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Tatiana beamed up at the handsome doctor. “I won’t have to go over to Rhodes for the birth, will I? I’d much prefer to be here.”
“Unless some complication develops, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be delivered here.”
“My husband’s already planning the celebration. You’re invited, of course, Dr Yannis. You were the one who suggested I should go over to Rhodes and see this doctor who specialises in women who’ve miscarried. I understand that he’s also a friend of yours.”
“Yes, he was at medical school with me…a long time ago.” Yannis swung round. “Must go. Take care of yourself and that precious baby, Tatiana.”
Cathy increased her speed to keep in step with Yannis as they went down the corridor together. His face was solemn again, but she was glad she’d noticed the easy, friendly manner he adopted with the patients.
Tatiana had been obviously delighted to see him. Patients and staff alike seemed to regard him as a heart-throb, from what Tanya had told her before she’d gone off to Australia. But Yannis seemed totally oblivious to the effect he had on the opposite sex.
“I thought it would be a good idea for you to familiarise yourself with our operating theatres before you’re called on to work there. I’ve checked up on your CV and found you’ve had considerable experience in surgery.”
“Yes, I was fortunate to have a lot of experience in my early career. I toyed with the idea of specialising at one point but decided to gain wider experience so that I could possibly train as a GP after I’d settled down and had a family.”
He turned to look down at Cathy, realising for the first time that he was walking too quickly—as often happened when he was nervous. And he was nervous now. Cathy had that effect on him. He’d no idea why—well, he had, but now wasn’t a good time to dwell on it.
“So you always intended to settle down and have a family?” He slowed his pace to a halt so that he could take a proper look at the attractive woman beside him.
She smiled up at him, relieved that he’d called a halt. “I never actually made any firm decisions about anything in my early career. Things just sort of happened and I went along with the flow. I always wanted to be a doctor but…what kind?” She spread out her hands in front of him. “That changed as I went along, always becoming enthusiastic about the project I was on at the moment and…”
“That’s good! To be enthusiastic about your job, I mean.”
He couldn’t help admiring the way her clear blue eyes shone when she found a subject that interested her.
“Not unless you end up as a kind of jack of all trades, master of none.”
“I think you underestimate your career progress so far,” he said quietly as he decided he really should make the effort to move on.
“You’ve got a wealth of experience, which will come in useful in a hospital like ours. Here on the island we have a certain amount of autonomy. In emergencies we have to take decisions whether to operate on a dangerously ill patient or to have him or her transferred over to the bigger hospital in Rhodes. If time is against us or if, due to adverse weather conditions, the helicopter ambulance is grounded, we have to go ahead with the necessary surgery here.”
A couple of nurses had just passed by, giving them inquisitive glances. He didn’t want to give any cause for tongues to start wagging. “As far as I can see, you’ve steered a steady course since you qualified, gaining a great deal of valuable experience. And this was to achieve your aim to become a GP, you say?”
“I figured it would make sense if I were to find my life partner and settle down to have a large family.”
“Your life partner?” His brown eyes were searing into hers. She held her breath, mesmerised by being the centre of his attention. “Do you believe there is a designated person who is meant to be your life partner, your soul-mate?”
Oh, heavens! She wished she hadn’t started opening up to him like this.
“Possibly,” she said softly, her eyes searching his face. “At least, I did when I was much younger, before I became… disillusioned.”
“Oh, you must never become disillusioned about love,” he said in a husky, deeply sensual voice.
Looking down at Cathy now, he was trying hard to remind himself that he’d already experienced what it was like to have a soul-mate. His hand moved as if by someone else and gently touched her face, her skin so soft, her expression so vulnerable.
“You’ve just been unlucky,” he finished off quietly. “But don’t give up hope.” He put his hand under her elbow. “We’d better get on. I’m expected to in Theatre shortly.”
As they walked along together again, he was telling himself that he would like to see Cathy settled with a life partner. It would suit her. She was obviously a devoted and competent mother, running a career and parenthood at the same time with no help from a partner. He swallowed hard. How ironic it was that he’d lost his partner and his unborn child and here was a young woman with a child and no man to love her.
He was bound to Maroula even though she wasn’t there. And Cathy, with her unfortunate, if mysterious, experiences in the past making her wary of forming another liaison certainly wouldn’t want to take on a grieving widower.
They were reaching the surgical suite. He gave Cathy a whistle-stop tour of Theatre number three which he knew to be empty. It would be easier to look around without having staff members there.
She was nodding. “It’s very well equipped!”
He smiled. “Oh, yes, we’re equipped for general surgery and most specialist procedures.”
