Authors: Nina Hamilton
She let him do it. As Andrew was incredulously searching for a reply, Kate opened her car door and swung her long legs out.
Without slowing down, she added, ‘You might be an excellent surgeon but your resume indicates it has been sometime since you were involved in emergency assessment and care. So don’t think, around here, a medical degree means you can challenge God for supremacy.’
Without waiting for an answer, Kate closed her door with a sharp bang and walked briskly to the base’s entrance. Andrew swatted the dash of the car in sheer frustration once she was out of earshot. Her words had made the glow of satisfaction of a job well done disappear. Today he had given his patient excellent care, and this jumped-up paramedic had chosen now to give him a scold. Well, he decided, the time for a policy of conciliation was over.
By the time he had a shower and made his way to the tea-room, Kate was inside, laughing with the rest of the helicopter team, with a decidedly feminine giggle. It seemed like he was the only one to merit the ice queen treatment.
Going in, Andrew sprawled as he sat at the head of the tea table. He waited for Kate to turn around before he said, ‘Crime must be low in Cairns if you can leave your car here unlocked, or didn’t you mean to do that?’
The way that Ben immediately chastised her provided him with amusement.
‘Sorry. If you had left the keys with me, I would have done it for you.’ He could see, from her slightly heightened colour, his dig had drawn a little blood.
‘Thanks,’ she said, smiling an obviously forced smile at Andrew.
Her expression didn’t relax as Ben turned his attention to Andrew. ‘So, second visit to the hospital. Any nurses there on your radar?’
‘The staff there are very friendly,’ Andrew said, wagging his eyebrows at Ben, in a boy’s own type way.
‘I’ll bet they are,’ Ben responded. ‘Kate, has the buzz about our popular boy reached your ears yet?’ Not waiting for her answer, he assured Andrew, ‘You remember, you represent the shift. Now Toby, our last doctor wasn’t much chop with the ladies. But Jeremy, before him, he was something.’
Kate’s laugh was genuine when it came. ‘I’m still not convinced that the reason Jeremy left us, wasn’t because there just weren’t any single women in Cairns left to bed.’
She looked more relaxed, but Andrew couldn’t help noticing that only Ben was receiving the warmth of her smile.
Ben continued, in laconic tones, ‘So the motto of the story is, pace yourself.’
Andrew laughed appreciatively. But, he couldn’t help but push. ‘So Ben, is Kate here as popular as is her right?’
Andrew knew she would hate the impertinence of the question. Hell, that was why he asked it. What he hadn’t foreseen, though, was the slight but definite stiffening of Ben’s spine.
‘Kate here is clever enough not to date any health professionals, doctors and paramedics included.’
Andrew could consider himself warned. Anyway, Kate’s frostiness towards him had killed all desire. Well, Andrew thought, as he discreetly watched Kate’s shapely body as she reached for the top shelf, almost all desire.
Baiting Kate in front of the rescue team was probably not a good idea, however much she had deserved it in private. The jovial mood had become less buoyant, but Andrew was still passed a cup of tea by Ben.
‘How is the patient?’ Ben asked.
‘Good,’ he answered.
Seeing from Ben’s face that he actually was interested, Andrew expanded. ‘The CAT scans indicate some bleeding on the brain, so the induced coma was definitely justified. Adding to that he has multiple fractures and contusions, so the trauma team were taking him into surgery when I left.’
Andrew looked at the roster for tomorrow scribbled on the whiteboard. ‘So hospital transfers are all that is scheduled in for tomorrow?’
It was Ben who replied. ‘Unless there is another emergency call out, we are going to be the hip replacement flight express.’
‘Hope you’ve been boning up on obstetrics care, Andrew,’ said Kate, who obviously couldn’t resist any opening. ‘We end up transferring plenty of women in labour.’
‘Aren’t I lucky that I’ve got you along for the ride?’
Well, snarky seemed to be her middle name. Although after dealing with his former fiancé’s discreetly damaging whispers, Andrew could appreciate fighting with a woman who wasn’t afraid to do so with her fists up.
‘Reports call,’ Andrew said, rising as he gulped the rest of his tea.
Ben took his cue to start moving, ‘Aren’t you glad you joined the glamorous world of helicopter rescue? Red dust in your ear and a pile of reports to file.’
