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The car was wedged against a telegraph pole. Steam hissed from the ruptured radiator. Running feet and wavering torchlight approached as Meg felt her way along to the passenger door and wrenched it open. A woman fell sideways into her arms and moaned. Meg struggled to hold her deadweight.
‘Injured female this side,’ she called.
‘Here, miss, let me help with her.’ A burly soldier lifted the woman out of the car. Her head lolled back over his arm. ‘Where do you want her?’
‘I need light over here. And someone call an ambulance.’ Torchlight was trained on her, blinding her momentarily before she shielded her eyes. ‘That way.’ She pointed towards a nearby tree. ‘Bring your torch please.’
The soldier set the woman down under the tree and Meg asked the other man to shine his light on the injured woman while she examined her. The woman was in civvies and what was left of her red lipstick was smudged. Blood trickled down the woman’s cheek and, as Meg lifted a curl from her forehead, she saw the source of it was a deep cut. Making a pad of her clean hanky, she got the soldier to hold it against the wound while she checked for broken limbs. The woman had lost a shoe, and her ankle was sprained, but her head wound was the worst of her injuries.
Geoffrey appeared beside her. ‘How is she?’
‘Concussion will be the main problem. She’ll need a couple of stitches, but she lost consciousness a couple of minutes ago. How’s the driver?’
‘Chest compression from the steering wheel and in shock. Ah good, here’s the ambulance.’ Geoffrey oversaw the loading of both victims into the ambulance, and then gave a statement to the police officer who arrived on his bicycle as the ambulance was pulling away.
By the time all the drama and excitement had ended, Meg wondered at the timing. She’d been about to kiss Geoffrey—at least she’d been thinking about it, and she was fairly sure he had too. Maybe it was for the best, their interrupted interlude.
‘Are you okay, Margaret?’
‘I’m fine, but I need to get back to the hospital. It wouldn’t do to come in late on my first leave pass.’ She kept her tone light, and she said nothing about Gerry giving her an extended pass till midnight. What she needed for now was distance from Geoffrey, and time to sort through her response to him.
‘Indeed. I can’t get into Sister Platt’s bad books now if I hope to take you out next time I get to Townsville.’ He took her arm and they walked carefully down the road to the jeep.
‘So, you think there’ll be a next time?’
Geoffrey stopped and turned her towards him. ‘Would you like there to be?’
‘I think so.’ Meg prayed she would know her mind by then.
