Kitabı oku: «Touched By Angels», sayfa 3

Meg hesitated but the feeling that something was wrong wouldn’t go away. Her legs felt like lead as she stepped from the relative safety of the hut and began to cross the clearing. It was a relief when she spotted Moses among the crowd of people gathered by the hut.

‘Is something wrong?’ she asked, going straight over to speak to him.

He turned to her and his face looked grey and drawn in the moonlight. ‘It is Leah, Dr Meg. The baby is coming but there is something wrong and he cannot be born.’

He gave an expressive shrug which said more than any words could have done. Meg felt her heart sink as she wondered what the problem might be. There were so many things that could go wrong during a birth, although thankfully most could be dealt with in the safety of a hospital. However, this was the middle of the African bush and she had no idea what she was letting herself in for as Moses eagerly accepted her offer of help. At that moment, it seemed a very long time since she’d done her stint on the maternity unit.

The hut was lit by candles, and as Meg went inside she could see several women gathered around the low pallet that Leah was lying on. It was obvious that they were the local midwives and she was conscious that she might offend them if she offered her help. However, they made no objection when she knelt beside Leah, simply moved aside to make room for her. She had a feeling that they believed they’d done all they could and her heart sank even further at that thought, although she tried not to show any trace of concern.

‘Hello, Leah. It’s Dr Meg,’ she said softly, noting the lines of pain that bracketed the girl’s mouth. ‘Can I just check how your baby is doing?’

Leah nodded mutely. She was obviously too exhausted to speak. She arched upwards as another contraction began, a keening wail coming from her as the pain tore through her body. Meg was shocked by how strong her contractions were because there had been no sign that she’d been in labour when she’d served their meal a few hours earlier.

She placed her hand on the young woman’s abdomen and gently palpated it, feeling the hard form of the baby beneath her palm. She couldn’t be certain but she suspected that it was lying in the breech position and that was what was causing the problem. Turning the baby was beyond her because she simply didn’t have that kind of expertise. However, it was obvious that something had to be done—and quickly—otherwise both mother and child could die.

She patted Leah’s hand, trying to sound a lot more confident than she actually felt. ‘Don’t worry, Leah. I’ll go and get another of the doctors and we’ll help you deliver your baby. All right?’

She wasn’t sure that the girl had even heard her as Leah stared at her with pain-glazed eyes. Meg hurried from the hut and ran across the clearing. Whether it was professional courtesy or pure instinct which made her go straight to Jack’s hut, she wasn’t sure, but she didn’t stop to debate it as she ducked under the low lintel. Leah needed help and, in her view, Jack was the best qualified to give it.

‘Jack, wake up!’ Pushing aside the mosquito netting, she put her hand on his bare shoulder, ignoring the frisson which shot up her arm as she felt the heat of his skin. He was naked from the waist up, a thin white sheet covering the lower half of his body and outlining the narrowness of his hips and muscular power of his long legs.

Meg quickly averted her eyes and focused on the task of waking him rather than letting her mind go wandering off. All right, so Jack was superbly fit but now certainly wasn’t the time to be thinking about it. She tightened her grip on his shoulder and shook him. ‘Wake up, Jack!’

He came to in a rush, grabbing hold of her and rolling over in one swift movement. Before she knew what was happening, Meg found herself flat on her back with Jack looming over her.

‘What the devil…?’ For a moment he looked as stunned as she felt before a slow smile spread across his face. Meg felt her heart go into overdrive because it wasn’t a nice sort of smile by any means. Wolfish. Mocking. Sexy, certainly, but definitely not nice!

‘Well, well. What have we here? Don’t tell me that you’re hoping to improve my opinion of you that way, Ms Andrews?’

CHAPTER THREE

‘I…YOU…Let me go!’

Meg rolled to her feet as soon as Jack had released her. Pushing back her tumbled hair, she glared at him. ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’

He lay back against the pillow, a thin smile curving his mouth. ‘I think I got my question in first, don’t you?’

Meg felt a rush of colour wash up her face and was glad that it was so dark that he couldn’t possibly have seen it. Did he honestly believe that she would have tried to influence him by offering to sleep with him?

