A Mother's Secret

On his instructions she started to run through the neurological exam. Asking David his name, the day, the date and asking him to follow certain instructions. It was a complicated process, with her relaying all the details to the experienced consultant at the end of the phone. David barely responded to some of the questions, mumbling at best. It took the consultant only a few minutes to decide to arrange transport for David to the hyperbaric chamber in Millport and issue a few other instructions that Gemma noted down. Even though this was a critical time, she couldn’t help the surge of relief that was flowing through her.

She’d followed her instincts. And she wasn’t crazy. For a few seconds she’d felt totally out of her depth. The long hours of research she’d put in over the last few weeks while Isla had been sleeping had been a lifesaver. Literally. ‘Do I have to do anything else?’

‘Just monitor him. If he maintains consciousness, try and encourage some fluids. Don’t worry. You’ll be met by the specialist team at Cumbrae as soon as you land.’

She finished the call and took David’s BP and saturation levels again. He was still giving her cause for concern. Julie appeared at the door. ‘I’ve called the ambulance.’

She must have taken in the confused expression on Gemma’s face. She reached over and touched her shoulder, giving David and Pam a reassuring smile. ‘The helicopter’s landing bay is at the hospital. The ambulance will get you there in two minutes. I’ve also arranged alternative transport for Pam.’

‘I won’t be able to go in the helicopter?’

Julie shook her head. ‘I’m sorry. There’s only room for one other person...’ she nodded towards Gemma ‘...and that has to be Dr Halliday.’

Gemma could hear roaring in her ears. She had to do the transfer in the helicopter?

Heaven help her. She’d never been near a helicopter in her life, let alone ridden in one. ‘Did you manage to get Logan?’ Please let him appear. Please let him be the one to go on the helicopter. But she didn’t even have time to think about it. Julie had pushed a wheelchair next to the door and was escorting Pam to the door. She was being much more help than Gemma would have expected. It was only at the last second she saw a little mad panic on her face. ‘I’m sorry, Gemma, I couldn’t get hold of Logan at all. I’ve left about four messages on his mobile,’ she hissed.

Gemma gulped. She would have to do this all on her own. But she didn’t have time to let it terrify her. She had a patient to look after.

She put her arms gently on David’s shoulders, careful not to hurt his shoulder joints. ‘David?’ She spoke quietly. ‘I know you’re sore, but I need you to get in the wheelchair. We need to get you to the helicopter.’

For the first time in the last ten minutes he opened his eyes. It had been clear during his neurological exam he was starting to become a little muddled. ‘What’s happening?’ The confusion was written all over his face.

Gemma took a few moments to kneel in front of him and touch his hand. ‘We think you’ve got decompression sickness, David, caused by flying too quickly after your multiple dives. It’s likely that the pain in your joints is caused by nitrogen bubbles. It can also be the reason you’re feeling a bit disorientated and your skin is itching. We’re really lucky—Millport is only a few minutes away in the helicopter and there will be a team waiting to treat you in the hyperbaric chamber.’

There had better be. Because she didn’t have the expertise to deal with that.

‘I’ll be with you for the transfer and get you settled.’

‘What about my wife?’ His voice was weak, his throat sounding dry—probably from the high-dose oxygen. She lifted a glass of water and moved the mask to put it to his lips, letting him take a few sips. ‘We’re making arrangements for Pam, don’t worry. She’ll be with you.’

There was a flash of green beside her—a paramedic suit. He raised his eyebrows at her. ‘Are you ready, Dr Halliday? We’ve already had radio contact with the emergency helicopter. It’s on its way. ETA is ten minutes.’

‘That quick?’ She was surprised.

He gave a little shrug. ‘Once it’s taken off from Prestwick it covers the miles really quickly. Our weather conditions are good so there’ll be no problems with landing.’ He gestured towards the door. ‘Okay if I take our patient?’

She nodded and grabbed her jacket, stopping at the door and putting her hand on Julie’s elbow. ‘Thank you so much, Julie. I don’t know what I would have done without you.’

For the first time ever, normally frosty Julie gave her a smile. ‘That’s what I’m here for. And to tell you the truth, it’s the most exciting thing that’s happened in ages. Logan will be sorry he missed it.’

She felt a little lurch in her stomach. She almost wished that she’d missed it, and Logan had been here to deal with everything. Hopefully—whether he was in a mood with her or not—he’d sit down later and do a debrief with her and talk her through anything she might have missed.

