Buch lesen: «Her Firefighter Under the Mistletoe»

CHAPTER ONE

Bzzz…bzzz…

The noise jerked Jess out of the delicious tranquil state that had been enveloping her.

Her eyes blinked at the bright light outside, the fuzziness of her brain trying to adjust and make sense of it all.

Her pager usually woke her in the dark of the night—just like it had three times last night. Having it wake her in the middle of the day was an entirely new experience.

A baby with RSV had kept her awake most of the night in Paediatric ITU, and when the ward had finally quietened down around an hour ago, she’d brought her coffee in here to do some paperwork.

Fat chance. She touched the coffee cup on her desk. Stone cold. Had she even managed a sip before she’d wiped out?

How long had she been asleep? She wriggled in her chair, rolling her shoulders back and trying to ease the knots out of her back.

Bzzz…Bzzz…

She glanced at the number. A and E. Another admission. Probably another respiratory problem.

It was Glasgow, at the start of November, but it felt like the middle of winter. The temperature had dropped dramatically in the last few days and paediatric emergency admissions had soared. Trips and falls on the slippery pavements had resulted in a whole host of strains, fractures and head injuries. Asthma and respiratory complaints were through the roof. Infections and nondescript viruses were causing mayhem with new babies and toddlers.

Just as well she didn’t have anyone to go home to. She hadn’t seen the inside of her house for days.

She picked up the phone and dialled A and E. ‘It’s Dr Rae. You were paging me.’

The voice was brusque, skipping over any pleasantries and getting straight to business. ‘Assemble a flying squad. Nursery minibus in the Clyde on the city outskirts. Unknown number of casualties. We’re waiting for more information from emergency services. You need to be ready to leave in five minutes.’

She was on her feet in seconds and throwing open the door, her tiredness, sore muscles and fatigue instantly forgotten. ‘I need a flying squad,’ she yelled, glancing down the corridor as the sister of the ward hurried towards her, ‘Where’s Jackie? I want her with me.’

Jackie appeared at her side in an instant. ‘What is it?’

‘Nursery minibus in the Clyde.’

The experienced nurse’s face paled. ‘In this weather? In these temperatures?’

‘Go!’ The ward sister waved her hand at them. ‘Leave everything else to me.’

Jess started jogging down the corridor, heading for the stairs. It took less than a minute to reach A and E and one of the staff thrust a green suit into her hands. She climbed into it immediately, noting the fluorescent ‘Doctor’ sign on the back. It was essential that all staff could be picked out easily in an emergency. One of the paramedics thrust a pair of gloves towards her. ‘Take these, you’ll need them out there.’

She glanced at her watch. It was only two-thirty in the afternoon. At least a few hours of daylight left. She prayed they wouldn’t need more than that.

‘Let’s go!’

The shout came from the front doors. Jackie appeared at her side again, similarly clad in a green jumpsuit with ‘Nurse’ emblazoned across the back. They picked up the pre-packed paediatric emergency kits and headed outside.

Jess climbed into one of the emergency vehicles and fastened her seat belt as the sirens sounded and they headed out onto the motorway. She turned to the man sitting next to her, ‘I’m Jess, paediatric consultant. Have you heard any more?’

He nodded. ‘Stan, emergency service co-ordinator. Lots of problems. Someone sideswiped the minibus and sent it down a thirty-foot slippery bank and straight into the Clyde.’

Jess tried to stop the sharp intake of breath. Her brain was into immediate overtime, imagining the types of injuries the children could have sustained.

‘How many?’

He shook his head. ‘Still waiting for confirmation. Three adults, at least ten kids.’

‘Age range?’

‘From two to five. We’re getting more information all the time. The other nursery minibus missed everything. They didn’t even know there had been an accident. The police are there now, collecting details of all the kids.’

Jess swallowed, trying to ignore the huge lump in her throat. The flying squad wasn’t called out too often. She was the consultant on call—it was her job to be here. But that didn’t mean her stomach wasn’t churning at the thought of the scene she was about to face.

Yes, she could appear calm. Yes, she could use her skills and clinical expertise. Yes, she would do everything that was expected of her and beyond.

But would she sleep tonight?

Probably not.

There was a crackle of the radio and some voices she couldn’t distinguish. The driver turned his head. ‘Five minutes. They’ve called out the rapid response and specialist rope rescue team. They should arrive just before us. Let’s hope Callum got out of bed on the right side today.’

