Breaking Her No-Dates Rule

His face was in profile as he waited for his order. He had a square jaw darkened by a hint of stubble, full lips, one dark eyebrow that she could see and dark lashes. He got his order and turned away from them, unaware of their scrutiny as he moved through the crowd. Ellie straightened in her seat and followed his progress across the room. His walk was quite graceful, his long lean lines leant fluidity to his movement, and his steps were confident. He stopped to join the group of surgeons standing with Rob and Ellie watched, intrigued, as Rob introduced him to the others. How did Rob know him?

‘Do you know who he is?’ Jess asked. She’d shifted in her chair to get a better look.

‘No idea,’ Ellie replied.

She had a good view of him now. Standing beside Rob, she could see he was a few inches shorter, around six feet tall. Rob was getting thicker around his middle and the contrast between Hot Guy and Rob made Rob look older than his thirty-three years. Rob’s hair was more grey than brown, although it was still thick. Hot Guy had thick, almost black hair, with a definite curl.

‘If Ellie isn’t interested, you should go and introduce yourself, Jess,’ Ruby suggested.

Ellie couldn’t remember saying she wasn’t interested in the hot guy specifically but she bit her tongue because she had just said she was going to bide her time.

‘No way. I’m not going to interrupt that group,’ Jess said.

Ellie understood her sentiments. As very recent nursing graduates they still felt there was a pecking order among the medical staff and their social standing in the hospital certainly didn’t allow them to fraternise with the surgeons uninvited out of hours. And if the group of surgeons included Rob, they’d definitely keep their distance.

But Ellie knew there was another reason why Jess wouldn’t approach the hot guy. Jess had been quite genuine in pointing him out to Ellie and even if he hadn’t been talking to Rob she wouldn’t have gone over, because Jess was completely besotted with Adam.

Adam Carmichael; the token male in their house, their mostly absent landlord, Ruby’s brother and their resident Casanova rolled into one. There was never a shortage of women traipsing through his door when he was in Sydney and the girls often joked that he should put a revolving door on his bedroom so he could move his conquests in and out more efficiently. And, even though he was completely wrong for her, Jess had a thing for Adam.

Ellie wished Jess would meet somebody who would take her mind off him, someone who was ready for a real relationship, someone who wouldn’t break her heart. But despite Ellie’s pleas Jess seemed quite determined to ignore any other possibilities, including the hot guy. And in that case, Ellie decided, she might as well enjoy the view.

She looked back into the bar. Hot Guy was still talking to Rob but he was looking at her. Their gazes locked and something flashed through her. A jolt, a strike, a shock to the heart, and the rest of the room receded as the spark of connection flared. She sat still, riveted to the spot as he looked her up and down without a hint of embarrassment. She should have been horrified but all she could do was wait for him to finish. Wait for his eyes to meet hers again. Without consciously acknowledging her actions, she was waiting to see if she could work out what had happened with that first glance. What was it?

His gaze returned to her face and there it was again. A flash of what? Recognition? Ellie wondered if he knew who she was. She mentally shook her head. No. Rob would never have talked about her.

She didn’t move, she couldn’t move. She knew she was staring but she couldn’t stop. She felt a blush spread up her neck and into her cheeks but still she couldn’t look away.

His smouldering good looks had a slight wildness about them, an edginess, which drew her to him. She imagined she could feel the heat radiating from him. Her fingers itched to touch him and if he’d been standing beside her she knew she would have reached out to feel him. She could imagine the heat of his hands burning her skin and that made her blush even more.

He held her gaze, a hint of mischief in his eyes, almost as though he could read her thoughts, and then he grinned at her. Ellie smiled back. She didn’t mean to and she was surprised to find her face was capable of expression but her smile was an automatic response to the power of his.

She tore her eyes away from his, forcing herself to break the connection. She tried to focus on the conversation going on around her, tried to behave normally, tried to pretend she hadn’t just shared a moment with a hot stranger.

She had no idea how successful she was being but thankfully the arrival of Ruby’s fiancé, Cort, provided a welcome distraction.

Cort was a senior emergency registrar and Ellie wondered if he knew who the hot guy was. She didn’t have to wonder for long.

