Читать книгу The Love Islands Collection - Jane Porter - Страница 32

THE SHOWER WAS distinctly dodgy, spouting an uneven trickle of water. With thick hair like Rachel’s, rinsing the shampoo out was a challenge. She pulled on a plain pink button-down shirt and another pair of khaki shorts and her hiking boots again. The smell of breakfast was wafting around. Ron had been right; the catering cabin was definitely the most popular place on the island.

Part of her felt bad for the celebrities who had spent their first night in camp, half of them lying on the equivalent of yoga mats on the jungle floor. If it had been her she would have stuck her head in the sleeping bag, pulled the tie at the top and not come out again until morning. But, then again, she wasn’t here to entertain the audience.

Last night in the cabin had been hard enough. Knowing that across the simple sitting area and through the thin walls Nathan was lying in another bed made her skin tingle.

She’d spent years trying not to think about Nathan. Guilt always ensued when she thought about him. For the first year she’d had to concentrate on her own treatment and recovery. The support from Darius had actually helped; he’d been a welcome distraction. He liked to be the centre of attention in his own little world—even if he was keeping it secret. Sometimes it had felt as if Rachel was his only confidante and that could be a bit overwhelming—especially when she had her own recovery to consider.

Last night had been pretty sleepless. She tried to rationalise. She was on the Whitsundays—beautiful islands in the Coral Sea with a whole host of wildlife around her. The nightlife sounds were always going to be a little different. But that wasn’t what had kept her awake.

If she closed her eyes really tightly she could almost imagine that she could hear Nathan breathing in the other room. It brought back a whole host of memories she just wasn’t ready for. Her hand on his skin, watching the rise and fall of his chest and feeling the murmur of his heart beneath her palm. The soft noises he made while he slept. The fact that in their five years together, he’d never ever turned his back when they’d slept together. His arms had always been around her.

The feelings of comfort and security swept over her—things she’d missed beyond measure these last few years. And that didn’t even begin to touch on the passion. The warmth. The love.

Getting up and heading for the shower to try and scrub off the feeling of his arm around her shoulders had been all she could do. Nothing could change what had happened between them. Nothing could change the look in his eyes when he’d first seen her.

She’d felt the buzz yesterday. She’d heard the concern in his voice when she dived in amongst those barrels. She still wasn’t quite sure why she’d done that. It seemed like a good idea at the time—she was the only person small enough to get through the gap and to the patient.

But once she’d been in there she was scared. Hearing Nathan’s voice was not only reassuring but it also bathed her in comfort, knowing that he was concerned about her. She shouldn’t read anything into it. She shouldn’t. She knew him. Or at least she used to know him. Nathan would have been concerned for any colleague.

Had five years working for Doctors Without Borders changed him? Had her walking away from him changed him? She hoped not. She hoped his good heart was still there. Even if he only showed it to her in a moment of crisis.

She followed the smell of eggs and bacon. Most of the crew were already eating at the variety of tables. Nathan was in the corner, having a heated discussion with one of the directors.

Rachel filled her plate with toast, bacon, eggs and coffee, then walked over, putting her tray on the table. ‘Anything I should know about, guys?’

The angry words instantly dissipated as both sets of eyes looked at her in surprise. The hidden similarities between a television crew and a hospital was amazing. Rachel had spent too many years working amongst people with big egos to be thrown by anything she came across.

‘Is this a medical matter or a technical matter?’ she asked as she sat down and spread butter on her toast.

Nathan blinked. He still seemed surprised at her frankness. ‘It’s a mixture of both. Bill just presented me with a revised list of the challenges. I think some of the changes could impact on the health and safety of the contestants. He’s telling me that’s not our concern.’

‘Really?’ Rachel raised her eyebrows and bit into her toast. She chewed for a few seconds while she regarded Bill carefully. On this island, he obviously thought his word was law. To the rest of the production crew it probably was. But he hadn’t met Rachel or Nathan before. No matter how at odds they were with each other, he was about to find out just how formidable they could be as a combined force.

She gave Bill her best stare. ‘So, just out of interest, what would the insurance company say if both your doctors bailed?’

