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‘If I get an invitation, sure.’ Jack had turned to look in the same direction as Harriet. ‘So what’s your other goal? You said you had two.’
‘I want to get back to my old job. In intensive care.’
‘Where are you now?’
‘Geriatrics.’ Harriet screwed up her nose. ‘I mean, I love the oldies. I hear the most amazing stories every day but I really miss the ICU.’
‘Why can’t you work there again now?’
‘My leg’s not strong enough. Imagine if there was an emergency and I turned to grab a defibrillator or something and I ended up falling over.’
‘Hmm...’ But Jack seemed distracted. ‘There are cops over there. With a dog...’
‘Oh...’ Harriet wrenched at her door handle. ‘It must be Harry the dog. Let’s go and check that he’s okay.’
The two police officers were about to load Harry the dog into their car but were happy enough to stop and chat when they learned of Jack and Harry’s connection to the unusual job they’d been dispatched to.
‘You never know what’s going to happen on a shift,’ the young officer said. ‘We get a good hike up a hill in a glorious sunset and we’re getting paid for it. How great is that?’
‘Was he hard to find?’
‘No. He was just lying there, with his nose on his paws, right on the edge of the cliff.’
‘Oh...poor Harry.’ Harriet crouched down to hug the dog. ‘It’ll be okay,’ she told him. ‘Someone’s going to look after you.’
‘He’s going to the pound,’ the older officer told them. ‘We’ve tried to find a family member to take him but there doesn’t seem to be anybody.’
Harriet felt the nudge of a cold, damp nose against her hand. He was good at communicating, this dog.
‘I’ll take him,’ she heard herself saying. ‘I don’t want him to go to the pound. How scary would that be? He’d think he was being totally abandoned.’
‘If you want to.’ The police officers exchanged a glance. ‘Can’t see a problem with that as long as we get all your details.’
‘Are you sure?’ Jack sounded concerned. ‘He’s a big dog. He’ll need a lot of exercise.’
Harriet straightened. ‘A lot of exercise is exactly what I need, too, if I’m going to get to where I want to be.’
‘Are you allowed dogs in your apartment?’
She shrugged. ‘Sometimes it’s better to apologise later than ask for permission first. I think this is one of those times.’
Jack’s gaze was thoughtful. ‘I could help, maybe. With the exercising?’
‘Sure.’ This time, Harriet wasn’t going to brush off Jack’s offer to help. It was like another peace offering. ‘That’d be great.’
A few minutes later, Harry the dog was installed on the back seat of Harriet’s car and she was ready to drive home as soon as Jack let go of her door so that she could close it.
‘I’ll be in touch,’ he said. ‘We can make up a roster and I can give him a good run on the beach or something.’
‘Okay. I’d better get going, though. I need to get to the supermarket and stock up on some dog food and stuff.’
Jack closed her door but he was still standing there so Harriet rolled the window down.
‘What?’
He shrugged. ‘Nothing. Just that I reckon you could add a third goal to that list.’
‘Oh?’
‘Yeah...’ He threw a smile over his shoulder as he walked away. ‘Getting back on the team for real. Reckon you could do it if you really wanted to.’
CHAPTER THREE (#u1567b91c-0c56-51ee-96d2-ba4344b41659)
‘SAM...WHAT ARE you doing here?’
‘I had to come and find you. They told me on the ward that you’d brought someone to X-Ray.’
‘Yes.’ Harriet glanced sideways to where the patient she was accompanying was already snoring gently. ‘Poor old May fell out of bed during the night. She’s not complaining but it looks like she’s fractured her neck of femur. We’ve got a bit of a wait, though.’ She raised her eyebrows at her friend. ‘Why did you have to come and find me? Have you set a date for the wedding or something?’
Sam shook her head, flopping into the seat beside Harriet. ‘No...it was too late to ring you by the time I got home last night. There was an SDR meeting and I heard all about your cliff rescue. Oh, my God, Harry...what did you think you were doing?’
There was only one person who could have been spreading that news but Harriet wasn’t entirely sure whether she was disappointed in Jack for talking about her behind her back or quietly pleased that the team now knew all about it.
‘Jack said it would have been an astonishing thing for anyone to do but for you to do it was just mind-blowing.’ Sam was looking down at Harriet’s leg. ‘Are you okay? You’re wearing your brace again.’
‘Just a precaution.’
‘Maybe you should have an X-ray after May.’ Sam glanced at the elderly woman and then caught Harriet’s gaze. There was amusement at the snoring but also sympathy. To sit and wait without even conversation was so very different from the challenges of nursing in the intensive care unit.
‘I’m fine. Honestly.’
‘Better than fine, from what I heard. Jack reckons you should be back on the team.’
Harriet shook her head sharply. ‘Not going to happen.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because I couldn’t do it, that’s why. You know the kind of things that go with a callout. Tramping miles into the scene of something like a flood or a landslide. And remember the Urban Search and Rescue course that you did? I still have enough trouble walking on a flat surface. I couldn’t climb over a pile of rubble after an earthquake if my life depended on it.’
‘You just climbed down a cliff and it was only someone else’s life that was depending on it.’
‘But I couldn’t be depended on and that’s like the number one requirement of an SDR team member.’ Harriet wanted to change the subject. ‘So, have you set a date for the wedding yet?’
Sam groaned. ‘We mentioned that we might prefer a beach wedding and now my dad wants to fly everybody off to a tropical island up north. Hamilton or Fraser Island, maybe.’
‘Wow... How cool would that be?’
‘It would be outrageous.’
