by Lucy Clark
‘Older brother? Single-parent family?’
‘No. Frank, who works in A and E, told me that Mr Jones has been in for several minor injuries, all of which were explained away as mere clumsiness.’
‘Whoa. Are you saying that the older son rules the roost?’
‘Literally. Ashley coming in might, unfortunately, be the leverage we need to finally get Social Services involved. Being a minor, we have cause to investigate. Thanks for letting me know.’
‘It’s all right. Just doing my job.’
‘And doing it well, from all accounts. I haven’t heard a bad word against you all week long.’ There was a teasing smile playing across his lips and it only enhanced his good looks.
Summer raised an eyebrow, ignoring the way her stomach seemed to churn with excited butterflies. ‘Expecting bad reports?’
‘Well, you know you big-city types. Chances are you could have waltzed in here and started insisting we change the way we do things because usually the big-city way is the only way to go.’
‘You’ve had other doctors doing that?’
‘We’ve had a lot of locums from Melbourne who think it’s their job to come here and educate us small-town hicks in the latest paediatric techniques, most of which don’t work in such a relaxed environment as we employ here at Ballarat Hospital.’
‘At least you have happy patients here. Sasha, for example, is continuing to make an excellent recovery, given that Sally’s allowed to be with her at all times. Even this morning they were arguing about one of the dolls, trying to decide which colour dress she looked best in. Honestly, Jason, even something as small and as natural as arguing with your sister can help the healing process.’
‘You sound as though you know what you’re talking about. Do you have siblings?’
‘Er…no.’ She’d been caught off guard by the personal question. ‘I’m an only child. I was merely speaking from my medical observations. Newborn babies need to be touched. Toddlers and young children need interaction and plenty of attention.’
‘And siblings need to squabble. You’re right. I’m not trying to contradict or criticise you. I have a sister. She’s two years younger than me and I have to say that growing up we were the best of friends and the best of enemies.’
‘And as adults?’
Jason’s smile was completely natural as he spoke of his sister. ‘Definitely the best of friends and because I grew up with a sibling, it means I have an understanding of how to fight fair, how to say I’m sorry and how to forgive.’
There was something about his words, a gut-wrenching honesty which touched Summer deeply. ‘You make me quite envious. Not only for myself but for Tommy.’
‘You want more children?’
Summer shrugged sadly but forced a smile. ‘I did. It didn’t happen. That’s all in the past now. I have Tommy and I love him very much.’
‘It’s very evident.’ Jason knew he was starting to edge over that line he’d drawn but couldn’t help himself. ‘My wife didn’t want children.’
‘You’re married?’ Summer was instantly shocked by his words. She hadn’t even thought to ask, to check. She quickly schooled her features, immediately apologising. ‘I’m sorry, Jason. It’s none of my bu—’
‘I’m divorced,’ he interjected quickly.
‘Oh.’
‘Yeah. Oh.’
‘Nasty divorce?’ she couldn’t help but ask. He’d started the conversation, so she presumed it was all right for her to find out just a little bit more. Purely for business purposes, she reasoned with herself. She wouldn’t want to make a horrible faux pas at any time.
‘Yes.’
They stood there, looking at each other, the desk between them. It was a look of open honesty and Summer was astonished to realise that Jason had wanted her to know his marital status. Had wanted her to know that he was single.
His rich brown eyes were filled with a mixture of relief and curiosity along with a definite appreciation for the person standing before him. The insane thing was that Summer was absolutely positive her eyes were portraying the exact same information to him.
It was ridiculous. It was crazy but it was there.
CHAPTER THREE
THE PHONE on Jason’s desk rang, breaking the moment.
He quickly snatched it up while Summer closed her eyes, unable to believe she’d just been caught in yet another such moment with a man she barely knew. She needed to slow things down, to take a huge step back from him, literally as well as figuratively.
During her courtship with Cameron, she’d made fast and hasty decisions, all of which she’d managed to justify under the guise that she’d been in love with him. They’d met at the hospital and he’d made her feel alive for the first time in a very long time. Since her parents’ death, she’d been so sad, almost a shell of her former self, but somehow Cameron had brought her back to life again.
They’d laughed at the same things. Enjoyed the same taste in movies and books. Appreciated the same fine art. It had been a wonderful time in her life. She only wished now she’d been able to see it for the farce that it had been. She hadn’t realised her husband was also good at acting the part of the doting suitor when all he’d really been after had been her own family fortune.
‘Money should breed with money,’ he’d once told her, his words harsh. ‘You had a sizeable fortune, my dear. Did you think we’d let anyone come along and marry you?’
When she’d questioned him further, even though his words had been driving one dagger after the next into her love-stricken heart, he’d told her their marriage had been more of a business merger than anything else.
‘When your parents died, my father watched their shares and stocks. When the time was right, when you were worth your most, he told me to start romancing you.’
‘No!’ She’d rejected his words and all he’d done had been to laugh cruelly before he’d left the room. She’d been duped. She’d fallen for his good looks, his smile, his smooth-talking charm, and she’d paid the price.
