Island Doctor To Royal Bride?

‘Have you ever managed to reunite a mother and baby after they left the baby at the safe haven?’

Arissa shook her head. ‘I’d love to tell you yes, but the honest answer is no. For two of the babies we never found their mother. Another one, she got admitted with an infection. But...’ he could hear the waver in Arissa’s voice ‘...she didn’t want to be reunited with her baby. She had a difficult history. Even with the offer of support, she just didn’t want to go down that road.’

Philippe turned into the hospital and found a space in the car park. He switched off the engine and turned around. Arissa was talking quietly to the baby. ‘So, have you picked a name yet?’ he asked quietly.

She glanced over at him. There was a smattering of freckles on her pale brown skin, over her nose. Her eyes were the deepest brown he’d ever seen. It was almost as if they sucked him in, holding him in place. For the briefest of seconds their gazes locked in a way that made him hold his breath.

‘I think you should pick the name,’ she replied, the edges of her lips turning upwards. ‘As long as you stick to the rules and pick something with a D.’

He got out of the car and walked around to her side, opening the door and looking down at the little baby. Her face wrinkled and she let out a yelp. He reached down and picked her up as Arissa released the harness on the car seat. He put the baby on his shoulder and patted her back as she continued to yelp. ‘I think she’s hungry,’ he said with a smile. Then something else crossed his mind. ‘We don’t even know if she’s been fed at all. Maybe we should hurry up with the admission process and prioritise the food.’

Arissa closed the car door and walked alongside him. ‘I think we can manage that.’ She gave him a wink. ‘I might know someone.’

It was the oddest feeling. This morning he’d been lying at a luxury resort with two weeks of fine dining and relaxation ahead of him. Now, he had a tiny newborn baby snuggling into his neck and—from what he could feel—currently trying to latch on to him. A beautiful woman, surrounded by the scent of freesias, was walking next to him and making him strangely curious about her, and this place.

It was the oddest sensation. He’d thought he’d wanted to come here to sort out how he felt about the next part of his career—the next part of his life. But here he was, volunteering to work on a day job. Wanting to spend the next two weeks finding out more about this woman and this place.

He almost laughed out loud. No wonder his ex had complained he couldn’t switch off from work. He just didn’t want to. Being a doctor and doing his best for other people was ingrained in him, running through his veins in his blood.

As they walked inside the front doors of the hospital he turned to Arissa. ‘Hey, I don’t know any Malaysian names. I can’t pick a name for this little cutie.’

‘Give it some thought. You’re about to meet a million new people.’ She wagged her finger at him. ‘I’ll warn you now, they’ll all start campaigning for their own name.’

His footsteps faltered a bit. He wasn’t quite sure what she meant. ‘They’ll know we’re looking for a name?’

He looked down at the little face. So innocent. So pure. A little girl abandoned by her mother for a million reasons he didn’t know about.

Arissa reached over and touched his arm. He almost jerked at the feel of her warm fingers on his skin. ‘Our babies are special,’ she said softly. ‘Everyone in the hospital supports the safe haven project. As soon as they see us, you’ll feel like a superstar.’

There was an edge to the way she said the words. A touch of sadness. He looked at her curiously. ‘Does the publicity help?’

She shuddered. She actually shuddered. ‘No. We don’t talk outside the hospital about the babies. We don’t want to do anything to compromise the safety of the person who has left their baby. It’s just internal. Word spreads fast. Everyone always comes to see the new baby.’ She sighed. ‘There’s a lot of love around here. By tomorrow, they’ll have an emergency foster carer ready to take her.’

He gave a nod. Did they have all this set up in Corinez? Was this something he could add into his newly purposed health system? His brain was spinning. He had to make some links. He had to talk to some of his advisors—and to some of the staff and ministers he would be working with.

It was weird. He’d resigned himself to this new life. But he’d never really felt the spark of excitement for it that he did now. The truth was he’d felt a little bitter about his future plans. Or maybe bitter was the wrong word, maybe it was overwhelmed. It was easy to work as a doctor somewhere and complain about lack of supplies or long hours. To be tasked with trying to implement change in a system that was so focused on finance? That was something else entirely. Free healthcare—even just maternity systems—would cost Corinez in a way that hadn’t been experienced before. He had to pitch things just right.

The one thing he was sure about was that he wanted to do well.

And for the first time, things were starting to take shape in his mind.

Thanks to this. Thanks to Harry. Thanks to Arissa.

