‘He looks great.’ Eden smiled fondly, because Ben did. Out of the hospital pyjamas and dressed in real clothes he looked just like any other little toddler, clutching a soft toy and dozing in his car-seat.

‘So do you!’ And there was nothing light or flip about Nick’s voice. His statement was delivered in a low, husky voice, and Eden jerked her head to face him. Even with the barrier of his shades, she could feel the admiration in his gaze. ‘You look stunning, Eden.’

‘It won’t last.’ Somehow it was Eden who managed light and flip. ‘My mum bought me some hair straighteners, but despite the promises I doubt they’re quite up to a warm, humid Sydney Christmas.’ She was babbling—terribly so—wishing Nick would just tear his eyes away, wishing he would start the engine so that she could remember how to breathe again. ‘Nick…’

CAROL MARINELLI recently filled in a form where she was asked for her job title and was thrilled, after all these years, to be able to put down her answer as writer. Then it asked what Carol did for relaxation and after chewing her pen for a moment Carol put down the truth—writing. The third question asked—what are your hobbies? Well, not wanting to look obsessed or, worse still, boring, she crossed the fingers on her free hand and answered swimming and tennis, but, given that the chlorine in the pool does terrible things to her highlights and the closest she’s got to a tennis racket in the last couple of years is watching the Australian Open—I’m sure you can guess the real answer!

Christmas on the Children’s Ward
Carol Marinelli

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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CONTENTS

COVER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TITLE PAGE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

EPILOGUE

COPYRIGHT

CHAPTER ONE

‘HEY!’

Coming out of his office, chatting away to a rather pretty, rather blonde physiotherapist, Consultant Paediatrician Nick Watson was flattened against the wall as Eden Hadley rushed past, visibly upset.

Visibly, because Eden was incapable of hiding her emotions. Along with wearing her heart on her sleeve, her expressive face told anyone who cared to look exactly what she was thinking, and right now it didn’t take a degree in psychology to work out that she was far from happy. Her pretty full mouth was set in a grim line and her dark brown eyes flashed angrily as Nick caught her arm to halt her progress. Her long, dark, chocolate curls fell out of her loose ponytail as she swung around to confront him.

‘Just leave it, Nick,’ Eden said through gritted teeth.

‘Leave what?’ Nick frowned, gesturing for her to wait as he said goodbye to the physiotherapist. ‘Thanks for that, Amber, it’s been very helpful.’

‘Any time, Nick. Call me if you need to discuss Rory’s ambulation programme further.’ Amber smiled and Eden felt her already gritted teeth starting to grind as the tall slender physio continued talking, completely unfazed by Eden’s presence. ‘In fact, call me anyway—I’ll look forward to it.’

‘Well, she certainly knows how to get her message across!’ Eden bristled as Amber waltzed off, her back impossibly straight, flicking her blonde hair as she did so.

‘She was just being friendly.’ Nick laughed. ‘Just what is it that you have against physios?’

‘Their glowing health,’ Eden moaned. ‘Their toned bodies and white smiles. I could go on for ever. I haven’t yet met one with a single vice. You just know that they’ll be tucking into a cottage cheese salad for lunch, know for a fact that they don’t smoke.’

‘Neither do you,’ Nick pointed out, and then shook his head. ‘Let’s not change the subject. This is my ward, Eden, and if there’s a problem I need to know about it.’

‘There isn’t a problem,’ Eden insisted. ‘At least, not any more.’

‘Eden, you’ve lost me.’

Taking a deep breath, she finally faced him. ‘Donna just called an impromptu meeting to discuss the revised Christmas roster.’

‘Oh.’

Instantly his eyes glazed over. The nursing roster was way down on Nick Watson’s list of priorities. So long as his precious patients were happy then so was he. But, Eden reminded herself, Nick was the one who’d stopped her, who had demanded that she tell him what was wrong, and Nick who had insisted that she voice her problem. And voice it she would.

Loudly!

‘This will be my second Christmas on this ward,’ Eden choked. ‘And now it seems I’ll have to work night shifts for both! Donna’s been hounding me to use up my annual leave as I’ve got five weeks owing. I was supposed to be having a full week off, given that last year….’ The spitfire that was raging was doused a touch as Eden realised the inappropriateness of this conversation, but Nick, with a very noticeable edge to his voice, quickly filled her in.

‘You had to work over the Christmas and New Year period because of what happened to Teaghan…’

Damn! She didn’t say it, but the word spat like a hot chip between them. Eden slammed her forehead with her hand, wishing she could take it all back, wishing that Nick hadn’t chosen that particular moment to come out of his office and demand to know what the problem was.

Eden had been so angry she’d chosen to take her fifteen-minute coffee-break away from the ward in an attempt to cool down before she said something she’d surely regret, but unfortunately she had done just that. The tragic events that had taken place the previous December hadn’t just affected Eden’s off-duty roster—the whole ward had gone into numb shock when Teaghan Camm, Associate Charge Nurse and fiancée to Nick Watson, had driven home after a night shift and apparently fallen asleep at the wheel. She’d suffered injuries so severe that she hadn’t even made it into the emergency resuscitation room.

Eden could still recall that morning as if it had happened only yesterday.

As the nurse in charge that morning, it had been she, Eden, who had taken the call from Emergency. She had heard how the vibrant young woman, who had left the ward only an hour or so before now lay dead a few floors below. It had been Eden who had located Teaghan’s personal file and relayed her parents’ telephone number to Sharon, the nurse supervisor who had been with Teaghan in Emergency. She could still hear Sharon’s devastated voice as she’d asked Eden whether she wanted her to come up and tell the staff.

‘I’ll do it,’ Eden had said, not wanting to but knowing Sharon should be there to wait for Teaghan’s parents to arrive.

‘What about…?’ Sharon had hesitated and Eden had been too stunned, too shocked to fill in the gap, just screwed her eyes closed as Sharon had stumbled on. ‘Nick has to hear this privately, Eden.’

‘I’ll tell him first, away from everyone else.’

