﻿Megan was conscious of Theo’s long, lean body as he moved about the kitchen. He was flat-stomached, with broad shoulders, and when he rolled back the sleeves of his shirt she saw that his arms were a faint shade of golden brown. He was irresistibly male—a man who would melt any woman’s heart.

Unnerved by his strong masculine presence, she sought something to do, filling the kettle with water and waiting for it to heat up.

In that moment he turned, so that his body was in intimate, immediate contact with hers, and she felt a wild flush of response reverberate throughout her nervous system. Every cell in her body tingled, clamouring for more. She loved the intimacy of that embrace, yet deep down she was afraid of what the consequences might be if she gave in to her wilder feelings and snuggled up against him as the arms wrapped around her were coaxing her to do. It had been a long, long day, and somehow her whole world seemed to have changed. Was it possible that she was falling for Theo? How else could she account for this tide of feeling that was sweeping over her?

When Joanna Neil discovered Mills & Boon®, her lifelong addiction to reading crystallised into an exciting new career writing 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 the same author:

CHILDREN’S DOCTOR, SOCIETY BRIDE

HIS VERY SPECIAL BRIDE

PROPOSING TO THE CHILDREN’S DOCTOR

A CONSULTANT BEYOND COMPARE

THE DOCTOR’S LONGED-FOR FAMILY

THE SURGEON SHE’S BEEN WAITING FOR

BY

JOANNA NEIL

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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CHAPTER ONE

‘HOW long are you going to be staying here?’

The sound of a child’s voice cut through the gentle birdsong that filled the air, infiltrating the peace and quiet of the Welsh countryside.

Megan frowned. There was no one in sight, and she stopped for a moment, looking around to see if she could pinpoint exactly where the voice was coming from.

She had only just left the waterside inn behind, and now she was venturing into a neighbouring field, taking a well-worn footpath. The voice seemed to have originated from somewhere beyond the hedgerow that veiled the pub grounds from the disappearing line of the canal. In fact, the sound appeared to be coming from the direction in which she was heading right at this moment.

Most of the inn’s customers were congregated happily around the wooden bench tables some distance away, enjoying the warm sunshine of a late May afternoon as they watched the canal boats drift by on their way towards the lock gates.

She heard a murmured reply. It was a man’s voice, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying. Somehow she hadn’t expected that anyone would be stopping by this more secluded part of the canal, and for a moment the realisation made her pause. It was beginning to look as though her plan to take a quiet, solitary walk had been scuppered from the outset.

Not that it mattered. She had enjoyed a light meal and a companionable drink with her friend, Sarah, which had at least given her the chance to wind down a little after a difficult shift at the hospital. It had been a hectic few hours, and she was glad of the chance to loosen up a little. Even now, she could feel the pull of tight muscles in her neck and arms.

Now that Sarah had gone to meet up with her parents for a Sunday afternoon visit, Megan was free to wander as she pleased.

‘Is you going to paint the swans?’ The piping voice came again. ‘I like them, but I like the ducks better.’

Again there was the muffled sound of a male voice answering, and this time it was closer. Megan followed the footpath through a gap in the hedgerow until she came upon the grassy canal bank once more.

A whole new vista appeared in front of her, and she took a moment to drink it in. A stone-built bridge spanned the water, and beyond that the canal opened up into a wide waterway, with fields on either side where sheep grazed. Further on, a breathtaking panorama of rolling hills and woodland spread out as far as the eye could see.

Nearby, a man was seated in front of an easel, a few feet away from the water’s edge. He was wearing an open-necked, short-sleeved shirt and casual trousers, and from the taut, lean outline of his frame and the smooth, lightly bronzed appearance of his skin, she guessed he was in his early thirties. His dark hair was cut close to his head, in a style that complemented his angular features.

‘Is that the sky?’ A little boy, with the same, dark-coloured hair, waved his hand towards the canvas that the man was working on. He looked to be about four years old.

‘Yes, it is.’ The man’s voice was deep and pleasant, easy on the ear.

The child looked up, turning his gaze heavenwards. ‘The sky’s blue. Why is the sky blue?’

‘Because the light from the sun makes us see it that way.’

‘Does it? Why?’ The boy was puzzled.

The man dipped his brush into the palette of colours and added a fleck of white to his painting of the scene. ‘Because the world is made up of colour.’

‘Why?’

‘Just because that’s the way it is.’

Perhaps the boy sensed that he wasn’t going to get any more answers to his questions, because he began to wander away from the man and his painting. He went over to the water’s edge and peered down.

Megan guessed that he was looking at his reflection. He started to move his head from side to side, and then lifted up his arms and waggled his fingers. He began to giggle.

‘My arms is wriggling,’ the boy said. ‘See? My face is wriggling as well.’

Megan felt herself tensing. The boy was far too close to the edge, and the man wasn’t taking any notice of him at all. His concentration was centred on his painting.

‘Are they?’ he said. He wiped his brush on a cloth and glanced down at a box that rested by his feet.

‘Why is they wriggling?’

The man glanced at the child briefly. ‘I expect the water is moving,’ he answered.

At least he had taken a moment to look at the boy, but his attention was short-lived. He rummaged in the wicker box and picked out a tube of paint, squeezing out a small amount onto his palette.

Megan stiffened. Her muscles were tightening up into knots all over again. Did the man not realise that the boy was dangerously close to the edge of the water? What would it take for him to notice that the ground was uneven, and one false move would tip the child into the river?

