Sophie decided it might be best not to respond to the compliment. She briskly led the way to the hospital bay, only pausing when they reached the office. ‘Would you mind waiting here? I need to check with Dr Kennedy that it’s all right for you to see your friend.’
‘Of course.’ Yuri treated her to a warm smile. ‘I am happy to wait so long as I know that you will be coming back, Sophie.’
‘Um. Right. Fine,’ she burbled, somewhat unnerved by the ardent expression in his eyes. She hurried into the office and closed the door. Yuri seemed pleasant enough but she certainly didn’t want him getting the wrong idea…
‘Is there a problem with the agency?’
She jumped when Liam spoke, feeling her heart race when she looked round and found him studying her with concern. ‘The agency?’
‘You went to phone the agency about a replacement, didn’t you?’
Her heart rate increased when he crossed the room and stopped in front of her because it seemed like a lifetime had passed since anyone had looked at her with such concern. It struck her then just how much she’d missed being able to turn to him for support.
‘Is something wrong, Sophie? You seem upset.’
‘I…I’m fine. I was just thinking about what the woman at the agency said.’
It was an effort to respond with a semblance of normality. Sophie took a steadying breath but it felt as though a giant hand was squeezing her heart. Liam had someone else who needed him now, another woman who could lean on him and turn to him for support. Even though she knew it was stupid, she couldn’t help being jealous.
Liam frowned when he saw the myriad emotions that crossed Sophie’s face because it was obvious that something was troubling her. He half reached towards her then stopped when he remembered what had happened earlier that day. One touch was all it had taken to trigger a chain of events that he didn’t dare risk setting off again.
‘Do I take it the person you spoke to at the agency wasn’t pleased when you told her you wanted to leave?’ he said thickly, struggling to suppress the memory of that kiss.
‘You could say that.’ She summoned a shaky smile. ‘She threatened to sue me for breach of contract, although I think it was more a way to frighten me into staying rather than a genuine threat.’
‘It sounds nasty, though.’ Liam couldn’t hide his dismay. He couldn’t help feeling responsible because if he hadn’t taken this job then she would never have found herself in this difficult position.
‘Oh, I’m sure it won’t come to anything. Anyway, it’s done now so there’s no point worrying. They’ve agreed to find someone to replace me and that’s the main thing.’
He felt his heart swell with sudden tenderness when he heard that. It was so typical of her to adopt that attitude. Sophie possessed the rare gift of finding something positive about the most difficult situation. It was one of the many things which had attracted him when they’d met, in fact, and it seemed she hadn’t changed.
‘I suppose so. Anyway, Alexei seems to be doing remarkably well, you’ll be pleased to hear.’ He quickly steered the conversation back onto safer ground because the thought unsettled him even more. Would it really be wise to start thinking about all the things he admired about her when his feelings were in such a state of flux? ‘The wound is healing well and there’s no sign of infection setting in.’
‘Amazing when you consider the circumstances,’ she agreed. ‘You can perform an operation in the most sterile conditions possible and the patient will still contract an infection. Yet you performed this operation on the floor of a cabin and everything is fine.’
‘There’s a name for it, actually,’ Liam said, wanting to lighten the mood because he couldn’t deal with any more soul-searching. Examining how he felt about Sophie all the time was causing more harm than good.
‘Really?’ She looked up and despite his resolve he felt his insides melt when he saw the puzzlement in her beautiful blue eyes. ‘I was a theatre nurse for five years and I never knew there was a medical term for this situation.’
‘No?’ He summoned a smile. ‘That does surprise me. I thought you’d have come across it before.’
‘I haven’t.’
Sophie shook her head so that the soft blonde wisps of hair danced around her face. Liam felt a ripple run along his nerves and spread through his entire body. He was so very aware of her that it was sheer agony to not be able to touch her. But he had to remember that touching her was strictly off limits after this morning’s little escapade.
