Price of love Read online

  ' Not good. We must get him out of here quickly' She leaned forward and caught her elbow a glancing blow that seemed to precipitate an avalanche about them. Jason threw himself across her again, as a section of wall collapsed in front of them with the silent implacability of slow motion. For what seemed an eternity they lay there with rubble thudding down beside them. Then, as the dust settled, he moved away and grasped for the torch. Fortunately it was still working and he shone the beam on to the unconscious man. ' He's protected by the shaft,'

  he said hoarsely. 'It saved him from concussion.'

  'It's also killing him.' Her voice was sombre. 'If he continues bleeding like this . , .' She looked about her. '

  There must be seme way of getting him out.'

  ' Only by moving the shaft'

  'All right, then'

  ' We can't,' he interrupted, his eyes flickering to the gaping roof. ' The whole thing's balanced on a knife edge. Move the shaft and we'll all be buried alive I'

  As if to support his assertion more masonry fell down around them and Paula's fear, held in check until this moment, broke loose.

  Sensing her anguish, he reached over and put his hands on her waist, stilling the trembling of her body. ' Go back and get more help' he whispered. 'I'll wait here.'

  'It's no use. Ten men won't be able to get him out'

  ' You'll have to amputate, won't you? There's no other choice.' Jason's voice was calm, the words a statement, not a question.

  'It's not as simple as that. He's lost more blood than he can afford. If I amputate under these conditions the shock could kill him.'

  ' He'll die anyway unless we can get him out.'

  A long minute passed, then Jason spoke again. ' There's only one thing to do. Move the shaft.'

  ' You said it was impossible.'

  ' That was before I knew the alternative.' He stared at the beam swaying above their heads. ' That thing's the worst danger. Anyone attempting to move the shaft by hand would be directly in line if it came crashing down. If we could do it from a few yards either side,

  we might just' Not bothering to finish his sentence, he rose and disappeared into the shadows. She heard the splintering of wood, the clink of metal and then the sound of shattering glass.

  ' Jason, what are you doing?' Turning her head, she saw him—slim, broad-shouldered—silhouetted briefly against a twisted mass of machinery before he disappeared again from sight. There was more breaking glaS3, more falling debris . . .

  ' Jason!' she screamed.

  Laboured with exertion, his voice came faintly back to her. ' Don't worry, I've got something . . . use as ... a lever.'

  There was a further crash and then he was at her side, his shirt half off his back but a short length of steel tubing held in his hands like a trophy. Something wet and sticky splashed from his wrist on to her cheek.

  ' Damn!' Setting down the bar, he dragged a handkerchief from his pocket.

  ' What have you done?' she asked sharply.

  'It's nothing; just a scratch. 'Impatiently he shrugged off her hand and dropping to the floor edged forward, pushing the tubing before Turn. Spreadeagled beneath the swaying beam he painstakingly built up a level bridge of rubble to the height of the ledge on which the injured man was lying, then balanced the steel tube across it.

  ' What are you trying to do?'

  ' Rig up a sort of jack.' With the concentration of a man constructing a house of cards he edged the tube slowly forward until one end nestled crosswise beneath the shaft that pinioned the trapped leg. Infinitesimal though the contact was, it was enough to set the beam

  swaying lower, dislodging fragments of brick and plaster ch crashed about his head. He ducked quickly and then inched back. ' What do you think of it?' She gazed at the crude seesaw. 'It looks all right to

  But will it work?'

  'I hope so.' He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

  ' Now listen, and no arguments. Go back twenty yards ind wait five minutes. If the roof hasn't caved in by then you'll know it's safe for a stretcher parry to come.'

  'You go back. I must stay here.' He cursed itly, but she ignored it. 'I can't leave the man with 'If he wakes up he'll need an injection.' ' Give him one now.'

  ' Not unless I have to.' Her voice grew louder, as if volume she could force him to do as she asked. 'If . starts bleeding again would you be able to stop it ? And there's a good chance that he will now you've lifted lie pressure from his leg.' She felt him go very still. 'Is that the truth?'

