They grinned at each other like loons and she crossed to him and held out her hands because, really, she wanted to launch herself into his arms, and it just wasn’t professional to do so at work. He took both of her hands in his and searched her face as if he wanted to memorise every feature, and yep, her belly flipped and flopped. She was alone in the clinic as the other nurse had dashed to the supermarket to pick up milk for tomorrow.

‘Perfect timing. We’re just closing.’

‘Beautiful,’ he said. And if she heard that right, so much more was being whispered underneath. Whether he meant her or the circumstances, she didn’t care. Both boded well for the night and the coming days.

That was until the hubbub of noise erupted outside and the screen door scraped open in a hurry. Denise ushered Jessamine into the room and the mood flew away like a startled lorikeet. Zac stood back to allow the women to push past into the clinic area and Ava knew they’d just taken a raincheck on their reunion.

‘Jessamine’s waters have broken,’ Denise blurted out.

Jessamine’s face screwed up in pain. ‘Baby’s coming.’ Judging by the grunt that followed, she was spot-on.

Well, then. Ava’s eyes met Zac’s, and she thought, Just like in Alice! Did drama always follow this guy, or was it her?

She snapped out of that thought as Jessamine took a step back when she noticed Zac. Ava kept her voice low and tranquil, as if it was a lovely coincidence that the women had visited. ‘Jessamine. This is Dr Zac. He’s an emergency doctor from Alice Springs. I worked with him when Kareena had her baby and he was a big help. Do you know Kareena?’

Jessamine nodded reluctantly.

‘It’s so lucky, really.’ Ava drew her in further. ‘If your baby’s coming, he’ll be here to help us. It’s good to have a doctor around. I’ll look after you and he’ll look after baby.’ Ava glanced at her friend. ‘Denise will stay too, of course.’ Denise’s relief at finding the clinic still open was evident and Ava smiled at her. ‘Good job.’

Denise shook her head. ‘I found her walking in from the community. I’m happy to see you still here.’

Jessamine’s fingers were white on the internal clinic doorframe. Then another contraction began to build and her breathing sped up. Her eyes darted around the room as if there was somewhere she could hide from the pain in her belly.