The Doctor's Unexpected Proposal. Alison Roberts

fraction of a second Emily had another glimpse into eyes that weren’t shuttered by humour and realised she was seeing a part of Mike she had never been privy to before.

      Maybe something good was going to come out of this whole mess. A bond of comfort in their friendship that was going both ways for the first time.

      ‘I am upset,’ Mike said slowly. ‘And I’m starting to wonder what the hell’s so wrong with me.’

      ‘There’s nothing wrong with you,’ Emily assured him. ‘You’re a great guy, Mike. Kirsty’s an idiot.’

      ‘Yeah.’ A familiar glint reappeared in those dark eyes. ‘She is, isn’t she? She and Simon bloody Kent should be a perfect match.’

      ‘How did we not see it happening right under our noses?’

      ‘Because it didn’t. They took off to Brisbane when they found they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.’

      ‘Did you know what was going on?’

      ‘I had my suspicions.’

      ‘When?’

      ‘The weekend before last. When you told me you were covering a night shift for Simon because he had to rush off to Brisbane.’

      ‘When his mother mixed up her insulin dose and put herself into a coma. What was so suspicious about that?’

      ‘Just that Kirsty had rung me ten minutes earlier to say she couldn’t make it back to Crocodile Creek for a day or two because her father was having some sort of crisis with his insulin dosage.’

      Emily huffed at the absurdity of it. ‘Why on earth didn’t they have the imagination to come up with different stories?’

      ‘Because they’re both idiots,’ Mike reminded her promptly.

      Her smile came much more easily this time. It wasn’t even forced. Mike smiled back at her delightedly, clearly taking the credit for having cheered her up, at least a little, but Emily looked away quickly. She couldn’t reveal just how much she was enjoying his company.

      Neither could she put any real significance on some new connection she and Mike could be forging here. They were in the same boat right now, having had their respective partners run off with each other no less, but it was a very temporary thing. Michael Poulos never stayed lonely for long. It would be foolish to imagine that this almost intimate companionship would become a regular occurrence.

      And right on cue, the radio on the desk opposite the couch crackled into life.

      ‘Cooper’s Crossing to Crocodile Creek Air Medical Service. Come in, please.’

      Mike’s attention was caught instantly and completely. He jumped to his feet. ‘Where the hell is our radio operator?’

      ‘Someone’s got the hand-held,’ Emily pointed out, following Mike’s example and standing up.

      ‘Yes. I have.’

      ‘Oh!’ Emily whirled so fast she almost fell over. ‘Charles! I wish you wouldn’t sneak up on people like that!’

      ‘It’s an advantage I have no intention of losing.’ Charles Wetherby, medical director of Crocodile Creek Base Hospital, rolled his wheelchair towards the desk. ‘The battery’s low on the hand-held,’ he said. ‘That’s why I was on my way back.’

      ‘Cooper’s Crossing station to AMS. Are you receiving me, over?’

      Charles reached for the microphone on the desk. ‘Crocodile Creek Base Hospital, receiving you loud and clear. Is that you, Jim?’

      ‘Yes.’ The voice sounded hesitant. ‘Charles?’

      ‘Speaking,’ Charles confirmed. ‘What’s the problem, Jim?’

      ‘It’s my daughter, Megan. She’s…she’s not well.’

      Emily knew that other people listening in could make it uncomfortable to give personal details, but Jim Cooper sounded more than hesitant now. He sounded desperate.

      ‘What’s happened, Jim?’

      ‘She hasn’t been well for a few days. She got out of bed and she’s collapsed…I can’t get any sense out of her.’ A few words were broken by static. ‘Fence down…Her mother’s trying to round up the cattle…No way I can get her back into bed.’

      ‘How old is Megan, Jim?’

      ‘Nineteen.’

      ‘And she’s been sick for a few days?’

      ‘I dunno what’s going on. Flu, maybe. Stomach pains. She’s just lying on the floor now…Her breathing sounds funny…I dunno what to do…’

      Emily exchanged a horrified glance with Mike. This man was panicking. He sounded close to tears.

      ‘Don’t worry, Jim. We’ll get some help out to you. Don’t go too far from the radio. As soon as I’ve got things moving I’ll talk to you again.’

      Charles turned to Mike. ‘Do you know if they’ve fixed that problem with the sticky needle on the fixed wing’s altimeter?’

      ‘They’re working on it now.’

      ‘It’ll have to be the chopper, then.’

      ‘How far is it?’

      ‘Cooper’s Crossing station is Wetherby Downs’ closest neighbour.’ Charles tipped his chair back and then swivelled to face the series of maps covering the wall. They were marked with a series of black, expanding circles that represented units of ten nautical miles. ‘West. Here.’

      Mike whistled silently. ‘That’s a long haul for the chopper, boss. We’d have to refuel.’

      ‘Not a problem. We have a long-standing arrangement with Wetherby Downs to provide fuel for any AMS emergency if it’s needed. I’ll arrange it with the station manager. They’ll be waiting for you.’

      ‘What’s the latest info from the weather bureau?’

      Emily peered at the map as the two men engaged in a rapid-fire discussion about weather forecasts, GPS co-ordinates for navigation and flight times. Wetherby Downs station was where Charles had grown up. His brother Philip ran the vast station now. Why would Charles make it sound like ringing the station manager and not his brother to arrange a fuelling stop for the helicopter was the only option?

      She cast a rather speculative glance at their medical director. How fair was it that he knew so much about all of them but managed to keep so much of his own life so private? Disconcertingly, Emily found herself receiving a stare from both men that spoke of an even more avid curiosity.

      ‘So, how ’bout it, Em?’

      ‘Sorry, I wasn’t listening.’

      ‘Christina’s on emergency flight call but she’s having a good time at the party.’ Mike grinned at Emily. ‘Charles and I thought you might like to cover for her.’

      ‘Oh, no!’ Emily took a step backwards. ‘Sorry, but I don’t do helicopters.’

      ‘Why not?’ Charles raised an eyebrow. ‘You’ve been in the fixed-wing aircraft often enough.’

      ‘That’s different.’

      ‘Why?’ Mike sounded genuinely puzzled.

      ‘A plane’s safer.’

      ‘Why?’ Mike was sounding amused now.

      ‘Because it’s got wings,’ Emily muttered. She could feel her cheeks heating but continued doggedly when confronted by silence. ‘If its engine conks out it can at least glide down. It’s not going to drop like a stone.’

      Mike and Charles exchanged a glance. They both grinned at Emily. She pressed her lips together stubbornly and glared back. She didn’t like being