Rescue Heat by Nina Hamilton

that four people could sit without conversation.
    “So, Matt, any girlfriends back home that we need to know about?” Chris asked.
    Brigid fixed her eyes on the water, pretending only a passing interest in Matt’s answer.
    “Single.” Matt confirmed.
    Brigid cursed her instinctive feeling of satisfaction at his single status. Why couldn’t he be like Todd? Married, boring, friendly and easy to ignore.
    “So, no local girls showing you the sights?” Chris enquired.
    Rather than being deterred by Matt’s one-word answer, his reluctance had obviously spurred Chris on.
    “Sadly, no,” Matt said and this time there was no mistaking the amusement in his voice. For Brigid, remembering how quickly Sarah had made her move, it was clear that for Matt finding female companionship was not hard.
    A quick glance over at his attractive, fit and rangy body and strong features was a reminder of why this was so.
    Brigid wondered about the feeding frenzy that would happen when his status as a wealthy man became known. Matt himself didn’t seem to be seeking out that label and Brigid wasn’t going to out him. As a doctor, she believed that people had a right to privacy in all areas of their life. However, as she had told him, Cairns was essentially a big small town and secrets didn’t remain so for long.
    A shift in wind direction suddenly halted the men’s conversation. The new conditions, creating white tops on waves, required greater concentration, even as the chopper flew at a lower altitude.
    “Forty-five minutes before we have to go back to refuel,” Dave reminded the crew.
    Awareness of time ticking by was something that all rescue personnel were constantly mindful of during a search. The rule was simple: the longer the search, the potentially worse the outcome.
    “I’ve got something.” Matt’s voice broke the focused silence. “Yellow spotted 40 degrees northwest.”
    Brigid crossed to Matt’s side and trained her binoculars to the object described in his instructions. As the helicopter changed course, she could see what he had spotted more clearly. It looked like they had two men in the water, floating in the current.
    Chris called in their exact location and guided Dave in over the men. Now Matt would have to go into the water via the wire. Brigid helped Matt fit the final pieces to the harness.
    Looking out the open chopper door, Brigid could see the frantic movements of the men as they waved to the helicopter. The desperation in their faces could be seen even five metres above.
    “Rescue Crewmember One ready,” Matt said, hooking himself to the winch.
    Now for the crucial minutes. Dave had to hold the chopper in hover mode, while Matt went down the wire to pick up the first of the men. It was a manoeuvre that could look effortless, but everyone inside the cabin today knew the multitude of things that could go wrong. A helicopter like the AW139 could only be held in the hover position for fifteen minutes without risking burn out. So Matt had to pull two grown men out of the water fast.
    “Okay Chris, let him down at a steady rate,” Brigid said, now focused on spotting Matt, while he was on the wire. “Just one metre to go.”
    Brigid held her breath as Matt got to within an arm’s reach of the men. You could never be sure of how people in rescue situations were going to react. In panic, they had known survivors to kick, punch and even pull their rescuers under-water. In those cases, they had been trained to abort the mission. In the worst-case scenario, Chris was even empowered to cut the wire. Luckily, as Matt got closer, Brigid could see the men were staying reasonably calm, living up to their reputation as experienced fishermen.
    “He’s in the water.”
    Brigid watched as Matt efficiently slipped a harness under the arms of the nearest man.
    “Bring them up.”
    With her first patient on the line with Matt, Brigid gloved up. Matt and her patient loomed large in the chopper door. Quickly, Brigid and