by Amy Andrews
Gabe rubbed his jaw. ‘Bridie is definitely the weaker twin. She’s not thriving like her sister. They’re both in good health at the moment but if Bridie picks up a bug and can’t fight it off, she could jeopardise Brooke’s health too. It’s a possibility.’ He gave her a smile that was half-grimace. ‘I guess we have to cross that bridge if we get to it.’
Beth saw a flash of vulnerability in his green gaze and realised the enormity of the job that had landed in Gabe’s lap. Sure, the surgery would require a team effort, but he was the leader, the ‘expert’. The outcome, good or bad, would be on his head.
She felt a rush of tenderness welling inside her as she remembered the carefree man she’d slept with. How different was the man before her? Dr Gabriel Fallon was an entirely different animal to Gabe, her Friday-night man.
She remembered the first day she’d scrubbed for him, Dr Gabriel Fallon, eminent neurosurgeon. She’d been worried how it would work so closely on the heels of their one-night stand, but she needn’t have been. He’d all but ignored her, demanding perfection from her and everyone in the theatre. Treating her with the utmost in professional courtesy. As if their fling had never happened.
So different from the Gabe of their first meeting. Gabe, the lover. Sure, she hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that something hadn’t been quite right with him that night either, and he’d all but confirmed that when he’d admitted to his spontaneous behaviour, but he’d still been relaxed and laid back.
And if the whispers she’d heard since about his reputation were anything to go by, that Gabe enjoyed a party and a flirt and the company of women who knew the score.
Beth supposed the pressures of his work almost demanded this type of split personality. His job was highly stressful so it seemed only sensible to release the pressure through playing jack the lad in his downtime.
She opened her mouth to say, It’ll be all right, Gabe, then caught herself in time. She pressed her lips firmly together. She didn’t want to be part of his downtime. Best not to give him any encouragement.
‘Fingers crossed, we won’t.’ Beth stood. ‘Was there anything else, Dr Fallon?’ she asked primly.
Gabe contemplated saying something shocking just to rattle her. Beth was one single-minded woman. ‘No, Sister Rogers.’ He stood also. ‘I’ll consider myself dismissed.’
Beth watched him go wishing it was just as easy to dismiss him from her thoughts.
The sun was setting as Beth pulled up at the Bullimba house she’d called home since she’d been fifteen. Her gaze took in its rambling whitewashed exterior. It had been a palace compared to some of the dives she’d lived in on the streets and she’d loved it the second she’d clapped eyes on it.
She was running a little late. She’d done battle with the roster for another hour and then given it up as a bad joke. Gabe’s scent, sweet like shortbread, had invaded every corner of her office, making a mockery of her concentration. She’d stopped at the nearby shopping centre and picked up a bunch of flowers for Penny.
Beth walked up the path and was raising her hand to insert her key in the lock when she heard a car door slam behind her and a sexy voice say, ‘Wait…’
Beth’s heart crashed against her ribs as she turned towards the voice. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ she demanded.
Gabe laughed. ‘That’s no way to speak to a dinner guest.’
He was wearing the clothes he’d worn to work this morning. Chocolate-brown trousers and a purple pinstriped shirt. The tie had been removed, the top buttons undone.
‘I hope your family are drinkers,’ Gabe said as he drew level with her, holding up a bottle of wine.
His crinkly caramel hair was still a little flat from his theatre cap and despite her absolute horror when she realised she would be sharing the table with him, she suppressed the urge to ruffle it. ‘You’re having dinner with us?’ Great. She’d drink the entire bottle all by herself!
Gabe nodded. ‘I ran into your father on my way out of the hospital.’
Damn John. ‘No,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘You can’t have dinner with us.’
Gabe chuckled. ‘Yes, I can. John asked. I accepted.’
‘But…Dr Fallon—’
‘Beth,’ Gabe said sternly, ‘I swear to God, if you call me Dr Fallon all evening…’
‘Sorry Dr…er…Gabe.’ Beth tried not to stumble over the word but she did anyway. ‘Look, you don’t understand. It would make me feel very uncomfortable.’
