‘HURRY UP, RILEY. It’s your round.’ The hard slap on the shoulder nearly ejected him from his chair. Riley laughed and turned around. Frank Cairney, one of the rehab nurses, was standing with his rucksack on his shoulder. The rest of the team were hovering outside near the door. ‘Should I go and hold up the bar for us?’
Riley nodded. ‘Just a few notes to finish and I’ll be there. Thanks, guys.’
He typed quickly on the electronic record, leaving detailed notes on the plan for Jake Ashford, a soldier injured on duty in Afghanistan and now a resident in the army rehab hospital at Waterloo Court.
It was late afternoon on a Friday. Those who could go home had gone home. But some patients wouldn’t be able to go home for some time—Jake was one of those.
Working in the rehab hospital hadn’t really been on Riley’s career plan. But, due to a family crisis, a fellow colleague hadn’t been able to start when he should have, meaning the hospital needed someone to fill in. Riley’s surgical experience in orthopaedics had been flagged and his deployment had been delayed on a temporary basis for a few weeks.
But today was his last shift. And truth was he was relieved. The staff and support team at Waterloo Court were fantastic, as were the world-class rehab services, but Riley liked the pace of emergencies. On Monday he’d be in Sierra Leone, where another outbreak of Ebola seemed to be emerging.
He finished his notes and walked down the corridor to the in-patient beds. He heard the laughter before he saw her familiar frame.
April Henderson had Jake sitting at the side of his bed. Laughing. Really laughing, as if she’d just told him the funniest joke in the world.
Even from here he knew exactly what she was doing—testing Jake’s sitting balance. She was one of the best physiotherapists he’d ever worked with.
She was tireless. She was relentless. She was polite. She was professional.
He’d caught himself on more than one occasion watching that blonde ponytail swishing up the corridor in front of him as she made her way between the ninety patients that were housed in the state-of-the-art unit.
But even now—four weeks later—he really didn’t know a thing about her.
April was the quietest co-worker he’d ever met. Every conversation, every communication had been about their patients. When he asked her about life, what she was doing at the weekend or anything other than work she just shut down.
He’d asked other staff a few questions about her, but no one really said much. Apparently she wasn’t married and hadn’t mentioned a boyfriend. The staff here were a mixture of military and civilian. April was civilian. She’d transferred to the new unit at Waterloo Court. The centre dealt with serious musculoskeletal injuries, neurological injuries and complex trauma, including amputees. The brand-new facility was four times bigger than its predecessor. There were gyms, full of cardiovascular and resistance equipment, two swimming pools, a hydrotherapy pool and a specialist centre where artificial limbs were manufactured on-site and individually tailored to the patients’ needs.
‘Doc?’ Jake caught his eye.
Riley crossed the room, holding out his hand. ‘I came to say goodbye.’ He paused for a second. ‘I’m shipping out again tomorrow.’ He had to be truthful, but he could see the momentary pang in the young man’s eyes. Jake loved the army. Had wanted to serve since he was five. And now, at the grand old age of twenty-three, would be unlikely to ever ship out again.
Jake took Riley’s extended hand. ‘Good luck, Doc—it’s been short and sweet. Where are you headed?’
Riley gave a shrug. ‘At the moment, I think it’s Africa. But you know how things can change. By the time Monday comes around it could be somewhere else completely.’
He glanced down at April, who was leaning against a stool at the side of the bed. ‘Are you coming to the farewell drinks, April?’
It was obvious he’d caught her off guard because two tiny pink spots flared in her cheeks and she stumbled over her words. ‘Wh-what? Er...no...sorry. I don’t think I’ll manage.’
Jake nudged her with one of his dangling feet. ‘Oh, go on, April. When was the last time you could tell me a good night out story?’
The pinkness spread. But the shy demeanour vanished instantly. He’d always found that curious about her. April Henderson knew how to engage with her patients. Really engage with her patients. Around them she was relaxed, open and even showed the occasional glimmer of fun. But around any of the staff? She was just April.
‘I’m not here to tell you night out stories, Jake. I’m here to help get you back on your feet again.’ She leaned forward and put her hands on his bare leg. ‘But don’t think I didn’t notice that deliberate kick.’ She looked up and gave Jake a wide smile. ‘That’s great. That’s something we can work on.’
With her bright blue eyes, blonde hair and clear skin, April Henderson could be stunning if she wanted to be. But there was never any make-up on her skin, never any new style with her hair. It was almost as if she used her uniform as a shield.
Riley watched the look on Jake’s face. For the first time in weeks he saw something that hadn’t been there much before. Hope.
It did weird things to his insides. Jake was a young man who should be filled with hope. His whole life was ahead of him. But there was already a good hint that his injury could be limiting. They still didn’t have a clear prognosis for him, and that was why April’s work was so vital.
He winked at Jake and folded his arms across his chest. ‘I’m completely and utterly offended that you won’t come to my farewell drinks. Four long weeks here, all those shifts together, and you can’t even say goodbye.’
‘He’s right, April.’ Jake nodded. ‘It is shocking. Thank goodness you’re not actually in the army. At this point you’d be getting a dishonourable discharge.’
For the briefest of seconds there was a flash of panic behind her eyes, quickly followed by the realisation that they were kidding with her.
She raised her eyebrows. Gave her best smile. The one reserved for patients in trouble. Both of them recognised it instantly.
‘Uh-oh,’ Riley muttered.
April touched Jake’s leg. ‘Well, just so you know, Jake, now that we’ve established there’s some movement and—’ she stood up ‘—your balance is gradually improving, I think I’ll have a whole new plan for you, starting tomorrow.’
Jake groaned as Riley laughed. He couldn’t quite work out why April could chat easily with patients but could barely say a word to him on a normal day.
Jake pointed at Riley. ‘This is all your fault. You’re abandoning me to this wicked, wicked woman. You know she’ll work me hard and exhaust me.’ He said the words with a twinkle in his eyes.
Riley nodded as he glanced at April. Her blue gaze met his. For the first time since he’d met her, she didn’t look away instantly.