back! When?’
He’d finally stopped shaking enough to concentrate. Goddamned ER doctor and he’d crumbled the second he’d seen her name.
Georgie. The baby
. He didn’t know which thought had come first—one had been so quickly followed by the other. And if that wasn’t the most bizarre sequence of mind mess he didn’t know what was.
And now she was here, damaged somehow
—
because this was where damaged people came. And that was just the staff. Worst-case scenarios flitted through his doctor’s brain, fuelled by his own awful experiences. ‘Early this morning. I was going to call you once I’d had a sleep, but they needed me here urgently. I didn’t even get the chance to go home. But what the hell
—
?’
‘Don’t get carried away. And, no, I’m not crying.’
‘What happened? The baby?’ He took a step back and surveyed her belly with quick observations. She had a rounded-out bump now, small and perfect, but the rest of her was thin. Too thin. Grimy, dusty. None of this added up. ‘Is the baby okay?’
‘Yes, everything’s fine. Except...’ She finally let him go and moved her hand away from her face. ‘I hurt my eye.’
Her right eye was weeping, closed and puffy. Her cheek was swollen. ‘Whoa. Great job. What did you do?’
‘I smashed a wall through and got dust or shards of chipboard or plaster or something in it. It hurts like hell.’ She grimaced, swabbing at her damp face with a dusty fist.
Thank God she was okay. Thank God the baby was okay.
Unfamiliar feelings sliced through him, accompanied by a strange lumpy sensation in his throat that made words hard to find. ‘You were knocking a wall through? On your own? Are you mad?’ He hauled in air. ‘Don’t answer that. I know the answer. Which one?’
‘The kitchen-lounge one. I thought it’d be nice to have one big sunny room all finished in time for Christmas. Imagine what fun it’ll be to have dinner in there.’
‘The legendary Georgie Taylor Christmas, with enough liquor to sink a ship. And enough food to feed an army. But couldn’t it have waited until you got help? Christmas is months away.’
‘I’ve got to be prepared, Liam. This renovating lark takes time and I want Christmas to be perfect this year. I have grand plans.’ With her one good eye she glared at him. ‘If all you’re going to do is tell me off, I’ll ask for someone else to deal with my injury.’
‘Go right ahead, missy. I think you’ll find I’m the most experienced doctor here but, please, feel free to find someone better. I’ll take you on a tour if you like. See if any one takes your fancy.’ He thumbed the teary trail across her cheek. As he touched her an immediate heat suffused his body. He took his hand away, shaken by such an intense response. ‘Oh, sorry, I forgot, you can’t see.’
‘Excuse my bluntness, Dr Mac, but your bedside manner is slipping. You’re supposed to be nice to people when they come and see you with an injury. Basic ER doctoring.’ She stuck her tongue out and if she’d felt any electric surge at his touch she didn’t show it. He’d thought he’d purged her from his heart, that if he’d worked harder, faster, later then he wouldn’t care so much.
Feel
so much. Too bad it hadn’t worked. He didn’t want to feel anything at all.
‘Looks like I suck at interpersonal skills.’ He picked up her chart and feigned calmness. ‘That was meant to be an apology, by the way.’
‘Must try harder. See me after class.’ Her lips pressed together tightly. She took a breath and let it out slowly. She definitely looked thinner than the last time he’d seen her, cheeks a little more hollow. Her hair, T-shirt and jeans were covered in bits of wood chip and plaster, but her eyes...well, her good eye had darkened shadows round it. She gave him a reluctant smile that had him craving more. ‘Oh, Liam, I’ve missed you. Missed this.’
Me too
. ‘Okay. So sit still and let me have a good look.’ He tipped
He’d finally stopped shaking enough to concentrate. Goddamned ER doctor and he’d crumbled the second he’d seen her name.
Georgie. The baby
. He didn’t know which thought had come first—one had been so quickly followed by the other. And if that wasn’t the most bizarre sequence of mind mess he didn’t know what was.
And now she was here, damaged somehow
—
because this was where damaged people came. And that was just the staff. Worst-case scenarios flitted through his doctor’s brain, fuelled by his own awful experiences. ‘Early this morning. I was going to call you once I’d had a sleep, but they needed me here urgently. I didn’t even get the chance to go home. But what the hell
—
?’
‘Don’t get carried away. And, no, I’m not crying.’
‘What happened? The baby?’ He took a step back and surveyed her belly with quick observations. She had a rounded-out bump now, small and perfect, but the rest of her was thin. Too thin. Grimy, dusty. None of this added up. ‘Is the baby okay?’
‘Yes, everything’s fine. Except...’ She finally let him go and moved her hand away from her face. ‘I hurt my eye.’
Her right eye was weeping, closed and puffy. Her cheek was swollen. ‘Whoa. Great job. What did you do?’
‘I smashed a wall through and got dust or shards of chipboard or plaster or something in it. It hurts like hell.’ She grimaced, swabbing at her damp face with a dusty fist.
Thank God she was okay. Thank God the baby was okay.
Unfamiliar feelings sliced through him, accompanied by a strange lumpy sensation in his throat that made words hard to find. ‘You were knocking a wall through? On your own? Are you mad?’ He hauled in air. ‘Don’t answer that. I know the answer. Which one?’
‘The kitchen-lounge one. I thought it’d be nice to have one big sunny room all finished in time for Christmas. Imagine what fun it’ll be to have dinner in there.’
‘The legendary Georgie Taylor Christmas, with enough liquor to sink a ship. And enough food to feed an army. But couldn’t it have waited until you got help? Christmas is months away.’
‘I’ve got to be prepared, Liam. This renovating lark takes time and I want Christmas to be perfect this year. I have grand plans.’ With her one good eye she glared at him. ‘If all you’re going to do is tell me off, I’ll ask for someone else to deal with my injury.’
‘Go right ahead, missy. I think you’ll find I’m the most experienced doctor here but, please, feel free to find someone better. I’ll take you on a tour if you like. See if any one takes your fancy.’ He thumbed the teary trail across her cheek. As he touched her an immediate heat suffused his body. He took his hand away, shaken by such an intense response. ‘Oh, sorry, I forgot, you can’t see.’
‘Excuse my bluntness, Dr Mac, but your bedside manner is slipping. You’re supposed to be nice to people when they come and see you with an injury. Basic ER doctoring.’ She stuck her tongue out and if she’d felt any electric surge at his touch she didn’t show it. He’d thought he’d purged her from his heart, that if he’d worked harder, faster, later then he wouldn’t care so much.
Feel
so much. Too bad it hadn’t worked. He didn’t want to feel anything at all.
‘Looks like I suck at interpersonal skills.’ He picked up her chart and feigned calmness. ‘That was meant to be an apology, by the way.’
‘Must try harder. See me after class.’ Her lips pressed together tightly. She took a breath and let it out slowly. She definitely looked thinner than the last time he’d seen her, cheeks a little more hollow. Her hair, T-shirt and jeans were covered in bits of wood chip and plaster, but her eyes...well, her good eye had darkened shadows round it. She gave him a reluctant smile that had him craving more. ‘Oh, Liam, I’ve missed you. Missed this.’
Me too
. ‘Okay. So sit still and let me have a good look.’ He tipped
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