Dr Right All Along

Dear Reader

There’s something really special about college days, with young people so full of energy and sparkle, living life to the full. Everything takes on the brightest colours. Their lives are filled with music, deep, lasting friendships and the sheer joy of being alive and trying new things.

So when the four young people in my book get together to share a house things are bound to fizz. It isn’t long before Jade and Ben find themselves drawn to one another … Things are definitely beginning to warm up but, as always, there are pitfalls along the way. Jade is cautious about getting involved—and anyway, what with all her studies, and working part-time at the café-bar in London, whenever would she find the time for a relationship?

And what of the other two people in the house? Well, Lucy and Matt are certainly a mismatched couple … Jade and Ben are well used to observing their frequent spats. But when they have to work together as well as live together, sooner or later things are bound to change.

I loved finding out how these young people interacted with one another. I hope you do too.

With love

Joanna

When JOANNA NEIL discovered Mills & Boon, her lifelong addiction to reading crystallised into an exciting new career writing Mills & Boon® Medical™ Romance. Her characters are probably the outcome of her varied lifestyle, which includes working as a clerk, typist, nurse and infant teacher. She enjoys dressmaking and cooking at her Leicestershire home. Her family includes a husband, son and daughter, an exuberant yellow Labrador and two slightly crazed cockatiels. She currently works with a team of tutors at her local education centre, to provide creative writing workshops for people interested in exploring their own writing ambitions.

Recent titles by Joanna Neil:

DR LANGLEY: PROTECTOR OR PLAYBOY?

A COTSWOLD CHRISTMAS BRIDE

THE TAMING OF DR ALEX DRAYCOTT

BECOMING DR BELLINI’S BRIDE

PLAYBOY UNDER THE MISTLETOE

Recent titles by Margaret Barker:

A FATHER FOR BABY ROSE

GREEK DOCTOR CLAIMS HIS BRIDE

THE FATHERHOOD MIRACLE

These books are also available in eBook format from www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dr Right

All Along

Joanna Neil

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CHAPTER ONE

‘YOU’RE cutting it a bit fine, aren’t you?’ Matt Berenger frowned as Lucy hurried into the kitchen. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be starting your new placement at the hospital at eight o’clock this morning? That gives you less than half an hour.’

‘Tell me about it!’ Lucy groaned. She dumped her holdall down on a chair and ran her fingers through her silky golden hair, as though the action would in some way help to clear her head. ‘I left my parents’ home at six this morning, thinking I’d have plenty of time, but there was an accident on the road, and before I knew it I was in a tailback half a mile long. I hope whoever was involved will be all right. I passed a couple of ambulances, but I couldn’t see what was going on.’

She opened a cupboard door and peered inside. ‘I’m starving. I didn’t have any breakfast before I left because I thought I’d be able to last until I arrived back here.’ She frowned. The cupboard was practically empty.

‘You forgot to get the groceries in before you went away for the weekend,’ Matt remarked in a dry tone. He walked over to the coffeemaker and flicked a switch.

Lucy stared at him distractedly for a moment or two. He was wearing dark trousers and a freshly laundered linen shirt, and he looked fit and ready for anything—a huge contrast to her sleep-deprived, travel-weary self. Long limbed, lean and muscular, his presence seemed to dominate the small kitchen. It was a little unnerving. She hadn’t even expected to find him here this morning. She’d been sure he would have set off for the hospital well before she’d arrived home.

‘We’re out of everything,’ he added, ‘barring milk.’

She winced, coming back to earth with a bit of a jolt. ‘Oh, heavens, I’m sorry … it was my turn to get the food in, wasn’t it? I’ll have to get a grip. I meant to do it, I know I did, but something must have come up.’ She shook her head in frustration, causing her long tresses to sway and then settle in a shimmering cloud over her shoulders as she tried to remember what it was that had caused her to forget. ‘It was Jade, I think … she told me she and Ben had bought a house, and she wanted me to go and see it with her. I was going to do the shopping on the way back, before I left for Berkshire, but …’

‘But then I guess something else cropped up.’ Matt poured coffee into a mug and handed it to her. ‘Here, drink this. Perhaps it’ll help you get your head together.’ He studied her for a moment or two, his penetrating blue glance moving over the smooth lines of the dress that draped itself lovingly around her curvaceous figure. He blinked, falling silent for a while before giving himself a shake and bringing his mind back to the situation at hand. ‘I thought you planned on coming back last night?’

