‘The romance of the island is finding its way into your heart. It happens to everyone after a while. It casts a spell on you, and you never want to leave.’

Ethan came to stand in front of her, laying a hand on the bole of the palm tree just above her head, and then he leaned towards her, dropping a kiss lightly on her mouth.

‘I hadn’t expected it to happen,’ he said softly, ‘but you’ve made a huge impact on my life. You caught me unawares, and now I can’t stop thinking about you—day or night.’

He made a half-smile, his gaze running over her. ‘Especially in the night.’

He kissed her again, teasing the softness of her lips with the brush of his mouth, enticing a flurry of expectation within her nervous system, stoking the flame that burned inside 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:

NEW SURGEON AT ASHVALE A&E

POSH DOC, SOCIETY WEDDING

HOT-SHOT DOC, CHRISTMAS BRIDE

THE REBEL AND THE BABY DOCTOR

Hawaiian Sunset, Dream Proposal

by

Joanna Neil

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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CHAPTER ONE

‘HE’S not doing very well at all, is he?’ The young woman’s voice was choked with emotion, and her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Amber. ‘Isn’t there something more that you can do for him? Nothing seems to be happening.’

Amber removed the printed trace from her patient’s heart monitor and taped the paper strip into his file. The readings were erratic, showing a dangerous, uncoordinated rhythm. ‘I know this must be a very difficult time for you,’ she said in a quiet voice, turning towards the girl, ‘but I want you to know that we’re doing everything we can for your father. I’ve given him an injection to take away the pain, and he’s receiving medication through a drip in his arm to try to prevent things from getting any worse.’ There was a defibrillator on standby in case his condition deteriorated, but she wasn’t going to point that out to her patient’s anxious daughter.

The girl pulled in a shaky breath. ‘He looks so dreadfully ill. I know he hasn’t been well these last few months, but this has come as such a shock. As soon as I saw him, I knew it was bad. His secretary called me at the university to say that he was unwell and that they’d called for an ambulance…I was in the middle of a lecture, and I rushed over there as quickly as I could.’

She gulped, sending a worried glance towards her father. ‘She said he had been in his office, trying to get through a backlog of work, when he suddenly felt nauseous and short of breath. At first he thought he was suffering from a bad attack of indigestion, but then things got worse and he felt this awful pain in his chest…a crushing, vice-like pain.’

She broke off and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. ‘By the time I arrived at the office, he had collapsed and the paramedics were there. It all seemed to have happened so quickly.’

‘The paramedics gave him emergency treatment before they brought him here,’ Amber told her. ‘They did everything that was possible to make sure he arrived here safely.’

Martyn Wyndham Brookes had been conscious when he’d arrived at A and E but, despite his pain and discomfort, his one thought had been for his daughter. ‘She’s very young,’ he had managed to say, ‘and she’s a long way from home…studying at university. She always wanted to come to London.’ His face had been haggard with pain, but his concern for his daughter had been obvious as he’d looked anxiously at Amber, and she had hurried to reassure him.

‘We’ll look after her, I promise,’ she’d told him gently. ‘I’ll have a nurse take care of her…but right now we need to concentrate on making you feel better.’ She had taken to him straight away…such a strong, warm-hearted man.

Now, after he had lapsed into a drowsy, semi-conscious state, she felt it was time to explain to his daughter what had happened. ‘I suspect he’s had a heart attack,’ she said, ‘and that there’s a blood clot blocking an artery somewhere and causing problems with his circulation.’

Tears trickled down Caitlin Wyndham Brookes’s cheeks. ‘That’s what the paramedic said…but that’s bad, isn’t it?’

‘It’s something we’re used to dealing with,’ Amber said. She studied the girl’s pale features. ‘Is there anyone we can call for you…someone who might come and be with you?’

Caitlin shook her head. ‘My mother died some years ago, and there’s no one over here…just my friends at university.’ She gazed at Amber in an agitated fashion. ‘Isn’t there something more you can do for him? What if you have to go off and deal with other patients? I know you have others to see, and it’s so busy here. There are so many patients being brought in…I want somebody to be with him all the time, someone in a senior position.’

The flow of words stopped suddenly, as though she was taking stock of what she had said. ‘It’s not that I’m doubting your ability,’ Caitlin tried to explain, ‘but he’s just lying there, looking so frail…It isn’t like him at all…he’s always been so tough, so busy, on the move all the time.’ Distress caused her voice to waver, and Amber hurried to soothe her once more.

‘We’ll know much more about what’s happened to him when we’ve done all the necessary tests. It will take a little while for all the results to come back, though. In the meantime, we’re taking good care of him. He’s receiving oxygen through a face-mask, and his condition is being observed the whole time with the aid of the heart monitor and various other machines. If I’m called away to attend to another patient, I’ll still know what’s going on, because the nurses will alert me to any change as soon as it happens.’

She frowned as she ran the stethoscope over her patient’s chest. Initially, his heart rate had been alarmingly fast, while his pulse had been barely discernible, but now the heart rhythm was becoming chaotic and everything about the man told her that he was gravely ill.

‘Unfortunately, we don’t have any records for him, over here in the U.K.,’ Amber said, turning to look at the girl once more. Caitlin Wyndham Brookes was twenty or so years old, a slender young woman with black hair expertly cut into a smooth, jaw-length bob. Her eyes were grey, sombre at the moment, much like an overcast, rain-drenched sky. ‘You mentioned that he lives overseas for most of the year,’ Amber added. ‘Do you know who looks after his medical care back home?’

‘He has his own doctor in Oahu…in Hawaii.’ Caitlin glanced at Amber. ‘I suppose I could try to get in touch with my step-cousin over there. He’ll be very concerned about my father—they’re so much like father and son. My father took Ethan under his wing after his parents died, and there’s a real bond between them.’

She hesitated for a moment, thinking things through. ‘Ethan would probably be able to have a word with the doctor back home, if that would help, and I know he’ll want to be kept informed about what’s happening over here.’