A slow smile started to spread over Nathan’s face. He knew exactly what she was doing.

‘What do you mean?’ snapped Bill.

She shrugged and started cutting up her bacon and eggs. ‘I’m just asking a question, Bill. I’m pretty sure you can’t have this production without your medical team in place. After yesterday, I think you’ll find Nathan and I aren’t prepared to negotiate on anything.’ She popped a piece of bacon in her mouth. ‘You either listen to us or you don’t.’

She was so matter-of-fact about it. Probably because she wasn’t prepared to negotiate. Employees, including herself, had been put at risk yesterday. They’d already identified a few celebrities who couldn’t take part in certain challenges. She didn’t even know the schedule for today. But, no matter how many years had passed, if Nathan knew enough to get angry about it, that was good enough for her.

Bill stood up abruptly, knocking the table and sloshing some of her coffee over the side of the cup. ‘Fine. I’ll change it back to the original plan.’

Nathan watched Bill as he stormed across the large cabin and slammed the door behind him. None of the crew even batted an eyelid. This obviously wasn’t news to them.

Rachel mopped up her coffee with a napkin. Now it was just the two of them her earlier bravado was vanishing. She was thinking about his arm on her shoulders last night and the way he’d just sat and held her until she’d composed herself. When she’d finally taken a deep breath and felt calm, he’d just given a little nod and stood up and strolled off into the sunset.

She’d no idea where he’d gone. But it had given her a chance to go back to the shared cabin, have a quick wash and change and hide in her room. She’d lain there for hours until she’d eventually heard the click of the door.

But she was a fool. He hadn’t come to speak to her. And she should be grateful. Her initial reaction to him earlier had been pure and utter shock. She’d more or less said she couldn’t work with him, which wasn’t true. He’d just been the last person she’d expected to see.

Nathan’s breakfast plate was empty, as was his coffee cup, and he picked them up. ‘I’ve heard that filming last night varied from boring to very boring. I think they were trying to spice things up today at one of the challenges and I’m not sure I trust Bill not to still try. Are you happy to come along to the filming?’

She nodded as she glanced at the now congealed egg on her plate. Her appetite had definitely left her.

He stood up. ‘I’ve also put up a notice saying we’ll have a surgery every morning for an hour for the crew. Anyone with any difficulties. I take it you don’t have a problem with that?’

She gulped. She was an experienced medical physician. Why did the thought of general practice fill her with fear? ‘That should be fine.’ No way did she want to express any concerns around Nathan. He’d already seen her wobble last night. That was already once too many.

‘Good,’ he said. ‘We start in ten minutes.’

He walked out ahead of her as she scrambled to pick up her tray and she felt a flash of annoyance. Ratbag. This was something they actually should have sat down and discussed together. He wasn’t senior to her. They were both here as doctors. She could almost bet if she were any other person he would have discussed this with her first.

A few of the crew were waiting when she arrived. Thankfully, there was nothing too difficult to diagnose. A few chesty crackles, another inhaler for someone and an emergency supply of blood pressure tablets for someone who’d misplaced their own.

An hour later, Ron arrived in a Jeep to pick up her and Nathan and take them to the first challenge on the other side of the island.

‘Challenge has been changed,’ were Ron’s first words.

‘What a surprise,’ said Nathan. ‘What to?’

‘The underground scramble.’ Ron kept driving while Rachel exchanged a glance with Nathan. The underground scramble was not a challenge she’d want to do. She searched her brain. Several of the celebrities suffered from claustrophobia and would have to be exempt from scrambling through the dark underground tunnels filled with a variety of creatures.

‘What about Diamond?’ she asked. ‘I think there’s too big a risk of infection.’

‘I agree. I’ll tell the producer she’s ineligible.’

‘Shouldn’t that have been decided before the public voted?’

Ron looked over his shoulder. ‘Don’t worry about it. Vote’s already decided that Darius will be doing the challenge. Diamond’s safe.’

Nathan’s eyes fixed hard on her as her stomach flipped over. A man who’d just undergone a bout of chemotherapy shouldn’t be dragging himself through dirty, water-filled tunnels with a variety of biting creatures and insects. But she already knew what he’d say.