She nodded. ‘I did, but Mum and Dad invited family friends round at the last minute, and it would have been rude to leave since I’d not seen them in a while.’ Hunger pangs clawed at her stomach and she stared in dismay at the cupboard once more. There was a fog clouding her brain and she couldn’t think what to do.

‘There’s half a slice of toast left over from my breakfast,’ he said. ‘You might want to eat that. I was going to put it out for the birds, but I’m sure your need is greater than theirs.’ He gave a wry smile and pushed a plate towards her. ‘I’d have done the shopping myself but I was on call over the weekend. I didn’t get home until late last night.’

She sent him a quick look. ‘Thanks for this,’ she murmured, spreading butter on the cold toast and munching gratefully.

‘You’re welcome. It’s a bit pale around the edge because the bread slices are too big for the toaster—I had to hunt it out because the grill on the cooker isn’t working.’

‘It tastes perfect to me.’ She frowned. ‘I’ll have to get someone in to look at the cooker.’ She bit into the toast once more, and after a while she said, ‘You must be shattered. Do you have to go in to work again today?’ From the way he was dressed, she guessed he wasn’t going to be lounging around the house.

‘I do. It’s not too bad, though. I’m part of a good team—I’m being given the chance to do procedures we only practised in med school, and being on call means I get to take on a lot more responsibility. It’s what I want.’

Lucy nodded, finishing off her toast and brushing the crumbs from her fingers. She swallowed the last of her coffee. ‘This year’s gone well for you, hasn’t it? I suppose, with any luck, I’ll be in the same position as you, a foundation-year doctor, by August … except that I have to get through my final exams first.’ She thought about that and pulled a face. ‘I’m really not looking forward to those. I’m spending every last minute revising.’ Finding that time was becoming more and more difficult of late, though. Much as she loved her parents, she could have done without going home this particular weekend.

She hunted around for her bag, and said hurriedly, ‘I have to go. What time do you have to be on duty?’

He glanced at his watch. ‘Soon. I’ll walk with you.’

‘Okay.’

It was a strange feeling, being alone with Matt like this, and she wasn’t sure quite how she felt about it. There were usually four of them sharing the house, but things had changed now that Jade and Ben were planning their wedding. They had been house hunting, and hadn’t been around very much of late.

Perhaps that was why Matt had been acting differently these last few weeks. It was an odd situation. He’d been surprisingly laid-back about her forgetting to get the groceries, and that in itself was peculiar, given the way he usually enjoyed teasing her.

‘You said Jade took you to see the house they’d bought,’ Matt commented now, cutting in on her thoughts. They left the neat, Georgian crescent of houses behind them and set out along the London streets, heading for the hospital. ‘I imagine that means they’ll be wanting to move out fairly soon.’

She shook her head. ‘It’ll be some time before they do that, I think. With prices being what they are in London, they’ve settled for a house that needs quite a bit of work. They have to rewire the place and put in central heating, and so on, and after that they’ll be decorating.’

He pulled a face. ‘That sounds like a lot of hard work.’

She smiled. ‘I don’t think they mind. It’ll be a great house once the renovations have been done. And I guess, as long as they’re together, they’ll be happy enough. I suppose it could be fun, getting the place just how they want it.’

He gave her a sidelong glance, lifting a dark brow. ‘Fun? Well, yes, it’s the sort of thing I’d enjoy. I can see how it would be good to stamp your individual touch on a house, to make it well and truly your own, but I can’t imagine you wanting to do hands-on stuff like that. With your background, I’d have thought you’d be more inclined to get the builders in.’ The hint of a smile touched his lips as his gaze wandered to her beautifully manicured nails.