‘Perhaps I should send up Brad, the emergency consultant,’ Sharon suggested. ‘Maybe another doctor should be the one to tell him—although whoever it is who breaks the news, it’s not going to change the outcome.’

Looking out of her office, Eden had seen one of the porters stopping to talk to the ward domestic, her shocked expression telling Eden that the unpalatable news had already started filtering its way through. She had seen Nick at a patient’s bedside, sharing a joke with the child’s mother, utterly oblivious to the fact that in the same building at that very moment, his young fiancée had lain dead.

‘I think I’d better tell him now.’ Eden swallowed hard. ‘The news just hit the ward. I don’t want him to hear this on the floor. Send Brad up, though. I’m sure Nick will have a lot of questions.’

It was among the hardest things she had ever done in her life. As a senior nurse on a busy paediatric ward, Eden had seen more than her fair share of tragedy, had sat more times than she wanted to remember with devastated parents as terrible news had been broken, had even delivered it herself when the occasion had merited it, but to survive she managed to retain some degree of professional detachment. Though tears were sometimes shed, they were always controlled. She constantly reminded herself that, as much as she was hurting, it was worse, far, far worse for the parents, and the last thing they needed was an overly emotional nurse.

But this was personal.

Very personal.

She hadn’t particularly liked Teaghan, had never taken to the rather loud, over-confident woman, but she’d never in a million years have wished this on her, and Eden was realistic enough to realise that her own judgement of the woman was probably tainted. Tainted by the fact that she, along with every other woman at the Royal, was just a tiny bit in love with Nick Watson.

‘Nick.’ He looked up as she came out of the office, gave a tiny questioning frown as she’d asked him if she could have a word.

‘What’s the problem?’ Blond, happy, smiling and utterly oblivious, he strode in, took a seat when she asked him to do so. ‘What have I done wrong this time?’ He grinned.

‘Nothing,’ Eden croaked, then cleared her throat, willing herself to get on with it.

They were friends.

Sure, she’d only been there three months, but since the first shift they’d worked together they’d clicked, gently teasing each other, pre-empting each other’s jokes, moaning together as friends did.

And now she had to break his heart.

‘Nick, there was an accident in the city this morning…’

‘Yeah,’ Nick moaned, ‘that’s why I was late. Why?’ His voice was suddenly serious. ‘Are there kids involved? Should I go down to Emergency?’

‘Nick.’ She halted him almost harshly, and as his green eyes met hers they widened just a fraction, perhaps realising that this had nothing to do with work and everything to do with him. She felt as if she were wielding an axe, watching him wince as each blow was delivered. ‘It was Teaghan’s car.’

‘No.’ He shook his head, absolutely denying it, but a muscle was pounding in his cheek, his jaw muscles tensing as he refuted her words. ‘She wasn’t going anywhere near the city. She’d just done a night shift. Teaghan’s at home, asleep…’

‘Nick, it was Teaghan in the car,’ Eden said firmly. ‘She was wearing her ID badge, and Sharon Kennedy, the nurse supervisor, has confirmed that it’s her. She was brought here a short while ago…’ She knew, because of her training, that there must be no room for doubt as you delivered the news, that words like ‘she didn’t suffer’ or ‘everything possible was done’ had no place yet in this horrible conversation. They had to come later. There could be no room for false hope. Raising her mental axe, trembling inside as she did so, Eden delivered the final, appalling blow. ‘Nick, Teaghan was pronounced dead on arrival.’

And she watched—watched as her words felled him. Watched that carefree face crumple before her eyes, watched as he seemed to age a decade in a matter of seconds. Every sound was somehow magnified—a scream from a child on the ward, a baby crying in the background, IV pumps singing loudly for attention, the linen trolley clattering past her office, the world moving on as it stopped in its tracks for Nick. She didn’t know what to do, knew there was nothing she could say that could make it even a tiny bit better. She crossed the short distance between them and put her arms around his tense shoulders, felt the squeeze of his hand as he gripped her arm, the shudder of his breath as he leant his head on her chest, one low sob the only noise he made. His pain was palpable and she held him, held him for a time so small it was barely there, caught him as he went into freefall, tears spilling out of her eyes as she witnessed his agony.

‘I have to go to her…’

The tiny moment to process was over, replaced now with a blinding need to see Teaghan, to maybe put right a million wrongs, to do something, anything. He stood up, dragging a hand over his mouth, swallowing back the scream he was surely suppressing. His eyes again met hers, tortured eyes that begged for answers, begged her to take it all back, to somehow erase what she’d said. But all she could do was stare back helplessly, tears spilling down her cheeks as she felt his devastation. Then he was gone. His arm knocked a pile of papers off her desk in his haste to get to his fiancée, the chair toppled over as he dashed past it, he collided with the porter who was wheeling the linen trolley. His feet pounded as he ran down the corridor and Eden just stood there, white-faced and shaking, not moving until Brad Jenkins, the emergency consultant, appeared grim-faced at the door, taking in the chaos Nick had left in his wake.

‘You just missed him,’ Eden said, the words shivering out of her chattering lips. She braced herself to call the staff in, to tell the rest of her colleagues the terrible news. ‘He’s gone to be with Teaghan.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Eden hadn’t said it on that fateful day, but she said it now, turning troubled eyes to him. Here she was moaning about the roster, and the fact that she’d had to work last year as well. It suddenly seemed beyond petty, given all Nick had been through, given what had happened to Teaghan. ‘That was absolutely thoughtless of me,’ Eden apologised again, and Nick gave a small forgiving smile.

‘So why do you have to work this year?’

‘It doesn’t matter.’ Horribly embarrassed, cringing inside, Eden made to go, but again Nick halted her.

‘Let’s talk in here,’ he suggested, gesturing for her to go into his office, but Eden shook her head.

‘The nursing roster isn’t your problem, Nick. I was just letting off a bit of steam.’

‘Then let it off over a decent cup of coffee.’

He walked back into his office, clearly expecting Eden to follow, and for a moment she stood there, not quite sure she was up to an impromptu chat with Nick right now. Since Donna had dropped her bomb about the Christmas roster, Eden’s emotions had been bubbling dangerously close to the surface, and fifteen minutes alone with Nick was the last thing that was going to calm her down.

