But the danger wasn’t over yet. They still had to get everyone on board. A few heart-stopping minutes later the first fisherman appeared in the doorway of the chopper. Meagan and Jamie pulled him on board, where he lay gasping and shivering. Meagan had only enough time to satisfy herself that he was cold and shocked but otherwise unharmed before the next fisherman was pulled in.
As she examined the second man, she could feel the first man pulling at the sleeve of her jacket. He leant close, shouting in her ear.
‘It’s Jock who’s hurt. The rest of us are all right. But Jock was hit on the back of his head by the equipment we use to lift the fish. He’s in a bad way.’
‘Try not to worry.’ Meagan had to yell to make herself heard above the roar of the helicopter and the sound of the wind. ‘Dr Stuart will look after him.’
‘I don’t think he can move him,’ the man yelled back. ‘I think he’s hurt his spine. He hasn’t been able to move his arms or legs since.’
Meagan, satisfied that the second man was also essentially unhurt, moved on to the last man who by this time had been winched on board. At the same time she was thinking frantically about what she’d been told. What if Jock had sustained injuries to his spine? Could they take the risk of moving him? Even strapped to the stretcher, surely it was too much of a risk? But what else could they do? They couldn’t leave him there.
Once again Cameron’s voice crackled in her ear, this time confirming her worst fears.
‘I’m sorry, guys, but you’ll have to leave us here for the time being. I think Jock may have fractured his spine. I don’t want to take any chances trying to manoeuvre him onto the stretcher. Even with help it’s too much of a risk.’
‘Roger that,’ came the pilot’s reply. ‘Is the boat capable of staying afloat until we can get someone to tow you in?’
‘It had better be,’ came the grim reply, ‘otherwise you could say we are truly sunk. I’m going to take off my radio for a couple of minutes so I can listen to Jock’s chest. I’ll speak to you again when I’ve finished.’
The last man on board was shouting something at Jamie. Meagan couldn’t make out the words but she could tell Jamie was worried.
‘What is it?’ She asked.
‘He says Cameron hurt himself when he landed on the deck of the boat. He took a blow to his forehead.’
‘In that case, I’m going down. He’ll need help.’
‘Sorry, no can do,’ Jamie said. ‘It’s too dangerous for a woman. Besides, Cameron will have my guts for garters if I let you go down. And I’m not having that.’
Meagan pulled herself to her full height.
‘In this scenario, don’t think of me as a woman,’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘Think of me as a doctor. And if you don’t let me go down, I’ll have your guts for garters.’
Something in the look she gave him must have convinced him. ‘What do you think, Captain?’ he asked.
‘I don’t like it,’ came the reply, ‘but I don’t know what else we can do. He needs help and I need you on board. But if we are going to drop her down, we need to do it now.’
‘OK, then, Doctor, let’s get you hooked up.’
When Meagan felt herself being lowered from the helicopter she felt truly scared for the first time. The rope swayed with the combined turbulence of the helicopter’s blades and the wind. She also knew with certainty that Cameron would be furious when he saw her. At that precise moment she didn’t know what she feared most—this awful sensation of being buffeted by the wind or Cameron’s anger.
Sure enough, when he reached out to pull her onto the deck he was livid. Meagan could see that he had sustained a nasty gash on his forehead which was bleeding profusely. He seemed oblivious to the rivulets of blood that streamed down his face.
‘What on earth are you thinking?’ he said. ‘I’m going to tell them to winch you right back up.’ Before he could act on his threat, Meagan had unhooked herself, just as Jamie had shown her, and was giving the helicopter a thumbs-up.
‘The men told me you had hurt your head. You can’t look after a patient properly if you’re hurt yourself,’ Meagan said firmly. ‘I want to take a look at it.’
She could see that Cameron wasn’t finished with her yet, but there was little he could do as the helicopter had already left.
‘Let’s get below out of the wind. Jock’s there already.’
Meagan watched anxiously as Cameron used the rails at the side of the steps to go below. She wanted to check Cameron’s injury, but she knew, for the time being, that keeping the boat afloat was the more urgent issue. It was listing to one side, rising with each wave and still taking on water. She knew she needed to keep the boat turned into the wind as best she could or there would be the danger of the boat taking on more water with every wave and capsizing. Now that she was actually on the boat she felt happier. The sea had never frightened her. Just as long as you treated it with respect and kept your cool.
She made her way to the wheelhouse to turn the stricken boat into the wind. She knew she would have to stay at the wheel until help reached them, hopefully before too long.
An irate Cameron appeared.
‘What are you doing here?’ he said.
‘I’m staying here,’ Meagan replied. ‘If you need me to help with Jock, that’s a different matter, but unless you do, this is where I’ll be.’
‘Jock’s stable for the moment. Why don’t I steer the boat and you keep an eye on Jock?’
‘Tell me, Cameron, can you do something about the wound on your head?’
Cameron touched his head gingerly. ‘It just needs a dressing—something to keep it from bleeding,’ he said.
‘It’s settled, then,’ Meagan said. ‘You go back below and sort your head out and keep an eye on Jock. You’re the one with more medical experience and I’m the one who knows how to keep a boat afloat. I’m staying here. If I need you, I’ll yell—I promise.’
The next two hours passed slowly. Meagan kept the boat headed into the wind, knowing that as long as she did that they should stay afloat. Every now and again Cameron would check to see that she was still all right. The second time he appeared he had bandaged his head—and not made a very good job of it either, Meagan thought perversely. She ignored his entreaties for her to change places with him. After a time the rain and wind began to ease and visibility improved. At last she made out the shape of the lifeboat coming towards them. She used the intercom to let Cameron know and as soon as the lifeboat was secured next to them she went below. Cameron was sitting beside Jock, explaining that soon they’d be moving him. Cameron looked exhausted, and from the lines around his mouth Meagan knew he must be in a great deal of pain.
She dropped to her knees to examine his head. It was, however, impossible to make a reliable assessment without undoing the bandage and that was likely to start the wound bleeding again.
‘You should have taken something for the pain,’ she said.
He smiled tiredly at her. ‘I needed to keep my wits about me. I’ll take something later.’
It