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‘I’ll bet you’re not!’ Larry chuckled. ‘It must be a nice little sideline for you.’
They finished off soon afterwards and Nick thanked the rest of the team who’d assisted him. Although he’d been the major player, he couldn’t have managed without Larry and the scrub nurse, not to mention Katie, of course. A buzz of heat sprang up in the pit of his stomach at the thought of Katie but he tamped it down as he went to get changed. Katie was a wonderful nurse and he must focus on that fact rather than any other of her assets from now on.
Clive Johnson was pacing the waiting room when Nick went back to the maternity unit so he didn’t drag it out and add to the poor man’s agony. He told him simply that Karen and the baby had come through the operation and there was a very good chance they would both recover from their ordeal. Naturally, Clive wanted to know what had happened so Nick explained how the placenta had detached itself from the wall of the womb and it had been that which had caused the massive bleeding.
He didn’t expound on the seriousness of the situation because Clive wasn’t up to it right then. However, he guessed there might be more questions later so he gave the man his phone number and told him to call him if he wanted to chat and left it at that. Abbey was in the corridor so he asked her to take Clive to SCBU to see his baby son.
Once that was done then, by rights, Nick knew he was free to leave but he was loath to take himself off in case anything else happened. Maybe he didn’t have to stay but it would make him feel better so he went into the office and switched on the light. There was a kettle on top of the filing cabinet and it struck him all of a sudden how thirsty he was. He’d not had a drink since he’d arrived and a cup of coffee might just put a bit of fizz back into his veins and see him through the night.
He flicked the switch on the kettle then spooned coffee granules into a mug, added whitener and sugar—three large spoonfuls—and sank down onto the nearest chair. It had been quite a day, one way and another, and he was already bone tired from the long hours he’d been working recently. The kettle soon came to the boil and switched itself off but Nick never even noticed because he was fast asleep by then, his dreams full of babies crying and women with swollen bellies begging him for help…
Something green suddenly appeared just beyond his field of vision and his eyelids twitched. He could just make out a cap with a pompom, some pointy-toed boots and freckles—lots and lots of red and green freckles…
He sighed wistfully when a familiar little elfin figure suddenly materialised right in the middle of his dream. His life would be so much better if he had someone like Katie to share it with.
CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_a63938cb-ac42-5bd9-ad30-48f860c6b016)
KATIE was on her way back to the delivery suite when she spotted a light on in the office. She sighed as she immediately changed course. They’d been inundated with memos recently about the need to save money by turning off lights and it was hardly setting a good example to leave one on in the office.
She glanced at her watch as she opened the door and frowned when she saw that it was almost two in the morning. She hadn’t been into the office since Karen Johnson had been admitted so the light must have been burning for hours. They’d had three new admissions that night although, thankfully, none of them had presented with any problems. One mum had just delivered a healthy baby girl and was on her way to the ward, and the other two were well advanced with their labours. With a bit of luck both mums would have given birth before she went off duty so the day staff would have a clear run…
Katie stopped dead when she spotted the figure slumped in a chair. She’d thought Nick Lawson had left ages ago but obviously she’d been mistaken. Now she wasn’t sure what to do, whether she should wake him or leave him to sleep, and before she could make up her mind, his eyes suddenly opened.
‘Did you want me?’ he muttered, dragging himself upright in the chair.
‘No. I just came to switch off the light. I spotted it when I was passing and thought I must have left it on by mistake,’ she replied hurriedly, wondering why she felt the need to explain how she happened to be there. Was it because Nick looked so appealing with his dark hair all rumpled and the shadow of a beard darkening his jaw?
She wanted to deny it but she was too honest to lie to herself. She might not like Nick for the way he’d tricked her but she couldn’t deny that she responded to him, and it was hard to reconcile two such conflicting emotions after what had happened with David.
‘Oh, I see.’ He stood up then groaned as he began hopping up and down on one leg. ‘Drat! I’ve got pins and needles in my foot.’ He flopped back down onto the chair and removed his shoe so he could knead his toes. ‘That’ll teach me to fall asleep in the chair. I was only going to sit down while the kettle boiled but I must have dropped off.’