Gabe frowned. ‘Why?’
She stared at him for a few moments, wondering whether he’d lost his mind. ‘Because we slept together,’ she said, lowering her voice to a harsh whisper. ‘Or have you forgotten that already?’
He grinned at her, remembering in vivid detail. ‘So?’
So? So! So she couldn’t exchange polite pleasantries with him in front of her family and not give herself away. ‘Rilla and Hailey are very shrewd. They’ll guess. And I don’t need them on my case. They’ll try to matchmake and it was a one-off G-Gabe. A one-off. Not to mention that my father is your boss. You want to be sitting across the table from him when he realises just how well you know me?’
Gabe could see the pink in her cheeks as her straight blonde hair brushed her shoulders. He sighed. ‘How old are you Beth?’
Beth glared at him. ‘Older than you. Old enough to know better than to jump into bed with a complete stranger.’ How could she have been so stupid?
‘I don’t care who knows that we slept together, Beth.’
‘Well, I do,’ she snarled. ‘What happened with us is not the way I act. I’m embarrassed by it. I’d like to keep it to myself, if that’s all right. I’m worried we might slip up and let the cat out of the bag, especially if we’re together socially with my family. They know me too well.’
‘Beth, what happened between us wasn’t exactly normal for me either. We were both acting out of character. There was something obviously weighing on you that night. Don’t forget, I held you while you cried your heart out. It meant something to me that you could let go. Whatever you think, it was more than just a one-night stand.’
Beth shut her eyes. She could hear the sincere note in his voice and wished he hadn’t reminded her of how she had broken down. The fact that it apparently meant something to him she couldn’t even begin to process.
‘Please…’ She opened her eyes and fixed him with pleading eyes. ‘If it really meant something then I’m asking you to just turn around and leave. I need to be more prepared than this.’
Gabe saw the desperation in her eyes and a hint of the sadness that had afflicted her that fateful night. He handed her the wine and opened his mouth to agree.
The door opened abruptly. ‘There you are. Both of you,’ John boomed. ‘Well, don’t just stand there, come on in. Penny is so looking forward to meeting you.’
Gabe shot Beth an apologetic look as he allowed John to usher him into the house.
Beth stood staring after them, wine bottle in one hand, flowers in the other.
Damn it!
CHAPTER THREE
TO MAKE matters worse, Penny sat Gabe and Beth together. She was super-aware of him as they took their places at the table. His body heat radiated towards her, stroking hot fingers across her skin. The occasional brush of his arm against hers caused unwanted flashbacks.
Rilla and Hailey sat opposite, grinning at her. She frowned at them. John and Penny sat at each end of the table, oblivious to any odd vibes.
‘So, where in the UK are you from?’ Penny asked.
‘I grew up in Reading. My mother still lives there. I studied in London. But I live in Oxford at the moment.’
‘Oh, Beth worked at the Radcliffe in Oxford for years, didn’t you, darling?’ Penny supplied.
‘It was a long time ago,’ Beth said evasively.
‘How long have you been back for?’ Gabe asked. Beth concentrated on Penny’s divine roast lamb. ‘Eight years.’
‘Beth’s been all over,�
� Rilla boasted.
It was true. Beth had left on her travels as soon as her training had been complete. Being welcomed into the loving arms of the Winters clan had been her saving grace but memories of her baby boy had haunted her and she’d been desperate to escape them. A decade of wandering the world had helped put them into some perspective.
‘How long have you been theatre NUM?’ Gabe asked politely.
‘Five years.’
Gabe could tell from her tight replies that she’d rather he didn’t talk to her. Knew that she’d rather he wasn’t here at all. And he did plan on eating his meal and leaving but it seemed rude to ignore her in the meantime.
As if he could have anyway. Given their close proximity, his body was excruciatingly conscious of hers. Every movement she made brought her body into contact with his and he was reminded of the way her skin had felt on that night.
‘So, Hailey, you’ve been to the UK too?’ Gabe asked, smiling at Beth’s younger sister.
