Gladioli in August (10 page)

Danny met him at the door. “She needs you, but go easy on her.”

Micah nodded and went in slowly. Jael sat with her back to the door. He moved across to her. “Hey.”

She kept her face averted, her shoulders shaking.

His throat tightened. “Honey?” He gently grasped her shoulders and turned her towards him. Tears streamed down her face, spearing him straight through the heart. His stomach pitted. “You're crying…”

She stood and clung to him tightly, sobbing, as if her heart were breaking.

Floored and engulfed by a feeling he didn't comprehend, Micah held her tightly, comforting her as best he could. All he wanted to do was protect her, and seemingly he couldn't even do that. Had something happened to her brother or sister-in-law? As her sobs eased, he gently slid a hand through her hair and kissed her forehead. “What happened? Is it your brother?”

“No,” she hiccoughed. “The doctor…He…”

Rage filled Micah and every part of his body tensed. “What did he do? Did he touch you?”

Color touched her cheeks, mixing with the red blotchy look crying had left her. “He tried…he…” She looked away. “I fought him off…”

He shook with anger as he kissed her forehead. “Stay here.”

“Where are you going?”

“Not far. Just stay here for a minute, and I'll be back.” He raised her face to his and kissed her gently. “Promise me, honey, you'll stay right here.”

She nodded, wrapping her arms tightly around her middle.

Micah strode to the door, flinging it open with so much force it reverberated against the frame. Long, hard strides took him down the hallway to the staff room where Danny waited with Kevin. He burst in and the conversation died.

The arrogant doctor smirked. “Micah, we were wondering what you were up to.”

Micah took five paces across the room and leaned his hands on the table. Had the table not been there, he'd have laid Kevin clear across the room. He shoved his face into the older man's. “If you ever lay a finger on her again, you'll regret it.”

Kevin's smirk grew. “If you're talking about that cute brunette, you don't stand a chance, mate. That one's as cold as an iceberg and then some.”

Danny stepped up. “I have this handled, Micah.”

Micah looked at him. “All I want is five minutes. Just an adult conversation with the good doctor here.”

Danny held his gaze for a moment. “You have five minutes, then I want Kevin in my office. And you have a flight schedule to see to.”

Micah nodded. “Yes, boss.” He waited until Danny left, then shut the door.

****

Jael looked at Danny. “…I have no choice,” she finished.

He shook his head, the look on his face saying he didn't want to believe what he'd just heard. “Resign? Why?”

“I can't stay here now.”

“Of course you can. Do you want to make a formal complaint?”

“There's no point.” She rubbed a hand over her face.

“There is every point. No matter how good a doctor he is, he can't get away with this.”

“Has anyone else said anything?” she whispered. Maybe she'd encouraged him somehow, although he'd done nothing but insult and belittle her since he arrived. Raised voices echoed from the hallway.

Danny shook his head. “Yes, there have been complaints, but none of the accusations have been substantiated or taken any further. Until now. Look at your bruises. Doctor or not, he doesn't have the right to force himself on the staff, or anyone else for that matter. And if you just leave, what about the next woman he accosts? Next time she might not get away.”

Jael took a deep breath. “OK. I'll do it. But my resignation still stands. I'll stay and help out until the emergency is over and people stop coming in with earthquake related injuries, but then I'm going home.” She took the paper Danny offered and started to read through what he'd written as they talked. She signed it just as the office door burst open.

“Sorry,” Steve apologized. “Danny you've got to come now. Micah and Kevin are—”

“So much for an adult conversation…” Danny ran from the room.

Jael dropped the pen and followed him. She shoved her way through the crowd just after Danny did.

Kevin lay on the floor. Micah stood over him. Micah's face was curled into a snarl and his hands into tight fists.

Assuming Micah had hit Kevin, Jael turned and walked slowly down the hall to the computer room. Logging on quickly, she e-mailed Kyle.

