WHEN they finally arrived at the scene, the police making a path for the emergency vehicles, Oliver started issuing orders left, right and centre.
‘I want at least two paramedics on the station platform to do triage.’ He turned to a police officer. ‘We’re going to need a temporary base. Is there anywhere close that is large enough to be our casualty base? Once patients are ready to be moved, they can go there until the ambulances are available to either take them to Katoomba or, if they need to be transferred to Sydney, we can get that transportation organised.’
‘There’s the health resort just down there.’ The police officer pointed to a large building, dating from around the 1850s, which had been renovated to retain its old-world glory and charm.
‘Perfect. Get someone onto it.’
Stephanie walked up to Oliver. ‘I called Nic on the way here and she said to start with the bus. She and Stephen are in the train.’
‘Right.’ Oliver nodded.
‘Police rescue’s here,’ someone else told him.
Oliver nodded and again set about giving people jobs. She had to admire the way he was handling the situation. For the new boy on the block, he certainly did know his stuff.
Stephanie headed towards the bus, shocked at what she saw. It was lying on its side, jammed on the tracks between the station platforms. Some of the passengers had managed to push open the back emergency window and, with assistance, were starting to climb out.
‘Wait!’ both Oliver and Stephanie called. Oliver turned and barked an order over his shoulder. One of the police rescue officers came over. ‘Take over getting these people safely out. The last thing we need is people jumping from the bus and breaking their legs.’
‘I’m on it,’ the police officer told him.
Oliver then stopped a paramedic walking by. ‘Everyone must be seen, no matter how insignificant their injuries might seem. I want notes on every single person.’
‘Will do.’
Oliver came to Stephanie’s side. ‘With the passengers being evacuated through the back window, it’ll be best if we can get in through the front door. That way, we don’t hinder the evacuation procedure.’ He paused thoughtfully. ‘We’re going to need abseiling ropes just to get inside.’
She nodded. ‘We’ll have to be harnessed.’ She sucked in a breath and looked around her, a worried frown on her face.
‘Something wrong?’
‘Just feeling a little…’ She shrugged. ‘I don’t know, a little claustrophobic.’
‘That’s not what I want to hear just before I send you into a tourist bus crowded with people.’
Stephanie shook her head and reached for her phone. ‘I’ll be fine.’
‘Who are you calling?’ he asked.
‘Nic.’
‘The other doctor with Stephen?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good. Let her know what’s happening up here.’
Stephanie nodded. ‘See that guy over there?’ She pointed up to the platform as she pressed a few buttons on her phone. ‘That’s David, head of police rescue. You can get harnesses and other equipment from him.’ She paused, listening to the phone ring then said, ‘Nic? Oliver wanted me to let you know the paramedics have taken over the triage on the station platform and the health resort down the road has agreed to act as a base for cases until we can get reinforcements here from Springwood. Is Stephen all right?’ There was a warning tone in Stephanie’s voice.
Oliver couldn’t be bothered listening. It was obvious Stephanie and her Stephen were so close she couldn’t let him out of her sight. Hadn’t she just checked on the man not that long ago? Oliver headed off towards David, pushing thoughts of Stephanie Brooks from his mind. He was there to work and he needed to get things moving.
A minute later, Stephanie joined him and listened as David gave them both instructions. ‘I know Stephanie’s done this quite a few times before. I take it you’re the same?’ he asked Oliver.
‘Yes.’ They both climbed into their harnesses and walked with David over to where they would enter the bus.
‘Right. Billy and Krystal need a few more minutes to finish setting up the Larkin frame. Let’s run through things. We need to get hooked up to the winch ropes one at a time. I’ll go first, then Steph, then you, Oliver. The winch ropes will support you as you climb up the bus and once we’re ready to go inside, it’ll lower you down.’
Oliver looked at the Larkin frame—a large structure with a winch on it. ‘That’ll support us?’
‘Absolutely, mate. It’s also the best way for us to get in and out—for now. So, once we’re at the top of the bus, we’ll open the doors and get you to your patients. Once you’re in the bus, undo the winch rope and you’ll be able to move about freely and attend the injured. Questions?’ Both Stephanie and Oliver shook their heads. ‘All righty, then. Let’s get to work.’