Beth let out a relieved sigh and let the conversation flow around her, participating only when required.
‘Are you OK, Beth?’ John asked, as he stood to clear the dishes, ‘you seem very quiet tonight.’
Beth could see the concern in the older man’s eyes and could tell he was anxious about the recent anniversary. She gave him a reassuring smile. ‘Just preoccupied by the Fisher case. There’s so much to organise.’
As Penny served dessert the conversation swung to the case that had captured worldwide media attention.
‘You must be under a lot of pressure, Gabe,’ Penny said. ‘Two successful separations under your belt is quite an impressive precedent.’
Gabe shrugged. ‘I suppose so. I try not to worry about other people’s expectations though. My own are high enough.’
‘What are their chances, do you think?’ John asked.
‘It’ll depend very much on their shape going into the operation. If we can get the twins to the ten-kilo mark and Bridie and Brooke are healthy, their chances will be much better.’
‘And if everything is as you hoped?’ John pressed.
Gabe really hated predicting outcomes even though he knew it was the one thing people most wanted to know. Certainly Scott and June were eager for the figure. ‘Two healthy girls going in still only gives them about a fifty per cent chance of both of them pulling through. It’s a massive operation…too much potential for catastrophe.’
‘How does it compare to your other cases?’ Hailey asked.
‘Well, all three sets of twins have been joined in different parts of their heads so in essence each operation is completely different. I think the Fisher case, however, looks the most technically difficult.’
‘Oh, I so hope those little girls pull through,’ Rilla said softly.
‘Yes,’ Hailey agreed. ‘They’re quite a fixture on the kids’ ward. Scott and June pop in for a visit every week when they come to the General. The twins are always so happy and placid, they have this dear thing they do where they hold hands. It’s so sad that they’re joined at the backs of their heads and can’t see each other.’
Gabe had thought so too. ‘Well, hopefully they’ll be able to look into each other’s eyes before much longer.’ Gabe smiled. ‘I’m going to do everything in my power to make it happen.’ And Fallons didn’t fail.
‘So I guess you two will be working quite closely on this?’ Penny asked. ‘It seems like a mammoth task.’
‘We will need to be co-coordinating a lot,’ Gabe confirmed, sensing Beth tense beside him.
Gabe caught the speculative look Beth’s two sisters exchanged out the corner of his eye. She was right—they didn’t miss much. He was struck by how similar they were. Rilla and Hailey were definitely Winterses. Both short and curvy with dark hair and olive skin like Penny’s.
Tall, blonde, peaches-and-cream Beth shared no similarities whatsoever. If he hadn’t already known that Beth was John’s foster-child he’d have begun to suspect the milkman may have had a hand in her conception. Differences aside, there was a lot of obvious love around this table and he felt an unreasonable spike of jealousy needle his chest.
The Winterses personified the type of family he’d always yearned to be part of as a child. Growing up in a household that had been torn apart by his father’s slavish devotion to his job, it had never occurred to him that families with a medical background could actually be functional. Certainly his father had always been at pains to drum into him that dedication to medicine and family did not mix. That you could have one or the other. But not both.
And yet he was sitting amidst the living proof that his father had been wrong. John Winters was a successful doctor at the pinnacle of his career. The chief of staff of one of Brisbane’s largest hospitals was a very powerful position indeed. And yet he obviously loved his girls, had a great wife and made time for his family. It could be done.
He glanced at Beth, still tense beside him. He felt a strange urge to reach out and pull her into his side. Rub his hand along where her neck sloped into her shoulder. Knead the tension away. For the first time ever in his life he was seduced by the idea that it was possible to have both. Medicine and a life. Maybe even be more successful with the support of a loving a family.
‘Have you scheduled any team practice sessions yet?’ John asked.
‘Saturday morning is our first,’ Gabe replied, looking away from Beth, pulling himself back from his fanciful thoughts. One hour at the Winterses’ dining-room table, sitting next to Beth, and he was forgetting years of hard lessons.
