Charlie contemplated splinting the man’s fractured legs but discarded the idea instantly. He knew they’d probably want to put some special haemorrhage control trousers on the patient for his trip to hospital and splints would only hamper that process. He went back to managing the airway and keeping an eye on his unwilling assistant.
The road ambulances arrived five minutes later, one carrying an intensive-care paramedic, and the chopper thundered overhead minutes after that, landing on the road nearby. Carrie was relieved of her duty, her fingers numb from applying constant pressure. Someone took over and she felt several arms lifting her up and out of the way.
A paramedic shepherded her away but she refused to be looked at until she’d checked on Dana. Surely she wasn’t still asleep? But she was. Soundly. Her cherubic pout slack, her blonde locks in disarray.
Carrie allowed the paramedic to give her a once-over by her car. Someone thrust a warm drink at her and someone else draped a blanket around her shoulders. She was grateful to be away from it all, her heart rate settling but the feeling of unreality persisting. Her neck ached and she rubbed each side absently. Her knees ached also. She looked down at her ruined trousers, torn and frayed at the knees.
She watched Charlie work in tandem with the paramedics to help stabilise the patient. She admired his confidence. His self-assuredness. She had practically fallen apart, almost vomited all over the patient. But not him. He had saved the man’s life. His insistence that she help, while difficult beyond words for her, had been the right call. Not that she’d been capable of much.
Thirty minutes later the patient was gone. Dana finally woke up as the chopper lifted noisily. Carrie got her out of her car seat and snuggled her against her chest, wrapping the blanket around both of them.
‘What happened, Mummy?’
‘There was a car accident, sweetie.’
Dana yawned. ‘It looks like a disco, Mummy. Can I dance?’
Carrie smiled. Dana was right. The scene did look like a roadside discotheque. Flashing lights from the multiple emergency vehicles strobed across the scene, reflecting the pieces of broken glass scattered like diamonds across the road surface. ‘No, sweetie, no dancing tonight.’
Dana gave her a cute sleepy smile and snuggled her face into Carrie’s neck. Carrie hugged her closer, inhaling the sweet smell of her.
Charlie approached, surprised to see a mop of blonde hair peeking out of the top of the blanket. She had a kid? No wonder she’d been reluctant to get out the car.
‘Is this your daughter?’
Carrie nodded.
‘I’m sorry, I had no idea…’ Maybe that’s why she’d been so shaky? She’d probably still been reacting to the potential consequences had the red car hit hers head on.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said. ‘Dana slept through it all.’
‘Who are you?’ Dana’s high voice broke into their conversation.
Charlie was captivated by a pair of big blue eyes fluttering behind heavy lids. ‘I’m Charlie.’ He grinned.
‘Were you in the accident?’ Dana asked sleepily.
‘No, Sleeping Beauty, I just helped out.’
Dana giggled. ‘Mummy, Charlie thinks I’m Sleeping Beauty.’
Carrie smiled down at her daughter. ‘Go to sleep, then, Sleeping Beauty.’ She dropped a kiss on Dana’s forehead.
They both watched Dana drift off.
‘How are you doing?’ Charlie asked.
‘I’m fine,’ she assured him, despite the persisting tremble of her hands.
‘I’m sorry, I was probably a bit forceful back there.’
‘You were just trying to help him,’ she said dismissively.
‘You did well.’ Charlie leant his hip against her vehicle.
Carrie laughed. ‘Sure.’
‘It’s not everyone’s cup of tea.’ He shrugged.
Carrie decided it was best he didn’t know about her qualifications. The chances that they’d ever meet in a professional capacity were fairly negligible. He was obviously an emergency medicine specialist and she was firmly ensconced in management.
‘Are you going to be right to travel home?’ he asked. ‘Your car still goes?’
Carrie looked at the dented rear side panel. It did, but she doubted whether she could drive again tonight, she felt too shaken up. ‘I’ll get one of the tow-truck drivers to take it away and arrange to have it fixed first thing tomorrow. It’s a bit of a pain but, considering I thought we were going to die tonight, it’s an inconvenience I can live with.’
Charlie chuckled. ‘You heading back to Brisbane? Can I give you a lift home?’
Carrie watched the traffic accident investigation squad put yellow markings on the road. They’d promised her a lift back into the city but they didn’t look like they’d be finished any time soon.
She looked up into his face, taking notice of his looks for the first time. He was tall, a good head taller than her. He had nice eyes, grey eyes. A nice face, actually. Calm. Serene. Confident. Even when he’d been snapping orders he’d been completely self-assured. There was something innately tranquil about his features.
He had shaggy brown hair shot with blond, as if naturally streaked by the sun. It hung down, brushing his collar, and seemed to part naturally in the middle, falling in haphazard layers over his ears, just stopping short of impeding his vision. It was hardly inner-city chic, more 1970s rock star, but it suited his laid-back look.
Combined with his three-day growth, he looked a little hippy-ish and as far from Rupert’s cleanly shaven short back and sides as was physically possible. His arms were tanned a deep brown, as if he’d spent a lot of time in the sun. His clothes were casual—threadbare jeans and one of those trendy T-shirts that looked like it had been painted by a preschooler. His chest was broad, his biceps firm in her peripheral vision.
‘You can just drop us at the first taxi rank,’ she suggested.
‘Nonsense.’ He rejected her suggestion. ‘It’s the least I can do for your help tonight. Where do you live?’
‘Windsor.’
‘Perfect. I live in the Valley. You’re on my way.’
Charlie pushed away from the car. He cleared their departure with the scene controller while Carrie arranged for her car to be towed away.
Two minutes later he opened the passenger door to his sedan. Carrie eyed it disparagingly. The thought of leaving the scene with her precious cargo intact was amazingly lightening and for the first time since she’d met him, she could feel her old self returning.
‘You sure this thing goes?’
Charlie