‘It’s called Sod’s Law,’ he said huskily because he knew that he really shouldn’t need any reminders. ‘I’m sure you must have heard of it.’
‘Sod’s Law…?’ She burst out laughing. ‘You wretch! You had me convinced there was an actual medical term, too. I should have remembered how much you always love teasing people.’
‘Moi?’ He tried to look hurt. ‘I’m absolutely gutted that you should accuse of me such a thing.’
‘Oh, really? So what about the time you told that new houseman he was responsible for cleaning Theatre after each operation? He was absolutely horrified!’
‘You were in on the joke as well,’ he protested, laughing. ‘So was everyone else who was in Theatre that day.’
‘But you were the one to start it all off,’ she pointed out. ‘We were only following your lead. After all, you were in charge.’
‘Mmm, I still think you were all accessories to the crime. Anyway, Pete saw the funny side in the end and it helped to break the ice. He was so terrified by the responsibility of having to deal with a real, live patient that he was thinking of giving up medicine,’ he explained when her brows arched.
‘I never knew that.’ She frowned as she mulled it over. ‘Is that why you pulled the stunt in the first place, Liam? So it would help Pete overcome his fears?’
‘Yes. Surgery is one of the most demanding areas of medicine and it can be really over-awing for a newly qualified doctor.’ He shrugged. ‘Sometimes it helps to see there can be a lighter side to the job.’
‘It worked for Pete because the last I heard, he’d taken a post as a surgical registrar in Glasgow.’
‘I know. We still keep in touch. He came out to the clinic and did a stint there a few months ago, in fact. He has the makings of a first-rate surgeon, too.’ Liam glanced round when there was a knock on the door. ‘I wonder who that is.’
‘Yuri!’ Sophie clapped her hand to her mouth. ‘I forgot he was waiting outside. He wanted to see how Alexei was doing.’
‘I’d better have a word with him, then.’
Liam was suddenly glad of the interruption because reminiscing about the fun they’d had in the past was something they should avoid. Maybe Sophie had realised that, too, because her tone was far more distant all of a sudden.
‘I’ll make Alexei comfortable while you do that. I need to get him ready for the transfer to hospital.’
‘Fine. Give me a shout when you’ve finished.’
‘I shall.’
Liam took the purser into the office while Sophie carried out all the necessary tasks in preparation for the transfer ashore. He assured Yuri that his friend was out of danger and should be fine after a stay in hospital. Yuri was keen to see him so Liam took him to the ward then went to find Mike Soames and finalise the arrangements.
It turned out that there were all sorts of forms which needed filling in so he took them back to the office and set to work. There was no sign of Sophie but he didn’t check to see where she’d gone. They both needed a breathing space after the hectic night they’d had.
He sighed as he spread the forms across the desk because it wasn’t work that was making the situation so stressful. Being around Sophie again was proving far more difficult than he’d imagined it would be.
CHAPTER SIX
THE ship anchored off Villefranche shortly before eleven that morning. Sophie went on deck to watch the tenders ferrying the passengers ashore. Some were going on a trip to Monte Carlo, a
few miles further along the coast, whilst the rest intended to explore the town. She couldn’t help wishing that she was going with them but she had work to do first.
‘It shouldn’t be long now. Mike Soames said we should be able to leave in about ten minutes’ time.’
She glanced round when Liam joined her. ‘Did Mike say how long it will take to reach the hospital once we’re ashore?’
‘Roughly half an hour. The company has booked Alexei into a private clinic just outside town. He’ll stay there until the doctors decide he’s fit enough to be flown home.’
‘And what’s going to happen about the other fellow—Grigorio, wasn’t it?’
‘That’s right. He’s being flown back to the Ukraine this morning and handed over to the authorities there,’ Liam explained, leaning against the rail. ‘Apparently, the captain decided not to involve the French police in case it resulted in the ship being delayed.’
‘I don’t imagine the passengers would be too happy if their holidays were ruined. Did you find out what the fight was about, by any chance?’