‘Do you know who the guy in the black T-shirt is over there? The one who’s talking to Rob Coleman?’ Ruby inclined her head in their direction as she asked Cort the question.

‘That’s James Leonardi,’ he said as he took in the group. ‘He’s a new registrar.’

‘In Emergency?’ Ellie asked. Was the new reg working with Cort?

Cort shook his head. ‘Orthopaedics.’

‘Orthopaedics?’ Ellie repeated. She didn’t know whether to be nervous or delighted. The hot guy was an orthopod? She was going to have to work with him?

‘He’s transferred from Royal North Shore. I understand the director of orthopaedics poached him, and apparently there are high expectations of him.’

Ellie was vaguely aware that Cort was still talking but her mind had wandered off in the direction of the hot guy. James Leonardi. His name sounded Spanish or Italian. She should have known. That would explain where the heat was coming from, he would have passionate blood running through his veins, it was almost tangible. It was in his eyes too, in the look he had given her. Fire, heat and passion.

There was a silent humming in the air around her. She could feel it and she was convinced it was coming from him. How was it possible to feel such an instant connection with a complete stranger?

She shifted in her chair. She needed to change position. She needed something else to look at. She was going to be working with the man so she needed to picture him in a white coat, in a sterile environment. In theatre scrubs. No. That wasn’t helping. He looked just as good in her imagination.

Maybe she should go home. Maybe it was a case of out of sight, out of mind.

CHAPTER TWO

ELLIE stepped into the shower and tried to let the water wash away thoughts of Dr James Leonardi. Out of sight, out of mind hadn’t worked terribly well. He’d been in her dreams all night. Her subconscious had been infiltrated by a stranger.

But he didn’t feel like a stranger.

She closed her eyes and his image burst into her head. She could instantly recall the line of his shoulder under his T-shirt, the slight curl in his black hair and the heat in his expression when he’d looked at her with his dark eyes. She let her memory linger on the curve of his butt and the long sinewy length of his back as she rinsed her hair before she opened her eyes, turned off the shower and attempted to banish all further thoughts of him from her mind. She needed to focus. She had to work with him. She couldn’t let her fantasies rule her thoughts.

And a fantasy was all he could be. She wasn’t going to date another doctor. She wasn’t going to make that mistake again. It was too awkward when things went badly. She’d learnt that much from her experience with Rob. The orthopaedic ward was definitely off limits and, therefore, so was James Leonardi.

But putting him out of her mind was easier said than done. Especially as he was all anyone wanted to talk about at handover that morning.

‘Have you seen the new doctor?’

‘Yep.’

‘Isn’t he superb?’

‘Is he Italian? He looks Italian.’

‘I was on yesterday when he started and he’s as Australian as you and me.’

‘Oh, you lucky thing. Is he as gorgeous as he looks?’

Listening to the nurses’ gossip, it was as though the outside world had ceased to exist. This new world appeared to revolve entirely around Dr James Leonardi. Ellie kept quiet. She had nothing to contribute, she hadn’t actually met or spoken to him, and her thoughts were not for sharing.

The CNC handed Ellie a stack of files. ‘You can accompany Dr. Leonardi on his rounds this morning—you know the patients better than anyone. I’ve given you George, Mavis, Dylan and Jenny.’

Ellie wondered if she’d been given this job because of her silence rather than her nursing skills. Not that it mattered. She took the files and went to wait for the rest of the group.

Ward rounds in a teaching hospital tended to be rather large affairs. They would be accompanied by the ward physio, Charlotte, and however many physio students she’d have with her today. There were nursing students on the ward too and there would possibly be a medical student or two and an intern. It was rather daunting for the patients until they got used to it and daunting for the students also.

All the chatter from the other nurses still hadn’t prepared Ellie for the jolt she got when she saw Dr Leonardi again. Her first official encounter with him was hardly going to be an intimate affair but that didn’t stop her heart from racing with expectation. He watched her intently as she introduced herself.

‘Dr. Leonardi, I’m Ellie Nicholson, I’ll be doing your rounds with you this morning.’ As she spoke she was aware of that strange connection again, that silent hum, that unexplained feeling that he knew more about her than he should, and she could see in his eyes that he remembered her.

