Jack onto the stretcher, with plenty of willing hands to help them carry him back to the medical centre.

If this accident had happened in the city Nathan would have a full A & E department at his disposal, with a whole host of other doctors. Here, on this island there was only him and Rachel. She’d always been a good, competent doctor. He hoped that nothing had changed.

He didn’t even glance behind the stretcher as he walked alongside the patient. His brain was spinning furiously, trying to remember where all the emergency equipment was in the medical centre.

Medical centre. It could barely even be called that. It had the basics, but was better designed for general consultations than emergency medicine. He’d expected to treat a few bites and stomach aches. Not a full scale head injury.

The crew members carried Jack inside and helped Nathan slide him across onto one of the trolleys. He did the basics and hooked Jack up to the cardiac monitor and BP cuff; at least they had one of those.

Rachel seemed to have gathered herself and was pulling Jack’s notes from the filing cabinet. ‘No significant medical history,’ she shouted as Nathan pulled an oxygen mask over Jack’s face and quickly inserted an IV cannula.

‘Do we have any Glasgow Coma Scales?’ It was unlikely. The Glasgow Coma Scale was used the world over to monitor unconscious patients. Rachel pulled open a few admin drawers and shook her head, passing him a recording sheet for pulse and BP, then taking a blank sheet of paper and making some quick scribbles.

She walked over and handed it to him as she slid the pen torch from his back pocket as though she did it every day, lifting Jack’s eyelids and checking his pupils.

Nathan glanced at the paper. It was Rachel’s attempt at an impromptu Glasgow Coma Scale. It had captured the basics—eye response, verbal response and motor response. Both of their heads snapped up as the monitor started alarming.

He ran his fingers down Jack’s obviously broken arm. The colour of his fingertips was changing. They were beginning to look a little dusky, meaning that the blood supply was compromised. He swapped the oxygen saturation probe over to the other hand and watched as it came back up to ninety-eight per cent.

He looked up and his gaze meshed with Rachel’s. He didn’t even need to speak; she could see the same things he could.

‘Nathan, do you have keys to the medicine fridge?’ He nodded and tossed them in her direction. For a doctor who didn’t routinely work in emergency medicine, she’d certainly remembered the basics. He finished his assessment of Jack, recording all the responses while she drew up some basic pain medication.

Even though Jack wasn’t awake they were going to have to straighten and splint his broken arm to try and re-establish the blood supply. No doctor could assume an unconscious patient couldn’t feel pain. It didn’t matter that Jack hadn’t responded to the painful stimuli that Nathan had tried as part of the assessment. His breathing wasn’t compromised so they had to administer some general pain relief before they started.

His arm fracture was obvious, with the bones displaced. Thankfully, they hadn’t broken the skin so the risk of infection would be small.

Rachel spun the ampoule she’d just drawn into the syringe around towards Nathan so he could double-check the medicine and the dose. He gave a little nod of his head while she administered it.

He couldn’t help but give a little smile as she positioned herself at Jack’s shoulder. ‘Do you remember how to do this?’

She shook her head. ‘Of course not. Why do you think I’m in the anchor position? The responsibility for the displaced bones and blood supply is yours.’

Of course she was right. It would have been years since she’d been involved in repositioning bones. He’d done it three times in the last month.

It only took a few minutes to reposition the bones and put a splint underneath the arm. The most promising thing was the grunt that came from Jack.

‘Can you patch that head wound?’ he asked. ‘I’m going to arrange to medevac Jack back to the mainland.’

Rachel opened the nearest cupboard and found some antiseptic to clean the wound, some paper stitches and a non-adhesive dressing. She worked quickly while he made the call. She waited until he replaced the receiver and gave him a nervous smile. ‘I haven’t sutured in a while so I’ve left it for the professionals.’

He nodded. It was good she wasn’t trying to do things she wasn’t confident with. She’d just been thrown in at the deep end and coped better than he’d expected. If the shoe was on the other foot and he’d found himself in the middle of a medical unit, how well would he do?

He might be able to diagnose and treat chest infections, some basic cardiac conditions and diagnose a new diabetic but would he really know how to treat any blood disorders or oncology conditions off the top of his head? Absolutely not.

Nathan picked up the phone and dialled through to the emergency number. Thank goodness he’d checked all these yesterday when he arrived. It didn’t matter that Lewis had told him nothing would happen. Working for Doctors Without Borders had taught him to be prepared.

The call was answered straight away and arrangements made for the dispatch of the medevac. ‘It’s coming from Proserpine Airport. We’re in luck; they were already there.’

Her sigh of relief was audible and he joined her back at the trolley. Jack still hadn’t regained consciousness. Nathan took a few more minutes to redo the neuro obs and stimuli.

‘Do you know where the medevac will land?’

