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From the crest of the hill he could see a flash of bright green. The paramedics had finally arrived. Most of the kids were still crowded around the sides of the pool. They waded slowly across, setting Kai down gently as his friends surrounded him. One of the paramedics knelt beside him, and the other joined Rhuaridh at Kristie’s side.
Her eyes were glinting with fear. ‘He’s literally just stopped shaking. He seemed to wake up for a few seconds, thrashing his legs and arms out, then he started shaking again.’
There was a red mark on the side of her cheek.
‘Did you get caught by his arm?’ asked Rhuaridh.
She shook her head. ‘I’m fine. It doesn’t matter.’
But it did to Rhuaridh.
It only took a few moments to assess Ross and to arrange an air ambulance for him. His pupil reactions were sluggish now and it was obvious the knock to the head had been harsh. He needed proper assessment in a specialist centre.
Rhuaridh then took time to recheck Kai before loading him up in the ambulance with the paramedics, ready for transfer for surgery.
By the time the ambulance had left with both patients, Des had gathered the teenagers together to take them back to the wilderness centre. Gerry was still chatting to a few that he’d caught on film.
Kristie was standing at the side, dirt smudged on her cheek and on the knees of her trousers. Rhuaridh reached out, took her hand and led her off to the side, pulling her down next to him on a large overturned tree trunk that had fallen over years before.
‘Are you okay? I’m sorry that I left you.’
She gave a small shake of her head, fixing her gaze on the view ahead.
He hadn’t let go of her, enclosing one of her slim hands in both of his. She moved her gaze to meet his.
He held his breath. He couldn’t help it. All he could focus on was the blue of her eyes. The hand he held between his was trembling slightly and he gave it a squeeze. ‘I didn’t mean to leave you alone so long. I thought the ambulance would only be a few minutes.’
Her voice was quiet. ‘You had to go and check on the boy. I know that.’ She gave a weak smile, ‘You’re a doctor. It’s your job.’
‘But it’s not yours,’ he replied, his voice hoarse.
She’d been shaking. She was pale. Pieces were falling into place. Now he understood why she’d seemed distracted in the hospital. He’d thought she either wasn’t that interested or had just had her mind on other things.
She’d been nervous. She’d been scared. And he’d missed it.
‘Why don’t you tell me why you don’t like hospitals, Kristie?’
She licked her lips and shook her head. ‘It’s not something we need to talk about.’
She looked him straight in the eye and pulled her hand free from his, lifting it to touch his cheek. ‘You just scaled part of a rock face and walked through a waterfall, Dr Gillespie. Some people might call that superhero material.’
‘What would you call it?’ The words were out instantly. Instinct. His gut reaction to that question. Because he really wanted to know the answer. He wanted to know exactly what Kristie Nelson thought about him.
If he’d thought for a few more seconds he’d have realised she’d just avoided his question. The one that might get to the heart of who she was.
‘I haven’t quite decided yet,’ she whispered, the edges of her mouth turning upwards. ‘But things are looking up.’
Her hand on his skin was making his pulse race. His eyes went instinctively to her mouth. The mouth he wanted to kiss.
He moved forward, all rational thoughts leaving his brain as his lips firmly connected with hers. She reacted instantly, leaning in towards him and sliding one hand up the side of his neck. He knew she needed comfort. He knew she needed reassurance. This seemed so obvious, so natural and it looked like Kristie thought so too.
Her skin was cold, but her lips were warm. Sweet. Responsive. She didn’t seem to mind they were sitting on a log in the middle of the damp countryside. She didn’t seem to mind at all, and as her hand raked through his hair he could almost feel the temperature rising around them.
But little alarms were going off in his brain, like red flags frantically waving. How could he kiss her when he knew there was something else affecting her?
