‘Linc, speak to you next week,’ he could hear her shouting.
‘Sure,’ he said as the line fizzled and died.
He stared at the satellite phone as the little red light flickered the cut-out.
‘I’ve got a surprise for you too,’ he whispered.
The weekly calls were hard—on both of them. But at least it was a starting point. Part of him wanted to go home right now, and part of him wanted to stay here in the Amazon, where he could hold on to his heart.
He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and found the dog-eared photo he was looking for. Zach, smiling and chewing on a toy. He smiled at it then peered closely at his eyes, looking for any sign of a squint. But there was nothing he could see. And what he really wanted to do right now was pull Zach onto his lap and look at him for himself.
He looked at the calendar. Three weeks. Another three weeks then he would head home. He’d tell her nearer the time. Until then his dreams would be haunted by a pale-skinned redhead.
‘Linc, we need you!’
The voice stirred him from his thoughts as he saw people dashing about next door. Another emergency. Another life at stake.
Right now he was where he needed to be.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE bright lights were waiting for him at the airport—again.
Lincoln sighed. He’d just flown from Iquitos airport in Peru to Lima then Mexico City and on to San Francisco. He was exhausted. He’d been travelling for more than fifteen hours and all he wanted to do was collapse into bed.
He pasted a smile onto his face. In the last few months he’d gone from being the President’s doctor to being the Amazon doctor and filmed for a US television series that was now beamed around the world. For some reason unknown to Linc, the people of the world seemed to love him. Television news crews followed his every move.
‘Lincoln! Lincoln!’
A crowd of teenage girls were waiting at the arrivals gate for him, all wearing T-shirts adorned with his face and thrusting autograph books towards him. He swung his rucksack onto the floor—the rest of his luggage had gone missing at Lima airport, again. He smiled and posed for photos patiently. He could do this. It was all for a good cause.
An impatient TV reporter tapped him on the shoulder, flicking her dark hair and batting her eyelashes at him. ‘Can you tell us, Dr Adams, are you going back to the Amazon?’
He’d just landed. He hadn’t even had a chance to get his hands on an American hot dog yet and she wanted to know when he’d be going back.
He kept his smile carefully in place. ‘I’m home to do some work at San Francisco’s Children Hospital—where my regular day job is. I’ve got a list of surgeries that need to be scheduled for some kids in the Amazon, but I’ll need to take a bit of time to try and organise that. A lot of the surgeons we require have very specialised fields and tight schedules so it could take a few months.’
The TV reporter flicked her hair again. ‘Can’t someone else do that for you?’
Lincoln shrugged his shoulders. ‘Amazon Aid is trying to arrange a co-ordinator for me, but it has to be someone who understands the types of equipment and skills we require. It’s a big job.’ Despite his tiredness he shot her a beaming smile. ‘I’m sure they’ll find me someone soon, but in the meantime your viewers can donate to the charity or, if they’ve got a medical background, volunteer to help out on one of our missions.’ He looked straight into the camera. He’d learned in the last few months that every piece of publicity helped. Applications for the Amazon aid boats had shot up since the television series had been screened. Some keen women had even tried to lie on their CVs about their qualifications—all in an attempt to get closer to him.
He had a whole pile of applications in his rucksack, along with some significant other paperwork that he’d had to come back to the States to sort out. It was amazing how things could change.
But more than that, something inside him had changed. Something deep inside. And whether he liked it or not, he’d Amy to thank for it. First Zach, and now another child with a pair of dark brown eyes, currently clouded by childhood cataracts, and a smile that could melt his heart. Another child pulling him in. With something he could cure. A kid whose parents had abandoned him on the boat, thinking his damaged eyes made him worthless. A kid he fully intended to bring home with him.
The reporter batted her eyelashes again. Did she have something in her eye? She was really beginning to annoy him.
She ran her hand up his arm, looking like a leopard about to pounce. ‘So, Dr Adams, all work and no play makes Linc a dull boy. What do you plan on doing now you’re home?’
The way she said his name grated. He felt as if a snake was currently crawling up his arm—and he’d seen enough of them recently.
His reply was curt and to the point. ‘Sleep.’ Interview over. He swung his backpack over his shoulder and headed towards the door.
But something caught his attention. A flash of a red jacket with the Amazon Aid sign, topped by a mane of red curls and a set of arms clutching a squirming toddler.
A hand caught his wrist. ‘Lincoln. You’re back. Great. Meet your new surgical co-ordinator.’
Brian Frew, the man behind the organisation of all the Amazon Aid expeditions, looked extremely pleased with himself. ‘Lincoln, meet Amy. Amy, meet Lincoln.’
He froze. He’d never seen her wearing red before. It wasn’t a colour normally associated with women with red hair. But Amy looked stunning. She gave him a wide smile. ‘Told you I had a surprise for you.’ She stretched her hand out towards him. ‘Pleased to meet you, Dr Adams.’
His eyes fixed on Zach. Now approaching his first birthday, he was obviously developing well. He still had that lean look about him—common for babies born prematurely—and would probably never be a chunky toddler.
Amy had obviously been keeping hold of him in a vise-like grip and with one arm outstretched towards Lincoln Zach was currently making a break for freedom. Lincoln clasped Amy’s outstretched hand and reached with the other for Zachary, who bounced over into his arms and started tugging at the leather thong around his neck.
‘Hi, little guy. How are you?’ he whispered. Green. His eyes were green now—just like his mother’s. And they were straight. The patch he’d worn for a few months over one eye must have worked.
Amy cleared her throat. Brian was looking frantically from side to side, obviously wondering what was wrong. ‘Can you give us a minute, please, Brian?’ Amy’s voice was strong and determined, with only the slightest waver. Brian nodded nervously and sloped off towards the door.
She stepped forward, into Lincoln’s space, her face only inches from his.
‘You’re my co-ordinator?’
‘I told you I’d applied for a new job in San Francisco. It almost seemed as if the job description was written for me. I decided it was time for me to show how much I wanted to be here. I left you a message on the satellite phone last week.’
He shook his head. ‘I never got any messages. The satellite phone died last week, that’s why I didn’t phone to say I was on my way home.’ She was right in front of him and he had Zachary in his arms. Ten long months he’d waited for this.
She smiled. A happy smile. A healthy smile. ‘Well, now you’re back in the country I intend to try and keep you here for a while.’ There was a wicked glint in her eyes. This was the Amy he had known. A confident woman, who knew what she wanted.