‘You must have been tired,’ Katie said lightly, hoping her confusion didn’t show. ‘Too many late nights, I expect.’
‘Too many late nights on top of too many long days, you mean,’ he replied rather cryptically. He slid his foot back into his shoe and gingerly stood up. ‘That’s better. Anyway, if I’m in your way just say the word and I’ll find somewhere else to sit. I didn’t mean to clutter up your office.’
‘No, it’s fine,’ she assured him. ‘Anyway, isn’t it about time you went home?’
‘I thought I’d hang on here in case you needed me.’ He shrugged when she looked at him in surprise. ‘I didn’t want there to be a repeat of the Karen Johnson episode. If you’re a registrar down because she’s gone home sick then it could cause problems.’
‘That’s very good of you,’ Katie said slowly, wondering if there was an ulterior motive to the offer. Maybe she was a little over-sensitive where Nick was concerned but how many people would offer to work on Christmas Eve if they didn’t need to?
‘There isn’t a catch, if that’s what you’re thinking,’ he said quietly. ‘I just feel really bad about what happened earlier. I should have told you who I was from the outset instead of leaving it until we had a near tragedy on our hands.’
‘But you weren’t to know it would happen,’ Katie protested, surprised that she should feel a need to defend his actions.
‘Maybe not, but that doesn’t alter the fact that Karen could have lost her baby and maybe even her life if she hadn’t received the treatment she needed.’ His deep voice was laced with guilt and Katie frowned because it certainly wasn’t the response she would have expected from him.
‘But she did receive the right treatment and it was all thanks to you, Nick. I don’t know why you’re blaming yourself. I mean, we weren’t expecting you to start work until after Christmas so it was really fortunate that you happened to be here in the first place.’
‘Maybe,’ he conceded, although Katie could tell he wasn’t convinced.
‘There’s no “maybe” about it. It was a stroke of luck that you turned up when you did. Let’s face it, not many people decide to move house on Christmas Eve. They usually wait until after the holidays.’
‘It just seemed like a good time to do it.’ He went to the filing cabinet and switched on the kettle again. ‘Everyone’s always so busy at Christmas that I thought I’d have a couple of days to myself to get settled in before I had to start work.’
‘I see. What about your family, though?’ she asked curiously because it still seemed rather a strange thing to have done. ‘Didn’t you want to spend Christmas with them this year?’
‘My parents got divorced a few years ago,’ he explained, pouring boiling water into a mug. ‘Mum emigrated to New Zealand to live with her sister and Dad remarried. He lives in Scotland now with his new wife and family.’
‘Oh, dear.’ Katie grimaced. ‘That must be rather difficult—unless you take it in turns to visit them, of course.’
‘No. Christmas is just another day so far as I’m concerned,’ he said flatly, stirring the contents of the mug. ‘I prefer to work over the holiday, but it just so happens that I was off this year because of starting this job.’
He glanced up and Katie shivered when she saw the bleakness in his eyes. She sensed there was a lot more that he wasn’t telling her but before she could think of a way to ask him, he countered it with a question of his own. ‘So what about you? D’you normally spend Christmas with your family?’
‘No.’ She summoned a smile but it was difficult to keep the ache out of her voice. If things had gone to plan then this year she would have spent the holiday with David, but after she’d found out how different their views on life were there’d been no chance of that happening. ‘My parents died a couple of years ago in a coach crash. I was an only child and don’t have any other family so that’s why I volunteered to work over Christmas.’
‘I see. Sorry. That was a bit tactless of me, wasn’t it?’
‘There’s nothing to apologise for. You weren’t to know about my circumstances,’ she said briskly because she certainly didn’t want to be the recipient of his sympathy. Nick Lawson had aroused a lot of conflicting emotions inside her already and she didn’t want to add any more so she swiftly changed the subject. ‘Anyway, I’d better get a move on. We have two mums in labour so there’s always something that needs doing.’
