Six Sexy Doctors Part 2. Joanna Neil

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      By the time Meagan returned, Mrs. McLeod had set a pot of tea and a couple of scones on the table, and was tying a scarf around her head.

      ‘Get out of those wet things and warm yourself by the fire,’ she said brusquely, but Meagan could tell that she was beginning to unbend. ‘I’ll be off to the house before the weather gets any worse.’

      Immediately, Meagan put her jacket back on.

      ‘I’ll run you up quickly.’

      ‘No, indeed you won’t,’ the older woman protested. ‘We island women are a lot tougher than you city girls. Although—’ she smiled at Meagan ‘—you are not quite as useless as I thought you might be.’

      Before Meagan had a chance to protest further, Mrs. McLeod had left.

      Once she’d had a bath and something to eat Meagan, took her book and curled up in front of the fire. The wind had risen further and the little house shook as the wind rattled the windows. She was glad that she didn’t have to be out on a night like this. Once or twice the lights flickered. She had been warned that the electricity often went down during storms. Meagan hoped there were some candles stashed somewhere, but if not she’d just have to make do with an early night. Not a bad idea, she thought as she toasted her feet in the warmth of the fire and snuggled deeper into her thick dressing-gown.

      She was just about to go to bed when there was a knock at the door. As she opened it, the force of the wind almost took it out of her hand. Standing in front of her was Cameron. His hair was plastered to his forehead and he was dressed in oilskins.

      ‘Can I come in?’ He had to shout to make himself heard above the wind. It would serve him right if I left him there, Meagan thought. Then he’d know what it felt like to be soaked to the skin. But something in Cameron’s expression told her that this was no social call. Silently she stood back and let him enter. He strode over to the fire and warmed his hands.

      ‘We need your help, Meagan,’ he said. ‘One of the fishing boats didn’t return this evening. Search and Rescue are sending a helicopter. It’s too stormy for a lifeboat. I’m going with them but we need all hands on deck at the hospital if we find them. And that means all the doctors at both practices. There are four men on that boat.’ He looked anguished. ‘And I know them all.’

      ‘Of course. I’ll get dressed straight away. But why didn’t you phone? I could have gone straight to the hospital.’

      ‘Have you tried your phone in the last couple of hours?’ he asked. ‘The lines are down. The mobiles too. It doesn’t help with the communication problems. And, anyway, I didn’t want you driving to the hospital on your own. It’s high tide later tonight and the wind is already pushing the waves over the causeways. If you don’t know exactly where you are going it’s easy to lose your way. But we will need both cars, so you’ll have to follow me closely. I hope to God people have stayed off the road.’

      As Meagan ran upstairs to get dressed he called after her, ‘Be as quick as you can, Meagan. I need to be ready to leave the minute the chopper gets here.’

      Within minutes they were making their slow way towards the hospital. Meagan was gripping the steering-wheel so tightly she could feel her nails digging into the palms of her hands. Even with the wipers on their fastest setting she could barely see the road in front of her. Instead, she concentrated on following the red rear lights of Cameron’s Jeep. As they crossed the causeway that separated the two islands, water spewed over her four-wheel-drive. For one horrifying moment Meagan thought she was going to be swept away. Why had she ever thought life was going to be unexciting here?

      At last they arrived at the hospital, only to find that they were the only medics there so far. The doctors who lived on the south of the island were still making their way. However Meagan was relieved to find that Dorothy and Sophie from the practice had managed it and were waiting with the three hospital nurses to offer what help they could.

      ‘Any sign of the helicopter yet?’ Cameron asked.

      ‘They haven’t been able to take off yet. They’re waiting for another crew member and for the wind to die down.’

      Cameron cursed. ‘The longer those men are out there, the less chance they have.’

      ‘Cameron, I’ve got the coastguard on the radio.’ Dorothy handed Cameron the radio receiver. ‘Luckily we have radio contact still,’ she said to Meagan. ‘The hospital here is well set up, thank goodness, for emergencies like these.’

      Everyone listened in silence as Cameron took the call. It was evident from his expression that it was more bad news. As he replaced the receiver he turned to the anxious group, his expression grim.

      ‘More trouble, I’m afraid. A car has gone over the side of one of the causeways. Luckily it isn’t submerged—at least not yet—but the driver is trapped and the tide is rising. The fire brigade is on it’s way now. Dorothy, could you get me the surgical kit? I need to go. The driver may have to be cut out.’

      ‘I’ll go, Cameron,’ Meagan offered quietly. ‘You wait here for the helicopter.’

      He shook his head. ‘It’ll be at least an hour before it’s here. The other doctors should be here by then if I’m not back.’

      ‘Then I’m coming with you,’ Meagan said. ‘No argument. We can keep in touch with the hospital by radio. If the helicopter looks as if it’s on its way and the others haven’t made it by then, one of us can come back.’

      ‘I haven’t time to argue. Dorothy, we’ll take the radio with us. Keep in touch. Come on, then, Meagan. Let’s go. We’ll take my car. It’s too risky for you on your own.’

      Once again Meagan had to brave the lashing rain and wind. She couldn’t begin to imagine what it was like for the fishermen. If they were alive they must be freezing as well as shocked. Although the outside air temperature wasn’t particularly cold, she knew the temperature of the Atlantic sea could kill within minutes.

      It took them ten minutes to drive to the causeway connecting the middle Island to the southern one. The fire engine was there before them and they were glad of its flashing lights to guide them quickly and safely towards the stricken vehicle. Cameron was out of the car almost before he had brought it to a halt and Meagan hurried after him.

      ‘Any luck, Angus?’ he called out to the fireman as he approached.

      ‘Hello, Cameron, it’s good to see you,’ the burly islander responded. ‘It’s a visitor to the island. His wife and two kids were in the car with him. We’ve managed to get everyone but the driver out. His foot is stuck and the tide is rising. It’s up to his shoulders now and he’s beginning to panic.’

      ‘Any chance you could pull the car out, occupant and all?’ Cameron asked.

      ‘We’ve already thought of that. But I’m afraid there’s no chance. If we had more time then maybe. As it is, we have ten, maybe fifteen minutes left before the water rises above his neck level.’

      ‘Right, then, let’s take a look.’ Cameron slid down the side of the causeway and slipped into the water. Tall though he was, the water came up to his hips. The front of the car was pointing downwards, meaning that the driver would be even lower than they were. Meagan knew that unless Cameron could release the man, they would have to amputate СКАЧАТЬ