by Emily Forbes
'So, you're a GP.' Tom was still swinging his leg, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world. His nonchalance was hard to take when she felt like she'd been sideswiped by the semi-trailer of all surprises. 'Are you happy with your work?'
'Sure.' She wished he'd stop pretending to care. If she was fair, he probably wasn't pretending, he'd always been lovely, but it would be a lot easier to stamp on her attraction to him if he weren't so nice.
'You were so intent on specializing. It was your ultimate goal so I'd never have imagined you'd veer from that path.'
She shrugged and looked away. 'That was a lifetime ago.'
So many things had happened since then. Too many things, so that, in the end she’d never realized her dreams.
But she wasn’t going to stand here and explain it all. He was at the center of why her life had taken a detour. And just like the instantaneous impact he'd had on her hypothalamus, kicking her libido back into life, that was another piece of information he wasn't going to extract from her.
‘I'd love to stay and chat but I've got a busy afternoon clinic ahead of me.' Despite her words, her legs weren't moving. She'd loved this man completely five years ago and despite the disastrous end to their relationship she'd never forgotten him. How could she walk away from him now when all she'd wanted had been to see him one more time?
'It's good to see you, Lexi.' Now he held out his hand! 'Friends?'
Lexi hesitated for a fraction of a second before the desire to touch him, to be touched by him, won out over her sense of self- preservation and she took his hand. His fingers were hot on her skin and she jumped as the shock of awareness raced up her arm.
She'd meant to say 'colleagues', to establish some formality, but his touch sent all coherent thought out of her head. 'Sure.'
Pathetic, but it was all she could manage. At least her voice hadn't come out all husky and suggestive, because that was how she was feeling. Right now, she could probably have given Marilyn Monroe a run for her money when it came to speaking in breathy tones.
She slipped her hand out of his grasp, bundled up her papers and muttered something about seeing him later. She edged around him and left the room as quickly as she could without making it seem as if she was running away. What was the matter with her? One minute she couldn't wait to see him, to touch him, make sure he was real. And when she did, she couldn't wait to hot-foot it in the opposite direction, straight for the bathroom where she could splash cold water on her face and attempt to extinguish the heat that had surged through her when his fingers had closed around hers. One thing was sure. Tom was back, and it seemed he'd brought the key to her libido with him. Now she just had to work out how to change the lock.
CHAPTER TWO
The afternoon's clinic dragged on. And on. But somehow Lexi managed to get through it. Her patients didn't appear to notice anything amiss but heaven only knew if she made any sense at all. At the most unpredictable times, images of Tom found their way into her head and tugged her brain out of rational mode straight back to the realms of fancy. Her intercom buzzed as she closed the door behind her final patient. Covering the few steps to her desk, she pressed the button and heard Peggy's voice.
'Dr Patterson? Your mum and Mollie are back from the city. Mollie wants to see you.'
'Send them through, thanks.'
Lexi pushed the door open for her mum, leaving it ajar, and hugged the older woman and then six-year-old Mollie. This was her reality, right here, and it was all she needed. 'Hello, sweetheart. Did you have a good visit with Father Christmas?'
'Yep, he said the elves told him I've been really good.' She settled into Lexi's embrace and leant into Lexi as she stayed bending down to Mollie's height.
'And what does that mean?'
'It means Father Christmas has a present with my name on it.'
Mollie's face was radiant. Christmas was still very simple and straightforward at her age, and Lexi had to admit she envied her.
'Any idea what it might be?' She smiled at the little girl who was a miniature version of her. The same blonde curls and large hazel eyes, the same heart-shaped face and dimple in her right cheek.
‘I asked for a puppy.'
Lexi shot a glance at her mother who had a half-smile playing around her lips. 'What did Father Christmas say about that?'
'He said it's a long way to Australia from the North Pole and it might be too far for a puppy to travel. So, I said it'd be OK if he brought me a lamb instead.'
