A Proposal to Remember

‘You got him.’

‘He must have hit his head on a rock. But he’s been under for a while.’ Sam’s breathing was jerky as he gasped for air. Water clung to his lashes and the rough stubble of his jaw as he carefully held the teenage boy’s face above the water. ‘We need to get him out of here, fast.’

The lifeboat crew, practised in rescues such as these, swung into action and Anna gladly relinquished the little girl into their capable hands before turning her attention to helping Sam.

‘We need to keep him flat—you know that. He has to be lifted out of the water in a prone position or we ris

k circulatory collapse.’

‘I know.’

‘And we need to watch his neck.’ Sam yelled instructions to the lifeboat crew, who were preparing to lift the teenager out of the water.

Through her watery vision, Anna spotted John Craddock at the helm.

There was a clack-clacking sound overhead and the rescue helicopter arrived.

‘Thank goodness,’ Anna shouted, gasping as another wave broke over her head. ‘They can fly him straight to hospital. Are you OK?’

‘Never better.’ Sam managed a wry grin. ‘Apart from the gallon of seawater I’ve swallowed.’

Finally the rescue was completed and Sam and Anna swam back to the shore, both of them cold and exhausted.

‘Have the parents gone?’ Sam accepted a towel gratefully from a bystander and wiped his face.

‘Someone gave them a lift to the hospital.’ Polly was standing next to him with the rest of the crew. ‘Well, I have to say, you two, you know how to give the viewers something exciting to watch. That was amazing.’

Anna twisted her long hair round her hand and squeezed until water dripped onto the sand. ‘You were filming that?’

‘Every minute.’ Polly smiled and shielded her eyes against the sun. ‘Not just for our documentary—although for holiday health I think that was a pretty powerful message—but for the news as well.’

Anna rubbed her hand over her face to clear her vision. ‘I can’t believe you filmed it.’

‘It’s my job.’ Polly handed her another towel. ‘Just as this is your job. Sort of.’ She pulled a face. ‘Actually, I don’t think it is your job to plunge into crashing waves and a cold sea to rescue someone who shouldn’t have been out in a dinghy anyway. People should think before they act. Now do you see the point of our programme?’

Anna shivered despite the towel and the warmth of the sun. ‘I suppose if it stops someone taking blow-up craft into rough waves, yes.’ She rubbed her skin with the towel but her teeth continued to chatter.

‘For the record, the two of you were amazing.’ Polly glanced at the cameraman. ‘We got it all, didn’t we? Every adrenaline-pumping minute?’

‘Oh, yes.’ He grinned and tapped the camera. ‘I wasn’t missing that. I even got the frantic look on Anna’s face when she thought Sam wasn’t coming up again.’

Oh, hell.

Anna huddled inside the towel. ‘I was just worried about running the practice single-handed,’ she muttered, and Polly smiled.

‘Of course you were. The funny thing about you two is that you disagree violently on everything that doesn’t matter, but when it comes to something important you don’t even have to communicate. You just anticipate the other’s needs. Just like that time in the surgery with little Lucy. Maybe when you see the footage, you’ll see what I mean.’

‘Something’s making me feel sick, Polly,’ Anna said, her teeth still chattering, ‘and it’s either the seawater I’ve swallowed or it could possibly be the rubbish you’re spouting.’

‘Deny it all you like,’ Polly said airily, ‘but the two of you work well together. And on camera you make magic. This programme is going to be a hit. And you’re going to be a hit, Anna. You’d better get yourself an agent.’

She turned away to say something to the sound man and Sam stepped forward with a wicked grin.

‘Any time you want to make magic with me, Riggs, just say the word.’

Anna glared at him and opened her mouth to say something sharp, but Polly turned her attention back to them before she could speak.

‘Can the two of you explain a little bit about what you were trying to do in that rescue? In relatively simple language, of course.’