‘Just give me a shout if you need me,’ Nick told her, carrying the cup of coffee over to the desk and sitting down.
‘I doubt we’ll have another emergency tonight. Why don’t you get off home once you’ve drunk that coffee? It seems pointless, you staying here when you could be tucked up in bed.’
‘I’d rather stay in case anything happens.’ He shrugged when she frowned. ‘I’d just feel better about it so long as you don’t mind. In any case, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get into the staff accommodation block at this hour of the morning. I should have collected the key to my room from the admin office when I arrived but I forgot all about it.’
‘You’re staying in the staff quarters?’ Katie exclaimed.
‘Uh-huh.’ He took a sip of the drink then shrugged. ‘I’m only going to be here for a few months so it didn’t seem worth all the hassle of finding myself a place to live. Niall offered to get me a staff room so that will do me very nicely.’
‘You’ll find it very cramped,’ she warned, knowing it wasn’t just the shock of learning that a senior registrar had settled for the dubious delights of staff accommodation that disturbed her so much. The fact that she lived there as well was what she found really unsettling, for some reason.
‘Is that where you live?’ he asked curiously.
‘Yes.’ Katie summoned a smile because she didn’t want him to suspect how uneasy she felt about the idea of them living under the same roof. It was completely ridiculous and she hurried on. ‘It was only supposed to be a temporary measure to tide me over after I moved out of the flat I’d been sharing with my boyfriend, but six months later I’m still there.’
‘Are you hoping for a reconciliation?’ he asked, watching her over the rim of the mug.
‘With David? No way! We weren’t suited and I’m only surprised I didn’t realise it sooner.’ She cleared her throat because her relationship with David really wasn’t the issue here. ‘I just haven’t had a chance to go flat hunting so it’s been easier to stay put. However, living in staff accommodation wouldn’t be my first choice. I prefer a bit more room to manoeuvre!’
‘I don’t imagine it will bother me all that much.’ He grinned when he saw the scepticism on her face. ‘You’re talking to a guy who’s just spent six months living in a tent so, believe me, it will feel like a palace compared to that.’
‘A tent?’ Katie repeated, forgetting her own concerns at this fresh revelation. ‘What were you doing living in a tent for all that time?’
‘I was working for one of the overseas aid agencies. You may have heard of it…Worlds Together?’ He carried on when she nodded. ‘We were setting up a new maternity unit in an area of India which has a particularly poor record of infant mortality and ended up living in tents because there wasn’t any other accommodation available. What few resources the people have there are needed for themselves.’
‘Sounds pretty grim,’ she observed, watching him closely so that she saw the shadow which crossed his face.
‘It certainly wasn’t a picnic.’
He didn’t say anything else. However, Katie was left with the distinct impression that the experience had been a lot worse than he’d admitted. As she left the office, she found herself wondering if she’d been a bit hasty in her assessment of him. Was Nick really the trickster who’d set out to have fun at her expense, or was he a caring and dedicated doctor? Only time would tell but it was worrying to suddenly have these doubts about him.
The rest of the night flew past after that. Both mums had their babies and had been moved to the wards by the time the day staff came on duty. Katie handed over to Rosie Meadows, the young staff nurse who was in charge that day, and left her to it, yawning as she went to the staffroom for her bag. It was just gone six when she left the building and still dark, so she didn’t linger as she walked the short distance from the main part of the hospital to the staff accommodation wing. She keyed the entry code into the security lock then glanced round when she heard footsteps and saw Nick hurrying up the path. He grinned as she held the door open for him.
‘Thanks. You just saved me a journey. I forgot to ask the porter for the entry code,’ he explained as he followed her into the foyer.
‘Three-nine-seven-nine,’ Katie told him helpfully.
‘I’d better jot that down before I forget it.’ He took a ballpoint pen out of his pocket and quickly wrote the numbers on the back of his hand. ‘I’ll need to unload my car later and it would help if I didn’t have to go waking people up by ringing the doorbell.’
