Anne Fraser - Doctor on the Red Carpet

Kendrick flung his shirt over his shoulder and smiled again. ‘You know I don’t tend to get hurt, Philip, that’s why you employ me.’ Kendrick tipped his head at Elizabeth. ‘Good to meet you, but if you’ll excuse me I should get washed up.’ With a casual wave of his hand he turned on his heel and strolled away.

There was silence as Philip and Elizabeth watched Kendrick’s retreating back.

‘He’s right, you know. He rarely gets hurt—at least not seriously. But there’s always the possibility. That’s one of the reasons we need a full-time doc on set,’ Philip said. He looked at Elizabeth. ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t here to meet you when you arrived, but nothing interrupts filming when we have the right light I’m afraid. I’m glad you were able to fill in for Dr Marshall at short notice.’

Elizabeth wanted to know what had happened to Dr Marshall, but decided not to ask. She would find out soon enough.

‘Why don’t I show you around then you can get settled in?’ Philip said. ‘I’ll explain what it is we need you to do on the way.’

‘I’d appreciate that.’

‘The film we’re shooting is an action movie, but you might have gathered that. It involves car chases, horses, a few explosions. That sort of thing. Kendrick does most of the stunts, although we have some others, including a stuntwoman. You’ll meet her later. I understand that you have experience in emergency medicine?’

‘I’ve completed training in emergency medicine.’ She wasn’t going to remind him that it had been a couple of years since she’d worked as a doctor. It was all in her CV. Besides, some things you never forgot.

‘Good. A lot of what you’ll do here is deal with sore throats, upset stomachs, fairly minor stuff, although at times you’ll think your patients are at death’s door from the way they complain. Having said that, I’m counting on you to keep our cast and crew healthy. Any time they have off costs the production serious money.’

They walked across an open stretch of ground and into a dusty street lined with wooden buildings. Elizabeth wondered if they were real or just facades. If so, they were remarkably authentic in appearance.

A tumbleweed rolled past. The heat was intense.

‘We have our two stars, Jack and Tara, as well as about twenty other actors. Add in the supporting staff, camera crew, sound recordists, grips, runners and film extras and that takes the number to around a hundred. We’ll keep you busy.’

‘I’m glad to hear it,’ Elizabeth responded honestly. Busy was exactly what she needed, and the busier the better.

Philip paused in front of a large tent. ‘Most of us eat here together, but you have a kitchen in your trailer so it’s up to you what you choose to do.’

Elizabeth nodded. Although she would have preferred to keep out of everyone’s way when she wasn’t treating them, she knew it would be difficult in such a small community. She didn’t mind eating communally every now and again as long as nobody asked her too many questions. While she was here she intended to do her job and keep herself to herself.

‘Okay, that’s more or less it,’ Philip said. ‘Except for the medical trailer, where you’ll work out of. It’s on the other side of the camp. It’s equipped with everything you could need. Anything serious, God forbid, we send into LA by chopper. There’s always at least one available.’

‘I’d like to see the medical facility now, if that’s okay. Just to check that everything is there that I’ll need.’

‘Sure. I think you’ll find it’s better equipped than some small hospitals. Like I said, we can’t take any risks with our cast, and that includes Kendrick. After you’ve had a look around, I’ll ask Sunny to take you to your trailer, so you can settle in. You’ll meet everyone at lunch or on the set. Filming starts again at two p.m. We’ll need you to hang around for that. We’re going to be shooting some stunts with Kendrick and knowing him there’s bound to be a scrape or two that will need attention.’

Philip left her to look around the medical trailer, telling her that he’d send Sunny to take her to her accommodation. He had been right when he’d told her money hadn’t been spared when it had come to fitting out the facility and Elizabeth was impressed. It was so well equipped she could probably deal with most scenarios. There was a defibrillator, monitoring equipment, basic drugs—just about everything she was used to having when she’d worked in a hospital.

And when Sunny returned to take Elizabeth to her caravan—or trailer as the Americans called it—it seemed no expense had been spared there either. Sunny had hurried off again as soon as she’d shown Elizabeth where she was to live for the next few weeks.

It was a relief to step out of the blazing sun and into the air-conditioned mobile home. A compact kitchenette was fitted with every mod-con and device ever thought of. Swinging open the cupboard doors, Elizabeth noted they were fully stocked. Did she have Sunny to thank for that? Comfortable couches lined three walls of a living room dominated by an enormous plasma-screen TV. DVDs and books filled a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf.

Slipping off her shoes, Elizabeth opened the door leading off the sitting room and found a bedroom complete with double bed and wardrobe. This was certainly a far cry from the cramped caravans she remembered from childhood holidays. It was more like a five-star luxury suite—with an en suite bathroom to boot. And someone had thoughtfully brought her suitcases in for her as well.

Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

Elizabeth reached into her handbag and retrieved the photograph of her daughter, placing it carefully on the bedside table. She touched a finger to her lip, then to the image.

‘Morning, darling,’ she whispered. ‘Bet you never thought you’d find Mummy in a place like this, did you? I only wish you could be here with me.’

Elizabeth’s throat tightened as she trailed her fingers over her daughter’s face. No amount of longing or praying or wishing could bring the precious child in the photo back to life and into her arms.

Dragging her eyes away, she glanced at her watch. There wasn’t time to unpack before lunch and filming, but she definitely needed a quick, cooling shower and a change of clothes.

Afterwards, feeling refreshed and slightly more human, she redid the plait in her hair, changed into a pair of white cotton trousers and a T-shirt and stepped outside, screwing her eyes up against the midday sun.

Kendrick rotated his shoulder and winced. Damn it. The fall had hurt him more than he cared to admit. He watched the new doctor come out of her trailer and whistled under his breath. She was a stunner. Even with her long blonde hair captured in a plait and wearing a simple white T-shirt and low-slung cotton trousers, anyone could see that she had a body that could drive a man crazy. Add the aristocratic nose and the cool, almost icy blue eyes and Kendrick knew she would be a challenge. But what the hell? That was what made her interesting. Years of dating women from all walks of life had honed his instincts and already he suspected that Dr Elizabeth Morgan might be his toughest challenge yet.

Elizabeth put a few pieces of fruit and cheese on her plate and looked around the mess tent for a place to sit.

She’d hesitated about going for lunch. She hadn’t had much of an appetite over the last couple of years and the last three months had put paid to the little appetite she did have, but she knew she had to eat. She couldn’t risk getting ill. She had no doubt, and neither could she blame them, that the film company would replace her in a heartbeat if they felt she wasn’t up to the job.

However, she almost changed her mind when she arrived at the dining tent. It was crowded and she couldn’t see an empty seat. As she was about to retreat back to her trailer Kendrick appeared by her side, his plate piled high with grilled chicken and rice. Unlike her, it seemed as if he had a pretty good appetite.