Amber nodded. ‘That would be great. As he’s so far away, it might be quicker and easier if he could fax the information we need, or perhaps send the bare essentials by e-mail. If you were to go and have a word with our nurse, I’m sure she could help sort things out.’

Sarah, the nurse on duty, was happy to oblige, and Amber sent her a grateful glance as she led the young woman away. Sarah gave her a discreet smile in return, her fair hair making a silky swathe across her shoulders as she nodded with gentle perception. ‘I’ll take a few details and see if we can find out any more information.’

She could see that Amber had enough on her hands, dealing with a difficult situation that could take a turn for the worse at any moment. Much as she wanted to help in any way she could, Amber was finding it distracting, trying to keep the young woman calm throughout everything.

Amber turned her attention back to her patient. Martyn Wyndham Brookes was in his mid-fifties, a tall, personable man, she guessed from talking to the paramedics, with black hair streaked with threads of silver. She gathered that he was a wealthy man, a man of some standing in the international business community. According to the paramedics who had brought him into hospital, his U.K. office was situated in Docklands, occupying a prestigious block that overlooked the grand vista of the river Thames.

It seemed, though, that illness was no respecter of wealth or position. Martyn’s condition had gone downhill rapidly, and Amber knew that it was going to take all her skill to help him to recover. His features were ashen, his skin had taken on a clammy appearance, and he was no longer attempting to talk.

‘How’s it going?’

She glanced up to see that James, her boyfriend, a senior house officer like herself, had come to join her. She looked at him with affection, feeling as though a faint glow of sunshine had come into her life. ‘Things could be better,’ she said in a low tone. ‘It’s always good to see you, though. How are things with you?’

He shrugged, draping an arm around her shoulders, so that she immediately felt warm and cherished. ‘Soso. It’s been pretty stressful around here, lately, with one thing and another. We’re still waiting on the results of job applications, aren’t we, and our contracts here come to an end within a couple of weeks? Have you heard anything yet?’

She shook her head. ‘Nothing, so far, though I haven’t had time to check my hospital mail box yet today. We’ve been so rushed in here.’

He gave a brief, half-hearted smile. ‘I expect you’ll come through it all right. You’re very good at everything you do. Look at the way you sailed through your exams. No one is going to turn you down. You applied for a topnotch job in emergency medicine and you’re bound to get it.’ Even as he was singing her praises, there was a flat note in James’s voice that made Amber glance up at him, a frown indenting her brow.

He let his arm fall to his side, leaving her feeling suddenly bereft. Something was clearly wrong with him, but she had no idea what it might be. James had not been his usual self for some weeks now. At first she had thought it was the pressure of exams weighing him down, along with the aftermath of results, but now she was beginning to wonder if it was something more than that.

‘I don’t think it’s as cut and dried as it seems. I’m waiting to hear the news just the same as everyone else. From what I’ve heard, it’s all down to the computer system matching up job applications with employers. There were some terrible glitches, apparently.’ She frowned. ‘It’s all a bit worrying, isn’t it? Sarah said that there have been quite a few mix-ups, and a lot of people have missed out on getting any kind of job. Some junior doctors have been talking about leaving medicine altogether.’ She shook her head in sad reflection, causing her burnished chestnut curls to quiver in response. ‘It’s such a waste, after all those years of training.’

She looked back at her patient. He seemed to be oblivious to everything that was going on around him, but perhaps that was just as well, given how desperately ill he was.

‘I doubt you’ll have any problems,’ James said. ‘All the senior staff speak very highly of you, and you could pretty much do anything you want. I guess it puts me in the shade.’ His mouth made a rueful shape, and Amber sent him another quick look, wondering what had got into him to make him appear so downbeat.

‘You sound as though things are becoming too much for you,’ she murmured, sending him a sympathetic smile before checking the pulse oximeter reading to see how her patient was doing. The machine kept bleeping, warning her that the level of oxygen in his blood was falling as his circulation became more impaired. She decided to check with the consultant about starting him on thrombolytic drugs to try to dissolve, or reduce, the size of any clot that might have formed.

‘I’m really hoping that we’ll be able to work together at the London University Hospital. We’ve worked well with one another here in A and E, haven’t we?’ Amber studied James closely, seeing the troubled look in his eyes. ‘Perhaps we could have lunch together later today and talk things through? I’m fairly sure that you won’t have any trouble getting the research job you were after.’

‘Maybe. There aren’t that many people lining up to study my particular area of enquiry into asthma. It all depends whether the powers that be can come up with the funding.’

He straightened up, looking more at ease with himself, and moved away from her, towards the door. ‘I’ll go and check in the office again to see if any more news has come in.’ He looked at the man lying motionless in the bed. ‘Poor chap. It looks as though he’s having a rough time.’

Amber nodded, brushing a hand over her temples to tease back tendrils of hair that threatened to obscure her vision. Her chestnut-coloured hair was a shoulderlength mass of wild curls, a genetic gift from her mother that needed to be ruthlessly tamed with clips or scrunches. They shared the same eye colour, too, a soft, jewelled green.

‘I want to start him on thrombolytics,’ she said, ‘but until I have the results from the lab, I’m working in the dark a bit. My boss is operating on a badly injured patient right now, and I don’t want to disturb him unnecessarily, but I don’t think I can afford to wait.’

‘I know what you mean. It’s a balancing act, knowing when to prescribe and when to bide your time. I’d be inclined to interrupt your boss if I were you.’ James walked towards the door. ‘I’ll be back down here in a few minutes to see how you’re doing—I only came to see if you had heard anything about the job you applied for. Someone said letters were being given out this morning but for now I need to go and check up on a patient. Do you want me to check your box for any letters while I’m there?’

‘Yes, thanks.’ Amber nodded and turned her attention back to the businessman, writing up his medication notes on the chart as Sarah came into the room. Sarah shot a glance towards James as they passed each other in the corridor, and a small frown started up on her brow. Martyn’s daughter was by her side, but Caitlin was preoccupied just then, speaking to someone on her mobile phone. She stayed in the doorway, and Amber guessed Sarah had asked her not to bring the phone into the room.

