The door at the side of the room burst open. ‘Donovan! I need you, now!’

  In any other set of circumstances he might have been grateful for the interruption, relieved even. But Grace’s face was as white as a sheet. The head of every reporter in the room turned to her and in one action the whole crowd seemed to surge towards her.

  Donovan couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her previously coiffed hair was sticking out in all directions, her scrubs were rumpled, but the thing he noticed most was her unwavering focus.

  He stood up and pushed his way through the crowd. ‘Out of my way!’

  It was only seconds until he reached her, but it felt like for ever. The reporters were too busy chasing the story, rather than thinking of the emergency situation. Grace’s hands and legs were spread at the doorway, firmly stopping any of the reporters getting through. Her chin was set determinedly, but her eyes were scanning the crowd frantically, looking for Donovan.

  He placed his hand over hers in the doorway and she grabbed it quickly and pulled him through with a force he underestimated, kicking the door closed behind her.

  He felt the first flush of fresh air surround his skin.

  ‘Now,’ she said, her feet running a few steps down the corridor, giving him no time to think. As soon as the door had closed behind him he was instantly aware of the cardiac-arrest alarm sounding in this part of the hospital. It had been years since Donovan had heard one. It had been years since Donovan had responded to one in this kind of environment, but all his automatic medical senses kicked into place.

  He was right behind her as she ran into a room, dragging an emergency trolley from the corridor behind her. There was one nurse, with a knee on the bed, counting out loud as she did chest compressions on the small boy.

  Donovan did a double take. ‘Where is everyone?’ In all his years he’d never seen this. Whenever a cardiac arrest alarm sounded in a hospital setting, everyone responded. It was an unwritten rule. Only one nurse and Grace? It was unheard of.

  The little body had two IVs running, one with fluids, one with bloods, and from the signs on the bed he’d already been haemorrhaging.

  Donovan moved to the top of the bed, taking the most obvious position of airway support. He released the brake on the bed, pushing it forward and lifted the headrest out of place. He grabbed the Ambu bag from the top of the trolley, connected the oxygen and inserted a child-sized airway to maintain the little boy’s respiratory status. This was a temporary measure. The child should be intubated but he couldn’t see the equipment he needed right now.

  Grace was connecting the monitoring equipment and defibrillator around the nurse’s hands. ‘Sorry, Donovan, I needed urgent assistance.’

  ‘Where on earth is the rest of the staff?’

  ‘There are four of them outside, transferring one of the kids onto a helicopter.’

  ‘You arranged the transfers?’ He was surprised she’d managed to pull it off. Grace was rising in his estimation all the time.

  ‘Yeah, with a few conditions.’ She waved her hand. ‘We’ll get to them later?’

  As for getting him out the press conference? It wasn’t ideal. The press would be all over this like a rash. But patients always came first. And Grace had looked as if she couldn’t care less about the members of the press. She’d just known she’d needed help.

  He couldn’t even begin to let himself acknowledge how panicked he’d begun to feel in that room. Right now it felt safer to recognise that Grace had interrupted the conference to get help. Safer for him at least.

  She finished connecting the electrodes to the little boy’s body. ‘There’s a sick adult on the other side of the ward. Two staff are inserting a chest tube.’ She gave her head a little shake. ‘We just don’t have enough staff for the poor condition of these patients, Donovan.’ She opened up the IV nearest her, quickly moving back to the patient. ‘This blood isn’t going in quickly enough.’

  Donovan nodded in agreement. Tyler Bates. Five years old. He’d reviewed him with Grace a few hours ago and recommended he be transferred as soon as possible to ICU. The little boy was deathly pale. It was clear he’d started to haemorrhage. Rapid fluid replacement, both blood and clotting factors, would be needed to help him survive.

  ‘Hands off.’ The nurse stopped what she was doing and immediately started running the cryoprecipitate to aid blood clotting through another IV.

  Donovan turned his eyes to the monitor. His hand was routinely squeezing the Ambu bag to push air into his lungs. He identified the heart rhythm immediately. ‘VF. Shock him, Grace.’

  She didn’t hesitate and set the level on the machine. ‘Stand clear.’ He’d no idea how long it had been since Grace had resuscitated someone—let alone if she’d ever resuscitated a child before—but she made it look as if she did this every day. Now she had the additional support she’d needed for his airway, she was the coolest person in the room. He lifted his hands away from the little boy’s face.

  The little boy’s body shuddered and they watched the flickering blue line for a few seconds. The unruly squiggle, ventricular fibrillation, had shown them his heart wasn’t beating properly—just quivering in his chest. There was few seconds of hesitation then the squiggle changed. One little blip, slowly followed by another.

  ‘Give him some adrenaline.’ The child’s heart rate was still too low but at least he had one. In another minute Donovan would have needed to intubate, but now the little boy gave an involuntary cough and his temporary airway was expelled. Donovan turned the oxygen supply up full and pulled a mask over his face, keeping the Ambu bag close by in case he needed it again.

  The slow heartbeat took a few minutes to gradually pick up its rate. Their biggest concern now would be helping this little boy maintain his pulse and blood pressure while they tried to replace his lost blood products.