Nick was the main reason she had wanted Christmas off in the first place!

A week at home with her family, a week away from the city, a week of horse riding and clearing her mind, far away from the pressure cooker she found herself in whenever Nick was near.

‘Eden!’ Nick’s impatient voice snapped her attention back. She took a deep breath and headed into his office, determined not to let him glimpse the effect he had on her.

Nick Watson’s ego was already big enough, without another boost.

‘Still take sugar?’ Nick asked, not looking up.

‘Please.’ Perching herself on a chair, Eden forced a smile as Nick handed her a coffee, pleased that her hands were steady as she took the cup. ‘I really am sorry about what I said…’

‘Don’t worry.’ Nick waved a hand as he sat down. ‘I’m OK.’

‘You’re sure?’ Eden checked, but she wasn’t just talking about her little faux pas earlier. ‘This time of year must be awful for you.’

‘Actually, no.’ Nick shook his head. ‘I’m too busy to even start feeling sorry for myself. There’s too many parties and dinners and, of course—’

‘Women,’ Eden finished for him with a slight edge to her voice, which she quickly fought to check.

‘I was about to say work.’ Nick grinned. ‘But now you mention it…! Anyway, enough about my social life. How come they’re making you work over Christmas again? I thought the ward policy was one year on, one year off.’

‘It was,’ Eden sighed, ‘until Ruth went off on early maternity leave. Apparently her blood pressure’s high.’

‘Apparently?’ Nick raised an eyebrow, picking up the tiny note of cynicism and Eden winced.

‘That sounded so bitchy, didn’t it? But I’ve guessed for months that she wasn’t going to make it to Christmas, especially given the fact that she was down to work night shifts on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. Donna called us all into the office earlier and asked for volunteers to take Ruth’s shifts.’

‘I’m assuming you didn’t put your hand up.’

‘No!’ Eden took a sip of her coffee before she continued, ‘No one did. And then it started.’

‘What started?’

‘“Timmy’s only two” or “It’s Jamie’s first Christmas”. Even Becky, who’s supposed to be my friend, chimed in that it’s “Conner’s last Christmas while he still believes in Santa”.’ Nick grinned as she mimicked her various colleagues’ voices and a tiny smile wobbled on Eden’s lips. ‘I don’t have a defence, given that I’m a paediatric nurse on a paediatric ward, I, of all people, should understand that children want their mums to be there on Christmas morning so Donna asked if I’d mind working it.’

‘You could have said no,’ Nick pointed out, and then laughed. ‘Hell, Eden, why didn’t you just say that you weren’t prepared to do it? Why can’t you just say no to Donna?’

‘I tried!’ Eden wailed.

‘How?’

‘I pointed out that if I work a night shift on Christmas Eve I can hardly be expected to drive to Coffs Harbour on Christmas morning unless they want me to doze off at the…’ Her voice trailed off again as the conversation tipped where it shouldn’t. ‘Last year my dad drove all the way down to Sydney and stayed at my flat overnight just so that I could be with my family on Christmas Day, but it was just too much for him. It’s a six-hour drive after all—it was actually too much for me as well. We both ended up sound asleep for the best part of the day—just about missed Christmas altogether. I can’t ask him to do it again this year.’

‘What about your flatmate, Jim?’ he asked. ‘What’s he doing for Christmas?’

‘He’s going to Queensland for the Christmas break. Actually, he’s been trying to persuade me to come with him and his friend. Maybe I should tell Donna that I’m going to be away and take him up on it. ‘

‘Maybe you should.’

Eden pulled a face. ‘I don’t think so. There’s only so much damage one’s liver can take. As much beer and barbequed prawns as you can stomach isn’t really my idea of Christmas.’

‘You can’t be on your own.’ Nick shook his head, but Eden just gave a wry smile.

‘Believe me, Nick, I’d rather be. I’ve already had about three invites for Christmas dinner from my guilty colleagues…’

‘And?’

‘Timmy may only be two…’ Eden rolled her eyes ‘…but he’s an absolute monster. And as much as I adore Conner, I see enough kids’ tantrums in a day’s work…’ She gave a small shrug. ‘You get the picture!’

‘I do.’ Nick grinned back. And it was funny, Eden mused, that even after a year of relative silence they could slip back so easily into their own shorthand, pick up on the tiny vibes without explanation. ‘And I suppose the fact that Becky’s also a strict vegan had nothing to do with it.’

‘Caught.’ Eden managed a weak smile. ‘I guess if I want my turkey and ham, I’ll have to cook it myself.’

‘There’s always the canteen.’

The look Eden shot him wasn’t particularly friendly but Nick merely roared with laughter. ‘It will probably be in the high thirties,’ Nick pointed out. ‘The last thing you’ll want is a huge roast.’

‘Wrong.’ Eden pouted. ‘I love Christmas dinner, pudding, mince pies…’ She closed her eyes for an indulgent second, imagining her parents’ dining room at home, the air-conditioning on full blast as the table groaned under the weight of ham and turkey, roast pork, little sausages wrapped in bacon and mountains of Christmas crackers with their cheesy presents and even cheesier jokes. But Nick threw a bucket of water over her fantasy.

‘Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’d love to have your problem. I’ve practically begged to work this Christmas but the powers that be have decided, given my circumstances, that they know best, and that what I really need is a nice little break over the festive season with my family.’ Nick’s low groan told Eden that it was the last place he wanted to be, and she blinked at him in bewilderment.

‘But it’s Christmas!’ she said, and it should have been explanation enough, but as Nick just grimaced, Eden let out a wail of indignation. ‘It’s Christmas,’ she said again. ‘How could you not want to spend it with them? I thought you adored your family?’

‘I do.’ Nick rolled his eyes. ‘And they adore me, so much so that they want to see me happy, which I am, of course, but they beg to differ. Happy to them means…’

‘You can say it, Nick.’ Eden smiled.

