West Wing to Maternity Wing!(31)

     



 

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.