Page 26 of Stranded with the Surgeon

Jennifer refused to let the praise warm her. ‘Have you got any idea where we are right now?’

‘Only vaguely. I’m still watching the sun.’

‘You can’t evenseethe sun.’

‘I can see its direction.’ Guy pointed, and for the first time Jennifer took a real look at the wider area of the forest.

Huge, ancient trees were dotted surprisingly sparsely across a forest floor thick with ferns and smaller native shrubs. Sunlight filtered through the canopy to give a hazy spotlight effect in which she could see a swarm of tiny insects. A fantail hovered, catching a meal, and between its friendly squeaks Jennifer heard the sound of another bird call.

‘That was a bellbird, wasn’t it?’

‘Sure was.’

‘And these are beech trees, right?’

‘Yep.’

Jennifer took a deep breath, taking in the unfamiliar scent of a landscape untouched by man – a rich aroma of moisture, earth and the warmth of the sun. It wasn’t quiet at all now that she was actually listening. The bird life was everywhere. She could hear the movement of dry twigs and leaves and even the heavy beat of a wood pigeon’s large wings. For an instant, that sense of belonging came back. The feeling of being part of something extraordinary.

‘Itisbeautiful,’ she whispered.

‘But you wouldn’t do it for fun?’ Guy was watching her with a curious expression.

‘No way.’ Jennifer wanted to dismiss both her unsettling response to the setting and the heat that Guy’s gaze seemed to generate. ‘I’d buy a painting, though.’

He snorted. ‘That’d be right. Hang it somewhere to complement the ivory carpets and leather couches. Sit and look at it while you’re sipping a glass of chardonnay.’

‘You still think I’m a townie, don’t you? Driven by ambition and money and all the shallow values you country hicks associate with city dwellers?’ Jennifer was angered by more than the putdown, but she wasn’t at all sure why. ‘Sure, the scenery’s pretty in the wild but you can find just as much ugliness in isolated communities as you can in any city. I’vebeenthere. I know just how shallow and petty-minded people can be in small towns.’

Jennifer stood up. The break wasn’t proving exactly restful anymore. ‘And what does it say about you, wanting to isolate yourself? Maybe your wife was escaping more than a dead end as far as her social life and any career were going.’

She turned her back on Guy and waited. A long, silent minute passed.

‘Are we going, then?’ she queried tightly.

Guy got slowly to his feet. ‘I thought you were taking the lead here, Dr Allen.’

Jennifer’s jaw tightened. A fat lot of good that would do either of them. ‘It’s actuallyProfessorAllen, if you want to get really formal. Or should that be shallow?’

The look she received made Jennifer feel ashamed of her outburst. The way she’d felt after verbally abusing Guy when he had caused the tail section of the plane wreckage to slide when she’d still been trapped inside it. She was far too exhausted to try and analyse why she felt so ashamed of herself. Instead, she looked away.

‘Sorry,’ she muttered. ‘But I’d really like to get out of here.’

‘You and me both, babe.’ Guy stepped ahead and within a minute they were back in what felt like a familiar routine. Slogging on, with Guy leading the way, marking their route at intervals, pushing a track through heavier undergrowth, watching the sun and changing direction occasionally.

They needed food. And water. When they came across another waterway, Jennifer had no idea whether it was the same stream that had fed the waterfall, and she didn’t care. They could quench their thirst and now they had a new track to follow along its banks.

An hour ticked miserably past as she forced her body to keep functioning. And then another. But Jennifer knew she was slowing badly. Had Guy intended to stop for a rest or was he waiting for her to catch up? It was getting harder each time she put one foot in front of the other, and Guy looked just as close to the end of his tether.

‘Sorry.’ It was the first time Jennifer had spoken since her last apology, but she didn’t notice she was repeating herself. ‘I amtryingto keep up.’

‘You’re doing okay.’

‘It’s getting darker, isn’t it?’

‘We’ll have to stop soon and build a shelter.’ Guy closed his eyes wearily. ‘Another day should do it. I’m pretty sure we’re going in the right direction.’

‘Well, somebody’s been here before anyway.’

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