Amber put the chart to one side and looked once more at the chest X-ray in the light box. Martyn’s heart was enlarged, and that was not a good sign.

Sarah inspected the settings on the infusion meter and made sure that their patient was receiving the right amount of medication through a drip in his arm.

‘Is everything okay with you and James?’ she asked in a quiet voice, throwing a brief glance in Amber’s direction. ‘He doesn’t seem to be his usual self these days, does he? It’s hard to pinpoint, but there’s definitely something…’

‘I was just thinking the same thing,’ Amber answered cautiously. ‘I think the world of him, as you know. We’ve been together for over a year now, and I thought everything was fine, but just lately I’m not so sure. He doesn’t smile as often as he did, and he has a sort of hangdog air about him, doesn’t he?’

Sarah nodded. ‘It’s probably the aftermath of exams, and waiting around for results and job offers,’ she remarked. ‘It seems to have affected everyone. My boyfriend’s gone into a bit of a decline, too. We’ve just not been having any fun lately.’

‘I dare say things will get better.’ Amber looked across the room at Caitlin, and saw that there was an awkward air about her, a reticence, as though she was in some way holding back. ‘Was there something you wanted to ask?’ Amber murmured.

Caitlin indicated the phone. ‘It’s my step-cousin, Ethan,’ she said, in a hesitant fashion. ‘He asked me to put him on speaker-phone. He wants to be involved in everything that’s going on.’

‘That’s fine with me.’ Amber nodded. ‘Just don’t bring the phone any closer to the medical equipment, or it might cause interference.’

She checked Martyn’s pulse. It was thready, his features were drained of colour, and she was worried in general about his condition. ‘It must be frustrating for your cousin to be so far away and not know what’s happening.’

‘But not for much longer, I hope.’ A male voice cracked in a whip-like fashion across the room. His tone was concise and authoritative, and Amber braced herself in startled recognition of the fact that he must be able to hear every word that was being spoken. ‘I’d like to talk to the doctor in charge of my uncle’s case,’ he said.

‘That would be me,’ she answered. ‘I’m Dr Amber Shaw. I’m the senior house officer in A and E. I was on duty when your uncle was brought in. I take it you are Ethan Wyndham Brookes?’

‘I’m Ethan Brookes without the Wyndham. Yes, my cousin explained the situation to me. I understand you’ve been taking care of my uncle, and I’m grateful to you for that. I heard that you have him on anticoagulant therapy to prevent any more blood clots from forming, but his condition seems to be deteriorating.’

‘Things are going very much as we might have expected,’ Amber told him. ‘As I explained to your cousin, we’re still waiting on the results of tests, but they should be here very soon.’

‘Hmm. But in these situations time is of the essence, isn’t it? So, I’d like to speak to the consultant in charge, if I may?’

He posed it as a polite question, but Amber was in no doubt that it was a request. She guessed from his deep, well-modulated and assured tones that he was used to having things his own way. He would be somewhere in his mid-thirties, she imagined.

‘Of course, I’ll put you in touch with him as soon as possible, but he’s in Theatre at the moment. Perhaps I could assist you in the meantime? I’d like to reassure you that we’re doing all that we can to make your uncle comfortable.’

‘I’m glad to hear it. My cousin and I are very worried about her father.’

Amber had the feeling he didn’t want to be dealing with an underling at all, but she made an effort to remain calm and not take it personally.

‘I’m very well aware that this is a difficult time for both of you,’ Amber murmured, ‘but I can assure you that everything that can be done is being done. Your uncle has received the recommended treatment so far…oxygen, aspirin, glyceryl trinitrate and painkilling medication, as well as blood-thinning drugs. I’ve already cleared the way for him to be taken up to the angiography suite. As soon as my boss has finished in surgery, he’ll come down and assess your uncle’s state of health.’

‘So you’re thinking about operating on him?’

‘It’s a possibility, if his condition will allow us to do so. We may be able to find the clot that’s causing the damage and remove it by means of a catheter. That might do away with the need for more intrusive, major surgery, but I have to say that Mr Wyndham Brookes’s condition is very precarious. From the looks of his X-ray there could be an underlying disease that might cause more problems. That’s why it would be extremely helpful for us to have access to his medical records.’

‘I’m already onto it, and I’ll send them to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, I’d like to set up a video link with his hospital room. I know you have conferencing capabilities, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to arrange.’

His suggestion took Amber’s breath away. This man clearly knew what he wanted, and didn’t see why he shouldn’t sweep every obstacle to one side in order to get things done.

‘Is that going to be a problem for you? Perhaps I should speak with your chief administrator?’ Perhaps he had heard her swift intake of breath. Ethan Brookes sounded as though he had no time for shilly-shallying. If she couldn’t deal with it, he would go to someone who could.

‘That won’t be necessary,’ she murmured. ‘Your uncle is in a private room, so I’m sure we can accommodate your request, as long as his daughter has no objection.’ She glanced at Caitlin, raising her brow in a faint query.

‘I’d like that,’ Caitlin said. ‘It will make me feel better to know that Ethan’s looking on.’

Amber wasn’t at all sure how she felt about it. Having her every move watched by a stranger wasn’t something she welcomed, but technological advances meant that it could be done, and if it was something that helped unite families in their hour of need, who was she to object?

‘My boss should be here within a few minutes,’ Amber said. ‘I’ll speak to him about it, and if he agrees, we’ll call on one of our technicians to set it up. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to give my full attention to your uncle…unless there was something else that you urgently wanted to discuss?’

‘No…it will keep. Thanks for your co-operation,’ Ethan said. The speaker-phone link was cut, and Caitlin went out into the corridor to finish her conversation with him in private.

Amber drew in a deep breath. It was one thing to deal with worried relatives close at hand, but having difficult, long-distance discussions with someone she had never met was a first for her.

A few minutes later, she left Martyn in Sarah’s care, while another nurse took Caitlin away to show her to a waiting room. There she would be able to sit in comfort and talk about her concerns to the nurse with the aid of a reviving cup of tea. Having Caitlin looked after took a great deal of the strain off Amber’s shoulders and left her free to go and check on her other patients.