‘OK.’ He took a deep theatrical breath. ‘They want to see me in a relationship!’

‘I thought you were.’ Eden blinked innocently. ‘With Shelly from Emergency—oh, no, sorry, I meant Phoebe from ICU.’ Another blink, a tiny frown as she tried to place a name, and she heard Nick’s intake of breath as he realised she was teasing him. ‘What about that intern—oh, what is her name…?’ She clicked her fingers a couple of times as Nick actually managed a small blush. ‘Tanya, that’s the one. Whatever happened to her?’

She already knew the answer! Nick’s initial devastation at Teaghan’s death had slowly been replaced by a curious arrogance as he’d headed off the rails, his undeniable charm working its way around the hospital and leaving devastation in its wake. But even though it was considered almost an insult not to have been dated by Nick during the last twelve months, not once had Nick attempted to cross the line with Eden. And even though she valued what was left of his friendship, even though the last thing she wanted was to be another of his conquests, Nick’s indifference to her on the romantic front was breaking Eden’s heart.

‘Tanya and I are just friends,’ Nick said. ‘You’re reading far too much into it.”

‘We’re just friends, Nick.’ Draining her coffee-cup, trying not to show just how much that admission hurt, Eden stood up. ‘Or we used to be.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Nick asked, but Eden just shrugged.

‘Nothing.’

‘It didn’t sound like nothing. What did you mean?’

‘Just that things have changed lately,’ Eden admitted. ‘Sometimes I feel as if I hardly know you any more.’

‘You’re being daft.’ Nick grinned.

‘Perhaps I am, but take it from me, what Tanya feels isn’t merely friendly, so tread carefully. Anyway, enough already about your love life, Nick. I’d better get back out there. I can hear the meal trolley coming and I’ve a feeling someone’s about to kick up a fuss when they find out I swapped her order.’

‘Priscilla?’ Nick checked almost needlessly, referring to a nine-year-old with a penchant for chicken nuggets. ‘I’m going to have to speak to her mother again.’

‘Well, tread carefully,’ Eden warned. ‘Remember that she’s a high-profile lawyer.’

‘So maybe she’ll appreciate some straight talking,’ Nick countered. ‘Hell, we’re so bogged down in politically correct jargon these days, so terrified of being sued, it’s a wonder anything useful gets done in this place; Priscilla’s a great kid, but unless someone spells it out to Rose, unless someone actually sits that woman down and tells her to stop feeding her kid rubbish, we may as well send her daughter home with a packet of cholesterol-lowering pills and a post-dated referral to a psychologist to deal with the issues of bullying.’

Eden shot him a worried look but, as politically incorrect as Nick could be at times, more often than not his straight talking hit the nail on the head.

‘The other kids are starting to tease her.’

‘If I were nine, I’d tease her,’ Nick moaned, and thankfully he wasn’t looking so he didn’t see a tiny smile flash on her lips as she pictured Nick Watson as a cheeky blond nine-year-old. ‘What the hell is Rose doing, calling her Princess in front of the other kids?’

‘It’s her pet name.’

‘Then she should save it for home. Are you going to do it?’ Nick added as she headed for the door. ‘Work Christmas, I mean?’

‘It looks that way,’ Eden sighed.

‘You need a baby of your own,’ Nick said with another grin, and Eden gave a wry smile back.

‘It’s probably the only way I can guarantee getting next Christmas off—I’d better step on it.’

‘You’d better,’ Nick responded dryly. ‘Given that they take nine months…’

‘I was referring to work, Nick,’ Eden said.

CHAPTER TWO

PRISCILLA, or Princess as her mother called her, was in for investigation into her recurrent constipation and abdominal pain, which had culminated in many trips to her local GP and a lot of absences from school. As a private patient, initially her mother had demanded a single room for her daughter, but thankfully Nick had been able to persuade Rose that her daughter would benefit from being among her peers, and after a rather prolonged negotiation Rose had finally agreed.

Even though she was in a public ward, Priscilla still demanded private patient attention, pressing the call bell incessantly, complaining loudly about the food and the lack of her own television—to the amusement of her fellow patients, who were starting to tease the little girl and calling her by her nickname of Princess, though not in the affectionate way her mother delivered it.

As annoying as Priscilla could be, as demanding as she was, despite the other nurses’ grumbles when allocated to look after her, Eden actually enjoyed looking after the spoilt little girl. Fiercely intelligent, she had a wry sense of humour. Very pretty, she was also very overweight and had her exhausted working single mother wrapped around her rather podgy little fingers. She was completely used to getting her own way—and quickly, please! Since she’d discovered that the call bell by her bed summoned attention quickly, Priscilla was abusing it to the max, despite the fact she wasn’t on bed rest. However, before Eden again explained that fact, first she had to be sure that there was nothing wrong with the little girl.

‘What’s the problem, Priscilla?’ Eden asked, smiling as she made her way over to the bed.

‘This isn’t the dinner I ordered.’ Frowning down at her plate, Priscilla stabbed at a defenceless piece of roast chicken and vegetables. ‘Mummy ticked the chicken nuggets for me—look.’ She held out the menu card for Eden, but Eden didn’t need to read it to know what was on it.

‘You had nuggets for dinner last night,’ Eden explained patiently, ‘and the previous night as well.’

‘Because I like nuggets.’

‘Do you remember that Dr Nick said you were to have more variety in your diet? Well, instead of having chicken nuggets, why not try having some roast chicken and some of the lovely vegetables?’

‘I don’t like vegetables.’ Priscilla pouted, her bottom lip wobbling, tears filling her big blue eyes, and Eden was grateful that Priscilla’s mother wasn’t there because it was at about this point that Priscilla was used to adults giving in. But Eden stood her ground, undoing the little pack of fruit juice and pouring some out for Priscilla.

‘When Mummy comes I’ll tell her to go and get me some nuggets from the take-away.’

‘You’re going to turn into a nugget one of these days.’ Nick was there, ruffling Priscilla’s hair, grinning broadly and completely ignoring her tears. ‘I told Eden that you were going to eat some veggies for me tonight, Priscilla. Now, you’re not going to make me look silly, are you?’