She walked towards the pair, and that was enough to prompt the man to glance in her direction. She ignored him. The boy was playing a jumping game, springing from one tuft of grass to another. At one point he seemed to stumble, but at the last moment he managed to steady himself, tilting his arms sideways like the wings of an aeroplane.

‘I think you should come away from the water’s edge,’ Megan said softly, moving to intercept the boy as he teetered on the brink once more. ‘The ground is very uneven just here, and you could slip.’

The child frowned, his gaze moving out over the water. ‘Is it very deep?’

‘It’s hard to say,’ Megan told him, ‘but it could be. I shouldn’t like you to fall in.’

The boy nodded, and moved to a safe distance. He began to pick up pebbles from the footpath and started to throw them into the water one by one.

Satisfied that the child was out of immediate danger, Megan directed her gaze towards the man. He was adding a hint of gold-green to his painting, highlighting the way the sunlight filtered through the reeds on the riverbank.

‘That’s a beautiful painting,’ she murmured, going to look at the canvas, and it was the truth. He had captured the image of the countryside in glorious, perfect detail, and he obviously had a definite talent for the art. At any other time she would have liked to talk to him about his skills, but right now there were other, more pressing things on her mind. ‘I wonder, though, whether you ought to be paying attention to something other than the scenery at the moment?’

He sent her a brief, unconcerned glance, before returning his gaze to his canvas. ‘And that would be…?’

Megan’s jaw tightened. ‘Has it not occurred to you that this child is too young to be roaming unsupervised so near the canal?’

His glance went fleetingly to the boy. ‘He seems to be reasonably surefooted.’

She lifted a brow and shook her head in despair at his answer. ‘I’m not certain that reasonably surefooted is quite good enough. He’s too close to the water’s edge.’

He looked along the canal bank, a small line indenting his brow. ‘Do you think so? Perhaps you’re worrying unnecessarily. I doubt children are quite as reckless as you might imagine.’

Megan pulled in a sharp breath, simmering flame sparking in her grey eyes. ‘Is that all you have to say? How would you react if he were to fall in? I dare say your painting would have to take second place then—or perhaps I’m wrong in assuming that?’

He turned to look at her, his gaze shifting over her more intently this time, moving slowly downwards to follow the curving line of her snugly fitting cotton top and sweeping over the blue jeans that faithfully moulded her hips. Her whole body stiffened as he brought his glance back to her face. A flush of warmth flowed along her cheekbones.

‘You might have a point there,’ he intoned drily. ‘I expect in that case I would have to go and fish him out, and then we would both end up soaked to the skin.’

Megan threw him an exasperated look. ‘Is that it? Is that as much as you care?’

His blue eyes darkened a fraction, taking on a smoke grey tinge. ‘You seem to be expecting something from me,’ he murmured. ‘Do you think perhaps you’re being a little uptight about this?’

Megan tossed back her head, sending the chestnut sweep of her hair into tumbling chaos as it fell across her shoulders. ‘Uptight?’ she echoed. ‘You think I’m uptight?’ She bit the words out through her teeth. ‘The boy could have drowned. Don’t you have any protective instincts whatsoever? I just don’t understand how parents can care so little about what their children get up to. Doesn’t it bother you at all that he might have slipped?’

He nodded. ‘Well, yes, of course, that would have been unfortunate, and it would have been even more disturbing if I’d had to go in after him. Actually, though, what concerns me most is that he’s here at all.’

‘I don’t think I follow what you’re saying.’

‘I don’t suppose you do.’ He frowned. ‘The fact is he isn’t my child. To begin with, I thought he was with you, but that’s obviously not the case.’ His mouth made a wry shape. ‘Unfortunately, it also means that I’m going to have to find out who he does belong to if a parent doesn’t come along soon.’

Megan was dumbfounded. She had been convinced that the boy belonged with him, and now she was rapidly searching for some way to make up for the way she had spoken to him. What must he be thinking? A total stranger barged in on him and invaded his privacy, accusing him of all sorts of things. It was unforgivable.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said awkwardly. ‘I thought, because you were together out here, that he was your son. Clearly, that was a mistake.’

‘Yes, I can see how you might have formed that impression, but even so I wonder if perhaps your instincts are a bit too highly charged. Maybe you should try to relax a little more.’

Relax? He was the expert in doing that, wasn’t he? If he were any more laid-back he would topple over. No matter who the child belonged to, he might have been a tad more cautious in watching out for him. She bent her head momentarily and silently ground her teeth together.

‘Whatever,’ she said after a second or two, straightening up once more. ‘There’s still the problem of the child.’ She thought things through for a moment. ‘I wonder if he’s wandered over here from the pub? Surely someone must be missing him?’

He shrugged. ‘As you said, some people don’t seem to care what their children get up to—but maybe there’s some other explanation.’

Just then a young girl came hurrying along the footpath. ‘Nicky,’ she was calling. ‘Nicky, where are you?’

‘Ah,’ the man said under his breath. ‘Perhaps here is our answer. I felt sure it would all come right if we waited long enough.’ His glance went to the boy, who had stopped throwing pebbles into the water and was turning around to look at the girl. ‘I wonder if this is young Nicky?’

Surely the girl was too young to be his mother? Megan studied her. She must only be around fifteen years old. Maybe she was his sister.