She rushed out the door and jumped into the back of the ambulance. It took less than five minutes to reach the landing pad in the hospital grounds. The paramedic opened the back doors of the ambulance and looked up at the sky. ‘I’m just going to do a few observations on David while we’re waiting.’

Gemma nodded. Something was pressed into her hand. She looked down. Ear defenders. She hadn’t even considered the noise. Then again, she’d never been around a helicopter before.

David was lying back again with his eyes closed. He was still unconsciously scratching at his skin. Was it wrong to pray for the helicopter to get here quickly?

After a few minutes she could hear the thump-thump of the spinning blades. It seemed only seconds before the speck in the sky was getting closer and closer.

She put the ear defenders on. The noise was incredible. As she jumped out of the back of the ambulance and stood at the side of the stretcher used to transport David, her hair was flying backwards and forwards—across her eyes, in her mouth. It was freezing. The glorious sunny day was no match for the helicopter blades.

After a few seconds there was a shout. The helicopter had touched down safely and the side door slid back.

She didn’t know which was louder, the sound of the helicopter blades or the sound of her too-fast heartbeat in her ears. She’d forgotten her jacket—it was still lying in the back of the ambulance—and it felt as if any second now her shirt would be ripped from her body. Sure enough, one of her buttons pinged off and disappeared into the wind. She didn’t have time to make a grab to cover herself. The stretcher was already being run towards the helicopter.

The transfer was seamless. The ambulance team pushed the stretcher towards the helicopter and the legs automatically collapsed underneath it as it slid easily on board. A hand stretched out towards her, ready to pull her in. The helicopter was higher than she’d thought, but someone gave her a boost from behind and a new pair of ear defenders was placed in her lap. She swapped them over, handed the first ones back. The door slid shut and seconds later they took off.

She didn’t have time to think about the flight. Or the turbulence around them. It was almost like being in a bit of a bumpy car ride. The noise was still incredible, but her reactions were automatic. Years of being in emergency situations seemed to stand her in good stead and she helped the paramedic attach David to a monitor and set up an IV line, all with a series of hand signals.

Eventually she got a sign to strap in as they prepared for landing. She almost couldn’t believe the time had passed already. Millport—or the Isle of Cumbrae—was smaller than Arran with a similar old-style hospital. Walking into the unit with the hyperbaric chamber and state-of-the-art equipment was almost like walking into a space station. From the outside you would have no idea all this was here. Thankfully, another doctor and nurse were waiting. They took her paperwork and started making calculations quickly. One grabbed the card for the dive school from her hand and walked through to an office, quickly picking up the phone. It literally took minutes for

them to reassess David’s neurological status and set him up to go in the chamber.

It was fascinating. The specialist consultant was on video call with them the whole time. He even took part in the conversation with the dive school in Egypt. Learning foreign languages was obviously part of his skills. And the whole scenario was something so specialist it was totally out of her realm of expertise. Another call came in for the emergency helicopter—a climber injured in Fort William—and before she could even think they were gone.

A nurse appeared at her side and touched her elbow. ‘I’m Jill, can I get you a coffee to tide you over before you head back?’

Back. It hadn’t even occurred to her. Not for a second. The helicopter was gone. How on earth was she going to get back to Arran? She looked around her—she hadn’t even taken her handbag from the surgery.

Jill smiled. ‘Stop panicking.’

She shook her head. ‘I don’t have my bag. I don’t have any money. I have no idea how to get from Millport to Arran. What on earth happens now?’

Jill laughed and waved her hand. ‘Don’t worry about any of that. Logan Scott has already phoned to say he’ll pick you up.’

She frowned. ‘But how can he pick me up?’

Jill raised her eyebrows. ‘In his boat?’ It was obvious that Gemma wasn’t proving to pick things up very quickly. Everything had happened at such a pace she hadn’t considered any of these things. ‘Come on. I bet you missed lunch. You can have something free of charge in our canteen. It’s not every day the emergency helicopter lands.’

‘Isn’t it?’ The way the staff had acted she’d thought this was a routine occurrence. ‘How often do you use the hyperbaric chamber?’

‘It varies. Anything from around ten to twenty divers a year need treatment here. Not all get transferred by helicopter, some come via the lifeboat service.’

She steered Gemma into a similar canteen to the one in Arran hospital. It was smaller but she was able to grab some soup and a sandwich and take a seat at the window for a moment to try and catch her breath.

Wow. Helicopter trip. Hyperbaric chamber. And a think-outside-the-box crazy diagnosis.

A smile crept across her face. When she’d told her colleagues in Glasgow that she was moving to Arran, some of them had told her she’d be bored.