The thought sent another surge of heat through her veins which she decided owed itself to anger. It had nothing to do with the remembered feel of his powerful body as it had pressed hers into the mattress, no connection whatsoever to the fact that just for a moment she’d found herself actually enjoying the contact. She was angry because never in her life had she been so…so insulted!

‘If you imagine that I shall dignify that question with an answer then think again!’ she snapped back.

‘In that case, you’ll understand if I don’t answer your question, won’t you? Anyway, I suppose there must have been a reason why you saw fit to wake me even if it isn’t the one that sprang to mind. Is something wrong?’

She very nearly turned round and marched right out of the hut. She had sensed all along that Jack had a low opinion of her but she hadn’t realised before just how low it was. It was only the thought of Leah which helped curb her temper and remember what she was doing there in the first place.

‘Leah’s in labour but there seems to be a problem,’ she explained through gritted teeth. ‘I might be wrong but I think the baby could be breech. Can you come and take a look at her?’

‘Of course.’ He was out of bed before she could blink, stepping into his trousers and dragging on his shirt as he headed for the door. Meg hurried after him as he strode across the clearing, answering the questions he shot at her to the best of her ability. She felt a trifle stunned by the speed of the transformation as he’d switched back to total professionalism in the blink of an eye. Obviously, work came first on Jack’s list of priorities and everything else came a very poor second. Why didn’t that surprise her?

Jack went straight to the bed. Kneeling down, he smiled reassuringly at the young woman. ‘Dr Meg tells me that you’re having trouble, Leah—may I see?’

‘Yes…’ Leah’s voice was weak with exhaustion and Meg found it difficult to hide her concern as she knelt beside the bed and took her pulse. It was so thready and faint that Meg’s heart plummeted because she knew Leah wouldn’t survive if something wasn’t done soon to help her.

Jack looked up and his eyes reflected her concern as he looked at her across the bed. ‘The baby is lying horizontally rather than breech from the feel of it. There’s no chance of it being delivered normally because its arm and shoulder appear to be jammed in her pelvis.’

Meg swallowed as she realised the implications. ‘She needs a Caesarean section, you mean?’

Jack nodded. ‘Yes. There isn’t any other option open to us at this stage. The only way to get that baby out is by doing a section otherwise we’re going to lose both of them.’ He glanced at the young woman and for a moment his face contorted with pain. ‘It might be too late even now but we have to try.’

Meg didn’t question his judgement because she knew he was right. If they didn’t operate immediately then both Leah and her baby would die. She stood up and there was a new determination in her eyes when she looked at Jack. Even if there was only a slim chance that they could save them then they had to try.

‘What do you want me to do first?’

Jack stood up as well and she felt her pulse leap as he smiled at her because for the first time ever there was a trace of admiration on his face. ‘Reckon we can do it, then, Meg?’ he asked quietly, his voice sounding very deep.

She squared her shoulders, striving for a calm she wished she felt, but it was hard to achieve that state when it felt as though dozens of butterflies were fluttering around inside her stomach. To see Jack look at her that way was everything she could have wished for, even though she wasn’t sure why it should have mattered so much.

‘Yes. If anyone can help Leah, I know you can,’ she said quietly, knowing in her heart that it was true.

He inclined his head in brief acknowledgement but that didn’t mean she missed the flare of some other emotion in the depths of his eyes…

She turned away before her mind could start racing along paths there simply wasn’t time to follow right then. She focused strictly on what Jack was saying as he rattled out a list of instructions. Fortunately, they had all the supplies they could possibly need close to hand, although the thought of performing the operation under such conditions was daunting.

In the end, Meg decided that it would be better not to think about it and just get on with the job. If they didn’t operate, Leah and the baby would die. There simply wasn’t a choice so she had to accept the problems and deal with them.

‘Do you want me to fetch Lesley or Kate?’ she offered once she was sure she knew exactly what he wanted doing.

He shook his head. ‘No, there’s no need to disturb them just yet. I’ll get Moses to wake them if I think it’s necessary, but I’m sure you and I can cope, Meg. However, I will wake Rory. We’ll need him to give the anaesthetic.’

Meg nodded her agreement before she hurried away to collect what was needed, but she couldn’t deny that her heart had lifted when she’d heard Jack say that. Maybe he was beginning to trust her after all? Odd how much comfort she derived from that thought.