‘Hello again,’ he said, and although his gaze didn’t move from her face Ellie felt as though he was running his eyes over the length of her just as he’d done yesterday in the Stat Bar. His eyes were dark, dark brown and by the look in them she knew he was recalling yesterday too. She felt another blush creep up her neck as the corners of his eyes creased as he smiled and his eyes darkened further, reminding her of molten chocolate.

He extended his hand. It was warm, just as she’d expected, and now she could feel that silent hum pulsing up her arm. It was no longer just moving through the air, it was moving through her and it was definitely coming from him. She could feel herself wanting to close her eyes, wanting to lose herself in the force field that surrounded them. That was the only way to describe the sensation. She fought to keep her eyes open, fought not to succumb to his intensity.

She felt Charlotte watching her and knew she was wondering about Dr Leonardi’s choice of words. Hello again.

She avoided the physio’s gaze as she fought to keep a level head. She let go of Dr Leonardi’s hand as she checked to see if the right people had assembled.

‘Shall we get started?’ she said, turning away from James Leonardi and forcing herself to concentrate as she led the group to the first patient on her list. Her job would be to make sure that all the medical staff was up to speed on the patient’s condition and treatment regime. Charlotte would be responsible for ensuring that the physio angle was covered and together they would work out what else needed to be done or discuss discharge possibilities.

‘Morning, George,’ Ellie greeted their first patient, before introducing him to the group and handing his case notes to James. She took a step closer to the bed, putting some distance between her and James. She had to move away, it was impossible to stay focussed on her work when he stood so near. He smelt like limes, like a cool drink on a hot day, and she was finding him hugely distracting.

‘This is George Poni,’ she said, forcing herself to concentrate on the patient. ‘He’s a fifty-year-old who came off second best when his motorbike hit a guard rail six days ago. He sustained a fractured left ankle, left head of radius, clavicle and wrist. He underwent open reduction, internal fixation of his ankle and wrist and conservative, non-surgical treatment of his clavicle and elbow. He’s had no complications and we’re starting to consider discharge.’

‘I can’t go home,’ George interrupted. ‘My wife is going to kill me. Tell them, Ellie.’

‘You’ll be fine, George,’ Ellie said in an attempt to placate him. ‘I’ve spoken to Lilly and she’s quite calm about the whole thing now as long as you promise to give up the motorbike and find some other safer hobby to pursue through your mid-life crisis. Her words, not mine!’ she added at the end of her spiel. Out of the corner of her eye she could see James smiling. His smile was wide and it brought creases to the corners of his eyes. He had the smile of someone who smiled often and who was used to people smiling with him.

‘Other than putting his life in danger, is there any other reason not to discharge George?’ James asked. ‘How mobile is he, Charlotte?’

‘He’s partial weight-bearing on his left leg and can manage short distances with one crutch, but we’re planning on sending him home with a wheelchair as he can’t use two crutches because of his upper-limb injuries. There’s still a lot of swelling but nothing more than expected. Despite George’s protestations, his wife is capable and willing to give support.’

James was checking the medication chart at the end of George’s bed. ‘He’s still having four-hourly Panadeine Forte?’ He directed his question at Ellie.

‘For his elbow and ankle.’ Ellie clarified George’s pain relief requirements.

‘Do we need this bed?’

‘No.’ Ellie shook her head. ‘We’re okay at the moment.’

‘Okay, George. I’ll do you a deal. Let’s see how you go with painkillers every six hours but we’ll start making arrangements for discharge and review your situation tomorrow.’

‘Thanks, Doc.’

‘Next?’ James said. Ellie indicated the bed diagonally opposite George’s, where a very thin, pale young man lay, and the group migrated to his bedside.

‘Dylan Harris, twenty-four, also involved in a motorbike accident, six weeks ago. He sustained a fractured right femur and fractured pelvis. He’s had a K-nail inserted into his femur and was in traction for his pelvis. He been a bit slow to get up and get moving.’ In fact, if she was being totally honest, Ellie would say Dylan was being ridiculously pathetic. He regularly burst into dramatic tears whenever the physios came to do his treatment, even though his injuries were healing well and there was nothing to be concerned about from his recovery point of view.

‘What seems to be the problem?’

‘A lack of motivation and co-operation,’ Charlotte contributed.