‘I hate veggies,’ Priscilla snarled, slamming down her knife and fork with a clatter that alerted her fellow patients to the start of yet another of Priscilla’s rather too frequent dramas.

‘Come on Princess, eat your veggies,’ Rory, a cheeky ten-year-old with his leg in traction, called out.

‘Yeah, come on, Princess,’ Declan, a five-year-old post-tonsillectomy patient chimed in.

‘Cut it out, guys,’ Eden warned, pulling the curtains and shutting out the delighted audience while Nick stood firm with his patient.

‘Roast chicken and vegetables are what’s for dinner tonight—’ He didn’t finish. Priscilla’s meal tray crashing loudly to the floor, courtesy of a flash of temper, interrupted the conversation. Her angry face stared defiantly at both Eden and Nick, awaiting their reaction as a few cheers erupted from the other side of the curtains.

‘Whoops,’ Nick said calmly, which clearly wasn’t the reaction Priscilla had been expecting. Her angry face puckered into a frown, her expression changing from fury to utter indignation as Nick calmly continued talking. ‘Not to worry. Accidents happen. Eden can ring down to the canteen and order you another dinner.’

The tears started again, angry furious tears, her pretty face purple with rage.

‘Do you need a hand?’ Becky asked, arriving with the mop and bucket as Eden picked the remains of the meal off the floor. ‘Her mother has just arrived,’ she added in a low tone to Nick as she bent down to help Eden.

‘What’s going on?’ Rose Tarrington clipped into the ward on smart high heels, her petite frame in an expensive chocolate brown suit, well made-up eyes frowning as she pulled open the curtains and surveyed the mess.

‘Priscilla knocked over her dinner,’ Nick responded calmly. ‘Sister’s just going to order her another one.’

‘But she won’t eat that.’ Rose pointed a manicured finger at the messy remains. ‘I know you want her to have some variety, but you can hardly expect her to suddenly start eating roast meat and vegetables overnight!’

‘The other children are,’ Nick broke in, staring around the ward at the other three children, all eating their dinners.

‘Look, Princess.’ Rose made her way over to her daughter’s bedside and cuddled the distraught child. ‘Why don’t you do as the doctor and nurses say? Eat your dinner and then, if you do, I’ll go over the road and get you some ice cream.’

‘Could I have a word at the nurses’ station, please, Ms Tarrington?’ Nick broke in, and Eden watched as the woman stiffened.

‘I’m just talking to my daughter.’

‘It won’t take long.’ Nick’s voice was even but it had a certain ring to it that told everyone present he wasn’t about to take no for an answer.

‘Becky can stay with Priscilla,’ Nick instructed. ‘Eden, would you mind joining us, please?’

Eden rather wished he’d allocated her to clean up the mess and sort out Priscilla. A nine-year-old throwing a tantrum she could deal with blindfolded, but a brutal dose of honesty, as only Nick could deliver it, wasn’t going to be particularly pleasant, though it was called for.

The endless talks with the nursing staff, doctors and dieticians clearly hadn’t made the slightest bit of difference to Rose or Priscilla’s behaviour and now, Eden guessed as she followed Nick to the nurses’ station, the kid gloves were off. Nick’s only priority was his patients.

‘Have a seat.’ Nick gestured to the tense woman, barely waiting till she was seated before diving in.

‘I’ve asked Sister Hadley to sit in so that we can all be on the same page,’ Nick explained. ‘For Priscilla’s sake, we all need to be taking the same approach.

‘We don’t seem to be getting very far, do we, Rose?’ Nick started softly, but Rose Tarrington clearly wasn’t in any mood for a gentle lead-in. Brittle and defensive, she stared angrily back at Nick.

‘Perhaps if you stopped focussing on my daughter’s diet and found out just what the hell the problem is with her stomach, we’d start to make some progress. Priscilla’s been in here a week now and apart from a few blood tests and an X-ray, she’s had nothing done for her.’ Rose’s hands clenched in frustration, her legs tightly crossed. She was the complete opposite to Nick, who sat relaxed and open in the chair opposite. ‘Oh, and an ultrasound,’ Rose spat, more as an afterthought. ‘We could have done all that as outpatients. I’m not asking for favours, but given the fact my daughter’s a private patient…’

‘That has no bearing.’ Nick shook his head. ‘I have a mixture of private and public patients on my list, Rose, and I can assure you they all receive the same treatment from both me and the staff on the ward. Yes, as a private patient Priscilla could, no doubt, have had all these investigations done speedily as an outpatient, but, as I explained to you in Emergency when I admitted your daughter, given that Priscilla has already missed out on a third of her schooling this year, it really is imperative that we find out what’s causing her abdominal pain and causing her to miss so much school. Which…’ As Rose opened her mouth to argue, Nick shook his head, speaking over the angry woman. ‘Which we have,’ he said firmly. ‘The abdominal X-ray showed that Priscilla was chronically constipated, the ultrasound told me that there was nothing acutely wrong and her blood work confirmed my clinical diagnosis. Priscilla is anaemic, her cholesterol is high…’ He paused for a second, only this time Rose didn’t jump in to argue, this time Rose closed her eyes as Nick gently but firmly continued. ‘Now, I could put on her on some iron tablets. However, that would only cause further constipation. To counter that, I could prescribe a fibre supplement, but I don’t think Priscilla would drink it. I could, of course, give her laxatives, but the thing is I’m not prepared to do that when all she needs is a varied, healthy diet and an increase in her physical activity.’

‘That’s all she needs, is it?’ Rose’s tired, angry eyes were bulging as she spoke. ‘You’ve seen what she’s like when she doesn’t get her own way. I work ten-hour days and, yes, it’s easier to pick up a take-away than to start cooking, but what am I supposed to do when it’s the only thing she’ll eat. I can hardly let her go to bed without eating…’

‘You could,’ Nick replied, but Rose just scoffed.