‘You wouldn’t be very popular if you did,’ she agreed lightly, heading for the stairs. ‘Most of the folk staying here at the moment are on nights and they’ll be keen to get some sleep. Anyone who’s off duty will have gone home to their families for Christmas.’
‘Probably best not to get a reputation for being a pesky neighbour so early in the day,’ he conceded as they reached the first landing.
Katie stopped when he hesitated. ‘Which room are you in?’
‘Number twenty-nine. Fortunately, the porters had a spare set of keys otherwise I’d have ended up sleeping in the residents’ lounge. The admin office doesn’t reopen until after Boxing Day, apparently.’
‘Lucky for you,’ she agreed, pointing towards the next flight of stairs. ‘You’re on the next floor, halfway along on the right. The doors are all numbered so you shouldn’t have a problem finding your room.’
‘Thanks.’ He turned towards the stairs then suddenly stopped and looked back. ‘Do you know if the staff canteen is open today? I meant to stock up on a few essentials after I’d got here but I never had the chance with one thing and another.’
‘That’s my fault,’ Katie said guiltily. ‘If I hadn’t pressganged you into playing Santa you could have done your shopping.’
‘It was just one of those things so don’t worry about it. So long as I can get my daily fix of caffeine I’ll survive, and I’m sure someone will lend me a teabag or a spoonful of coffee if I ask them nicely.’
‘You’ll need something a bit more substantial than coffee to keep you going!’
‘Yes, Sister,’ he replied with a grin that brought a rush of colour to her cheeks.
‘Sorry. I must try to curb my bossy tendencies,’ she murmured.
‘Don’t do so on my account, Katie. I like a woman who knows her own mind.’
Katie wasn’t sure what to make of that and turned away, making a great production of finding her keys so he couldn’t see how confused she felt. Nick had sounded as though he’d meant it as a compliment yet she was afraid to take it as such because she still didn’t quite trust him. In the end she decided it would be best to ignore it and answer the question he’d asked her instead.
‘The canteen is open today so there shouldn’t be a problem about getting something to eat. They’re serving a full Christmas dinner at one o’clock and a lot of the staff will be there. It might be a good way to introduce yourself to everyone.’
‘Good idea. If I’m awake I’ll go and join them.’ He grimaced. ‘Mind you, I could murder a cup of tea at the moment. I don’t suppose I could beg a teabag and a drop of milk off you, could I? I don’t think I can last out until lunchtime.’
‘Of course you can! Better still, I’ve got a spare box of teabags and a jar of coffee in my room so they’ll tide you over until you can get to the shops.’
‘Oh, no, really, I can’t take all your stuff,’ he began, but Katie shook her head.
‘Don’t be silly. They’re just sitting there so you may as well make use of them.’ She briskly led the way to her room and unlocked the door. Nick followed her inside, glancing round as she switched on the lamp.
‘Mmm, this is very cosy. And I mean cosy as in warm and snug rather than as estate-agent talk for small and cramped.’
‘Sounds as though you may have come a cropper when you’ve been flat hunting,’ she observed, opening the cupboard and taking out the teabags and the jar of coffee.
‘More times than I care to admit.’ Nick propped himself against the doorjamb and grinned at her. ‘I lived in London for a while and finding a place to live there was a nightmare. I’ve seen shoe boxes bigger than some of the “apartments” I viewed!’
‘Is that why you decided to move north?’ she asked curiously, handing him the tea and coffee.
‘Not really. I was more interested in the fact that Dalverston has such a marvellous reputation. It’s one of the top ten obstetric units in the country.’
‘I suppose it’s good to be able to put it on your CV,’ she suggested, but Nick shrugged.
‘That’s less important than the experience I’ll gain here.’ He glanced at the items she’d given him, giving her no chance to question him further. ‘Can I be really cheeky and ask if you can spare some sugar as well? I can drink my tea and coffee black but I can’t bear to drink it without any sugar.’
‘I don’t take sugar but there should be some in the kitchen,’ Katie told him.