Lexi laughed and hugged her. 'Did you just? You're going to keep everyone on their toes.'
The door across the passage opened and Tom appeared. He stopped the moment he saw her, his gaze swinging to Lexi's family and lingering on Mollie. She knew exactly what he'd be thinking.
'Mollie, why don't you go and wait in the car with Granny? I'll be there in a few minutes.' Lexi bent down to kiss the little girl and she could feel Tom's eyes follow her movement, knew instinctively who he was focusing on, knew he'd be processing the similarities between the two of them. He didn't move from the doorway but she ignored him. She wasn't about to start making introductions, he didn't need to meet her family. She concentrated on ushering them towards the rear door of the surgery, and the car park. Satisfied that they were heading in the right direction, she turned back to her room to find Tom standing in her way.
'Who is she, Lexi?'
'Not here, Tom.' She could see the little muscle at the corner of his jaw twitch as he fought for control. She wasn't going to be able to fob him off. She jerked her head towards her room and Tom followed her silent request, stalking in with Lexi trailing behind.
She just had time to shut the door before he continued. 'Your daughter?' His eyes had a steel-like glint in them, matched by the hard edge in his voice and he was boring into her with his gaze, challenging her to deny it. 'My daughter?'
She shook her head. 'She's my niece.'
He paused and she could see the cogs turning in his brain. 'How old is she?'
He wasn't going to take her word for it. 'Don't you believe me?'
Tom blinked in surprise, presumably at her directness. 'She looks so much like you and she's about the right age. I thought for a minute that maybe you'd had our baby...' His voice trailed off.
'You think I wouldn't have told you?' She felt a sharp pain in her chest. That he could have such a low opinion of her felt like a physical blow.
'I don't know. I've tried not to think about it.' He sounded confused, rather than angry, and against all reason she found she wanted to comfort him.
But she couldn't do it. 'Her name is Mollie, she's nearly seven and she's my niece.' Lexi grabbed her handbag and a stack of patient files from her desk. 'I have to get home.'
For the second time that day, she edged around him as she left the room. She dumped her notes on the reception desk, calling out a very short goodbye to Peggy before racing out the door. She half expected Tom to follow her, and that thought put wings on her feet, but when he didn't come after her she couldn't explain her sense of disappointment. Fantasy and reality, desire and common sense were colliding spectacularly and Tom had only been there for a matter of hours. She might be able to get through the next few weeks with him in town, but would she be sane at the end of it?
The only good thing about working Saturdays was that at least it was only for the morning. Lexi never used to mind working all hours but since becoming responsible for Mollie her priorities had changed. If she owned the practice she'd make sure it was family focused. Not just for the patients, for the staff, too. She wondered what the policy of Nightingale Clinics was. She really ought to find out. They could end up being on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, if they weren't careful. That was what a lot of these large amalgamated practices seemed to do. Sure, they'd tell you that combining advertising, purchasing and administration costs made them more efficient and more profitable, but she'd bet those profits weren't passed on to the staff. They'd be worked to the bone all to line t
he pockets of doctors in Sydney.
She really must run her idea past Donna and Pete, see what they thought of her idea of taking over the practice as a partnership. She'd meant to do that the other day but then Tom had arrived and she'd forgotten all about it. She jotted a note to herself as her next patient was buzzed through, and as she clicked on her mouse to open the file she was reminded of the reason for the consultation. Another expectant mother, this one in her final trimester. Was it something in the water around here or was it her imagination? Every second patient seemed to be pregnant, trying to conceive or giving birth.
She stood to usher in the woman, who was a few years older than she was. 'Morning, Sue, how's it going?'
'Apart from being the size of a house, I can't complain.' Sue started to lower herself into a chair but Lexi stopped her.
'You may as well perch on the edge of the examination table if you're comfortable there. It'll save you from having to move again.'
Sue kicked her shoes off and Lexi helped her up onto the bed.
'I'm glad it's warm enough for slip-on shoes. I wouldn't have a hope of getting socks on.'