‘I’m not using that walking frame, that’s for old people,’ Dylan sulked, indicating the gutter frame that was waiting beside his bed.

Charlotte sighed. ‘How many times have we had this conversation, Dylan? The rate you’re going you will be old before you get out of here. Once I’m confident that you’re walking safely with the frame we can look at progressing to crutches.’

‘I’ll get up if Ellie walks with me.’

‘You have to walk with the physios first,’ Charlotte replied. ‘It’s hospital policy.’

‘Why don’t I come back with Charlotte after rounds and we’ll get you out of bed together?’ Ellie suggested. ‘I’ll be your second person assist,’ she said to Charlotte.

‘As long as you’re sure,’ Charlotte said.

Ellie didn’t really have time to spend getting Dylan on his feet for the first time. She knew how long that process could take. Even just a few steps would be a massive task when he’d been lying in bed for so long. But there didn’t seem to be any other way this was going to happen. She nodded.

‘Any other issues?’ James asked.

‘None,’ Ellie replied.

‘All right. Dylan, if I come back tomorrow and find you haven’t at least attempted to get out of bed I’ll get you moved to another ward where you won’t have Ellie or Charlotte looking after you,’ James threatened, obviously figuring that was the way to get Dylan motivated. ‘But if you start complying with treatment you can stay here.’

By the look on Dylan’s face Ellie could tell he wasn’t sure whether he’d just won the argument or been gazumped by Dr Leonardi. In Ellie’s opinion it was Dr Leonardi 1, Dylan 0.

When James finished his rounds and left the ward Ellie felt as though he’d taken some of her energy with him, although a hint of his fresh lime scent remained, tantalising her senses.

She threw herself into the morning’s work, hoping that if she kept busy she wouldn’t have time to think about Dr Leonardi. Wouldn’t have time to think about his chocolate eyes and how they’d watched every move she’d made. Wouldn’t have time to think about those full lips and how they’d curled into a smile when she’d said something that had amused him, and she wouldn’t have time to think about the throbbing she felt in the air when she was near him or the way it pulsed through her body when he touched her.

In some ways she hoped his effect on her would wear off as he spent more time on the ward. Maybe it would fade away and she’d be able to work in peace. But a part of her enjoyed the buzz he gave her, the feeling of danger, as though he was forbidden fruit.

Maybe that was the attraction, the exact thing that had got people into trouble all through the ages—wanting something they couldn’t have. After her disastrous fling with Rob she wasn’t going to get involved with someone on the orthopaedic ward again. Not ever.

She’d just have to ignore those feelings, she told herself. That would be the sensible thing to do.

‘Ellie? Are you awake?’

‘Come in, Jess.’

The door opened. ‘Good, you’re up. Do you want to come for a walk with me?’

Ellie looked at her watch. Ten past eight.

‘Now?’ she said.

‘Please,’ Jess begged as she pulled Ellie’s curtains back. ‘Adam’s home again and I don’t want to be here when he gets up.’

Now the early morning walk made sense. Ellie knew Jess wouldn’t want to confront whoever it was who had kept Adam company last night. Their house belonged to Adam and the fifth bedroom was his to use whenever he was in Sydney. His work as a surgeon with Operation New Faces had him travelling around the world but when he was home there was always an endless stream of girls in and out of his bed, and Ellie knew Jess found that upsetting. Being reminded of Adam’s casual attitude to relationships was almost more than Jess could handle and she hated having to play nice whenever her path crossed with one of his many women.

‘Okay,’ Ellie conceded, ‘give me a minute to get dressed.’ Her room was flooded with light. It was going to be a beautiful day and she may as well get up and enjoy it. She climbed out of bed and pulled on underwear, a sports singlet and shorts. She’d shower later. She went to the mirror to brush her hair and tied it back into a ponytail. She rubbed sunscreen over her skin and grabbed a hat and her sunglasses. She was ready.

A light northerly breeze was blowing along the foreshore as Ellie and Jess crossed Arden Street and headed for the path that hugged the beach. The morning sun was warm on Ellie’s skin with enough heat in it to make the breeze feel pleasant instead of uncomfortable.

