by Lucy Clark
Family was important. Career was important. Health was important and she felt she’d achieved an excellent balance of those things as well as still having fun with her friends. Impulsive decisions were kept to small things, such as choosing to buy a new jacket or a pair of boots, not running off to Las Vegas and—
‘So if we could have the lights back on, please?’ Fletcher’s words interrupted her thoughts and she realised she’d actually missed the last few minutes of his presentation. Light flooded the lecture theatre and Molly blinked as her eyes adjusted. She’d have to ask Alexis if she could borrow her notes. Annoyed with herself for not paying better attention, she shifted in her chair.
‘Ah, yes—thank you for volunteering.’ Fletcher was holding out his arm towards her. Molly looked around. What had she missed? Had he said something after he’d asked for the lights to be turned on? Several of her colleagues were staring at her, some with looks of pure envy. What? What was going on?
‘Yes, Dr…Wilton, is it? I’d appreciate your assistance down the front as I demonstrate exactly how the device works. You’ll also be assisting me in Theatre tomorrow afternoon when we’ll be demonstrating the full procedure.’
As he spoke her name Molly’s annoyance increased but this time she wasn’t annoyed with herself but with Fletcher. Why was he tormenting her like this? Wasn’t it bad enough that she had to live next door to him, see him at the hospital and listen to his lectures? Why did he feel the need to torture her in front of her colleagues as well?
She stood up from her seat and made her way to the front of the lecture room as two of the interns set up a mannequin for demonstration purposes. She was aware of Fletcher talking to the room full of people, of explaining more about the procedure and how tomorrow’s surgery would highlight even more facets of the invention.
As part of her training, it was an honour she’d been chosen and she knew several of her colleagues were presently green with jealousy but all she could focus on was getting through the next ten or so minutes standing close to Fletcher. She was aware of his scent, of the warmth exuding from his close proximity and when their fingers touched as he repositioned where she was holding the retractor, the tingles that shot up her arm exploded throughout the rest of her body.
She tried not to gasp at the touch, highly conscious that Fletcher was wearing a microphone headset so the rest of the room could hear what he was saying. She didn’t want her idiocy to be picked up by the device and broadcast to everyone gathered here. Why had he chosen her? Molly closed her eyes for a second, needing to gather her wits, to think logically like Stacey, to be concerned for what she was learning like Cora.
‘And generally,’ Fletch said into the microphone, ‘it is advisable to keep your eyes open throughout the entire procedure.’
Molly’s eyelids snapped open and she glared at him. There was a twinkle in his eyes and a small teasing grin twitching at the corner of his mouth.
‘Something I’m positive Dr Wilton will employ tomorrow when we’re actually in Theatre.’ He delivered the words without chastisement and filled with humour, garnering a smattering of laughter from the gathered audience.
The rest of the demonstration proceeded without incident, Molly determined to be one hundred per cent professional, not caring in the slightest that Fletch was so near to her. Finally, after thanking her for her time and assistance, Fletcher ended the lecture. Thankfully, he was immediately swamped with several people coming up to talk to him, to ask him further questions, and Molly was able to leave. She stalked briskly down the corridor, intent on heading home, getting some sleep and doing her best to put Fletcher Thompson right out of her mind.
It wasn’t going to be easy, especially with him prowling around next door, but she could lock her doors and windows and hibernate in her bedroom listening to loud music through headphones. That way, she’d be completely unaware of anything. She wasn’t on call but if she held her cell phone in her hand, she’d feel it vibrate when it rang. She nodded, pleased she’d come up with a good, solid plan to rest and ignore anything to do with Fletch.
‘Molly? Hey, wait up.’ She turned to see Alexis running down the corridor after her. ‘Hey, speedy, couldn’t you hear me?’ Alexis puffed as she came to stand next to Molly. ‘Where you headed in such a hurry?’
‘Home.’ Molly started walking again and Alexis fell into step beside her.