Afterwards, when Meg looked back on that night, she found it hard to believe that she hadn’t dreamt it. There had been a surreal quality to the whole event which made it hard to believe it had actually happened.

At Jack’s insistence, more candles and an old paraffin lamp had been brought into the hut to supplement the inadequate lighting, but conditions for performing the operation had still been far from ideal. It had been quite a struggle too to source basic supplies and equipment from the packing cases in the trucks.

They’d had to leave Leah on her bed for starters, as there had been no other suitable surface to use. Meg had covered the straw mattress with several sterile sheets, then had brought in a packing case to lay their implements on, draping that as well with a sterile cover. It had seemed very inadequate protection against infection but it had been the best she could do in the circumstances.

Jack had scrubbed up, then let her help him into a gown, holding out his hands so that she’d been able to snap the thin surgical gloves onto his hands.

‘We need to double-glove for this,’ he advised her softly. ‘It would be foolish to take any risks.’

Meg nodded as she went to fetch a second pair large enough to fit him. Aids was endemic in many African countries so she knew he was right to take extra precautions. She followed his lead and put on a second pair of gloves herself, before going to assist him.

Rory looked up and grinned when they joined him by the bed. ‘Typical, isn’t it? You think you’re going to have a nice peaceful start to things and suddenly find yourself thrown in at the deep end!’

Jack’s brows rose. ‘How many of these trips have you been on now? And when has anything ever gone the way we’d planned it? I think I’d worry more if it did!’

Both men laughed ruefully. It was obvious to Meg that they had a great deal of respect for each other and she found herself thinking how wonderful it must be to be an accepted part of the team. She shot a look at Jack and smiled to herself. Still, maybe things weren’t quite so black as they’d appeared a few hours earlier if he was prepared to let her help him?

‘Right, let’s make a start if you’re happy with everything, Rory? We can’t afford to waste any time.’

Jack glanced at the younger man who nodded. Leah had been given an epidural anaesthetic as the risks to both mother and child were far less than if she’d been given a general anaesthetic in her weakened state. She hadn’t made a murmur when Rory had injected local anaesthetic into the epidural space surrounding her spinal cord. It was obvious to Meg that Leah was completely worn out by the ferocity of her labour and she knew that the sooner it was over the better. As to whether they would be able to save both mother and child, that was something they would have to wait and see, but she murmured a fervent prayer that everything would go in their favour from here on.

‘Scalpel.’ Jack’s face was set with concentration as she slapped the razor-sharp knife into his gloved palm. He swiftly and deftly made a horizontal incision in Leah’s abdomen just above her pubic bone. Meg stood beside him, watching intently as he carefully slit through the lower part of the uterus. She could see the baby now and held her breath as Jack lifted it free and handed it to her, working swiftly as he tied and cut the cord.

‘Right, it’s up to you now, Meg,’ he told her tersely, turning his attention back to the young woman.

Meg didn’t say anything because there wasn’t any time to waste. It was a baby boy and she could see at once that he was in some distress. Carrying him swiftly away from the makeshift operating table, she sank onto a chair and laid him across her knees then used a thin piece of sterile tubing to suction the mucus out of his mouth. He hadn’t cried as yet and her heart was racing as she tipped him head down so that any fluid he might have swallowed would drain from his lungs.

‘Come on, poppet,’ she muttered, willing the tiny scrap to take his first breath. ‘Come on, you can do it!’

She tapped the soles of his feet, mentally running through everything she knew about childbirth. Since she’d learned that she’d been accepted by the agency, she’d spent hours poring over her textbooks, brushing up on skills which had become a bit rusty through lack of use. However, all the reading in the world couldn’t compensate for hands-on experience and she prayed that she would be able to help the child. She would never forgive herself if he died!

Laying the baby across her knees again, she placed her mouth over his nose and mouth and gently breathed into his lungs, willing him to respond. There was no sound in the hut apart from the measured rhythm of her breathing as time after time she inflated the infant’s lungs. When Jack appeared beside her Meg didn’t look up because she couldn’t afford to let her concentration lapse. This child was relying on her and she had to help him!

‘You’ve done all you can, Meg.’

Jack’s tone was low but she heard the regret it held and tears welled into her eyes as she realised what he meant. The thought that the baby had died before he’d even had the chance to live was too much to bear.