Hey, it's me. Couple of things. Lots of damage after yesterday's quake, loads of injured people, so we're pretty busy, but I'm fine. I have, however, resigned my post here. The reasons don't matter. I'm going to try and arrange a flight home at the end of the week. Love you. See you soon.

She logged off and moved swiftly into the clinic to read the clipboard in case there were any visits. There were six, so she grabbed the pack and filled it accordingly.

Five minutes later, Micah joined her. “Where are we going then?”

“Thought better of you,” she said quietly. “Brawling like a teenager in there.”

He looked at her. “Are you going to let me explain?”

She shoved the clipboard at him. “We have rounds to do.”

“Fine.” He grabbed her pack and headed to the door. “Better go then, Nurse Stevens. Time is a'wasting.”

Jael shook her head at his retreating back and bit her lip. Her eyes filled with tears she refused to let fall. She'd gone from
honey
to
Nurse Stevens
in a matter of minutes. The sooner she was out of here the better. She trudged after him, passing Kevin in the corridor. He blew kisses at her and she shivered.

“I don't want to be here anymore,” she prayed silently. “Help me bear it, just for a few more days.”

The flight was silent and uncomfortable. The only respite she got was when she was working and Micah stayed on the plane. When she checked on the Franz triplets, she found cases in the hall. “Are you leaving?”

“Going to Bantu,” Mr. Franz said. “Safer than here.”

“Not going to get an argument from me. Want a lift back to town?”

He nodded. “Please.”

Jael took the basinet containing the babies and led Mrs. Franz to the plane.

She climbed aboard. “You don't mind taking the Franzes to town do you? They're leaving and going to Bantu. Mr. Franz is following with the luggage.”

Micah stood. “I'll give him a hand. Stay here.”

Jael sat in her seat and sighed. Now he decided to play the hero and carry stuff instead of watching her do it? When did she suddenly become the defenseless female? She picked up the mic. “Achor base, are you there?”

“Hey, sweetheart,” Kevin drawled. “Missing me already?”

Jael slammed the mic down, cutting off the call. She jumped at footsteps behind her.

Micah dropped into his seat. “We need to talk.” He started the engines and nodded to her headset. Once the pre-flight was done and he was lining the plane up on the path, he cleared his throat. “I didn't hit him,” he said. “I wanted to. The Lord knows how much I wanted to. But I didn't.”

“Then why was he on the floor?”

“He hit me, then went to swing again, lost his balance and fell.”

She looked out of the window. The plane accelerated as a massive tremor hit. Her breath caught, and for a moment she wasn't sure if they'd take off, but Micah managed to get the plane airborne. “But I went from ‘honey' to ‘Nurse Stevens' in a matter of minutes. I didn't encourage him. He just…”

His hand covered hers. “Oh, honey, I know that. I just thought maybe we should be a little more professional on duty, that's all. I have all these feelings for you that I have no idea how to put into words, and then he comes along and hurts you and…”

“If you're seeing me, then I don't care who knows it.” Jael laced her fingers into his and looked at him. “Because I have all these feeling for you too.”

He grinned. “You do?”

She nodded, her eyes widening as she saw the mountain. “Micah…”

“What is it?”

“Look…the volcano…”

His gaze left her face and turned to where she was looking.

Jael's heart pounded double time as smoke, or was it merely steam, rose ominously from Gunung Berapi's crater.

8

As Micah came into land, six planes stood on the small airstrip. He reached for the mic. “OK, Achor, what's going on down there?”

“Micah, there's room for you by the hanger. Just don't stop on the runway, we need it.”

“Sure there is,” he muttered. He put the mic down and somehow managed to land with a good twenty feet less of runway than he usually had. He parked the plane, grabbed Jael's hand, and ran into the office with her. “What's going on, Danny?”

Danny looked up from the box he was packing. “Immediate evacuation order. The volcano is venting.”

“We kinda noticed that as we flew past it.” Micah tightened his grip on Jael's hand.

“Either way, we're not taking any chances. We need to get as many people out of here as possible. Bantu are sending more planes and as many boats as they can. Zeek thinks the earthquake unsettled the magma chamber.”

