He leaned toward Jai. ‘Just breathe normally, Jai.’ He immediately checked Jai’s respirations using his stethoscope.
Mia could see the rise and fall of Jai’s chest and his respirations were less rapid. ‘You’re in the right place?’
‘I am.’ Dimples carved deeply into his cheeks, giving him a look that radiated waves of charisma.
Charisma that showered down on her, releasing a jet of desire, which blasted its way through her. The room swayed. She quickly injected saline into the balloon of the tube to hold it in place, glad she had a reason to lower her gaze because without one it would have been stuck like glue to Flynn’s face.
‘Now we’ve maintained his airway, I want you to clean Jai’s eyes and I’ll stitch this in place.’
Flynn’s voice was all business, as it should be. She was the one being unprofessional with these crazy flushes of desire. She gave herself a shake and briskly twisted the top off the saline.
She only had room-temperature saline, which shouldbe warm enough but would probably feel cold to Jai. ‘I have to clean your face now and it might feel cold.’ The magnesium dust from the cracker had impregnated his eyes and skin.
Being as gentle as she could, she poured the saline over his eyes and wiped from the inner aspect outwards, removing as much muck as she could. Blindness was a real possibility.
The young man shuddered under her ministrations and she hated causing him more discomfort. He had a long road ahead of him. ‘Normally I’d put cling wrap on burns but these are filthy. What do you want me to use?’
‘Wash them with chlorhexidine and then slather them with SSD cream.’ Flynn snipped the suture thread with the scissors. ‘Jenny, what time is the air ambulance expected?’
‘It left Darwin. Should be here at nine. They sending a doctor and nurse. Walter, he gone to light fires at the airstrip.’ Jenny turned to go. ‘I go see Alice.’
‘Thanks, Jenny.’ Mia smiled at the worried health worker as she disappeared out the door. She turned back to Flynn. ‘If they’re an hour away, should we catheterise him so we have an accurate fluid picture?’
Flynn nodded. ‘Good idea. I’ll do that, you clean up the burns.’
They worked together, anticipating each other, falling into an unspoken routine driven by the emergency mantra. They’d established an airway, maintained circulating volume, and were now dealing with the burns.
She kept sneaking glances at Flynn as he worked, watching how his hair curled over his collar, how hishair had a few silver strands at his temples, and how gentle his hands were with Jai.
For weeks she’d been telling herself he was just a doctor. Her occasional doctor. Sure, she’d been attracted to him but she’d been able to put that aside. But today she’d learned too much about him for her to think of him only as a sexy doctor. When he’d told her his story, he’d moved from colleague to wounded man. A man who needed a friend. It had seemed as natural as breathing to hold his hand in the church and give him the support she knew she would have welcomed had she been in the same situation.
And tonight he’d returned her friendship with his caring concern for her and she’d misconstrued it for something else. In a moment of insanity she’d tried to kiss him with a pathetic brush of lips that had been more on his cheek than his mouth. Thank goodness for the fireworks which had arrived with perfect timing, saving her from further embarrassment.
Flynn was hiding out on Kirra and wanted no part of a relationship.
Not that she could offer him that even if he wanted one.
A sudden thought, clear and dazzling, burst in her head. Perhaps they’d met so she could help him move on, show him that the actions of one woman shouldn’t derail his life. Perhaps her job was to bring him back from hiding and make him realise how much he was missing by retreating from the world.
Flynn deserved the happy-ever-after she’d never
Mia could see the rise and fall of Jai’s chest and his respirations were less rapid. ‘You’re in the right place?’
‘I am.’ Dimples carved deeply into his cheeks, giving him a look that radiated waves of charisma.
Charisma that showered down on her, releasing a jet of desire, which blasted its way through her. The room swayed. She quickly injected saline into the balloon of the tube to hold it in place, glad she had a reason to lower her gaze because without one it would have been stuck like glue to Flynn’s face.
‘Now we’ve maintained his airway, I want you to clean Jai’s eyes and I’ll stitch this in place.’
Flynn’s voice was all business, as it should be. She was the one being unprofessional with these crazy flushes of desire. She gave herself a shake and briskly twisted the top off the saline.
She only had room-temperature saline, which shouldbe warm enough but would probably feel cold to Jai. ‘I have to clean your face now and it might feel cold.’ The magnesium dust from the cracker had impregnated his eyes and skin.
Being as gentle as she could, she poured the saline over his eyes and wiped from the inner aspect outwards, removing as much muck as she could. Blindness was a real possibility.
The young man shuddered under her ministrations and she hated causing him more discomfort. He had a long road ahead of him. ‘Normally I’d put cling wrap on burns but these are filthy. What do you want me to use?’
‘Wash them with chlorhexidine and then slather them with SSD cream.’ Flynn snipped the suture thread with the scissors. ‘Jenny, what time is the air ambulance expected?’
‘It left Darwin. Should be here at nine. They sending a doctor and nurse. Walter, he gone to light fires at the airstrip.’ Jenny turned to go. ‘I go see Alice.’
‘Thanks, Jenny.’ Mia smiled at the worried health worker as she disappeared out the door. She turned back to Flynn. ‘If they’re an hour away, should we catheterise him so we have an accurate fluid picture?’
Flynn nodded. ‘Good idea. I’ll do that, you clean up the burns.’
They worked together, anticipating each other, falling into an unspoken routine driven by the emergency mantra. They’d established an airway, maintained circulating volume, and were now dealing with the burns.
She kept sneaking glances at Flynn as he worked, watching how his hair curled over his collar, how hishair had a few silver strands at his temples, and how gentle his hands were with Jai.
For weeks she’d been telling herself he was just a doctor. Her occasional doctor. Sure, she’d been attracted to him but she’d been able to put that aside. But today she’d learned too much about him for her to think of him only as a sexy doctor. When he’d told her his story, he’d moved from colleague to wounded man. A man who needed a friend. It had seemed as natural as breathing to hold his hand in the church and give him the support she knew she would have welcomed had she been in the same situation.
And tonight he’d returned her friendship with his caring concern for her and she’d misconstrued it for something else. In a moment of insanity she’d tried to kiss him with a pathetic brush of lips that had been more on his cheek than his mouth. Thank goodness for the fireworks which had arrived with perfect timing, saving her from further embarrassment.
Flynn was hiding out on Kirra and wanted no part of a relationship.
Not that she could offer him that even if he wanted one.
A sudden thought, clear and dazzling, burst in her head. Perhaps they’d met so she could help him move on, show him that the actions of one woman shouldn’t derail his life. Perhaps her job was to bring him back from hiding and make him realise how much he was missing by retreating from the world.
Flynn deserved the happy-ever-after she’d never
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