‘Who is Callum?’

The words were out of her mouth automatically, before she even had a chance to think. ‘And what’s the specialist rope rescue team?’

None of this sounded good. All she could think about was the children involved in the crash. What did this mean for them?

Stan’s face was pale. ‘It means that the banking is too dangerous for our crews to work on, that, plus the added complication of being in water means we need the specialist crew.’

‘Will it delay me getting to the children?’

Stan averted his eyes, obviously not wanting to give her the answer. He hadn’t answered the other part of her question. He hadn’t mentioned Callum. And the driver’s comment had made her ears prick up. Let’s hope he got out of bed on the right side.

The last thing she needed right now was a prima donna firefighter getting in her way when she had kids to attend to. ‘Is Callum a bit on the crabbit side, then?’ she asked as they pulled over to the side of the road. A bad-tempered man she could deal with. As long as he didn’t interfere with her job.

‘Only on a good day,’ muttered Stan as he jumped from the rescue vehicle.

Jessica opened the door carefully, to avoid the passing traffic on the busy road. The police had cordoned part of it off as best they could. But the constant flow of traffic was unnerving.

The cold air hit her straight away. Biting cold, sneaking under the folds of her jumpsuit, made her wish she was wearing a hat, scarf and fleece and not just the thin gloves she’d been handed.

She flinched at the sight of the crash barrier, twisted beyond all recognition and lying like a useless piece of junk at the side of the road.

There were raised voices to her left. She turned just in time to see a broad-shouldered man snap on his harness and disappear down the side of the banking, with the vain words ‘Risk assessment’ being shouted after him by his colleagues.

A sense of unease came over her body. A vague awareness trickling through her. Callum—that’s what they’d said. It couldn’t possibly be Callum Kennedy, could it? She hadn’t seen him since school and had no idea where he’d ended up. But there was something vaguely familiar about the body that had just disappeared over the edge.

Her footsteps shortened as she reached the edge of the steep bank. Someone touched her shoulder, looking at the sign on her back. ‘Oh, good, the doctor. Let’s get you harnessed up.’

She lifted her legs as she was clipped and harnessed and talked through the motions of the descent. Her bag was sent down ahead. A burly firefighter appeared next to her. ‘You’ll go down with me. Have you done this before?’

She peered over the edge again. Thirty feet of steep descent. How many times had the minibus rolled on the way down?

She could see it now, lying on its side in the Clyde, the icy cold water surrounding it. There was a flurry of firefighters around it. Some on top, trying to get through the windows, some on the banking, surrounded by other pieces of equipment.

‘Get me down there.’ Her eyes met the firefighter’s and the whispered words grew more determined. ‘Get me down to those children.’

He nodded and spoke into the radio clipped to his shoulder. ‘The doc and I are on our way.’

She took a deep breath and turned with her back towards the water, edging down the side of the bank in time with the firefighter. It was slippery work. A thin layer of frost had formed over the mud at the side of the bank, her simple shoes giving her literally no grip. The firefighter’s firm hand in the small of her back kept her from slipping completely. Even through her gloves the biting cold was already making her fingers numb.

She looked over her shoulder. ‘How much further?’

‘Keep your eyes straight ahead, please.’

Her anxiety was building. She wanted to get down. She wanted to help those kids. But she needed to get down there in one piece.

‘Who is Callum? Is it Callum Kennedy?’

The firefighter’s eyes gave a spark of amusement. ‘Know him, do you?’

She wrinkled her nose. ‘I’m not entirely sure. I think so. I went to school with a Callum Kennedy, but I didn’t get a good look at him before he went over the edge.’ She shrugged her shoulders, ‘I’m not even sure he would recognise me now.’

The firefighter gave her a little smile, ‘Oh, I’m sure he would.’

‘What does he do exactly?’

‘He’s the head of the rope rescue unit. He’ll be in charge down here.’ They were inching closer and closer to the bottom.

‘And is he any good?’ She bit her lip. It might seem a little cheeky, but Stan had already mentioned he could be crabbit. She needed to know that he wouldn’t get in her way. That he wouldn’t stop her doing her job with these kids.