‘Oh, here we go …’ she remarked in a cross voice. ‘Why does everyone assume they know me from a quick glance at the way I look? And you’re a prime example. We might have lived in the same house for the last few months, but you don’t know me at all, do you? You just think that you do. I’m perfectly capable of setting to and fixing things up if need be.’

Not that she’d ever been called on to do anything like that, but it didn’t mean she wouldn’t be capable if the situation arose, did it?

‘Okay, okay … I take it back. There’s no need to get yourself worked up about it. I didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers.’ His mouth quirked and she frowned, looking at him suspiciously. Was she overreacting? It had been a difficult weekend, one way and another, and she had to admit to being tired and out of sorts.

She was silent for a moment or two, thinking things through. It looked as though she and Matt would be on their own in the house for a good deal of the time from now on, and that could be difficult for both of them, without Jade and Ben there to deflect their arguments. They were opposites, after all. Matt was laid-back, easy-going, happy to strum on his guitar whenever the fancy took him, whereas she …

She had a lot to contend with, even more so of late since her father had decided to expand his business. The changes meant there was far more work to be done. Lucy was a medical student, but she’d always helped out with her parents’ property development company, ever since she had been old enough to hold the other end of a measuring tape. She’d been round countless properties with her father and grandfather, and knew the jargon off pat—strengthen those joists, put in a new damp course, sand the wooden floors. Even now, her father regularly sent work her way.

‘See if you can track down a supplier for those ceramic tiles I want for the old-cottage renovations, will you?’ he’d said last week. ‘And have a look on the internet to see if there are any likely properties in the neighbouring area. Find out how much the houses go for over there. You can fill me in on the details when you come over at the weekend. Your mother’s looking forward to having you with us for Sunday lunch, and I want to show you the old farm cottage now that the work is almost finished.’

All these things took time, when she really ought to be studying, but she didn’t complain. After all, her father owned this house that they were all living in, and she, at least, didn’t have to pay rent. No doubt Matt thought she was a spoiled daddy’s girl, but in reality she paid her way by working as a researcher for her father.

It wasn’t fair, the way she was judged. Just because she came from a wealthy family, and she happened to be blonde with a decent figure, people only saw the superficial, the outer packaging. They saw a golden-haired fashion model, and assumed she was only interested in looking good and keeping up with the latest fashion trends.

It was the same at the hospital. She had to work harder than anyone else to be accepted as the woman she really was, someone who would one day make a skilled and capable doctor.

That was what she hoped she would become, anyway. If she didn’t get there, it wouldn’t be for want of trying.

‘You’ll be working on Paediatrics for the next week or so, won’t you?’ Matt asked, sniffing the air as they passed by a café. The proprietors were setting up for the day and the appetising smell of meat pasties and hot bacon wafted through the air.

Lucy’s mouth watered, and she thought longingly of food … crisp bacon, eggs with bright yellow yolks, and maybe a couple of hash browns to complete the meal … She groaned inwardly; the toast Matt had given her had only served as an appetiser. She didn’t even like fried food, so why on earth was she obsessing about it now?

‘Yes, that’s right,’ she said. ‘Jade told me she had a good experience on Professor Farnham’s team, so I’m hoping things will turn out pretty much the same for me. I’m not sure how I’ll cope, though, working with children.’

‘I’m sure you’ll be fine.’ He laid a hand on the small of her back and urged her through the automatic doors at the entrance to the hospital. ‘I must go and meet up with my consultant. Perhaps we’ll catch up with one another later on?’

Even though he removed his hand, she still felt its warm imprint on her spine as they walked along the corridor towards the lift bay. It was a peculiar, intimate feeling, and she pulled in a quick breath to help her deal with the strange emotions that had suddenly overtaken her.

‘Perhaps.’ She nodded in agreement, though with any luck they’d go their separate ways. She still wasn’t sure quite how to deal with this new-style Matt. Over the last few months, she’d become used to their frequent, fairly good-natured spats, but now that he was being halfway nice to her she didn’t know how to take it.

She went straight to the children’s ward and introduced herself to the registrar on duty and to the nursing staff.