She’d known the police rescue officer for quite some time and although they’d gone out a few times, there was no spark and she was glad they’d been able to remain friends. She knew people thought she had an abundance of confidence and in her professional life she did, but, personally, getting close to a man was something she’d struggled with. She could flirt, she could laugh and enjoy herself, but letting someone inside her barriers was not something she found easy to do.
‘I hear you’ve finally managed to coax Stephen to the area,’ David said conversationally as he hooked his D-clamp to the winch rope.
‘Yes.’ Stephanie grinned and then sighed dramatically. ‘And about time, too. I thought I might turn grey if he stayed in that war zone any longer.’
David pointed to her head. ‘Instead, you turned green, eh? Let’s get a hard hat with a light on it in case those spikes cause any more damage.’
‘Oh, you’re funny. Actually, Stephen’s in the front carriage of the train, tending to a boy with a possible rupture to his femoral artery. I’ve just organised equipment to be sent to him and Nic.’
‘That’s good. Coax him to the Blue Mountains and send him to work.’
Stephanie’s smile broadened. ‘Wouldn’t have it any other way.’
‘Can we get this show on the road?’ Oliver barked, sick and tired of hearing about Stephen. It was now obvious that Stephanie was involved with the man but it meant nothing to him. She obviously hadn’t meant anything by her earlier flirting and he’d been a fool to read anything into it. If the woman was taken then so be it. He wasn’t looking for any commitments anyway. With his daughter due to arrive in a few days, he had enough to worry about.
‘Certainly.’ Stephanie’s tone was brisk.
‘What about your claustrophobia?’ Oliver asked. ‘There’s no point going through all this if you’re going to be useless once you’re inside.’
‘Stephanie doesn’t have claustrophobia,’ David stated, calling for helmets on his walkie-talkie.
‘I felt a little…closed in before,’ she explained to David. ‘Stephen was jammed. I felt it.’
David laughed.
Oliver rolled his eyes.
‘I’m fine now,’ she insisted.
‘Good,’ Oliver snapped. ‘Now, can we leave Stephen in the train and concentrate on the bus, please?’
Again Stephanie frowned. ‘Of course.’ They both received their helmets and after Billy and Krystal had finished with the Larkin frame, they watched David scale the bus with minimal effort.
‘Winch rope ready for Stephanie.’ David’s voice came through Billy’s radio.
‘Ready, Steph?’ Billy asked.
‘As I’ll ever be.’ She waited until the winch rope was secure before starting her climb. She tried hard to follow the foot-and hand-holds David had used, but realised she was a little shorter than him so figured out her own.
‘You made it look so easy,’ she grumbled when she was almost at the top.
‘Lie flat,’ David told her as she came over the lip. He unhooked her rope and radioed down to Billy. Stephanie lay flat, as she was told, trying to see in through the tinted bus windows to the patients inside while they waited for Oliver. She glanced at her colleague, only to see him climb up as easily as David had.
‘Men,’ she muttered.
‘Pardon?’ Oliver glared at her.
‘Nothing,’ she said sweetly, pasting on a smile.
David found the emergency release for the door but it didn’t work. ‘Looks as though we’ll have to do this the old-fashioned way.’ A moment later, he’d pried open the doors and locked them in place. He hooked himself up to the winch rope and radioed to Billy and Krystal to start the winch. He went down first, leaving Stephanie and Oliver at the top.
‘Mentally running through scenarios?’ she asked Oliver, who looked so serious he was almost frightening.
‘Yes. Goodness knows what we’re going to find.’
‘I’m in,’ David called. ‘Hook your D-clamp to the winch rope and come on down, Steph.’
‘OK. I’m ready,’ she said, and once more he radioed for the winch to go.
She slowly descended, flicking on her helmet lamp. Outside, the strong stench of spilt fuel had dominated the air, with emergency crews working hard to ensure nothing exploded. Inside the bus, another smell dominated. As she made her way vertically into the horizontal bus, death seemed to surround her. She’d never been able to find the words to describe the smell and sometimes she couldn’t actually smell anything, but it was here now and she schooled her features, pulling her professional mask into place.
As well as the lights on their helmets, David was rigging up a temporary source of light which would help them see the devastation before them. Once she was down, it was Oliver’s turn. Stephanie wasn’t quite sure where to start but pulled out a pair of gloves from her retrieval suit. During her ambulance ride, she’d packed the pockets with several items such as gloves, bandages and a penlight torch.