When her boss came down from Theatre, Amber grabbed the opportunity to update him on Martyn’s condition.

‘We’ll take him up to the catheter suite as soon as the team is assembled,’ the consultant agreed. ‘As to the video link, I see no reason to object.’ He gave a brief, wry smile. ‘Besides, I’ve heard of the Brookes’s international fruit-shipping company. I read about their goings-on in the newspaper from time to time. These people are high-powered, influential individuals. Let’s not get on the wrong side of any of them, if we can help it. Call the technician and ask him to sort out the video link. Anything to keep them happy.’

Amber lifted a faintly arched brow. Her boss wasn’t someone who usually worried too much about following protocol and treading carefully around people, so if he thought it expedient to appease Ethan Brookes, who was she to argue?

‘Professor Halloran,’ Sarah interrupted, ‘you’re needed in the resuscitation room. One of your pacemaker patients is in difficulty.’

The consultant nodded. ‘Okay, I’ll be along right away.’ He sent a brief glance towards Amber. ‘Prepare Mr Wyndham Brookes for surgery, and I’ll be along as soon as possible.’

Amber did as he asked, leaving a nurse to call in the technician to set up the video link. Martyn was barely conscious, but she spoke to him gently, explaining what they were going to do.

‘Professor Halloran is the best cardiac surgeon we have,’ she told him. ‘He’ll use X-ray images to look at your blood vessels through our cardiac monitor, and that should help him to find exactly where the blockage is. He’ll most likely insert a very thin catheter into a blood vessel of the top of your leg, and then he’ll use specialised instruments to remove the clot that’s causing the problem.’ She looked into his grey eyes. ‘Do you understand what I’m saying?’

He nodded almost imperceptibly. ‘I do.’

‘Is there anything that you’d like to ask me about it?’

‘Nothing. Thank you. I’m very tired.’ He tried to lift his hand and made a frail attempt to pat hers as it rested gently on the bedclothes beside him. His breath came in quick gasps. ‘I know you’ll do your best for me. You mustn’t worry if it all goes wrong.’

Amber felt the quick sting of tears behind her eyelids. Somehow, this man had managed to reach her inner core, the place where she tried to keep her feelings hidden. In the short time she had known him, she had found an affinity with him, and she realised that she cared deeply about what happened to him.

‘Nothing will go wrong,’ she said softly. ‘I’m going to take good care of you, I promise, and you have to know that Professor Halloran is the very best.’

He didn’t speak any more after that, but lapsed into what seemed like an exhausted sleep. The heart monitor began to bleep, the trace showing a chaotic descent into a dangerous rhythm, and Amber called for help. ‘I need a crash team here—now. Call for Professor Halloran.’ Her patient was going into shock, and cardiac arrest was imminent. ‘He’s in V-fib.’ Ventricular fibrillation meant the heart was unable to pump blood around Martyn’s body and without swift intervention he would die.

James and Sarah rushed to the bedside. Sarah started chest compressions, while James set the defibrillator to analyse the patient’s rhythm and prepared to deliver a shock to Martyn’s heart. Amber was aware of Caitlin standing in the room, watching everything that was going on, tears rolling down her cheeks, but she couldn’t let that distract her. She worked quickly to secure Martyn’s airway with an endotracheal tube and ensure that he was receiving adequate oxygen through a mechanical ventilator.

‘Stand clear, everyone,’ James said. As soon as the shock had been delivered, Sarah continued compressions. Amber checked for a pulse and looked to see if the rhythm of the heart had changed.

‘He’s still in V-fib,’ she said. ‘Let’s go again with a second shock.’ By now, Caitlin was making small sobbing sounds, and Amber was aware of another strange background noise, an odd swishing sound that she couldn’t quite make out.

James set the machine to deliver the second jolt of electricity, but Amber could see it hadn’t had the desired effect. ‘Keep up the compressions,’ she said. ‘I’m going to give him a shot of adrenaline.’

They continued to work on their patient, but after a while, when Martyn’s response was still insufficient, Amber added amiodarone to his intravenous line. She wasn’t going to give up on this man, no matter how resistant his condition seemed to her efforts.

‘You can do this, Martyn,’ she said, under her breath. ‘Come on, now, work with me. You’re going to the catheter suite and you’re going to come through this. Don’t let me down.’

James glanced towards Caitlin, clearly disturbed by the girl’s distress, but he could see that Sarah was tiring and moved to take over the chest compressions. Sarah watched the monitors and recorded the readings on a chart, while Amber worriedly assessed the nature of the heart rhythm and debated whether to add atropine to the medications she had already given him.

Professor Halloran came into the room, taking everything in with one sweeping glance. ‘How’s he doing?’ he asked. ‘Do you have a normal rhythm now?’

Amber checked the monitor and turned towards him. ‘We do,’ she said, relief sounding in her voice, and Professor Halloran nodded in satisfaction.

‘Well done, everyone.’ He turned his attention to the flat screen of the computer monitor that had been set up on a table across the room. He held up his hands in a thumbs-up sign. ‘He’s back with us,’ he addressed the screen, and now, at last, Amber realised where the swishing sound had been coming from.

The screen was filled with the image of a man standing on what appeared to be a wooden veranda, surrounded on all sides by a balustrade. He was looking towards them, long limbed, lean and fit, with broad shoulders that tapered to a slim, flat-stomached midriff. He was wearing casual clothes made of fine-textured cotton that would be cool and comfortable in the heat of the Hawaiian summer. In the background she made out a palm tree and the clear blue of ocean waves lapping on a golden, sandy beach.

‘I see that,’ the man said. ‘I saw it all, as clearly as if I had been there.’ He moved closer to the webcam, and Amber realised that the computer must be situated on a ledge in front of him. The screen showed him now in clear view, blotting out most of the background, and she was aware of the strong, angular lines of his face, of thick, black hair cut in a way that perfectly framed his features. Most of all, she was stunned by his clear, blue eyes, the exact colour of the sea, that appeared to be looking right at her.

