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Ben quickly informed them he and Georgie were doctors before he took control. ‘Georgie, stabilise his neck while I check his airway.’
Georgie placed a hand onto each side of the surfer’s head to prevent further neck movements while Ben applied a jaw thrust to open the airway. The lifesavers had opened their resuscitation kit, which included a mask and bag and a small oxygen supply. Ben fitted the mask and turned on the oxygen. Fortunately the patient was breathing spontaneously, and his colour looked good.
‘Is there a hard collar in that kit?’ Georgie asked.
One of the lifeguards passed her a universal hard collar, which Georgie adjusted to fit the patient and applied to his neck.
Ben donned a pair of gloves and examined the head wound. There was no bony crepitus or palpable fracture, just a large gash in the scalp, which was bleeding profusely. He applied a couple of gauze dressing pads and held them in place while Georgie firmly bandaged the skull to control the bleeding. He then checked the surfer’s pulse and blood pressure while Georgie listened to the patient’s chest.
‘Sounds like he’s aspirated some water,’ she said. ‘We’ve already called an ambulance,’ one of the lifeguards said.
‘Good,’ Ben responded. ‘He’ll need full A and E assessment.’
He checked the swimmer’s pupils, finding them equal and reactive, and did a GCS, assessing it at about 11 or 12. There were no other obvious injuries. The main problem appeared to be the scalp laceration and concussion, as the surfer was now showing signs of regaining consciousness.
‘The ambulance is here,’ the senior lifeguard informed them.
‘W-what happened?’ The patient opened his eyes, his expression confused and disoriented. ‘What’s going on?’
‘You’ll be fine,’ Ben reassured him. ‘You hit your head on your board and briefly lost consciousness. We’re sending you to hospital for further assessment.’
The still groggy patient was soon bundled into the back of an ambulance, with a hand-written note from Ben, outlining his and Georgie’s assessment and tre
atment.
‘I’m not so sure I’ll give surfing a go after all,’ Georgie said as they made their way back to their towels. ‘It looks far too dangerous.’
‘I offered her lessons with you,’ Hannah explained to Ben. ‘Oh …’ he said, grimacing slightly. ‘You’d be OK with that, wouldn’t you?’ Hannah asked, looking up at him with appeal. ‘Sure.’
‘I’m not sure I want to—’ Georgie began.
‘You’d be great at it, Georgie,’ Hannah insisted. ‘You’re a natural, isn’t she, Ben? She’s fit and supple and a good swimmer.’
And she’s bloody heart-stoppingly gorgeous in that pink and orange bikini, he added mentally. Just how did she keep her breasts inside those tiny triangles?
‘I’m starving,’ Hannah announced. ‘Where are we going for dinner?’
‘I have to get home,’ Georgie said, not wanting to intrude any further.
‘Oh, no, you must come with us, mustn’t she, Ben?’ Hannah asked. Swinging her gaze back to Georgie, she added, ‘Ben will only talk about boring work stuff unless you’re there.’
‘I don’t think I should.’
‘Save me from her, Georgie,’ Ben said with a crooked smile. ‘If you don’t come, all I’ll hear all night is stuff about totally unsuitable boyfriends. It drives me nuts.’
She bit her lip and then released it. ‘If you’re sure …’
‘We’re sure,’ he and Hannah said in unison.
Georgie just smiled.
‘Dinner?’ Rhiannon looked at Georgie with suspicion. ‘That’s a date, isn’t it?’
‘Not when there’s a sixteen-year-old chaperone,’ she said with a speaking glance. ‘His kid sister is coming, too.’
‘Yeah, right.’ Her flatmate rolled her eyes. ‘That’s what they all say.’
‘It’s true,’ Georgie said as she inserted a dangly earring into her left ear lobe. ‘Her name is Hannah and she’s lovely. She talks way too much about her brother, of course, but that’s to be expected, I guess, as he’s eighteen years older than her and a bit of a hero figure to her.’
