The Doctor's Christmas Bride (Lakeside Mountain Rescue 1)

Jack was already in Resus, along with Sean Nicholson and a full team of staff. Jack was barking out instructions as he worked to stabilise Annie.

‘Can someone check her weight with her parents?’

‘I’ve just done it.’ Bryony hurried into the room and reached in her pocket for a calculator. ‘I’ve worked out 4 mils of fluid per kilogram multiplied by the percentage of the burn. Do you have that yet?’

‘Just doing it. My estimate is twenty-two per cent,’ Jack said, glancing up at her. ‘Are you OK?’

Bryony nodded and studied the Lund and Browder charts that helped them to assess the area of the burn according to age. ‘You’re about right, Jack,’ she said lightly, feeding the numbers into her calculator. ‘I make it twenty-two per cent.’

She worked out the volume of fluid and showed her calculation to Jack.

‘Right.’ He gave a nod. ‘So she needs that in twenty-four hours, but we need to give her half in the first eight hours and monitor her urine output. I want her to have a combination of crystalloid and colloid.’

‘Catheter is in,’ Nicky said quickly, ‘and I’ve started a chart.’

‘Great. Can you test her urine? And, Bryony, we need to take some bloods before she’s transferred. Cross-matching, FBC, COHb, U and Es, glucose and coagulation.’

Bryony reached for the appropriate bottles. ‘You’re sending her to the burns unit?’

Jack nodded. ‘The helicopter is waiting to take her as soon as we give the word. I’ve spoken to the consultant, he’s waiting for her.’

Bryony took the samples and then went to talk to Annie. The little girl was drifting in and out of sleep, hardly aware of what was going on around her.

‘I gave her some sedation,’ Jack said softly, covering the last of the burns and then giving Nicky a nod. ‘OK. Let’s go.’

‘Are you going with her?’

He nodded. ‘Take Lizzie home in my car. I’ll see you later.’

‘How will you get home?’

‘I’ll get the paramedics to drop me at your place, or I’ll grab a taxi.’ He shrugged, totally unconcerned, and she nodded.

‘Fine. I’ll see you later. Do you want me to talk to Annie’s parents?’

‘I’ll do it,’ Sean said immediately. ‘That way you can get home with your little girl and Jack can get loaded into the helicopter.’

Bryony was tucking Lizzie into bed when she heard the doorbell. ‘That will be Jack.’

She dropped a kiss on Lizzie’s forehead and went to answer the door, praying that Annie’s condition hadn’t worsened during the transfer.

‘How is she?’

Jack strolled into her house and gave a shiver, and it was only then that she remembered that he’d used his jacket to put out the flames and that he’d been working only in a jumper. He must be freezing.

‘Come and sit by the fire,’ she urged, and he did as she’d suggested, stretching out his hands towards the flames.

‘It’s nice and warm in here.’ He looked at her. ‘Is my girl asleep?’

Bryony shook her head, her expression troubled. ‘No. She’s very upset by it all.’

‘Of course she is.’ His jaw tightened. ‘I’ll talk to her.’

They both walked towards Lizzie’s bedroom and Jack strolled in and settled himself on the edge of the bed.

‘Hi, there.’ His voice was soft and Lizzie stared up at him, her eyes huge in her pretty face.

‘Hi, Jack.’ Her smile was shaky. ‘Annie is very badly hurt, isn’t she?’