Lexi checked Sue's ankles for swelling. 'How are you managing at home?'
'I remember being at this stage with the others and just wishing for the baby to arrive. But now all I can think of is they're easier to manage while they're still in the womb. The thought of having three boys terrifies me at times. But the boys are very excited.'
'They're at school and kindergarten now, aren't they?' Lexi slipped the blood-pressure cuff around Sue's arm, inflating it as she spoke.
'For the next three weeks, until they break for the Christmas holidays. Right on my due date.'
'I'll just get you to lie down now. Is your husband taking time off?'
'He'll have to. And my mum will give us a hand.'
Lexi checked Sue's measurements and listened to the baby's heartbeat. 'That all looks good. The baby's dropped but the head's not quite engaged yet. You have a bit more time up your sleeve, I think.'
'Good. I need to finish my Christmas shopping.'
Lexi helped Sue to a sitting position. 'You might not want to leave it too much longer. Slip your shoes on and I'll ask Peggy to make you an appointment for next week.'
As Peggy left, Lexi turned back to her desk and saw the note she’d written herself. She picked up her phone and dialed the extension for Pete's room. No more stalling. She'd let enough of her plans slide in the past due to Tom, and she couldn't let the fact that sexual desire had suddenly reappeared in her life distract her from her course. It was time to take her future more squarely into her own hands.
Her clinic was over and the grocery shopping done. Lexi checked her watch: she should make it back to town in time. Since she was the one who'd called the impromptu meeting at the local pub, she didn't want to keep Pete and Donna waiting.
There was no sign of them when she arrived so she went to the bar and ordered drinks and a cheese platter. Taking her lemonade to a corner table, she sipped it while she waited, enjoying the fizz against the tip of her nose, the tickling sensation pleasant. The door opened and Pete entered, followed by Donna. Lexi waved in greeting and her colleagues joined her.
'Thanks for meeting me here.'
'No problem. What's up?'
'I wanted to run something past you. It's business.' The cheese and other drinks arrived and Lexi passed them around while she explained. 'Tom turning up from Sydney shows Bill is seriously considering selling the practice and retiring. If this group is interested in "investing" in Pelican Beach then I'm not sure whether Bill will look for other buyers or whether he just wants to retire as soon as possible.' She ran a finger absent-mindedly down the condensation on the side of her glass. 'I don't think I want to work for a big national partnership, especially if I'm just an employee, not a partner. Would you—both of you—consider forming a partnership between the three of us and look at buying the practice ourselves?'
'The three of us?' Donna sounded hesitant.
'Why not? We know what we're doing, the patients all know us. That way we'd have full control and Pelican Beach Family Practice could remain local and family based. The only thing that would change is it would be our money going in.'
‘And coming out,' said Pete.
'And we'd have to run a business.' Donna looked concerned. 'I know how to treat patients but I don't know the first thing about running a business.'
'We could learn. Employ a good accountant, do some courses.' Lexi looked at her colleagues, silently willing them to keep their minds open. 'I'm just asking you to consider it. We don't have to decide tonight.'
Donna was shaking her head. 'My boys are off to boarding school next year. I don't think we'd have the spare money to do it even if I wanted to, which I don't think I do. I've never wanted to work for myself. I don't think I need the extra stress.'
Lexi filed away the thought that she might need to work hard to convince Donna, but Pete was more amenable to the idea. 'I can't promise anything but I will speak to Cindy. She's in the nesting phase of her pregnancy now so I don't know whether that's a good or bad time to be asking.' He smiled. 'She seems happy enough to be spending money on nursery furniture and baby clothes. It certainly won't hurt to think about our future and what our plans are. Do you think we'd be able to manage the finances with just two of us?'
'I guess we won't know until we speak to Bill. And the bank. I had hoped we could all do it together but—'
Donna interrupted. 'I'll think about it and speak to Joe, but I don't think you should count on me.'
