Outback Surgeon Read online

  'That would be the Dwyers' place.' Abbey slid off the tall stool and rinsed her mug at the sink.

  He turned to her with a grin. 'They wouldn't have mistaken me for a wallaby and taken a shot at me, would they?'

  Abbey made a click of exasperation. 'The farmers don't go round shooting randomly at anything that moves! Besides, you're way too tall for a wallaby,' she reproved, and he grinned, propping himself against the counter and crossing his ankles.

  'Do you run every day?' she asked.

  'When I can. And when I can't manage it, I use the air walker at home.' He raised his glass and swallowed the rest of his juice. 'I work long hours in Theatre. I need to be fitter than most.'

  Abbey blinked. She'd never thought of it quite like that, but she guessed he was right. He certainly would need excellent physical stamina to stay alert and on top of his very demanding speciality. 'There's a sports track at the showgrounds,' she told him. 'I believe the early-morning joggers use that. I'll show you where it is later, if you like.'

  'Thanks, but I think I'll stick to the paddocks. I like the sense of freedom running alone gives me.'

  In a nervous gesture Abbey ran her hands down the sides of her tailored trousers. She couldn't help thinking Nick Tonnelli was one dangerous, potent mix and with no surgical list to keep him occupied for the next month, all that latent masculinity and coiled physical energy was going to need an outlet.

  Just the thought that it all could be directed at her made her say, jerkily, 'Um, if you want breakfast, there's muesli in the pantry. And low-fat milk in the fridge.'

  'I can't stand that stuff!' He shot her a rueful grin. 'Better add whole milk to the shopping list, hmm?'

  Abbey gave him a pained look. 'I take it wholemeal bread is acceptable?'

  'Very.'

  'And canola spread? Or do you indulge in lashings of butter for your toast?'

  He tapped her on the end of her nose with the tip of one finger. 'Canola's fine. Are you going across to the surgery now?'

  'Shortly.'

  'Like me to do a hospital round, then?'

  Her mouth kicked up in a smile. 'Dressed like that? Hardly, Doctor. Even in Wingara, we like to observe some semblance of respectability for visiting medical officers.' With a quick twist of her slim body, she dodged the teatowel he threw at her.

  Giving release to a wry chuckle, Nick turned to the sink to rinse his glass and then put the jug of juice in the fridge. 'I'll shower and make myself respectable first. That do?'

  'Nicely. And when you've finished your hospital round, you may like to come over to the surgery. I'm sure Meri will be more than happy to clue you in about our style of paperwork and anything else you'll need to know about how the place runs. And don't forget I'll need your help with the grocery shopping this afternoon.'

  'So bossy,' he grumbled, turning to refill the kettle at the sink, but Abbey could see the smile hovering around the corners of his mouth.

  'I like to be organised,' she defended herself lightly, quite unable to stop her own smile. And five minutes later, as she made her way out to the carport, she was conscious of an absurd sense of light- heartedness.

  Flipping open the door of her four-wheel-drive and settling in behind the wheel, she was suddenly overwhelmed with a rush of feeling. Oh, heck! Leaving aside the undoubted physical attraction Nick's body presented, was it just possible she was beginning to actually like the man?

  * * *

  Abbey's last consultation was over by eleven o'clock and Nick had joined her in the staff kitchen for a coffee-break.

  'Do you normally finish about this time?' He took another slice of the apple cake he'd bought from the local bakery. 'This isn't half-bad.' He grinned, tucking in unabashedly.

  'The way your eyes lit up when Meri mentioned chocolate biscuits and now this.' She pointed to the crumbly mess on his plate. 'I'm beginning to wonder if you've a shocking sweet tooth,' Abbey said laughingly.

  'No worries, Doc.' Nick sprawled back in his chair, looking smug. 'This baby will run it off easily. Now, what about your Saturday surgery?'

  Abbey became serious. 'I usually start at eight earlier if it's necessary. Some of the rural workers have special needs, like a limited timeframe when they get into town. So I do my best to accommodate them. But normally I'm through by noon.' She twitched a wry smile. 'Meri books only what's essential, otherwise I'd never be out of the place.' She tilted her head in query. 'So, what about your morning, then? How was your ward round?'