‘Put it this way—if me or my kids were stuck anywhere that a rope rescue was needed?’ He lifted his eyes skyward. ‘I would be praying to the man upstairs that Callum would be on duty that night. He’s the safest pair of hands we’ve got—particularly near kids.’ He caught her around the waist. ‘That’s us. Let me just unhook you from this line—but we’ll leave your harness on. You’ll need it to get back up and they’ll hook you up to another one if you’re near the water.’

‘Where’s the doc?’ came the shout.

Jess swivelled around, looking for her bag. ‘I’m here. I’m coming.’

Several of the firefighters were forming a line, passing two little kids along to the edge of the bank. Jackie appeared at her side. ‘Let’s go.’

They reached the kids just as they were placed on warm blankets on the ground. Jess worked quickly, gently feeling over their little bodies for signs of injuries as she spoke to them in a quiet voice.

‘Need some help?’

She nodded at the firefighter next to her. ‘Heat them up. There are no obvious injuries. But they’re in shock.’ She turned back to the minibus. Now she was closer she could see every dent, every bash, every hole in the metalwork.

It made the chill seem even worse. ‘Are these the first two?’

The man next to her nodded. ‘Do we have a number yet? How many kids are injured?’

‘Twelve. That’s the figure we have for the moment. Just awaiting confirmation.’

She moved over to the side of the slippery river’s edge as an adult was passed along and dealt with by the paramedics. She could see the hive of activity going on within the bus, hear the whimpering cries of the children.

‘Can I get over there? Do you need me to get into the bus?’ Her anxiety was building. She couldn’t stand here and do nothing. It just wasn’t in her nature. She needed to be at the heart of the action. It was her job to prioritise, triage and treat the sickest kids. She needed to be next to those children.

Her voice must have carried in the cold air, because a head whipped up from the bus. The man was lying across the windows, reaching down to grasp a squirming child, and his eyes connected with hers.

‘Stay exactly where you are.’

Callum. Callum Kennedy. Absolutely no mistake.

She saw him flinch visibly as his brain made the connection of who was standing on the riverbank.

He’d recognised her? After all these years?

The cold hard air hit her lungs. She must have sucked in a bigger breath than normal. Her skin prickled.

How did she feel about seeing Callum Kennedy thirteen years on?

Unprepared.

Like a seventeen-year-old again, standing in a dark nightclub and willing herself not to cry as they broke up. It had been the right decision. The sensible decision. They had both been going to university, she in Glasgow and he—after a wait of a few years—in Aberdeen. Their relationship would never have worked out. It had been best for them both.

It just hadn’t felt that way.

She pushed her feet more firmly into the ground, trying to focus her attention. Callum’s gaze hadn’t moved. It was still fixed on her face.

She could feel the colour start to rise in her cheeks. It was unnerving. But why the flinch? Was she really such an unwelcome sight after all this time?

Or maybe she was imagining this—maybe he’d no idea who she was at all.

Callum couldn’t believe it. He was holding a child firmly by the waist, while a colleague released him from his seat belt.

But Callum’s eyes were fixed on the flyaway caramel-coloured hair on the riverbank. Running up and down the thin frame that was in no way hidden by the bright green jumpsuit.

A sight he hadn’t seen in thirteen years.

A lifetime ago.

His childhood sweetheart, here on the banks of the Clyde, at the scene of an accident.

He’d always wondered if he’d come across her sometime, some place.

As a firefighter he’d been in and out of most of the A and E departments in the city. But in all these years he’d never glimpsed her, never seen her name on any board.

He knew that Jessica had gone to university to do her medical training, but had no idea where she’d ended up, or which field she’d specialised in.

And now he knew. She was somewhere here in Glasgow, specialising in paediatrics. Why else would she be here?

Would she even remember him? It looked as though she had—even though he’d filled out considerably since the last time they’d met. She, on the other hand, looked as if she’d faded away to a wisp.

Although he could see her slight frame, the most visible changes were around her facial features and structure. And it wouldn’t have mattered how many clothes she was bundled up in, he would have noticed at twenty paces.

It struck him as strange. The young Jessica he remembered had had an attention-grabbing figure and a personality to match. Every memory he had of her was a happy one. And for a second he felt as if they could all come flooding back.

There was a tug at his arms, followed by a sensation of relief and a lightening of the weight in his arms. He pulled upwards automatically. The little guy’s seat belt had been released.

