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‘Near the exit.’
Lindsey burrowed her chin more deeply into the roll collar of her fleece. This was bordering on crazy, standing here like two puppets waiting for someone to pull their strings and activate their mouths. She felt like chucking all her doubts and insisting he come home with her for a meal. Instead, she lowered her head and began fishing for her car keys in her bag.
Dan’s jaw tightened as her hair fell forward in a shimmering curtain and it was all he could do not to reach out and draw it back and hold it while he pressed a slow, lingering kiss on her mouth...
‘Got them.’ Lindsey held up the keys triumphantly. Her gaze held his for a long moment. Expectant. Something... ‘I guess I’ll see you at work, then.’
Dan managed a nod. Whatever chance he’d had to further their...friendship outside the hospital had gone now. He’d stuffed it. ‘Guess so.’
‘Make sure you eat,’ she reinforced, and they both took off in different directions.
‘Hey, Lindsey!’
She turned. He was walking backwards and smiling. ‘In case you were wondering, I can cook.’
‘Never doubted it.’ Lindsey’s own smile carried her all the way home.
Wednesday, the following week...
‘Told you he’d shape up.’ Vanessa’s voice held vindication, as they completed handover for the late shift.
‘Andrew?’ Lindsey feigned mild interest.
Vanessa gave an eye-roll. ‘Our Dr Rossi. He’s been exceptionally co-operative and I detected quite a nice sense of humour lurking somewhere there.’
‘I’ve hardly seen him this week.’ Lindsey made a pretence of checking the list of patients waiting in cubicles. ‘His shifts have obviously been all over the place.’ And she’d noticed his absence. Oh, boy, had she noticed.
‘Well, if you’re happy with everything, I’m out of here.’ Vanessa hauled off her lanyard and scattered a handful of pens into a nearby tray. ‘Andrew and I are going to a movie.’
‘Well, fancy that...’ Lindsey drawled. ‘He’s finally asked you out on a date.’
‘Well, actually, I asked him. But he was all for it,’ Vanessa added quickly.
‘Good for you, Van.’
‘Well, the opportunity kind of just presented itself,’ Vanessa said modestly. ‘But it just goes to show, doesn’t it? Some men merely need a shove in the right direction.’
Was there a message somewhere in there for her? Lindsey’s eyes were thoughtful as she set about triaging the patients on her list.
CHAPTER THREE (#ua8390db7-fd03-5b54-9dd2-ffc07ce1fd9e)
LINDSEY TURNED UP the music and did a rhythmic little rock with her shoulders as she drove. It was Friday at last and she was on leave. Going home. It was a good feeling. And perhaps back among the vines and the majestic blue hills she’d be able to sort out her feelings about a certain doctor. Was she wasting her time, though? Maybe. Maybe not.
She shut her music off. It was time to concentrate on her driving. Even though the country road was bitumen and usually well maintained, it was narrow. And it was just on dusk, visibility questionable to say the least, but she hadn’t wanted to hang about in Hopeton. With the thought of home beckoning, she’d just wanted to be on her way.
Automatically, she concentrated her vision on the road ahead. The headlights of an approaching car were illuminating the horizon. Lindsey adjusted her own headlights in preparation. She noticed there was a vehicle behind her as well. But so far it was obeying the road rules and keeping a safe distance.
* * *
Dan’s thoughts were very mixed as he drove. He hadn’t managed to catch Lindsey much over the past week. And that had been a frustration. He’d wanted to reinforce the little progress he’d made in getting to know her. But his hours at work had been manic, only because he’d made himself available so as to accumulate a few days’ leave after the wedding. The wedding was tomorrow. He hadn’t prepared a speech so he’d speak off the cuff. He and Nathan had so much shared history, it shouldn’t be difficult.
Abruptly, Dan was jolted out of his thoughts of weddings and speeches as he noticed the lurching drift of an oncoming car. What the hell? All his reflexes sprang into action. He reduced speed instantly, preparing to brake. For a split second he forgot to breathe, following the speeding car’s trajectory as it plunged out of control, crossing the centre line and placing it on a collision course with the car in front of him. He felt every nerve in his body tense.
Surely, a crash was inevitable.
* * *
Lindsey hissed an expletive, all her defensive driver training coming into play. This couldn’t be happening! Who was this lunatic of a driver? Her heart pounded, echoing in her ears. Please, no! She pulled hard on the steering wheel, feeling she’d dodged a bullet as the sports car shot past in a blur. She was safe. The relief was instant but short-lived as the vehicle clipped the rear section of her car, pushing her off the road. Her head snapped forward and then back, slamming into her headrest as her car spun and spun again.
Dan’s jaw went rigid. This was a nightmare. He watched in horror as the sports car rolled before coming to rest right side up in a mangled mess of metal and broken glass. One headlight remained working, shining brokenly on the prostrate figure lying in the middle of the road.
* * *
It took a few seconds for the nurse in Lindsey to react. All thoughts of her own welfare fled. Pushing out of the car, she set her feet on the road. She felt woozy as she stood, swallowing back sudden nausea. She had to get to the injured person. She began running.