‘Nicky,’ the girl said in a cross voice, ‘what are you doing here? I’ve been looking everywhere for you. You know you shouldn’t wander off. Your mum is worried about you.’

‘Is she?’ Nicky asked, with the innocence of childhood. ‘Why is she worried?’

The girl gave an exasperated sigh. ‘Your dad is poorly. Your mother has better things to do than chase after you. You had better come with me.’

‘My dad’s not poorly,’ Nicky said with a frown. ‘He’s having a picnic.’

‘Well, he’s poorly now, and your mum has enough to think about without worrying about where you are.’ The girl took hold of Nicky’s hand, and turned to look at Megan. ‘I don’t suppose you have a phone that we could use, do you? My auntie’s panicking a bit. She tried to call for an ambulance, but the battery’s gone on her phone.’

‘Actually, I’m a doctor,’ Megan said, immediately alert. ‘Maybe I could help in some way. Do you want me to come and see what’s wrong? Is it your uncle who’s ill?’

‘Yes, it is. It would be great if you wouldn’t mind coming along to help us.’ The girl sounded relieved. ‘We thought he was choking, because he couldn’t get his words out properly, and then my aunt thought he’d had a stroke, because his mouth went all strange. She didn’t know what to do.’

Megan felt sure that if the man’s condition was bad enough to stop the woman coming to find her child, it was probably important enough to merit attention. She was already starting to walk back along the footpath the way she had come.

She sent a swift look in the artist’s direction, wondering whether he might decide to come and help out, but he wasn’t moving. His expression was watchful and at the same time guarded, an odd kind of what might be world-weariness shadowing his features. He was probably ruing the way his tranquil afternoon had been disturbed, but Megan couldn’t find it in her to care either way. His attitude still annoyed her.

Nicky skipped along beside his cousin, unconcerned by all the palaver, and she was glad that at least one little mystery had been cleared up.

In a meadow nearby the child’s father was lying on the grass in the shade of the hedgerow. His distressed wife was loosening his shirt around the collar, but she looked up as Megan and the girl approached.

‘Oh, thank goodness…you found him, Chloe,’ she said, sending the girl a relieved look. ‘I was so distracted. I just didn’t see him wander off.’

She broke off, obviously too concerned about her husband to say any more on that score.

‘He hadn’t gone far, Auntie Alice.’

The woman swallowed hard. ‘Thanks for bringing him back. Will you keep an eye on him for me?’ Chloe nodded, and Alice turned back to her husband. ‘William,’ she said in agitation, ‘you have to tell me what’s wrong. Is it the lager that you were drinking? Did it go down the wrong way? Has it upset your stomach? You need to try to tell me what’s happening. It can’t be the food—you haven’t eaten anything.’

William mumbled something incoherent, and Megan knelt down beside him. ‘Chloe told me your husband wasn’t feeling well,’ she told Alice. ‘I’m a doctor. Is it all right if I take a look at him?’

Alice gave a relieved gulp. ‘Would you? Oh, please do. I’d be so glad if you could do anything to help. He keeps writhing about, as if he’s in pain. He hasn’t been well for a while before this, but we thought it was just general aches and pains. We were hoping that an afternoon out would help to make him feel better. I’ve never seen him like this before.’

‘OK.’ Megan looked to see if William was responsive. ‘Hello, William. I’m Dr Rees,’ she told him, and his mouth moved but no sound came out. She set about checking his pulse. ‘His heart rate is very rapid,’ she said, looking up at Alice. ‘I really need to go and get my medical bag. It’s in my car, back at the pub, along with my phone. It won’t take me more than a few minutes.’

As she started to move away, she saw that the man from the canal bank had ventured over, presumably to see what was going on.

‘He doesn’t look too good, does he?’ he said, shooting a glance over to where Nicky’s father was lying. ‘I’ll call for an ambulance.’

‘Thanks,’ she murmured. ‘That would be a great help.’ A glance showed her that he had left his painting materials behind, and that seemed incongruous to her. The boy’s flirtation with danger had not been enough to make him leave his painting, but the notion that an adult was in difficulty had clearly caught his attention.

Or perhaps he was right, and she was the one who had things the wrong way about. Maybe she was too tense for her own good. Either way, his comments still rankled and, whatever the reality of the situation, she quickly dismissed him from her mind.

She was back at William’s side just a short time later.

‘I’m going to give him oxygen,’ she told Alice. ‘It should help him to breathe a little more easily, but I need you to assist me, if you would.’ She worked quickly, placing the breathing mask over William’s nose and mouth and securing it in place. ‘Do you think you could hold this oxygen bag and keep squeezing it for me like this?’

‘Yes, I can do that.’

‘Good.’ Megan began to wrap a blood-pressure cuff around William’s arm.

‘What’s the matter with my daddy?’

Megan looked up to see that Nicky was anxiously watching what was happening.

‘He’s not feeling very well, Nicky,’ she said. ‘We need to send him to hospital so that the doctors can make him more comfortable.’

Nicky stuck his thumb in his mouth, his eyes wide and troubled. Megan looked up at Chloe. ‘I wonder if you could take him to look at the ducks?’ she suggested softly. ‘This is perhaps a little too upsetting for him.’

The girl nodded, and Megan tacked on, ‘Just keep an eye on him and see to it that he doesn’t go too close to the water.’

‘I will.’ Chloe took off with Nicky in the direction of the canal wharf. ‘Come on, squirt,’ she said. ‘We’ll see how many ducklings we can find.’