He pulled him up and held him to his chest, capturing the little body with his own, holding him close to let a little heat envelop the shivering form. The little boy wasn’t even crying any more. He was just too cold.

He held the boy for a few seconds longer. He looked around four, just a year younger than his own son Drew. He couldn’t help the automatic paternal shiver that stole down his spine at the thought of something like this happening to his son. It didn’t even bear thinking about.

His only relief right now was that he hadn’t signed a consent form for the school to go on any trips this week, meaning that his little Drew was safely tucked up inside the primary school building.

The temperature in the minibus was freezing, with water halfway up its side-on frame. They were going to have to move quicker to get these kids out in time.

‘Callum! Callum! Pass him over, please.’

Oh, she’d recognised him all right. The authoritative tone made no mistake about that.

‘Okay, little guy, we’re going to get you heated up now.’ He ruffled the little boy’s hair before he passed him over to the arms stretched out towards him. He didn’t have time to think about Jessica Rae now. Too much was at stake.

He thrust his head back inside the minibus. ‘How are we doing?’

John, one of his co-workers, lifted his head. ‘I’ll have two more for you in a second. But I need some more light in here.’

Another voice shouted from the darkness, ‘I think I’ve got one with a broken leg and another unconscious. Can we get a paramedic or a doctor in here?’

Callum lifted his head back up. The light was fading quickly, even though it was only afternoon. Winter nights closed in quickly—by four p.m. it would be pitch black. He didn’t think twice. ‘I need a paramedic or a doctor over here, please.’

He could see the quick confab at the side of the river. Jess was issuing instructions to the nurse with her and the paramedics and ambulance technicians at her side. Things were going smoothly out there. Two of the children and one of the adults had already been transported back up the slippery bank. The latest little guy was still being assessed.

Jess moved to the side of the bank. He could see the impatience on her face as she waited for her safety harness to be clipped to the harness point on the shore. She shook her head at the waders she was offered, grabbed at a hand that was offered and started to climb towards the minibus.

It was precarious. the Clyde was not a quiet-flowing river. It was fast and churning, the icy-cold water lapping furiously at the side of the minibus as it penetrated the interior.

The minibus was moving with the momentum of the river and Jess slipped as she climbed over the wing of the minibus, the weight from her pack making her unstable. She was just within Callum’s reach and he stretched out and grabbed the tips of her fingers with a fierce, claw-like grip.

‘Yeowww!’ Her other hand flailed upwards then closed over his, and he steadied her swaying body as she thudded down next to him.

The red colour in her cheeks was gone, replaced with the whiteness of cold. ‘Thanks,’ she breathed, the warm air forming a little steamy cloud next to them.

‘Fancy seeing you here,’ he murmured, giving her a little smile. It had been impossible to spot from the riverbank, but here, up close, he had a prime-time view of the thing he’d always loved most about Jess—her deep brown eyes.

The smile was returned. That little acknowledgement.

That in another time, another place…

The memories were starting to invade his senses. Jessica in his arms throwing back her head and laughing, exposing the pale skin of her neck—skin that he wanted to touch with his lips.

His brain kicked back into gear. This was work. And he never got distracted at work.

‘Have you done anything like this before?’

She pulled back a little. It was the tiniest movement, a flinch almost, as if she was taken aback by his change of tone.

She shook her head and her eyebrows rose. ‘An overturned minibus in a fast-flowing river with lots of paediatric casualties?’

The irony wasn’t lost on him. He might do this sort of thing day in, day out, but Jess was usually in the confines of a safe, warm, comfortable hospital.

She hunched up onto her knees and pointed at the harness. ‘I’ve never even had one of these on before, let alone abseiled down a hillside.’ She wiggled her hips and tried to move her tether. ‘These things aren’t too comfortable, are they?’

It struck him—almost blindsided him—how brave she was being. The Jessica Rae he’d known at school hadn’t even liked contact sports. He closed his eyes as an unguarded memory of other activities of a physical nature swam into his mind.

Focus. Focus now.

He knelt upwards and grabbed her around her waist, trying not to think about how it felt to be touching Jessica Rae again after all these years. Trying not to remember how her firm flesh used to feel beneath his fingers. What had happened?

‘I’m going to lower you down, Jess.’ He peered through the side window next to them, which had been removed. ‘Your feet will get a bit wet because there’s some water on the floor. Are you okay with that?’