  Two other nurses appeared at the door. ‘What happened?’ one of them asked.

  Grace gestured to the bed. ‘Tyler arrested.’ She looked up. ‘Did Jacob get transferred?’

  They nodded. One of the nurses moved over towards the bed and started clearing away the used supplies, while the other checked Tyler’s blood pressure. ‘The medevac team did mention something about other doctor and nurses.’ She raised her eyebrows in question at Grace.

  Donovan caught the glance between them. Tyler’s breathing was becoming steadier. ‘Grace?’

  A little colour flushed her cheeks as she checked the rate on the IV delivering blood to Tyler. ‘I might have agreed to a few conditions for the transfer,’ she mumbled.

  Donovan felt his ears prick up and cool wave wash over his skin. ‘And what might they be?’

  He couldn’t even begin to imagine how Grace had managed to arrange the transfers so quickly. He had visions of the DPA budget being blown out of the window, with his name attached to it.

  He straightened up, because she hadn’t answered. ‘Grace, what did you agree to?’

  She was checking Tyler’s heart rate again. Her eyes glanced quickly over at him then skittered away. ‘I might have agreed to put a team into the hospital at Panama City.’

  He sucked in a breath. They already had another team headed here. Three teams? Working on the same outbreak? Well, that would make DPA history.

  ‘You phoned the request in?’

  She licked her lips. ‘Yes.’ She still wasn’t looking at him.

  ‘And they agreed?’ He could see how nervous she was, how edgy.

  And he wasn’t mad at her. He wasn’t. Patient care came first. And if this was the only way to get the kids transferred to the facilities they needed, then so be it.

  He could make the argument in the director’s office later.

  She took a deep breath and finally looked him in the eye. Her words tumbled out. ‘I’m sorry, Donovan. I said you insisted. I said you authorised it. I didn’t know what else to do. They didn’t have the expertise at Panama city ICU and said the only way they could accept the kids was if they had specialist help. They made the case that they had other patients to protect. I couldn’t think of a way around it. So I just said yes. And I gave your name.’

  She’d moved, and was standing in front of him now. She was breathing quickly; he could see the little pulse throbbing at the base of her neck. She looked as if she might cry. The nurses looked up, both with amused expressions on their faces. Tyler heart rate was steady now. ‘I’m going to talk with Tyler’s mom,’ said one. ‘I’m going to get some sheets to change the bed,’ said the other, and they both exited the room at top speed.

  Another doctor appeared at the door. He was one of the regular hospital staff. He looked at the equipment. ‘Sorry, I couldn’t respond to the arrest call. The chest drain is in now and my patient is stabilised. Can I take over in here? The second medevac phoned to say they’ll be here in ten minutes. Can you write up Tyler’s notes about what just happened?’

  Grace hadn’t moved. She was still standing in front of Donovan. Looking at him with those big green, trembling eyes. ‘Of course,’ he said quickly, picking up Tyler’s case notes and grabbing her hand to pull her from the room.

  The corridor was quiet. There was only him and her. But it seemed too open, too exposed. He pulled her towards the nearest on-call room and closed the door behind them.

  Now it was definitely just him and her. He hadn’t even flicked the light on in the room. He could almost sense that she wouldn’t want him to.

  He put his hands on her shoulders. ‘Grace, are you okay?’

  It wasn’t just her eyes that were trembling, it was her whole body. Did she really think he’d be annoyed about her decision?

  Then it hit him. And he didn’t hesitate. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against his chest.

  ‘You’ve never resuscitated a child before, have you?’

  The stifled sobs told him all he needed to know. His free hand stroked the top of her head. A waft of fruit came in his direction, she obviously used citrus-scented shampoo. ‘You did good, Grace. Real good. Tyler’s back.’

  She shook her head against him. Her words were muffled, ‘But I panicked, Donovan. I panicked. No one responded to the call and I knew I couldn’t do everything with just one nurse. I didn’t mean to interrupt the conference. I know I should have checked about the other team. But I didn’t want you to think I was incapable.’ Her voice was even quieter, ‘I panicked.’

  He walked her backwards towards the single bed against the wall, letting her sit down on it. He kneeled in front of her, taking his hands and putting them on her cheeks, tilting her head up.

  He knew all about panic.

  Her eyelashes were damp, her cheeks flushed. He could feel the slight perspiration at the base of her neck. ‘Grace, I don’t care about the promise of the other team. I don’t care about the interrupted press conference. All I care about is that Tyler Bates’s heart is beating again and he’s about to get transferred to an ICU.’

  She was trying to draw a breath, but her whole body was shuddering. ‘I should have been able to handle an arrest on my own. I’m a doctor. I shouldn’t need any assistance. I should have managed.’ Her eyes were fixed on the floor.

  He shook his head. ‘Grace, look at me. Look at me.’

  Her eyes finally lifted again. ‘I don’t know how I would have managed a paediatric arrest on my own.’

  Her lips tightened. ‘You’re just saying that. You’re just saying that to make me feel better.’

  ‘No. No, I’m not. I’m your team leader, Grace. I’m not here to make you feel better. I’m here to assess your work and make sure you’re a good fit for the team.’

