George hesitated. ‘There was a nurse, an agency midwife, Ava May, from one of the cattle stations out of town.’ George’s voice stayed carefully expressionless. ‘She works here a fair bit. You two met last week. She’ll be in to see you in the morning.’

Still no bells. ‘Was she injured?’

George touched the middle of his forehead. ‘She’ll heal. She was knocked out briefly as well, but you were both very lucky to be strapped in, apparently. We’re keeping her overnight, but she should be allowed to go home in the morning sometime with her family. They’re here with her.’

At least not like Roslyn. But another car accident. Another woman injured. ‘Who was driving?’ He fervently hoped it hadn’t been him.

‘She was.’ George stood.

Relief flooded through him at that. He slid his hand back to where he felt the bandages at the back of his head and the pressure made his head throb. The name Ava May struck no chord of recognition, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t remember the accident. At least the amnesia was focal and he remembered who he was. It was the when that eluded him. All things considered, it could be worse.

‘Focal amnesia.’ George echoed his thoughts. ‘Tricky and possibly permanent. Usually, it’s the result of trying to block out a particular incident or fear. Not surprising really. It’s been a tough few months with Roslyn, then this accident that nearly took you out.’

Zac shook his head. It was all too much and none of it made sense. ‘How did I get to Uluru if I was working here?’

‘You went down for the weekend. Many locums do.’

He couldn’t remember any of that. He’d just have to wait for his memory to come back.

George glanced at his watch.

‘How long do I have to stay?’ Zac asked.

‘We’ll do another scan in the morning and talk about it after that. The crazy part was, although it’s a small wound, you could have bled out if Ava hadn’t put pressure on your arm. You nicked a vein and we had to give you a transfusion, so your loss of blood made you more critical than you should have been. She watched you at the Yulara clinic despite her own head injury. The staff had their hands full with the occupants of the other car. This was tough on her, but she’s known for her toughness. Anyway, must go.’ George looked anxious to get away.

‘You pressed for time and manpower?’

‘Yes,’ he said sardonically. ‘One of my locums nearly killed himself with a head injury.’

‘Thoughtless fellow,’ Zac quipped.

‘Indeed.’ George smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. ‘I’m glad you’re okay.’