She’d made a mess out of her past but she wasn’t about to make a mess out of her future. She was the type of person who learned from her mistakes and she wasn’t going to make another with the man before her.
The attraction, the physical tug she felt towards him was just that—physical attraction. She didn’t need to act on it and, in fact, things in her life would no doubt go from bad to worse if she did. Emotional involvement with a colleague wasn’t on her ‘to do’ list right now.
Jason returned the receiver to its cradle and Summer looked up at him, straightening her shoulders, back in professional mode, thoughts of everything except her job banished from her mind.
‘That was Radiology. They’ve done a rush job on the X-rays of Ashley’s hand and apparently Mrs Jones was ready to bolt so they’re being accompanied back here now. I’ve told them to bring them straight through to my consulting room. So take a seat and I’ll check to see if the social worker can come immediately so we can all see Ashley together.’
Jason picked up the phone again and began making arrangements. It was imperative that they get Ashley Jones sorted out immediately and he was pleased he had something to focus on other than thinking about the moment he’d just shared with Summer.
He’d been a little surprised and secretly pleased when she’d given him a visual caress when he’d been stretching. It was good to know she wasn’t as immune to him as he’d thought but to say he’d been astounded to read what was so clearly displayed in her glorious blue eyes was an understatement. Although when he’d looked at her just now after talking to Radiology, her eyes had told a different story. She had herself back under control and he didn’t blame her one bit.
His call was connected and he returned his focus to the situation at hand. Focus on work, he had to keep reminding himself, and it was the fact that those reminders were needed every time he was near Summer that was starting to concern him.
Soon the little consulting room was fi
lled with several different people, all impressing the need on Mrs Jones to take action against her oldest son. They could all see how scared she was and it was decided that once Ashley’s cast had been applied, they should contact Mr Jones so that the entire family could find sanctuary together.
‘Well, that was certainly a different sort of clinic,’ Summer said with a relieved sigh as she met Jason walking back to the paediatric ward. Naturally, they’d run a little over time but it was nothing she wasn’t used to.
‘You can say that again, although I’m extremely pleased with the outcome. Let’s hope that the psychologists can also help Ashley’s big brother through whatever anger is causing him to be so abusive.’
They’d reached the nurses’ station and Summer looked at Jason in approval. ‘You really care, don’t you? Not just about Ashley but about the whole family.’
‘There’s no point in just sticking a plaster on the wound if it hasn’t been debrided properly.’
She smiled at his analogy. ‘I agree with you one hundred per cent, Jason.’
He gave her a puzzled look and scratched his head. ‘You know, Summer, that’s about the third time you’ve alluded to approval of my methods, which leads me to wonder what sort of people you were working with in Sydney. I know you said you had a head of unit who didn’t want to buck the system in case your husband found out, but what about the other members of staff? Were they equally as rigid?’
‘You mean the ones who were more concerned with budgets and projections rather than patient care. Of course there were staff members, few and far between, who felt otherwise but I’m sorry to report that it was definitely a minority but it was that minority that kept me there. Generally, people had the view that if it was too much trouble, hand it over to another department.’
‘Which is essentially what I’ve done here,’ he felt compelled to point out.
‘No. You didn’t just pass on the whole sticky mess, Jason, you facilitated the first step in fixing the lines of communication and I have no doubt that you’ll continue to be involved, even if it’s behind the scenes in conferring with both the psychology and social-work departments. You’re a hands-on doctor and you personally care.’
‘And you’re the same. I can tell.’
Her smile increased at the compliment, her eyes brightened, and Jason felt as though he’d taken a hit to the solar plexus. ‘Thank you.’ Summer looked around the ward and was amazed to feel a sense of belonging. It was as though she’d finally found a place where people thought the same way, behaved the same way, employed the same values as herself. It was not only exciting and stimulating but also quite refreshing.
‘So, if you weren’t happy at your hospital in Sydney, why did you wait so long to leave? Was it just so you could fight the good fight?’ Jason couldn’t help but ask the question. It had been playing on his mind since she’d made those comments earlier.
Summer shrugged, strangely not annoyed that he was prying into her personal life. It was as though he was really interested in her, in wanting to get to know her, and that in itself was a nice feeling to have—the feeling that someone was actually interested in you. No one had seriously been interested in her for far too long.
‘That, and I guess it was force of habit. It was also easier. Cameron accepted the fact that I worked there as it was a prestigious hospital. If I’d tried to go anywhere else…’ She trailed off and shook her head. ‘It wasn’t worth the headache.’
‘And did you stay on at the same hospital after your husband’s death?’
‘I did. It seemed…I don’t know, the right thing to do at the time.’ Summer frowned and thought for a second. ‘I didn’t really know what to do, actually, so I just kept on living my life. Day after day. Night after night. All of it without Cameron. All of it with a strange sort of numbness around my life. And then there was Tommy. Naturally, I was concerned about him, about effecting more change in his life at that point. He was only five and a half and while a lot goes over their heads at that age, after Cameron’s death he clammed up completely. He never talked about his dad, still doesn’t. It was as though now that Cameron wasn’t in our lives, he wasn’t worth remembering.’