‘Do you have any idea what might be wrong with my husband?’ the woman asked.

‘Not yet,’ Megan answered. ‘They’ll have to do tests at the hospital, and possibly a scan.’ She was concerned about the way his muscles were twitching, and as she watched him his body began to jerk uncontrollably. ‘Does he have any history of epilepsy?’

The woman shook her head. ‘No. The only thing he ever mentioned is a sort of cramping pain from time to time.’

‘Show me where it was that he had the pain,’ Megan said, and the man’s wife showed her an area around his kidneys.

‘Is that any help to you?’ the woman asked.

‘Possibly, but we won’t know anything for sure until he’s undergone thorough tests.’ Megan frowned. ‘His blood pressure is very high. Has he had problems with that before?’

‘Not that I am aware of, although he has been getting headaches. Is it important?’

‘It could be. I’m going to have to give him an injection to control the seizures,’ Megan murmured. ‘With any luck, the ambulance will be here before too long.’

The paramedics arrived within a few minutes, and Megan supervised William’s transfer into the ambulance, walking with them to the pub car park, where their vehicle was waiting.

‘I thought your stint on duty had finished a few hours ago,’ the lead paramedic said, acknowledging Megan. He grinned. ‘You can’t stay away, that’s the truth of it, isn’t it?’

‘Too right,’ she said with a faint smile. ‘I expect I’ll see you again bright and early tomorrow.’

‘I want to go with my husband,’ Alice put in. ‘Can I do that, and take Chloe and Nicky with me?’

The driver nodded. ‘We should be able to squeeze you in.’ He ushered them inside the vehicle and then closed the doors on them, leaving his partner to attend to the patient on the journey. ‘We’ll be on our way, then,’ he told Megan.

She inclined her head and waved them off. Then she turned, and realised that the artist was standing just a short distance away, watching her.

‘You seem to know them quite well,’ he said, throwing a glance towards the disappearing ambulance. ‘Are they colleagues of yours?’

‘Yes, I see them most days. I work in the A and E department at the Borderlands Hospital.’

‘Ah.’ He tilted his head backwards a fraction, and for a moment she wondered if there was something familiar about him.

‘Have we met before this?’ she asked him on an impulse. ‘I suddenly have the feeling that I’ve seen you around and about.’

He smiled briefly. ‘It’s possible, I suppose, though I doubt it. I’m sure I would have remembered if we’d been introduced.’ His glance shimmered over her. He put out his hand and she lifted hers in return, feeling more than a little overwhelmed as his palm covered hers in a warm embrace. ‘I’m Theo Benyon,’ he said, drawing her close to him.

‘Megan Rees.’

‘Perhaps we’ll meet again before too long?’ he murmured. His blue gaze drifted over her.

‘It’s possible, I dare say.’ She sent him a long look from under thick, dark lashes, an imp of mischief coming to her. ‘If you’re not too busy with your painting, you might want to help out in one of my “Keep Children Safe” workshops. We run them from time to time at the hospital, and we’re always looking for people to lend a hand.’

He threw back his head and laughed. ‘You don’t give up, do you, Megan Rees? I guess you like to involve people in your good causes—but I think I’ll pass on that one if it’s all the same with you. I have quite enough to deal with at the moment, one way and another.’

‘Do you?’ She wondered what those things might be as she smiled gently and tugged her hand free. ‘I have to go,’ she said. ‘Things to do, people to see. I’ll leave you to go and retrieve your painting.’

It was an excuse, but suddenly she felt the need to put distance between them. Her hand was still tingling from the warm intimacy of his grasp and her body quivered in response to the lingering look he had bestowed on her. All at once he seemed like the Devil personified, and her instinct was to retreat, fast.

She wasn’t quite sure why she felt that way, but if instinct was urging her to run, she would follow it. Theo was a red-blooded male, young and vigorous, and she couldn’t help but sense his interest in her. That alone was enough to put her on her guard. Hadn’t she already discovered that there was some kind of a flaw in all the men who crossed her path?

CHAPTER TWO

‘IT WAS definitely a heart attack. Look at the lab results…they show that her cardiac enzymes are elevated.’ Megan scanned the report on screen and then switched to the results of the echocardiograph. ‘See this area here?’ She glanced at the senior house officer by her side and pointed out the region that was giving her concern. ‘The heart function is definitely impaired.’

‘I see it. It’s not good, is it?’ Sarah winced. Her face was pale against the gold of her hair, and Megan guessed the long hours on duty were beginning to take their toll on her. She hoped she could send her to the doctors’ lounge to take a well-earned rest soon, as things had been hectic in A and E.

‘Not good at all.’ Megan turned her attention to the monitor that was recording her patient’s vital signs. ‘Her heart rate is way too high and her condition’s deteriorating fast.’

‘What are you going to do?’ Sarah was worried, her gaze troubled as she studied the laboratory results. ‘You’ve already given her glyceryl trinitrate and diamorphine, along with an infusion of tirofiban and heparin, but the chest pain is coming back, and she’s struggling to get her breath.’

Megan pressed her lips together. ‘We’ll leave her on the infusion for a while longer to see if things settle down.’ She frowned, pushing back a silky lock of chestnut hair that tumbled across her cheek. ‘Is there any news of Mr Carlson yet? We’re running out of time. If we don’t get her to surgery soon, she could go into cardiogenic shock and that would be grim.’