‘You obviously don’t have children, Doctor. Don’t you think I already feel guilty enough about the hours I work, without spending every evening fighting with my daughter over what she wants for dinner and sending her to bed hungry? No doubt you’ll be telling me soon to cut down my hours and start spending more quality time…’ Tears came then, choking, angry tears, her tiny, exhausted frame heaving, her hand pressing on her mouth as she tried to hold it all in. Nick still calmly sat there, not remotely embarrassed, pulling a couple of tissues from the box on the desk and handing them to her before pressing on.

‘I wouldn’t dream of telling you to cut down your hours, Rose. I’m aware that you’re a single parent. You’re doing an amazing job—’

‘Don’t patronise me,’ Rose snarled as she blew her nose. ‘Don’t try and tell me I’m doing well when you clearly think I’m an unfit mother.’

‘No one thinks that.’ Eden said, her voice a gentle interlude from the painful conversation. ‘We’re not ganging up on you, Rose, we all just want to do the best we can for Priscilla. Nick isn’t suggesting that you’re an unfit parent. If that were the case, we’d be having this conversation in an office with a case worker present so, please, let’s try and not go there.’

Standing, Eden fetched a drink of water for Rose from the cooler, a tiny nod the only response from Rose as she handed it to her. Nick waited as Rose had a drink and then continued.

‘Eden’s right. I don’t think that for a moment.’ Nick shook his head. ‘And you’re right as well. I don’t have kids, but my sister is a busy GP with three little ones and is in the process of getting a divorce. I’ve heard from Lily all about the guilt, the endless juggling and the pressures of trying to do the right thing.’

‘It’s just so hard,’ Rose choked.

‘If it carries on like this, Rose, it’s going to get harder,’ Nick said as Rose frowned. ‘Priscilla is so constipated that if the situation continues, very soon she could end up with some overflow.’ When Rose frowned, Nick clarified his words and Rose closed her eyes as he did so. ‘She could have episodes of faecal incontinence. Priscilla has already told some of the nursing staff that she gets teased at school about her weight. Can you imagine how much harder it will be for her if she starts to soil her pants as well?’

Eden half expected an argument, but all the fight seemed to go out of Rose. The hotshot lawyer was gone, leaving just a terrified mum sitting on the chair. ‘She already has,’ Rose whispered through pale, trembling lips. ‘Only once, but…it’s all my fault, isn’t it?’

‘We’re not going there, remember? We’re here to deal with the things we can change, and the past isn’t one of them.’ Nick gave a very nice smile, peeling another wad of tissues out of the box. ‘Come on, Rose, blow your nose and stop the tears and let’s work out what we’re going to do.’ He glanced over at Eden and she took her cue.

‘At the moment Priscilla’s used to getting food as a reward and she’s using it to her advantage,’ Eden explained. ‘For example, you said to her tonight that if she ate her dinner then you’d get her an ice cream.’

‘It’s all I could think of to get her to eat her dinner,’ Rose admitted.

‘How about, leaving out the “if”,’ Eden suggested. ‘Try “Eat your dinner, Priscilla, and then I’ll read to you” or “then we’ll watch a movie together” or “then I’ll help you with your homework”.’

‘Spend some quality time with her?’ Rose asked, only this time it was said without contempt.

‘For want of a word, only in this case it’s time you would usually spend arguing,’ Eden responded. ‘In the morning, you can do the same: “Eat your breakfast and then you can watch some television.”’

‘Make it non-negotiable,’ Nick said, ‘but at the same time make out it’s no big deal. Be matter-of-fact about it—she has to eat her meals, and by that I mean the meals you provide for her, not the ones she demands.

‘And I choose my words carefully, Rose,’ Nick winked, and to Eden’s amazement Rose actually managed a pale smile as he continued. ‘I’m not telling you to grow a vegetable patch and start steaming broccoli every night. Just a normal balanced diet is all Priscilla needs—you, too, no doubt. I’m assuming here that you’re not tucking into the fries and nuggets yourself?’

Rose shook her head.

‘Cheese on toast around midnight?’ Nick asked.

‘Something like that,’ Rose admitted.

‘Me, too,’ Nick sighed. ‘How about you, Eden?’

‘I’m more a bowl-of-cereal girl.’

‘Stop boasting.’ Nick grinned. ‘We’re all guilty of it, Rose. We’ve all got jobs that demand too much of us so we grab something to eat when we can or when we absolutely have to. But as you pointed out, Eden and I don’t have kids, so we can mess up our own health. Look, if you can afford it, why not get your meals delivered for a few weeks? You could choose your menus together, there are a few companies that provide that type of service.’

‘And that would be OK?’

‘Absolutely.’ Nick nodded.

‘And,’ Eden added, ‘if it makes things easier for you, for the next couple of days why not let us deal with Priscilla at mealtimes?’

‘Shouldn’t I be telling her?’ Rose asked wisely. ‘Given that I’m the one that’s going to be dealing with her at home.’

‘You should,’ Eden said, ‘but it’s going to be difficult the first few times. Priscilla isn’t going to take very kindly to the rules suddenly changing and we can take some of the strain for you, so long as you support us. As Nick said, if we’re all working as a team there’s a better chance of getting results. Why don’t you come in at mealtimes and if Priscilla starts to kick up, tell her that you’re going to the canteen for a coffee and that the nurses will ring down once she’s finished her dinner?’

‘You’d do that?’

‘Definitely.’ Eden nodded, peering over Rose’s shoulder as an orderly arrived with a fresh meal. ‘How about we start now?’

‘She’s not going to like it,’ Rose warned.

‘Good,’ Nick said, standing up and shaking Rose’s hand warmly. ‘Because I’m sure you could use a coffee and a bit of time alone to think about what we’ve just said. And for the record, Rose, I wasn’t being patronising before. You are doing an amazing job—Priscilla’s funny, intelligent and incredibly perceptive.’

‘Thank you.’ Rose blushed. ‘She really is my little princess.’ Nick opened his mouth, then clearly thought better of it. Now, perhaps, was not the time to tell Rose to curb her pet name, at least around Priscilla’s peers. ‘I’ll just go to the washroom and freshen up. I don’t want her to see that I’ve been crying.’