  'Absolutely.'

  ' Okay, you win.' He bent towards her, gently kissed _er lips and then drew back. ' Keep as far from the beam as you can, and put your hands over your face.' ' All right. Be careful, Jason.' ' You're the one who's in danger.' She said nothing, watching silentiy as he crawled out of sight. Crouched in a foetal position, she mouthed an incoherent prayer for his safety when she heard the clash of metal upon metal. The building seemed to sway like a tree, strained timbers groaning at the burden thrust upon them. A few fragments of plaster dropped about her. And then nothing.

  The man beside her groaned and she turned to him swiftly, murmuring words of encouragement as she inserted a needle in his arm.

  'It won't be long now' she murmured. ' Help's coming.'

  If only she believed itl She glanced about her, fear growinp; as she saw the narrow bars that served as the only protection against the entire roof caving In on them. Had Jason got through safely or was his way blocked by more mounds of rubble? She crouched low again, closing her eyes and resolutely refusing to think ahead. The minutes passed, each one longer than the last as she strained her ears for sounds of rescue.

  She was beginning to give up hope when voices reached her and Jason stumbled out of the tunnel, an ambulance driver close behind him.

  Swiftly the unconscious man was placed on the stretcher and they began the long, agonizing crawl back to safety. They moved with infinite care, afraid that any sudden jerking might start further bleeding, and fearful in case a precipitous step would set off a further avalanche around them. It seemed a never-ending journey, and Paula was too exhausted to feel any emotion when they finally emerged from the tunnel.

  The lights, the voices', the excited watchers milling around her belonged to a world she had given up hope of seeing again. Unable to adjust to the realization that danger was over, she dragged herself forward, conscious only of her patient and the knowledge that her job was not completed until she had returned with him to Harsden.

  Impatiently she brushed aside the hands reaching out to help her and stumbled towards the ambulance. If she rested now she knew she would never be able to move again. Vaguely she realized other hands than Jason's were now carrying the stretcher, but it was not until the injured man had been placed in the ambulance and she was climbing in herself that she realized he was no longer at her side.

  The doors shut and the ambulance moved forward. Paula leaned her head back against the side, feeling strangely deserted. After all she and Jason had been through together, how typical it was of him to let her go without a word . . .

  ' Doctor, he's corning round'

  The nurse's whisper pulled Paula back to the present and she banished Jason from her mind. All that mattered now was her patient.

  It was midnight before she left the hospital again. The man would recover and she was no longer needed. He was being cared for by other hands, and other hands in turn would cany him towards recovery, leaving her free to help someone else. Yet all she could think of was her own desire to be helped, a shoulder to lean on l, . . arms to comfort her ... It was an unaccustomed feeling and one which she found unnerving, showing as it did that she was not as invulnerable as she believed. Never one to lie to herself, she faced the fact that it was due to her unexpected meeting with Jason. If only she had never seen him again I She crossed the vestibule and paused on the hospital steps before setting off along the dark streets towards home. She quickened her steps, as though by so doing she could leave the though
t of Jason behind. But he would not be left, and his presence— insidious and allpervading—surrounded her. The soft breeze that gently touched her cheek was like the warmth of his breath, and the sighing of the leaves in the branches overhead echoed the sound of his voice when he had bent to kiss her. So real did be seem that as she reached her front door and saw him come out of the shadows, she was not surprised. It was the moment she had been waiting for, even though she feared it.

  ' You're late,' he said quietly.

  'I waited until after the operation.'

  ' He'll be all right'It was a statement, not a question, and sensing her surprise, he went on: 'I phoned the hospital a little while ago.'

  'I see.' She fumbled in her bag for her key, but as she lifted it out he took it from her.

  'I'm sorry I didn't come with you in the ambulance, but there were so many things to do. It'll be weeks before the damage is cleared.'

  ' You're lucky there weren't more casualties.'

  " I know. I've been afraid of something like this for a long time. You can't do experimental work without taking proper precautions. But I could never make my father see it.'