‘I’ll need to speak to Darius before he starts,’ she murmured.

Ron laughed. ‘Don’t think you’ll have a chance. They’ll announce live on TV it’s him and do the challenge immediately afterwards. You won’t have time to talk.’

‘But I need time. He’ll get a safety briefing, won’t he? I’ll make time then.’

Nathan’s gaze narrowed. ‘What’s wrong? Doesn’t he like the dark? If he can’t do a challenge shouldn’t I know about it?’

She pushed back her retort. Nathan was right. It was already a bugbear that Darius was her ex. The fact that his medical details hadn’t been released to Nathan was obviously annoying him. It wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t her choice.

But she was being paid to do a job. And she wouldn’t be doing a good job if she didn’t warn Darius of the risks to his health—whether he listened or not.

‘He can do the challenge—and I’m sure he will. I just need to discuss some underlying issues with him.’

Nathan folded his arms across his chest and fixed his gaze back on the road ahead. The jungle foliage was beginning to thin as they reached the hollowed out tunnels at the other side of the island.

All of the celebrities were perched on a bench, talking to the hosts. Rachel jumped from the Jeep and made her way quickly to the entrance of the caves. ‘How deep are they and what’s in them?’ she asked one of the nearby crew.

He guided her over to the side, where some TV screens were set up, showing the cameras with infrared filters that were positioned in the man-made tunnels. She grimaced at the sight of scampering creatures. ‘Anything that bites and could break the skin?’

One of the rangers nodded. ‘Just about everything.’

Rachel squeezed her eyes closed and pushed her way past the hosts, grabbing hold of Darius’s arm. She was making an executive decision. This whole thing was fake anyway. She was pretty sure the only thing that was real was the viewers’ votes.

‘What’s wrong, Rachel?’ Darius’s brow creased as he glanced to make sure no one could overhear them.

‘I don’t think you should do this challenge,’ she said quickly. ‘There’s a strong possibility of getting cuts, bites or scrapes. Any break to the skin is a risk of infection and your immunity will already be low right now. There’s no telling what the infection risks are from the unknown creatures or the dirty water.’

Darius shot her his famous soap star smile as he realised what her words meant. ‘Lighten up, Rach. I’ve won the public vote? Fantastic.’ He shook his head. ‘I’m not worried about the tunnels. Why should you be?’ He glanced over her shoulder. She could already tell that Nathan had closed in and was listening to their conversation. ‘You can check me over for broken skin when I come out.’ Darius gave her a wink and walked back to the bench with the other celebrities.

The producer hurried over to her, hissing in her ear. ‘What are you doing? You’ll spoil everything. This is supposed to be a surprise.’

She spun around. ‘My job. That’s what I’m doing. And what are you worried about—didn’t you know Darius is one of the most famous soap stars in Australia? I’m sure he can act surprised.’

She stomped away back to the television screens. Darius was more concerned about his screen time and popularity than his health. It was maddening.

Nathan appeared at her side. ‘Are you going to tell me what’s going on?’

She gritted her teeth. ‘I can’t.’

He turned without another word and walked away.

After shooting her a few glares, the TV hosts smiled right on cue for their live broadcast. Darius was suitably surprised when he found out he’d been voted for the challenge. He smiled all through the televised safety briefing, then dived head first into the tunnels. Some of them were a tight fit. There was no way the sportsman could have forced his way through these tunnels. If Darius had been at his normal weight he probably wouldn’t have fitted either. He must have lost a little weight during chemotherapy. In the end he completed the challenge in a few minutes and emerged wet and muddy with his rewards in his hands. There was a large gash on one leg and a few nips on the other from some baby alligators.

She waited impatiently for the filming to finish. ‘In the Jeep,’ she said as the cameras stopped.

Darius flinched and rubbed at the open wound. ‘I think we’re supposed to go back directly to camp.’

Nathan appeared at his back. ‘Do what the good lady says. You won’t like her when she’s angry.’