As Rose scurried off, Eden expected Nick to do the same, but instead he remained. ‘Thanks for your help. Hopefully some of it got through to Rose.’

‘I think a lot of it got through,’ Eden replied generously. ‘You were really good with her.’

‘Probably because I’ve had a lot of practice around tearful women lately,’ Nick said, but as Eden’s lips pursed his face broke into a slightly incredulous smile. ‘You’re really quick to think the worst of me, aren’t you, Eden? When I said I’d been around tearful women lately, I was actually referring to my sister, Lily.’

‘Oh.’ Blushing, Eden scuffed the floor with her foot. ‘Well, you can hardly blame me for assuming…’ Her voice trailed off, and Nick did absolutely nothing to fill the uncomfortable silence. Eden willed Rose to hurry back, terrified that if she looked up, Nick might catch a glimpse of the jealous feelings that seemed to choke her whenever she pictured him with another woman. However, her mouth was moving ahead of her mind and wretched emotions were taking over. Wincing inside, yet completely unable to stop herself, a tiny slice of truth came out. ‘I just don’t like seeing people used, that’s all.’

‘Used?’ She could hear the frown in his voice without looking up, and Eden knew she’d gone too far, knew that she had to pull back now before irretrievable damage was done, before Nick realised how much she was hurting. Forcing a very cheeky smile, she dragged her eyes back to his.

‘Yes, used, Nick. Just because you’re blond and gorgeous, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have feelings, too!’ And even though he smiled at her joke, it didn’t quite reach his eyes and Eden knew her attempt at recovery hadn’t quite succeeded. ‘I’m allowed to worry about you—that’s what friends do.’

The smile was back in his eyes now, and Eden gave an inward sigh of relief as Rose appeared.

‘Good luck,’ Nick called as Eden and Rose headed back towards Priscilla’s bedside, just in time to see Becky setting up the replacement meal tray.

‘Oh, look.’ Rose smiled. ‘Roast chicken—yum!’ Her tone was a touch forced, but Eden was pleased to see how hard she was trying. ‘Now, come on, eat up your dinner and then you can read to me.’

‘I’m not eating that filth!’ Priscilla snarled. Her hand moved towards the tray, but Eden was too quick for her.

‘Oh, no.’ Eden held onto the tray, holding the young girl’s angry glare. ‘There are plenty more trays down in the canteen, Priscilla. I can ring down for more all evening if I have to, but we’re not wasting good food like that.’

‘Well, I’m not eating it.’ Priscilla’s bottom lip was working overtime and she squeezed out a tear for effect. ‘Mummy, I don’t like roast chicken!’

‘That’s what’s for dinner tonight, Priscilla.’ Rose took a deep breath and Eden felt sorry for her, knowing how hard it must be for her to be firm when her daughter lay in a hospital bed. ‘Now, it looks so nice that I’m going down to the canteen to have some dinner myself. When you’re finished, Eden here will ring me and I’ll come back up.’

‘Mummy!’ Priscilla wasn’t squeezing tears out now—they were coming thick and fast of their own accord. ‘Mummy, don’t leave me!’

‘As soon as your dinner’s finished, darling, I’ll come back up.’ Hiding tears of her own, Rose turned quickly, hurrying out of the ward. Eden ran after her as Becky stayed with a shrieking Priscilla.

‘She’ll be fine,’ Eden soothed. ‘You did so well.’

‘I can’t do this every night,’ Rose sobbed.

‘You won’t have to,’ Eden said. ‘As soon as Priscilla realises that you’re serious, she’ll start eating properly. Rose, just remember that all you are asking is for her to eat her dinner, not walk on hot coals. There’s nothing unreasonable or unfair about what you’re doing.’

‘I know,’ Rose gulped.

‘Now, go and have a coffee or dinner. I promise that we’ll look after her and as soon as she’s made a reasonable effort with her dinner, I’ll ring you.’

‘And if she doesn’t?’

‘I’ll ring down for you anyway.’ Eden smiled. ‘But let’s stay positive.’

In fact, by the time Eden returned to the bedside, the tears had stopped and Priscilla was sitting upright with her arms folded pointedly, not looking up as Eden made her way over.

‘Thanks, Becky.’

‘No worries.’ Becky grinned, scooting off to check on her own patients.

‘Your mum has just gone to have some dinner,’ Eden said, picking up a rather impressive book on Priscilla’s bedside. ‘Is this yours?’

When Priscilla didn’t answer, Eden pressed on, unperturbed. ‘It’s a huge book for a nine-year-old.’

‘It’s easy.’ Priscilla bristled.

‘Well, I don’t think so—all those funny names and spells and trying to work out who the baddy is….’

‘You’ve read it?’ Priscilla blinked, curiosity overriding her anger for a moment.

‘Not this one,’ Eden admitted, ‘but I’ve read four in the series and I’m hoping someone will get me this one for Christmas.’

‘But it’s a kid’s book.’

‘So?’ Sitting down at the bedside, Eden peeled off the cover on Priscilla’s dinner. ‘Come on, Priscilla, eat your dinner and then I’ll call downstairs for Mum to come up. She said you were going to read to her tonight, and she’s really looking forward to it.’ Pretending to ignore her, Eden concentrated on the blurb at the back of the book as Eden slowly picked up her knife and fork.

‘I don’t like broccoli.’

Eden flicked the pages, deliberately not looking up. ‘Eden, I really don’t like broccoli.’

‘Neither do I.’ Eden smiled. ‘OK. How about you eat everything else? If you do that, you can leave the broccoli.’

‘I don’t like carrots.’

‘Priscilla.’ Eden’s voice held a warning. ‘If you eat all your carrots, potato and chicken, then you can leave the broccoli.’ Turning back to the book, she flicked the pages. ‘Where are you up to?’