  She bit her lip. She was waiting. Waiting for him to say she should go. He couldn’t stand how upset she looked.

  Grace Barclay really had no idea just how good she was.

  He did something he probably shouldn’t. He stroked a finger down her cheek. The lightest, gentlest touch against her soft, silky skin. It was a much more intimate gesture than before. ‘Grace, I think you are very capable. You were in a situation that was unusual for you. You recognised that you hadn’t handled a paediatric arrest and asked for assistance. Some people might not have done that. One of the biggest faults a doctor can have is not to recognise their own shortcomings. But you did brilliantly in there, Grace. You have no reason to doubt your abilities.’

  Her lips were still quivering. Tears were shimmering in her eyes.

  He lowered his lips to her ear. ‘I don’t.’ It was a whisper. But he said it with the intensity he thought she was due.

  He felt her suck in a breath and hold it. He straightened up and dropped a kiss on her head, pulling her close again. It felt natural. It felt like a completely natural response.

  But they weren’t the actions of a team leader. And he knew that.

  She relaxed against him for a few seconds, her hands reaching down and touching the sides of his waist.

  Then he moved and did something he absolutely shouldn’t. He sat on the bed next to her and lay back, pulling her with him so she rested against his chest. His arms were encircling her warm body. He could still feel the shudders going through her. And he didn’t say a single word.

  What was he doing?

  He’d never had a relationship with anyone in his team before. He’d never got this close to anyone in his team before.

  But Grace was different. From those first few moments in the shower he’d known things were different.

  Keeping her at arm’s length was becoming more tricky. And he certainly didn’t have her at arm’s length right now. As soon as he’d realised how upset she was, he’d been unable to stop himself from putting his arms around her. He’d comforted lots of colleagues in the past by giving them a quick hug, but this was different.

  Everything about Grace Barclay confused him. And part of him was hoping she was just as confused as he was.

  The shuddering came to a peaceful end. He had one hand wrapped around her body and the other gently stroking her hair. It had seemed natural. He hadn’t even thought to stop. Their breathing had slowly synched and he could almost feel the gradual change in the air around them.

  The time for comforting had passed. He really didn’t have an excuse to be lying on a bed with Grace Barclay now. But he didn’t really want to move.

  And it seemed that neither did she.

  He could sense the change in her breathing again. The awareness.

  Electricity seemed to be forming in the air above them.

  He squeezed his eyes closed. What was he thinking? They had young patients to prepare for transfer out there. Grace had notes to write up. And his mind was somewhere else entirely. He felt another sensation, a rush of blood and a stirring awareness elsewhere.

  Enough.

  He sat up rapidly, pushing Grace up along with him. For a second she looked a little flustered and he prayed she hadn’t noticed anything going on in his body.

  He took a deep breath and tried to sound as professional as he could. ‘Better?’

  He stood up and made a grab for Tyler’s notes, which he’d abandoned on a nearby chair.

  She lifted her chin. She looked calmer now. More like herself. She licked her lips. ‘Better.’

  Neither of them were going to acknowledge what had just happened.

  He tried to keep it all business. ‘We need to write up Tyler’s notes to prepare him for the transfer.’

  She nodded. He had no idea what was going on in her head right now.

  She reached out her hand. ‘I’ll do it. You wait for the medevac team.’

  It was back to business. She took the notes and pushed open the door. It let in a gust of fresh air that cooled the body parts that had been reacting and he watched her walk down the corridor to the nurses’ station and start writing.

  He smiled. She’d just given him an order.

  And, team leader or not, he kind of liked it.

  CHAPTER SIX

  GRACE’S PHONE BEEPED as she turned on the shower in the slightly rundown motel room. The only saving grace of this place, with its old-fashioned décor and rough towels, was the fact it looked directly onto the beach.

  She was trying to calculate in her head how long she’d been awake, but her brain was currently mush, so she’d reverted to using her fingers. She had been up since six-thirty yesterday morning, then a late-night flight, arrival in the Florida hospital after midnight, followed by a full eleven-hour shift. Callum Ferguson had arrived just under an hour ago and taken a full handover from every member of staff, then he had promptly sent them all to go and sleep.

  Donovan hadn’t wanted to leave. He’d been hanging around Callum like a moth to a flame. It was only natural. It had only been two years ago that Callum had experienced a heart attack on a DPA mission. Everyone was naturally protective of the man they all admired. But Grace had noticed there was an extra doctor in Callum’s team. She could only guess he’d been placed there by the director to ensure Callum had enough support.

  Eventually, Donovan had agreed to leave but only with a guarantee that if there was an influx of patients he be called back in.

  She put her hand under the shower, shrieked and pulled it back. The water was icy cold. A bit like the water at the DPA when Donovan had turned the showers off.

  She looked out of her window at the beach. Maybe there was an alternative? The sun wasn’t even close to setting and there were still lots of people in the water. She opened her mammoth case and pulled out the orange bikini. Her friends must have had a sixth sense. She could put this to some use.

  The phone beeped again and she picked it up. A text message from Lara.