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‘How about you and I meet up and have lunch down by the river later on? You can fill me in on the set up back at the house—who does what, whether there are any rotas for getting in the groceries and cleaning, and so on.’
She frowned. ‘Won’t you be on call? I mean, what if you’re paged?’
‘That’s okay. The registrar will be on duty to provide cover and, anyway, it won’t take long to get back here if need be. That’s the beauty of working in this place, we’re very close to the Thames.’
‘I suppose so.’ She frowned. ‘As to lunch, I’m not sure. I was planning on going to the library to study. Perhaps some other time.’ She would be seeing a lot of him over the next few months, she knew she had to get used to that idea, but even so, her instincts were warning her that if it was at all possible, she ought to keep some distance between them.
He forestalled her when she would have left the room, placing a hand on her arm. ‘You need to take a break—a proper break. It’s good to relax—it helps to clear your mind and revitalise you. That way you’ll be able to do your job so much better.’
She chuckled, admiring his persistence. ‘Really? Is that what you do? Now I see why you’re so fond of your reclining chair. Lucy said you couldn’t do without it.’
‘It’s true.’ He feigned a serious expression. ‘I do some of my best thinking in that chair.’
She shook her head. ‘Maybe you can get by on a quick read through of information, but I’m afraid I can’t. Unfortunately, I have to knuckle down and study hard.’
‘All the more reason to take a proper lunch hour. I’ll come and find you around one o’clock.’ He waved a hand and disappeared back inside the unit.
Her mouth dropped open a fraction as she watched him go. He didn’t mean to give up, did he?
She took the blood samples and forms over to the lab, and spent a few minutes chatting to the pathologist. She got on well with him, and knew that he would get back to her with his report as soon as he was able.
When she walked back into the neonatal unit a little later, she was relieved to find that the coast was clear. Ben was nowhere to be seen.
‘He was called to Paediatrics,’ Alice, the nurse on duty, told her. She pulled a mournful face. ‘Such a shame. I could so get used to working with him.’
Jade smiled, and Alice chuckled, her silky black hair shifting and settling as she moved her head. ‘He’s good-natured, too,’ she said. ‘I can see he’ll be great on the children’s ward.’
‘He is,’ Jade agreed. ‘I was with him in Paediatrics a few days back, and the youngsters loved him. I wonder if he’s found his vocation?’
‘Oh, surely not? That has to be here, with me, I’m certain of it.’ Alice grinned and pulled a trolley from a side room. ‘For the urine testing,’ she explained, indicating the equipment that was set out on sterile cloths. ‘You said that was your next job.’
‘So I did. Thanks, Alice. I’ll get to it.’
Jade was busy for the next hour or so, checking up on Sammy and the other babies in the unit. She even managed to sit with one three-week-old infant, nestling her in her arms while the baby sucked at a bottle of milk formula, making small gasping and gurgling noises. Her delicate complexion was peaches and cream, with a smattering of milk-rash spots across her nose and cheeks.
‘You’re beautiful,’ Jade murmured, watching as the baby sucked hungrily. ‘I think I want one just like you.’ Her expression was wistful.
The time flew by, and she was deeply immersed in her work when Ben came back into the unit. ‘Are you ready to go?’ he queried. ‘Can I help you finish what you’re doing?’
‘Is it that time already?’ she murmured, glancing up at him. She finished examining the infant she was with, and folded her stethoscope into her pocket. Maybe her library study could wait. It would be good to get out in the fresh air. ‘I just have to make a note of the prescription medicines, and I’ll be with you.’
Ben checked the oxygen flow being delivered to the baby in the specialised cot, and then he bent over and lightly stroked the infant’s leg. ‘She still has her legs curled as though she’s in the womb,’ he said softly. ‘They’re so tiny, these premature babies, aren’t they? They’re barely much bigger than my hand.’
She nodded. It brought a lump to her throat to see such a strong man being so gentle with a helpless infant. ‘There,’ she said after a while, ‘I’m all finished. I’m ready to leave now.’
‘Good. We’ll stop to pick up some lunch to go from the cafeteria, on the way.’
