That was the thing. In both parallel lives she was the constant. And once he’d acknowledged that piece of the puzzle the rest all seemed to fall into place.
Corrine was staring out of the car, her gaze fixed on the horizon, her fingers still circling over and over. Her nerves hadn’t abated. Maybe she knew it was time for them both to put all their cards on the table. Maybe she wondered why he’d invited her out to dinner so formally. The way they’d left things hadn’t been ideal.
The shifting sun glared into his gaze for a few seconds. His reactions were automatic, pulling down the sun visor and easing his foot off the gas pedal until he adjusted his gaze.
And then everything in his world shifted.
One second they were rolling along the highway—the next was like the middle of a disaster movie.
Austin let out an expletive and braked sharply, swerving them to the side of the road. She jerked forward, stopped sharply by the seat belt, then thudded back against her seat.
She couldn’t believe her eyes. It was almost as if everything were happening in slow motion. The sun’s glare seemed to have affected a few drivers. A truck must have clipped one car, causing it to tumble over and over along the highway. The truck skidded, turning sideways and hitting the side of another car, sending it spinning in circles.
Flames shot off the hood of the tumbling car. It hadn’t stopped moving yet. But that had no effect on Austin. The car door was flung open and his feet hit the asphalt almost in one movement. Corrine didn’t even have time to catch her breath. Austin’s running figure was silhouetted against the lowering sun.
She struggled with the seat belt, trying to release it, pulling and tugging as it stayed fast. She took a deep breath and ignored the pull across her stomach, dropping her hands from the belt to release the tension and jabbing the button again. This time it released.
She flung open the car door. ‘Bates! Bates! Stop!’ He was running straight towards a car that looked as though it could explode any second.
The momentum of the tumbling had slowed. The car landed on its roof once more, then tipped back onto its wheels, rocking back and forth.
It was a crumpled wreck. Corrine glanced at the other vehicles. She had no medical equipment. It was Austin’s car—not hers. But she was the one who should be helping here—not Austin. She was the doctor. Not him.
But for the first time in her life she was thinking about more than her life. She was thinking about the life inside her. Doing anything dangerous could put her baby at risk.
She tried to think rational thoughts as she pulled her phone from her bag. She was a doctor. And she had to act like one.
Her brain went into automatic pilot. First, call emergency services. Second, assess the casualties. Third, push aside all crazy thoughts about the father of her baby putting himself in imminent danger and start trying to do the job she was trained to do.
* * *
‘Bates! Bates!’
She never called him that. She didn’t even like his call sign. Which was why, if she was using it, she must think he was crazy.
But it didn’t slow his steps for a second. His eyes were constantly scanning the tumbling car, trying to see the occupants. His brain focused. Two passengers. The driver and a kid in the back. Both looked terrified.
The physics and engineering part of his brain tried to ignore the flames. Astronaut candidates knew more about accelerants, fire, combustibles and burn times than just about anyone on the planet. And he was currently ignoring it all.
The car bounced to a stop and his hands were on the crumpled door frame, tugging at the handle. The woman looked unconscious—her head slumped against the airbag. The door wouldn’t move. It was jammed solid. He pushed his foot against the frame and pulled again, using his whole body weight.
Still nothing.
There was a whimper from inside. The heat from the burning flames was already conducting through the metal towards him. He banged at the window. Wide eyes in a terrified little face stared at him.
Something fired deep inside him. He couldn’t waste a single second.
‘Cover your face!’ he shouted. He thudded his elbow against the window but it only shuddered. Something flickered in his brain. He ran around to the trunk. With a tug, it opened. Relief. He grabbed the tyre iron and ran back to the window shouting his instructions again.
He smashed the driver’s window a second later, putting his hand past the glass shards to try and open the door from the inside. It still wouldn’t budge. He could hear Corrine shouting behind him. He turned. She was perched on the driver’s footstop of the truck, checking the driver over. She waved her hand at him. ‘Move! Now! Get them out!’