  'Different.' They exchanged smiles of understanding. 'Rhys was on duty so I made his acquaintance, and Brent's parents turned up early so I had a word with them as well.'

  'And Brent seemed eager to go home?'

  'Oh, yes.' Nick grinned. 'Quite an air of self- importance about him.'

  'Mainly thanks to you,' Abbey said softly.

  'Abbey, don't labour this. We're...' The rest of Nick's words were lost when Meri popped her head in the door.

  'We have an emergency, folks.' She darted a quick worried look from one to the other. 'Rhys Macklin's on the line. They've had a call from a mobile at Jumbuck Ridge. One of a party of climbers is in strife.'

  'I'll speak,' Abbey said briskly. 'Could you put the call through to my room, please, Meri?'

  Nick shot her a sharp look, as they simultaneously sprang to their feet. 'How far is it to this place?'

  'About twenty K's out.' Abbey pushed open the door of her consulting room, sensing his presence close behind. 'But we've no ambulance available today. We've only the one and it left this morning to transport a patient to Hopeton for kidney dialysis.'

  'So we're it?'

  'Looks like it.' Abbey picked up the phone.

  Arms folded, Nick took up his stance against the window-ledge, listening with scarcely concealed impatience as Abbey fired questions into the mouthpiece. He could hardly comprehend the implications of having no ambulance available.

  But surely to heaven they had an alternative procedure they followed in emergencies like this—or was it in the end all down to Abbey? He shook his head, the realisation of the terrifying uncertainties she probably faced on a regular basis shocking his equilibrium like the chill of an icy-cold shower on a winter's morning.

  'Fine. Thanks, Rhys.' Abbey replaced the receiver and snapped her gaze to Nick. 'Right, we have a clearer picture now. Apparently, it's an abseiling group from the high school—seven students, one PE teacher, one parent.'

  'And?' Instinctively, Nick had moved closer.

  'The last one of the student team to descend pushed out too far. He came back in at an angle instead of front-on to the cliff and appears to have come up against some kind of projecting rock and knocked himself out. Fortunately, his locking device has activated and that's saved him from further injury.'

  Nick's breath hissed through his teeth. 'So, we can assume he's still unconscious.'

  'Would seem so.'

  'Then we'd better get cracking.'

  'We'll take my vehicle.' Abbey began locking drawers and cabinets. 'And we'll need to stop off at home and change into tracksuits and some non-slip footwear and then swing by the hospital. Rhys will have a trauma kit ready for us.'

  'I've been on to Geoff Rogers.' Meri was just putting the phone down as they sped through Reception. 'The police sergeant,' she elaborated for Nick's benefit. 'He'll do his best to round up an SES crew. But it's Saturday—the guys could be anywhere.' She bit her lip. 'Want me to stay here at the surgery in case... ?' Meri drew to a halt and shrugged helplessly.

  'Lock up and go home, Meri.' Abbey was firm. 'There's nothing further you can do here. We'll coordinate everything through the hospital.'

  Meri nodded. 'OK. Mind how you both go.'

  'So, apart from the injured student, do we know what kind of scenario we're facing when we get to this Jumbuck Ridge?' Nick asked. They'd left the town proper behind and were now travelling as fast as Abbey dared on the strip of country road.

  'The rest of the youngsters plus the parent h
ave already made their descent and are at the base of the cliff. The teacher, Andrew Parrish, is at the top. But he's more or less helpless until help arrives.'

  'In the form of you and me.' Nick scraped a hand around his jaw, considering their options.

  'Yes.' Abbey's eyes clouded with faint uncertainty. 'Can you abseil?'

  'I've done a bit. But not for a while,' he qualified. 'You can, I take it?'

  'Steve urged me to get the gist of it when I'd signed the contract to come out here. I learned the basics at one of those artificial walls at the gym first and then Andrew kindly gave me a few practical lessons after I'd taken up residence.' She sent him a tight little smile. 'I didn't want to appear like a wimp and have to stand on the sidelines every time something like this happened.'

  'As if abseiling would come under your job description,' Nick growled, his eyes on the brush of flowering red and yellow lantana that flanked the roadside. 'And how many times have you had to throw yourself into your work like this?' he asked pithily, clamping down on his fear-driven thoughts for her safety.

