LITMIR.BIZ

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and I began to see something else I might consider doing for a job. I volunteered the next week and gave them every hour I had free.’ It had also made her feel closer to him—for a while.

      ‘But you always hated the sight of blood.’ Fraser shook his head.

      ‘I got over that really fast.’

      ‘But you gave up your passion. I remember those fantastic meals you created. There was never a time when there wasn’t something tasty in our fridge. Our friends used to draw straws to see who came to dinner in our cramped flat because you loved giving them gastronomically divine treats …’ His voice trailed off. ‘Oh.’

      ‘Exactly.’ There hadn’t been a lot of fun in cooking after they’d broken up. Cooking was her way of expressing love and friendship, and for a long while she had struggled with the whole concept. She’d got a job as junior chef at one of Blenheim’s vineyard restaurants but it had been a drag, a way of earning an income, not a lot of fun. Because her passion for food had disappeared.

      Moments later Fraser said, ‘Here’s our stop. That narrow driveway by the hedge. You’ll have to park on the roadside.’ He stood and pushed through to the back, no doubt to get the pack. His hip brushed her shoulder lightly.

      She braked sharply. Sucked air through her teeth. It was only a hip. An unintentional touch.

      ‘Hey,’ Fraser called out.

      ‘Sorry,’ she muttered, and eased the heavy vehicle alongside the pavement. She was toast if she went hyper every time Fraser inadvertently bumped against her, because it was going to happen often working together with a patient in the crowded confines of the ambulance. She shoved her door wide, dropped to the ground with a thud, jarring her teeth. Not even halfway through day one of his training and she was going stark raving bonkers with emotions all over the place.

      A girl aged in her late teens let them into the untidy house. ‘Col’s in a lot of pain. He can’t move at all.’

      Nikki followed her through to the lounge, trying not to breathe deeply as the rancid stench of body odour swamped her nostrils. Looking for a clean spot to put down the pack, she asked the young man sprawled across the couch, ‘Col Hargreaves? I’m Nikki. I hear you’ve got a pain in your stomach.’ She had to shout over the din from the enormous television.

      ‘It’s agony,’ the man groaned.

      ‘Can you show me exactly where it’s hurting?’ Nikki crouched down beside the couch and, picking up the remote, lowered the noise level.

      Tugging his sweatshirt up, Col stabbed the right side of his belly with his forefinger. ‘Here.’ Another poke on the left side. ‘And here.’

      ‘How long has this been going on?’

      ‘Since last night.’ Col moved sideways and foul language followed.

      Wrapping the pressure cuff around his upper arm, Nikki kept up the questions, trying to ignore everything else. ‘Have you had something like this before?’

      ‘Yeah, last week. Your lot took me to hospital but the doctor couldn’t find what was wrong. Are you going to take me there again?’

      ‘Yes, after we’ve taken some readings.’ She wrote the normal blood pressure results on her glove. ‘What were you doing when the pain started?’ She could hear Fraser pushing the stretcher through the door behind her.

      ‘Watching TV.’ Her patient gave a loud and drawn-out groan. ‘I get giddy too. Ahh,’ he squealed.

      ‘Take it easy. On a scale of one to ten how strong is the pain?’

      ‘Ten.’

      Then he should be writhing in agony. ‘Is it hurting anywhere else?’

      ‘Nah, only in my gut.’

      ‘Okay, Col. We need to get you up onto the stretcher. Reckon you can do that by yourself?’

      ‘Lady, I’m in pain here.’

      Fraser stepped around the stretcher. ‘Right, bud, we’ll take an arm each to help you up. On the count of three, ready?’ When Col grunted, Fraser continued, ‘One, two three.’ And he hauled the guy upright.

      Nikki helped get Col onto the stretcher and covered him with a blanket. She had a shrewd suspicion Col was more than able to walk out to the ambulance if he had a mind to. His symptoms were hard to pin down and he’d groaned before she’d touched his stomach, making her suspicious about what he was up to. But she could be very wrong. They’d make Col’s shift to their vehicle as comfortable as possible.

      Fraser pressed the stretcher’s brake off and pushed the stretcher out to the ambulance. ‘We’ll soon have you in ED and the doctors can check you over.’

      ‘What about my girlfriend? She’s got to come.’

      Col’s belligerence was beginning to annoy Nikki but she offered a lift to the girl and indicated the front seat. The trip to the hospital was punctuated with loud groans and intermittent swearing.

      After handing Col over to the ED staff, Fraser commented dryly, ‘That guy bounced across from the stretcher to the hospital bed. What happened to the level-ten pain? He’s having everyone on.’

      ‘Not our problem any more. But maybe he needs someone to take notice of him, for whatever reason.’ She stepped into the back of the ambulance. ‘You drive. I’m going to wipe down the stretcher with antiseptic and see if I can’t get rid of that overpowering stink of sweat.’ It had taken over their vehicle.

      What she wouldn’t give for a shower and a clean uniform. She began scrubbing every surface she could. Funny how that particular odour hung around long after the cause had gone.

      Nikki’s cellphone rang as Fraser backed into the garage bay back at Base. Flipping it open, she smiled. It was Jay, her big, bad brother, who’d recently joined a rural vet practice close to the farm they’d grown up on. Nearly two years older than her, he was the youngest of her four brothers. He’d also been Fraser’s best friend at one time. Jay had taken it almost as hard as she had when Fraser had gone away. ‘Morning—’

      ‘Did I just see McCall in the ambulance with you?’ Jay’s deep voice rumbled in her ear.

      It had taken all of two hours for the news to get out, quite slow for Blenheim. ‘Yes, the one and only.’

      ‘What’s he doing here? When did he return?’

      The ambulance stopped and Nikki quickly slipped away to head outside the garage. This was one conversation she didn’t want Fraser overhearing. ‘I only found out last week when Mike told us he’d got a job here.’

      ‘He’s not working as your partner, is he?’

      ‘Yeah, Jay, he is. It’s not like I had a choice. Believe me, I tried to get out of it but Mike insisted we work together.’

      ‘Work together? What’s this about? Why would a doctor want to work on the ambulances?’

      ‘Thanks, Jay. Our job isn’t for the brain dead.’

      ‘I know that.’ Jay paused then went on, ‘So what’s going on? Is McCall here for a week? Or for ever?’

      ‘I’m not sure. Definitely more than a week.’ She quickly filled Jay in about Fraser’s father, before telling him, ‘Fraser didn’t finish med school.’

      ‘No way! He was destined for a great career. No, sis, you’ve got it wrong.’

      ‘He told me himself.’

      ‘Did he say why?’

      ‘You think he would?’

      ‘I think he should,’ Jay growled. ‘So he’s still hiding things from you. Wait till I see him. It’s time he knew exactly how we all feel about him.’

      She surprised herself by saying, ‘Jay, leave

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