CHAPTER ONE
SILENCE FELL. FROM the thirty people who had entered the challenge, there could only be two winners, and it looked as if the judges were ready to announce who they were.
Hannah’s friend, Sophie, was bent forward, clutching her knees and stretching the muscles in her back. The most challenging task in a long and challenging day had been saved until last, an obstacle course that had drained everyone. But they’d done it together. Hannah laid her hand on Sophie’s shoulder and she looked up, grinning.
‘I think you’re in with a chance. Not so sure about me.’
‘We’ll find out soon enough. Are you okay?’
Sophie nodded, straightening. ‘We’ll all be aching tomorrow.’
This was more than just a matter of winning for herself. Hannah and Sophie had worked together for five years, crewing an ambulance that worked out of Hamblewell Hospital. When the hospital had entered Arial TV’s Hospital Challenge, lured by a generous cash prize, they’d decided to enter together. The selection day had involved both physical and mental challenges, and was designed to whittle thirty entrants down to two, who would go on to represent the hospital in the televised challenge. Hannah had set her heart on winning with Sophie.
She caught Sophie’s hand, squeezing it. A stage had been erected on the open space behind the hospital building, and in the heat of a summer’s day there was almost a carnival atmosphere amongst the spectators. The chairman of the judging panel had picked up the microphone and was tapping it to see whether it was working. A frustrated murmur travelled through the crowd that had come to watch and cheer the competitors on.
‘Get on with it, mate.’ Sophie whispered, and Hannah nodded. The suspense was getting to her as well.
‘The judges have come to a decision—’
The microphone cut out suddenly, and Hannah rolled her eyes. If they’d wanted to keep everyone on tenterhooks for as long as possible, this couldn’t have been planned any better.
There was a short pause as the microphone was inspected and pronounced fit for use, without the need for any further tapping. The judge smiled, turning once more towards the crowd.
‘Sorry about that... As you all know, today’s winners will go forward to represent Hamblewell Hospital in the Hertfordshire heats of Hospital Challenge, the first of which will be hosted here next Saturday. We hope you’ll all be here to cheer our team on. We’ve been obliged to choose just two winners today and our task hasn’t been easy...’
There was a pause. Everyone was holding their breath already, and if the guy didn’t get on with it, someone was going to pass out. It was just as well that there were plenty of medical staff on hand...
‘Hannah Greene!’
Hannah heard a cheer go up, somewhere far away. She felt Sophie grab her, hugging her tight. Suddenly it felt as if her legs weren’t going to carry her.
‘Go... Go.’ Sophie had freed her now, and was pushing her towards the stage, where the judges were all on their feet and joining in with the applause.
‘Sophie...’ Hannah didn’t want to go alone. She’d thought that both names would be announced together, and taking this walk without her friend seemed impossible.
‘You’ve won, Hannah. You’ve got to go and shake the man’s hand.’ Sophie gave her one last push, a
nd a path opened up in front of her through the other competitors. She walked towards the podium in a daze.
Then it hit her. Sophie was going to be next, it was impossible that the judges hadn’t seen the way they’d encouraged each other in completing the challenges. They were already a team, used to going together into every kind of situation. Hannah climbed the steps onto the stage, shook the judges’ hands and then turned to the crowd, throwing her arms up. Everyone cheered wildly, and she could see Sophie jumping up and down, suddenly finding that last bit of energy.
‘We’ve obviously made a popular choice.’ The judge smiled, waiting for the cheering to die down, and there was silence again. ‘And going on to join Hannah for Hospital Challenge is Matt Lawson...’
What?
Hannah tried to smile, but it felt as if her own achievement had suddenly turned to dust. She didn’t even know Matt Lawson. She looked for Sophie, and she was cheering along with everyone else, seeming not to notice that it was her name that should have been called.
The crowd parted, and a man began to walk towards the stage, stopping to shake a few hands as he went. Hannah did know him, although not by name. He had a reputation as being an excellent surgeon, but many of the female staff ignored that and concentrated on his looks. Hannah herself had been guilty of a little objectification on that score...
His sun-coloured hair and the tan gave him the look of someone who spent more time outdoors than inside. Probably blue eyes. Hannah had imagined the blue eyes and then consigned the whole image to the look-don’t-touch category.
She felt herself blush as he shook the judges’ hands, and then grinned at her. Blue. They were blue, the shade more intoxicating than she’d imagined. Dark, like a Mediterranean sea.
That was where he belonged. On a holiday she had no intention of taking. Not here, not in her real life. He congratulated her, and then turned to wave to the crowd. This was not happening.
She stood, trying to smile, for what seemed like an age, until they were allowed to climb down from the stage. Sophie was the first to get to Hannah and hug her.
‘I’m so excited... And you’ve got the dreamboat as a partner!’
Hannah felt tears of exhaustion and disappointment in her eyes. ‘I don’t want him. Why didn’t they pick you?’
Sophie puffed out a breath. Hannah was about to get one of her friend’s reality checks.
‘Look, I’m not going to pretend that I’m not disappointed. But you did a lot better than me, and so did he. Did you see the way he got over that climbing wall?’
Yes. Hannah had looked, just as Sophie had. Matt Lawson had been in the second group around the obstacle course, and they’d both seen the way he’d negotiated the steep wall. And she’d dared to notice that he looked just as good—better actually—in action than he did when she’d seen him walking along the corridors of the hospital.
‘I can’t do it on my own, Sophie. We’re a team.’