  'A few, but it doesn't get any easier.' Abbey gunned the motor to take a steep incline. 'This is the first time we've been without an ambulance, though.'

  'Then let's hope the State Emergency lads will get there before too long. I take it they'll make their way to the base of the cliff and wait for us?'

  'Yes.' Abbey felt the nerves of her stomach screw down tight at the thought of the logistics involved in the retrieval of the injured youth, let alone without the back-up of an ambulance at the end of it. 'It's a pretty rough track but they have a kind of troop- carrier vehicle. And they'll be able to improvise so we'll end up with an ambulance of sorts.'

  They were quiet then, each occupied with their own very different thoughts.

  Physical education teacher Andrew Parrish was waiting for them at the clifftop. 'This is a real stuff-up,' he said grimly, after Abbey had skimmed over the introductions.

  'So, do we have a name and how far down is the boy?' Nick demanded, already beginning some warm- up arm and shoulder stretches for the physical demands of the descent ahead.

  'The lad's name is Grant Halligan,' Andrew said. 'Aged sixteen. By my estimation, he's about twenty metres down.' He looked at Nick as if sizing up his capabilities. 'Uh...I don't know how savvy you are with any of this, Doc...'

  'I've abseiled enough to know what I'm doing.'

  'OK, then.' Andrew looked at him keenly. 'Grant obviously needs medical attention so one of you will have to drop down to him—'

  'We'll both go,' Abbey cut in, her raised chin warning Nick not to argue.

  'I'll organise a harness for each of you, then.' The teacher looked relieved to be getting on with things. 'Doc, you're obviously physically stronger than Abbey so, as well as your normal sit-harness, I'd like you to wear the special retrieval harness.'

  Nick's dark brows flexed in query.

  'It's a full-body harness.' Andrew pointed out the sturdy shoulder straps and leg loops. 'If Grant's out of it, and it looks as though he is, you're going to have to attach his harness to yours to get him down safely.'

  Abbey bit her lip. 'That doesn't sound like it's going to be terribly easy, Andrew.'

  'We'll cope,' Nick snapped. 'Now, could we move it, please?'

  Silently and quickly, they climbed into the borrowed abseiling gear. Automatically tightening the waist belt above his hips, Nick felt the unmistakable dip in his stomach. Suddenly the smooth order of his operating room seemed light years away. And much, much safer.

  'Now take these clip-gates,' Andrew instructed, handing Nick the metal locking devices. 'They're the best and easiest to operate in case you happen to have only one hand free. And when you've secured Grant to your harness, you can cut his line away.'

  'With this?' Nick looked dubiously at the instrument Andrew pressed into his hand, no more than a small piece of sheathed metal.

  'Don't worry. It's sharp enough to skin a rabbit,' Andrew said knowledgeably. 'So watch how you handle it.'

  Nick grunted and slid the knife into an accessible pocket.

  'Abbey, you set?' Andrew touched her shoulder.

  'Yes.' She swallowed the dryness in her throat, checking the trauma kit's bulk which she'd anchored at the rear just below her bottom. 'If we're ready, then?' Her eyes met Nick's and clung.

  'Ready.'

  'Don't forget, now, Nick, you'll have Grant's extra weight on your line.' Andrew issued last-minute urgent instructions. 'So be aware of the sudden impact when you cut the line away. But I'll have you firmly anchored and it'll be fairly smooth sailing from where he's stuck right down to the base. Just steady as she goes, OK?'

  'Fine.' Nick's teeth were clamped. Adrenalin was pumping out of him and already the tacky feel of sweat was annoyingly obvious down the ridge of his backbone.

  Minute by minute his respect for Abbey's dedication to her responsibilities as a doctor in this isolated place had grown.

  Along with his fears for her.

  How the hell did she cope, living with this insidious kind of pressure? How? She was one gutsy lady—that went without saying. But surely enough was enough!

  Whatever means he had to use and however he had to use them, he resolved he'd take her away from it all.

  And sooner rather than later.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Bouncing down the granite face of the cliff, Nick felt his skill returning. Cautiously, he cast a look downwards, just able to glimpse their patient in his bright yellow sweatshirt. 'We're nearly, there,' he called to Abbey, who was slightly above him and to his left. 'Slacken off.'