She breathed into the tiny rosebud mouth once more, refusing to accept that there was nothing she could do for him…

The tiny body suddenly twitched, the baby’s arms and legs shooting out as he began to squirm. Meg’s face broke into a radiant smile as he let out a weak little wail when she raised her head. Within seconds he was crying in earnest, the sound of his irate screams ringing around the hut.

‘We did it!’ she declared, uncaring that tears were streaming down her face as she looked up at Jack. ‘He’s going to be all right!’

‘You did it, Meg, you mean. You and your determination!’ He uttered a joyful laugh while the baby continued to roar his disapproval of the new world he’d found himself in. ‘By heaven, but he’s got a fine pair of lungs from the sound of it!’

Meg stood up, aware that she was trembling as she quickly wrapped the baby in a towel. He needed bathing and checking over but all that could wait a few minutes longer. Right at that moment he needed his mother more than anything else.

Her heart contracted as she realised that she had no idea how Leah had fared. It took every scrap of courage she could dredge up to turn to Jack and ask him because she was so afraid what the answer might be. ‘Is…is Leah all right?’

He squeezed her shoulder and his grey eyes told her that he understood exactly how she felt. ‘She’s fine, or she will be once she sees that young man.’

Meg could barely contain her joy. She smiled at him and saw his eyes darken. Her breath seemed to catch tightly in her chest when she saw the glitter of something hot and wild appear in their depths before he abruptly turned away and went to speak to Rory, who was clearing up.

Meg hugged the screaming baby to her as she hurried to the bed and knelt down. It was neither the time nor the place to think about what she’d seen in Jack’s eyes just now, to wonder why he’d looked at her with such hunger. If Jack didn’t like her then why should he want her? It didn’t make sense.

‘My baby!’ Leah’s exhausted face lit up as soon as she saw her child. She held out her arms, smiling in delight when Meg gently laid the baby in them.

‘It’s a boy, Leah, a lovely little boy.’ Deliberately, Meg forced the unsettling thoughts to the back of her mind, although it wasn’t possible to erase them completely. Jack was attracted to her? Was it possible? Everything that had happened so far pointed to the fact that she must have made a mistake and yet she couldn’t quite convince herself of that.

‘A boy?’ Leah’s eyes were full of wonder as she unwrapped the towel and stared at her baby son. She looked up and there were tears streaming down her cheeks as she tried to smile at Meg. ‘Thank you…thank you!’

It was hard to contain her own emotions in the face of the young mother’s joy. In the end, Meg gave up trying. Tears poured down her face, too, as she squeezed Leah’s hand. ‘I’m so pleased for you, Leah!’

She gave a shaky laugh as she got up and dried her face on the hem of her gown. ‘What a pair we are! Now, I’m sure that Moses must be dying to see his beautiful new son so I’ll go and fetch him.’

Leah smiled as she undid her robe and placed the baby to her breast, where he immediately began to suckle. ‘My husband will be very proud. Every man wants a son,’ she said simply.

Meg turned away, knowing that the picture of the young mother and her child would stay with her for a long time to come. Rory was still busily clearing up and he patted her on the shoulder as she passed him.

‘Well done, kiddo. A first-rate job, I’d say. Welcome to the team!’

Meg smiled back, appreciating the genuine warmth of the comment. ‘Thanks.’

She left him to finish what he was doing and hurried outside. She paused when she saw Jack talking to a smiling Moses. It was obvious that he’d already given the proud father the good news so she turned to go back inside then stopped when Jack called out to her. She went to join the two men, smiling when Moses grabbed her hand and began pumping it up and down.

‘Dr Jack explained that it was you who saved my son. Thank you, Dr Meg. Thank you!’

‘It was my pleasure,’ she replied sincerely. He gave her hand another enthusiastic shake then hurried into the hut, closely followed by several members of his family who had been waiting outside.

Meg grimaced when she found Jack watching her as she rubbed her throbbing fingers. ‘I’m glad it wasn’t twins! I think I may have a couple of crushed bones from the feel of it.’

He laughed deeply, his teeth gleaming whitely in the darkness. ‘He was certainly pleased and no wonder. You did a great job just now, Meg.’