Shift change came, just as Andrew had finalized the rest of his paper work. He left the office where he had been working quietly and came upon Kate packing the last of the day’s equipment away, chatting to another extremely attractive woman in the Queensland Rescue blues.
‘Dr Brigid Adair,’ said the brunette, introducing herself.
Andrew had seen her name on the roster and heard that she was part of a working couple with her ex-solider turned paramedic husband. He had been surprised by the egalitarian nature of the relationship, as he had read her papers on emergency protocols as part of his preparations for coming to Australia.
‘Great to meet you.’ He was more exuberant than usual, liking the way it discomforted Kate.
Seeing the tough man come up behind her and put a protective arm on Dr Adair’s waist, it seemed that Kate wasn’t the only one slightly put off when he pulled out his best charm.
The familiar refrain of the alarm had all staff members moving.
‘This one is ours,’ was Matt’s quick smile. Like every other front line responder Andrew had met so far, this was what he lived for.
Seeing an opportunity for a quiet word as the couple left him and Kate alone, Andrew couldn’t resist getting the last word off their earlier sparing. He leaned over her and said quietly, ‘I guess I’ll probably be seeing you at home.’
He didn’t wait to see the annoyance on her face fully bloom. He just had to imagine it, behind his back, as he walked out the door.
When the weekend came, Kate was only too glad to greet it with brunch. She loved Saturday mornings, especially ones like this. She and Lucy always nabbed the same table in the resort dining area. Their table sat on the deck, and a potted palm partially hid it, so Lucy could avoid the resort’s guests before her shift started.
‘Bad penny, ten o’clock.’ Kate’s comment had Lucy swivelling in her seat.
Looking at Andrew scanning the room, Kate regretted saying anything. Lucy immediately got his attention with an enthusiastic wave.
‘Bad penny, you have got to be kidding,’ said Lucy, as Andrew made his way towards them. ‘You obviously haven’t seen the handsome doctor’s abs when he goes swimming in the pool.’
Kate didn’t get a chance to reply, as Andrew came within earshot. She could only console herself with a silent promise of retribution. When Lucy greeted him with a smile and an invitation to join them, Kate added that to her list for future revenge.
His ‘only if you are sure’ seemed a little lacking, especially as he was sitting down when the words came out of his mouth.
‘Gorgeous morning,’ he continued, as he gestured to the sun-soaked surrounds. ‘Definitely an improvement on the one I would be having in London.’
Kate had to admit that the resort looked at its best. The polished deck they were sitting on extended to the perfectly maintained gardens on one side and the large pool area on the other.
Andrew looked in his element here, in a crisp white t-shirt and faded jeans. In fact, watching him pour a glass of water from the crystal glass jug, she knew she had to be thankful that Lucy didn’t pull out a camera and try to upload him to the resort’s website. He looked so appealing that Lucy was certainly capable of such a thing.
Their waitress, Rosie, seemed to agree, as she greeted him with her smile turned to double wattage. However, even their appealing companion couldn’t distract Rosie from another Saturday morning ritual.
‘The awards today will be for the couple having the meanest fight about his work hours and the couple on their first holiday together.’
As Rosie walked away after taking their orders, Kate could see Lucy’s intense mortification after Rosie had revealed their in-house game. Lucy would hate to have her professional veneer tarnished in front of a virtual stranger. However, Kate couldn’t help thinking that maybe Lucy shouldn’t have invited that particular virtual stranger to breakfast.
Unluckily, being a best friend meant she had to help Lucy out.
‘That’s secret resort business and any sharing of it will result in the immediate expulsion from room thirty-four,’ said Kate.
Despite her tough words, Kate was glad to see Andrew shooting Lucy an amused smile before he said, ‘I’m a doctor, so confidentiality is a professional pillar. But if there is a game, I want in.’
Lucy’s relief was palpable to Kate. ‘It is an old customer service game,’ Lucy explained. ‘We play, because, as manager, I’m the only member of staff who eats here. So Saturday mornings we get the wait staff to nominate a few categories and we take a guess.’
For a moment, Kate wondered if Andrew would turn conservative and disapproving. Instead, he said, smiling, ‘I’m in.’
