by Lucy Clark
Even now, years later, his stomach still churned at the memory. Children weren’t commodities. They weren’t purchased like handbags. They weren’t merely born to provide an heir to the throne.
Jason thought about Tommy and what Summer had told him. No wonder she’d wanted to get the boy away from Sydney, from people who weren’t interested in Tommy as a person but rather as a possession.
When he’d first met Summer, he’d thought she was like Amanda in many ways but the more he’d come to know her, the more he knew she had very little in common with his ex-wife. Summer was a mother first and foremost. She would do anything to protect her son—even if it meant going up against the Hoyts family. She’d done it and she’d won. That told him she wasn’t a push-over, that she was willing to stand up and fight for what was important. It also told him she had her priorities straight. Tommy came first.
He’d had so many questions when he’d first met Summer and many of them had been answered, but now there was one which kept whirling around and around in his head. From what she’d said about her marriage, it hadn’t sounded at all happy. So why had she stayed with her husband?
The woman had intrigued him from the beginning and now that he’d kissed her… Jason held his breath as he remembered the way she’d trembled in his arms. So willing, so soft, so delicious. Her lips seemed to have been made to fit his and even now, when he ran his tongue over his lips, he could still taste her.
Was it possible that he’d stumbled across a woman who was for real? Had she been faking her reaction to him? Playing him like a fiddle? He frowned, his gut instinct telling him she wasn’t like that at all. She’d been hurt in the past, no doubt duped. Or at least that was the way she told it. Jason had learned long ago that there were two sides to every story. As far as he was concerned, his marriage had come crumbling down because Amanda had changed. Not only who she had been but her ideals and plans for her future. She’d rejected him in favour of her career. As far as Amanda was concerned, Jason had been inflexible in his expectations of her, not willing to give up his career in favour of hers.
The next question he had where Summer was concerned was whether he could believe her. Believe what she’d said about her marriage? About her life in Sydney? Trusting a woman, and especially one he was obviously attracted to, was something he hadn’t planned on doing again. He’d trusted Amanda and had had his heart broken. Could he trust Summer? Really trust her?
Time would tell.
As it turned out, Summer wasn’t able to spend time with Jason on Sunday as he was called in to the hospital.
‘Sasha sustained a fall and her parents say the cast’s cracked,’ he told Summer over the phone.
‘Is she all right?’
‘She’s fine. Sally’s the one who’s upset.’
‘Oh, the poor dears. Do you need me to come in?’
Jason thought about that for second. He wanted to see Summer, there was no doubt in his mind about that, but it was her day off and she deserved to have a rest. He needed to do X-rays and re-set Sasha’s cast, and he knew it would be much easier with two doctors on board. He could always get his registrar up and out of bed but the poor man had only just finished the night shift.
‘I’ll come in. I’ll get Tommy organised and be there soon,’ she decided when he didn’t instantly reply.
‘Actually, yes. I think that will be best.’
‘We can make sure she’s completely still while re-setting the cast, if that’s all that needs to be done.’ Summer confirmed his own thoughts and again, it only served to emphasise just how in tune they seemed to be with each other.
After she’d rung off, she told Tommy they needed to go to the hospital. ‘You can stay in the playroom and start doing some Christmas craft if you like.’
Tommy looked less than thrilled about having to go. Perhaps she should have told Jason she couldn’t come in. In all honesty, they both knew he didn’t specifically need her to be there. He could have grabbed Alyssa or Rhonda or one of the other nurses, orderlies or interns who were no doubt working this morning. They could have helped him as competently as Summer, but the truth was she wanted to see Jason.
She wanted to see how she would feel when she saw him. The fact that it would be at the hospital would be a good test. Before he’d left last night, they’d decided to get to know each other better, take things very slowly. They could call each other, arrange to spend time together, but Summer had asked him not to kiss her.
‘You are kidding, right?’ Jason had simply stared at her. Now that he’d finally given in and tasted her, how was he going to stop?
‘No. You see, when you kiss me, I forget everything. I mean everything, Jason, and I’m not used to that.’
‘Not used to kisses that curl your toes and turn your mind to mush?’
‘No.’
Again, that told him so much about her marriage. What had she been? A trophy wife? She was certainly pretty enough, intelligent enough, accomplished enough—but she was also so much more than that. Had her husband been completely blind? Fool.
He’d brushed his thumb over her lips and then dropped his hand and backed away. ‘Neither am I.’
‘Well, that’s good, then.’
‘How is it good when you won’t let me do it?’ He smiled as he spoke and that was something else Summer needed to get used to. Never before had Cameron teased her, joked with her or spoken playfully about something like kissing.
‘It won’t be for ever. Just…for now.’
‘The drought will be broken?’
‘At some point. When we’re both a bit more comfortable with this…thing between us.’
‘You’re making it sound like a disease.’
Summer had laughed. ‘One we’ve both apparently caught.’
Jason had taken her hand in his and his eyes had been intense as he’d said softly, ‘At least it’s not one-sided.’
And that told her so much about his marriage. Had his wife thought it exciting to marry a doctor? Had it been a certain social status she’d been after? He’d obviously been in love with Amanda but the feelings hadn’t been reciprocated in the same way. Did Amanda know what she’d lost? Fool.
‘I’m ready,’ Tommy said as he walked over to the door, waiting impatiently.
‘Oh. Yes. Right.’ Summer rushed around and grabbed her bag and her keys. She’d been so busy daydreaming about Jason that she’d forgotten what she was supposed to be doing. When she had everything, she stopped and looked at her son, her smile bright. ‘Cheer up. I shouldn’t be too long.’