There it was. That little hint to Darius that he actually knew her a whole lot better than Darius did. She could see the instant recognition on Darius’s face as they eyed each other suspiciously. It was ridiculous—like pistols at dawn. She was irritated enough already and this wasn’t helping.

Ron appeared, sweating as always, and smiling. ‘Back to the medical centre then, folks?’

All three climbed wordlessly into the Jeep. The journey back seemed so much longer. Ron talked merrily as if he hadn’t noticed the atmosphere in the car, dropping them all at the path leading down to the medical centre.

Rachel strode ahead, flinging open the door and pulling things from cupboards. She gestured towards the examination trolley. ‘Climb up there.’

She was so angry with them both right now she couldn’t even look at them. Darius for being so stupid and Nathan for being so stubborn. Part of her knew that Nathan was right. Any other doctor would want to know the patient’s history too.

But any other doctor wouldn’t get under her skin and grate like Nathan could.

He was like a permanent itch. Part of her still felt guilty around him. Part of her felt angry. Irrational? Yes, of course. She was the one who had walked away. She had left him and Charlie and put herself first.

Even if she could turn back the clock she wouldn’t change that—no matter how much it had hurt them both. Her outcome could have been so different. She was one of the lucky ones; she knew that. She’d had her treatment and reached the five-year magic survival milestone. That was good; that was positive.

But this whole place had just thrown her into turmoil. She’d distanced herself from Darius these last few years. He needed to find others to rely on. Coming here had been a mistake.

As for the sizzle in the air whenever she and Nathan were in the same room? She really couldn’t have predicted it. If anyone had asked her, she would have sworn it would never exist again. But it did exist. Every time she looked at him her skin tingled. Every time he stood close enough, all the little hairs on her body stood on end, almost willing him to come into contact. She couldn’t control her body’s responses. And it was driving her nuts.

She washed her hands and opened the sterile dressing pack. Nathan had angled a lamp over Darius’s leg, even though he hadn’t touched it. He seemed to sense it was wise to stay out of her way.

She slipped on her gloves and leaned over to get a good look at the wound. It was around four inches long and ragged, with a few tiny pieces of debris. She took a deep breath and irrigated with saline, removing the debris with tweezers. ‘It’s not deep enough to stitch. I’ll close it with paper stitches. But it does give a route of entry for infection. Who knows what was in that mud or those tunnels? You’re going to need this dressed and observed every day.’

Darius sighed. ‘That seems like overkill. This place is miles away from the campsite. I don’t want to have to come here every day. The rest of the celebrities will think I’m getting special treatment—either that or they’ll think something is wrong.’

Nathan cleared his throat loudly. ‘Actually, Darius, Rachel’s right. And it isn’t overkill. Since Rachel has highlighted you’re susceptible to infection, I think it would be wise to put you on antibiotics. It’s pretty much a given you’re going to get some kind of infection in that wound.’

Rachel was surprised to hear Nathan back her so quickly. She finished cleaning the wound and applied some antiseptic cream and a dressing.

‘It might be easier all round if either I or Rachel come up to the campsite every day to dress the wound. We can bring supplies with us and it should only take a few minutes. That way, it’s pretty obvious why you’re being seen. It’s not special treatment. It’s wound care.’

Darius nodded. He seemed oblivious to the fact she was mad at him. But of course the world revolved around Darius. At least his world did. What made her more curious was the way Nathan was actually giving him some leeway. She hadn’t expected it. Hadn’t expected it at all.

‘That sounds great. Thanks for that.’ He slid his legs from the examination couch while she got rid of the waste and Nathan dispensed some antibiotics. He held them out for Darius. ‘You do realise I’ll tell the producer you can’t be eligible for tomorrow’s challenge?’

‘What?’ He had Darius’s instant attention. ‘But it sounds like one of the best ones!’

‘You can’t go swimming and diving with a potentially infected leg. No way.’

Nathan was still holding onto the antibiotics. All credit to him. He knew exactly how to deal with Darius.

‘But it’ll look as if I’m using it as an excuse not to take part.’