She nodded. She didn’t look scared. She didn’t look panicked. But there was a tiny little flicker of something behind her eyes. She looked in control.

He shouted down into the minibus. ‘John, I’m going to lower the doc down. Can you take care of her?’

She started. ‘Take care of me?’ It was almost as if he’d just insulted her. ‘Don’t you mean take care of the kids?’

But Callum wasn’t paying attention. He was back in rescue mode. ‘There are two kids in the back who need your attention. One unconscious, the other with a broken leg. It’s too cramped in there to take your bag down. Shout up and tell me what you need.’

Their eyes met again as she shrugged off her pack. ‘Ready?’ She nodded and he lowered her down slowly into the waiting arms of the firefighter below, praying that things would go to plan.

‘Sheesh!’ Her feet hit the icy cold water and it sent the surge of cold right up through her body. No one could stand in this for long.

It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the gloom inside the minibus. The mottled daylight was still sending shadows through one side of the bus, but Callum’s body and those of the other firefighters lying across the windows was blocking out the little light that was left.

A flashlight was thrust into her hands. ‘Here you go, Doc.’ She turned it on immediately. The first sight was the way the water was lapping quickly around them. She felt the vaguest wave of panic. ‘Is the river rising?’

John nodded. ‘Not quickly enough for us to worry about.’ his eyes didn’t quite meet hers.

Work quickly.

She noticed his black trousers ballooning around his ankles and gave him a little nod. ‘Did you say no to the waders too?’

He smiled. ‘No room for waders in here, Doc. Space is limited.’

She nodded and she shuffled around him towards the kids. ‘Are any of the kids in water?’ Her feet were already numb. There was a real danger of hypothermia setting in for any kid exposed to these temperatures.

‘Four.’

‘Four?’ She could feel a flare of panic. She was one person. How could she attend to four kids?

Callum stuck his head in the gap. ‘Start with the two at the back, Jess. As soon as you’ve stabilised them and they’re safe to move, my men will get them out. The other two don’t appear injured.’ He pointed to the front of the bus. ‘My men are getting them out as quickly as possible.’ He looked towards the back of the bus. ‘The little girl is called Rosie.’

His voice was calm, authoritative. The kind of guy in an emergency who told you things would be okay and you believed him—just because of the way he said it.

She pushed her way back to a little girl with masses of curly hair, still strapped into her seat. Her leg was at a peculiar angle, and it hadn’t taken a doctor to make an accurate diagnosis of a fracture. The little boy behind her, strapped into the window seat, was unconscious, but she couldn’t possibly get to him until she’d moved this little girl. She took off her gloves and put her hand round the girl, feeling for a pulse at his neck and checking to see he was still breathing. Yes, his pulse was slowing and his chest was rising and falling. But in these cold temperatures hypothermia was a real risk. She had to work as quickly as possible.

The water was lapping around their little legs and would be dropping their temperatures dramatically.

She shouted up to Callum, ‘I need you to pass me down the kit with analgesia—I need to give Rosie some morphine. It’s in a red box, in the front pouch of the bag.’ She waited a few seconds until the box appeared then shouted again, ‘And an inflatable splint.’

She spoke gently to Rosie, stroking her hair and distracting her, calculating The dosage in her head. It was too difficult to untangle the little girl from her clothes and find an available patch of skin. The last thing she needed to do was cause this little girl more pain. She took a deep breath and injected it through the thick tights on her leg, waiting a few minutes for it to take effect. ‘Pass me the splint,’ she whispered to John.

The positioning on the bus was difficult. ‘I’m sorry, honey,’ she whispered, as the little girl gave a little yelp as she straightened her leg and inflated the splint around about it to hold it in place.

‘Is she ready to be moved?’

‘Not quite. Can you get a collar? In fact, get me two. Once I’ve got that on her, you can move her.’

It was only a precaution. The little girl didn’t appear to have any other injuries apart from her leg. She seemed to be moving her other limbs without any problems, but Jess didn’t want to take a risk.

It only took a few seconds to manoeuvre the collar into place and fasten it securely. The cold water was moving quickly. It had only been around the children’s legs when she’d entered the vehicle—now it was reaching their waists. Time was absolutely of the essence here.

She was freezing. How on earth would these children be feeling? Kids were so much more susceptible to hypothermia because they lost heat more quickly than adults.