‘Are you excited about assisting with the surgery tomorrow? I’m green with envy. It’s such an incredible opportunity, especially as you’re a registrar. I was positive he would have chosen one of the consultants to assist him.’ Alexis grinned from ear to ear and nudged Molly. ‘Perhaps your shared past, whatever it is, is a good thing.’
‘You would think that,’ Molly muttered, continuing at a brisk pace. ‘You’ve always got to see the bright side of things.’
‘I’d be happy to take your place.’ Alexis spread her arms wide as they rounded the corridor, then dropped them immediately. ‘Oh, my gosh. It’s Roger.’ She leaned closer to Molly, her tone quiet and excited. ‘How many dates have the two of you had now?’
‘Four, if you could call them dates. We’ve always gone out with a bunch of other people.’ Molly forced a smile as the man she’d been casually seeing looked up from the notes he was reading and grinned brightly at both of them.
‘Well, hello, ladies. Fancy meeting you in such a corridor as this.’ He spread one arm wide to indicate their surroundings. He winked at Molly and she remembered why she liked Roger so much. Not only was he handsome in a boyish kind of way but she always had fun when she went out with him. He reminded her of the life she used to lead before she’d embarked upon this final year of study.
Any final year for a registrar was a difficult one and where before she used to go out dancing, organise hospital fundraising parties and generally be the life of the party, she’d had to put all that aside to focus on the intensity of her studies. Clinics, operating, on-call roster, lectures, assignments, examinations, ward rounds—everything—left little time for socialising. Therefore, when Roger had asked her out a few months ago, and she hadn’t been rostered on, she’d gratefully accepted. The consultant physician seemed to be friendly with everyone he met and he’d certainly provided her with a bit of relief from her overwhelming schedule.
Roger leaned forward and wiped a finger down the back of her cheek, near her left ear. ‘Been playing dress-up again?’ He showed her the bit of white make-up she’d obviously missed removing earlier.
‘Oh, gosh. That’s from clown patrol earlier today.’ She instantly raised her hand to her cheek and rubbed. ‘Was that there the whole time?’ She stared at Alexis in alarm. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘Because I didn’t see it?’
‘What’s the problem?’ Roger looked quizzically from one tired registrar to the other.
‘Only that Molly’s been chosen to assist the new visiting research fellow in Surgery tomorrow. It’ll be the first time anyone here’s seen the procedure being performed. Quite exciting.’
‘Really? That’s fantastic.’
‘And I was standing at the front of the lecture theatre with him as he ran through the procedure. Standing there in front of everyone with clown paint still on my face.’ She rubbed her cheek again, annoyed that she hadn’t showered when she’d gone home. Fletcher! It was all his fault.
‘What time is the surgery scheduled for?’
‘Two o’clock,’ Alexis answered.
‘Why?’ Molly was confused.
‘I’d like to watch.’
‘You’re a physician.’
‘Doesn’t mean I’m not interested in new surgical breakthroughs. Plus…’ he brushed his fingers across her cheek again but this time it wasn’t to remove make-up but more of a caress. ‘…I get to see my best girl operate.’
‘Your best girl?’ The question came from a deep male voice, directly behind them. Molly and Alexis turned to see Fletcher walking towards them. He immediately held out his
hand to Roger. ‘Fletcher Thompson. Visiting research fellow.’
‘Roger Armistad. Physician.’ The two men shook hands and all Molly wanted to do was to high-tail it out of there as fast as possible. Fletcher and Roger stared at each other for a long moment, as though they were sizing each other up. Molly’s heart was pounding so wildly against her ribs, she was positive everyone could hear it.
Fletcher looked at Molly. ‘Well, “best girl”, I need to arrange a time to meet with you to discuss the procedure in more detail.’
Molly bit her lip and nodded. ‘Right.’
‘An excellent move, choosing a registrar to assist you rather than an already qualified surgeon,’ Roger praised. ‘And of course, Molly is very good.’ He waggled his eyebrows up and down in a suggestive manner.