He gave a nod of his head. ‘Can you go outside and find Ron? We’ll need some help transporting Jack down to the beach. They’ve probably cleared the landing spot already.’

She disappeared quickly and he sucked in a breath. This was a whole new experience for him. They’d trained together at university and spent their first year working as junior doctors in the same general hospital. But they’d never actually done a shift together. She’d done her six months medical rotation first while he’d done his surgical placement. They’d swapped over six months later.

He’d already known he wanted to specialise in surgery at that point, whereas Rachel had expressed a preference for medicine. They’d applied to the same hospital in Melbourne and been accepted to work there. But he’d been unable to take up his job and had a frantic scramble to find another in England. He’d always assumed that Rachel had just carried on without him. Now he wasn’t so sure.

Ron’s sweaty face appeared at the door. He’d really need to check him over at some point. ‘‘Copter should be here in a few minutes. Once it’s down, there are four guys outside to help you carry the stretcher.’ His brow creased as he glanced at Jack. ‘How is he?’

Nathan gave a little nod. ‘We’ve patched him up as best we could but he’s still unconscious. Hopefully, he’ll wake up soon.’

Ron disappeared and ten minutes later the thwump-thwump of the helicopter could be heard overhead. A wave of familiarity swept over him. For a few seconds he was back in the sand, war all around, his stomach twisting at the thought of what throwing back the medevac door would reveal. But then Rachel rushed back in and the moment vanished. He finished another blood pressure reading and pupil check, then disconnected the monitor.

He pulled the blanket over Jack’s face to protect him from the downdraught and any flying sand but it actually wasn’t quite as bad as he’d expected. Helicopters didn’t faze him at all. He’d spent the best part of five years travelling in them and pulling patients from them. But Rachel looked terrified.

She ducked as they approached the helicopter even though the spinning blades were high above her head. Several of the crew members did the same. The paramedic flung open the door and jumped down.

The handover only took a few seconds. ‘Jack Baker, twenty-four. A few tons of sand-filled barrels landed on him. Suspected broken ulna and radius, blood supply looked compromised so it’s been realigned. Unconscious since the accident. GCS six with recent response to pain. His right pupil has been sluggish. No problems with airway. Breath sounds equal and abdomen soft.’ He handed over the charts he’d made, along with a prescription chart and Jack’s notes. ‘He’s had five of diamorphine.’

The paramedic nodded as he anchored the stretcher inside and started connecting Jack to his equipment. His eyes met Nathan’s. ‘Our control centre will give you a call and keep you updated.’

Nathan pulled the door closed and backed off towards the trees next to the beach. The water rippled as the blades quickened and the helicopter lifted off. After a few minutes the members of the crew started to disperse, mumbling under their breath as they headed back towards the accident site. It would take hours to clean up. It would take even longer to write the report for the insurers.

Nathan started to roll up his khaki shirtsleeves. Report writing could wait. He’d rather be involved in the clean-up and get a better idea of the general set-up. Health and Safety might not be his direct responsibility but, as one of the doctors on the island, he didn’t want to have to deal with something like that again.

Something caught his eye in the foliage next to the beach—a little flash of pink. It wasn’t the tropical flowers that he’d spotted earlier; they’d been yellow, orange and red. This wasn’t fauna. This was man-made.

Rachel was sitting on the edge of the beach, just as it merged with the dark green foliage. Her pink cotton T-shirt stood out. She hadn’t even noticed him, her knees pulled up to her chest and her eyes fixed on the sky above.

He bit his lip. He couldn’t leave her there like that. She wasn’t used to trauma. She wasn’t used to accidents. This was totally out of left field for her.

Part of him wanted to walk in the other direction. The Nathan of eight years ago wanted to leave her sitting there alone. But the Doctors Without Borders medic wouldn’t let him. In his five years he’d never once left a colleague alone after a traumatic incident. He wasn’t about to start now.

His legs moved before his brain started to function. They were on automatic pilot. He didn’t even think. He just plopped down on the sand next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.

‘Okay?’

She didn’t speak, but she didn’t pull away either—not like earlier. Her breathing was shaky and her shoulders gave the slightest quiver beneath his arm. He moved closer, pulling her to him and speaking quietly. ‘You did good, Rach. Emergency medicine doesn’t come easily to some folks. You acted as though it was second nature.’

‘I just acted on instinct.’ Her voice wavered.

‘Did that include when you dived amongst those barrels that could have pounded you to pieces?’ He still couldn’t believe she’d done that. He still couldn’t believe he hadn’t been quick enough to stop her.

Her head sagged onto his shoulder. She stared out at the sea. ‘I don’t know why I did that.’

He smiled. ‘Probably because you’re headstrong, stubborn and don’t listen to anyone around you.’