Nathan shrugged. ‘The producer and director have to abide by our recommendations. Feel free to say on camera that the docs have refused to let you take part. Feel free to let the world know you’ve got a potentially life-threatening infection in your leg.’

Rachel could almost see the headlines running through Darius’s head. He gave a little nod. ‘Thanks for this.’ He took the antibiotics and a bottle of water from Nathan. ‘I’ll see you both tomorrow.’

He exited the medical centre and disappeared down the path to where Ron was waiting to drive him back to camp.

Rachel folded her arms and leaned against the wall. She could tell Nathan knew she was watching him. He started opening the filing cabinet and flicking through notes.

‘That was very kind of you. What’s going on?’

He glanced upwards. ‘I have no idea what you mean.’

‘Yeah, right. We both know you don’t like Darius. Why are you being so obliging?’

Nathan sat down behind the desk. ‘How much weight has he lost recently?’

She blinked. It wasn’t the response she’d expected.

She shook her head. ‘I’m not sure. He lost weight a few months ago. I just presumed he hasn’t put it back on again yet. He is looking a little gaunt, but I’m sure once his time in camp has passed he’ll be fine. All the celebrities lose some weight in camp.’

Nathan looked thoughtful. ‘I don’t care that you’re not telling me his medical history. I just don’t like the look of him.’ His mouth curled upwards for a second. There was a definite glint in his eye. ‘In more ways than one.’ He looked serious again. ‘I think there could be something else going on with Darius Cornell.’

She took a deep breath. She was having a professional conversation with Nathan Banks. It was just so weird. She’d been so wrapped up in Darius’s history of non-Hodgkin’s and keeping it confidential she hadn’t really thought about anything else. Sometimes you needed someone else to help you look at the big picture.

She bit the inside of her lip and gave a little sigh of recognition. ‘This way we get to keep a direct eye on him every day?’

Nathan smiled. ‘You got it.’

So this was what working with Nathan Banks could be like. She’d waited over eight years to find out. She’d never really expected it to happen. Even though they’d attended the same university, they’d never actually worked on a ward together. Once they’d qualified, choosing different specialities meant that it was unlikely to ever happen. This had been totally unexpected.

She watched as he flicked through a few files. His hair was so short she had an urge to run her palm over his head and feel the little bristle beneath her skin. He must have got used to wearing it in the buzz-cut style while he was working away.

The first thing she’d noticed was the little lines around his eyes. He’d aged. But, like most men, he’d done it in a good way. He’d lost the fresh face of youth and replaced it with something much more lived in and a whole lot more worldly-wise.

Nathan had always managed to take her breath away. Before, it had been with his good nature, laughter and sex appeal. Now, it was something entirely different. The man in front of her made her suck her breath between her teeth and just hold it there. He had so much presence. His bulkier frame filled the room. But it was whatever was hidden behind his eyes that made her unable to release the breath screaming in her lungs.

It could be a whole variety of things. The loss of his parents. His time over the world for Doctors Without Borders. Did Nathan have a medical history she didn’t know about? Why had he changed his career pathway? It could even be the fact that his brother had now settled down with a family before him. But she doubted that very much.

She wanted to peel back the layers. She wanted a diary of the missing years. But she wanted it all about Nathan, without revealing anything of herself.

Pathetic, really.

But she just wasn’t ready to go there.

His head lifted and their gazes meshed. ‘Is there anyone else you’re worried about?’ he asked.

Her brain scrambled. You. Me. She bit back the obvious replies.

‘Ron,’ she said quickly. ‘I don’t know if he just has a sweating disorder but I’d like to check him over.’

Nathan nodded. ‘Me too. We’ll get him in soon.’

He stood up and walked over to the door. ‘I’m going to go for a run along the beach before we need to supervise the diving challenge.’

Rachel bit her lip. An empty beach and the open ocean sounded like a great idea. Somewhere to clear her head. Somewhere to get her thoughts together. But if Nathan was going to be there it was too crowded already.

She stood up. ‘I’m going to go and talk to the production crew about the diving challenge. I’ll talk to you later.’

As she stepped outside the medical centre she took a few gulps of air. This island seemed to be getting smaller by the second …