‘Check the driver,’ Oliver instructed, and Stephanie carefully made her way over to her first patient.
‘Can you hear me?’ she called to the driver. He was still in his seat, his head hanging forward, blood trickling down the side of his face and around his ear. She placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed firmly. ‘Hello?’
He moaned.
‘Help is here. Can you talk?’ As she spoke, a medical kit was lowered through the forced-open doorway. ‘My name is Stephanie. What’s yours?’
‘Earl.’
‘Hey, Earl. We’ll get you out of here soon.’
‘The passengers.’
‘We have people taking care of them. I’m just going to check you over to see what the damage is. Can you move your legs? Wiggle your toes?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good. We’ll get you stabilised and then get you out of here.’ She checked his pulse and didn’t like the feel of it. She reached into the medical kit and unfolded the cervical collar. ‘Earl, let’s lean your head back a little so I can put this collar on. Then I’ll take a good look at you.’ She carefully fitted the collar, noting the amount of blood on his face. He had several lacerations that would require suturing. ‘How are you doing, Earl?’
He murmured something incoherent but at least he was responding to her. She applied gauze pads to his lacerations and then bandaged his head, keeping them in place and applying the necessary pressure to control the flow of blood. Thankfully, the medical kit she’d been passed was set up for emergencies just like this and contained a bag of saline.
‘How are you doing, Steph?’ Oliver called.
‘Five more minutes and I’m all yours.’
‘Now, there’s an offer you can’t refuse,’ David joked from down the back of the bus.
‘You know what I mean,’ she retorted. She inserted the cannula into Earl’s arm and hooked the bag of saline over the edge of the front window visor. ‘Earl? Earl, can you hear me?’
Again, incoherent mumbling. She reached for the medical torch and checked his pupils. Both were reacting to light but one was slightly larger than the other. ‘David, can we get Earl out and airlifted to Sydney…?’
‘I’ll get that organised for you,’ David called, and radioed out to his staff.
One of the paramedics was just coming in through the door and Stephanie grabbed him and directed him to monitor Earl while she went to help Oliver.
‘What have we got?’
Oliver turned, his face so close to hers she gasped. Even after the day he’d had, travelling and now this, she could still smell his underlying spicy scent. His breath was warm on her cheek as he spoke softly. ‘Two people are dead but the woman trapped between them is alive. She’s regained consciousness once and told me her name is Michelle. She doesn’t know the people on either side of her are dead. It’s going to take quite some time to cut them out as the seats have sandwiched them together. David’s getting equipment organised now.’
Stephanie slowly exhaled and shook her head. ‘Michelle’s injuries?’
‘She was having trouble breathing so I’ve requested oxygen. Hopefully, it’ll be here soon.’
‘Her airway’s not blocked?’
‘No. I think the problem is her chest but it’s a little hard to get to it. Basically, we can give her oxygen and something for the pain, but until she’s free there’s not much we can do.’
‘Obs?’
‘Have you got a portable sphygmo in your kit?’
Stephanie checked and came up trumps, pulling it out and wrapping the cuff around Michelle’s free arm. ‘Michelle?’ Stephanie called. ‘My name is Stephanie and I’m just going to check your blood pressure.’
A groan came from the woman. ‘Hang in there, Michelle,’ Oliver said as he checked her pupils again, letting her know what he was doing. ‘I’m going to give you something for the pain. Do you know if you’re allergic to anything?’
‘Pethidine,’ Michelle murmured.
‘OK. Thanks.’ Oliver checked through the medical kit.
‘BP is ninety over forty.’
‘Let’s get a bag of saline up and going.’
‘Do you have one in your kit?’ Stephanie asked. ‘I used mine for the bus driver.’
‘Yes. Here’s one.’ He pulled out the packets she needed and Stephanie opened them, pulling out the cannula and getting everything hooked together. ‘Michelle?’ Oliver called again, but this time received no reply. ‘Michelle?’ he called a little louder. ‘Can you hear me, Michelle? We’re going to put a drip in your hand and then we’ll give you some morphine.’