‘According to Yuri, the two men are from the same town. Grigorio found out that Alexei had been seeing his girlfriend and they had a blazing row.’ He grimaced. ‘Things progressed from there, apparently.’
‘The course of true love,’ she observed lightly.
‘It never does run smoothly, does it?’
Sophie frowned when she heard the hollow note in his voice. Was he thinking about what had happened to them, perhaps? It was a relief when Mike Soames arrived just then to tell them it was time to leave because she didn’t want to think about the past again.
They went back to the hospital and Sophie set about checking that they had everything they needed for the journey. Although an ambulance would meet them once they reached shore, she didn’t want to be caught out if anything happened on the way. However, it was hard to shut out the thought that Liam had sounded as though he regretted the mess they’d made of their marriage.
She sighed as she zipped up the bag because it was far too late for either of them to have regrets.
Getting Alexei into the tender proved to be a major undertaking. The man was too ill to walk down the steps from the ship and climb into the boat so he needed to be lowered into it on a stretcher. Mike had rigged up a pulley and delegated half a dozen men to operate it, but it was still a heart-stopping procedure.
Sophie waited in the boat with Liam while the stretcher was lowered down to them. Fortunately, the sea was calm that day and that helped. She couldn’t begin to imagine the problems they would have faced if the water had been choppy. Liam grasped the end of the stretcher as soon as it came within reach and guided it into the boat. Several rows of seats had been removed but even so there was barely enough room to fit it in. She heard Alexei groan when the stretcher banged against the side of the boat before Liam managed to manoeuvre it into place.
‘Can you check his pulse and BP?’ Liam instructed, frowning as he took stock of the man’s ashen face. ‘I think I’ll give him another shot of pethidine. It looks as though the last one might be wearing off.’
‘Of course.’
Sophie quickly checked the man’s pulse and blood pressure and was unsurprised to find both higher than they’d been first thing that morning. She reattached the line to the back of his hand then moved aside so that Liam could administer the drugs.
‘This should help but the sooner we get him to hospital the happier I’ll be.’ He grimaced as he looked up at the ship towering above them. ‘It’s hardly ideal for a patient who’s just undergone major surgery to find himself dangling fifty feet up in the air.’
‘It certainly isn’t.’ She chuckled as she sat down. ‘Coping with the odd little hiccup, like when the lifts stop working, is child’s play compared to this.’
‘Don’t tell me they’re still having problems with the lifts at the Royal Memorial?’ Liam groaned when she nodded. ‘I can’t believe they haven’t sorted things out after all this time!’
‘The wheels of the NHS grind exceedingly slowly.’
‘Rather like those wretched lifts!’ His grey eyes gleamed with laughter as he sat down beside her. ‘Do you remember when we got stuck on the way from Theatre that time?’
‘Do I?’ She rolled her eyes. ‘It took me ages to live it down. I was teased unmercifully for months. Everyone seemed to think that we’d deliberately done something to stop the lift working!’
‘I suppose it did look rather suspicious when we’d only just got back from our honeymoon.’
Sophie’s heart thumped when she heard the warmly husky note in his voice. She knew he was thinking about the week they’d spent in Cornwall after they had married. It had been the depths of winter and the weather had been atrocious, but it hadn’t mattered. They’d spent hours walking along the beach in the rain, oblivious to everything except each other. They had been so much in love that nothing could detract from their joy at being together.
She bent forward, making a great production of checking the drip while she struggled to get her emotions in check again. It hurt to remember how happy they had been once upon a time. She’d honestly believed they would be together for ever but she’d been wrong. The truth was that Liam simply hadn’t loved her enough and she must never let herself forget that fact.
Liam bit back a sigh when he saw the shuttered expression on Sophie’s face. It felt as though he was treading on eggshells every time he mentioned the past. He would have to be more careful, although it did seem to prove the point that they needed to talk. He would hate to think that her life would be forever blighted by the mistakes they’d made.