He moved away from the hut and it seemed the most natural thing in the world to go with him. They crossed the clearing, bypassing the huts on the other side and only stopping when they reached the trees which surrounded the village. The night was very dark, the moon just a slim silver curl in the velvety sky, a myriad stars scattered like diamonds across it.

Meg drew in a deep breath, tasting the unfamiliar scents carried on the night air. She was tired from all the travelling and lack of sleep yet she felt so elated that she wanted to shout for joy. As first days went it could have been worse…a lot worse, in fact, bearing in mind what had happened earlier. Had Jack’s attitude towards her improved?

It was too tempting to resist finding out so that she didn’t stop to think about the wisdom of asking the question. ‘So, do you believe now that I can cope with this job?’

He turned to look at her, although his face was shadowed by the overhang of the branches. ‘I think that you handled what happened just now extremely well.’

‘But?’ Meg laughed but there was scant amusement in the sound. She might not be able to see him clearly but she didn’t need to because she’d heard the reservation in his voice. She turned to face him, unaware of how defensive she looked as she stood there in the watery moonlight.

‘There was a definite ‘‘but’’ tagged onto that sentence, Jack, wasn’t there?’

‘Yes, I expect there was.’

He shrugged, his broad shoulders rising and falling beneath his half-buttoned shirt. He looked tired, too, Meg noticed when he stepped out from the shadows. There were deep lines bracketing his mouth and a lack of animation about his expression which made him look older than the thirty-six years she knew him to be. However, tired or not, he obviously didn’t intend to opt for the easy route. Where work was concerned, Jack would never compromise!

‘It’s fair to say that you handled yourself well tonight, Meg. However, that doesn’t change anything. I still don’t believe that this is the job for you,’ he stated flatly.

‘Because I might not pull my weight? Or because I might not be able to cope with the conditions we’re going to be working under?’ She laughed harshly. ‘Come on, Jack! You’ve just admitted that I acquitted myself well tonight so you’ll have to do better than that!’

‘Yes, you did do well tonight and I’m happy to admit it. However, one night’s work isn’t proof that you’ll be able to keep up once the pressure is on.’ His tone was unyielding. ‘It’s far more difficult trying to deal with the daily grind involved in this type of work, as you’ll soon discover for yourself.’

‘I’m sure you’re right but I know that I shall cope no matter how hard it is. So it seems that we’re at a bit of an impasse, doesn’t it?’

Meg stared back at him, wishing there was a way to make him see that he was mistaken about her. It wasn’t going to be easy, though, if Jack had made up his mind.

‘It seems like it.’ He shrugged again but she saw the irritation in his eyes. Obviously he wasn’t used to people questioning his judgement, Meg thought. Well, tough! He wasn’t going to have things all his own way if she had anything to do with it!

‘Anyway, it’s late and it’s time you got some sleep. We’ll be leaving early in the morning as we still have some distance to travel before we reach our destination.’

He turned to leave but Meg stopped him. Maybe it was pointless trying to discuss this problem he had with her being along on the trip, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to do the job to the very best of her ability. Was that what Jack was hoping? she wondered suddenly, that she would become so dispirited that she would make a mistake and prove him right?

She didn’t really believe that yet she refused to dismiss the idea out of hand. She couldn’t afford to overlook anything and wouldn’t give him any opportunity to take her to task. If she didn’t manage to make him change his mind about her then it wouldn’t be for want of trying!

‘What about Leah?’ she asked in her most professional tone. ‘She will need monitoring throughout the night.’

‘She will. However, don’t you concern yourself about that. I’ll get Kate to sit with her.’

‘Fine. I’ll say goodnight, then.’ Despite her determination, she couldn’t keep the hurt from her voice and she saw Jack look at her. She turned away, hating the fact that she was so vulnerable to his comments. She’d never considered herself to be overly sensitive but Jack seemed to have this ability to inflict wounds even though she had no idea why.

‘I didn’t mean it that way, Meg!’ He caught hold of her arm and stopped her when she went to hurry away. His fingers loosely gripped her arm for a moment before he let her go.

‘No?’ It was impossible to keep the scepticism out of her voice and she heard him sigh.

‘No,’ he repeated flatly. He ran a hand through his thick black hair then let it fall to his side. ‘It would be better if Kate sat with Leah for the rest of the night because you need to get some sleep. These trips are exhausting enough, without you missing out on a full night’s sleep into the bargain. Whenever it’s necessary we work a shift system as we find it’s better to get a couple of hours’ sleep rather than none at all.’

