of several hundred yards, the roar of the flames was deafening.
Crews from neighbouring fire stations had been called in to assist because of the danger that the fire would spread to the adjoining properties. That wasn’t Ross’s main concern, however. A three-year-old child had been reported as trapped inside the blazing building and the sooner they got him out the happier Ross would be.
‘I don’t want either of you taking risks. The upper floors could cave in at any moment. You’re to get the hell out of there at the first sign of trouble.’
Ross listened while the senior divisional officer, Mike Rafferty—who was in charge of the fire ground—issued some last-minute instructions. As Station Officer at Hexton, Ross knew the rule, of course, that no firefighter should needlessly put his own life at risk. He also knew that when there was a child involved none of the men from Red Watch would hesitate. If there was a chance of saving the little boy then neither he nor his colleagues would pull out.
Ross led the way to the front of the blazing building and waited while the crew hosed him down. The equipment he was wearing was both heavy and cumbersome but he spent hours practising the drill each week and he was used to the weight of the air tank on his back and the difficulties of breathing through a mask. He was even used to the ferocity of the heat that greeted him as they entered the smoke-darkened hallway and made their way to the staircase at the rear.
He’d been a firefighter for ten years and he’d attended enough fires during that time to know what to expect. He was trained for this situation. He knew what to do. Now all he had to do was find the child and get him out…alive.
‘Will I be glad when this shift is over. If I see one more person who’s injured himself doing DIY then I swear I shall scream!’
Heather Cooper frowned as her colleague, Melanie Winters, laughed. ‘What’s so funny? Aren’t you sick and tired of washing splinters out of eyes and sewing up cuts?’
‘Oh, I am, I am.’ Melanie grinned at her. ‘It’s just the thought of the oh-so-calm Dr Cooper letting rip which is so amusing. When have you ever lost your cool, Heather? You have to be the most together person I’ve ever met!’
‘Hmm, appearances can be deceptive.’
Heather summoned a smile as she turned to the board to check which cubicles were still in use, but her soft grey eyes held more than a hint of pain.
None of the people she worked with could guess how hard it had been to get her life together in the last three years because she’d never discussed her past with any of them. It had been too difficult to talk about that terrible period in her life so she’d made the decision when she had accepted the job as senior registrar in the accident and emergency unit of St Gertrude’s Hospital in south-east London not to tell anyone what had happened.
She picked up a duster and wiped the last patient’s name from the board, feeling the tremor that coursed through her as the memory of those dark days came flooding back. After Stewart had died she’d come so close to giving up that at times it had been all she could do to get out of bed each morning. Even the fact that she’d been pregnant hadn’t helped because all she’d been able to think about had been that she’d not had a chance to tell Stewart they’d been expecting a baby.
It had taken the birth of their daughter to give her the strength to carry on. Now Grace was her whole world and Heather wanted nothing more than to make sure that her precious little girl was safe and happy. Never again would she risk falling in love and leaving herself open to being hurt.
‘Looks as though now might be a good time to take your break,’ she suggested, turning to the younger woman with a smile that betrayed little of her true feelings. ‘Why don’t you go to the canteen and I’ll go when you come back?’
‘If you’re sure…?’ Melanie grinned when Heather nodded. ‘Rightio, then. I did just happen to spot the gorgeous Dr Carlisle heading toward the lift. This could be the perfect opportunity to show him what’s been missing from his life up till now, i.e. me!’
With a wave of her hand, the young nurse hurried away. Heather sighed. At twenty-three, Melanie was only ten years younger than she was, but at times it felt as though she was old enough to be Melanie’s mother. Had she ever been that carefree? Would she ever feel that way again?
It took a determined effort to shake off the moment of introspection but Heather had become adept at controlling her emotions in the months since Grace’s birth. Children picked up on mood swings so quickly and she refused to do anything that might upset the little girl. Far better to keep her feelings to herself than risk letting them affect her precious daughter.
She made her way to the end cubicle and pushed back the curtain, smiling politely at the young woman perched on the end of the bed. ‘It’s Tanya Harvey, is it?’
‘That’s right.’ The young woman tossed back her streaked blond hair and regarded Heather sourly. ‘I thought they said in the papers that the health service had improved recently. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to be seen? Over two hours, and it’s just not good enough!’
‘Unfortunately, we are extremely busy in this department.’ Heather gave the young woman no opportunity to complain further as she picked up the clipboard and quickly read her admission notes. ‘I see that you have a sore throat, Miss Harvey. Don’t you think it would have been more sensible to visit your GP’s surgery rather than the accident and emergency unit?’
‘It’s closed on Saturday afternoons which is why I came here.’ Tanya glared at her. ‘I hope you’re not refusing to treat me because I know my rights.…’
‘I am merely pointing out that this department is for the treatment of urgent cases. It isn’t an alternative to visiting your general practitioner’s surgery outside of normal working hours.’
Heather took her penlight out of her top pocket and switched it on before the girl could reply. ‘If you’d just open your mouth so I can take a look at your throat.’
She quickly examined the woman and wasn’t surprised to discover that although Tanya Harvey’s throat was red and a little swollen, there was nothing to indicate the problem was serious. Mild antibiotics would clear up the infection so she washed her hands then wrote out a prescription and handed it to her.
‘These should clear up the problem but make sure you finish the full course of tablets,’ she explained coolly. ‘One tablet to be taken three times a day with water.’
‘And where am I supposed to get them from?’ Tanya demanded belligerently. ‘It’s gone six now and the chemist’s shop will be shut. Can’t you just give me the tablets?’
‘I’m afraid we don’t dispense antibiotics from this department. The hospital has its own dispensary in the foyer which is open until nine p.m. Take the prescription there and they will sort it out for you.’
Heather could tell that the young woman was about to say something else—another complaint, no doubt. However, just then Rob Bryce, their newly acquired houseman, poked his head round the curtain.
‘Sorry to interrupt, Heather, but we’ve got an emergency on the way in. ETA five minutes.’
‘That’s OK, Rob. I’d just finished here.’ With a last, brief nod at the young woman, Heather followed Rob out to the corridor. ‘What do we know so far?’
‘A three-year-old
