‘I-I just thought they needed help.’
‘They did,’ Cleo replied.
After that, she went to help, too, and soon the water was neatly stacked again. Back at her post serving coffee, Fran looked a little taller. When Cleo spotted Lesley later, however, she looked as if she’d sucked a lemon and found a pip.
After saying goodbye to Fran, Cleo picked up two slices of cheese and a bread roll and nibbled on a corner while she strolled to the triage area.
Two of the three nurses from the night before were still there, and one was treating a small boy with a wound on his knee. The accident had nothing to do with the earthquake or flooding, apparently. He’d cut himself on a tent peg this morning when he was horsing round with his brothers.
Both nurses looked worn out and Cleo insisted on taking over. The third nurse would be back soon, along with the doctor.
‘I can manage on my own for a while. It’s not busy.’
The nurses seemed extremely grateful.
‘Thank you,’ one of them said. ‘It’s been a long night.’
‘You can say that again,’ Cleo agreed.
Once she’d finished treating the small boy, she settled down to enjoy her meagre breakfast, which tasted surprisingly good on an empty stomach.
There were no other patients as yet and she felt a sense of calm, watching the sun rise higher as the rest of the camp began to wake up.
The sky was bright blue, and the sound of roaring water below had faded to a faint gurgle. With luck, the floods were already starting to retreat and she decided it was going to be a beautiful day.
‘Good morning!’
Glancing up, she saw Achilles in front of her with the sun behind him, its golden light catching the edges of his dark hair and turning it to burnished bronze.
He was wearing the same white T-shirt as the one she had on, and the skin on his arms and face were deep-toned and warm as polished teak.
The sunlight seemed to cling to him, outlining the strong lines of his cheekbones and the curve of his powerful shoulders. His eyes, half in shadow, seemed to glint with quiet amusement, or perhaps it was something less readable.
Solid and sunlit at once, he carried his own gravity yet looked as if he might dissolve into the brilliance behind him.
‘I… I was just eating a bread roll,’ Cleo stuttered, immediately feeling foolish for stating the obvious.
‘I can see,’ Achilles replied. ‘How long have you been up?’
‘An hour or so. I had a wonderful shower. God, I needed it.’
He ran a hand through his coal-black hair, flecked with just a few strands of silver-grey, and laughed. ‘Me too. I was covered in dust and dirt. I felt disgusting.’ He cleared his throat. ‘I… um…’ He seemed a little nervous suddenly and she wondered what was coming next.
‘A group of us are going down to the village later to assess the damage and start the clean-up. Do you want to come?’
‘Is that the date we never had?’ She giggled, taken aback by her own cheek. She didn’t know what had come over her!
His tension vanished and his face broke into a wide smile.
‘Of course! I’m sorry it’s not a candlelit dinner, but you know…’ He shrugged. ‘You have to make do with what you have.’
‘Your English is amazing!’ she commented with a laugh. She was full of admiration. He gave a modest, jokey bow.
‘I’ll have to check with the team when they come back,’ she added. ‘But they should be able to spare me for a few hours. Hopefully see you later.’
Not long after, Mark popped by to check on her, and Cleo borrowed his phone to text Danny. She was sure Erica would have passed on the message she was OK, but she wanted her son to know she was thinking of him, too.
I’m helping the medical team. Lots of injuries, most not serious, thank God. No idea when I’ll be back but I’ll keep you posted. Hope all good your end. Miss you. Much love xxx
