They hadn’t been cheap but, like a fair few other items here, they were important enough for Sam to have quietly provided them from his personal funds.
Not something he would want Lia—or others, for that matter—to know. Maybe it was better that she wasn’t showing any interest or asking awkward questions.
And at least she put her damned phone away when Jack’s pager sounded an alert.
‘Looks like we’ve got a call. Come on, Lia. I’ll show you how the radio system works.’
* * *
‘Holy heck...’ The straps of her harness tightened to hold Lia in the front seat of the helicopter as it fought the wind. ‘How far have we got to go?’
‘Only another five minutes.’ Jack’s voice was reassuringly calm inside her helmet but the sidelong glance he gave her was more concerned. ‘These are pretty marginal flying conditions. You okay?’
‘Are you kidding?’ Lia laughed aloud as they slewed sideways and rocked again. ‘I love it.’
The look she got now was impressed. ‘I’ve had a few guys in that seat who’d have white knuckles by now.’
‘How will we get to patients if it gets any worse than this? Do you think the cyclone’s going to be a direct hit?’
‘It’s looking more likely. We might well have a day or two when we can’t get airborne. If that’s the case, we use boats for the closer islands. How do you go in rough seas?’
Lia grinned. ‘I quite like them, too.’
Jack shook his head, silent for a moment as he focused on controlling his helicopter. The main island of Atangi was within sight now and Lia could see that it was far more populated than Wildfire. Somewhere in that cluster of buildings was the medical centre they were heading for after getting a call from the nurse who was working there.
‘I used to ride horses way back,’ Lia said. ‘What I loved most was a good cross-country course. Boats and aircraft in a bit of rough stuff is like competing in cross-country when you never know where the next jump is or how big it’s going to be.’
‘You still ride?’
‘No. It’s not exactly an affordable hobby. Besides...’ Lia let out a whoop as they were buffeted by some particularly big turbulence. ‘I get all the excitement I need these days from my job.’
‘Yeah...’ Jack was clearly in complete agreement. ‘Let’s get this baby on the ground and hope that our patient doesn’t get airsick on the way back. If she does, it’s your job to clean up.’
‘Don’t think so, mate.’ Lia was still grinning. ‘It’s your helicopter.’
THE MEDICAL CLINIC on Atangi was staffed by an older local nurse, Marnie, who met them at the door after Jack had landed the helicopter on the football field across the road. He shut the chopper down and came with her in case he needed to go back for a stretcher.
‘Try not to scare her,’ Marnie warned. ‘I had a hard job persuading her to come in at all and she might try and do a runner. Not that she’ll get very far, mind you...’
‘What’s her name?’ Lia asked. ‘And what’s the story?’
‘Her name’s Sefina. She lives out past the edge of the village and keeps to herself, of course...’
Of course? A warning bell rang for Lia. She wanted to ask why it was expected that this Sefina would keep to herself but the nurse was still speaking quietly.
‘I went out there on my way home for lunch because she missed her appointment for Joni’s fifteen-month vaccinations last week and I wanted to remind her how important it was that she brings him in.’
‘Joni?’
‘Her kid. Anyway, when she finally answered the door, it was obvious something bad had happened. She said she had a fall on the rocks at the beach yesterday but...’
Lia touched her arm to slow their progress towards the consulting room. She needed to ask this time.
‘But what?’
‘Everyone knows what her husband, Louis, can be like after a few drinks,’ Jack muttered. ‘Is that what you’re thinking, Marnie?’
The older woman shrugged and looked away. ‘It’s none of my business,’ she said. ‘I only went there because of Joni...’
Lia raised her eyebrows at Jack. What on earth was going on here? This was a village and surely everybody knew everybody else’s business—and looked out for them?
‘It’s a long story,’ Jack said quietly. ‘I’ll fill you in later.’
Sitting in the middle of the consulting-room floor was a small boy with coffee-coloured skin and a mop of wild curls. At the sight of strangers entering the room, his face crumpled and he let out a wail of fear and made a beeline for his mother’s legs for something to cling to.
The boy’s mother couldn’t help, however, because she was currently vomiting into the handbasin at one side of the room.
Lia went swiftly to her side.
‘Sefina? I’m Lia. I’ve come to help you.’
Her patient looked up as she turned the tap on and Lia was shocked by the injury to her face. One eye was so swollen it was closed and there was a cut above it that needed suturing. And even on Sefina’s dark skin the bruising around the cut was obvious. She was also shocked at how young she was. Barely more than a teenager, by the look of it, and she was a mother already.
‘I’m fine. I didn’t want to come in here... Marnie shouldn’t have called you.’
‘I know.’ Lia kept her smile as reassuring as her tone. ‘But we’re here now so let me give you a check-up? I’m new in this job so I have to make sure everything’s done properly. You’re my first patient, even.’
She wanted to let Sefina know that she didn’t know anything about whatever it was that was keeping this young woman isolated from her community and that she was offering treatment without any kind of judgement. She wasn’t going to be fobbed off, however. She’d seen more than a tinge of blood in that basin before the tap had been turned on and that was a red flag for injuries that could be internal.
‘Marnie shouldn’t have called you. I’m fine.’
The repetition of something that had just been said rang another warning bell for Lia. The head injury was clearly enough to have caused concussion or possibly a more serious brain injury.
‘Do you know what day it is today, Sefina?’
‘Marnie shouldn’t have called you.’ Sefina had turned away from the basin. ‘Joni... Come on...we’re going home...’
She started to bend over to pick up her son, who was still clinging to her legs, but then she clutched her abdomen and doubled over with a cry of pain.
Supporting her weight, Lia had to let her slide to the floor when it became obvious she couldn’t get as far as the bed. Whatever this girl’s injuries were, they needed more investigation than it was likely to be possible to do in this small clinic.
‘Jack?’