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‘Past experience,’ she replied in a tight voice. ‘One I’d rather not talk about.’
He couldn’t help his response. ‘You must have loved the thought of coming here.’
They reached the crest of the hill and veered down towards the valley where the waterfall lay.
She shot him a wry expression. ‘Let’s just say I really wanted the museum in Egypt or the astronaut. Lucky old me.’
His gut gave a twist. As they approached the waterfall site he could see an array of people, all dressed in wet-weather gear, crowded around a man on the ground.
He had to let this go right now. He had a job to do.
‘Will you be okay to help?’ he asked again. For the next few minutes at least he might need to count on Kristie for help. If she couldn’t help, she might well be a hindrance and he’d ask her to stay in the car.
Her voice was tight and she glanced at her phone. He reached over and grabbed her hand. ‘Be honest.’
She stared for the briefest of seconds at his hand squeezing hers. ‘I’ll be fine,’ she said without meeting his gaze. ‘Gerry’s messaged. He’s just behind us. He was at the hospital and hitched a ride in the ambulance.’
Rhuaridh nodded. He had to take her at her word. He had to trust her. And hopefully it would only be for a few minutes.
‘I’ll grab the blue bag, you grab the red,’ he said as he jumped from the car.
He walked swiftly to the group of people. One of the instructors was on the ground with a large laceration on his head. From one glance Rhuaridh could see that his breathing was a little laboured. But that was the point. At least he was breathing.
‘Where’s the other casualty?’
A teenage boy pointed to the bottom of the roaring waterfall. ‘Under there. He jumped from the top.’
Rhuaridh’s heart gave a little leap. ‘Under there?’
‘Not under the water. Under the waterfall. He says he can’t feel his legs so no one wanted to move him.’
Rhuaridh was already stripping off his shoes and jacket. He pulled a monitor from one bag, bent over and stuck the three leads on the first guy’s chest. It only took a few seconds to check the readings. He knelt down beside the guy, pulled his stethoscope out and made another check. Lungs were filling normally, no sign of damage. ‘What happened?’ he asked the nearest kid.
‘Ross and Des went into the water as soon as Kai jumped and went under. Des got Kai and pulled him into the cave but when Ross tried to climb the rock face he slipped and hit his head on the way down.’ The young boy talking gulped, ‘A few of us jumped in and pulled him out. He hasn’t woken up at all.’
Rhuaridh pulled a penlight from his pocket and checked Ross’s pupils, then completed a first set of neuro obs. It was first-line assessment for any head injury. He scribbled them down and handed them to Kristie.
He handed Kristie a radio. ‘You keep these.’
‘Where are you going?’ There was a definite flash of panic in her eyes.
A teenage girl, her face streaked with tears, tugged at his sleeve. ‘The other instructor is with Kai. He stayed with him after Ross got hurt, trying to help.’
Rhuaridh started rummaging through the kitbags. He tucked the other radio into his belt. There was no doubt about it—he was going to get very wet.
He bent over next to Kristie, checking the monitor again. He kept his voice low. ‘Keep an eye on his breathing. It seems fine and his heart rate is steady. He’s given himself quite a bang on the head. If he starts to wake up, just keep him steady on the ground. If he’s agitated or confused, radio me straight away.’
Rhuaridh wouldn’t normally leave an unconscious patient, but right now he’d no idea of the condition of the child under the waterfall. As the only medic on site he had to assess both patients. He put his hand on Kristie’s shoulder. ‘The ambulance crew should be here in a few minutes.’ He could tell she was nervous, but she lifted her own hand and put it over his.
‘Go on, Rhuaridh. Go and check on the kid. We’ll be fine.’
Rhuaridh gave a few instructions to some of the other teenagers around. Most were quiet, a few looked a bit shocked but had no injuries. ‘Stay with Kristie, she’ll let me know if there’s any problems.’