'That's fine. I just wanted to ask.' She'd think of a better argument to put to Donna in the meantime.
'What have you got against working for a national group?' That was Pete. 'Would it make any difference if they weren't based interstate?'
'I'm concerned that a small country practice wouldn't be high on their list of priorities, and any profits we make would end up in Sydney. There'd be no benefit to our patients, no money for preventative programs, no consideration of the needs of people in an isolated community. Can we really expect a group of medicos in Sydney to understand the needs of a small rural community?'
'Tom said they have several country-based practices in their stable,' said Pete.
'I didn't hear that.'
Donna laughed. 'I don't think you heard much at all. Tell us, how do you know Tom?'
'It's a long story, an irrelevant one.'
Raised eyebrows from Pete. 'A skeleton in your cupboard, Lexi?'
She shrugged. 'Not any more. That skeleton has long since turned to dust.'
'You know, I read in the paper about a jeweler who's processing ashes into diamonds.' There was a glint in Donna's eye and Lexi could tell she was itching to play matchmaker. She clearly hadn't seen Tom's ring. 'Tom could be just the diamond you've been waiting for.' 'I'm not waiting for anything, Donna. I'm quite content.'
'An attractive doctor, new in town, meets up with an old flame. Who better than you to show him around?'
'I never said he was an old flame.'
'You didn't have to.'
What exactly did Donna think she knew? 'We haven't seen each other in five years.' That wasn't what she'd come here for tonight. She hadn't got her head around Tom being here herself yet, and she wasn't up to fobbing off her colleagues. 'We're strangers now, no different to you and him.'
'The difference is between you and me. I'm married, you're not.'
'I may not be, but he is. He's wearing a wedding ring.'
Lexi watched as Donna's face fell. At least she'd hopefully ease off now.
‘Do I take it from this conversation that we've finished discussing work?'
Donna at least had the good grace to laugh. 'Sorry, Pete—girls' stuff.'
Pete rolled his eyes and turned to Lexi. 'I will think about your proposal but don't discount working for Nightingale Clinics. They've got a good reputation. Why don't you see if you can speak to some of the other rural GPs in t
he group and see what they have to say?'
'I suppose it wouldn't hurt.'
'It might at least give you a few options to consider.' Pete was seated facing the bar and something had caught his attention. 'Tom's at the bar. I'll invite him to join us.'
Donna agreed at once and Pete didn't bother waiting for Lexi's permission and headed for the bar, and Tom. Lexi couldn't resist turning her head and she found him instantly, a picture of casual indifference, one elbow resting on the bar, one boot propped on the footrest. The moment her gaze landed on him he looked over his shoulder in her direction. Their eyes met and she felt an immediate heightening of tension in the air. He didn't move a muscle, his relaxed appearance unchanged. Was the charge she felt confined just to herself? Tom kept his eyes on her, though, only shifting his gaze when Pete reached him and started talking. Eye contact broken, Lexi let out the breath she'd been holding.
'And you still maintain there's nothing to tell?'
Lexi jumped. She'd forgotten about Donna, who was now smiling— no, grinning—in a self-satisfied way that left Lexi worried about what she'd say to Tom. 'It's history. Ancient history. I'm sure he doesn't want to relive it any more than I do.'
Pete was returning to the table with Tom in tow, and Lexi watched as Donna smiled in greeting and took in the way Tom directed his conversation to her colleague, not her. 'I hope I'm not interrupting.' There was that voice again.
'Not at all. We're just having an impromptu staff meeting.'
'Brought on by the arrival of Nightingale Clinics, no doubt,' Tom said with a smile as he sat down, a picture of easy charm.
Donna nodded. 'You've given us a few things to think about.'
'Such as?' He was leaning back in his chair, giving Donna his full regard.
She glowed under his attention. He had that sort of effect on women, thought Lexi as she watched Donna almost flirt with Tom, widening her eyes and softening her voice. At least it wasn't only her common sense that evaporated at the sight and sound of Tom.