‘I’ll go and check, but last I heard he was tied up in Theatre at a hospital across the county.’

Megan winced. ‘We really need more people that we can call on. We’ve been understaffed for months now, and the situation doesn’t show any sign of changing for the better, does it?’

Sarah shook her head. She went to make her phone call, while Megan spoke quietly to the nurse who was assisting, before checking the infusion meter and keying in the appropriate settings.

‘Let me know if there’s any change,’ she murmured, and the nurse nodded.

‘I will.’

Megan drew in a quick breath and went in search of her next patient. It had been non-stop from the minute she had come on duty. A traffic accident at a notorious road junction had kept her and her colleagues busy for most of the morning, tending to the injured, and then she’d had to deal with a patient who couldn’t breathe properly and a child with a broken arm. Then had come the woman who had suffered a heart attack.

Just another day in the emergency department, and problems were piling up on one another, thick and fast. Wasn’t that the nature of the job?

An hour or so later she headed towards the central area to see who was next on her list.

‘Ouch.’ A small voice caught her attention and she glanced into one of the treatment rooms off the central area in time to see a small boy clambering up onto a trolley bed. He was attempting to unhook an oxygen mask and tubing from the outlet on the wall at the back of the bed, and it looked as though he had banged his leg in the attempt. He stopped to rub his injury momentarily and then went on with his examination of the oxygen equipment.

What on earth was he doing in there on his own? Megan went to investigate.

‘Is someone looking after you?’ she asked. He couldn’t be much more than five years old, she guessed.

The boy glanced at her and then nodded without saying anything.

‘Are you sick?’

He shook his head.

‘That’s good. But I saw that you banged your leg on the bed. Do you want me to take a look at it?’

Again there was a perfunctory shake of the head, an action that sent his dark hair into a quiver. Losing interest in her, he tugged at the tubing and started to play around with the mask.

‘You really shouldn’t be playing with that,’ she told him. ‘If you pull on it like that it might get damaged, and then it won’t be of any use if we need it when someone needs help to breathe.’

‘Oh.’ He put the mask down on the pillow and looked around him in a disgruntled fashion. ‘I don’t want to stay here,’ he said, giving her an accusatory glance. ‘I want my mum.’

‘OK.’ Megan studied him, wondering what had brought about the downward slant to his lip. ‘I’ll see if we can do something about that.’ She held out her hand to him. ‘Do you want to come with me and we’ll see if we can sort this out?’

His glare was truculent. ‘I don’t know you. You’re a stranger.’

‘Ah…’ For a second or two his simple logic knocked her for six. ‘Well, yes, you’re quite right about that,’ she murmured, recovering. ‘And it’s very sensible of you to stay put, under the circumstances.’ Her mouth twisted as she thought things through. ‘Who is supposed to be looking after you?’ she asked, trying another tack. ‘You really shouldn’t be here on your own, you know.’

A boy of few words, he pointed to the central area beyond, and then shrugged his shoulders upwards, clamping his bent legs with his arms and burying his chin on his knees. Watching him, Megan didn’t think she was going to get much more out of him.

She looked to where he had pointed and saw that Sarah was talking to someone who had his back to her. She stared for a moment at that tall, grey-suited figure, and all at once she stiffened. There was something instantly recognisable about those broad masculine shoulders and the long sweep of taut legs.

What was Theo Benyon doing here? And did he make a habit of leaving children to their own devices?

‘Stay here,’ Megan said to the child. ‘What’s your name, by the way? What should I call you?’

‘Harry.’ His blue eyes held a belligerent spark, but she sensed that underneath all the muted aggression there was a troubled, vulnerable little boy.

‘I’ll be back in a little while, Harry.’

Sarah was clearly captivated by the artist’s easygoing manner. There was a flush of warmth in her once pale cheeks, and her green eyes were lit with a kind of awed expectation.

Megan clamped her lips together. Theo was a disruptive influence. Why was he taking up space in their A and E unit if he wasn’t sick?

‘Well, hello, there,’ she said on a brisk note as she approached him. ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you again quite so soon. Is there something we can do for you, Mr Benyon?’

‘Theo, please.’ A faint smile hovered on his lips, but it disappeared almost as soon as he met her gaze. ‘Uh-oh,’ he said, narrowing his eyes. ‘Am I in trouble again? I seem to recognise that expression on your face. It’s the look that says, You had better watch your step, because I’m not best pleased.’

‘I can’t imagine why you should think that way,’ she murmured. Turning to Sarah, she said softly, ‘Why don’t you go and take a break for a while, Sarah? Things seem to be calm around here for the moment.’

Sarah smiled. ‘You know that’s the cue for all hell to break loose, don’t you?’

Megan’s mouth curved briefly. ‘I do, but we’ll manage somehow if it does.’

‘Good. I could do with a coffee. I’ll just check on my patients, though, before I go.’ Sarah glanced at Theo. ‘It was interesting talking to you. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help.’

She walked away, leaving Megan to direct her attention towards Theo. ‘I hardly like to bring the subject up,’ Megan said in an even tone, ‘but young Harry over there says he belongs with you and he doesn’t look to be a very happy bunny right now. I’m afraid he might get into mischief if he’s left to his own devices for much longer.’

Theo frowned, as though he had no idea what she was talking about. ‘I’ve just rescued the oxygen equipment from his inquisitive fingers,’ she explained, ‘and…’ her glance went to the treatment room, a line indenting her brow ‘…it looks as though he’s moved on from there. It would be my guess that the trolley bed is about to go walkabout any moment now.’