  ' You should have insisted.'

  'With my father?' There was amusement in his voice. 'I can see his reputation is as unknown to you as I used to be. He's quite content to keep the place going in the old way so long as it shows a profit.'

  'I thought businessmen were interested in increased turnover,' she said drily.t

  He shrugged. ' He is. But he won't do anything if I suggest it'

  ' Maybe you're not tactful enough.

  'I'm not enough of anything as far as he's concerned!'

  She said nothing, and she felt bis eyes upon her, searching for an expression in her face. 'I suppose you agree with him?'

  'I have no opinions about you, Jason.

  ' You used to have.'

  ' That was in the past.'

  'Why can't I figure in the present? I'm not in hospital any more. If I remember correctly, that was one of your reasons for keeping me at arm's length.'

  'I have lots more reasons now,' she said with an effort at lightness.

  ' Such as?'

  ' Must we talk about it now? I'm tired.'

  ' So am I.'

  Instantly she was contrite. Jason had saved the life of the injured man, and probably her own life too. ' What do you want of me?' she asked shakily. ' You've got your own friends and your own world. Why can't you leave me in peace?'

  ' Because I need you.'

  'You didn't give much evidence of it the day you left hospital I' She heard his breath catch sharply and would have given anything to be able to retract the words. But they were out; clear indication of her jealousy and hurt.

  ' So you heard?'

  'Naturally. And Sister gave me the message you left for me.

  'I'm sorry about that.' His voice was low. 'It was a stupid thing to have said, but I—I wanted to show you I didn't care.'

  Again there was a sharp intake of breath. 'you haven't lost your ability to hit out, have you?'

  'Please, Jason. I'm tired. We've nothing to say to each other.

  ' Very well, go. But before you do, there's one thing I want to say. His bands came out and gripped her, making retreat impossible. ' When a man loves a woman he can be hurt. And when he's hurt he'll do any fool thing to show that he isn't. Do you think I needed a girl to collect me from the hospital and take me home ? Do you think I needed to kiss her as if she were my long-lost fiancee ? I did it because I knew Sister would tell you.'

  'How childish!'

  ' You're even more sol Stop running away from mc, Paula. Admit that you want me as much as I want you.'

  She stared into bis face, longing to do as he asked yet afraid of where it might lead her. ' No—no . . .'

  ' Yes,'he said fiercely. ' You do want me. You dot Admit it.'

  'I can't, I'm not sure.'

  'Then I'll show you.'

  Before she could draw back his mouth covered hers. For an instant she resisted, then the emotional strain of the last few hours made pretence seem shallow and stupid. Jason was right; she did love him. It was cowardly to pretend otherwise. The differences between them were unimportant. All that mattered was that here, in his arms, she could become completely a woman. Slowly her arms came up and around his neck, and her lips responded to his with a passion that frightened and at the same time exalted her.

  The backfiring of a car finally drew them apart and die leaned shakily against the door. The clouds had drifted away from the moon and in the light that silvered down she was able to see Jason clearly. In the weeks since they had met he appeared to have grown older and more serious, the edge of his chin firmer, his mouth more determined. Or was she, in her desire to be proud of him, giving him a strength he did not possess?

  Tm going to enjoy teaching you about life'

  His voice broke into her thoughts, the assumption of the words hitting her sharply. ' Depends what you mean by bfe. That's something I could more easily teach you.',

  ' Not the life I'm thinking of' He leaned over her again. '

  We'll have so much fun, Paula. You've missed out on all the excitement and pleasure you should have had.'

  'I never missed anything.'

  You won't realize what yon missed until you've had it The lilt was back in his voice, and with it the arrogance and assurance that had first made her so aware of him. 'Do you know what it's like to swim in a lagoon at midnight with no one to see you except the stars ? Have you ever walked across miles of white sand and watched the dawn come up, or breakfasted beneath palm trees with baby lizards sunning at your feet?' He rubbed bis cheek against hers and kept it there. ' Or perhaps you'd prefer to race me down a ski slope and end the day drinking hot punch in a little mountain schloss I know in Austria?'