A low stone wall separated the beach from the path and Ellie and Jess had to dodge joggers and dog walkers as they headed north. At this early hour the only people who were up were people who had a reason to be—people who wanted to get their morning exercise in or who had young children. The lawn area was teeming with families and there were even some keen ones on the beach, building sandcastles and swimming.

Ellie kept her gaze averted from the young families. She didn’t need a reminder of what she was missing. Since breaking up with Rob, she’d decided she would bide her time before starting another relationship. She’d had a few intense, short-lived relationships in the past year and she’d thought having a self-enforced break would be a good idea.

‘Perhaps I should get a dog,’ she said to Jess.

‘What are you talking about?’

Ellie waved a hand in the general direction of the other pedestrians. ‘Everyone here has either got kids or a dog. If I’m not going to have kids, maybe a dog is a good alternative. Lots of people do that.’

‘Since when aren’t you having kids?’ Jess asked.

‘Well, I won’t be having any in the near future so a dog might be a good alternative,’ she explained. ‘Besides you know how, when you want something really badly, it seems to take for ever to happen and how, if you stop wanting it, it falls into your lap? Maybe, if I decide to get a dog, I’ll meet the man who will be the father of my children just because I’ve replaced the idea of kids with the reality of a dog.’

‘I don’t get that logic at all,’ Jess replied, and Ellie caught her sideways look, the one that said she thought her friend might be going mad. ‘I think we need to walk a bit faster. We need to get to Bondi and see the backpackers—the young, single crowd who don’t have kids or a dog. That’s another reality, you know. Anyway, I thought you were taking a break from the dating scene.’

‘I am,’ Ellie replied, but even as she uttered the words she knew she could be tempted out of her self-imposed ban very quickly and it was all because of James Leonardi. Since he’d arrived at Eastern Beaches, on the orthopaedic ward, her hormones had gone into overdrive. She was overwhelmingly aware of him and his presence reminded her that she loved being in a relationship. Loved the idea of being in love. ‘I think what I’m trying to say is that perhaps if I stop trying to find my ideal man, he might find me.’

Jess nodded. ‘That makes a bit more sense but, you know what, I think you might just need to revise your definition of your perfect man. You might not want to hear this but I think you’ve been looking at the wrong type of men.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You’ve always gone for the guys who appeared sensible and mature, older than you, ones who you think might be ready to settle down, without really worrying about what they’re like. Maybe you should try dating someone your own age.’

‘What’s age got to do with it? Cort’s older than Ruby and you’re still lusting after Adam, who’s older than you too, why do I have to date the young ones?’ Ellie argued.

‘Maybe not too young but maybe you should look for someone who’s not so serious and staid, someone who knows how to have a good time, less of a father figure.’

Ellie frowned. ‘Is that what you think I’ve been doing?’

‘I think you’re looking for someone to be the father of your children but I also think you want someone who will take care of you,’ Jess explained. ‘You don’t need that, you can take care of yourself. I think you should choose a man because he’s a good man, not because you think he’ll make a good father. Look for someone who you can have a bit of fun with. You don’t need to rush into the whole marriage and babies thing. You’re still young. Relax.’ Jess stopped talking as they walked up a steep stretch of path but as soon as they were on a downhill slope again she continued. ‘If I told you your ideal man was waiting around the corner for you, tell me what you’d want to see.’

That was easy. ‘Taller than me,’ Ellie said, ‘maybe a bit older, fit but not with weightlifter muscles, more of a runner’s physique.’ So what if her description was an identical match to James Leonardi? Surely there were plenty of other men who could be described in the same fashion!

‘And what would he be like?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, does he make you laugh or does he take life very seriously? Could he be divorced? Already have kids? Do you want a professional or someone who has a job where they get dirty? A dog person or a cat person? Tea or coffee drinker?’

They’d reached Gordon’s Bay and turned for the trip home. As they walked down the hill around the northern end of Coogee Bay, past Rob’s apartment building, Ellie quickened her pace, not slowing until they’d made it back to the stone wall that signalled the beginning of the beach. A few fishing boats were being taken out from the fishing club and there were a couple of games of beach volleyball under way. Ellie’s attention was drawn to a game of two on two between four fit young guys. They were all wearing board shorts without shirts, their bodies tanned and firm in the morning sun. A few steps closer and Ellie’s heart began to race in her chest. There was something familiar about one of them.