Alexis started to laugh but, at a glare from Molly, covered it over with a cough. Fletcher didn’t seem to notice.
‘I’ve read Dr Wilton’s file and it was indeed…impressive. Besides, how are registrars supposed to fully grasp the intricacies of the procedure if they’re not involved?’
‘True. Very true.’
‘Plus, this procedure is best performed out in the field, in Third World countries or places where the medical equipment may not be as up to date as a hospital such as this.’ Fletcher indicated their surroundings. ‘Consultants are already employed, sometimes even too set in their ways. Whereas a senior registrar, such as Dr Wilton, may be interested, once she’s fully qualified, to take these new skills and put them to good use overseas where there is a serious lack of medical staff willing to take on such conditions.’
‘Good call.’ Roger nodded with approval, then checked his watch. ‘Looks like I’m going to be late for clinic.’ He winked at Molly again and grinned at Alexis before nodding towards Fletcher. ‘See you all later.’ He started off down the corridor, then turned and walked backwards. ‘Drinks. Pub across the road. Seven o’clock onwards. If you’re free.’
‘Seven o’clock,’ Alexis agreed with a thumbs-up before Roger turned and continued around the corner towards Outpatients. She looked at Molly, then Fletcher and back again. ‘And uh…I’d better go, too. I’ve got patients to see in the ward. I’ll do your patients, too,’ she told Molly. ‘Go home.’
‘Thanks, Lexi. I will.’
‘See you tomorrow, Dr Thompson. Oh, and if you’re interested in volunteers for your next demonstration, put my name at the top of the list. I’m happy to work overseas, helping others.’ She grinned before walking off in the opposite direction to Roger.
So there they stood. Molly and Fletcher. In the middle of a hospital corridor. The two of them alone. Staring at each other. An awkwardness seemed to settle over them for a moment before Fletcher spoke.
‘She seems nice. That’s Dr Borello, right? The other senior registrar in the surgical programme?’
Molly sighed, then started walking towards the stairs. ‘Correct.’ Annoyingly, Fletcher kept up with her.
‘So what about you?’
Molly stopped as she pushed open the door to the stairwell. ‘What about me?’
‘Having senior registrars assist me not only helps you in your final exams but also gives you the opportunity to hopefully make different choices once you’re fully qualified. We need good doctors overseas, helping out.’
Molly nodded. ‘Still saving the world, eh?’ She headed down the stairs, pleased that in essentials Fletcher was still the man she’d known. He was willing to help both her and Alexis by providing them with first-hand experience. He was also still involved in his overseas programmes, ones he’d organised and put in place many years ago, his compassionate heart knowing no bounds when it came to giving to others.
‘Someone’s got to do it.’
Molly continued down the stairs and out into the corridor, where she headed towards the entrance to the hospital. She didn’t really want to have another discussion with Fletch about his work as it was one of the main reasons why she’d given him up all those years ago. How could she ever have asked him to stay in a normal, suburban environment and be with her when his whole desire had been to help others? Every time she’d missed him, every time she’d wanted him back, she’d felt guilty for being so selfish. Clearly, seeing him now, it had been the right decision.
‘Have you thought about what you might do once you’ve graduated?’ He’d followed her outside.
Molly blinked against the late afternoon sunlight before turning to face him. All the tension drained out of her, the frustration, the annoyance, the need to avoid him. She was so tired. ‘Look, Fletch. I’m exhausted. I just want to go home and sleep. I don’t want to talk about my career. I don’t want to rehash the past. I just—want—to sleep.’ There was desperation in her tone as well as deflation. Right now, she had nothing more to give. Not to him, not to her patients, not to anyone. He peered into her eyes for a moment before surprising her by cupping her cheek, his touch comforting and compassionate. It was the way he would have touched her all those years ago, wanting what was best for her.
Time seemed to stand still as she could clearly picture them standing at the airport in almost exactly the same pose. She was saying goodbye to him yet again but this time she was finding it more difficult to let him go.
‘That’s the final call for my flight. I have to go.’