‘We’ll take your uncle up to the catheter suite right away,’ Professor Halloran said. ‘It’s important that we get to work as soon as possible.’ He glanced at Amber. ‘I’ll leave you to bring him up in the lift, Amber, while I go and prepare.’

Amber nodded, dragging her gaze away from the image on the screen. She was glad to have something to distract her. There was something about the way Ethan Brookes looked at her that was infinitely disturbing. It was as though he could see into her very soul, and that was an unnerving thought.

Even more unsettling, though, as her gaze swivelled to the doorway, was the sight of James, deep in conversation with Caitlin.

‘I don’t know what to do,’ Caitlin was saying. ‘He’s all I have in the world.’

‘You’re not alone,’ James murmured. ‘I’ll look after you. I’m off duty for a while now, and we can talk. Maybe we could even get together later this evening when my shift finishes. I know you’ll probably want to talk some more. These things can hit you very hard. It’s a worrying time.’

The girl lifted tear-drenched eyes towards the young doctor, and James reacted in the way that men have reacted throughout time. He melted in the face of her vulnerability, draped an arm around her and gently led her away. It was an innocent, caring gesture, but somehow, seeing his tenderness and concern for this young woman, it rocked Amber to the core. James hadn’t taken his eyes off Caitlin’s face. He looked at her with compassion and something else, something akin to adoration. He appeared to be totally, utterly smitten.

‘Dr Shaw? Are you with us?’ Ethan Brookes’s voice cracked across the void, and Amber blinked, coming back to reality and trying unsuccessfully to blank out the image that was imprinted on her mind.

‘I should thank you for your prompt action,’ he said, and she lifted her gaze towards the screen once more.

Those steely blue eyes raked over her, as though he was making a thorough assessment of her. ‘You’ve bought my uncle a little more time, and I’m grateful to you for that.’

She gave a brief, noncommittal nod in his direction. ‘That’s what I’m here for,’ she murmured.

‘Yes, but it’s obvious that you’re also young and relatively inexperienced. You did well to cope as you did…but I’m wondering if I should arrange for a private specialist to come and take charge of my uncle’s case. I don’t want anything left to chance.’

She braced her shoulders. She was a senior house officer, more than capable of doing what was required. ‘Of course, that’s your prerogative,’ she murmured. ‘It wouldn’t be wise to delay proceedings, though. He needs to go to surgery now, and we have his full permission to go ahead…so if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and take him there.’

‘I understand that. I won’t get in your way…now…and thanks again for what you did.’

Ethan Brookes was thanking her, but his words had an empty ring about them. The image of his cousin and her boyfriend came into her mind once more, and right now she couldn’t help momentarily wishing that the Brookes family had never come into her life.

CHAPTER TWO

‘WE’VE done all that we can for him for the moment,’ Professor Halloran told Amber as they left the catheterisation suite some time later. ‘We may have cleared up the immediate problem, but Mr Wyndham Brookes is still a very sick man.’

Amber nodded. ‘At least you managed to remove the blood clot that was causing the trouble. It’s unfortunate that he has a lot of other things to contend with alongside that.’ Martyn was lucky to be alive, but from the results of tests and the indications they had discovered during the operation, his quality of life was going to be severely restricted.

‘I expect his nephew will want to know exactly what we’ve found,’ Professor Halloran added, ‘although the medical notes he sent us were a good pointer to the cause of the problem.’ He frowned. ‘Ethan Brookes is certainly keen on being kept fully involved, even though he’s living thousands of miles away. Maybe you could explain to him that his uncle will need to take great care with his health over the next few months.’

‘Are you not going to talk to him yourself?’ Amber looked at her boss in surprise.

‘Yes, I will…later. Right now, I have to go back to my pacemaker patient. His needs are greater right now.’ He gave her a beaming smile. ‘Besides, I’ve every confidence in you. Talk to Miss Wyndham Brookes, as well. I’ll speak to both of them this afternoon, when I’m free.’

Amber was glad he had such faith in her to do the right thing, though she suspected it was a ploy…he was a much better surgeon than he was at talking to patients. As to speaking to Martyn’s nephew herself, she was conscious that Ethan wasn’t entirely pleased that she was the one taking day-to-day responsibility for his uncle. He wanted the best…but Professor Halloran was not readily available to be there for him one hundred per cent of the time.

She went back down to A and E and went in search of Martyn’s daughter. She could understand how distressing this situation was for the girl, but the image of James consoling her and leading her away with his arm draped protectively around her had been running through her mind over and over again as if in a film loop these last few hours.

Perhaps she was taking things too personally, though. Wasn’t it entirely natural for any normal, thinking person to want to comfort someone in their hour of need? James was a good, kind man. She ought to be pleased that he was so considerate towards others.

While she had been in the catheter suite, James had apparently been working his way steadily through the mounting list of patients who had arrived at A and E. He met her as she walked over to the central desk in the unit a few minutes later.

‘I picked up this letter for you from your mail box,’ he said, handing her an envelope. ‘It looks official, so it could be news of the job you applied for.’

‘Oh, thanks.’ Amber frowned, looking at the logo on the envelope. He was right…the letter probably contained the information she was waiting for. She glanced up at him. ‘Did you hear anything about the job you were after?’

His mouth made a downward turn. ‘Yes. It turns out I didn’t get the job. The letter was waiting for me when I went back to the mailroom. They appointed another candidate, but wished me luck for next time.’

Amber felt an immediate rush of sympathy for him. ‘Oh, James,’ she said, reaching out to give him a hug, ‘I’m so sorry. I know how much you wanted that post. You must be feeling really down about it.’

He nodded briefly, trailing an arm around her in return. ‘I was almost expecting to be turned down, but it came as a shock, all the same.’

‘It must have done. What will you do now?’

He gave a negligent shrug. ‘I’ll have to think about some of the other research projects available. They weren’t nearly as appealing as this one, but at least I stand some chance of getting one of them.’