A nurse pushed open one of the swing doors. “We’re ready for you now, Dr Yannis.”
“Is the anaesthetist here?”
“Yes, he’s waiting for your instructions.” She paused. “I’m afraid your assistant hasn’t arrived yet. The morning boat from Rhodes is late due to the high wind that blew up during the night. Sister is trying to arrange for someone to take his place but—’
“Tell Sister not to worry. I’m sure Dr Meredith would assist me, wouldn’t you?” He turned to Cathy. “They’re well staffed in Outpatients this morning. You’d be more use up here in Theatre. What do you say?”
“If that’s where you’d like me to work,” she said evenly.
“Just for the first operation. It’s an appendectomy so shouldn’t take long. The patient has been having tests to check why she experiences occasional pain in the area of the appendix. After studying the results of the tests and scans, my conclusion is that it would be best to remove it. I put her first on the list and set the wheels in motion after you called in to see me this morning.”
He turned to look at the young nurse. “You’re sure our patient has been fully prepped? She’s been starved long enough, hasn’t she?”
“Yes, sir. She’s had nothing to eat since midnight, hoping that you would decide to operate this morning.”
“Excellent!”
Cathy scrubbed up at the next sink to Yannis. She held her hands out. A nurse was waiting with a sterile gown to Velcro down her back. Gloves were peeled over her hands. Yannis glanced down approvingly. “Let’s go.”
She followed behind, noting that Theatre one was exactly like the one she’d just checked out. The surgical team looked alert and focused. Yannis raised an eyebrow above his mask as he looked across the inert figure towards Cathy.
“Scalpel, Cathy.”
As she handed him the required instrument she was feeling relieved that he’d chosen to call her Cathy. He’d already introduced her as Dr Cathy Meredith to the assembled team. But it made her feel special, that she was some kind of friend with the surgeon. A kind of friend; that was a good description that she should try to remember if she could.
For the next half-hour she was totally committed to the task in hand. Yannis quickly cut through the patient’s abdominal muscles to expose the angry-looking appendix. Yes, the patient would certainly feel much better when that infected organ was disposed of. Yannis was checking other organs in the vicinity.
“It’s just the appendix that’s infected,” he told the assembled team. “No other organ has been affected. Have the biopsies checked out, Sister. Let me know the results as soon as you get them back from the lab. I took a biopsy of this ovary as a precaution. It looks healthy enough but it’s in very close proximity to the infected area.”
The swing doors opened as a young, harassed-looking young man already swathed in surgical gown and mask arrived.
“Ah, Nikolas! Good of you to join us! Problem with the boat, I hear… Thank you, Cathy. You were a great help. You are free to go back to Outpatients now. I’ll see you later.”
Cathy smiled at the young man as she went out. From the greenish colour of his skin above the mask it looked as if he wasn’t such a good sailor. “Sure you don’t want me to take over for the morning, Nikolas?” she whispered as they passed each other.
“Better keep in with the boss,” he muttered. “I’m new here and—”
“So am I.” She pulled down her mask and smiled at the new recruit, who looked terrified of the ordeal ahead.
“When you’ve finished chatting, Nikolas, you can bring the next patient in,” Yannis said evenly.
Cathy turned to take a last look at the boss and was sure he winked at her over the top of his mask.
CHAPTER THREE
CATHY peeled off her surgical gloves and threw them into the bin before washing her hands. A couple of weeks had passed since she’d worked in surgery again with Yannis.
She’d been beginning to wonder if she’d done something he hadn’t approved of on her first morning at the hospital. And then she’d remembered the wink he’d given her over the top of his mask as she’d been leaving Theatre one. Totally out of character! What had that been all about? Or maybe she’d imagined it. Yes, that was more like it. Because he’d given her precious little attention since then!
Oh, he’d called her into his office a couple of times but merely to brief her about a new patient or a different treatment that was going to be introduced. Off duty she hadn’t seen him at all. Well, he did live near the sea and she was living in the upper town so there was really no reason why they should meet unless one of them arranged something socially. And it certainly wasn’t going to be her! She understood the macho Greek mind too well from her holidays here on Ceres.
She’d felt nervous coming to the hospital this morning because Yannis had told her he’d scheduled her to work for the whole morning with him on his surgical list. She had been relieved to be asked, but apprehensive that she might do something to annoy him.
His manner had been totally professional and decidedly cool for the last few days and she had begun to think she’d misjudged the warmth he’d shown her on that first evening. So she was very relieved now that her morning’s work in Theatre had gone well.