‘I don’t want you to go,’ she’d said, wrapping her arms around him, never wanting to let him go. They’d had an argument the night before, Fletcher telling her he wanted her to move to Sydney with him, that they could settle there, and Molly had been adamant that as she was pregnant, it was important for her to stay close to her family. In the end, they’d decided to let it go and to discuss it at a later date. Fletcher had kissed her, held her close and made slow, sweet love to her. It had always been so perfect between them and it had been at those times, those moments when they’d been completely lost within each other, that she’d known their marriage had to last. She’d had no idea how that was going to happen, not when she’d been saying goodbye to him yet again.
He’d eased back from her touch, brushing his lips across hers once more before tenderly cupping her face, his touch caring and comforting. ‘I may be physically away from you, Molly, but you have my heart. Always.’ He’d gazed into her eyes for a moment longer before turning and heading down the walkway towards the waiting aeroplane.
She’d always known that the work he’d left her to do had been necessary. He’d been volunteering to help those less fortunate, gaining credits for his acceptance into the surgical rotation programme. Whenever he’d been home with her, they’d often sat on the patio, gazing up at the stars, snuggling together, Molly listening as he’d told her about extracting a patient’s tooth that had been decaying so badly, it had been making the elderly man extremely ill. Or the time he’d delivered a baby on the side of the road, the mother only fourteen years old. Or the time he and the medical team had hiked for three days into the jungle in order to reach a secluded tribe and provide necessary medical treatment.
How had she been supposed to compete with that? Her husband had had a calling, one that had been helping a lot of people and yet all she’d wanted was for him to stay with her…and because she had, she’d felt incredibly selfish.
Now, as they stood, staring at each other, his action of touching her cheek simply an old habit, one he’d probably done quite unconsciously, Molly found it difficult to stop herself from leaning into his touch.
With superhuman effort, she fought the urge and took a step back. Fletcher instantly dropped his hand and shoved it into his trouser pocket, as though the limb clearly had a mind of its own. ‘I’m sorry. You clearly are quite tired. Go. Sleep. I’ll contact you in the morning to go over the finer points of the surgery so you’re as prepared as possible.’
‘Thank you.’ With that, Molly turned away from him and headed down the street, the warmth from his sweet touch still pulsing through her.
*
Fletcher watched her go, trying
not to be affected by the way her hips gently swayed from side to side as she walked. Her shoulders were a little hunched over, indicating she was too tired to keep her posture in check. It made him want to scoop her into his arms and carry her home, placing her on the bed as an old-fashioned knight might do for the damsel in distress.
He’d done that in the past. Scooped her up and carried her to bed when she’d fallen asleep on the lounge. He’d watched her sleep, stroking her lovely blonde locks, unable to believe he had the right to brush sweet, tender kisses across her lips, waking her gently so they could make love.
As she rounded the corner, disappearing from his sight, he sighed and shook his head. What was wrong with him? Why on earth was he ogling Molly when he had no real right to do so? He wasn’t a free man, in more ways than one. He needed to talk to Molly about legal matters, he needed to tell her that he was seeing someone else but, most of all, he needed to stop himself from giving in to old gestures, old habits.
He turned and headed to the ward, wanting to talk to his one and only patient, Mr Majors, but even work wasn’t enough to distract him from thoughts of Molly. She was…incredible. She was more beautiful than she’d been all those years ago, more alluring, more desirable. The attraction Fletcher still felt towards Molly had taken him completely by surprise. He hadn’t expected it and yet, as soon as he’d seen her, talked to her, smiled at her, he’d been unable to stop himself from slipping into those old habits. Teasing her, wanting to hug her, touching her cheek…
It didn’t seem to matter that she appeared to be dating that physician he’d met, or that he was seriously involved with Eliza. He simply hadn’t been able to control his reaction to her and that was indeed a problem, especially as he had to stand on the other side of the theatre table from her tomorrow. Somehow, between now and then, he had to figure out a way to cope with being around her and yet being completely professional.