Oliver helped Stephanie, hooking the saline bag onto the bus’s overhead handrail. Once that was done, he drew up an injection of morphine and administered it, flushing it through. David came to check on them. ‘How much longer?’ Oliver asked.
‘We’re getting the equipment winched in now. Billy’s overseeing that. We have two more patients down the back who need your attention. Is she stable?’ He pointed to Michelle.
‘As stable as we can get her. Her name is Michelle,’ Stephanie said.
‘Does she have any idea…?’ David spoke softly and pointed to the people on either side of her.
‘No.’
‘Going to tell her?’
‘Not just yet. Her body has enough to deal with,’ Oliver replied. ‘The morphine should help her relax a little so she’ll be drowsy.’
‘Do her obs in two more minutes,’ Stephanie suggested, as she gathered up her medical kit. Oliver did the same. ‘The two down in the corner?’ she asked, pointing.
‘Yes.’ A call came over David’s radio, informing him they were bringing in a stretcher to winch Earl out. The police rescue staff had popped out the front windscreen to enable them to get stretchers in and out more easily.
‘Good. Make sure they do his obs before they move him and keep a close watch on his pupils,’ Stephanie demanded.
‘Will do,’ David said, and they left him to organise his staff as well as monitor Michelle.
Stephanie and Oliver clambered their way over seats and debris towards the two people at the back.
‘You take one, I’ll take the other,’ Oliver said from behind her.
‘Acknowledged.’ Stephanie finally reached her patient. ‘Hi, I’m Stephanie.’
‘Troy,’ the man said, a grimace on his face.
‘Where does it hurt?’
‘My left leg. I can’t move it.’
Stephanie carefully shifted down. ‘Foot? Ankle? Thigh? Whereabouts is the most pain?’
‘Around my knee.’
Stephanie pulled on a fresh pair of gloves and tentatively touched the area. Troy winced. ‘Really bad, eh? Sorry. If you can bear with me for a bit longer, I’ll try not to hurt you too much.’ She lifted the lower part of his leg and gently extended it. ‘How much pain?’
Troy was gritting his teeth and moaning but didn’t answer her.
‘Quite a bit. Right. Do you play any sport?’
‘Rugby.’
‘Have you ever injured your knee before?’ As she spoke she opened her medical kit and pulled out the sphygmomanometer and shifted up to wind the cuff around Troy’s arm.
‘About two months ago.’
‘Have any work done on it?’
‘Just physio.’
‘You may need some work done now. Nothing feels broken but we’ll get you stabilised and off to the hospital for X-rays and a consultation with one of our orthopaedic surgeons.’
‘What do you think it is?’
‘At a guess I’d say your medial ligament’s been torn. The fact that you damaged your knee not so long ago means the ligament was weakening. You would have put a lot of stress on your legs, trying to stop yourself from falling, when the crash happened.’ She listened for a second before pulling the stethoscope from her ears. ‘Blood pressure’s good, considering the trauma you’ve been through. Are you allergic to anything?’
‘No.’
‘OK. I’m going to give you something for the pain, put a couple of bandages around your knee and then hopefully we can get you out.’
‘Has…?’ Troy stopped and cleared his throat. ‘Has anyone died?’ He asked the question quietly and Stephanie merely nodded. ‘I think I’m gonna be sick.’
‘No. You’ll be fine.’ Stephanie administered the injection. ‘This will help. Just close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Tell me what the physio said about your knee.’
She kept Troy talking as she stabilised his knee, splinting it with his other leg and ending with a figure of eight bandage around his feet. ‘There you go. How are you feeling now?’
‘More relaxed.’
‘Good. Close your eyes and we’ll get you out of here as soon as we can.’ Stephanie moved to look up the bus and winced as the cutting equipment David and his team were using was switched on and a squealing sound filled the air. She checked Troy, who’d opened his eyes wide.
‘It’s all right,’ she soothed him. ‘They need to cut through some of the seats to get some of the passengers out. Try and block it out, Troy.’ She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed reassuringly.
She looked around for Oliver and found him at the front, looking up, waiting for something to come down on the winch. When the cutting equipment stopped, she headed towards him and then realised he was carrying a small oxygen cylinder with a non-rebreather mask. David and Billy waited while Oliver performed obs on Michelle and fitted the mask over her nose and mouth, adjusting the cylinder to give her the required dose.