* * *
The sight of the female figure running towards the accident wrenched Dan out of his quagmire of disbelief. He brought his Land Rover as near as was safe to the accident site, switching his headlights to high beam. In seconds, he’d lodged a call for an ambulance. Seconds after that, he was out and grabbing his medical case, complete with oxygen and suction. He had a feeling he was going to need every last item in his kit. He took off at a run, noting the woman was already at the scene, crouching over the injured man. Dan frowned. Should she even be there? He’d seen how her vehicle had copped the impact of the sports car. ‘Are you hurt?’
Lindsey startled at the brisk demand, raising her head. She blinked uncomprehendingly. ‘Dan...?’
Sweet God. Dan let his breath go in a stream. ‘Lindsey?’
For a mini-second they stared at each other in amazement and total disbelief. But the whys and wherefores had to wait until later. They had a life to save. ‘Are you OK?’ Dan rapped.
She frowned slightly. ‘Think so...’
‘Then let’s see what’s going on.’
The injured man looked in his sixties. Possible causes for the accident ran through Dan’s head. Had he fallen asleep? Suffered a stroke or heart attack...? He was wearing bike shorts, T-shirt and hiking boots. Dan threw open his medical kit, snapping on a pair of gloves. Who was this guy—some kind of fitness nut? First things first, he decided, placing an oxygen mask over the man’s face.
Lindsey hunkered down beside Dan. ‘Ambulance coming?’
‘Yep. They’ve diverted one. Let’s hope it gets here in time.’ Dan shook his head at the carnage. ‘Glove up, please, Lindsey. I need your help here.’
She swayed a little then gathered herself, taking a deep breath and then another, pulling on her gloves over shaking hands. ‘Is he still breathing?’
‘Just. Obviously he wasn’t wearing a seat belt to be thrown out like that.’ Dan did a quick head-to-toe check. ‘Multiple contusions, by the look of it, fractured tibias.’ He ripped out an expletive. ‘Arterial bleed from his groin.’
Lindsey felt her stomach turn upside down, the sight of bright blood pulsing from the femoral artery almost making her gag. She took quick, shallow breaths, swallowing down the bitter taste of bile. Working like a robot, she grabbed whatever she could find in Dan’s bag to absorb the flow of blood and pressed hard against the site. Pressure. They needed pressure. A tourniquet. An ambulance. A and E back-up. Her brain fogged. This was bordering on her worst nightmare. She’d attended dozens of accident scenes. What on earth was wrong with her...?
‘Sure you’re OK?’
Suddenly Dan was butted up against her. Lindsey felt the warmth of his hand anchoring hers. Her teeth began to chatter. ‘Bit s-sick...’
‘You’re in shock!’ God, why hadn’t he noticed?
‘I’ll...be all right.’ Lindsey forced herself to slow her breathing. In and out.
Dan scanned her face. Even in the dim light he could see she was as pale as parchment. ‘Do you hurt anywhere? Lindsey, I need to know.’
She shook her head and winced as a spasm in her neck caught her unawares. ‘Bit of...whiplash. I’ll be OK. Just...get on.’
Dan hissed a non-reply. Within seconds, he’d wound a tourniquet into place.
Freed from the task of providing pressure on the wound, Lindsey pulled back. ‘Do you have a collar?’
‘No, damn it.’ He shook his head at his lapse. Made a mental note to include one in his kit ASAP. ‘We’ve got to stop that racket somehow,’ he grated. They both knew their patient’s airway was seriously compromised, his tortured breathing rattling into the stillness. He’d have to improvise. Dan’s responses were running at top speed. He moved forward, kneeling so that the injured man’s head was between his thighs. It was the only kind of stability he could offer for his patient’s head and neck. Using gentle pressure, he extended the chin. The man’s breathing improved marginally. It had to be enough until the paramedics got there.
Lindsey rallied, giving Dan the back-up he needed. She passed him the portable suction unit, automatically pushing the mask aside so he could place the sucker inside their patient’s mouth. She felt black nausea pool in her stomach as blood tracked down into the tubing. Turning away, she retched onto the road.
‘That’s enough, Lindsey,’ Dan ordered. ‘I can manage from here.’ He motioned backwards with his head. ‘Go and sit in my car and wait for me. There’s bottled water in an Esky on the floor. Drink.’
* * *
Wrapping her arms tightly over her stomach, Lindsey walked a bit unsteadily to the Land Rover. Opening the passenger door, she stopped, breathing away the coil of utter wretchedness. The few seconds’ hiatus gave her some relief and she scrambled inside. Letting her head rest back, she closed her eyes and steadied her breathing.
It took only a few minutes for her stomach to settle. Feeling more in control, she leaned down and took a bottle of water from the Esky. She began sipping, feeling better after each mouthful. But now she was beginning to feel cold.
Dan’s jacket was draped across the back of the driver’s seat. Guardedly, aware she could overstretch her already sore neck muscles, she reached over and slowly managed to unhook the coat, draping it across her body like a blanket. She felt herself relax, snuggling into its warmth, breathing in the faint scent of sandalwood and seasoned leather.