She glanced up at her reflection in the mirror above the sink in the ante-theatre.
Not a scrap of make-up. She didn’t wear it when she knew she was needed in Theatre. In the mirror she saw the door opening as Yannis came in, shedding his theatre gown in the bin by the door.
He stood behind her. She watched his reflection as a broad grin came over his face. “Don’t tell me. You were just about to put on your make-up and I’ve walked in so you don’t want me to watch you. It’s OK, I’ll go out again.”
She swung round. “No, you’re OK. I wasn’t going to put make-up on. Haven’t got any with me.”
“I’m glad.”
He was standing very close. She could feel his hot breath on her face. He seemed to be studying her skin. She wondered if he’d noticed the spot that had developed on her right cheek.
“Yes, I’m really glad you’ve come into Theatre without make-up. It makes you look younger and I’m sure it’s more hygienic.”
“I’ve never worn makeup in Theatre.” She was talking very quickly now, intensely aware of his close proximity. “Not since my professor of surgery at Middlefield General Hospital in Yorkshire ticked me off for wearing it. This particular professor claimed that make-up could harbour bacteria on the skin. He was probably right. And I’d found whenever I tried to wear make-up in Theatre it had gone all streaky anyway.”
“It’s an interesting theory. Turn round again. I’ll help you out of your gown.”
She put her hands in front of her defensively. “No, don’t do that! I’m going to shower first in the female changing room. I…I’m not fully dressed underneath!”
“I wish you hadn’t told me that,” he said, his voice hoarse and seductively sexy.
He stepped back as he tried to get his hormones under control. He’d tried so hard for the last two weeks to keep control of himself. It was as if he was coming to life again. A wonderful feeling but he’d no idea how to handle it. Whenever he caught a glimpse of Cathy in hospital, walking down the corridor or bending over a patient, he felt like a teenager again.
He turned abruptly, the guilt of the confession he’d just made to himself rising up inside him alongside the disturbing sensations of sexuality and tenderness that he felt when Cathy was around. He’d forced himself to schedule her to assist him for the entire morning to prove that it was possible for him to remain totally professional.
And he had! But here he was, falling at the last hurdle. “Thanks for your help,” he said evenly as he strode towards the swing door. He’d already pushed it open before the strong feelings she’d aroused in him became too much for him to ignore. He turned around again, letting the swing door close.
Cathy felt alarmed as she looked at his solemn face. He’d formally thanked her but was he now going to tick her off about the way she’d sutured that last patient? He’d been watching her so intently she was sure he was going to make some criticism.
“Cathy, I wonder if we could spend some time together this evening? I know we’re both off duty.”
He still wasn’t smiling as he struggled to get his emotions under control.
Cathy had a surge of conflicting emotions herself at his suggestion. On the one hand her heart was telling her she’d love an evening out with this handsome Greek doctor. But her head was questioning whether that would that be wise. She had to be more careful than she had in the past. Meeting up casually with him on that first evening had been fun. But this invitation needed more thought.
She’d vowed not to go out with any man she was attracted to in case she made the same mistake she had in the past by falling for his charms only to be let down when she found out what he was really like. And, anyway, she shouldn’t be mixing business with pleasure by going out with her boss. However would she manage to work with him if they started dating?
“Yannis, I hardly know you,” she blurted out. “Don’t you think it’s a bit soon to have a date together?”
For a brief moment he looked perplexed before he managed to reply in a composed tone of voice. “I think you’ve misunderstood the situation, Cathy. I was merely wanting to have a chance for us to discuss how things are going for you here at the hospital in a less formal setting, away from work.”
Oh, heavens! She’d put her foot in it again. How embarrassing to jump to conclusions like that! She felt crushed.
She hesitated before replying. His suggestion now seemed harmless enough. This was by no means an average type of man. Not the men she’d known in her life anyway!
“Well, yes, I agree it would be nice to have time to discuss things when we’re not busy in hospital. What did you have in mind?”
Yannis was watching her reactions, trying to look composed but feeling utterly foolish for asking her out in the first place. Whatever had he been thinking? He was so rusty he had no idea how to talk to women any more!
Yes, what did he have in mind? If only he knew! He swallowed hard. “Would you like to come and have supper at my place?”
She hesitated once more. Having misinterpreted the situation completely, she knew she should make up for her faux pas. There would be no harm in simply chatting over supper.
She took a deep breath. “Yes, I would enjoy that. Thank you, Yannis,” she said politely.
Relief flooded through him!