Theo’s blue eyes narrowed. ‘He was supposed to be looking at picture books.’

Her mouth flattened. ‘Was he? I can’t imagine why he’s not looking at them when there’s a whole ward full of gadgets to explore.’ Her tone held a hint of sarcasm. ‘Clever boy. It can’t have taken him above two seconds to figure out the wheel-release mechanism.’ Her brows met in a fine, dark line. ‘I just hope he’s worked out how the brake operates.’

‘I don’t know about clever,’ Theo said under his breath. ‘What Harry has in abundance is determination. Excuse me.’ He was already striding purposefully towards the treatment room.

A moment later he was back again, with a scowling Harry in tow. ‘I want to see my mum,’ the boy said.

‘You will.’ Theo lightly tousled the boy’s hair. ‘Just let me apologise to the doctor for leaving you to fend for yourself. She thinks I don’t know how to look after young children, and you’ve more or less proved her point.’ He turned his gaze on Megan once more, treating her to the full blaze of eyes that were the colour of a summer sky.

‘I was entirely in the wrong,’ he said, bowing his head in a way that might have signified contrition, if she hadn’t caught the faint glimmer of a smile in that devilish glance. ‘I thought I could rely on him to stay out of trouble for a minute or two while I left a message for Mr Edwards, but obviously my faith was misplaced.’

‘I dare say these things happen,’ she returned evenly, ‘though I don’t know of any child who can resist exploring. But I guess things turned out all right in the end. It would probably be better if you were to keep him by your side from now on.’

‘I’ll do that.’ His mouth pulled wrily. ‘I’ll take him away and we’ll leave you in peace.’

Megan nodded. She might have said more, but he was already starting to turn away from her, and the nurse who had been assisting with the cardiac patient came hurrying forward, saying in an anxious tone, ‘Mrs Claremont is going downhill fast. I think she’s going into cardiogenic shock—all the signs you said to look out for are there, and her circulation appears to be shutting down. Will you come?’

‘Of course. Phone through to the catheter suite and tell them I need to operate, will you, and ask the senior house officer on duty to assist me? I’ll need two nurses to come along as well.’ She started to swivel around in order to hurry back to the observation ward, but added, ‘I don’t suppose there has been any news from Mr Carlson?’

‘He phoned to say it’ll be several hours before he can get away. He said to put her on thrombolytics.’

Megan winced. ‘We’ve done that, but it isn’t working. I’ve no choice but to do an emergency angiography and try to open up the blood vessel with a balloon implant. I just hope we can buy her some time.’

She glanced back towards Theo, something in her drawn to seek him out. He, too, had stopped in his tracks, she discovered, and he was watching her, an odd expression on his face, one that she could not read, no matter how she tried. Then Harry tugged on his arm and he gathered himself together and reluctantly began to turn in the direction of the exit.

Megan continued on her way. Perhaps it was just as well that he had gone. Somehow he was managing to cloud her vision and cause a blip in her usually clear thinking. ‘You had better let Mr Edwards know what we’re doing,’ she said to the nurse. ‘He wanted to be kept informed.’

‘OK. I’ll page him. He was working with a patient in Resus a while ago.’

Megan hurried to check on her patient. The woman’s renal system was failing despite the intravenous diuretics and medications she had received.

‘Let’s get her up to the catheter suite,’ she said, when the nurse returned. ‘I’m guessing that she has a critically narrowed artery, and I need to restore her circulation as soon as possible.’

The hour that followed was nerve-racking. Megan introduced a catheter into an artery in her patient’s groin and guided it into the descending aorta, the heart’s main blood vessel, monitoring her progress all the time with the aid of the computer. ‘OK, I see the blockage and I have the balloon in place. We need to set up the pump so that it will inflate and deflate the balloon at the right intervals.’

They worked as a team, and then watched the pump in action to ensure that it was working properly. When the patient’s heart was in the resting phase, the balloon inflated, increasing the supply of oxygen-rich blood to the coronary arteries. When the heart was ready to work, the balloon deflated, decreasing the workload on the heart.

‘Well done, everybody,’ Megan said, moving away from the bedside some time later. ‘We’ve done all we can for now, and we’ve managed to restore her circulation for the time being. The balloon can stay in place until Mr Carlson is ready to operate.’

Her boss, Mr Edwards, met up with her as she was leaving the catheter suite. ‘How did it go?’ he asked.

‘She’s stable for the time being.’ Megan’s expression was troubled. ‘I just hope Mr Carlson will be able to do a coronary bypass before too long. She’s in desperate need of the surgery. She’s still relatively young, and she has a family waiting for her.’

‘It’s always a worrying time for all concerned.’ Mr Edwards walked with her to the lift. He was a tall man, distinguished-looking, with steel-grey hair that was cut close to frame his head. ‘By the way, the nurse on Reception told me Theo Benyon was in here looking for me. She said she saw you talking to him, but then he left… Was there a problem? Do you happen to know where he went?’

Did her boss know the man? Megan shook her head. ‘I’ve no idea. I was just relieved that he gathered up the child that was with him and kept him from getting into any more mischief. I was worried that the equipment would be damaged if he didn’t rein him in.’

Mr Edwards frowned. ‘You didn’t say anything to annoy him, did you?’

