Page 16 of Stranded with the Surgeon

‘Definitely not.’

‘You sound very sure about that.’

‘I am. I like my life just the way it is. There’s no space for kids in it.’

‘So what makes you assume I want a family?’

Jennifer was frowning. Did she want a family? It wasn’t something that had been more than a fleeting thought over the years. A thought that was easy to shove on the back burner due to the precedence her career had always taken.

‘Not all women are born with the desperate need to reproduce. Maybe I’m just as sure about it as you are.’

‘You just gave me the impression that you’re fond of kids, that’s all.’

‘How on earth did you reach a conclusion like that?’

‘Both your worst and best cases involved babies and children.’

‘I guess those cases can be more memorable. Maybe it’s more of a tragedy to lose babies and children than older people who have had a chance to live life.’

‘Like Digger, you mean?’

‘No, I didn’t mean that.’ Jennifer’s tone softened. ‘Digger’s obviously special. He reminds me of my dad.’

‘Because he called you Jenna?’

‘Not just that. There’s something else there. An independence maybe. Or courage, or a sense of humour. An ability to face whatever has to be faced without making a big fuss about it.’

Guy grunted. ‘You’re not a bad judge of character.’

Jennifer could hear him moving. ‘Hey, Digger? Did you hear the nice things Dr Allen was saying about you?’

There was no response from Digger. Jennifer moved as well, to wriggle her hand inside the coverings and find Digger’s wrist.

‘His radial pulse isn’t palpable,’ she said quietly. ‘Blood pressure’s dropping.’

‘He’s not responsive,’ Guy added. ‘And I don’t like how shallow and rapid his breathing’s getting.’

Digger was tilted towards Guy’s side of the tent and as Jennifer was tucking his arm back under the leather jacket and foil sheet, she found him tilting even further.

Startled, Jennifer opened her mouth to say something but then realised what was happening. Guy was taking the older man into his arms.

‘It’s okay, mate,’ he was saying softly. ‘I’m here, Digger. I’m not going anywhere.’

This time, tears formed that rolled down Jennifer’s face. Would someone hold her like that when she was dying? And speak softly in such a loving tone? There was a gap beside her now, where Digger’s back had been.

‘Come a bit closer,’ Guy instructed. ‘We need to keep as much body heat in one place as we can. Pull the tarp in around us if you can.’

So Jennifer found herself pressed against Digger’s back again. She could feel his uneven breathing beneath her cheek. She could feel the erratic heartbeat a long time later when his breathing settled into a rhythm that suggested the end wasn’t far away. They huddled together as the minutes, then hours, passed. The cold was numbing, and attempts at conversation gradually faded into simply waiting.

Waiting for dawn.

Waiting for rescue.

Sadly, there would be no rescue for Jim Spade. As the inky blackness outside lightened by slow degrees into a frigid dawn, Digger took his last breath and slipped away, held in the circle of Guy’s and Jennifer’s arms. Neither of them could break the contact immediately and Jennifer had no idea how long they lay like that. It was Guy who struggled free first. He laid Digger gently on his back and then turned and wriggled out of the tent. When Jennifer put her head outside the shelter, she found the light strong enough to see the silhouette of the man standing some distance away on the edge of the plateau.

The craggy rock faces of the more distant peaks provided a backdrop for the solitary figure. A figure whose head was bent and shoulders were shaking in grief.

Jennifer closed her eyes and buried her face in her hands. She knew neither of these men in any real sense, yet she felt as bad as she had on her father’s recent death. Her heart ached for Guy and she had to resist the impulse to go and offer comfort of some kind. He had gone as far away from the tent – and her – as he possibly could, so he clearly needed some time alone. He would come back when he was ready and Jennifer would do her very best to comfort him if she could.

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