Her hand was still on his arm and it tightened a little as they walked through the next set of doors. She gave him a smile. Ahead of them was a whole heap of expectant waiting faces. Nurses, admin staff, kitchen aides and cleaning staff were all standing at the nursing station.

‘Word does travel fast, doesn’t it?’ he said in wonder as they all started walking towards him.

‘Welcome to Temur Sapora,’ Arissa said as she raised her eyebrows.

Philippe surprised her. Of course, she’d pulled out her phone and emailed and checked his registration and references—which were all glowing. There was a small gap in the dates in his CV. But she wasn’t concerned. Lots of doctors took a few months out at some point in their lives. Maybe that was why he was here?

After he’d done the obligatory baby checks under her scrutinising gaze, she’d almost expected him to disappear back to his luxury resort. But no.

He stayed at the hospital while the paediatrician did their own assessment of the little girl then admitted her overnight for observation. Instead of leaving, Philippe settled down in a chair next to the cot in the nursery. He even asked if he could give the baby her first feed, which she gulped hungrily.

He wasn’t flustered when crowded by all the other staff who were anxious to see the new baby. In fact, he dealt with it like an old pro, smiling, answering politely and giving everyone a chance to see the new arrival. But what she did notice was the way he expertly circumvented answering specific questions about himself. It made her curious because she recognised the skill—it was something she’d done herself on occasion. How much did she actually know about this guy—apart from the fact he was a real doctor with good references? She made a note to try and find out if he’d been working in the last few months—that was where the gap in his CV was.

Eventually, they were left alone to get the baby settled. She still had half a mind that Philippe would make an excuse and go back to his bed in the luxury resort. But he didn’t. He finished feeding the baby and changed her nappy, all the while firing questions at Arissa about the safe haven scheme and the outcomes for babies like this.

They finally settled on a name—suggested by one of the nursing staff—Dian.

Philippe rested back in the wide armchair and nestled Dian into the crook of his arm, stroking his finger across her forehead and down her nose. ‘Well, little Dian, you’ve had an unusual start in this life. But you’re here, you’re safe, and hopefully your mum is too.’

Arissa could see a million things swirling around in his mind. Part of her wondered if a man who obviously came from money would be judgemental about what led a woman or girl to abandon their baby. But nothing like that came from his lips. All she could read on his face was empathy and part of her heart swelled in her chest at his reactions to little Dian.

In fact, he’d really surprised her. He sat there all night, asking a few questions about what would happen now with Dian, but mainly just holding the baby and talking to her.

‘Aren’t you tired?’ Arissa asked finally.

‘Sure.’ He shrugged, but his dark brown eyes still had a bit of sparkle in them. ‘But no more than usual.’ He looked around. ‘And this...’ he smiled down at Dian ‘...is different. How many times as a doctor have you cursed yourself because you haven’t had enough time to do something? How many times have you wanted a few more hours just to spend with a family, and give them some comfort?’ He gave a little nod as he looked at Dian again. ‘Tomorrow, Dian will go to a foster family, who’ll hopefully have all the time in the world to support her. But for now...’ his gaze met hers again ‘...it’s you, and me.’ Dian gave a little whimper and he tucked her up onto his shoulder and gently rubbed her back. ‘And let’s face it—this isn’t so bad?’ He stretched out his legs and put them on the low table in front of him. ‘What else would a guy do? Eat fancy dinners? Drink champagne cocktails?’ He winked. ‘That is how you think I spend my time, isn’t it?’

Her stomach gave a little flip. Maybe it was time to start making her facial expressions less obvious. ‘I didn’t say that.’

‘Yeah.’ He nodded, a gleam in his eye. ‘You did. But let’s just call it getting-to-know-you time.’

Heat rushed into her cheeks and she gave an embarrassed shudder, before biting her bottom lip and trying to get comfortable in the chair next to him.

She didn’t want to leave Dian either. It just seemed wrong that this poor little girl would spend her first day on this earth without someone to cuddle her during the night. The hospital staff knew her. They weren’t the least surprised to see her settle in for the night, and a few were already casting interested glances in Philippe’s direction. By morning, tongues would be wagging. She’d just have to make sure she introduced him formally as the temporary clinic doctor.

* * *

He was singing. And it totally wasn’t what she’d expected.

But to be honest she wasn’t sure what she’d expected at all. All the preconceived ideas she might have had about her upper-class guest were rapidly disappearing out of the window.