He looked round as Mike climbed into the tender, followed by a couple of the crew. There was barely enough room for them all, with the stretcher taking up so much space, but the men would be needed to carry Alexei ashore once they reached the harbour.
‘All set?’ Mike asked as one of the men started the motor.
‘Ready when you are,’ Liam confirmed.
Sophie quickly sat back in her seat as the boat surged forwards. They left the shelter of the ship and he heard her gasp when the tender bounced as it struck a wave. He put out a steadying hand as she was jolted sideways in her seat.
‘Sorry!’ she exclaimed, quickly straightening.
‘Don’t worry. No harm done.’
He summoned a smile but it was difficult to ignore the shaft of awareness that had shot through him when her breast had brushed his arm. He focused on the view across the bay but it worried him that he should be so physically responsive to her. Sophie was a beautiful woman and it was only natural that he should be aware of that, but he’d never expected to feel this desire for her. Surely their past history should have damped down his ardour even if his commitment to Julia didn’t seem to be making much difference to how he felt?
It was yet another question to add to all the others so that it was a relief when they reached the harbour and he had to concentrate on the practicalities of getting their patient ashore. Fortunately, Mike had the men well drilled so it all went quite smoothly. Once Alexei was safely on board the waiting ambulance, Liam checked the arrangements for getting back to the ship.
‘We’ll get a taxi back from the clinic,’ he told Mike. ‘I’m not sure how long it will take to sort out the formalities there so I can’t give you an exact time when we’ll need to be picked up.’
‘Don’t worry about it. We run a half-hourly service from shore to ship so that any passengers who get fed-up sightseeing can come back on board,’ Mike explained. ‘We set sail at sixteen-hundred hours so you’ll have plenty of time to get back.’
‘That’s great. We’ll see you later, then.’
Liam hurried back to the ambulance where Sophie was waiting. Normally, he would have opted to sit in the back so he could monitor the patient during the journey, but he decided to sit in the cab and leave her to keep an eye on Alexei. The seaman was dozing now that the effects of the analgesics had kicked in an
d he didn’t anticipate any problems. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help feeling guilty as he explained that he’d sit up front to give her more room because he knew it was an excuse. The truth was that he wanted to avoid having to sit in such close proximity to her.
He sighed as he climbed into the cab. Would he have decided on this course of action if he’d realised the problems it was going to cause? Probably not. However, that didn’t detract from the fact that he needed to tell Sophie the truth about what had gone on between him and Amanda two years ago. Once that issue had been resolved then they would both be able to get on with their lives, and that was what he wanted most of all. He certainly didn’t want to spend the rest of his days in this emotional limbo!
It took just over an hour before the ambulance turned off the road into a tree-lined driveway. The driver pulled up in front of the clinic and switched off the engine. Liam quickly got out and helped him unload the stretcher so that within minutes they were wheeling Alexei inside. A nurse met them in the entrance hall and showed them to a bright and airy room where a doctor was waiting to receive them.
Liam busied himself with the formalities of handing over the patient into the French doctor’s care. Fortunately, the other man spoke excellent English so he didn’t have to dredge up his rusty, schoolboy French, but it all took some time. Sophie waited patiently at one side until they’d finished.
‘Merci.’ Liam shook the other doctor’s hand then turned to her. ‘That’s it, then. Our bit is done.’
‘And Alexei is in good hands, which is the main thing.’ She led the way back to the reception area and paused uncertainly. ‘How are we getting back to the ship?’
‘I’ll ask the receptionist if she can phone for a taxi for us.’
Liam went to the desk and laboriously explained in halting French that they needed a taxi to take them back to Villefranche. He smiled ruefully when the woman replied in perfect English that she would phone for one immediately. ‘Merci, madame.’
He went back to Sophie. ‘It’s all arranged. I’ve no idea how long it will take for the taxi to get here so d’you want to wait in here until it arrives or outside?’
A Very Special Marriage Page 7