See you around, Fizz.’
She didn’t say anything in response. She didn’t look back again as she climbed to road level and then into the back of the ambulance. It was time to put the big, Scottish paramedic right out of her mind and focus on keeping her patient stable until they reached the hospital and got her to Theatre, if necessary, as quickly as possible to sort out that chest injury.
Fizz knew she would see him around sooner or later.
Hopefully, it would be sooner...
‘IT’S A FANTASTIC LOCATION.’
Cooper was standing in front of the glass wall that made up this central, third-floor office area of the Aratika Rescue Base. He could see the helipad directly below them with people working around two bright yellow aircraft. It looked as if one of the helicopters was being refuelled and someone—presumably a pilot—was walking around the other one, doing a detailed external check.
‘They’re Kawasaki BK117s, yes?’
‘With every bell and whistle you could wish for.’ Aratika’s manager, Don Smith, sounded proud. ‘We’ve got a backup Squirrel in case both the BKs are out at the same time and there’s no way of getting to another job by road or sea, but that’s actually never happened during my time here.’ He rapped his knuckles on the window sill. ‘Touch wood. If I needed saving I’d want it to be a BK showing up. They’re awesome rescue aircraft.’
‘They’re exactly what we used at the base in Scotland. Love working in them.’
‘You’ll be very familiar with the layout, then, which is a bonus. How many years have you got under your belt now? Ten?’
‘Close enough. I got into helicopter work as soon as I could after I graduated as a paramedic. It was always my burning ambition. Ever since I saw a crew at work when I was a teenager, up in a mountain range in Scotland.’
But it hadn’t been the overwhelming relief of seeing the helicopter arrive at that accident scene that had instilled an unwavering determination to be like the members of that crew. It hadn’t even been the astonishingly technical level of care that had been provided for the victim of that horrendous fall that had made him feel like he was in an episode of some high drama medical television series. No...what had stayed with Cooper and made him so determined to be like those heroes had been the way he had been cared for. The absolute compassion in the way they had done their best to support him as he’d dealt with the horror of his brother’s death and the respect they had shown to both himself and to Connor—even after they knew there was nothing more they could do for him.
‘And you’ve added a string of other accomplishments as well.’ Don’s words cut into the memory that had flashed into his mind. ‘I have to say your CV was pretty impressive. Urban and Land Search and Rescue qualifications, with mountain experience. Disaster management. Coastguard training...’
Cooper shrugged modestly. ‘I like to keep busy. And I like the challenge of learning new stuff. Or being in a new environment—and from what I’ve seen of New Zealand so far, it’s got a lot to offer.’
He knew how impressive his CV was but there was a downside to the kind of ambition that had driven him to achieve so much in his career already. It came from a single-minded devotion to that career that had meant there’d been no room for anything else in his life. Here he was in his mid-thirties—all of twenty years since his determination to be the best rescue worker ever had been conceived—and there’d been nothing to hold him back from shifting his life to the other side of the world for a fresh and interesting challenge.
No long-term relationship to consider. No family ties that were binding. No desire for family ties like that, for that matter. Cooper Sinclair lived for his work and, yeah...the downside was that it could be lonely sometimes, but he wouldn’t have that impressive CV or be as good at this job as he knew his references recorded if he’d let a personal life interfere with where he was heading. Or maybe that should be where he’d already arrived. Was that why he’d come in search of new challenges in a new country? Because he’d been running out of ideas of how to take his skill set to an even higher level?
He shifted his gaze to a parking area off to one side of the helipad, where there were four-wheel drive emergency vehicles, huge command centre trucks and even rescue service motorbikes parked.
‘You’re well equipped to respond by road. And did I read that you take charge of any major incidents?’
Don nodded. ‘We get dispatched to work with police and the fire service as command for any multiple casualty incidents or disasters. We also have single-crewed vehicles available at all times for first response if the local ambulance service is overloaded or they need advanced paramedic assistance for patient care. Those staff members are in addition to the helicopter crews. That’s where we’re starting you off for orientation.’
Cooper’s eyebrows rose even though he tilted his head to acknowledge the challenge. But Don smiled.
‘Don’t worry. We’re not throwing you in the deep end by yourself just yet. You’ll be double-crewed until you are comfortable with protocols and destinations, etcetera. In fact...’ Don checked his watch. ‘Let’s head downstairs. Shift changeover will be happening and there’ll be a good crowd to introduce you to, including the guy who’s going to be crewed with you for the moment. I expect they’ll all be having breakfast right now.’
‘Sounds great.’ Cooper took one more look at the stunning view of Wellington harbour in front of him with the skyline of the city visible to one side, past the cranes and ships of a busy port and rugged, forest-covered hills in the distance to the other side. ‘I still can’t get over this view,’ he said as he followed his new manager. ‘You must have one of the best offices in the world.’
‘Can’t complain,’ Don agreed. ‘But this location was chosen for more than the view it gives us upstairs. It provides the fastest access to pretty much everywhere we need to go. We’ve got a straight run into the central city, or over to the west coast, we’ve got the coastguard base two minutes away when they need a medic, and if we’re heading to the mountains or further north, the choppers just head straight for those hills, which is well away from the flight paths for the airport. That’s where the name came from. Aratika means a direct, or straight, path in Maori.’
‘Great name.’ Cooper let the door swing shut on the view behind him.
There was an enticing smell of frying bacon coming from the kitchen area of the staffroom on the second floor of this big, modern building and, due to the change of a night shift to a day shift, there was a large enough group of people to present a challenge in remembering all the names coming at Cooper. Paramedics, pilots, ground crew, which included mechanics and people that serviced and restocked gear—even an older woman who seemed to have the role of a housekeeper—Shirley. It was Shirley who was cooking the bacon at the moment.
‘Welcome to Aratika,’ she said to Cooper, with a warm smile. ‘Can I interest you in a bacon sandwich?’
‘Thanks...maybe later.’ Cooper wasn’t ready to relax enough to eat yet but everybody here seemed just as welcoming as Shirley, so far. It was disconcerting, a moment after thinking that, to find someone staring at him, their jaw dropping.
‘No way...’ He looked back