“Good! My housekeeper will be delighted if I do some entertaining for once. She’s a very good cook but I don’t give her enough practice. Most evenings I tell Eleni I don’t need her so she goes home to her husband in Nimborio.”
He was talking very quickly now, anxious to disguise his nervousness and get the preliminaries out of the way. “Oh, and do feel free to bring Rose along. All the taxi drivers know where I live now. About eight o’ clock OK?”
“Fine!”
He left the room abruptly without a backward glance. Outside the door he paused for a couple of seconds to gather his breath. There! He’d taken the first step towards…towards what? Was he going in entirely the wrong direction? Would it all be a disaster? The emotional turmoil inside him didn’t augur well. But he felt driven on by forces beyond his control. Was he betraying Maroula’s memory by contemplating an evening in the company of another woman, someone he found very attractive and wanted to spend time with?
He sighed as he moved off down the corridor in the direction of his office. Only time would tell and at this moment he wished he could see into the future. Best to simply not look too far ahead. Only as far as this evening.
* * *
Cathy was as nervous as if she was going on her first date. She had to keep on reminding herself that this evening wasn’t actually a date. She was simply going to her boss’s house for supper and his housekeeper would be doing the cooking. It would be a treat to be spoiled like that—and nothing more!
Her face in the mirror certainly looked an improvement on the face that had stared back at her at the end of a morning in Theatre. And so it should after the time she’d spent covering up that spot on her right cheek, blending in the foundation with the light suntan she’d managed to get by playing in the sunshine with Rose whenever she’d had some off-duty time during the day. And she’d changed the shade of her lipstick three times.
She put the third lipstick down. That was fine. By the time she’d drunk a couple of glasses of wine and swallowed a few olives, she’d have licked it all off anyway. She stood up, adjusting the waist tie on her white cotton top. Too much cleavage?
If you’ve got it flaunt it, as her mother used to say. But what did she know about relationships? She’d had almost as much bad luck as her daughter! And Cathy was determined not to flaunt herself tonight. She was intent on being totally platonic with Yannis who obviously simply wanted to be a friendly and concerned boss by inviting her to supper. She readjusted her top so that it was in no way provocative.
Her mobile rang. It was Anna. Her son, Manolis, had presented her with a mobile phone before he’d gone off to Australia. Cathy was glad she could stay in contact with Anna throughout the day when she was looking after Rose. This evening, on hearing that Cathy had been invited out, Anna had insisted it would be better for Rose to stay at her house and get a good night’s sleep.
“I meant what I said earlier,” Anna said now, shouting as she always did when she used her mobile. “Just enjoy yourself this evening, Cathy, and don’t worry about Rose. She’s already settled down in my children’s dormitory room. I’ve got two of my granddaughters in there too, so when she wakes up she’ll have company. I’ll call you in the morning. OK?”
“Thanks, Anna. I really…”
But the line had gone dead. What a wonderful woman Anna was! She’d devoted her life to her family and now, at an age when she could have had some time to herself, she’d chosen to look after the next generation and the next.
After much persuasion from Manolis, Anna had allowed him to pay a young woman from the village to help her. Cathy had insisted on being responsible for the wages now that Anna took charge of Rose whenever necessary. She’d also made an arrangement with the bank to have a percentage of her hospital salary put directly into Anna’s account.
Her phone rang again almost immediately. It was the taxi she’d ordered. Apparently the driver was waiting for her at the end of the street. She picked up the new clutch bag her mother had given her before she’d left for Ceres. It was just big enough to hold a few euros, a comb, a lipstick and a tissue.
As she started out down the rickety wooden staircase, being careful not to get her heels caught in the gaps between the wooden steps, she couldn’t help feeling a sense of apprehension at the evening ahead of her.
* * *
Yannis was waiting for her in the drive of his imposing house. She held her breath as she looked up at the impressive façade.
“This is some ancestral pile you’ve got here!”
Yannis gave her a nervous smile as he reached out to take hold of her hand. “Rose not with you?”
Cathy thought he looked decidedly disappointed that she hadn’t brought her.
“Anna was insistent that it would be better for Rose to be put to bed at her house tonight. I don’t like to argue with an older and wiser mother and grandmother.”
He was still holding her hand. He raised it to his lips briefly.
They stood in front of each other face to face on the firm gravel, both of them almost too apprehensive to continue with this nerve-racking encounter.
“There’s nothing ancestral about the house, I’m afraid,” Yannis said as he led her inside. “It was a complete ruin when I bought it and the owners were glad to get rid of it. It took a year to rebuild. I got a good builder who suggested ideas and between us we came up with this.”
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