They’d come straight here from the hospital and had a quick chat first thing about the types of patients who normally attended the clinic. Temur Sapora had once had a mining industry, so chest complaints were common in the older population. Philippe had volunteered to see all the respiratory complaints and he seemed to be doing well. Until she heard him singing...

She pulled back one of the curtains. ‘What is that?’ She couldn’t help but ask.

Philippe was sitting next to an elderly local man whose shirt was open. Philippe had a stethoscope pressed to the man’s chest and both were singing along and laughing. Philippe turned towards her. ‘That,’ he said in mock horror, ‘is Frank Sinatra. You mean you didn’t recognise it?’ He tutted and shook his head. ‘Youngsters these days, Rahim. They don’t recognise one of the greats when they hear it.’

Arissa couldn’t help the smile on her face. ‘Oh, I recognise the greats, but no one could recognise that,’ she said.

Rahim erupted in laughter, than started coughing and spluttering. Philippe shot her a look and stood up, moving to the nearby sink to wash his hands. ‘It looks like Rahim has another chest infection. We were trying singing to see if it could help his lung capacity.’

He was choosing his words carefully. It was clear that Rahim, like many of the people around here, had chronic obstructive airways disease. His colour was poor and his breathing rapid. Any delay in treatment could end up in a hospital admission. Philippe moved over to the medicine cabinet. ‘I’m going to dispense some antibiotics for Rahim to take away with him, so we can get him started on treatment without delay.’

She liked the way he was obviously trying to put the man at ease.

Now she really did smile. He knew that for a patient like Rahim, writing a prescription that would have to be taken to a pharmacy and dispensed wasn’t the way to go. More often than not, patients like Rahim wouldn’t fill their prescriptions. Some might assume it could be down to cost—and it could be, but not always. Other times some of the older patients didn’t want to be a nuisance, or forgot to fill their prescriptions. There was a whole variety of reasons. But Philippe was doing exactly what she would have done—making sure the medicine was in the hands of the patient who required it.

The very fact that she didn’t have to explain any of this to Philippe made her wonder about him a little bit more.

She gave him a nod and let him finish, moving on to the next patient.

A few hours later he appeared behind her, an empty coffee cup in his hand. ‘Okay, I’ve snagged a cup. But where do we find the coffee?’

She glanced out at the waiting room that had finally quietened after her morning’s immunisation clinic.

She gestured with her head. ‘Come on. I’ll take you to the magic.’

She led him through to the small kitchen at the back of the clinic, switched on the percolator and flicked open the nearest cupboard, which was stocked from top to bottom with a variety of coffee.

Philippe blinked, then laughed. He lifted his hand. ‘What is it? Did some kind of rep come here and give you his whole supply?’

Arissa folded her arms and leaned against the wall, watching him for a few moments. ‘Maybe. Or maybe it’s just a rule that every doctor that works here has to buy their favourite kind of coffee before they leave.’

His eyes widened. ‘Exactly how many doctors have you had working here?’

She gave a sigh. ‘A lot. There are no permanent doctors here. Haven’t been for years.’

He frowned as he pulled one of the packets of coffee from the cupboard, gave it a quick appreciative sniff and loaded it into the machine. ‘So how on earth do you keep things running?’

She shook her head as she grabbed another mug. ‘I don’t. We...’ she held out her hands ‘...the community does. I commit all my holidays to working here.’

He stared at her for a few seconds. ‘All of your holidays?’

She nodded. ‘Sure. Have done for the last five years. Temur Sapora is home. This is where I’d come for my holidays anyway—so why not come here and work? We have lots of volunteers. Though I have to admit that the wound-healing project has definitely been a boost.’

The smell of coffee started to fill the room. ‘So, you’re telling me that this whole clinic is staffed by volunteers?’

She smiled. ‘Yes, and no. There are three permanent nursing staff and two administrators. They’re actually the most important people of all—they handle the rota.’

‘So, there are more doctors like you?’

She could see just how many questions he wanted to ask.

She nodded. ‘There’s no university training for medicine on Temur Sapora. Anyone who wants to train as a doctor has to leave.’

He tilted his head to the side. ‘And no one wants to come back full time?’

She instantly felt her hackles rise. He probably didn’t mean to offend but she couldn’t help how she felt.

‘Hey.’ He moved in front of her, his fingertips connecting with her arm. As she breathed she inhaled his sea-edged aftershave. ‘That didn’t quite come out the way it should.’