‘No. At least, I don’t think so. I may have been a trifle curt with him, I suppose.’ She sent him an enquiring look. ‘Why…is there a problem? Is it to do with the artwork you were thinking of commissioning?’ It suddenly occurred to her that Theo was an artist, and Mr Edwards had been talking about having the children’s wing of A and E spruced up—was Theo famous for his murals, or something? ‘Is that why he was here, to see you about artwork for the children’s unit?’

‘Artwork? No, not at all. Nothing like that.’ Mr Edwards was unusually distracted as he pressed the button for the lift. ‘I operated on the boy’s mother—I expect he wanted to talk to me about that. I hope you didn’t say or do anything to upset him?’

Megan sent him a confused glance. It wasn’t like her boss to be so edgy and preoccupied. Had something gone wrong during the operation? That would be a tragedy in itself, but it was unlikely to have been Mr Edwards’s fault. He was an excellent surgeon with an impressive track record.

It was all very puzzling. What was wrong with the boy’s mother? And if his wife was seriously ill, what had Theo been thinking of when he’d lightly flirted with her? Or had she misjudged his actions? It was possible, of course, or perhaps he was one of those men who saw every woman as a challenge. Either way, the man had a lot to answer for.

‘As I was saying,’ she said as they stepped into the lift, ‘I spoke to Mr Benyon, but I simply suggested that the boy needed to be taken in hand. Of course, I didn’t realise that the child’s mother was ill. No wonder Harry was acting up. He must be very worried about her.’

‘Yes, I expect he is. Anyway, if you run into Theo again, go carefully. I don’t want to alienate him in any way.’

And what was that supposed to mean? She opened her mouth to ask him, but her boss was frowning heavily, deep in thought and locked away in some world of his own. It wasn’t at all like him to be this way, and Megan had no idea what to make of it. Perhaps, though, this was not the best time to start quizzing him.

Anyway, with any luck she wouldn’t run into Theo again any time soon.

The lift came to a halt and they stepped out into the corridor. Mr Edwards headed straight towards his office, and Megan decided to go in search of a late lunch.

Sarah was just preparing to leave her table at the cafeteria when Megan set down her lunch-tray.

‘I heard you had to operate,’ Sarah said. ‘Do you think Mrs Claremont will pull through OK?’

‘I hope so. It all depends on whether Mr Carlson will be able to operate successfully. She’s very weak.’

‘That’s hardly surprising, but you’ve done everything that you could for her.’ Sarah glanced at Megan before pushing her chair back from the table and getting to her feet. Her green eyes were sympathetic. ‘No one could have done anything more, and they’ll take good care of her in the intensive care unit. It’s just a question of waiting to see what happens.’

‘I know.’ Megan sighed and gazed back at her friend. ‘Dealing with a heart attack is difficult enough at any time, but when it happens to a relatively young mother it’s heartbreaking.’

Sarah nodded and glanced down at her watch. ‘I have to get back to work,’ she said, tucking a strand of golden hair back into place. ‘I’ll see you later, Megan. Try to eat something. It will make you feel better and help to keep your strength up.’

‘I will.’ Megan toyed with the salad on her plate, twirling her fork idly in the mound of grated cheese, as she watched her friend walk away.

The food tasted good, and she ate carefully, savouring the variety of flavours—honey-baked ham, crisp red and green peppers and a crusty bread roll.

For just a few moments it was good to relax and enjoy the freedom from responsibility. This job meant everything to her, but she had to acknowledge that she was in real need of a break.

As difficult as it was, heart-rending though it might be at times, her career in medicine was her life. She had worked hard to come this far, and as a specialist registrar inA and E she had a good deal of responsibility resting on her shoulders…shoulders that ached right now with a growing knot of tension.

She put down her fork and sipped at her hot cup of coffee, moving her limbs to ease the tightness in her muscles. It was a relief to be able to unwind for a few precious minutes. Stretching her legs out in front of her, she let her mind drift over the variety of cases she’d had to deal with so far today.

It was as though every minute was taken up with life-and-death decisions, and she faced a struggle each day to keep one step ahead. Why did she put herself through all this?

She stared out of the window as though she might find the answer in the tubs of brightly coloured pansies that were dotted about the paved quadrangle.

‘Hello, there… Meeting up like this is getting to be something of a habit.’

Megan gave a start and looked up as the sound of that familiar male voice intruded on her reverie.

‘You’re right. So it is.’ She stared at Theo Benyon. What on earth was he doing there?

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.’ He was holding a tray, laden with a coffee cup and pastries, and now he asked, ‘Would it be all right if I join you?’

‘Help yourself.’ She waved a hand towards the chair opposite.

He sat down, his gaze shooting over her as he stirred his coffee with a spoon. ‘You look wiped out,’ he murmured. ‘Have things not been going too well for you?’

She sent him a wry smile. ‘What was the give-away—the dark shadows under my eyes or my general drawn appearance?’ He, of course, looked absolutely great. His grey suit was beautifully tailored, cut from dark fabric that looked fabulously expensive. His jacket was open, so that she could see the fine linen of his shirt, and his tie was subtly patterned to blend in with the whole.

His mouth made an odd quirk. ‘Nothing like that. You just look generally weary.’

Her mouth flattened. ‘It’s been a difficult day, one way and another.’

He lifted a brow in query. ‘Last I saw of you, you were headed up to the catheter suite. Did things not go too well?’

