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He glanced towards Lara, giving her all the information she could possibly need. Her lips pressed together as he almost lifted Doris from the seat and steered her forward. Lara took his place easily as he slipped into the seat next to Daisy.
He took a deep breath. He’d watched enough movies to know what he should do. They were right next to the cruise ship. Someone from the medical team would be here in moments. He put his fingers gently at Doris’s wrist to feel for a pulse and watched her chest for any rise and fall. He felt a minor second of panic until he adjusted the position of his fingers and felt a rapid fluttering pulse. There was no way he could count that.
Doris’s chest was rising and falling very slowly. Her pulse was fast and her breaths slow—what on earth did that mean? Reuben didn’t have a clue. Her lips were tinged blue so he repositioned her slumped head, hoping her airway would be a little clearer and started to talk to her softly. ‘Hi, Doris. It’s Reuben here. I don’t think you’re feeling too good but don’t worry. Daisy has gone to get some help.’ He slid his hand into hers. ‘It’s been a really warm day. Maybe the heat just got a little too much for you? Whatever it is, don’t panic. Help will be here soon. If you can hear me at all, give my hand a little squeeze.’
The rest of the passengers were filing off the bus, casting a few anxious glances in his direction. He sent up a silent prayer that one of them would be a doctor or nurse and offer to help. But it seemed like everyone was in the same boat as him. No medical expertise at all.
He could see some commotion on the dockside. Lara was talking anxiously to someone who was nodding and talking into a radio.
He kept his voice low and steady, sliding his other hand over to reassure himself she did actually still have the rapid pulse. Poor Daisy. The two old ladies had kept them entertained for days—even though he and Lara had been the butt of most of their jokes. The last thing he wanted was for something bad to happen.
A few minutes later the white-uniformed ship’s doctor appeared with a whole host of equipment. Reuben was relieved to slide out of the way—and, when asked to assist carry Daisy in a stretcher a few minutes later—he was only too happy to help.
She was sped back to the ship on one of the golf-type buggies they used on the dockside.
Lara was standing outside the bus, waiting for him, wringing her hands in front of her, lines of worry etching her face.
He slung his arm around her shoulder. ‘Let’s forget about the sleep. I need a drink and so do you. Something long and cold.’
She nodded and slipped her arm around his waist. ‘Absolutely,’ she agreed, as she watched the golf buggy pull up next to the ship.
* * *
Three hours later they’d found out that Daisy had suffered a mild case of sunstroke. She’d be monitored in the cruise medical centre overnight and even though they’d invited Doris to join them for dinner she’d insisted on staying with her friend.
Reuben was waiting in the sports bar for Lara. She’d asked him to give her a little time and space to get ready and he’d been happy to agree. He’d wanted to make a few calls to some of his clients and watch a Spanish football game to monitor another client.
It was odd how her stomach kept fluttering round and round. They’d already spent ten nights on this cruise ship. Ten nights sleeping in the same cabin.
But tonight felt different. Their relationship was changing. It was beginning to actually look like a relationship as opposed to two strangers just sharing a room. And she wasn’t quite sure what that meant.
She put the finishing touches to her lipstick and hung some dangly earrings from her ears. Done. She opened the wardrobe door for a quick check in the full-length mirror, putting her hands on her hips and swinging from side to side.
The electric-blue dress was gorgeous. The slinky material hugged her skin without clinging, the fuller skirt swinging out as she moved from side to side. The wraparound style suited her. The tiny beads around the V-shaped neckline caught the light as she moved in her silver sandals.
She picked up her silver bag and headed to the door. The ship was busy tonight, with more passengers having boarded in Livorno. She threaded her way through the crowd to the sports bar. It was packed. It seemed that every male on the ship had headed here to watch the game between two of the main Spanish football clubs. She spotted Reuben easily. He was sitting—no, almost standing—on a bar stool next to the main bar, his eyes fixed on a big screen. A deafening roar erupted around her as one of the teams scored and Reuben punched the air.
She couldn’t hide her smile as she started to weave her way through the crowd.