  ' At the moment the only thing I'd enjoy is my bed.'

  'I can supply that too I

  She laughed softly. ' My own bed—and alone.' 'Is that a nice thing to say?' 'Perhaps not, but at least it's safe!'

  'Don't you think you'll get tired of safety?'

  For answer she buried her head against his chest. 'I'm tired, Jason. Let me go.'

  ' Poor darling.' He stepped back, opened the front door for her and entered the hallway before she could stop him.

  'It's late, Jason. You can't come in,'

  ' Only for a moment; just till you tell me when I can see you again. Tomorrow night?'

  'I'm on duty.'

  ' The day after?'

  'Of course. I'll' she stopped. 'No, I can't. I'm going to a medical conference in Geneva.'

  'For how long?'

  " Three days.

  'I'll come with you.'

  She tried to imagine him among the doctors attending, and smiled. ' You'd hate it.'

  ' Not if I were with you.'

  ' You wouldn't be for most of the time. I'm going will: Martin Edgar.'

  'Edgar?' There was no denying the question implicit in his tone, and she flushed angrily.

  ' Must you divide everything by the same common denominator?'

  'I'm sorry. I never expected you to be going away with him.'

  'I'm not going away with him; we're both attending the same conference. It's because of Martin I've been -;d.'

  ' Forgive me, darling.' With one of his lightning ges of mood he grinned and caught her hand. 'If ii lists three days then you'll be free for the weekend.'

  'I'm not sure. Sometimes a few doctors stay on—it depends on the papers that are read. If you want

  ' Spare me the details, darling. I've had my fill of medics I'

  'I'm sorry. I was only trying to explain.'

  He kissed the tips of her fingers. ' Who am I to compete with a medical conference? I'm going to bake myself brown in the sun and leave you to your greybeards.' He leaned forward, touched his lips to her forehead and was gone. His steps echoed on the pavement, the car door slammed, an engine roared, and then there was silence. Paula remained where she was
, unable to believe he had gone so quickly and taken his dismissal so lightly. Yet he was only behaving true to the pattern she should have expected of him. He was too used to easy conquests to be interested in pursuing a woman who made conquest difficult. Or had she been hoping that by being difficult she would give him sufficient spur to pursue ? If that were the case, she had been proved wrong.

  It was better this way, she decided as she went into her room and started to undress. Moonlight bathing in a tropical lagoon or toasting your feet by the warmth of a Tyrolean fire were not pleasures for her. At best they could only be dreams, at their worst they could make a mockery of all she had worked for. 'My life is the Marsden General.' She was only aware she had spoken the words aloud when she heard their echo in her ears. But it was an echo that mocked her sleep and remained with her throughout that night and the days that came after. It was not until Paula was sitting beside Martin in the crowded jet taking them to Geneva that the final echo died away and she was able to view her attitude towards Jason in perspective. If he had not arrived at the hospital immediately following Martin's sudden accusation that she was wasting her youth, he would never have made such an impact, nor caused her to behave like a tormented Juliet instead of a coolly practical young woman in her twenties. If only he had been someone like Martin—with a dedication to work—how happy the ending would have been I

  ' You've no idea how much I've been looking forward to getting away.' Martin's voice brought her back to the immediate present and she turned and smiled at him with unusual warmth.

  'So have I. I'm awfully pleased you managed to wangle an invitation for me.'

  'I did it for purely selfish reasons.' His hand hovered above hers and then came down and clasped her fingers. '

  Do you know, this is the first time we've been alone together since I met you ?'

  'With the whole conference around usl'

  ' They're strangers—so they don't count. We're just two doctors among many."

  'I am—but not you. You won't be allowed to sink into anonymity,'

  ' Not for the first two days perhaps, but on Saturday—

  when it's over—I thought we'd hire a car and drive into the Alps. I used to do a lot of walking in the mountains at one time. I'll enjoy showing them to you.'