She gave a little laugh. ‘I guess some things don’t change at all.’

He felt himself tense a little. Part of him didn’t want to offer comfort to her. Part of him didn’t want to reassure and support her. He could feel his body reacting to hers. The familiarity of her underneath his arm, leaning against him as if they still fitted together—even after all this time.

His breath was caught somewhere in his throat. He wanted to tell her that everything changed. Things changed in the blink of an eye and the world you thought you had just slipped through your fingers.

But he couldn’t let the words out.

He’d been down this road himself—acting on instinct in places where it could get you into trouble. But he’d been lucky. He’d always been surrounded by supportive colleagues. Doctors Without Borders was like that.

He didn’t even want to touch on his natural instinct to the car backfiring in Melbourne that ended with him crouched in a ball on the street. Working in war zones did that to you. And it was hard to shake it off.

And, because of that, he took a deep breath and stayed where he was. Sometimes—even for a few minutes—a colleague just needed some support. He’d had colleagues who’d supported him. Now, it was his job to return the favour. No matter what else was going on in his head.

Right now it was just them. Just the two of them for the first time in eight years, sitting together on a beach.

He pushed everything else away. Three weeks on an island with Rachel?

There would be plenty of time for repercussions. But, for now, he would just wait.

CHAPTER FIVE

THE SHOWER WAS distinctly dodgy, spouting an uneven trickle of water. With thick hair like Rachel’s, rinsing the shampoo out was a challenge. She pulled on a plain pink button-down shirt and another pair of khaki shorts and her hiking boots again. The smell of breakfast was wafting around. Ron had been right; the catering cabin was definitely the most popular place on the island.

Part of her felt bad for the celebrities who had spent their first night in camp, half of them lying on the equivalent of yoga mats on the jungle floor. If it had been her she would have stuck her head in the sleeping bag, pulled the tie at the top and not come out again until morning. But, then again, she wasn’t here to entertain the audience.

Last night in the cabin had been hard enough. Knowing that across the simple sitting area and through the thin walls Nathan was lying in another bed made her skin tingle.

She’d spent years trying not to think about Nathan. Guilt always ensued when she thought about him. For the first year she’d had to concentrate on her own treatment and recovery. The support from Darius had actually helped; he’d been a welcome distraction. He liked to be the centre of attention in his own little world—even if he was keeping it secret. Sometimes it had felt as if Rachel was his only confidante and that could be a bit overwhelming—especially when she had her own recovery to consider.

Last night had been pretty sleepless. She tried to rationalise. She was on the Whitsundays—beautiful islands in the Coral Sea with a whole host of wildlife around her. The nightlife sounds were always going to be a little different. But that wasn’t what had kept her awake.

If she closed her eyes really tightly she could almost imagine that she could hear Nathan breathing in the other room. It brought back a whole host of memories she just wasn’t ready for. Her hand on his skin, watching the rise and fall of his chest and feeling the murmur of his heart beneath her palm. The soft noises he made while he slept. The fact that in their five years together, he’d never ever turned his back when they’d slept together. His arms had always been around her.

The feelings of comfort and security swept over her—things she’d missed beyond measure these last few years. And that didn’t even begin to touch on the passion. The warmth. The love.

Getting up and heading for the shower to try and scrub off the feeling of his arm around her shoulders had been all she could do. Nothing could change what had happened between them. Nothing could change the look in his eyes when he’d first seen her.

She’d felt the buzz yesterday. She’d heard the concern in his voice when she dived in amongst those barrels. She still wasn’t quite sure why she’d done that. It seemed like a good idea at the time—she was the only person small enough to get through the gap and to the patient.

But once she’d been in there she was scared. Hearing Nathan’s voice was not only reassuring but it also bathed her in comfort, knowing that he was concerned about her. She shouldn’t read anything into it. She shouldn’t. She knew him. Or at least she used to know him. Nathan would have been concerned for any colleague.

Had five years working for Doctors Without Borders changed him? Had her walking away from him changed him? She hoped not. She hoped his good heart was still there. Even if he only showed it to her in a moment of crisis.

She followed the smell of eggs and bacon. Most of the crew were already eating at the variety of tables. Nathan was in the corner, having a heated discussion with one of the directors.

Rachel filled her plate with toast, bacon, eggs and coffee, then walked over, putting her tray on the table. ‘Anything I should know about, guys?’

The angry words instantly dissipated as both sets of eyes looked at her in surprise. The hidden similarities between a television crew and a hospital was amazing. Rachel had spent too many years working amongst people with big egos to be thrown by anything she came across.

‘Is this a medical matter or a technical matter?’ she asked as she sat down and spread butter on her toast.