‘I see. I…I’m sorry if I jumped to conclusions,’ she muttered uncomfortably.

‘And I’m sorry if I gave you cause to go jumping to them.’ Jack’s smile was gentle when he looked at her. ‘You did a first-rate job tonight, Meg. I appreciate that.’

He turned and walked away, leaving her feeling more confused than ever. If she’d done such a good job, why wouldn’t he change his mind about her?

It was impossible to work out the answer because she was too tired to think logically right then. Meg sighed as she followed him back to the huts. Maybe things would be clearer tomorrow after a few hours’ sleep, although she doubted it. Where Jack Trent was concerned, feeling confused seemed to be the status quo!

The sun was just rising above the trees when Meg awoke the next morning. She lay quite still for a moment, trying to absorb the thought that she was actually in Africa. It seemed unbelievable that it had happened at last until she remembered the previous night’s events.

She scrambled out of bed and pulled on her clothes, grimacing at the feel of the dusty cotton sliding over her skin. She would have dearly loved a fresh change of clothes but, bearing in mind what Jack had said, she hadn’t brought all that many with her. It would be better to wait until they reached their destination—where there were bound to be washing facilities—before she got any more dirty.

The village was a hive of activity when she left the hut. Lesley’s bed was empty so Meg set about tracking her down to see what she should be doing. She certainly didn’t want the rest of the team thinking that she was shirking her share of the work.

‘Hi, there! How about a cup of tea?’ Lesley smiled when she saw Meg approaching. Picking up a well-worn metal pot from where it was nestling in the fire’s embers, she filled a tin cup with dark brown tea and handed it to Meg.

‘There’s sugar in that tin but make sure you screw the lid back on really tightly or the ants will get in. And there’s milk if you fancy it, but it’s goat’s milk so it is rather an acquired taste, I’m afraid.’

Meg laughed as she crouched down and spooned sugar into the mug. ‘You seem to have everything well and truly sorted. I never expected tea in the middle of the bush!’

‘Oh, I can do without a lot but not my morning cuppa!’ Lesley declared, refilling her own workmanlike mug with the dark brew. She sat on a log, nursing the mug between her hands while she watched Meg cautiously sniff the earthenware jug of milk before adding a little to her tea. ‘It isn’t that bad once you get used to it.’

Meg took a sip and wrinkled her nose at the unfamiliar taste. ‘Hmmm, I’ll take your word for that!’

Lesley laughed. ‘By the time we leave here you won’t even notice the difference! Anyway, what’s all this I hear about you and Jack and the exciting night the two of you had?’

‘It was rather a baptism of fire,’ Meg agreed, taking another swallow of the hot liquid and finding it more palatable this time. ‘Still, at least Leah and her baby were both all right in the end. I was so afraid that we wouldn’t be able to save them at one point.’

‘So Jack told Kate. I believe he said that it was touch and go…Ah, your ears must have been burning—we were just talking about you.’ Lesley grinned wickedly as she looked past Meg. ‘I bet that’s got you worried, hasn’t it?’

‘It has. I dread to think what you two were saying about me.’

Meg didn’t look round even though she knew Jack was standing behind her. She’d heard the mocking note in his voice and wondered if that comment had been aimed at her. Did he think she’d been discussing him with Lesley, asking the other woman why he seemed to have such a downer on her?

The thought that he believed she would be so unprofessional as to do that stung, but she didn’t say anything. Disturbing the harmony which so obviously existed within the team was the last thing she wanted to do. However, it hurt to have it brought home to her yet again how Jack viewed her. When he sat beside her, she didn’t look round, afraid that he would see from her face that something was wrong. Maybe he’d apologised to her last night and told her the truth about why he’d wanted Kate to sit with their patient instead of her, but that didn’t mean his attitude towards her had softened in any way!

‘Did you sleep OK?’

Meg barely looked up when he addressed her, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the fire. ‘Fine, thank you. How about you?’

‘So-so.’ He smiled thinly as she shot him a questioning look, unable to resist doing so when she caught the nuance in his voice. ‘I was a bit on edge in case I got woken up again. It made me rather…restless.’