Read Online The Australian's Proposal (Mills & Boon By Request): The Doctor's Marriage Wish / The Playboy Doctor's Proposal / The Nurse He's Been Waiting For by Alison Roberts, Meredith Webber - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alison Roberts, Meredith Webber
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could see the bullet had scored down along the periosteum.’ Cal turned to Kate. ‘That’s the fibrous vascular membrane that covers bones. Then it entered the greater trochanter.’
‘The ball-shaped head of the femur that fits into the hip bone?’ Kate checked.
‘A job for an orthopod?’ Hamish asked.
Cal nodded.
‘Which means flying Jack out to Townsville,’ Hamish said.
Cal shook his head. ‘Charles doesn’t want to do that. He says we have all we need here, and the flight could further weaken the lad. He
is
very sick—the infection is still causing fever—but I think that’s just an excuse. Damn, but it’s complicated!’
Cal stirred sugar into his coffee then tapped the teaspoon fretfully on the side of the cup.
‘I suppose Charles is worried that if Jack goes to Townsville and the police there become involved, Jack could be placed under arrest,’ Hamish suggested, taking the teaspoon out of Cal’s hand and setting it on the table.
‘Placed under arrest? Why?’ Kate demanded. ‘He hasn’t confessed to anything. All we know is that he’s been shot. The rest is just guesswork.’
‘No, Hamish is right. That’s a definite possibility. Apparently there’s been a special federal police squad working on organised cattle thefts in this area,’ Cal explained. ‘One of their officers went under cover some months ago, and only last week his body was found—in a state of advanced decomposition and with a bullet in his chest. If that bullet matches the one in Jack’s leg, it’s enough of a connection for the police to hold him pending further enquiries.’
‘But he was the one who was shot, not the shooter,’ Kate protested, looking at Hamish as she recalled the saga he’d toldher. ‘And what about Megan and Lucky and Mr Cooper? What will it do to Mr Cooper’s fragile health if his grandson’s father is arrested?’
Hamish shrugged his shoulders.
‘I’m sure Charles is considering all of that,’ Cal told them. ‘He probably feels he might have more control over the situation if we keep Jack here and Harry does the investigation. But there’s more to it than the police side of things. First, the kid’s Charles’s nephew and Charles will want to keep an eye on him. It was a dumb accident with a gun when he was a kid that put Charles in a wheelchair and I’m betting there are a whole bunch of memories being stirred up right now that Charles is trying to keep a lid on. Charles’s accident caused the family feud which is maybe how Jack got to be in this mess. So Charles is going to want to hold him close.’
‘But doesn’t Jack have parents? Do they have a say in this?’ Kate asked.
‘That’s the next hassle,’ Cal explained. ‘Charles has to let them know he’s injured, and if they hear we’re moving him to another hospital, Charles believes they’ll want him flown to Sydney—to top specialists down there.’
‘But if he’s in Sydney and Megan’s up here, what chance will they have to sort out their feelings for each other?’
Cal answered Kate’s new protest with a nod.
‘Exactly!’ he said. ‘That’s the other reason we really need to keep him here if we possibly can.’
‘So, what’s the answer?’ Hamish asked Cal. ‘Will you do the op? Do you feel confident of handling it?’
Cal hesitated.
‘With expert help, yes. Charles is trying to set it up now. He has a friend, an orthopaedic surgeon, in Brisbane. If we set up a video camera and link it via computer to Charles’s mate, he can virtually guide my hands. In a less complicated form, this system’s being trialled in a number of country areas wherethere’s a nurse but no doctor. It’s mainly been used for diagnostic purposes but some operations have been performed this way.’
‘You OK with it?’ Hamish asked, and Kate sensed a bond between the two men.
Cal nodded.
‘The worst part will be the timing. The surgeon we need is in Theatre right now, and he has a full list for today. It
‘The ball-shaped head of the femur that fits into the hip bone?’ Kate checked.
‘A job for an orthopod?’ Hamish asked.
Cal nodded.
‘Which means flying Jack out to Townsville,’ Hamish said.
Cal shook his head. ‘Charles doesn’t want to do that. He says we have all we need here, and the flight could further weaken the lad. He
is
very sick—the infection is still causing fever—but I think that’s just an excuse. Damn, but it’s complicated!’
Cal stirred sugar into his coffee then tapped the teaspoon fretfully on the side of the cup.
‘I suppose Charles is worried that if Jack goes to Townsville and the police there become involved, Jack could be placed under arrest,’ Hamish suggested, taking the teaspoon out of Cal’s hand and setting it on the table.
‘Placed under arrest? Why?’ Kate demanded. ‘He hasn’t confessed to anything. All we know is that he’s been shot. The rest is just guesswork.’
‘No, Hamish is right. That’s a definite possibility. Apparently there’s been a special federal police squad working on organised cattle thefts in this area,’ Cal explained. ‘One of their officers went under cover some months ago, and only last week his body was found—in a state of advanced decomposition and with a bullet in his chest. If that bullet matches the one in Jack’s leg, it’s enough of a connection for the police to hold him pending further enquiries.’
‘But he was the one who was shot, not the shooter,’ Kate protested, looking at Hamish as she recalled the saga he’d toldher. ‘And what about Megan and Lucky and Mr Cooper? What will it do to Mr Cooper’s fragile health if his grandson’s father is arrested?’
Hamish shrugged his shoulders.
‘I’m sure Charles is considering all of that,’ Cal told them. ‘He probably feels he might have more control over the situation if we keep Jack here and Harry does the investigation. But there’s more to it than the police side of things. First, the kid’s Charles’s nephew and Charles will want to keep an eye on him. It was a dumb accident with a gun when he was a kid that put Charles in a wheelchair and I’m betting there are a whole bunch of memories being stirred up right now that Charles is trying to keep a lid on. Charles’s accident caused the family feud which is maybe how Jack got to be in this mess. So Charles is going to want to hold him close.’
‘But doesn’t Jack have parents? Do they have a say in this?’ Kate asked.
‘That’s the next hassle,’ Cal explained. ‘Charles has to let them know he’s injured, and if they hear we’re moving him to another hospital, Charles believes they’ll want him flown to Sydney—to top specialists down there.’
‘But if he’s in Sydney and Megan’s up here, what chance will they have to sort out their feelings for each other?’
Cal answered Kate’s new protest with a nod.
‘Exactly!’ he said. ‘That’s the other reason we really need to keep him here if we possibly can.’
‘So, what’s the answer?’ Hamish asked Cal. ‘Will you do the op? Do you feel confident of handling it?’
Cal hesitated.
‘With expert help, yes. Charles is trying to set it up now. He has a friend, an orthopaedic surgeon, in Brisbane. If we set up a video camera and link it via computer to Charles’s mate, he can virtually guide my hands. In a less complicated form, this system’s being trialled in a number of country areas wherethere’s a nurse but no doctor. It’s mainly been used for diagnostic purposes but some operations have been performed this way.’
‘You OK with it?’ Hamish asked, and Kate sensed a bond between the two men.
Cal nodded.
‘The worst part will be the timing. The surgeon we need is in Theatre right now, and he has a full list for today. It
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