Micah shook his head. “You mean it gave it indigestion so now it's gonna throw up everywhere. Just like a child.”

Jael groaned. “That's worse than one of my brother's jokes and that's saying something.”

He chuckled. “I really need to meet this brother of yours at some point.”

The radio cracked and Jael turned to answer it.

Zeek came in, flustered, shirt sleeves rolled up. He consulted the paper in his hand. “The tremors are now harmonic and they are increasing in frequency.”

Micah ignored the way his stomach twisted. Harmonic tremors plus venting volcano weren't good, but a flustered volcanologist definitely wasn't.

Jael put down the mic. “We got a problem up at the Stantons.”

Kevin scowled. “What about them?”

Micah's hackles rose. He hadn't even heard the creep enter the room. He tugged Jael behind his back, determined to protect her as much as he could.

“A call just came in from Mr. Stanton. He thinks his wife is in labor. We have to go and get them.”

“I'll take you,” Micah said.

Danny shook his head. “I need you to fly to Bantu.”

“Do we have enough time, Zeek?” he asked, not wanting Jael out of his sight for longer than a moment. “How long have we got?”

“Hard to say. Could be minutes, hours or even days.”

He scowled. “That's a great help.”

Zeek shrugged. “It's not an exact science. When I know, you'll know.”

“You mean when Gunung Berapi blows her top properly?” Micah sighed.

Kevin looked at Jael. “I'll take you to the Stanton place.”

Micah tightened his grip on her. “You'll what?”

“We don't have time to argue. I'll drive, because I know the roads here. She doesn't.”

Micah turned to Jael, noting the haunted look in her eyes. “Are you all right with this?”

“Do we have a choice?”

By the time he'd worked out how to say he loved her and wanted to protect her, nothing more, she'd gone.

“I'll send someone with them,” Danny said. “He won't try anything if she's accompanied.”

“He'd better not. Are you reporting him? Because if you don't, then I will.”

Danny tilted his head. “Are you and she…?”

“That is none of your business. But yes. It's early days, but yes.” He sucked in a deep breath. “So, you want me to go to Bantu?”

Danny nodded. “Straight there and straight back. Fast as you can.”

“No worries on that score.” He sighed in dismay as the truck accelerated out of the compound before anyone else could get on it. As he headed towards the plane he prayed hard.
You better keep her safe, Lord, because I sure can't. Or stay my hand when they get back. I know what she thinks, and to be honest I'm not sure I wouldn't beat him half to death for touching her. But that just lowers me to his level and wouldn't honor You.

He oversaw the loading of as many people on to his plane as he could safely fly and then boarded, determined to do the round trip in record time.

****

Jael gripped the handle above the door tightly as the truck bounced along the rough tracks towards the Stanton ranch. She longed to keep her gaze averted, but knew that doing so would only serve to place herself in danger, as she needed to watch his hands.

What was she doing out here with him? Was she asking for trouble? Encouraging him?

“So what's going on between you and the fly boy?” Kevin asked.

“None of your business,” she answered.

Kevin smirked. “Oh, but it is. See, I don't believe in cutting in on another man's property—jealous husbands are a right pain. And the fly boy has a severe case of the green-eyed monster when it comes to you.”

“I'm no one's property.”

“Good. Only after the way you reacted earlier…” His hand slid along her leg.

Jael shifted over as far as she could, thankful she had slacks on. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.”

“Well I do.”

Kevin slammed on the brakes and turned to face her. “So, you and fly boy are…”

“We've been out to dinner.” She folded her arms tightly across her chest, sending a “don't touch me” message, even as telegram prayers for safety shot heavenward.

“And how was it?”

She raised an eyebrow, giving him the most honest answer she could. “The earth moved.”

From the look on his face, he assumed she'd meant something else entirely. “Well, well, I didn't think the fly boy—”

Jael cut him off. “I don't want to discuss this with you or anyone else for that matter. Can we get on?”