Alison Roberts - The Nurse's Rescue

“That’s Ricky in there. I’m going to get him.”

“We’ll find another way in, Jess.” Joe was still pulling her away. “This is too dangerous—for all of us.”

The other members of their team were well ahead now, outside the side entrance to the mall and running for cover.

“Noooooo!” The sound was distraught. Half sob, half scream.

Joe looked back. He looked at the sagging ceiling. He looked at the network of new cracks appearing on the walls. He listened to the alien groans and sighs that warned of a possible new collapse. Maybe this whole section would cave in within seconds.

And maybe it wouldn’t.

Maybe there was time for someone strong and fit enough to run back and save the life of a small and terrified child.

And then Joe looked at Jessica.

And there was no other choice to be made.

Life and love are on the line…

The Team:

Dedicated professionals—doctors, nurses, paramedics, police and firefighters—trained to save lives in urban disasters.

The Dangers:

A crowded building collapses, and in the aftermath of the disaster the team must save innocent lives—at the risk of their own….

The Romance:

Passions run high as the dramas unfold—and life and love are on the line!

The Nurse’s Rescue is the second book of Alison Roberts’s heart-pounding

CITY SEARCH AND RESCUE miniseries.

The drama concludes in Ross and Wendy’s story—coming soon in Medical RomanceTM!

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Cover

Excerpt “That’s Ricky in there. I’m going to get him.” “We’ll find another way in, Jess.” Joe was still pulling her away. “This is too dangerous—for all of us.” The other members of their team were well ahead now, outside the side entrance to the mall and running for cover. “Noooooo!” The sound was distraught. Half sob, half scream. Joe looked back. He looked at the sagging ceiling. He looked at the network of new cracks appearing on the walls. He listened to the alien groans and sighs that warned of a possible new collapse. Maybe this whole section would cave in within seconds. And maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe there was time for someone strong and fit enough to run back and save the life of a small and terrified child. And then Joe looked at Jessica. And there was no other choice to be made.

Introduction CITY SEARCH AND RESCUE Life and love are on the line… The Team: Dedicated professionals—doctors, nurses, paramedics, police and firefighters—trained to save lives in urban disasters. The Dangers: A crowded building collapses, and in the aftermath of the disaster the team must save innocent lives—at the risk of their own…. The Romance: Passions run high as the dramas unfold—and life and love are on the line! The Nurse’s Rescue is the second book of Alison Roberts’s heart-pounding CITY SEARCH AND RESCUE miniseries. The drama concludes in Ross and Wendy’s story—coming soon in Medical RomanceTM!

Title Page The Nurse’s Rescue Alison Roberts www.millsandboon.co.uk

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

Extract

Copyright

‘YOU cannot be serious!’

‘You can’t stop me. I won’t let you stop me.’ Jessica McPhail drew herself up to her full height of five feet six inches. The extra couple of inches provided by the heels on the heavy steel-capped boots she wore and the curve that the safety helmet added meant that she wasn’t unduly disadvantaged by her stature. She put all her energy into the assertive glare she was directing at the man confronting her. She had to.

She was fighting for her life here.

‘Just watch me, lady.’ The man wasn’t about to have his authority undermined. The glance he flicked towards Jessica’s right arm was confident. ‘You’re hardly in a position to argue the toss.’

Jessica could feel the band of fingers trapping her upper arm. The physical contact from the man, a member of the police special operations team, was as unacceptable as the uncompromising directive he had issued. She jerked her arm, only to find the pressure of his fingers increasing to the point of pain.

‘You’ll go now,’ the man ordered, ‘or I’ll have you arrested…as quick as that.’ The snap of his fingers was silent, thanks to the heavy gloves he wore, but the effect was still dismissive.

‘You won’t do that.’

The deep voice coming unexpectedly from behind Jessica’s left shoulder created a wash of emotion. Gratitude. Relief. Even hope. Joe Barrington was here and if he was on her side she had a much greater chance of winning this battle.

‘If you arrest Jessica you’ll have to arrest me as well. Then you’ll have an Urban Search and Rescue team with no medics.’

The man Jessica was facing snorted impatiently. ‘We’re wasting time here. Where’s your squad leader?’

‘Right here.’ USAR specialist Tony Calder had already been striding towards the obvious confrontation. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Your medic here is not going back to the scene. I want her off site.’

Tony cast a surprised glance at Jessica and then at the tall paramedic standing beside her. Joe gave a tiny head shake that indicated he wasn’t up to speed yet either. His gaze snapped back to the man who had issued the angry directive. ‘What’s the problem?’

‘Turns out her kid is in there. Somewhere.’

There was a short silence. Just long enough for everyone to acknowledge the implications. They were more than twelve hours into dealing with the aftermath of the biggest urban disaster ever to occur in New Zealand. The explosion and collapse of a significant portion of the suburban shopping mall had already claimed at least twenty-six fatalities, including eight children, dozens more injured with four listed as critical and possibly up to thirty victims still missing. Including a five-year-old child.

‘Is that true, Jessica?’

Her nod was tight. ‘I can do this, Tony. I have to do this.’

Tony shook his head. ‘No way. I understand how you feel, Jessica, and I’m terribly sorry you’re going through this but there’s no way you can go back to the front line. This job is dangerous enough without that kind of personal involvement.’

‘But I’ve already been doing it. Just because you’ve found out, it doesn’t make any difference.’

‘What?’ Tony’s jaw sagged. ‘Have you known about this all along?’

‘Apparently her mother was the last fatality we pulled out on our first shift.’ Joe’s calm voice filled the gap created by Jessica’s lack of response.

‘You knew about this?’ Tony snapped. ‘You’re a paramedic, Joe. You know as well as I do how something like this could affect someone’s rational behaviour. It could endanger a whole team. You’re the leading medic for our squad. It was your responsibility to pull Jessica off the team.’