Always the Hero

Panicked people were heading away from the harbour’s edge and uphill towards the hospital. Others began rushing away from the medical centre when it was discovered that the cell phone tower was obviously not functioning and there was no way for anybody to find out whether loved ones were okay. The first injured people began to arrive and Abby had to check on the mostly elderly inpatients in the old hospital wing.

She needed Ben to be here. And Ginny, the doctor who’d helped out recently, although she was refusing to fill the gap that had been left when the last doctor had resigned. She wouldn’t refuse now. They needed all the help they could get.

Thank heavens for Ruth. She’d started by reassuring Abby about the children and had then carried on to be a tower of strength in assisting her to create some order amongst the chaos. With Daisy strapped to her chest in a sling, and Blake being looked after by Hannah, they’d checked on everybody they could find and dispensed both first aid and as much reassurance as they could muster. They’d been ready for contact from the local policeman and volunteer fire brigade when it came and had begun to coordinate a response.

More people who needed medical attention had begun to arrive at the centre and the men had driven off to assess the damage in the township. Now Ruth was sitting at the desk in Abby’s office, trying to record and coordinate information about who was missing, injured or might need evacuation to the mainland.

Ruth looked up as Abby entered the office and she had tears of relief in her eyes as she registered the men with her. ‘Oh, thank God you’re here.’ She tilted her head to see past the two men.

‘It’s just us, so far.’ It was the man with Tom who spoke. ‘We got dispatched as soon as it was known that the epicentre of the quake was in a populated area. When contact was made and we heard about injuries and trapped people, a full response was put into action but it takes time to scramble the right people. There’s another chopper and a light plane coming that are carrying two doctors, a mobile triage unit and a USAR team with a search dog, but it’ll be at least an hour until they’re due to land.’

Tom was looking at Abby.

‘Who’s in charge of the overall incident control?’

Abby heard her breath come out in an incredulous huff.

He didn’t seem to be having any trouble dealing with the fact that they were seeing each other for the first time in nearly six years. Maybe it was so far in the past he didn’t have things hurtling around in his head, like the image Abby suddenly got, of being cradled in his arms. That magic time when desire had been temporarily sated and the world had never seemed so perfect.

Maybe he didn’t have things crashing around in his head or his heart, because it had never meant that much to him in the first place. She had to hold on, here. To stop allowing the past to intrude and assume an importance it had no right to have. She had to focus. To respond to Tom as the person he was at this moment. A rescuer. A skilled professional who was doing exactly what he should be doing and focusing on his job.

But … this was an incident?

No. This was far more than a mere incident. Her whole community was in danger. People she loved. A place she loved. The sanctuary she had sought years ago that had embraced her and kept her safe. More importantly, had kept Jack safe.

Until now.

But this was Tom all over, wasn’t it? This wasn’t about the people and their broken lives. This was about the adrenaline rush of a big job. Of the opportunity to put himself in danger to save others.

Not her problem. Abby could hear the almost desperate whisper in the back of her mind. Not anymore.

Tom was staring at her. Holding her gaze but keeping anything personal well shuttered. If he knew what she was thinking—and, given what she knew about him, he probably did—he wasn’t about to let it interfere with his work.

Oh … help. For a heartbeat, Abby was caught by that intense stare. Or rather by what she could see around it. The gorgeous olive skin and strong features that spoke of Maori heritage. Those dark, dark eyes. The soft, dark waves of hair.

An adult version of her precious Jack.

She couldn’t go there. Couldn’t waste another second thinking about what Tom looked like. Or how it made her feel, seeing him again like this.

‘Mike Henley is our senior police officer. He’s working with Don Johnson, who’s the chief fire officer. They have about twenty people who work in the volunteer fire brigade and have had some training in rescue. We also have our island coastguard guys. They’ve set up headquarters in the information centre, which is on the main street at the ferry terminal end. A boat radio is being used to contact the mainland. The cell phone tower is down.’

‘What medical staff are available? Where are your doctors?’

‘We only have one full-time doctor on the island at the moment—Ben McMahon. He was out on a house call when the quake happened and we haven’t heard any news since. There is another doctor but she’s not working officially and I have no idea where she is at the moment. Apart from that, we have four nurses. Two of them are on duty in the hospital. The others are on their way and they’re going to help look after injured people after we’ve assessed and stabilised them.’

‘We?’

Abby felt a flush of colour stain her cheeks. ‘So far it’s only been me. Fortunately there hasn’t been anything major arriving.’

‘We need to get to the information centre. And we need a medical team to work with. What’s the most serious case you’ve got in here?’

‘There’s nothing life-threatening. Bruises, lacerations and a few broken bones. One of our other nurses who’s coming in is trained in first aid. It’s under control.’

‘Good. You can come with us, then.’

It was a gasp rather than a huff that escaped Abby now. ‘I don’t think so…. This is where people are coming for treatment.’

‘If they can get themselves here, they’re not the victims we need to worry about first. We’ve got doctors arriving very soon and they can base themselves here. You’re an experienced emergency nurse, Abby. We’re going to need more than one team to check the township and triage for injuries. Frank can lead one. You can come with me. I take it you know the layout of the town?’

‘Of course. I’ve been living here for five years.’

A flicker crossed Tom’s face as he registered that this was where she’d come after they’d split up. A frown that suggested he couldn’t understand why. It was gone as fast as it had appeared but Abby was aware of a flash of … what, satisfaction? Relief? He wasn’t as unaffected as he was managing to appear. He hadn’t forgotten everything because he hadn’t cared enough.

Yes. It was a kind of relief. She wasn’t the only one who was finding this painful.

‘Good.’ Tom’s gaze had shifted away from her. ‘You’ll know the people as well, then. Could be a valuable asset.’

Torn, Abby twisted her head to look at Ruth. She could see her own reaction reflected back. She was a valuable asset here, too, wasn’t she? This felt like the right place to be. Where she had access to medical equipment and drugs and where Ben and Ginny would come to help.

This was where someone would come to reunite Jack with his mother.

And … and it was a much safer place to be than out there in the unknown, where things were wrecked and dangerous and where she could be at serious risk if there were any more of those horrible aftershocks.

But these new arrivals were the experts. They also had medical qualifications that exceeded her own. Ethically, she had no choice. She had to follow orders.

‘Let’s go.’ Frank was staring out the window. ‘We’re wasting time here, mate.’

Tom’s glare was holding Abby. Pulling her in.

‘I can’t go out like this.’ Abby held out her bare arms and looked down at the flimsy material of her uniform.

‘There’s the overalls in the back of the Jeep,’ Ruth reminded her. ‘And the helmets.’

‘You’ve got a four-wheel-drive vehicle?’ Tom was moving towards the door. ‘Excellent. Let’s move.’

The Jeep was one of the clinic’s vehicles, modified to have a stretcher clipped in the back and equipped with emergency gear. The island’s equivalent of an ambulance. Ben had the other one.

‘Go, Abby,’ Ruth urged. ‘We can cope here. People need you.’

Abby nodded. She had no choice. Tom was already halfway out the door. Frank was holding back, waiting for Abby to go ahead of him.

‘Send someone to find me,’ she told Ruth, ‘if you hear anything at all about Jack.’

‘Of course I will. He’ll be fine, Abby. They all will.’

But Ruth’s lips trembled. She had two daughters on that school trip, didn’t she? Did she have to try and make Abby believe they were all safe in order to keep herself focused?

‘Who’s Jack?’ Frank asked as he followed Abby out of the door. ‘Your husband?’