‘It’s good to see you again, Lucy,’ the registrar greeted her with a smile. They’d met before and talked occasionally whenever there had been a gig going on in the student union bar, and the last few times he had made a point of singling her out. James Tyler was tall and good-looking, in his mid-thirties, and she was sure he would be a catch for any girl but she wasn’t inclined to get involved with him, no matter how much he pushed the issue.

She’d been bitten a couple of times before, and he had all the hallmarks of being like the other men in her life—seduced by the way she looked, and interested only in one thing. She just wasn’t prepared to go down that route again, especially not at this particular time when she was completing the most difficult year of her medical studies.

‘You, too,’ she murmured, and listened attentively as he briefly outlined the case histories of the young patients in the unit.

‘Professor Farnham wants you to check on all the youngsters, and make yourself familiar with their conditions, and their treatment, medications and so on. When you’ve done that, he’d like you to take a look at the baby in here,’ he said, taking her over to the neighbouring bay. ‘See what you make of him. He’s ten months old.’

‘Do I get to look at his notes?’

He smiled. ‘Later. I think the professor wants to see what you come up with first.’

Lucy drew in a deep breath. ‘Okay. I’ll do my best.’

‘Good. I’ll leave you to it, if you don’t mind. I have to go and see to a patient who’s being admitted. The professor should be along in around an hour’s time—he’s been liaising with A and E over a ten-year-old who was injured in a traffic accident on the bypass this morning. We’ll be looking after him. The boy has a splenic injury, but he may not need surgery if we can keep him on supportive treatment for a while.’

Lucy frowned. ‘That must have been the accident I came across when I was on my way home from my parents’ house, first thing. Do you know if anyone else was injured?’

‘His parents escaped with minor injuries, and the driver of the other car has a broken arm. It seems they were lucky, all things considered. The boy was hurt when the side of the car was pushed inwards.’

‘Well, I’m glad I found out what happened to them, anyway.’

He moved away from her and Lucy went to introduce herself to the children on the ward. Some of them were very poorly, whilst others were on the way to recovery and greeted her cheerfully.

When she had finished getting to know them, she went back to the bay where her special patient, the ten-month-old baby, was sleeping. She walked over to the cot and gazed down at the tiny, pale-looking infant. He was receiving oxygen through thin tubes inserted in his nostrils, and when she looked at the monitors, she could see that his blood oxygen level was very low. He was breathing fast, and even with the oxygen therapy it seemed as though he was struggling to get enough air into his lungs.

‘You poor little thing,’ she murmured. ‘I’m going to disturb you for just a minute or two, poppet, while I listen to your chest.’ She put the earpieces of the stethoscope into her ears and warmed the chest piece with her hands before running it over the baby’s lungs.

‘What have you managed to find out, Lucy? Anything interesting?’

She jumped as Professor Farnham suddenly appeared at her side. Even more startling was the fact that Matt was with him. She looked at both of them, wide-eyed, before recovering herself and sliding the stethoscope back around her neck.

‘I—uh …’ What was Matt doing here? He wasn’t meant to be on this team, was he? The professor was waiting for an answer, though, and she hurriedly pulled herself together. ‘There are decreased breath sounds bilaterally and I heard inspiratory crackles, suggesting involvement of the deeper lung tissues. He has a high fever, he’s breathing fast and has shortness of breath. I’d say he was suffering from a severe chest infection, possibly pneumonia.’

The professor nodded. ‘And what procedures would you carry out?’

She gave it some thought. ‘Blood cultures, sputum sample and chest X-ray.’

‘Good, well done. Keep that up and you’ll get through your clinical exams without any trouble at all.’ He beamed at her. He was a tall, slim man, in his mid-fifties, she guessed, with dark brown hair that was beginning to grey a little at the sides. His hazel eyes showed an alert, keen intelligence. ‘The tests have already been done. Let’s see what the lab came up with, shall we?’ He moved over to the computer at the other side of the room, leaning over the table and pressing a few keys.

While the professor was otherwise engaged, Lucy sent Matt a narrowed glance. ‘What are you doing here?’ she mouthed silently.

