He'd managed to persuade a few colleagues at other hospitals to help out, assembling a team with a wide range of skills. Some of the best surgeons in the country were taking a few weeks out of their vacation time to come and do a series of operations on some seriously ill children. The planning had been a logistical nightmare, but at the end of the day these children would get what they needed. And the people of the world would get to see their plight as a film crew had decided to tag along for the ride.
Normally Lincoln would have avoided filming at all costs but he knew that interest in him would soon wane so he wanted to make the most of the opportunity to show the world the healthcare needs in the Amazon. It might even attract a few more willing docs to join the service on a regular basis.
The staff at San Francisco had been great, helping him with fundraising activities and praising his humanitarian efforts.
But Lincoln wasn't really going to help the people of the Amazon. That had always been at the heart of his work, and had been the only reason he'd volunteered in the first place.
But this time was different. This time he was doing it for himself.
'Linc, it's your weekly call!'
Linc looked up from where he was finishing with the latest addition to their baby clinic. Alice, one of Linc and Amy's old colleagues on the boat, was brandishing the satellite phone and waving it at him furiously. He placed the newborn back in the cot and moved towards their communication room-probably the hottest room on the boat.
As usual the line was crackly. 'Hey, it's Linc,' he said as he flopped down into the nearest seat.
'Hi, Linc, how are you doing?' He leaned backwards in his chair. The weekly telephone calls from Amy had started a month after he'd started back on the boat, a few days after he'd received her letter telling him she was doing well.
'How's Zach?' He always asked about Zach first. He couldn't believe how much he missed the little guy.
'Zach's good. He was at the clinic last week. They thought he might be developing a bit of a squint, so they've referred him to an ophthalmologist.'
'Who?' The words caught his attention instantly and he leaned forward in the chair. It didn't matter that he was on the other side of the world. He wanted to know what was happening to Zach.
'Some woman called Fern Price. She specialises in kids and is supposed to be very good.'
He scribbled her name on a bit of loose paper he had in his pocket-he'd check up on her later.
'How's Alice's hair holding up?'
Lincoln laughed. Alice moaned about the state of her hair from the moment she got up until the moment she went back to bed. Lincoln leaned back in his chair and raised his voice. 'Be thankful you're on the other side of the planet, Amy.' He wrinkled his nose. 'Though looking at how frizzy Alice's hair is, I'm surprised you can't see it from there.'
'What?' The shriek came from the other room. 'I'll get you for that, Lincoln Adams.'
Lincoln smiled. That's why he was here. This was what he needed. Friendship. Companionship and a lot of distractions.
'I saw you on TV again last night.'
'What?'
'On TV. The reporters love you.'
'As long as they bring more funding I don't care. A few more recruits would be nice too.'
'I wish I was there.' Her voice sounded wistful.
He felt a tingle run down his spine. 'I wish you were here too. but we both know an Amazon aid boat isn't the right place for Zach.'
He heard her take a deep breath. 'Are you coming back soon?'
He looked around at the battered boat, with its depleted medical supplies and too few staff.
'No,' he said firmly. 'I've still got work to do here.'
'I miss you, Linc. We miss you.' She hesitated a little. 'And I've got a surprise for you when you come back.'
'Really? What is it?'
'I've applied for a new job.'
'Really? Where?'
'In San Francisco.'
His heart stopped. She hadn't wanted to stay in San Francisco. She'd wanted to stay in Santa Maria and bring her child up in a community rather than a city. The hugeness of the step wasn't lost on him. The line crackled, a sure sign it was about to disconnect.
'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.