She led the way from the room, wishing that she’d had the time to find out what he’d meant by that remark. In her experience, most registrars were more concerned about the prestige to be gained from working at Dalverston, and the positive effect it could have on their careers. However, Nick seemed less concerned with that aspect of the job than the experience it would afford him. She would have loved to delve deeper but there was no way she could think of to switch the conversation back so she found the sugar and poured some into a cup then took the spare carton of milk she’d bought out of the fridge and gave that to him as well.
‘Is there anything else you need? Biscuits? Some bread? Maybe some eggs?’
‘No, this is great. I’ll be able to eat in the canteen so I’ve got everything I need right here, thanks. Obviously, I’ll pay you back as soon as the shops are open again.’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ she assured him. ‘A few tea-bags aren’t going to break the bank.’
‘Maybe not, but I don’t want you thinking I’m freeloading off you.’
‘I don’t. Really!’
‘Good.’ He grinned at her and Katie felt her heart give that odd little spasm again that it had done before and quickly turned away.
‘I’d better get to bed,’ she said, leading the way into the corridor. Maybe Nick did have an odd effect on her but it would be foolish to read too much into it when she was so tired.
Nick glanced at his watch as he followed her out of the kitchen and groaned. ‘Is that really the time? You must be cursing me for keeping you chatting when you want to get to sleep. Thanks again, Katie. You’re a real life-saver.’
With that he disappeared towards the stairs and Katie heard him walking along the upper landing as she made her way back to her room. She undressed and took a quick shower in the tiny en suite bathroom. Ten minutes later she was in bed but even though she was tired after the busy night she’d had, sleep was a long time coming. And when she did finally drift off she dreamt that Santa was kissing her…a Santa who looked remarkably like Nick Lawson, in fact.
The staff canteen was packed when Nick arrived shortly after one o’clock that afternoon. He joined the queue at the serving counter and opted for a full Christmas lunch when his turn came. He was ravenously hungry and the crisp roast potatoes, turkey and vegetables looked absolutely delicious.
He paid for his meal then looked for somewhere to sit, half hoping that he’d spot Katie and half hoping that he wouldn’t. He knew it would be unfair to make a play for her but it didn’t stop him enjoying being with her so it was rather a mixed blessing when he couldn’t see any sign of her in the canteen. He finally opted for an empty seat at a table near the door and introduced himself to the rest of the people at the table as he sat down. One of the nurses worked on the children’s ward and remembered him from the carol concert so that broke the ice. Nick soon found himself drawn into the conversation and was even starting to enjoy himself when the same nurse suddenly spotted a friend coming into the canteen and waved to her.
Nick obligingly moved up to make room for the newcomer but it was only when he saw Katie carrying her tray across the room that he realised she was going to join them. His heart gave a little leap of excitement as she squeezed into the gap beside him but he quickly battened it down. Katie wasn’t the type of woman who fitted his usual requirements for a girlfriend, he reminded himself sternly, and he mustn’t take the chance of hurting her…He almost choked on a sprout when he realised how arrogant that sounded when there was no reason to imagine that Katie was the least bit interested in him!
‘I see you made it up in time for lunch,’ she said lightly once she’d greeted the others. However, Nick was very aware that she had avoided meeting his eyes.
‘Just. It’s always hard to drag yourself out of bed when you’re on nights, isn’t it?’ he replied, trying not to dwell on the thought of why Katie might feel uncomfortable around him because it would only create problems…
Did Katie feel uneasy because she was aware of him, too? the part of his mind that refused to co-operate demanded, and a second sprout shot down the wrong way. Nick turned beetroot-red as he spluttered inelegantly into his paper napkin and he saw Katie look at him in concern.
‘Are you all right?’
‘Fine, apart from trying to choke myself on the veg,’ he gurgled, feeling like a total idiot. He managed to clear the obstruction and smiled wanly at the rest of the group, who were all staring at him now. ‘I’ll make sure I chew everything twenty times from now on like my mother taught me to do.’
