Rapid Response

‘That would be great, so long as Holly doesn’t mind, of course,’ Ben said quietly, but Holly could hear the reservation in his voice even if Sean had missed it.

Her mouth compressed as she picked up her bulging tote bag. Did Ben hate the thought of having her act as his tutor because he felt guilty about what he’d done two years ago? Or was she kidding herself by thinking that he cared a jot?

Probably the latter, she decided, tucking the bag under her arm. If Ben had possessed even an ounce of decency then he would never have treated her the way he had.

‘Holly?’

She looked up when she realised that Sean was waiting for her to confirm that she was happy about his suggestion. Even though helping Ben was the last thing she felt like doing, she couldn’t admit that. It had been drummed into them during the training sessions that they were all part of a team and that it was only by working as a team that they would make a success of this venture. How could she blot her copy book at such an early stage by refusing to help a colleague?

‘I’ll be pleased to help any way I can,’ she said with a sweet smile that didn’t fool Ben for a second if his expression was anything to go by. Thankfully, Sean seemed oblivious to the undercurrents as he beamed at them both.

‘Great! That’s a weight off my mind. Having to find a last-minute replacement has been a real headache. I had some sleepless nights until I heard that Ben was interested in the job.’ He clapped the younger man on the shoulder. ‘I know you’ve had it rough in the last few years but let’s hope this is a turning point for you. We need doctors of your calibre.’

Holly frowned. She had no idea what Sean had meant about Ben having had a rough time. She looked enquiringly at him when Sean moved away. ‘That sounded intriguing. What’s been happening to you of late, then?’

‘Oh, nothing very interesting.’ Ben briskly changed the subject. ‘Look, Holly, I know how…well…awkward this must be for you….’

‘Awkward?’ She felt herself bridling and glared at him, unable to believe the arrogance of that statement. ‘Why should I feel the least bit awkward?’

‘Because we didn’t exactly part on the best of terms, if you recall.’ His expression darkened as he returned her look with one which held more than a hint of challenge. ‘You aren’t going to pretend that you’ve forgotten what happened, I hope. That’s nonsense, as well you know.’

‘Of course I haven’t forgotten!’ She laughed scornfully, enjoying the fact that he seemed so rattled. Good! He deserved his comeuppance after the appalling way he’d treated her. ‘What you did to me, Ben, was such a rotten, low-down thing to do to anyone that there’s no way I’ll ever forget it.’

‘I know how it must have seemed,’ he began, but she carried on, cutting off his apology if, indeed, an apology was what he’d intended.

‘But in a way I’m grateful to you for what you did.’

‘Grateful?’

The surprise in his voice was like balm to her soul and went a long way towards making up for all those nights she’d spent, sobbing into her pillow. She smiled at him, seeing the shock that had turned his blue eyes the colour of a stormy sky. Ben had always been sinfully handsome and she, like so many women, had fallen for his dark good looks. However, she felt nothing when she looked at him now, she assured herself, not even a flicker of interest. She was well and truly over him and her heart was once more whole again even if there were scars on it.

‘Yes. You taught me a valuable lesson, Ben, made me see how stupid it is to rely on anyone else for your happiness. You have to take charge of your life and do what you want.’ She shrugged. ‘That’s why I’m grateful to you because I’ll never make the same mistake again. I’m my own woman now, Ben, not someone’s girlfriend or lover. And d’you know what? It feels good to be me!’

Ben wished he could believe that but there was no way he could ignore the underlying pain in Holly’s voice. It was proof of how much he’d hurt her two years ago and there was no way he could make amends for what he’d done. He couldn’t tell her the truth, couldn’t admit that there had been no other woman, because it would lead to questions he wasn’t prepared to answer.

Finding out two years ago that he had cancer of the colon had rocked his whole world. All he’d been able to think about had been that he mustn’t let it affect Holly in any way. He’d seen the devastating effects that dealing with serious illness could have and had sworn he wouldn’t put Holly through that ordeal. She’d been just starting out on her career with her whole future ahead of her and it wouldn’t have been fair to burden her with his problems. So he’d made the decision not to tell her and had made up some story about meeting someone else.

Lying to her had been the hardest thing he’d ever done but it had been the right decision. Holly had been able to get on with her life and that was what he’d wanted so desperately. Now he had to make sure she never found out the truth because it would only cause problems. He had to forget the past and focus on the present, although it wasn’t going to be easy. Working with Holly would be a constant reminder of what he’d lost.

‘Then all I can say is that I’m glad you’re happy.’ He smiled, aiming for nonchalance and probably missing it by miles. ‘I’d hate there to be any problems about us working together.’

‘No chance of that, I assure you.’

She laughed and Ben felt his stomach muscles bunch when his mind immediately logged the sound and found a matching one in his memory bank. Holly’s laughter had been the very first thing he’d noticed about her and it was hard not to remember what had happened that day, how he had stopped on his way through Casualty when he’d heard her laughing then had turned around to go back and find her.

Memories whizzed around inside his head and he winced because it was painful to think about the past when he’d been determined to forget it. Holly had been attending to a small boy when he’d tracked her down and he could still remember how glorious her chestnut curls had looked as they’d tumbled around her face when she’d bent to hug the child. He must have made some sort of sound because she’d suddenly looked round and it had felt as though he’d been hit by a sledgehammer when he’d got his first glimpse of her face. He’d never believed that love at first sight had existed outside the pages of a romance novel until that moment…

‘Ben?’

Holly tapped him on the arm, rather hard and definitely impatiently, and he jumped. ‘What?’

‘We’ve got our first shout. Didn’t you hear what Sean said?’