‘All right.’
The air was fresh and sweet as they left the hospital and walked along the streets towards the river. They found a bench seat along the walkway where they could sit and eat, and spend time looking out over the glittering water. Jade watched the leisure boats drifting by, and listened to the birds calling overhead.
‘I hope they’re not after our lunch,’ she said, her mouth making a wry curve. ‘I’ve heard that gulls have been known to swoop down and take the food from people’s hands.’
‘Nah. They’re a better class of bird around here.’ He looked in the paper bag he was holding. ‘I’m sure they’re not partial to sausage rolls and Chelsea buns … a brown trout instead, maybe, or a tasty chub.’
‘That’s just as well, because I am. There’s something about sausage pasties that really gets my taste buds flowing.’ She flipped the lid on her coffee carton. ‘Mmm … this is good,’ she said, swallowing the hot liquid. ‘Just what I needed.’
He handed her a sausage roll wrapped in a serviette and she bit into it hungrily. ‘This is great,’ she said, savouring the taste. ‘It’s still warm from the oven, the way I like it.’ She laughed. ‘At least I get to eat it all to myself. If my brother’s around, and there are sausage rolls or pasties anywhere in the house, no one gets a look in.’
He smiled at her enjoyment of the food. ‘Do you have just the one brother?’
‘Actually, I have three altogether, and Ross, the one who likes pasties, is the youngest. The others are older than me.’
‘That sounds like quite a houseful.’
She nodded. ‘What about you? Do you have any brothers?’
‘A sister. She’s younger than me and works with my father in the business—it’s a packaging company. Sarah runs the office down in Hampshire.’
‘Is that where your family live—in Hampshire?’
‘That’s right. We have a rambling old house in a beautiful village down there. We’re close to the forest, and not too far from the sea.’
His expression was remote for a second or two, and she said quietly, ‘It sounds as though you wish you were back there.’
His mouth curved. ‘Yes, I think I do. It’s where I was born and brought up.’
‘Didn’t you think of doing your training back there?’
‘I did, but the programme that was offered here in London tempted me more. I suppose my parents instilled in me the need to be focussed, to achieve my full potential, and that’s what I’m trying to do.’
He was thoughtful for a while. ‘I have my sights set on specialising in paediatrics, possibly in paediatric A and E. It’s important to me that I get the very best experiences possible, so for the next year or so I’ll be working really hard at all my assessments. I want my e-portfolio to be filled with top-grade achievements. I don’t want to simply get by in medicine. I want to be at the top of my field.’
‘That’s a huge challenge.’
‘Yes, it is. And in the end, when the time’s right, I can always go back home to Hampshire.’
‘There is that.’ He was ambitious, that was for sure.
She studied him from under her lashes, amusement in her green eyes as a thought occurred to her. ‘So, with all that work, I imagine there’ll be no time for any serious romantic entanglements where you’re concerned, will there? All these nurses that are pining for you back at the hospital are going to be seriously disappointed, aren’t they?’
‘Are they really pining for me?’ He looked surprised, then shook his head. ‘Oh, I don’t know about that.’ He dipped into the paper bag and brought out a fruit bun. His expression was mischievous. ‘Still, a little bit of flirting here and there never hurt anyone, did it … especially with the right person. After all, life’s for living, don’t you think?’ He dangled the bun in front of her, tantalising her with the sweet, fruity aroma. ‘Can I tempt you?’
Her green eyes sparked with amusement. ‘If it’s buns we’re talking, oh, yes, please, definitely.’ She breathed in the scent of cinnamon spice, and her mouth began to water in anticipation. But then she realised she might be treading on dangerous ground, and she said softly, ‘Anything else, though, and you can forget it, I’m afraid. I’m not in the market.’
No way. Not even a tiny bit would she give in to any silly ideas that her wildly overactive hormones might be suggesting. A little flirting here and there? Not on your life. Not with him, at any rate … the stakes were far too high.
He passed the bun to her and gave a wry smile. ‘That’s a very definitive statement,’ he said slowly. ‘I’ll have to see if I can change your mind on that one.’
