Page 11 of Do Opposites Attract?

When there was no reply, she stole a look at the bed. He was fast asleep. She watched the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest with a strange sort of relief. At least she could now escape his scrutiny. Hopefully, by the time she saw him again, she would have this crazy desire back under control. They’d just watched a patient die together. Clearly her emotions were all over the place.

She rose from the chair, but couldn’t resist a final look at his sleeping form. Now, instead of an uncouth man, she could only see one who was strong, tough and downright sexy. With a despairing shake of her head, she fled his tent and returned to the safety of her own. It was still only half five in the morning so she chose to lie back on her bed and try and get some more sleep. She must be over-tired if she was starting to find the rough, gruff DrMcBride attractive.

Chapter Six

Brianna knew for certain how far this trip had already changed her when she cleaned up the last mouthfuls of a bowl of glutinous porridge in the catering tent. Last week she would have rejected the food without a second thought. This morning she was simply grateful for something to fill her stomach. If Melanie could see her now, she’d laugh her dainty little socks off. Thinking of her, Brianna was hit with a sharp pang of loneliness. She missed a friend, someone to talk to, to laugh with. How long had it been since she’d laughed? Not since she’d arrived here, that was for certain. The team were friendly, but they treated her with the politeness of strangers. She wanted to talk to someone who knew her, who would tell her how it was. Glancing at her watch, and quickly calculating time differences, she reckoned it was lunchtime in the UK. Melanie might just have woken up.

‘Brianna?’ She sounded distinctly groggy.

‘Don’t tell me I’ve woken you up?’

‘Of course you bloody have,’ came the grumpy reply. ‘It’s only five in the morning.’

Brianna started to giggle. ‘Oops, I must have got the time differences wrong. Sorry.’

Suddenly her friend woke up. ‘Bugger, sorry, tell me everything,’ she screeched. ‘And you’ll have to shout because this is a really lousy signal.’

‘Of course it is. I’m using a satellite phone because I’m in the middle of flipping nowhere.’

‘Well, apart from being in the middle of nowhere, how the heck are you?’

‘I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I miss your ugly face, my friend,’ Brianna replied with a smile, gratefully easing into their usual banter.

‘Boy, things must be really bad.’

Brianna chuckled. ‘No, they aren’t, not really. In fact everyone has been really good to me. It’s just not the same as being with your friends. They tend to treat me with kid gloves here.’ Her mind wandered back to Mitch. ‘Well, most of them do. They’re probably scared I’ll go telling tales to Mum.’

‘Any hunky men?’

‘Melanie,’ Brianna exclaimed in mock disgust. ‘I’m here to understand how the group rescue and care for injured people whose lives have been ripped apart by a tornado. I’m not here to pick up men.’

‘Well, generally speaking, they try to pick you up,’ her friend replied dryly. ‘I’m sure even the most devoted rescue worker isn’t blind to a beautiful woman.’

Brianna sighed. ‘Maybe, but I have to say, it is all pretty depressing. It certainly puts my own life into perspective. I can’t help but think how flipping lucky I am.’ There was a moment’s silence, and Brianna wondered if Melanie was still there. ‘Melanie?’

‘Hey, I’m still here buddy. I hear what you’re saying, but don’t get too serious on me. Sure, do what you can to help, but you still have your own life to lead. And anyway, you didn’t answer my question. What about the men?’

Brianna thought of Mitch. How would Melanie react if she admitted she thought she was falling in lust with the head doctor? A rough looking man with an abrasive personality. She couldn’t even explain the attraction to herself, never mind her best friend. ‘Nobody you’d be interested in,’ she replied truthfully.

Quickly she caught up on the last few days of trivial but amusing gossip from back home, ending the call with a promise to phone again if anything interesting happened.

‘I thought I might find you here,’ Dan announced as he walked towards her. ‘If you’ve finished your breakfast, wouldyou like a tour of the main camp? I’ve got to pick up some supplies and thought you might fancy a ride.’

‘What, a chance to get away from here for a while?’ She smiled at him. ‘What are we waiting for?’

Brianna knew a trip around the camp wasn’t going to be scenic, but at least it was away from the depressing sight of patients in hospital beds. It also took her away from the close proximity of Mitch, which was definitely a good idea. She was still alarmed by her sudden attraction to him in the early hours of the morning. With a bit of luck, time away would bring her equilibrium back to an even keel.

First Dan drove to the small airstrip where he hauled several large crates marked Medic SOS into the back of the truck. He refused her offer of help, for which she was grateful. If she’d gone with Mitch, no doubt she’d have been the one left lugging the boxes while he watched. And told her to put more effort into it.

Driving back, Dan stopped to introduce her to a twinkling-eyed older man called Sam, who was in charge of the whole set-up, and then detoured so she could see the full extent of the refugee camp.

‘I wonder how they manage to live, eat and sleep all under one small canvas roof?’ she wondered out loud, staring at the huddled rows of tents the poor villagers now called home.

‘It’s probably easier when your original home wasn’t much bigger.’

She nodded, uncomfortably aware that even before the tornado these people had lived in homes probably no larger than the garage her father parked his car in. As she scanned the faces in front of her she didn’t see any of the emotions she’d expected. There was no weeping, no angry tantrums. If this had happened to her, she’d be doing both. Instead there was a quiet acceptanceof what had happened. Most people seemed simply grateful to be alive and holding someone they loved.

‘I can’t imagine how it feels to suddenly lose everything. Your home, possessions, maybe members of your family.’ She felt sick at the thought.

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