And him.
Out of nowhere, Lindsey felt a warm sensation down low, sensual tentacles humming through her whole body. She burrowed more deeply into Dan’s coat. And felt connected to him in a way she could have only imagined.
Her mind flew ahead to something much more intimate and she snuggled deeper, as though taking his body warmth into herself.
Gradually, she became aware that the ambulance had arrived in a blaze of lights and a blaring siren, the police vehicle and a tow truck not far behind, the multi-coloured strobes looking like a weird kind of stage show. Lindsey watched through the windscreen, glad to be away from it all. Her tummy had settled but the feeling of it all happening to someone else persisted. Unfortunately, the reality was there in the ache of her neck muscles.
She could only hope the injured man would recover. And if he did, it was all down to Dan’s skill as a doctor. He had been amazing.
Twenty minutes later the ambulance had gone. Lindsey registered the activity up ahead. The police had redirected the oncoming traffic. She wondered why there seemed quite a bit for this rather quiet road. But, then, it was Friday and lots of folk liked to get away for the weekend for wine tours and the B&B comfort offered by several of the vineyards around Milldale.
‘How’re you doing?’
Lindsey startled. The driver’s door had swung open and Dan was there beside her. ‘Much better.’ She gave a wan smile. ‘I borrowed your coat.’
‘Good. I’m glad you had the sense to keep warm.’ He sent her a perceptive look. ‘I take it Milldale doesn’t have a hospital?’
‘Not even a GP. Why?’
‘Why?’ Dan frowned. ‘Because I think I should take you straight back to Hopeton and get your neck X-rayed.’
‘Oh, Dan...please, no.’ Lindsey squeezed her eyes tightly shut in rebuttal. ‘I’ll be fine, honestly.’
‘You can’t know that for sure, Lindsey.’ He seemed unconvinced. ‘But I had a feeling you’d be stubborn so I managed to snaffle a collar from the paramedics.’
‘No collars.’ Lindsey was adamant. ‘Look, it’s whiplash, resulting in a bit of muscle strain. I have some massage oil that works miracles. I’ll attend to it the minute I get to where I’m going.’
Dan quirked a brow. ‘And where is that?’
‘Milldale. Home.’
‘Home,’ Dan repeated. ‘I thought you lived in Hopeton.’
‘I do, for work. But home for me is Lark Hill, the vineyard where my parents live. Where I grew up. I’m starting a bit of leave.’
It took Dan only a few seconds to process all this. She still had some way to drive to Milldale before she could get relief for her neck pain. Was she fit to drive? Was her car even drivable? He came to a decision. He was a doctor, for God’s sake. He could treat her. Here and now. ‘Do you have your miracle oil with you?’
Lindsey looked uncertain. ‘Of course I have it with me.’
‘In your luggage?’ Dan was slowly opening the driver’s door. ‘Tell me where to look and I’ll massage it in for you. The sooner it’s done, the sooner some relief will kick in for you.’
Lindsey’s hands clutched the collar of his coat, pulling it higher as if to ward off the idea. She couldn’t let him do that. It was too intimate...too...everything. She moistened her lips. ‘If you get me the oil, I can rub it on myself.’
He snorted. ‘And how high can you lift your arms without it hurting?’
Emotions began clogging Lindsey’s throat. If she was honest, she was aching all over and suffering the aftermath of shock. It would be so lovely to let go of all her scruples and let Dan take care of her. ‘My car keys are still in the ignition.’
‘And your luggage in the boot?’ Dan swung one leg out of the car.
Lindsey managed a small nod. ‘Just bring my beauty case. It’s black with—’
‘Lindsey, relax,’ Dan broke in gently. ‘I know what a beauty case looks like. I’ll find it.’
* * *
Lindsey closed her eyes. He’d told her to relax so she’d try. He’d taken over anyway. And right at the moment the idea sounded heaven-sent.
Dan was back. Not only did he have her beauty case but he’d brought along her shoulder bag as well. And her long woolly cardigan was draped over his forearm.
‘You’ve thought of everything.’ Lindsey managed a trapped smile.
‘And I have something for your neck pain as well.’
‘What are they?’ She looked dubiously at the foil-wrapped tablets he handed her.
‘They’re standard painkillers,’ Dan said. ‘Nothing to send you off to la-la land.’ He watched as she broke open the foil and then handed her a bottle of water. When she’d swallowed the tablets, he asked, ‘Now, how are we going to do this?’
Lindsey blinked. He was obviously referring to her massage. She unzipped her beauty case and handed him the bottle of oil. ‘I could probably just manoeuvre myself so my back’s to you,’ she said throatily.
‘Or we could fold back the rear seat so you could lie down.’
‘That’s not necessary.’ Lindsey was firm. ‘Just take your jacket back, Dan, and I’ll get my shirt off.’
Dan’s eyes widened. His heart gave a sideways skip. ‘OK...’
Lindsey undid the buttons and shrugged off the loose-fitting shirt to reveal a snug little vest top beneath. She sent him an innocent look. ‘What?’