‘How’s she doing?’ Stephanie called. David was pulling hard on the metal they’d just cut through, bending it back.
‘Same,’ Oliver replied.
‘OK,’ David said. ‘Stand back, we’re ready to go again.’ A second later, the cutting machine started up again, its high-pitched squeal filling the air once more. Stephanie crawled back and checked on Troy and Oliver’s patient. Krystal appeared at the rear emergency-escape window.
‘Hey, Steph. Have you got someone else ready to come out?’
‘Two here. Both need stretchers.’
‘It’ll be easier getting them out this exit rather than taking them to the front. I’ll get it organised.’
‘Thanks.’
Krystal disappeared and at the same time the cutter stopped its whining. The instant it did, Stephanie’s phone rang. She glanced down the bus and, amazingly, through all the dust and debris, she could still make out Oliver’s scowl.
She answered the call, knowing it was Stephen. ‘Hi. Your patient stable?’ she asked. She was conscious of her new boss’s disapproval but she couldn’t figure out why he felt that way.
‘For now. Where do you need us?’
‘Oliver and I are in the bus. The driver has been taken out and is hopefully being airlifted to Sydney as we speak. Three people are dead and another is trapped—between two of the deceased. She’s stable for now and the emergency crews are in the process of cutting her out.’ She heard him telling Nicolette the information.
‘Head to the health resort?’ he asked.
‘Yes. I’ll catch up with you soon.’
When she disconnected the call she found Oliver had climbed over the seats to check on his patient. He glared at her. ‘What?’
‘Got your life organised now?’ he growled.
‘What are you talking about? I’m just getting an update from staff.’
‘You mean from Stephen. You are way too preoccupied with that man if you want my opinion.’
Stephanie bristled but spoke quietly. ‘Well, I don’t want your opinion and Stephen is nothing to do with you. I don’t know what your problem is.’
‘My problem, as you call it, is that my most senior member of staff isn’t concentrating on her job.’
‘How dare you?’ She made sure her tone was low, not wanting everyone to know they were arguing. ‘There’s nothing either of us can do right at this moment until the crews have finished removing those seats.’
‘I’m not talking about physically but mentally.’
‘Are you saying my work isn’t up to scratch?’
Oliver frowned. That wasn’t what he was saying at all. No, he was annoyed with the way Stephanie was so concerned for her boyfriend. He knew all about suffocating relationships—his ex-wife had been highly demanding. Now she took great pleasure in changing her mind over and over just to bug him. Would he ever be free of the clinging woman? Not while she had custody of their daughter, came the answer. On that score, he was still prepared to fight her tooth and nail to get custody of Kasey.
‘Well?’ Stephanie demanded when she didn’t receive a reply. ‘Because if you have a problem with my work performance then I’d prefer you to say it outright. How else am I supposed to adapt and improve, if not with guidance from my peers?’
Oliver swallowed and raked a hand through his hair. Once more he’d managed to annoy her and she had every right to be peeved with him. He shouldn’t have jumped down her throat, or tarred her with the same brush as his ex-wife. For all he knew, her Stephen liked being suffocated. Either way, it was nothing to him. She was nothing to him except a colleague. ‘I’m sorry.’ He met her gaze. ‘I spoke out of turn. From what I’ve seen, you’re an excellent doctor, Stephanie.’
His soft tone, the slight spark of appreciation behind his eyes gave her a brief glimpse of the man she’d met earlier that evening. It was nice to find he was still lurking beneath the surface. Stephanie was usually pretty good at reading people and for a while there she’d thought she’d read Oliver incorrectly. Now her initial impression returned.
‘Thank you.’ Her words were a whisper and she sighed with relief. Their gazes held and a small, shy smile touched her lips. Neither of them moved for a moment and it was as though they had been transported to a world that was just their own.
Feeling an increase in her own self-awareness, she reluctantly lowered her gaze, the smile slowly sliding from her lips as she realised that Oliver’s opinion of her really mattered to her. She was glad it was favourable but her stomach began to churn with nervous anticipation. The only other man’s opinion she valued was her brother’s.
Why was it suddenly so imperative that she continue to create such a positive one with Oliver?
That thought scared her more than anything. She glanced back at him and the churning in her stomach increased. His gaze was so intense and this time she was powerless to look away.