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‘Get the first-aid kit. It’s in the –’

‘I know where it is.’ Kane cut her off tersely as she swung out and ducked beneath the rotors. Just because she knew her stuff didn’t mean he’d let her boss him around.

Ellie was obviously slow on the pick-up because she kept firing instructions. ‘Tie down the front blade while I see what’s happened here.’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ he muttered as she ran across the sand to meet the tall guy standing in the shadow of the rocks. This close, Kane saw that he had his arms around a small child, so it looked like the kid was okay. A second man was seated on a large boulder with his back to them.

Kane kept an eye on them as he quickly secured the rotor blade. He gave the tie-down strap a final tug, retrieved the first-aid kit from under the back seat, and ran across to the rocks where Ellie was crouched down in the shade beside a young woman. The guy was cradling her head in his lap and it appeared she was unconscious.

‘What is it?’ He caught a glimpse of blood soaked into the dirt and an all-too-familiar nausea hit him as he put the kit on the ground. He swallowed hard as his gut clenched, and cold sweat prickled his skin as it ran down the back of his neck. He dug into his jeans pocket for a fresh piece of gum.

‘Looks like a compound fracture.’ Ellie’s voice was low as her fingers pressed into the woman’s foot. The blood had soaked into the loose dirt, leaving only a stain of colour behind – as if the ground itself was thirsty.

Kane’s vision suddenly blurred and the scene in front of him tilted for a second. He was in the air again, and red sand hills were the only variation in the expanse of desert below. The dull thuds of improvised explosive devices covered the sound of Ellie’s voice.

They got louder and Kane gagged, touching the rock beside him, grounding himself, remembering where he was.

Kakadu. Northern Territory. Australia. He repeated the words in his mind like a mantra. Kakadu. Northern Territory. Australia.

‘Mummy!’

The shrill cry of the child pulled his eyes away from the patch of blood in the dirt; he’d managed to keep his cool, and his lunch – just.

The kid cried out, one little arm locked around his father’s neck, the other reaching towards the woman on the ground. Even to a small child, it was clear that she was in trouble.

‘Give me a sterile dressing, and then get on the radio and tell Jock to make sure there’s someone still on duty at the medical centre at Jabiru,’ Ellie said. She glanced up at the father. ‘I think it would be better if you moved your little boy away, sir.’

The man looked at her for a moment before he nodded and led the boy across the sand to sit beside the helicopter. Kane stayed where he was.

‘You’re not going to try to move her, are you?’

‘Of course not. The ground crew will take her in.’ Ellie’s voice was terse. ‘We really need to make sure there’s someone at the medical centre when she comes in.’ She glanced down at a large watch on her tanned arm. ‘They usually close at five o’clock and it’s not far off that now. I hope the ground crew aren’t too far away. She’s lost a lot of blood.’

Kane knew that. Even from a standing position, he could see the huge stain on the ground. Shit, even with his eyes closed he could still see it. He was sure he’d see it in his dreams too.

Moving slower than he knew he should, he snapped open the first-aid kit and reached for a dressing. His limbs would not respond to his brain.

‘What else do you need?’ He brushed one hand through his cropped hair, trying to ignore the metallic smell of blood that was rising into the hot air. His stomach flipped and he bit back the nausea. He shoved the dressing at her, his movement rougher than he’d intended.

She looked up at him curiously but Kane held her gaze, forcing his expression to stay impassive and his hands to stay steady. This was not the time to give in to the shit the psychologist had told him about. He swallowed and straightened up.

‘Call in . . . please,’ she repeated but her voice was softer this time. ‘And get that kid up in the chopper until the ground crew arrives. Every croc within a mile will have smelled the blood by now.’

Kane nodded and walked away. Fast.

Maybe he’d made a mistake, taking on this job. He’d been under the impression that these helicopters were for showing tourists the sights. If there was going to be blood, perhaps he should reconsider. Just my luck to get a medical evacuation in my first week. He knew better than to rely on luck. It hadn’t followed him anywhere before and it sure looked like things hadn’t changed.

But Kane knew he wouldn’t reconsider the job. The next few months were going to be tough enough. His mother was sick . . . maybe dying. He’d go stir crazy if he didn’t have a job to keep him occupied while she had her treatment.

There was a squawk from the radio, and Kane started talking, working on autopilot as he spoke to the national park base.

He was beginning to get the feeling that this role at Makowa was very different to what he’d expected. After the events of the past year, he’d promised himself he’d stay on the ground. He’d do the best job he could as an engineer, but no one would ever rely on his judgement in the air again. No one would be at risk from his decisions. But if they were expecting him to help out in search and rescues . . .

By the time Kane signed off with base, the kid was sitting in the back of the chopper with his father. He could have returned to help work on the woman. He didn’t, though.

After reassuring the guy that the medical crew were close, he leaned against the bird, watching Ellie as she deftly bandaged the wound. The metal was hot against his back and he could feel the heat of the sand through his boots. Ellie would have done great over there, in the desert.

Shit. Just forget about it.