‘That must have hurt you.’
‘It made me sad. Sad for Tommy. Every little boy should have a dad who thinks he’s special.’
‘True. In fact, every child should be told just how special and unique they are.’
‘Quite. I do my best. I really do.’ Summer sat down and began fiddling with a pen. Jason had asked her a personal question and they appeared to be having quite an open and frank discussion so she decided that gave her permission to ask him about his own life. ‘Did your parents make you feel special?’
Jason’s smile was automatic. ‘They did. Not only me but my sister as well. In fact, that’s their job.’
‘What? Making you and your sister feel special?’
He chuckled. ‘No. They run a childminding centre here at the hospital.’
‘Rent-A-Grand? Tommy’s enrolled to go there sometimes when I’m working.’
‘Then you can rest assured that he’ll be well taken care of.’
‘By your parents, who make every child feel special.’ She nodded her approval again. ‘I really did make the right decision in coming here.’
‘You doubted yourself?’
‘It was the first major decision I’ve ever made and…well, let’s just say I received quite a lot of…flak over it.’
‘From your family?’
‘I don’t have any family.’ She brushed his words away. ‘No. Mainly from Cameron’s parents. Also from my friends. They all thought I was suffering from delusions, that I was depressed over Cameron’s death and that I was lashing out by doing something so completely out of character. I’m sure they expected me to be admitted to the psych ward before the packing had finished.’
‘Sounds like you have some really supportive mates.’ His words were said with a hint of sarcasm but she also detected a touch of sadness. ‘Sorry, Summer,’ he instantly apologised. ‘I shouldn’t have made that crack about your friends.’
‘It’s fine, Jason. It’s exactly what I thought. All I received was opposition, everywhere I turned, and in the end I didn’t say goodbye to anyone.’
‘Oh, Summer.’ He’d heard the note of disappointment in her tone as she’d spoken and now, as he took a step closer, he could see that her eyes had glazed over with tears. He took the pen from her hand and, pulling her to her feet, wrapped her in a warm, supportive hug.
She found her arms going around him of their own volition. His body was warm, firm and comfortable. She knew he wasn’t trying to make a pass at her, knew he didn’t mean anything by the embrace except to show her he cared. And it was nice. In fact, it was so nice that she felt the tears she’d previously managed to hold back slide down her cheeks. She pushed him away before it turned into a waterfall.
She sniffed and reached for a tissue, turning her face away from him.
‘Hey. It’s OK. I didn’t mean to upset you.’
‘I’m not upset.’ She forced herself to look at him. ‘Honestly, I’m not. Sometimes, though, an act of pure kindness brings with it strong emotions.’
Jason watched as she gave him a watery smile and the message sank in that what Summer needed the most was friendship. Not only from himself but from the people around her, her new colleagues and neighbours. She was a highly vulnerable woman who was obviously in turmoil. The man in him wanted to stay away, to run for the hills because vulnerable women had a way of sucking you in then spitting you out. Yet the doctor in him wanted to help, wanted to heal her. She needed to be built up, to feel strong and secure in her own opinions and decisions. She needed to feel she was both special and unique and for those reasons alone he must quash the attraction he felt for her.
For the next two weeks, Summer was pleased with the way her new life was turning out. She’d been fortunate to have the weekends off, meaning that she and Tommy had been f
ree to attend some of the Christmas activities which were part of the Twelve Weeks of Christmas. When they’d been attending a function held at Lake Wendouree, they’d seen and heard real kookaburras ‘laughing’ in the big gumtrees. Both she and Tommy had been delighted as if they’d wanted to see a kookaburra in Sydney, they’d have had to go to the zoo.
The shops were starting to become filled with Christmas shoppers and the hospital was organising its own contribution to the famous Ballarat festival. In a few weeks’ time, the hospital would be the major sponsor of a charity ball. It was the talk of the department and the women were starting to discuss what they would wear.
Summer listened with interest to the conversations, joining in here and there but mostly enjoying the buzz the event created. ‘It’s as though it’s the last year of high school and you’re all excited about what dress you should buy,’ she commented to Rhonda.
‘Absolutely. This is the one time of the year my husband doesn’t complain about me spending money on an expensive outfit.’ Alyssa agreed and the two women laughed. Summer’s mind automatically thought about Cameron and how, when they’d first started to date, he’d been quite critical of her outfits, telling her that if she was going to be with him, she needed to be immaculately groomed at all times. Of course, he’d sprinkled smiles and encouragement over his words, taking her shopping to show her what he’d meant.
After their engagement had been announced, she’d not only entered the world of the chauffeur-driven car but had been introduced to her future mother-in-law’s personal designer. A complete make-over had transpired and Summer, who’d never been concerned with fashion, especially during her university and medical school days, had been taught the ins and outs, the dos and don’ts of the fashion world.
At first it had been fun, exciting and quite interesting. Years later, having to be immaculately groomed at all times, especially as she had become the hospital director’s wife, had become much less fun. She’d had shoes, dresses, outfits and jewellery. Everything a woman would ever want, but she hadn’t had the love of her husband.