‘New rotation,’ he mouthed back. ‘Paediatric medicine and intensive care.’

A small surge of dismay flowed through her. He could have told her before this, couldn’t he? As things were, it had come as something of a shock to discover that they would be working together, and she felt as though she had been completely wrong-footed. Why had he held back from telling her?

‘I thought it might put you off your stride if I told you this morning,’ he whispered, as though he had read her mind. ‘I only got the placement at the last minute when someone dropped out.’

‘Here we are,’ Professor Farnham said. ‘The test results are on screen. What do you make of them, Lucy?’

Discomfited, she hoped he wouldn’t notice the warm colour that had flooded her cheeks. She hated being put on the spot like this, with Matt looking on.

She went over to the table and studied the lab report. ‘It’s a bacterial infection—Staphylococcus aureus.’ She brought the X-ray film up on screen and studied it for a while. ‘Definitely pneumonia,’ she decided, ‘though there’s something else going on there.’ She hesitated, unsure of what she was seeing. ‘There appears to be some inflammation in the pleural space.’

‘What do you think, Matt?’ The professor waved Matt forward so that he could have a look.

‘I think she’s right. It could be an empyema,’ he said, ‘a collection of pus in the cavity between the lung and the inside of the chest wall. I expect that’s why the baby is in so much distress.’

The consultant nodded. ‘Usually, these things clear up with antibiotic treatment, but he’s already been given that. We might be dealing with a secondary infection here. I don’t think we can leave this one—perhaps you’d like to do the chest-drainage procedure? That should reduce the pressure and help the baby to breathe more comfortably. We’ll get the sample analysed and then we can see what kind of antibiotic we need to add to the mix.’

‘I’d be glad to do it.’ Matt turned to look at the baby, his expression serious. ‘I’ll set up the equipment right away.’

‘Excellent. Lucy can help you with that—in fact, it might be a good idea if she were to shadow you for the next week or so.’ He sent Matt a querying look. ‘It’ll give her a good insight into what goes on in Paediatrics.’

Matt hesitated just for a moment, and then said, ‘That’s fine. I’m okay with that.’

Lucy held her breath for a second or two, trying to take it in. She was to follow Matt around? Her mind skittered, seeking a way out of the situation, before coming around to the inevitable conclusion that there was no escape.

She had to be professional about this, of course. Obviously the professor had no idea how she and Matt tended to avoid one another back at the house, if only for the sake of peace and quiet. Something that had been easy enough when Jade and Ben had been around, but now …? She was doomed. Not only were they being thrown together at home, now they were to work together, as well. How long would it be before they found themselves at loggerheads over something or other?

Matt looked at her, and for a moment their glances met, each of them keeping their innermost thoughts hidden.

‘I’ll leave things with you, then,’ Professor Farnham said. ‘Any problems, and James will be around to help you out.’

Lucy looked anxiously at the baby after the professor had left. ‘He’s so small and vulnerable,’ she said softly. ‘I’m glad it’s not me having to do an invasive procedure on him. Are you okay with it?’ She sent Matt a troubled look. She felt unnaturally queasy at the thought.

He shrugged. ‘It has to be done if he’s to get better,’ he murmured. ‘Let’s take him over to the treatment room, and then we’ll scrub up.’

She went with him and helped him to lay out a trolley with the necessary medical equipment. It was something she’d seen done many times, and she knew well enough how to clean the baby’s skin and drape the chest area with dressings.

Matt sedated the baby, and all appeared to be well. Even so, her stomach lurched as he anaesthetised the area and prepared to make the incision. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. It was odd, this feeling of being out of synch with everything. She was usually on the ball and quite happy to go along with whatever procedure was needed.

Matt carefully identified the area over the baby’s rib and began to insert the chest tube. Lucy felt a wave of nausea swell up inside her. It threatened to overwhelm her, and immediately she began to panic. All of a sudden she felt hot, with beads of perspiration breaking out on her brow, and her heart was pounding so much that she could feel it in her throat. She felt faint.