To an onlooker, Eden knew she probably looked as if she was doing nothing but sitting on the bed as Priscilla slowly worked her way through her meal, but, Eden knew exactly what she was doing; knew she had the best job in the world. Rose had trusted her enough to go down to the canteen and Priscilla was actually eating her dinner. They might not be cutting-edge science, but tonight she and Nick had hopefully made a difference, a huge difference, in a little girl’s life.

And Priscilla did very well!

Eden’s heart swelled with pride as finally the plate was if not clean then almost so. Priscilla had even had a small piece of the broccoli.

‘Well done, honey.’ Eden grinned and picked up the tray, careful not too make too much of a fuss but also wanting to acknowledge Priscilla’s effort. ‘How about I go and ring down to the canteen for your mum?’

‘Are you on in the morning?’ Priscilla asked, and Eden shook her head.

‘I’m on another late shift. I’ll come and check on you a bit later. You enjoy reading to your mum.’

‘How did Priscilla get on with her dinner?’ Nick asked a while later, when Becky was on her supper break and Eden was giving a grumpy six-month-old named Justin the last of his bottle.

Eden loved this time of night on the children’s ward. At seven the main lights were switched off and the curtains drawn and, despite the light Sydney evening outside, the whole ward was plunged into darkness, filled with the sounds of babies’ and toddlers’ final protests as their parents or nurses soothed them off to sleep, the background drone of the television in the older children’s rooms. Usually with Donna, the unit manager, gone and most doctors long since headed for home there was a chance for Eden to take her time feeding a baby or sit on a bed and have a chat with a lonely patient or just catch up with the mountain of paperwork involved in nursing these days. It was one of the main reasons she often volunteered for the late shift.

‘Good.’ Eden said. ‘Rose is going to go through tomorrow’s menu with her a bit later on and I’ll pass it all on to the night staff. Hopefully, if we all keep it up, she’ll be a different girl in a few days. Becky and I are both on another late shift tomorrow, which will make things easier when Rose comes in. How come you’re still here?’ she added.

‘I’m not.’ Picking up his briefcase, he gave a tired smile. ‘Unless my pager goes off between now and the car park. I’ll see you tomorrow.’

‘See, you, Nick.’ Eden smiled back. ‘Have a good night.’

‘I will if you don’t call!’

No doubt a thousand doctors were jokingly saying those exact words to a thousand nurses even as Nick spoke them, but for Eden they hurt like hell.

The hardest part of the entire day was about to ensue.

She kept a professional smile in place as he picked up his briefcase and walked out of the ward, wondering who he was on his way to see, wondering who was filling the long hours till she saw him again.

Wondering where the loyal man who had been engaged to Teaghan had disappeared to…

Maybe he felt her eyes on him, but for some reason as he reached the door he turned around, then walked back the length of the ward in long purposeful strides. Eden figured he must have forgotten to sign for something or was going to remind her about a patient.

‘I’ve been thinking about our mutual problem.’

‘Mutual problem?’ Eden frowned, shifting Justin on her knee into an upright position, his little face held between her thumb and finger as her other hand rubbed his back.

‘Christmas.’ Nick said with a note of exasperation, as if the conversation they had had a few hours ago should still be at the front of her mind.

‘I’ll sort something out,’ Eden said airily. ‘Though I have to admit I’m not particularly looking forward to ringing my parents tonight and telling them I’m not coming home.’

‘Will they be upset?’

‘Not upset.’ Eden shook her head. ‘Just sorry, I guess, and worried that I’ll be on my own.’

‘But you don’t have to be on your own,’ Nick said, and Eden just shrugged and turned her attention back to the babe in her arms, continuing to rub his back in an attempt to bring up the wind she was sure was there. ‘Why don’t you spend it with me and my family?’

Despite a very loud burp from a very little baby, Eden carried on rubbing his back, determinedly not looking at up as her cheeks started to colour, waiting for Nick to roar with laughter or make some wisecrack to show that he was joking, but when finally she did jerk her eyes up to look at him, she was shocked to see that his face was deadly serious.

‘It makes perfect sense,’ Nick insisted. ‘My sister’s kids are spending the day with their dad and they won’t be there till the evening so there won’t be any tantrums, and my mum’s an amazing cook so you can have the massive roast dinner you’re dreaming of. At least you can tell your parents when you ring them that you’re not going to be on your own.’

‘And what’s in it for you?’ Eden asked directly, her eyes narrowing as Nick blushed slightly.

‘I just don’t like the thought of you being on your own,’ Nick attempted, but Eden just slowly shook her head.

‘What’s in it for you, Nick?’ she asked again.

‘Well, if I hinted to Mum that we were seeing each other, I guess that would buy me a few months of grace.’

‘You mean get them off your back?’

‘Something like that. Think about it, Eden. It would be good for both of us and you’d have a great day, I can guarantee it.’

‘So why not ask one of your many admirers? I’m sure Tanya’s hoping for an invitation to meet your family.’

‘Exactly.’ Nick rolled his eyes. ‘I spoke to her last night and unfortunately you’re right—she was hoping…’ He gave an embarrassed shrug. ‘Suffice to say an invitation to Tanya to spend Christmas with me and my family could only confuse things, whereas with you and I…’ He gave another shrug. ‘Well, we’d both know that there was…’

‘Nothing in it,’ Eden finished for him as his voice trailed off. ‘Thanks but, no, thanks.’

‘Why not?’

Somehow she managed a smile as she placed a nappy over her shoulder and rested Justin against it as she stood up.

‘Playing your girlfriend for a day, just isn’t my idea of a fun Christmas,’ Eden said. Heading down the ward and coming to Justin’s room, she pushed the door open. ‘You’ll have to come up with someone else, Nick.’

‘Think about it,’ Nick said, but Eden shook her head.

‘’Night, Nick.’

As the door closed behind her, she placed Justin in his cot, soothing him gently as he struggled to open his heavy eyes. She listened to the sound of Nick’s footsteps going down the ward and felt the sting of a great salty tear as it rolled down her cheek.

Stupidly, she’d dreamed of that very moment.

Secretly dreamed of Nick asking her to be with him and his family, the thought of sharing Christmas with him a fantasy she’d harboured—only not like this.

Never like this.

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