‘Sorry to interrupt, Amber,’ Sarah said as she approached the desk, ‘but Mr Wyndham Brookes has just been brought back down to his room. His daughter is feeling anxious because he doesn’t look too good…and I think she’s been looking at the medical notes that were sent over from Hawaii—that was never going to make her feel better. Her cousin advised her against it, and so did Professor Halloran, but she was determined to go ahead anyway. Do you want to come and have a word with her?’

‘Yes, of course. I’ll come along right away.’

Amber sent a worried look in James’s direction, but he was already lifting up a patient’s chart from the tray on the desk, and she started to turn, getting ready to walk away with Sarah.

James frowned. ‘I feel sorry for the girl. It’s bad enough that her father has been taken seriously ill, but she’s a long way from home and virtually on her own.’

‘I expect she appreciated you trying to help her,’ Amber murmured. She slipped the envelope into her pocket. If it was bad news about the job she’d applied for, she’d rather deal with it when she was on her own back in her rented apartment. ‘You were very kind to her. I imagine she’ll look to you for help from now on. I heard you telling her that you would be free to talk to her after your shift finishes.’

‘That’s right. Do you mind very much?’ James asked softly. ‘I know we said that you and I would have dinner together later on today, but she’s not coping very well, and I don’t like to leave her without support. Maybe we could all get together to eat. She might appreciate having a woman around.’

‘I’m not so sure about that.’ Amber’s expression was subdued. ‘I don’t think I’m her favourite person at the moment. She was quite distraught, and I had the distinct impression she thought I wasn’t doing enough to help her father. It happens, doesn’t it, when people are ill and the situation isn’t improving?’ She had the feeling that Caitlin had passed that view on to her cousin, but to his credit he hadn’t made any comment on that—to Amber, at least.

She sent James a thoughtful glance. ‘But you go ahead and meet up with her if that’s what you want to do. I have a thousand things to catch up with back at the apartment.’

It might have been her imagination, but she thought she detected a look of relief passing over James’s face. Was he finding it too much of a strain lately, being the second half of a couple? Over the last few weeks she had noticed subtle changes in his manner towards her, though she had tried to tell herself it wasn’t happening. Now it cut her to the quick to have to take on board the changes in him. She didn’t want to believe that their relationship was falling apart, but all the signs were beginning to point in that direction.

‘I might do that, if you really don’t mind? I said I would help her as much as I could.’ He made a fleeting smile. ‘It’s strange, but it appears we have a lot in common. It turns out Caitlin’s studying pharmaceutical sciences and wants to go into clinical research, much the same as me. It’s an odd world, isn’t it?’

Amber nodded. So they were on first-name terms already, were they? Her gaze was bemused as she watched him walk away. She set off with Sarah towards the patient’s private room.

‘I don’t think I would have had the confidence to give him the go-ahead to meet up with another woman,’ Sarah commented in a low voice as they walked along the corridor. ‘Seems like a risky proposition to me.’

Amber gave a shuddery sigh. ‘I’ve a feeling you could be right, but without trust, what is there? If I tried to stop him, it would make me appear selfish and uncaring, and for his part he’d probably end up feeling thwarted and resentful.’

‘You’re too good for this world,’ Sarah commented dryly. ‘In fact, you have a lot in common with Martyn Wyndham Brookes, now I come to think of it. I feel really sorry for him. He seems like such a lovely man. Even though he was very ill when he first came to us, he managed to thank us for what we were doing for him. He was appreciative to all the nurses. He’s one in a million…I suppose it must have been great for his daughter to have him come over to the U.K. to work for a few months while she’s studying here.’

‘I should imagine so. I take it for granted that my parents are fairly close at hand, though we don’t see each other as often as I would like. It must be a bit lonely for Martyn’s daughter, being so far from home.’ Amber was making an effort to put all thoughts of James and her patient’s daughter out of her mind. It was all supposition up to now, and she could be wrenching her heart unnecessarily.

‘A great experience, though, coming to study at one of the best universities around. And she has a dishy cousin keeping in touch with her.’ Sarah grinned. ‘Now, that does make me envious…except I wouldn’t want to be related to him. He’s much more like eligible-bachelor material.’

Amber gave a rueful grin. ‘Are you sure he’s eligible?’

‘Oh, yes. Professor Halloran told me so. The family’s rich, and he’s always in the papers because some flighty madam wants to get her hooks into him.’

Amber gave a dismissive laugh. ‘I don’t believe that for a minute. I have a feeling that he’s way too grounded to allow anyone to take advantage unless he wants it. Just talking to him puts my defences on alert.’

‘That’s because you’re ultra-cautious—and you’re much more of a touchy-feely kind of person. Talking to him via a screen and a microphone isn’t the same as meeting up with someone face to face. Technology just doesn’t do it for you, does it?’

‘You should have been a psychologist,’ Amber remarked with a faint smile. ‘Is he online right now, do you know?’

‘Yes, he is,’ Sarah murmured. Her mouth relaxed into a soft smile. ‘He spoke to me to ask how things were going in the catheterisation suite. I’d have given anything to stay and chat with him,’ she added in an undertone, ‘but his cousin beat me to it, coming into the room and wanting to tell him what she’d heard.’ She rolled her eyes heavenward. ‘He has everything, doesn’t he? Good looks, energy and a fabulous office practically on the beach.’

‘Perhaps he works from home,’ Amber suggested. ‘If his family owns an international fruit-shipping company, it could be that they live on site. Imagine being at work and watching the waves roll onto the beach while you cool down with a glass of something iced and delicious, made by your own company.’

Sarah chuckled. ‘I doubt I’d get very much work done in those circumstances,’ she murmured.

When Amber walked into Martyn’s room a moment later, she saw straight away that he was in a state of exhaustion. Of course, he was still drowsy from the anaesthetic, but the readings from the various monitors showed her that he was very weak and that his heart was struggling. She checked his medication, adjusting the infusion meter, before turning to his daughter, who was sitting, waiting anxiously by his bedside.

