Top-Notch Men!

‘Yes.’ Allegra was momentarily taken aback by the dark shadows beneath his eyes. He looked like she felt—tired, defeated, and a little out of his depth. It made him seem less of an enemy and she felt something that had been previously hard and closed off inside her begin to soften a little. She suddenly became aware of both Harry’s and Joel’s expectant gazes trained on her. ‘Um … yes, I would prefer not to have to reanaesthetise her until we see how the lung function pans out.’

Joel shifted his gaze and checked the obs with the attending nurse, Jayne Stephens. He listened to Gaile’s chest but there was very little in terms of air entry, and a lot of crackles and crepitations. He knew Gaile was in for a rough ride but he had seen such patients recover with adequate ICU support—the key was to avoid sepsis and maintain organ support and brain oxygenation.

‘We should go and have a chat with her husband,’ he suggested, once he’d finished his checks. ‘He’s been here all night. I sent him out to the conference room a few minutes ago to stretch his legs.’

Harry’s beeper went off and he grimaced as he looked at the screen. ‘Sorry, guys, I’ve got a surgical tutorial with the trainees and I’m already ten minutes late. You know what these young folk are like—if we don’t turn up on the dot they think we’ve cancelled and go off and have a latte instead.’

Joel smiled at the older surgeon. ‘Can’t say I blame them. I could do with a double-strength latte myself right now.’ He turned to Allegra once Harry had left, his easy smile replaced by a little frown. ‘Do you want to come with me to talk to Neil Donovan or is a coffee more preferable?’

‘I was coming to see you anyway about another matter,’ she said. ‘After we’ve spoken with Mr Donovan, perhaps you could fit me into your busy schedule.’

He gave her an unreadable look as he held the door for her. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

They moved from the unit past the security guard to the conference room along the corridor, where Neil Donovan was sitting with his head in his hands. He looked up as they came in, the dread on his face clawing at Allegra’s already overstretched emotions.

‘How are you holding up?’ Joel asked.

‘I’m just hoping she’s going to be OK,’ Neil said, his eyes red and weary beyond description. ‘The girls and I just couldn’t go on if …’ His voice trailed off and Allegra swallowed against the lump in her throat.

‘She’s been stable overnight, Neil,’ Joel informed him, closing the small distance to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. ‘That’s positive. She’s getting the best talent this hospital has.’

‘I know …’ Neil said, not bothering to disguise the track of tears moving down his unshaven cheeks. ‘I just hope it’s enough. I’m not a religious man but I’ve been praying all night for a miracle.’

Joel glanced briefly in Allegra’s direction. ‘Miracles are hard to arrange, Neil. Maybe they happen—certainly some people believe in them. Try to hold onto hope. There’s still a decent chance she can pull through. We’ll explore every feasible option.’

‘Can I go back to her now?’ Neil asked.

‘Of course you can.’ Joel smiled warmly. ‘Who’s looking after the girls for you?’

‘I left them with my mother, although they weren’t too happy about it,’ Neil said.

‘If they want to be here with their mother, that’s where they should be,’ Joel said. ‘If there’s anything you want any of us to do, just let us know.’

‘Thank you, Dr Addison. You, too, Dr Tallis,’ he said. ‘I don’t know how you doctors deal with this stuff day in and day out. It must really get to you after a while.’

‘We’re trained to cope with it,’ Joel said. ‘Mind you, it’s totally different when you’re on the other side. I haven’t as yet been a patient myself, but I’ve had plenty of practice at being a patient’s relative. It’s a tough call. You’re doing a great job, Neil. Your ongoing support is just what your wife needs right now.’

Neil Donovan gave them both a tired smile and, thanking them again, left to be with his wife back in the unit.

‘He’s certainly a very different kettle of fish to our friend Mr Lowe,’ Allegra couldn’t help commenting as the door closed on his exit.

Joel turned and looked down at her, his nostrils instinctively flaring so he could take in more of her light perfume. It reminded him of freshly cut spring flowers warmed by the sun, heady and evocative without being too overpowering. He wanted to haul her into his arms and kiss her deeply so he could carry the sweet tantalising taste of her throughout the long, arduous day ahead. His groin tightened at the thought of slipping his tongue inside her mouth to curl around hers, the palms of his hands sliding under her clothes to cover her breasts to feel their softness crowned with her hardened nipples.

With a gargantuan effort he forced the images of their bodies locked in passion from his mind and asked, ‘What did you want to see me about?’

‘I want you to remove Ruth Tilley from Kate Lowe’s room,’ she said implacably. ‘In fact, not just Kate’s room but ICTU altogether.’

His brow wrinkled as he brought the senior nurse’s features to mind, mentally reminding himself of her impressive capabilities. He’d seen her manage a trauma patient with multiple injuries almost single-handedly the previous week when several multi-trauma patients had arrived simultaneously and the medical staff had been stretched beyond the limits. She had saved a young man’s life and surely didn’t deserve the indignity of being dismissed from the unit without a very good reason. ‘Why? Have you some sort of issue with her?’ ‘Yes, I do, actually. She’s got the wrong attitude.’ His features hardened. ‘According to who?’ Allegra could feel his intransigence like an impenetrable wall being built brick by brick between them. She drew herself up to her full height and bit out, ‘According to me.’

‘Let me guess.’ His mouth quirked a fraction. ‘Her aura is off centre, is it?’

Allegra had had enough. ‘Don’t you dare make fun of me, Addison. If anyone’s aura is askew, it’s yours.’

He looked down at her flashing green eyes and his smile tilted even further. ‘Are you threatening me, Dr Tallis?’

She held his taunting brown gaze for several heart-chugging seconds, the atmosphere tightening around them to snapping point. The air was thick with it. She couldn’t even breathe properly. Her chest felt restricted, her head light as if not enough oxygen was getting through to her brain. Deep and low in her belly a throbbing pulse had begun a tattoo that triggered a silky liquid response between her thighs, which she suddenly realised with a jolt of awareness were way too close to his. Their hard muscled presence alerted her too late to the hot sexual current charging between their bodies, a current that she had tried desperately to ignore because of what she knew it signified.

She tried to step back but both of his hands countered it by coming down on her hips and with one short hard tug bringing her up against him.

‘Who’s going to throw the first punch, Allegra?’ he asked, staring at her mouth as if mesmerised. ‘Or should we kiss and make up instead?’

She moistened her lips nervously, her heart leaping in her chest as he brought his head down, her breath consumed by the greedy hunger of his mouth as it captured hers.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.