Jennifer Taylor - Reawakened By The Surgeon's Touch

‘I’m going to skirt round towards the truck through those trees,’ he explained in a whisper, pointing out the route he planned to take. ‘I want to see if the driver’s still in the cab.’

‘I’ll keep you covered,’ she replied equally quietly, quelling a shiver as she looked around. The thought that someone could be hiding in the scrub, watching them, wasn’t a pleasant one.

‘You do that.’ He gave her a quick grin. ‘But if you do see anything untoward then make sure it isn’t me in your sights, will you? I don’t fancy taking a bullet home as a souvenir.’

‘I’ll do my very best to miss you,’ she agreed sweetly, and he laughed.

‘Promises, promises—sounds like the story of my life!’

He slipped away before she could say anything, not that she could have come up with anything apposite. Claire sighed because it was the story of her life that she could never come up with a witty response when she needed it. She waited in silence, wondering how she would know when he had reached the truck. He was hardly going to holler, Yoo-hoo, I’m here, was he?

Was he?

Her heart sank at the thought that he might not be taking this as seriously as she had thought. After all, Dr Slater knew nothing about the dangers of working in this country. Although the majority of the Mwurandans were kindly, God-fearing people, the rebel fighters stopped at nothing to achieve their aims. In the past two months they had stepped up their campaign of terror and everyone working in the country had been warned to be on their guard.

Claire knew that the Worlds Together team would be pulled out if the situation worsened and that she would have to leave with them if that happened. Although she wasn’t officially part of their team, she worked alongside them and there would be no excuse for her to stay if they left. Although her visa expired shortly, she wanted to remain here for as long as possible. The thought of going back to England didn’t appeal, so she tried not to think about it.

There was still no sign of Jude and she could feel her anxiety rising. Where on earth was he?

All of a sudden she spotted a movement near the rear of the truck and her breath hissed out in relief when she realised it was him. He was crouched down beside the back axle and, as she watched, he began to creep forward, using the truck as a shield as he made his way to the cab. He disappeared from view and she held her breath, praying that nothing had happened to him. If it was a trap, she had let him walk right into it...

He suddenly reappeared and she saw him lift up his hand and beckon to her. He pointed towards the trees, obviously indicating that she should follow the route he had taken. Claire gripped the pistol more firmly as she began to make her way through the undergrowth but her palm was slippery with sweat. Twigs snapped and grasses rustled and her heart pounded harder than ever. She was making so much noise that it would have been far simpler and a whole lot quicker just to run across the clearing. Anyone watching was bound to have heard her!

She reached the truck at last and gasped when she saw that Jude had found Ezra, the driver. He was lying on the ground beside the cab with Jude crouched down beside him. She ran forward and dropped to her knees, staring in horror at the bloody mess that was the man’s head.

‘Is he dead?’

‘No. He’s hanging on—just.’

Jude’s tone was grim as he elbowed her aside so that he could finish examining the man. Claire didn’t protest as this was hardly the time to worry about the social niceties. Long, dexterous fingers tested the man’s scalp with a delicacy she had witnessed only a couple of times before in her nursing career. Surprisingly, a lot of surgeons had big, clumsy-looking hands, but Jude’s hands were as finely tuned as a pianist’s as he felt his way across the driver’s skull. He looked up and something warm and sweet rose inside her when she saw the concern in his eyes. Despite appearances to the contrary, Jude Slater possessed more than his share of compassion for his fellow man, it seemed.

‘His skull’s a mess. There’s at least two deep depressions, so heaven only knows the extent of the damage. It looks as though he’s been clubbed over the head because he certainly didn’t get injuries like these from sitting in that truck, minding his own business.’

‘It must have been the rebel fighters,’ she said shakily, struggling to get a grip. Thoughts like that certainly weren’t ones she wanted to encourage. ‘Maybe they thought he was transporting equipment to the airport and that’s why they ambushed him. They’ve been doing a lot of work on the runways recently.’

‘You could be right.’ He sighed. ‘I don’t know how we’re going to get him to hospital but it certainly won’t be on the back of that motorbike of yours. It looks as though I’ll have to drive the truck back—if it’s still working.’

‘I wonder why the rebels didn’t take it,’ Claire said, frowning. There had been a number of similar incidents recently and on each occasion the vehicle had been stolen.

‘Probably because it doesn’t work,’ Jude suggested with a grimace. ‘In which case, we’re up the proverbial creek without the proverbial paddle.’

He didn’t say anything else as he stood up and climbed into the cab. Claire heard the engine screech as he attempted to start it and her stomach tightened with fear. If there was anyone hiding in the trees then now was the time they would show themselves.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when there was a loud cracking noise and she felt the air shiver as a bullet whistled past her ear. She dropped flat on the ground, her heart pounding as more shots were fired at them. Some hit the truck, others ricocheted off the trees, and all were far too close for comfort.

‘Hell’s bells! These guys really do mean business, don’t they?’

The shock in Jude’s voice as he dropped down beside her made her smile despite the precariousness of their position. ‘This isn’t a theme park experience, Dr Slater. This is the real thing, bullets and all. We really are being shot at by the bad guys.’

‘That tongue of yours is going to get you into serious trouble one of these days.’ He ducked as another volley of shots whined over their heads. Rolling onto his side, he glowered at her. ‘OK, Ms Know-it-all, what do you suggest? Do we wave the white flag and appeal to the goodness of their hearts? Or do we try to outmanoeuvre them?’

‘I don’t think they’re very big on the milk of human kindness,’ she retorted. ‘We have a choice. It’s either fight or flight, and I know which I prefer.’

‘I’m with you there, although I don’t know if this thing is up to it.’ He shot a disgusted look at the truck. ‘That engine doesn’t sound exactly tuned for speed to my ears.’

‘Probably not if you’re used to something more luxurious but we’re not so choosy here,’ she snapped, pressing her face into the dirt as more shots whined over their heads. Her voice was muffled as she continued. ‘We only have one criterion when it comes to a vehicle: does it work?’

‘In that case, we have the prince of trucks at our disposal. It works, although I can’t guarantee how fast it goes.’ He ducked as another bullet hit the truck then scrambled to his feet. ‘I’m going to get the driver into the cab.’

‘I’ll help you.’

‘No, you won’t. You stay there and keep your head down. I don’t want to have to rescue two casualties, thank you very much.’

Claire fumed as he scuttled on all fours to the cab and wrenched open the door. As the newbie member of the team, he seemed rather too keen to hand out orders. She started to get up then dropped back onto her stomach as another hail of shots pierced the side of the truck just above her head. She could only watch as Jude dragged the driver to the cab and somehow managed to bundle him inside. Sweat was streaming down his face by the time he had finished and there were damp patches on his shirt but he still managed to grin infuriatingly at her.