Nathan blinked. He still seemed surprised at her frankness. ‘It’s a mixture of both. Bill just presented me with a revised list of the challenges. I think some of the changes could impact on the health and safety of the contestants. He’s telling me that’s not our concern.’

‘Really?’ Rachel raised her eyebrows and bit into her toast. She chewed for a few seconds while she regarded Bill carefully. On this island, he obviously thought his word was law. To the rest of the production crew it probably was. But he hadn’t met Rachel or Nathan before. No matter how at odds they were with each other, he was about to find out just how formidable they could be as a combined force.

She gave Bill her best stare. ‘So, just out of interest, what would the insurance company say if both your doctors bailed?’

A slow smile started to spread over Nathan’s face. He knew exactly what she was doing.

‘What do you mean?’ snapped Bill.

She shrugged and started cutting up her bacon and eggs. ‘I’m just asking a question, Bill. I’m pretty sure you can’t have this production without your medical team in place. After yesterday, I think you’ll find Nathan and I aren’t prepared to negotiate on anything.’ She popped a piece of bacon in her mouth. ‘You either listen to us or you don’t.’

She was so matter-of-fact about it. Probably because she wasn’t prepared to negotiate. Employees, including herself, had been put at risk yesterday. They’d already identified a few celebrities who couldn’t take part in certain challenges. She didn’t even know the schedule for today. But, no matter how many years had passed, if Nathan knew enough to get angry about it, that was good enough for her.

Bill stood up abruptly, knocking the table and sloshing some of her coffee over the side of the cup. ‘Fine. I’ll change it back to the original plan.’

Nathan watched Bill as he stormed across the large cabin and slammed the door behind him. None of the crew even batted an eyelid. This obviously wasn’t news to them.

Rachel mopped up her coffee with a napkin. Now it was just the two of them her earlier bravado was vanishing. She was thinking about his arm on her shoulders last night and the way he’d just sat and held her until she’d composed herself. When she’d finally taken a deep breath and felt calm, he’d just given a little nod and stood up and strolled off into the sunset.

She’d no idea where he’d gone. But it had given her a chance to go back to the shared cabin, have a quick wash and change and hide in her room. She’d lain there for hours until she’d eventually heard the click of the door.

But she was a fool. He hadn’t come to speak to her. And she should be grateful. Her initial reaction to him earlier had been pure and utter shock. She’d more or less said she couldn’t work with him, which wasn’t true. He’d just been the last person she’d expected to see.

Nathan’s breakfast plate was empty, as was his coffee cup, and he picked them up. ‘I’ve heard that filming last night varied from boring to very boring. I think they were trying to spice things up today at one of the challenges and I’m not sure I trust Bill not to still try. Are you happy to come along to the filming?’

She nodded as she glanced at the now congealed egg on her plate. Her appetite had definitely left her.

He stood up. ‘I’ve also put up a notice saying we’ll have a surgery every morning for an hour for the crew. Anyone with any difficulties. I take it you don’t have a problem with that?’

She gulped. She was an experienced medical physician. Why did the thought of general practice fill her with fear? ‘That should be fine.’ No way did she want to express any concerns around Nathan. He’d already seen her wobble last night. That was already once too many.

‘Good,’ he said. ‘We start in ten minutes.’

He walked out ahead of her as she scrambled to pick up her tray and she felt a flash of annoyance. Ratbag. This was something they actually should have sat down and discussed together. He wasn’t senior to her. They were both here as doctors. She could almost bet if she were any other person he would have discussed this with her first.

A few of the crew were waiting when she arrived. Thankfully, there was nothing too difficult to diagnose. A few chesty crackles, another inhaler for someone and an emergency supply of blood pressure tablets for someone who’d misplaced their own.

An hour later, Ron arrived in a Jeep to pick up her and Nathan and take them to the first challenge on the other side of the island.

‘Challenge has been changed,’ were Ron’s first words.

‘What a surprise,’ said Nathan. ‘What to?’

‘The underground scramble.’ Ron kept driving while Rachel exchanged a glance with Nathan. The underground scramble was not a challenge she’d want to do. She searched her brain. Several of the celebrities suffered from claustrophobia and would have to be exempt from scrambling through the dark underground tunnels filled with a variety of creatures.

‘What about Diamond?’ she asked. ‘I think there’s too big a risk of infection.’

‘I agree. I’ll tell the producer she’s ineligible.’

‘Shouldn’t that have been decided before the public voted?’

Ron looked over his shoulder. ‘Don’t worry about it. Vote’s already decided that Darius will be doing the challenge. Diamond’s safe.’

Nathan’s eyes fixed hard on her as her stomach flipped over. A man who’d just undergone a bout of chemotherapy shouldn’t be dragging himself through dirty, water-filled tunnels with a variety of biting creatures and insects. But she already knew what he’d say.