Sarah Morgan Summer Collection

He slipped Logan’s phone into the pocket of his jeans and gave her a thumbs-up.

Evanna smiled her approval and watched as he sprinted across the sand, arms and legs pumping as he went to fetch Logan’s bag. ‘The lifeboat is on its way.’

The baby was red in the face from howling and Evanna glanced towards Kyla. She gave a nod and strode up to the woman.

‘Let me take the baby,’ she offered briskly. ‘One less thing for you to worry about.’

‘I don’t want to let her out of my sight.’

‘Kyla is a nurse at the local practice,’ Evanna said quickly. ‘We both are.’

‘Oh—in that case, I know I’m just upsetting her.’ Struggling with her own sobs, the woman handed the baby over and Kyla expertly tucked the squalling child against her shoulder and walked away.

Evanna calmed the woman as best she could and watched as Logan dived into the waves. He cut through the water with a powerful front crawl, reached the little boat and then made a guess as to where the boy might have fallen.

‘Wow.’ Fraser was standing beside her, Logan’s bag at his feet, his eyes wide with hero-worship as he stared. ‘Dr MacNeil must be diving down to look below the surface. He’s a brilliant swimmer, isn’t he, Nurse Duncan? He got a bronze Olympic medal, didn’t he? And he saved that kid two summers ago and it was all over the papers. I’m going to be a lifeguard when I’m older, like he was. And a doctor. He’s so cool.’

Evanna tried to look relaxed but the tension gripped her like a vice. ‘He’s a good swimmer, Fraser,’ she agreed, as much to reassure herself as the little boy and the mother.

The woman was clutching Evanna’s hand. ‘We had a terrible night,’ she whispered. ‘The baby cries all the time and my husband and I are both exhausted so I said I’d bring them both down to the beach for an hour to give him a chance to catch up on some sleep. When Jason asked if he could take the boat in the sea, I didn’t even think it would be dangerous. I imagined he’d just stay by the shore.’

‘It shelves quite deeply here and the currents are strong,’ Fraser said solemnly, and Evanna saw the woman’s face pale. And then noticed something.

‘There. Can you see the lifeboat?’ She lifted a hand and pointed. ‘They’ll be able to help in the search.’

‘But if he’s at the bottom of the ocean …’ The woman choked on the words.

Then Logan’s head bobbed above the water for a few seconds before he disappeared again, this time further out to sea.

Three times his head appeared and then disappeared and on the fourth occasion he came up holding the body of the little boy.

‘He’s got him. Cool.’ Fraser’s voice was triumphant but Evanna saw what the mother immediately saw. That the little boy was limp and lifeless.

‘Spread out your rug,’ Evanna ordered. ‘Dr MacNeil is going to need somewhere to put him. And get all the layers you can find.’

‘It’s August.’ The woman looked at her blankly and Evanna saw the shock in her eyes.

‘It doesn’t make any difference that it’s August. The sea is still freezing and we’re going to need to warm him up. Fraser.’ Evanna looked at the boy. ‘You and your friends clear a spot for the helicopter to land. You know the drill. Everyone to secure everything that moves. Go. Move.’

But she spoke the last few words to the air because Fraser had already sprinted off to do what needed to be done.

Logan strode out of the water, carrying the boy level in his arms. ‘I’m going to try tipping him upside down.’ His expression was grim. ‘He was stuck on the bottom. He must have caught his foot in seaweed. It took me several goes to free him.’

‘No!’ The mother was screaming with horror and another holidaymaker took her to one side and put her arms around her, giving the medical team space to work.

‘Evanna?’ Logan’s voice was sharp as he laid the boy flat on the rug. ‘Did you get my stuff from the car?’

‘Fraser did. It’s all here.’ She flipped open the case. ‘His name is Jason and he’s six years old. Do you want to start CPR?’

‘Not yet.’ Logan felt for a carotid pulse. ‘I’m hoping he’s just bradycardic. Come on, Jason. Wake up, for us. Damn. He’s in respiratory arrest.’

‘Logan—’

‘Respiratory arrest precedes cardiac arrest in drowning. He’s got a pulse.’ Logan started to examine the boy more thoroughly, his hands swift and skilled. ‘Did Fraser manage to bring the oxygen?’

‘It’s here.’

There was a clacking sound overhead as the helicopter arrived but Logan was focused on Jason, leaving others to deal with the arrival of the helicopter. ‘He’s breathing but his core temperature is thirty-four degrees. We need to warm him up. What layers do we have?’

Evanna reached forward and covered the boy, noticing that his face was chalky white. ‘Do you want to aspirate his stomach?’

Just then the boy screwed up his face and started to cough violently, and Logan gave Evanna a swift nod. ‘We have lift-off. Jason? Speak to me. You’re worrying your mother. Wake up.’

The boy’s eyes fluttered open and he started to cough again.

Logan turned him into the recovery position. ‘Good boy. You’re all right. You’ve swallowed a bit of seawater but you’ll soon be feeling better. Evanna, this oxygen mask doesn’t fit properly. I need something smaller.’

The paramedic from the helicopter sprinted across to them with a case of equipment. ‘How’s he doing?’

Logan wiped a forearm across his forehead. ‘Better than we could have hoped. He’s breathing but he’s very cold still and he seems to have aspirated water so he’ll need to go to hospital for a check.’

The mother sank onto the sand beside Jason, tears pouring down her cheeks. ‘He needs to go to hospital? Can’t you just watch him here?’

‘This is a small island,’ Logan said gently, ‘and while we are capable of dealing with dire emergencies if the need arises, we do try and anticipate and avoid them whenever possible. I’m sure Jason is going to make an uneventful recovery but, to be on the safe side, I’d rather he made that recovery in the hospital. I’m sure they’ll only keep him in for a night.’

‘They have rooms for parents,’ Evanna said quickly as she found a smaller oxygen mask, ‘so you can be with him the whole time.’

‘I can go with him in the helicopter?’

The paramedic helped switch masks. ‘Of course, but you can’t bring the baby.’

‘I can leave her with my husband. He’ll be fine with her for a day, although the crying will probably drive him mad. We’re in one of the beach houses just up there.’

‘Go and give the baby to your husband and then you can come with us.’ The paramedic squatted down beside Logan. ‘Do you want to get a line in just to be on the safe side?’

‘Yes, ideally, although he’s so cold it’s going to be pretty hard getting in a peripheral line.’ Logan picked up one of the boy’s arms and rubbed the skin. ‘We might be lucky.’

With a last, frightened look towards Jason, the mother sprinted across the beach to Kyla who was still holding the baby. Kyla’s husband Ethan, the other island GP, arrived and immediately took in the situation. ‘You’ve had one trip to the mainland already today. I’ll take this one, Logan.’

‘I wouldn’t mind, if that’s all right with you.’ Logan slid the needle into the vein and gave a nod of satisfaction. ‘Good. Tape it firmly, Evanna. I don’t want to have to try that again.’

Ethan went to supervise the helicopter landing and Kyla turned her attention to the mother.

‘His colour is better.’ Logan checked the child’s pulse again.

‘We’re ready to transfer him.’ Ethan arrived with a stretcher and they carefully lifted the boy, covered him with blankets and secured him. ‘You’d better give me a handover.’

Leaving the paramedics to transfer the child into the helicopter, Logan pulled his colleague to one side, told him what had happened and detailed the first aid they’d given.