‘So we are nominating the couple in the corner as the brand new relationship, and the dark haired woman looking daggers as the fight,’ Kate said, before she bit into another slice of mango from the fruit platter.
‘OK, I will bow to female intuition,’ Andrew replied. ‘But I still think the fight is the bitchy looking woman in black.’
Kate smiled at Andrew. No-one could doubt his enthusiasm for the game. Looking at him across the breakfast table, she could almost forgive him for his high-handed behaviour at work. Almost.
Determinedly pushing the stress of the last week from her mind, Kate replied to his earlier sally. ‘I think you’re reading too much into her expression. You’ll find a woman like that wears a bitchy look permanently. She could have had the most mind-blowing sex of her life twenty minutes ago and she still would be sitting there with that frown on her face.’
Andrew actually laughed, loudly. ‘I wouldn’t recognise that look,’ he quipped. ‘No woman has ever worn it around me.’
A little embarrassed about mentioning sex in front of Andrew, Kate became aware of Lucy sitting quietly while she and Andrew discussed their challenge so animatedly. However, she was quickly reassured by Lucy’s knowing smile.
‘You guys better finish that fruit if you want to have your bacon pancakes,’ Lucy said.
‘Yes, Mum,’ Kate said, affectionately winking at her pretty blonde friend. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to add some greens as well to our plates?’
‘Considering you ordered both bacon and maple syrup it would serve you right if I did.’
‘Do you girls always eat like this?’ Andrew asked.
‘Only on Saturdays,’ said Kate. ‘We consider it our duty to be the resort’s quality control.’
‘Very generous of you.’
With perfect timing, Rosie arrived carrying their plates filled with pure indulgence. As Rosie and Lucy laughingly confirmed with Andrew their table’s guesses, Kate took the chance to observe them. Today, Andrew seemed more comfortable, with none of the prickly silences they had both endured during the week. Kate couldn’t help wondering how much of it was the influence of her sweetly mannered friend. Andrew even half-stood when Lucy excused herself to answer a question of the reception staff.
‘This is a more entertaining breakfast than I expected when I woke up this morning,’ he said, as he sunk back into his seat. ‘Have you been friends with Lucy for long?’
Kate swallowed a bite of her pancake, heavy with syrup before answering. ‘We went to the same gym, and I was looking for an apartment about the same time as business was slowing. So she offered me a villa and we have been friends ever since.’
She watched as Andrew looked across the room to where Lucy was standing. A very unexpected urge had her continuing, ‘Her boyfriend is a local police officer so I’m sure you’ll meet him soon.’
God, where had that last sentence come from? Did she just warn him off her best friend?
To cover her fluster, Kate busied herself with adding sugar to her already sweet coffee and waited for Andrew to speak.
‘At least there isn’t any rain today,’ he said, changing the subject. ‘If I’m going to be spending it with a bunch of kids at the beach I’d prefer the day not being awful.’
Kate’s relief at the silence being broken was quickly overcome by a mild dismay, as she comprehended the meaning of his words.
‘Pete didn’t rope you into that too?’
She should have guessed the Base’s commander wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to get a doctor on board.
‘Yeah,’ Andrew confirmed. ‘I’m all for volunteering, but my presence today seemed a lot more like conscription. It is not like you can say no to your boss asking you to teach teenagers how to stop drownings.’
‘Pete does have a special talent for making a request sound like an order,’ said Kate, as she pushed her nearly finished plate away and pulled cash out of her wallet. ‘As it looks like we both have some commitments today, I had better get a real start on my weekend.’
As she got up from the table, Kate knew she should probably offer to share a ride with him to the beach. He was new to Cairns after all. However, nothing could make her extend the offer so, instead, she said her goodbyes.
Four hours later, Kate had the unfamiliar sensation of being glad for Andrew’s presence at the beach. The dozen teenagers in her group would have been harder to wrangle on her own.
They were at a beautiful beach twenty minutes to the north of Cairns. Crystal blue water stretched out before them and her feet were warm on the grains of white sand.
The nippers portion of the club, the twelve and thirteen year olds had been gifted to them. Now Kate and Andrew were standing in front of them trying to hold their attention.
‘Yo,’ called Andrew. ‘Over here.’
The excited chatter died down enough for him to lower his voice. ‘Kate and I are here to introduce you to Resuscitation Annie.’