she was.’ Roger’s glance was appreciative. ‘If Fletch had any taste, that is.’
‘Taste was never one of my strongest points.’ Fletch’s grin made the comment a joke to everyone other than Kelly. ‘Except for beer,’ he added. ‘I’ll come with you if you’re heading for the bar, Rog.’ He stood up.
‘Sure.’ But Roger wasn’t ready to move quite yet. He was still looking at Kelly, his curiosity unsatisfied. Fletch noticed the unspoken question as he waited. He shrugged offhandedly.
‘Kelly and I knew each other,’ he said casually. ‘It was a long time ago. Before she went to Australia. And it was no big deal, was it, Kelly?’
‘No.’ Kelly’s smile felt tight but she held Fletch’s gaze as steadily as she could. ‘It was no big deal.’
But it had been. Kelly had to force herself to break the eye contact with Fletch. It felt like a physical connection and it was suddenly unbearable. Their time together had certainly been a long time ago and maybe it hadn’t been a big deal for Fletch, but it had been big for her. As big as it got. Kelly tried to shake off the dismay that threatened to overwhelm her as Fletch turned to walk away.
Maybe it still was.
SHE was late.
Neil found he was watching Kelly’s hurried entrance to the classroom with as much attention as everyone else. There was a flush of colour on her cheeks that suggested annoyance. That figured. Kelly set high standards for herself and attracting attention by being late would not be acceptable behaviour. The long, dark ponytail swung across her back as she turned to push the door shut.
‘Sorry I’m late.’ Clearly embarrassed by disrupting a session that had already started, Kelly sat down beside Joe, flashing a rueful smile at her colleague before opening her rucksack to extract writing materials. Fletch wondered if the smile meant that Joe was privy to personal circumstances that had provided an unwelcome obstacle to her arriving on time. Unaccountably, the thought provoked a feeling of irritation.
‘No problem, Kelly.’ Dave wasn’t feeling irritated. He was smiling at Kelly. ‘Except that you’re going to be running the first session this morning.’
‘What?’ Kelly’s jaw dropped and Fletch suppressed the twinge of sympathy that replaced the irritation. Why should he care that her composure was now thoroughly ruffled? Why had she been running late, anyway? Had she slept in? Had someone been sharing her bed? Fletch settled back in his chair with an uncharacteristic frown. He wasn’t going to help her out. No way.
Neither was her friend, Joe. ‘We took a vote,’ he told her cheerfully. ‘And you’re it.’
Kelly looked frankly worried now. Already dark blue eyes looked almost brown and a vertical crease appeared between them. Lord, had he forgotten what those glimpses of vulnerability had done to him? He had to fight the temptation to step in, to say something encouraging or comforting. She could cope. The Kelly Drummond Fletch had known had never backed away from a challenge. She didn’t need anyone’s support and she certainly wasn’t about to get his.
‘Cool.’ The tiny head shake confirmed that Kelly was ready to handle whatever was about to be thrown in her direction. ‘What is it? Hide and seek in the rubbish tip again?’
The groan was general. Some class members were still feeling the effects of that full-scale scenario.
Dave shook his head as he smiled. ‘Today’s session, as Kelly is about to find out, is medical. We’re going to focus on developing basic skills in patient assessment, resuscitation and trauma management.’
Dave’s attention shifted away from Kelly. It had only taken a few days for the class to divide itself into two distinct groups and Dave was directing his next words towards the less medically qualified course members who had come from the ranks of the fire service and civil defence.
‘As USAR team members you may well be the first to reach an injured person. You may, in fact, be their only contact for some time. The team you are part of may not be fortunate enough to have the kind of medical expertise that we have represented here.’
Dave’s glance returned to Fletch’s side of the room. ‘Today’s course module will be redundant for some of you—Fletch and Ross as doctors, Joe and Kelly as paramedics and Wendy, Jessica and Sandy as nurses. It’s not just because Tony and I feel like a day off that we’re turning these sessions over to you guys. I expect we’re going to learn something, too. We intend to take full advantage of your skills and knowledge.’
‘Especially Kelly’s.’ Joe sounded smug.
‘Your turn is coming, Joe.’ Dave smiled at Kelly. ‘Your name just came out of the hat first. I hope you’ll all keep in mind that we’re going for a strong emphasis on practical skills today. We’re learning what we need to use in the field.’
‘I’m hardly the most qualified person to start,’ Kelly reminded Dave. ‘You’ve got an emergency department consultant here, you know.’
The emphasis rankled. Was it so hard for her to use his name? To make him a person instead of a profession? Or had Kelly been surprised to discover that Fletch had gone from a registrar position to a consultancy in the space of only two years? Maybe thirty-two was young to have achieved such a senior position but it hadn’t been easy. He’d worked extremely hard and he deserved his success. Everyone was looking at him now. Except Kelly.
‘I disagree,’ Fletch said calmly. ‘By and large the trauma patients that turn up in Emergency have already been assessed and neatly packaged by the ambulance service. We work under controlled conditions with plenty of equipment and staff available. Hardly what we’re going to encounter in a USAR call-out.’
Dave nodded his agreement. ‘Don’t worry, Kelly. You won’t have to do it all by yourself. Your task is to take us through a primary survey. Ross is going to do vital signs and CPR. Joe’s going to cover immobilisation techniques. Fletch is going to talk about shock and Wendy and Jessica are going to cover treatment of soft tissue injuries. This afternoon we’ll try and pull it all together with some scenario work in small groups.’ Dave gestured towards the space he had left at the front of the class. ‘Over to you, Kelly. Let’s get stuck in.’
Kelly looked quite relaxed as she moved to lean against the table at the front of the room, but that was because most people wouldn’t know that the habit of tucking a tendril of dark hair behind her right ear only surfaced when she was nervous. Fletch knew. He also knew what she looked like when that magnificent mane of hair was unleashed from its restraint…when it fell like the softest curtain imaginable to screen a slim, naked back.
Shutting his eyes to kill the memories the sight of Kelly’s hair evoked, and shutting his mind to the emotional effect that kicked in like a bad aftertaste, Fletch tried to concentrate on what the young paramedic was saying.
‘A primary survey is a means of identifying life-threatening situations or injuries in order to treat them appropriately at the earliest opportunity.’
Fletch opened his eyes again. Now it was her voice that was stirring emotions he would rather not explore. It was a voice that had haunted him for months after she’d left. Deceptively soft, it belied a determination and courage that had been