‘They went well enough. My patient suffered a myocardial infarction—a heart attack—and unfortunately it took a long while for her to be brought into hospital in the first place. She lives out in a remote rural area. It never helps if the patient goes for a long time without receiving specialised attention. She was only in her early forties and eventually she went into cardiogenic shock. It was all we could do to bring her back from the brink.’

She pressed her lips together, and then glanced at his plate and the pastries. ‘It looks as though you have a sweet tooth,’ she murmured, changing the subject. ‘Are you planning on eating all of those by yourself?’

‘Not necessarily.’ He sent her an amused look. ‘You’re welcome to choose one if you like. I recommend the fruit tart. Just save the jam doughnut for Harry. That’s his favourite, and he’ll be coming along to demolish it just as soon as he’s finished with the vending machine. I think he’s trying to nab himself a small rubber ball…not one of his best ideas, because you can bet it will bounce all over the place and be lost in no time at all.’

‘Ah, I wondered what had happened to him.’ She glanced across the room to the machine where the boy was gazing thoughtfully at a collection of coloured balls. ‘Thanks all the same, but I’m content with my salad.’

She looked at him more closely. ‘So is this where I’ve seen you before? Are you visiting a patient here?’

‘I am. As you say, that’s probably it. I’ve been here several times over the last couple of weeks.’

‘It must be difficult for you, fitting in visits around work and taking time to look after Harry as well. Or perhaps you’re able to work from home? I imagine that painting must be the ideal job.’

His mouth curved, lending a roguish slant to his features. ‘I’m flattered you think I could make a decent living from it, but I haven’t actually put it to the test. Anyway, I have Harry to look after just now, and that’s a full-time job in itself.’

‘Oh, I see. I mean… Yes, I can imagine that it is.’

Harry came over to the table, hefting a small rubber ball in his palm. ‘I got it,’ he said. ‘I wanted the red one with the white swirls, and I got it. See?’ He opened out his palm to show it to Theo.

‘That’s obviously a very special one,’ Theo remarked. ‘Just see that it doesn’t roll about the floor and get in everybody’s way.’

It was already too late as he spoke. Harry gleefully tried out the ball for bounce-ability, and what followed was an excited chase to retrieve it from under the nearby tables.

Theo’s mouth set in a resigned expression. ‘Hold onto it, or I’ll look after it for you,’ he warned.

Turning back to Megan, he said thoughtfully, ‘I meant to ask how the man from the pub fared after his collapse. Did you manage to follow up on what happened to him?’

Megan nodded. ‘I did. The doctor who looked after him on admission to hospital has ordered tests, including a CT scan. We’ll know more in a day or so, but for the moment he’s comfortable.’

‘That’s something, anyway.’

The rubber ball was on the loose once more, and as quick as a flash Theo caught it, enclosing it in his palm.

‘I want to play with it,’ Harry said. ‘Can I have it back, please?’

Theo shook his head. ‘Not until we get home. People in here are sick, or upset because they’re visiting relatives who aren’t well. They don’t want to be having to duck out of the way of your ball every few seconds.’

Harry’s lip jutted in a belligerent fashion. ‘I’ll keep hold of it, I promise.’

‘No, you won’t. I’ll look after it until we get home.’

Harry opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it at the last moment. He turned his attention to Megan. ‘Do you work here?’ he asked.

She nodded. ‘I do, and actually I should be getting back to work right now. I have patients to see.’ She swallowed the last dregs of her coffee, and glanced across the table at Theo. ‘I expect you have things you need to be doing, as well.’

‘He said he would take me fishing,’ Harry said, nodding vigorously. ‘And we’re going to plant things in the garden so it’s nice for Mummy when she comes home, and then we’re going shopping to get me some new clothes.’

‘That sounds as though you have lots to look forward to,’ Megan acknowledged with a faint smile. Did his father not do any kind of work? For all he denied it, it sounded as though he must make some money from his paintings. Perhaps he was simply being modest about his talent, or maybe he was a man of independent means. Then again, he could simply be taking a vacation in order to take care of his son. Why was she even questioning how he came to be there or how he lived his life? What was it about him that provoked her curiosity?

‘I heard that you were looking for Mr Edwards,’ she said, looking directly at Theo as she stood up. ‘Last I saw of him, he was heading for his office. I gathered he would like to speak to you, too.’

Theo frowned, then nodded. ‘I’ll go and find him. Thank you for letting me know.’

‘You’re welcome.’ She sent the boy a quick smile. ‘’Bye, Harry. I hope your mother feels better soon.’

‘So do I,’ he said. ‘I don’t like my mum being poorly. I want her to be back home with me.’

‘Of course you do.’ Megan gave him a sympathetic smile. Any child would want his mother to be with him, wouldn’t he? Wasn’t it the most natural thing in the world to wish for? And yet it was the one yearning she had struggled with throughout her own life, that even now she found difficulty coming to terms with. Why was it that she had never experienced that particular joy? Was she so unlovable that her own mother had not wanted to stay around to be with her through her childhood?

‘Are you all right?’ Theo asked gently.

She gave a small start, coming out of her introspection to glance briefly at him. ‘Of course. I’m absolutely fine.’

Then she turned and hurried away quickly. She didn’t want Theo’s quiet concern. He stirred up all that had lain dormant inside her and her emotions were in turmoil, though for the life of her she couldn’t have said why.

She needed to escape.

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