For a few seconds she didn’t move, conscious of the expanse of his chest moving up and down under the pale blue shirt right in front of her face. She hadn’t realised she was quite so short compared to him. She tipped her head upwards. Now she was this close, she could see the emerging stubble on his jawline—apparent after a night spent in the hospital. It rankled that he still managed to look this good with no real sleep or a change of clothes. It suddenly made her conscious of her own appearance.

His dark brown eyes smiled down at her apologetically. ‘Sometimes things just come out a little awkwardly,’ he said.

‘They didn’t seem to earlier. You had all the hospital staff practically sitting in the palm of your hand. Charm seemed like your main offensive.’

‘Ouch.’ He laughed, then ran his fingers through his dark hair. He hadn’t moved. He was still only a few inches from her. ‘I guess when I’m tired then the charm slips.’ He held out both hands. ‘What I meant to say is that I’m impressed. I’ve only been here two days and I’m impressed already. By the clinic, by the safe haven project. You’re making me think about things. Work I could do back home.’

She wrinkled her nose. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be on holiday?’

‘What can I say? I got bored.’ The percolator started to bubble and this time he did step back.

It was the oddest sensation. She was almost sorry that he did.

She blinked and turned away, feeling instantly self-conscious. She fumbled in her trouser pocket to find a ponytail band, then tried to capture the errant curls that had escaped around her face. She pulled her hair upwards, then stared down at her wrinkled pink shirt. ‘Maybe I should take five minutes and go home and change.’

He handed her a cup of steaming coffee. ‘Why? You look fine. Gorgeous as ever.’

Her stomach clenched. The man who’d displaced Hugh Jackman from her ‘if only’ list had just called her gorgeous. As soon as the thought appeared in her head she pushed it away. She didn’t have time to think like that. There was too much work to be done. Too many other things to sort out. He might be a doctor, but he was still a tourist. Temur Sapora would be just a fleeting visit to him. Nothing more. Nothing less.

She pulled herself back to the conversation from earlier. ‘If I came back here permanently, then I’d have to work as a generalist. I’ve spent the last year specialising in Paediatric Oncology. It’s where my heart lies. But because there’s a smaller population on Temur Sapora there wouldn’t be that opportunity to specialise.’ The aroma of coffee was drifting around her, overpowering the teasing smell of his aftershave and allowing her to concentrate again. ‘It’s the same for the rest of my colleagues who volunteer here. One is a surgeon, another a cardiologist, another an endocrinologist. In fact—’ she gave a little smile ‘—we probably cover just about every speciality that there is—and that has its benefits too.’

She glanced through the glass-panelled door to the waiting room outside. It was the first time in days there hadn’t been a number of patients waiting to be seen—partly because Philippe was proving so useful. She gave a little nod and sat down on the comfortable sofa in the staff room. ‘There’s a few children whose cases I can review and treatment plans I can look over while I’m here.’

Philippe settled onto the sofa beside her, his thigh brushing against hers. ‘They don’t go to the mainland for treatment?’

She shook her head. ‘The mainland is a four-hour flight away. The truth is it’s expensive, and it’s not just the flights. It’s the hospital treatment once you get there, and room and board for the families. It all adds up.’

He took a sip of the coffee, sighed and rested back on the sofa, closing his eyes for a second. ‘You’re right, it does. I guess none of us has really mastered the healthcare system yet of our countries.’

It seemed an odd thing to say. She let out a little laugh. ‘And why would that be our job? We just have to work in the system. Not design it.’

It was as if she’d just given him a sharp jab. His eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright again. ‘What? Oh, of course, yeah. You’re right.’

She frowned. ‘Dr Aronaz? Are you okay? Do you want to get some sleep?’

He shook his head. For the briefest of seconds he’d had that rabbit-caught-in-the-headlights kind of look. But he seemed to shake it off as quickly as it had appeared. This guy had a real talent for smoothing things over.

Something prickled in the back of her brain. Something vaguely familiar that she just couldn’t place. But before she could think about it any more, Philippe had turned to face her. ‘Hey, we haven’t had a chance to discuss the research project on wound healing yet. Why don’t you run me through it and tell me what you need me to do to assist?’

Of course. For the last few days there hadn’t really been a chance to keep things as up to date as she wanted. The project was proving really successful and it was vital she made sure the research was recorded accurately. If things worked out, it could eventually lead to better funding for the clinic. She had to keep the long-term goal in mind. She set down her coffee and pulled over a laptop from the nearby counter. ‘Sure, let me show you what we’re doing...’

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