He sat up straighter. ‘We also have our first case conference on Monday morning which involves Scott and June and the girls.’
‘How often will the surgical team get together to practise?’ Penny enquired.
‘That’s something we’ll need to discuss on Saturday. Once a week at least for the whole team or as much of the team as possible. It’ll depend on everyone’s schedules, which is why it’ll happen on a weekend. No doubt there’ll be a lot of smaller group practices going on too. The case conferences will be weekly.’
‘Sounds like you’ll all know your stuff by D-Day.’ Penny nodded. ‘It’s a good idea really, for team bonding as well. An operation of such magnitude surely requires not only a well-oiled but a close-knit team. Getting to know and trust each other would be paramount.’
Beth, who had been wishing the conversation to end, blushed, thinking about how well she knew Gabe.
‘Absolutely,’ Gabe agreed. ‘The team needs to have a familiarity with each other and be united towards our common goal.’
Familiarity? Beth dipped her head as she reddened further. They were already too familiar. Their familiarity was carnal!
‘Well, good luck. No doubt Beth will keep us up to date and you must come and have tea with us again. Coffee, Gabe?’ Penny prattled as she cleared the dessert plates.
Oh, God no. Just go, please, go. Sitting next to him as he talked, their carnality pulsing between them, was shredding her composure. His accent flowed over her like warm butterscotch and every cell in her body demanded she rub herself against him and purr. She could have sworn he had been about to touch her a little while back. She was getting a crick in her back from sitting so straight.
Beth desperately willed him to decline. She looked at him directly for the first time all evening, a plea in her eyes.
Gabe recognised it immediately. Her hair framed her face and her steady blue gaze begged him to leave. She needn’t have bothered. Being at the Winterses’ was playing havoc with all his previously held opinions. He wanted out too.
‘No, thanks, Penny. Actually, I think I might head off now.’ He made a show of checking his watch. ‘I need to ring one of the Hopkins neurosurgeons in the States and discuss the case.’
Penny and John pressed him to stay, but beside him Beth’s relief was almost palpable. He declined and stood to go, thanking Penny for the invitation.
He bade farewell to Rilla and Hailey. ‘I guess I’ll see
you tomorrow,’ Gabe said, looking down at Beth’s erect posture.
Beth nodded, acutely aware of him standing behind her, his heat almost a physical caress.
‘Tomorrow.’
John and Penny showed Gabe out and it was only when she heard the door click shut that she sagged against the chair.
The Saturday morning practice session came round too soon. Beth arrived at seven and tackled the problem of how to staff the operation while she waited for the others to arrive.
There was no scheduled lists today, just emergency cases, so the theatres were running on a skeleton staff. More nurses were on call should extra be required. She could hear laughter drift down the corridor from the staffroom as she pondered the personnel required and how to give them all adequate breaks during an operation of indeterminate length.
By eight the key players had arrived and they all assembled in Theatre Ten. It was the largest operating suite and, as such, equipped to cope with the numbers that would be required on the day.
Today there were four neurosurgeons, two plastic surgeons, two vascular surgeons, two anaesthetists, four nurses and two orderlies. Sixteen people. It was expected there would be almost double that number on the actual day. And theatre ten already seemed too small.
It was a busy morning. They discussed the logistics of the surgery and managing the number of people. Various issues and potential problems were aired and everyone suggested ways these could be overcome. Gabe was a fount of knowledge, drawing from his experience, able to troubleshoot and identify areas that no one else had thought of and employing some of the solutions they’d used in the UK surgeries.
They talked over the best ways to manage all the equipment needed and did a dummy run, one of many they’d do between now and the operation, involving shifting one of the twins to the other table once the separation was complete.
Beth was also keen to set a procedure in place early for emergency resuscitation. The surgery was obviously hugely risky and she wanted everyone involved to know the resuscitation procedure back to front just in case. Gabe was able to advise how they’d managed in the UK and between them they came up with a quick, efficient way to deal with the worst-case scenario. Everyone would know their role in such a situation before the operation even began.