When Gio tried to move again, Noah adopted a stern tone. ‘You need to keep still for us; we can’t work unless you do. And you could make things a whole lot worse for yourself.’
Bess moved above Gio so she could look him in the eye. ‘He’s right, you know. Bossy, but right.’
Eyes glistening with tears, Gio looked up at the moon hanging above them all in innocence. He blinked, closed his eyes, settled, but not for long; he was clearly in agony.
Bess squeezed his hand again. ‘We’re going as fast as we can, Gio, but at the same time, we have to be careful and thorough. We’ll have you out of here soon. I promise.’
Jeremy, another of the firefighters, came over and knelt down next to Gio as Bess got the splint for stabilising Gio’s leg ready.
‘You’re a bloody hero.’ The firefighter looked up at both Bess and Noah. ‘That girl would be dead if it wasn’t for him.’
‘You hear that?’ Bess asked. ‘You’re a hero, Gio.’
Noah frowned and asked Gio again about his pain. ‘Give me a level, mate. On a scale of one to ten.’
Noah’s question got a swear word before a begrudgingly uttered nine.
‘Nine… are you sure?’ Bess asked.
Gio gritted his teeth, the pain almost overpowering him. ‘I lied…’ he croaked, ‘pain is a thirteen… didn’t want to admit…’
She knew it. And to actually make the admission, it had to be bad.
Noah reiterated the suggestion of stronger painkillers and this time, Gio agreed, to Bess’s relief. Getting his left leg into a splint was going to hurt like anything.
As Noah prepared to give Gio ketamine, a more powerful drug they as critical care paramedics were allowed to administer, and one that in larger amounts could be used for sedation or anaesthetic, Bess looked Gio in the eye again, hoping that the eye contact might help him stay calm. ‘You’re about to get some of the good stuff. Are you ready?’
‘Bring it on.’ He managed to get the words out along with a tight smile before it was taken away on another wave of pain.
While everyone reacted to drugs differently, ketamine had been known to cause hallucinations so it was important to keep Gio thinking positive thoughts and so Bess told him again that the girl he’d rescued was safe, uninjured, he was her hero.
Noah put the pulse oximeter – the probe with infrared light to measure how effectively his blood was carrying oxygen – to his foot and leg. Happy there was no circulatory compromise, he administered the ketamine before they could do more. Once it took effect, it would give Bess and Noah enough of a chance to stabilise the leg and spare Gio from the horrendous pain that came with it.
‘Bess…’ The way Gio said her name this time told Bess that the ketamine was already happily buzzing its way around his system.
‘Still here,’ she assured him.
‘I’m a hero,’ Gio rambled, making both Noah and Bess grin. It was hard watching patients suffer and to be able to give themsome relief was rewarding and, she had to admit, sometimes amusing when the drugs took effect.
‘Told you I was a good man,’ Gio went on. He probably wouldn’t remember much of this conversation, if any, later on. ‘I could be good enough for you.’ Even in his predicament, his smile had the ability to melt Bess at a thousand paces if she let it.
Noah laughed. ‘I really hope he means you, Bess, because you’re not really my type, Gio.’
And he wasn’t Bess’s either. Was he?
When she met someone, she wanted it to be for keeps. Gio was a good friend, they’d never pushed it any further, and she wouldn’t dare because if they dated and it didn’t work out – because Gio’s relationships never did – it would ruin their friendship.
With the help of three other firefighters, they took the scoop, the equipment and their bags back to the helicopter, transferred Gio onto the litter, and climbed on board, ready to head for the hospital.
Maya didn’t say much when she heard it was firefighter Gio Mayhan – there was no sign of the teasing that often came Bess’s way when Gio’s name came up or he showed up at a job at the same time as The Skylarks – Maya was too professional for that and so was Bess.
As they took to the skies, they could both hear Noah’s commentary from the rear of the ambulance; the patient was talking on and off, which was a good sign. It wasn’t so great that Gio vomited on the way but it was a common occurrence with patients either from injuries, from drugs or because of the helicopter ride, but apart from that, he was comfortable and stable. He’d likely need orthopaedic surgery given his injuries and he was being flown to a hospital team who were the best in the business in that regard.
Within five minutes, they’d touched down on the helipad on top of the hospital and handed over the patient.
Except he wasn’t just any patient. It was Gio.
‘You all right?’ Maya asked Bess once they lifted into the air again and headed back to base.