She didn’t bother waiting for him to answer as she hurried to the door. Ben followed in her wake, delighted to have something to shift his brain out of its introspective mode. It was the present that mattered, he reminded himself, what was happening at this very minute, and already he could feel the excitement building as everyone gathered in the office.

‘RTA on the road leading through Dalverston Fell,’ Sean announced. ‘A coach full of tourists has overturned. There’s a five-mile tailback of traffic so we’ll be using the helicopter and the motorbike for speed. Holly, you take the bike. The police have given us a map reference so use the satellite navigation system to find a route that will avoid the traffic.’

Ben moved aside as Holly stepped forward and took the details from Sean. She didn’t look at him as she hurried from the room so he didn’t have a chance to tell her to be careful. He sighed because he could just imagine her reaction if he had. Holly had made it plain that she didn’t need his input into her life and he must remember that.

Fortunately, there was no time to dwell on that depressing thought because Sean was rattling out instructions. Ben nodded when he was informed that he was one of the staff who would be going in the helicopter. He followed the others out of the office and collected his flight-suit then made his way to the helipad on the roof of the hospital. Nicky Brunswick and Josh Hammond, the two paramedics, were joking about it being just their luck not to have had time for a second cup of coffee but Ben could tell they were as excited as he was. This was their first real test as a team and they needed to prove that all the money that had been invested in the service hadn’t been wasted.

The take-off was remarkably smooth so that within seconds they were circling the hospital. Ben stared out of the helicopter window, watching the ground rushing past below. He caught a glimpse of something green and white turning out of the hospital’s gates and felt his pulse leap when he realised it was Holly on the motorbike. He watched until she disappeared from sight then sat back and tried to compose himself. An incident like this could present many problems and he would have to deal with whatever came his way. Still, he had plenty of back-up because Nicky and Josh would be there to help, plus Holly, of course.

His mind latched onto her name and wouldn’t seem to let it go again. Ben felt the fluttering of excitement build into a steady hum and knew it wasn’t solely because of what he might be called upon to do. That would be taxing enough but it was the thought of working with Holly that was making his nerves twang like rusty guitar strings.

Could he remain impartial around her? He hoped so. He really did. But he couldn’t put his hand on his heart and swear that the past wouldn’t intrude at some point.

Holly could feel her tension mounting as she neared the site of the accident. The satellite navigation system had made a huge difference by helping her find a route that had avoided the worst of the traffic. The fact that the motorbike could slip through gaps a car couldn’t pass through meant that she should arrive well before any ambulances got there. There was only the helicopter that could beat her and even that would need to find a place to land. She might be the first medic on scene and she had to prepare herself for what she was going to find.

She rounded the final bend and skidded to a halt when she spotted the coach up ahead. It was lying on its side and even from that distance she could tell it was very badly damaged. Part of the roof had sheared off when it had rolled down the banking and there was broken glass and lumps of metal strewn across the nearby fields. There were also a few people wandering about so she hastily put the motorbike into gear and rode straight over to the young police officer who had been first on the scene and removed her helmet so she could introduce herself.

‘I’m Holly Daniels, specialist reg from Dalverston General.’

‘They’re sending someone else as well, I hope,’ the policeman said anxiously. He was obviously deeply shocked by the scale of the accident and Holly uttered a silent prayer that someone with more experience would be sent to take charge. Dealing with an accident of this magnitude required a great deal of skill. Although the emergency services worked closely together—fire, police and ambulance crews each playing a vital role—it needed someone with experience to bring it all together.

‘There’s a helicopter on its way and a fleet of ambulances should be here very shortly,’ she assured him, taking her Thomas pack—the bag of vital medical supplies that she carried—out of the pannier. She looked up when the sound of an engine confirmed the arrival of the helicopter. ‘Here’s the ‘copter now, in fact. See if you can help the pilot find a safe place to land.’

She left the policeman to deal with the helicopter and ran towards the coach. There were two bodies lying on the grass and a quick check soon established there was nothing she could do for them. A woman came staggering towards her with blood streaming down her face, and Holly quickly grabbed hold of her arm.

‘Sit down.’ She made the woman sit on the banking then took a wad of lint out of her bag and placed it over the gash on her forehead. ‘Hold this there and keep some pressure on it to stop the bleeding.’

The woman didn’t say a word but she did as she was told so Holly left her. The rules were quite simple in this type of situation: the walking wounded should be given minimal treatment so that time could be spent on the severely injured. It might appear heartless but she couldn’t afford to waste precious time attending to someone who really didn’t need her help. There was an elderly couple huddled together nearby so she ran over to them next.

‘Are you hurt?’

‘My arm…’ The old lady showed her a blue-veined arm and Holly winced when she saw that the bone was protruding through the flesh.

‘That looks nasty.’ She took a dressing out of her bag and gently placed it over the wound to minimise the risk of infection. ‘Try to keep your arm very still. I know it must be terribly painful but there isn’t much I can do for you here, I’m afraid. You’ll be taken to hospital as soon as the ambulances arrive. Is there anything else wrong with either of you?’

‘No, no,’ the old man assured her. ‘We’re fine. It’s the people in the coach who need your help, dear.’

‘I’ll do all I can for them,’ Holly assured him as she stood up. ‘You just stay there and someone will be with you very shortly.’

She ran straight over to the coach but it was impossible to see inside it because it was lying on its side. She tossed her bag onto the chassis then scrambled up after it and carefully made her way to one of the windows. She could hear people calling for help but it was difficult to tell how many were trapped inside the vehicle.

‘So what have we got?’

Suddenly Ben was there and Holly felt her heart leap when she swung round and discovered how close he was. He was kneeling right beside her and it would have taken very little to tuck her hand into his and lay her head on his shoulder…