In her old life...
‘Be careful,’ was all Jack added. ‘We’re a long way up. Hand me that IV roll, would you?’
She handed over the roll that contained everything Jack needed to insert an IV. The wipes, cannulas, Luer plugs, flushes and adhesive covers. She didn’t need reminding of how far above sea level they were. Every few seconds, even given the sound of the helicopter hovering nearby, she could hear the rolling crash of a huge wave below.
‘Sharp scratch, Eddie. There you go... Are you allergic to anything that you know of?’
‘Nah...not that I know of.’
Harriet had all the sterile dressings and a bandage in her hands so that she could cover the raw wounds on Eddie’s arm but she stayed by the pack for a moment longer. Jack was going to need a giving set and a bag of saline to set up fluids that would keep Eddie’s vein open in case he needed more intravenous drugs. The morphine would definitely be helping his pain level within the next few minutes.
‘What score would you give your pain now, Eddie? Out of ten, like before?’
‘I reckon it’s only a five now. Maybe even a four.’
‘Good man. We’re going to get that splint on your leg in a tick. And then I’m going to get you up into our nice comfy chopper.’
‘But what about Harry?’
‘We’ll take her, too, don’t you worry. I’m not about to let her try climbing up this cliff by herself. God knows how she managed to get down to you in the first place.’ Jack was waiting for Harriet to look up as she snagged the bandage she’d wound around Eddie’s arm with a crocodile clip to keep it secure. ‘Good job,’ he added as he finally caught her gaze.
He sounded impressed. And not the least bit cold. Quite the opposite, in fact.
‘No.’ Eddie shook his head. ‘I meant Harry—my dog...’
‘Oh...right...’
‘He’s a hero,’ Harriet said. ‘I wouldn’t have found Eddie if it hadn’t been for Harry. He came and got me and made me follow him.’
Jack grinned. ‘Like Lassie, huh?’
Harriet found herself smiling back. ‘Just like Lassie.’
The shared smile broke whatever odd tension she had been aware of ever since Jack had touched down on this ledge. It was a link back to the very real friendship they’d shared during their time together with the SDR team. A friendship that Harriet couldn’t deny she’d shunned since her accident because it was such an integral aspect of the part of the life she’d lost for ever.
But maybe there was a way back? To a small part of what she’d lost, anyway.
And that felt good.
‘In that case, I’ll call the crew.’ Jack nodded, reaching for his radio. ‘We’ll get someone to head up the track and find him. Don’t you worry, Eddie. He’ll be well looked after until we can get him home for you.’
Whether it was the relief of knowing his pet would be rescued, or the effects of the narcotic pain relief, Eddie seemed to relax into the care they were giving him. It was painful to get the traction splint locked into place and doing its job but, for this kind of fracture, it was essential to get control of any internal bleeding and added pain of the movement that would be happening very soon.
‘I’ll take Eddie up on the stretcher and then I’ll come back down for you and the pack.’ Jack raised his arm to signal the crew in the hovering helicopter that he was ready for the winch line to be lowered again. ‘Okay?’
Harriet nodded.
For several long minutes, she was alone on the ledge, watching Jack control the swinging of the stretcher Eddie was strapped onto as it was lifted skywards. And then she saw it being tipped and dragged into the cabin of the helicopter. It seemed to take a long time until Jack was standing on the skid again, ready for his second descent, but she watched him coming down with an increasing sense of relief.
There was no way she could have climbed back up that cliff.
It was no wonder that Jack had been impressed that she’d managed it at all. The last time he’d seen her, her leg had been skewered with long pins and encased in the rods of external fixation for a fracture that had been bad enough for her to have had to give consent to amputation if that had been deemed the best option during her surgery.
He’d been so determinedly cheerful, she remembered. He’d brought a brand of chocolate she’d once announced was her all-time favourite and some magazines, but the choice had been unfortunate, including the latest edition of an emergency medicine journal. And, okay, maybe that publication had also previously been favourite reading material but it had been the last thing she’d wanted to see then.
The visit had been awkward. What did they have in common other than the team callouts, training sessions and rare social occasions? Jack was a good six years younger than Harriet. Just a mate.
At least he hadn’t been around to see her limping return to work at Bondi Bayside. If he was with the helicopter crew he wouldn’t even be spending time in the emergency department, although he might still make an occasional visit to the intensive care unit if he wanted to follow up on a patient. Not that Harriet was working there any more—not when that environment needed people who could be quick on their feet when needed and in no danger from being distracted by pain or fatigue.
An echo of the awkwardness that had only increased between them until Jack didn’t come to visit her any more reared its head as he arrived back on the ledge and helped Harriet into the ‘nappy’ harness that would hold her close to his body as they were winched back into the helicopter. Maybe it was a good thing that it was noisy and scary and there was no need to say anything other than to confirm she understood all the instructions.
The scariest part was when her feet lost contact with the relative safety of that ledge and she was dangling in mid-air, with the rocks of the cliff looking alarmingly close and the roiling surf a terrifying drop below.
Oddly, she felt safe at the same time.
Jack was big. Tall and muscly. Not with the kind of muscles that her ex-boyfriend Pete had nurtured in his gym sessions, though. Just like his looks were a complete contrast to the sun-streaked, surfer vibe that had attracted her to Pete in the first place. It felt like Jack had just been born that way, and maybe he had. The young paramedic had island heritage—Maori or Samoan—with the dark eyes and black hair that went with his olive skin. He had the gentleness that could come as such a pleasant surprise in a big man but he also had strength and that was what Harriet could feel surrounding her now as they rose slowly in this vast sky.
How long had it been since she’d felt a man’s arms around her like this? Making her feeling safe. Cherished, almost.
Maybe that foolhardy challenge of climbing down that cliff had been worth it.
Just for this...
FUNNY HOW MANY thoughts could flash through your brain when you were dangling in mid-air. Even when most of your concentration was so focused on keeping both yourself and the person you were holding safe.
But the thoughts were there. Drifting past like fragments of a half-forgotten dream.
Because he had dreamed of this. Once upon a time.
Holding Harriet Collins in his arms...
Part of his soul had recognised her as the perfect woman the first time he’d met her, back when they had both been new and on their very first training