comfortable with how things work around here. Joe? This is Cooper Sinclair.’
‘And unless he’s got an identical twin brother...’ Joe looked up again as he got to his feet. ‘I’ve been looking at a picture of what you were getting up to yesterday afternoon. You just couldn’t wait to get to work, huh?’
‘Oh?’ Cooper’s smile froze halfway. It was a just a throwaway comment on behalf of his new colleague. There was no was Joe could know that he’d touched a deep nerve.
That Cooper had had an identical twin brother...
Joe gestured at the newspaper. ‘You’re a hero already.’
Cooper hadn’t seen any newspapers yet today. Or any television last night, for that matter. By the time he’d got through the traffic jam the accident had created and located the central city hotel that would be home until he found something more permanent, he’d been too wrecked to do anything but sort out his wet clothing, find something to eat and then crash for the night. At least he’d been able to contact Don and apologise for missing his orientation meeting at the base and it had been a relief to find that his new manager hadn’t been fazed.
‘Tomorrow’s another day,’ he’d said. ‘Can’t fault you for getting involved in an accident scene. Would have been disappointed if you hadn’t.’
Joe was looking just as laid back as he held out his hand. ‘Good to meet you, Cooper. Look forward to working with you.’
Cooper shook his hand. ‘Likewise.’
Don was reaching for the paper. ‘Front page? Oh... Nice photo...’
Someone had taken it from the top of the cliff with a good zoom lens. There he was, with that crying toddler in his arms, facing back towards the shore. Just a little out of focus in the background behind him, he could see Fizz heading back to where the car was teetering on the rocks, a splash of foam catching the sunlight dramatically in mid-air like a halo around both the vehicle and the woman.
‘Looks like you were enjoying yourself, mate.’ One of the pilots had stepped closer to look over Don’s shoulder.
‘I wouldn’t say that, exactly,’ Cooper murmured, but he had to admit there was a hint of something other than professional concern in his expression and he knew why as well.
That had been the moment when he’d been processing the way Fizz had dismissed his bid of taking charge of the situation. When she’d turned back to go and get the baby. When she’d cracked a version of what had become an old joke—Trust me... I’m a doctor... He’d been gobsmacked but undeniably impressed. Maybe that was the reason for that hint of a lopsided smile on his face and yes...it did look as if it could be interpreted as him getting an enormous amount of satisfaction out of what he was doing. It was just as well, he thought, that the picture hadn’t been taken a bit later, when they’d been holding hands as they’d hopped rocks to get back to shore—their wet clothes plastered against their skin.
He’d been right about that particular image coming back to haunt him. It had happened when he’d stood for a long time under the spray of that very welcome hot shower. It had come back with even more punch when he’d slid, naked, between the crisp sheets of his bed. If she ever got tired of being some kind of action woman, Fizz could probably easily get a job as a model. Tall and slim but with curves in all the right places. That long dark hair, dark eyes and olive skin that made him think she could have Mediterranean ancestry. Greek or Italian, maybe?
‘I heard about that job. I was in the ED when it came in.’
Cooper turned towards the speaker, relieved to have his runaway thoughts reined in so abruptly. It was a petite woman with blonde hair who was about his own age. What was her name again? Oh, yeah... Maggie.
‘Do you know if the patient was still stable on arrival? I think her name was Sonya. And if the kids were okay?’
‘Yep.’ Maggie nodded. ‘I was around for a while. I’d gone in with a kid from up north who was in status asthmaticus and I wanted to hang around until he was stable. I’m pretty sure the kids were fine. They got checked out and there were relatives to take care of them, including their father from what I gathered. They put a chest drain in the mother, took off about a litre of blood and fluid, gave her a blood transfusion and then took her off to Theatre. I don’t know what they needed to do to patch her up, though. You can ask Fizz next time she’s here. She went with her to Theatre.’
‘Fizz?’ Someone else, a bacon sandwich in hand, paused to peer at the picture. ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake...that’s her in the background, isn’t it?’
‘She was the first on scene,’ Cooper said. ‘I was yelling at her to stay back until the car could be stabilised but she didn’t take a blind bit of notice.’
‘Sounds like Fizz.’ But Joe was grinning. ‘You’ll find she behaves better when she’s in uniform.’ His grin broadened. ‘Sometimes.’
The familiarity in his tone gave Cooper an odd beat of something he didn’t want to try and identify but could be related to envy, perhaps? Just how well did Joe know Fizz? And why was he even wondering about whether she was single or not? For heaven’s sake, he’d only just arrived in a new city to start a new job and a new life. Hooking up with someone hadn’t even entered his head as part of his immediate agenda. To contemplate the remote possibility of hooking up with someone he’d only spent a matter of minutes with, not to mention someone who’d pretty much ignored him to start with, who’d bossed him around like a minion after that, and had probably forgotten his existence the moment she’d walked away was...well, it was stupid enough to make it easy to dismiss in the same instant it had grazed his mind.
Don’s smile was tolerant enough to suggest that he, too, not only knew Fizz well but could excuse her lack of compliance with safety instructions. His expression reminded Cooper of a fond parent who made allowances for a wayward child. The attitude to the young doctor was intriguing. What did she have that made everybody who knew her prepared to forgive what came across as a maverick streak—something that was not usually acceptable in the emergency services community?
Don had already moved on from his amusement in relation to how well Fizz behaved herself when she was officially on duty. ‘Speaking of uniforms, we need to get Cooper here kitted out. Although...’ His gaze took in the black T-shirt, dark trousers and steel-capped boots Cooper was wearing. ‘Just a team T-shirt might be enough for the moment. And some overalls for a chopper callout, maybe. If there’s room, he could go as third crew at some point soon. He definitely needs a pager, though. Preferably before your shift is due to start.’
‘Come on...’ Joe signalled that Cooper should follow him. ‘I’ll introduce you to Danny downstairs who’s in charge of uniforms and pagers and suchlike and then we’ll find you a locker. The grand tour can wait until after breakfast if things stay quiet for that long.’
Even as he finished speaking, a loud beeping was heard and one of the pilots reached for his pager. Two of the paramedics, including Maggie, reached for theirs seconds later. All three staff members got to their feet and headed for the stairway that led to ground level.
Maggie wagged her finger at Joe as she went past. ‘That was your fault,’ she told him. ‘You said the “Q” word. Karma’s going to get you soon, as well, you know.’
‘She’s right.’ Joe sighed. ‘We’d better sort your pager out first, Cooper. We’ll be the next taxi in the rank before long. Let’s get you