The computer monitor with the video link was set up so that Ethan Brookes would be able to see both his uncle and his cousin. Amber did her best to ignore the webcam while she spoke to Caitlin. She was aware of Ethan’s image in the background, though, his features alert, his gaze watchful, and though she nodded towards him briefly out of politeness, she preferred to set about dealing with the flesh-and-blood person who was in the room with her.

‘Professor Halloran asked me to let you know that he removed the blockage in your father’s artery,’ she told Caitlin. ‘His circulation improved right away, and he should soon start to feel much better. Even so, it looks as though there has been extensive damage to his heart, and I’m sorry to say that I don’t believe he will ever regain perfect health. It’s important that you know that.’

Caitlin’s gaze was cool and remote. ‘Wouldn’t he have stood a better chance if he had been operated on earlier?’

It was a faint barb, but Amber deflected it easily enough, knowing that the young woman was deeply upset and trying to come to terms with her father’s illness.

‘No, I’m afraid he wouldn’t,’ she said gently. ‘Your father was already struggling with a heart that had been weakened by an infection of some kind. It must have occurred a while ago, and unfortunately it means his heart muscle is unable to pump at normal strength. The body tries to compensate for this, and as a result fluid builds up in the lungs, liver and legs.’

‘What treatment are you planning on giving him?’ Ethan Brookes’s deep voice cut into their conversation. ‘There are things that you can do to help him have a better quality of life, aren’t there?’

‘Yes, we can certainly do that.’ Amber turned to look at the computer screen. Ethan Brookes’s blue eyes seemed to pierce her like lasers, as though he would accept no prevarication. ‘We’ll give him medication that will enhance the capacity of the heart muscle. Professor Halloran has prescribed a cardiac stimulant. What we want to do is make the heart’s pumping more effective, and at the same time reduce congestion.’

She turned back to Caitlin. ‘I know this is going to be hard for you to accept,’ she said softly, ‘but your father is never going to be the man he once was. He’s very frail and once he’s up and about again he’ll find that he’s short of breath if he tries to do too much. He’ll have to take things slowly and that means he will need a long convalescence.’

Caitlin looked bewildered. ‘He’s never going to tolerate that. He’s always been so vigorous. The business has been everything to him, and I can’t see him sitting back and taking a passive role.’

‘I don’t believe he’ll have any choice,’ Amber said in a quiet voice. ‘He can look forward to a reasonable quality of life if he takes things easy. Perhaps you can help by encouraging him to do that?’

Caitlin looked at the computer screen, sending her cousin a look of complete bewilderment. ‘The business is everything to him,’ she said. ‘How is he going to be able to hand over the reins?’

Ethan’s reply was brisk. ‘I’m his partner,’ he remarked in a matter-of-fact tone. ‘I’ll have to step in and make decisions for him.’

‘But you’ve never been involved one hundred per cent in the business,’ Caitlin protested. ‘How is that going to work? You know what he’s like. He’ll never sit back and allow others to take over.’

‘You’ll have to leave it to me to sort things out,’ Ethan said. ‘I’m more worried about how you’re going to manage. You still have a few weeks to go at university before you have to come home, don’t you? Do you want me to come over and help you out?’

Caitlin shook her head. ‘No, I couldn’t ask that of you. I know how busy you are, and you’ll have even more on your plate now that this has happened. You can’t afford to take time off from your work. I’ll manage. Don’t worry about me. I have friends who will help me to get through this, and it’s comforting to have this link set up so that I’m able to talk to you this way. It helps to put my mind at rest knowing that you’re at the other end of a phone.’

Amber looked at her with renewed respect. Maybe she was growing up fast because of what had happened to her father. She wondered what it was that kept Ethan Brookes so busy, if he wasn’t taking an active role in his uncle’s business. What kind of work was he involved in?

‘Will you keep me informed of what’s going on over there, Dr Shaw?’ His voice cut into her thoughts, and she blinked, looking up at the screen.

‘Of course. I shall take a personal interest in your uncle’s welfare. It may be that once he’s up and about, we can refer him to our rehabilitation unit. They’re very good at helping people to get back on their feet and helping them to learn how to cope with their limitations.’ She studied him briefly. ‘I understand how difficult this must be for everyone to take on board, but if you have any worries or questions, you only have to ask and I’ll do my best to explain things.’

Ethan nodded. ‘I know it can’t be easy for you, relaying everything to me from such a long distance, but I do appreciate what you have been doing up to now. I should warn you, though, that illness and frailty won’t keep my uncle down for long. Even though it seems that he might be easy to manage at the moment, once he’s sitting up and taking notice you’re likely to find him quite a different kettle of fish.’

‘I’ll try to bear that in mind,’ Amber said. She wondered why he was warning her. Did he not think her capable of dealing with a difficult patient? She doubted Martyn would ever cause her a problem…he seemed to be a likeable man, through and through.

She glanced towards Caitlin. The girl was talking softly to her father, lightly stroking his hand in a gesture of affection, and Amber decided that for the moment she was calm enough and probably had as much information as she could handle. It would probably be best to leave her to come to terms with her father’s condition at her own pace.

She looked back at the flat-panel computer screen, taking in the breathtaking sight of the Hawaiian seashore in the background. ‘Every time I see you, you’re close by the beach,’ she murmured, focussing once more on Ethan. ‘I had assumed that you were talking to us from your workplace—perhaps I was wrong about that? I must admit I’ve been envying your lifestyle.’

He gave her a fleeting smile that lit up his features. ‘I should have explained,’ he said. He waved a hand at the villa behind him. ‘This is where I live. I’ve been trying to call the hospital from here whenever possible. You perhaps don’t realise that it’s actually very early in the morning over here, not long past sunrise, and I haven’t even had breakfast yet, let alone set off for work. Besides, if I were to ring from the office, my uncle would soon become agitated. He likes to keep his finger on the pulse of what’s going on, and any sign of his workplace would be enough to bring his blood pressure up.’