  'I hear you.' Abbey paid out her rope little by little, moving on down the rockface until she was alongside him.

  'Right—this'll do us.' Nick signalled and together they swung in as closely as they could to the boy. 'And the gods are surely with us...' Nick's voice lightened as they landed on a ledge of rock and he began testing its viability. Finally, he managed to position his feet so that he was more or less evenly balanced. 'This should hold both of us, Abbey. Close up now.'

  'I'm with you...' She edged in beside him.

  Nick's gaze swung to her. She looked pale. A swell of protectiveness surged into his gut. 'You OK?'

  'Piece of cake.' Her brittle laugh jagged eerily into the stillness.

  Grant Halligan was hanging in space, quite still. But the top part of his inert body had drooped so far forward he was almost bent double into a U-shape.

  Nick swore under his breath. 'Another couple of centimetres of gravity and he'd have turned completely upside down. OK, Abbey, let's reel him in.'

  'Can you reach him from there?'

  'Just about...'

  With sickening dread, she watched as Nick edged perilously along the ledge, making the most of his long reach to grip the boy's waist harness and guide him in close to the cliff face. Lord, were they already too late?

  Grant's colour was glassily blue. If they didn't act fast, he would be in danger of going into full cardiac arrest. And how they would begin to deal with that, suspended as they were on the side of a cliff, was something Abbey didn't want to contemplate.

  Gingerly she positioned herself to receive Grant's torso and support his head. 'Right, I've got him!' Immediately she began to equalise the position of his head and neck, which would automatically clear his airway. 'How's his pulse?'

  Nick's forehead creased in a frown. 'It's there but it's faint. And no breath sounds. Damn.' He dragged in .a huge breath and in one swift movement bent to deliver five quick mouth-to-mouth breaths into their patient.

  'Bingo...' Abbey let her own breath go in relief as the boy began to splutter and then cough.

  'Best sound in the world.' Nick's voice roughened. 'But he's still well out of it. Grab me the torch, Abbey!' Automatically, he took Grant's weight so Abbey could access the trauma kit.

  Tight-lipped, she leant into her sit-in harness and almost in slow motion slid her hand down, feeling around for the pocket containing
the pencil torch.

  Convulsively, her lingers wrapped around it but then she fumbled getting it out, almost dropping it.

  'Oh—help!' Her stomach heaved and she could feel the sudden perspiration patch wetly across her scalp under her safety hat. 'Here...' She swallowed jerkily and handed the torch to Nick.

  Nick's face was set in concentration as he flicked the light into the boy's eyes. 'Equal and reacting,' he relayed, feeling the tightness in his temples ease fractionally. But they still had a mountain of uncharted territory to traverse before anyone could begin to relax.

  So, no bleed into the brain, Abbey interpreted Nick's findings silently. She gnawed at her lip. 'His knee seems to be at an odd angle.'

  'I had noticed.' Nick began feeling around for the clip-gates attached to a runner looped over his shoulder. The injured knee was an added complication. The sooner they got the kid down and treated, the better. He lowered his gaze to where Grant's injury was just visible below the coloured leg-band of his shorts. The scraped skin was of little importance but his instincts were telling him that the puffy state of the student's knee and the blood seeping from the wound the rock had inflicted were matters for concern.

  'He's obviously hit the rock with some force,' Nick surmised. 'Possibly after he banged his head and lost control. I can't do much from here. I'll look at him properly when we get him down.'

  Watching Nick clench his fingers across the special clips that would anchor Grant to his harness, Abbey felt a swirl of nervous tension in her stomach. 'Are we about to try and hitch him to you now?'

  'We can't hang about—sorry, joke,', he said heavily. 'But this could be tricky. I'm going to have to try to align Grant's body to mine, chest to chest. That's the only way I can anchor him to my harness.'

  Abbey's nerves tightened. 'In practical terms, how do you want to work it, then?'

  Nick gave an irritated snort. 'Like I do this for a living!'

  In other words, your guess is as good as mine. Charming! She knew he was uptight but there was no need to snap her head off. Swallowing a sharp retort, she beat back a sudden wave of nausea, the result of inadvertently looking down.