CHAPTER THREE
JADE found herself thinking about that lunchtime meeting a couple of days later. In spite of her reservations about getting to know Ben better, she had to admit she enjoyed being with him. He had such a tolerant, friendly manner and a gentle sense of humour. It was no surprise that everybody liked him.
She could see him now, out of the corner of her eye, flawlessly clad in dark trousers, freshly laundered shirt and tie, leaning negligently against the nurses’ station, chatting with Mandy, the nurse in charge of the ward. They looked relaxed and comfortable, and all at once Jade felt a twinge of regret that she couldn’t share that same easy relationship with him. Instead, whenever she was around him lately, it seemed her alarm system went into overdrive. She was way too conscious of him as a virile, energetic male, and she was beginning to realise that it would be all too easy for her to go along with his teasing invitations.
She took a deep breath and brought her attention back to the case notes she was supposed to be studying. A child had been referred to hospital by his GP and Professor Farnham wanted her to work with Ben on this case. He wanted her to take the lead.
‘You look worried,’ Ben said, appearing by her side, out of the blue. ‘Is there a problem? Are you bothered about doing the work-up on the seven-year-old who was brought in this morning?’
‘Um … I’m okay, thanks.’ It was a lie. How could she be all right when he was so close to her that she could feel the warmth coming from him, when his long, muscular body was almost touching hers? She didn’t want to be affected by him in any way, but in spite of herself she could feel her blood beginning to heat.
She cleared her throat and dragged her attention back to the task in hand. ‘We’re both going to be looking after the boy, aren’t we?’ she said. ‘I’m all right with that. If I seem worried it’s just that my mind’s all over the place at the moment. With the combination of work at the hospital, the café bar and studying for exams, I’m in a bit of a spin. Right now, my head’s back in neonatal with the babies.’ She hadn’t even mentioned the strain of having her every move monitored. Professor Farnham was very thorough in everything he did, and it was only to be expected. After all, lives were at stake.
Ben was frowning and she guessed she probably wasn’t making much sense to him, so she added, ‘I was over there this morning, checking on Sammy.’
‘The baby who was having seizures?’
‘That’s right.’ She smiled. ‘He’s doing much better since we managed to identify the cause of his illness and start the treatment.’ She made a vague gesture with her hands. ‘Well, you know all about him, of course, since he’s your patient. I’m really pleased that the medication is working so well. I suppose I hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.’
‘It’s not unusual, apparently. A good many newborns are affected by hypocalcaemia, especially if their mothers are diabetic. The mothers become low in magnesium, which means that their babies are affected, too.’
She nodded. ‘The professor was quizzing me on it.’ Recalling the moment, she put a hand to her chest in a mixture of anxiety and relief. ‘Luckily, I’d read up on it. It causes a problem with the babies’ parathyroid glands and they end up not having enough calcium in their blood.’
‘Yes. I suppose a lot of things could be traced back to the mother’s health and diet.’ His gaze followed the movement of her hand, and she was immediately conscious of the up-and-down motion of her chest. The soft cotton fabric of her top clung to her breasts and made her uneasily aware of her gently curving feminine shape. Flustered, she let her hand fall to her side.
He hesitated for a moment or two, as though struggling to keep his mind on track, but then he pulled himself together and said, ‘It’s, uh … easily treated with intravenous calcium gluconate. Eventually things sort themselves out and the babies start to function normally … which is just as well, because Sammy sort of pulls at your heart, doesn’t he, being so tiny?’
‘Yes, he does.’ She glanced at him. He seemed distracted. Was he as conscious as she was of the sudden tension that had sprung up between them?
His glance drifted over her, gliding along the swell of her hip outlined by the gently flowing skirt she was wearing, before returning to dwell on the pink flush of her cheeks. ‘I … uh …’ He made a visible effort to get back to the matter in hand. ‘I thought you did really well to come up with the diagnosis.’
‘Yes … well, I’m glad I can chalk that one up as a success.’ How on earth was she going to cope when he came to live at the house? Then there would be nowhere to hide, no means of escape.
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