‘You’re right…I hadn’t even thought about the time difference. It’s late afternoon here.’ So late, in fact, that she was due to finish her shift shortly. ‘Anyway, from what I can see of it,’ Amber murmured, ‘you have a beautiful home.’

‘Thank you. I certainly appreciate it,’ Ethan said. ‘Maybe at a time when neither of us is quite so busy, I’ll show you around the inside, via the webcam.’

‘I think I’d like that,’ Amber agreed. ‘It won’t be quite the same as being there, but I’m sure to get something of the feel of the place.’ Maybe technology wasn’t so bad after all. She smiled. ‘All that sand and sea and palm trees waving in the light breeze make me long for my summer vacation. Not that I’d ever be likely to go as far as Hawaii.’

Perhaps it was the smile that caused it, but Ethan’s eyes widened a fraction as he looked at her intently. After a moment or two his gaze moved slowly over her, as though he was seeing her properly for the first time, and she was suddenly conscious of the clothes she was wearing—a skirt that fell smoothly over the curve of her hips to drape softly around her legs, and a snugly fitting cotton top. What did he make of her? she wondered. Did he only see her as young and inexperienced, incapable of taking proper care of his uncle?

‘I’m sure you would love it here,’ he said. ‘I’ll be sure to show you the landscape all around when you check in again.’

At that moment, Martyn made a faint groaning sound, and Amber turned immediately to look at him. She moved closer to the bedside. ‘How are you feeling?’ she asked.

‘A bit sore,’ Martyn answered. ‘And very tired…It’s as if all my energy has drained away.’

‘That’s to be expected,’ Amber told him. ‘It’s nature’s way of telling you to take things easy.’

‘That’s not what I’m used to,’ he said with a wry smile. His gaze wandered to the computer screen. ‘I thought I heard voices,’ he murmured. ‘Ethan, my boy, I’m glad you’re there. What’s happening at the plantation?’ He paused to drag in a shaky breath. ‘Are you managing to keep on top of things?’

Amber raised her eyes heavenward. Caitlin and Ethan had been right when they’d said he wouldn’t let go. Here he was, slowly coming round from the effects of an injection that had made him woozy and tranquil, and he was already asking questions. ‘I’ll leave you in the care of the nurse while I go and look in on my other patients,’ she told him. ‘Have a chat with your family, but don’t go tiring yourself. You need to rest.’

She gazed at the screen and sent Ethan a look that spoke volumes. He nodded, and gave her a smile in return. ‘I’ll make sure of it,’ he said.

Amber took her leave of Caitlin, and went to check on the rest of her patients in A and E. Before too long it was time for her to go off duty and make her way home.

Once she was back in her apartment, the reality of everyday life began to creep in, and weariness swept over her as she recognised that she was totally, utterly alone. She had no doubt that James would have finished his shift and be comforting Caitlin right now, and that left a bitter taste in her mouth.

She reached into her pocket and drew out the letter James had given her. She had been busy these last few hours, but it had taken all her reserves of willpower to keep herself from opening it until now. All her hopes for the future lay within the contents of this envelope, but James hadn’t even asked her what it contained. Perhaps he assumed all would be well…or maybe his priorities had changed, now that Caitlin needed his support.

She tore open the envelope. ‘Dear Dr Shaw,’ the letter began, ‘I am sorry to inform you that, due to a filing error, your application was mislaid, and unfortunately the position you applied for has been filled in the meantime. Please accept our deepest apologies for the mix-up.’

Amber scrunched the letter into a ball and pulled in a shuddery breath. All her dreams were gone in the blink of an eye. She was devastated.

She had worked hard throughout her training to become a doctor, and her one ambition was to specialise in accident and emergency medicine. Now that opportunity had been denied her, and she was to all intents and purposes going to be out of work within a few weeks. It was too late to pursue any other job offer because all the specialist applications were closed.

She wandered around the apartment, seeing nothing, struggling to take in the news. There was no point in ringing James to confide in him, and seek to find consolation together. If he had cared enough, he would have phoned her by now to ask how she was getting on, and she could only guess that he probably had other things on his mind.

Instead, she rang her mother. She, at least, would want to know the result of all her efforts, and Amber had already found a voice message on her answering machine asking her to get in touch.

‘Oh, Amber,’ her mother said, ‘I never dreamed that they would turn you down…Well, they haven’t, have they? It’s all down to administration errors. Is there anything you can do now? Will there be other jobs you can apply for?’

‘I doubt it,’ Amber said in a resigned tone. ‘It’s too late now to sort anything out. All the specialist positions that would have interested me will have been filled by now. The most I can hope for is that I can apply for a locum post. I might be able to fill in when people are sick. It means going from one hospital to another, where I’m needed, perhaps, or working for short stints on contract—a few months at a time, maybe.’

‘It might not be so bad as you imagine,’ her mother commented. ‘Perhaps something will turn up.’

‘Let’s hope so,’ Amber murmured.

They chatted for a little while, about her mother’s work as a graphic artist, and Amber enquired after her father, who worked as a general practitioner at the local health centre.

‘He’s out on call, at the moment,’ her mother said. ‘There seems to be a spate of people going down with flu. I think he’s overworked and stressed just now—one of the doctors is off sick, and another is away on leave, so the practice is under a bit of a strain. He’s had to take on a good share of his workload, as well as his own. We’re both under a good deal of pressure at the moment and things are a bit tense between us at times. I have deadlines to meet, and nothing quite goes the way I want it. I told him what we both need is a good holiday.’

Amber could see how that prospect would be tempting. She could do with a break herself. She had a picture in her mind of boats tethered on a gently sloping beach, while waves lapped desultorily at the shore, leaving white ribbons of foam to fringe the golden sand. Exotic birds would fly from one palm tree to another…and there, in the forefront, gazing at the vista before him, stood a tall, bronzed figure, his blue eyes half-closed against the glare of the sun.

She pulled herself together with a jolt, frowning as she said goodbye to her mother. Why on earth would an image of Ethan Brookes come into her mind that way? Didn’t she have enough problems to deal with, without him popping into her mind every other minute?

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