‘I’ll bet Blake hated the idea.’
‘My dad’s not stupid.’ Sam shook her head. ‘He offered to donate the same amount of money he would spend on the wedding to Médecins Sans Frontières because he knows how passionate Blake is about helping to provide medical care in developing countries. Did I tell you that we’re thinking of getting a posting next year? Just for three months or so. Maybe in Africa.’
But Harriet was distracted by the idea of a luxurious island holiday that would be a part of her bridesmaid’s duties.
‘So it might happen, then? An island wedding?’
‘Well, Blake did have a funny look on his face when he said that his mum had never had a tropical island holiday in her life.’
‘What’s his mum like?’
‘Lovely. Tough. She’s still struggling to come to terms with her limitations after the stroke.’
‘We’d have a lot in common then.’
Sam’s face creased into serious lines. ‘You’re doing amazingly well, Harry. Better than anyone expected. Better than you expected, I would think. Could you have imagined yourself scrambling down a cliff a few months ago?’
‘No way...’
‘You should have heard Jack singing your praises. He really does think that you could come back on board. If you want to, that is...’
Harriet shrugged, turning to check on her patient. She smoothed white, fluffy hair back from May’s face and the old woman stirred and groaned softly.
Being part of the team wasn’t an option, she knew that. But, oh...the pull was there, wasn’t it? The longing...
‘Maybe one day,’ she murmured. ‘When I’m capable of doing everything that I could do before the accident.’
Which would be never.
‘Perfection is overrated,’ Sam said. ‘We’re a team and everyone brings something a bit different to the overall performance. You could still contribute a lot more than you’re giving yourself credit for.’ She was chewing her lip now. ‘And...and you wouldn’t have to worry about seeing Pete there any more.’
‘I’m not worried. I don’t hate him, Sam. I understand that it would never have worked out.’ Harriet managed a smile. ‘Turns out that broken hearts heal faster than broken legs. Who knew?’
‘Mmm... Still, I couldn’t believe it when I heard what you’d done. You must be so proud of yourself.’
‘You know what? I think I am.’ The warmth of the internal glow she was still aware of wasn’t just due to hearing that Jack had been singing her praises. Harriet was proud of herself. Proud of her leg standing up to the challenge and of overcoming her fears enough to challenge herself that much.
‘I just wish someone had got a photo of that.’
Harriet laughed. ‘Maybe I should have fished my new camera out and taken a selfie halfway down the cliff.’
‘Oh, my God...’ Sam’s jaw dropped.
‘What?’
‘I’ve just had the most brilliant idea.’
‘What’s that?’
‘That could be your contribution to the team—until you’re ready for the whole deal. You could be our official photographer.’
‘No...’ The suggestion made Harriet cringe more than a little. ‘That would be like going on a ride-along in an ambulance. Being a thrill seeker who just gets in the way.’
‘Didn’t sound like you got in the way on that ledge. Jack said you were right back in the swing of things, helping with the gear and the splint and everything.’ She was looking thoughtful now. ‘Bet he would have loved a photo of winching that guy up to the chopper.’
A distressed sound made Harriet’s head turn swiftly. May’s pale blue eyes were wide open. And frightened.
‘Oh, where am I?’ Her words were trembling. ‘What’s happened?’
‘It’s okay, May.’ Harriet took hold of her hand and stroked it with her thumb. ‘We’re in X-Ray. You’ve hurt your leg and we need to find out if something’s broken. I’m here with you. You’re safe.’
‘I hurt my leg? How did that happen?’
Sam was looking at her watch. ‘I’ve got to run. My lunch break’s over in two minutes.’
Harriet could see an X-ray technician heading towards them. ‘And it looks like it might be our turn. I’ll call you later.’
‘Yes...do that. I haven’t even asked about the dog yet. Is it true that you’ve sneaked him into your apartment?’
‘Shh...it’s a secret.’
‘Don’t think it’ll stay that way. Kate already knew.’
‘That’s because her great-aunt Alice is letting him out for me when I’m at work. And she and Angus took him out yesterday because they had a day off.’
Sam was on her feet and already heading for the doors of the X-Ray waiting area. ‘Just yell if there’s anything I can do to help. Like taking him for a run.’
‘Thanks, but Jack’s coming to give him a good run on the beach tonight. It’s all good.’
‘We’re going to the beach?’ May sounded thoroughly confused now. ‘I don’t mean to be rude, dear, but I don’t like sand.’
Harriet smiled, standing on the pedal to release the lock on May’s bed. ‘Don’t worry, May. Not you. It’s Harry the dog who’s going to the beach.’
She could see that she’d confused her elderly patient even more now but fortunately she didn’t have to explain the odd coincidence of having the same name as the dog. The X-ray technician was holding May’s hand to check her ID bracelet.
‘Just the person we’ve been waiting for.’ His smile was cheeky. ‘Are you ready for your photoshoot, Mrs Greene? You look like you’re ready to start your modelling career.’
May perked up and seemed to become far more aware of her surroundings. Was she actually batting her eyelashes?
‘I like that young man,’ she whispered to Harriet as he went ahead to open the doors to the X-ray room.
Harriet grinned. ‘I think he’s a bit young for you, May.’
May tutted. ‘When you’re as old as me, dear, you’ll realise that it doesn’t matter. Age is just a number.’
Harriet was still smiling as she pulled on a lead apron so that she could stay close to May and make sure she didn’t move. She might be determined to get back to her more exciting position in the ICU but moments like these—when you got a glimpse of the personalities within these frail old bodies—were a joy.
* * *
