Page 30 of Stranded with the Surgeon

And when this moment came, it was blinding in its satisfaction. Guy had never experienced anything remotely comparable. The release for them both seemed to exhaust any last possible reserves of energy and, entangled in each other’s limbs, they finally slept.

6

A helicopter had certainly been the best choice.

The sound of the approaching aircraft was enough to wake both Guy and Jennifer from an almost comatose state of exhaustion. Any awkwardness at finding themselves still naked and closely intertwined beneath an old woollen blanket and a layer of clothing evaporated the instant they both tried to move.

Their groans were simultaneous but the pain was enough to freeze Jennifer, whereas Guy managed to roll over and sit up. He picked up items of Jennifer’s clothing, which were now dry.

‘You might like to put something on,’ he said drily. ‘We’re going to have company any minute.’

Jennifer tried again. She twisted away from Guy and used her right arm to lever herself into a sitting position. The pain and effort required were unbelievable. How on earth had they managed to have sex only hours ago? Jennifer couldn’t even remember her broken arm having been any kind of obstacle. In fact, when she remembered just how active they had been at times, a flush of deep embarrassment washed up to heat her face.

It wouldn’t be so bad if Guy had said something to at least acknowledge what had happened. Or ask how she was feeling. He didn’t even make personal communication in the form of eye contact, however, and by now he was half dressed and Jennifer was still totally exposed in her nakedness. The engine noise of the helicopter was deafening. It seemed to be hovering directly over the roof of the hut.

‘They’ll probably be able to land near the hot pools,’ Guy said. ‘That’ll save having to winch us up.’

Winching up her own bra was clearly an impossibility because of her arm, but Jennifer dismissed any idea of asking Guy for assistance as soon as the thought occurred. He was far too concerned with getting himself respectable for greeting a rescue team, and Jennifer was now aware of the same vibes she’d had about following him away from the crash site in the aftermath of Digger’s death.

She was an unwanted liability. Guy had an agenda and he would far rather follow it alone.

The woollen top was manageable – just – but her skirt was still hanging over the chair. Jennifer tried to move again.

‘I can’t stand up,’ she said in dismay. ‘My feet feel like they’re full of broken glass.’

They had swollen again, far more than they had after the first day’s walking. Guy’s ankle wasn’t looking pretty either. He abandoned his attempt to fit a sock over badly discoloured and misshapen flesh, gave Jennifer a brief glance and then pulled her skirt off the chair and threw it to her just as the door of the hut opened.

‘Hi, there!’ The cheerful voice belonged to a small, helmeted female. ‘How’s it going?’

‘Maggie!’ The smile on Guy’s face was warmer than Jennifer would have believed he was capable of, and she experienced a completely bizarre flash of sheer jealousy. ‘I wasn’t expecting you!’

‘I wasn’t expecting me either.’ The paramedic was unbuckling the top of a kit that looked like a tramper’s pack. ‘I had to get up at the crack of dawn for this. You owe me, Guy.’

‘Sorry.’

‘Actually’ – Maggie was smiling at Jennifer as she spoke – ‘we were all up anyway. The search-and-rescue effort to find you guys has had a lot of people losing sleep.’ She turned her gaze back to Guy and her smile faded. ‘Thank God you’re okay,’ she said quietly. ‘I heard the others weren’t so lucky.’

‘No.’ There was a moment’s silence before Guy cleared his throat. ‘This is Jennifer Allen, Maggie. She’s an emergency consultant. She’s got a fractured arm and her feet are a mess, but otherwise she’s okay. I imagine she could use some pain relief, though. She isn’t able to bear weight anymore.’

‘Hi, Jennifer.’ The smile was engaging enough for Jennifer to forget that flash of jealousy. ‘I’m Maggie Patterson and I’m a paramedic. You’ll meet my husband, Hugh, when you get to our ED at Lakeside Hospital.’

She pulled a blood-pressure cuff and stethoscope from her kit. ‘Can I check you out and get you comfortable before we head off? We’ll get you out first, seeing that Guy’s in better shape.’

Jennifer smiled back. So Maggie was married, was she? To someone called Hugh? ‘Sounds great,’ she said.

Now that their rescue was actually in progress and the ordeal almost over, Jennifer’s reserves of strength and independence seemed to simply desert her. For once in her life she was happy to give herself up to being cared for by others. The last few days had provided the most extraordinary experiences she was ever likely to have – and that included last night’s sex with Guy Knight – but already they were taking on a dream-like quality, and the relief to be leaving it all behind was overwhelming.

‘Sharp scratch now,’ Maggie warned. ‘Guy, be a honey and draw up that morphine for me, would you? We’ll give her some metaclopramide as well. I don’t want my patient throwing up in our nice clean chopper.’

The drug hit Jennifer like a slug of pure alcohol. Her head swam and the pain in her battered body began to recede.

‘This might make you pretty drowsy,’ she heard Maggie say. ‘I’ve given you a decent dose. You just try and relax and we’ll have you out of here in no time.’

* * *

Relaxation had been anathema to Jennifer for virtually her entire life. Spare time was wasted time, and if anyone had told her she would spend over forty-eight hours doing little more than sleeping, she would have shaken her head and smiled at the absurdity of the notion. To find herself awake and content to do nothing more than gaze at the view from her window was equally novel.

Mind you, the view was unparalleled. What other hospital on earth could offer patients this glorious panorama of craggy, snow-topped mountains? The alpine resort of Queenstown nestled at the edge of Wakatipu – a huge and mysterious, glacier-gouged lake at the foot of the Remarkables mountain range. Jennifer’s close brush with the realities of the rugged landscape in this part of South Island had only increased her appreciation of her homeland, and this particular area was a jewel.

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