He punched the rest of the glass away and heaved his body inside the front of the car, ignoring the searing heat beyond the windscreen, thumping down on the seat-belt release then piercing the airbag to stop it impeding him.
He must only have a few seconds, but if he didn’t drag the woman out, he couldn’t reach the kid. He put his hand under her arm and hauled. There was no time to consider spinal injuries and neck braces—it wasn’t even his field. There was a ripping sound as he pulled her through the window. He stuck his shoulder under hers to try and capture her weight.
‘Here!’ screamed Corrine. She was only twenty yards away and he ran towards her, leaving the woman at the side of the highway in her capable hands.
He sprinted back towards the car. The little girl was screaming and it was like an ice-cold vice gripping around his heart. It was torturous to hear. He didn’t hesitate, just dived straight in through the driver’s window again with his hands outstretched towards the back seat. ‘Come on, I’ll get you out,’ he yelled.
There was a flash. A streak of red just as the little girl folded inside his arms.
Then, an almighty crash. The feeling of impact.
And then everything went black.
* * *
She’d checked the other two drivers. Both were conscious, breathing and it was probably best to leave them in their vehicles until the emergency services arrived.
As a doctor she was used to emergencies. But most of her emergencies occurred in hospital or medical facilities. The one a few weeks ago at the lakeside had been unusual. She wasn’t used to having the role of first responder with no equipment.
Austin was dragging a woman from the burning car. ‘Here!’ she shouted. She took a few steps forward but was met by him, thrusting the woman towards her as he laid her down on the roadside. He turned to move away and she grabbed at his arm. ‘Where are you going?’
‘There’s a kid still in the car,’ he said. Worry lines creased his forehead. His gaze caught hers for the tiniest second. She felt a buzz go through her system, rooting her feet to the spot. No one else on the planet made her feel like this. She’d never felt a connection like this before. And if something happened to Austin she’d never feel it again.
A kid. She’d never talk him out of this and the truth was she didn’t want to. He ran straight back to the car while she watched helplessly. What she really needed now was some kind of fire extinguisher. But there was nothing like that around.
He was close. Too close to the flames licking out from under the hood. This was what it must feel like to realise the person you love most in the world was at risk. Whether that be your lover or your child. Right now, a giant hand had just reached inside her chest, grabbed her heart and lungs and was squeezing all the blood and air out
of her system.
The woman on the ground coughed and Corrine dropped automatically to her knees. Bile rose in her throat as she checked the woman’s airway and pulse. They were fine and Corrine prayed she’d remain unconscious a few seconds longer—she really didn’t need to see her kid stuck in this car.
Austin was head first in the car again, calling out to the little girl. Every part of Corrine’s body was clenched. She needed him out and she needed him safe.
She needed to tell him about his baby.
There was a flash of red in front of her and a screech of brakes. The impact of metal on metal chilled every bone in her body. Both cars tumbled over and over.
‘Austin!’ she screamed as if both their lives depended on it.
Because they did.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
NOW EVERYTHING WAS WHITE.
And every muscle in his body ached. He blinked. Something wasn’t right.
His head was fuzzy and he almost felt as if he were drifting outside himself.
Someone leaned over him. ‘Austin? Are you back with us?’ His eyes struggled to focus a little.
The speaker, a woman in white, leaned over and pressed his shoulder. ‘You gave us a bit of a fright. I don’t think the anaesthetist has ever seen anyone have a reaction like that before.’
He blinked again. What on earth was she talking about?
She kept talking, even though he was tired again. ‘You’re a little swollen because of your reaction to the anaesthetic—that’s why you’re having trouble seeing right now. We’ve got you on some steroids. The swelling will settle quickly. All being well, you’ll get home tomorrow.’
Tomorrow? What did she mean tomorrow? What day was it? He had somewhere to be, something to do. It was very important. But he just couldn’t remember what it was.
* * *
The gel on her stomach was cold. There had been no time for the doctor to heat it. There wasn’t even a sonographer available. Her heart was pounding and her stomach still twinging. She tried to sit up a little. ‘Austin? Have you heard about Austin? And the little girl? How is she?’