Tommy was looking at her as though she’d grown an extra head.
‘What?’ She jangled her keys from her finger but didn’t move.
‘You’re smiling more and more again.’
Summer nodded. ‘So are you.’
‘Not right now, though.’
‘Oh, come on. You know you’re going to have a good time making decorations. Jason said there are heaps of books and designs you can do. The other kids will be doing some, too, and already the ward is starting to look more and more Christmasy.’
Tommy eyed her carefully. ‘And I’ll get to see JD?’
‘Sure.’
Tommy nodded and opened the door. ‘OK, then. I’ll go willingly.’
‘Because you know you’ll get to see Jason?’
‘Yeah.’ Tommy was already in the hallway. ‘I really like him, Mum. He’s fun. I’ve never met a grown-up man who was fun before.’
‘Neither have I,’ she said softly as she followed him out, closing the door behind her.
Even before they entered the ward a little later, they could hear loud crying. Summer looked at Tommy who immediately started to slow his steps.
‘That doesn’t sound like fun, Mum,’ he murmured.
‘Come on. You can hide in the playroom.’ Summer ushered her son in and saw Jason coming out of room three.
‘Hey, there, Tommy.’ Jason greeted her son warmly with a high-five before turning to Summe
r. ‘We’re just about to take Sasha down to Radiology but Sally can’t bear to be parted from her.’
‘Let her come.’
‘That was just what I was thinking and with you here, we’ll be able to accomplish it. Their mother is still beside herself with worry and with Sally’s loud cries it doesn’t make the situation any better.’
‘And Sasha?’
‘As calm as a lamb.’
‘Pain transference?’
Jason looked at her in surprise. ‘Is that possible?’
‘I’ve read an article on it and it did focus on identical twins.’
‘Something to consider.’
‘The mind is a powerful organ.’
‘It is. First of all, let’s get Sasha organised.’ Jason was about to head back into room three when he stopped and pointed to where Tommy was in the playroom. ‘Do you want Tommy to go down to Rent-A-Grand?’
‘I didn’t have time to call and check if that was OK.’
‘Mum only has three kids there this morning and one of them is Bradley.’
‘Really?’
‘His mum got called in to work so he came, too.’
‘Well, if Bradley’s there, you can bet Tommy will want to go down.’
‘I’ll call my mother and get it organised for you.’ He walked to the nurses’ station. ‘Why don’t you go and see if you can work some of your soothing magic on Sally?’
‘My soothing magic?’ she queried.
‘Hey. It works when you’re near me.’
A smile spread over her face at his words. ‘That’s such a nice thing to say. You’re so sweet.’
‘Thank you.’ Jason picked up the phone and watched her go into the room. It was only a few moments later that Sally’s cries started to subside and he knew that Summer had done it again. She was so natural, so real with children and he’d watched the way she seemed to charm them all, no matter how old they were.
She’d certainly charmed him as well, with her cool, calm elegance, her intense, incredible beauty and her singingly sensual body. To say she had him in a whirl was an understatement and he was relieved that they’d managed to figure out some new guidelines for their burgeoning relationship. The fact that he could tell her she affected him, the fact that she could tell him he was sweet. These were right steps in the right direction. He hoped.
Once everything was organised, they headed to Radiology, keeping Sally as close to Sasha as possible, only removing her from her sister’s side when the X-rays were being taken.
‘See? She’s all right,’ Summer said reassuringly as she held Sally comfortably in her arms. The four-year-old had her arms about Summer’s neck, her head on Summer’s shoulder. ‘Your sister is very brave and I am very proud of both of you.’
‘Can Sashy come home tonight?’
‘That’s what Dr JD and I are going to check, but if she can’t, how about both of you have a sleep-over here in the hospital and you can help make some special Christmas decorations for the ward?’
‘Really?’ Sally was immediately interested and as Jason watched, he knew that there would be no problems with admitting the twins for the evening. ‘I love sticking and cutting.’
‘And Dr JD told me there’s going to be glitter.’
Sally’s face lit up like a Christmas tree and Summer couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. The four-year-old shimmed down to the floor and started jumping up and down, clapping her hands. ‘Glitter! I love glitter.’
‘And there’s that magic,’ Jason remarked as they stood side by side, reading the radiographs.
‘It’s hardly magic, Jason,’ she contradicted, but couldn’t believe how wonderful his words made her feel. Whenever she was with him, she felt such an overwhelming sense of self-worth, of importance. He made her feel that she was someone other people not only liked but looked to for support. She pointed to the X-ray. ‘Looks as though it’s only the cast that has broken so that’s good news. Do we need to give her a sedative while we apply the new cast?’
‘She’ll need to be completely still so, yes, sedation is the best bet.’
‘It would be better if Sally wasn’t in the room.’
‘Agreed. Any bright ideas for getting her out?’
‘Get her to make a special Christmas card for Sasha—and use lots of glitter.’
Jason nodded. ‘Excellent idea. See. This is why I like having you around.’ He leaned a little closer and brushed the tips of his fingers against her hand. ‘You’re brilliant,’ he said softly, his breath fanning her neck.
It was wonderful being allowed to be so close to him, to not have to worry about mixed signals or anything like that. It was wonderful and it was new and she was enjoying every minute of it. ‘You’re not so bad yourself,’ she murmured, watching his eyes darken with desire. He had eyes she could have gazed into for hours. She shook her head to break the moment. Now wasn’t the time.
They managed to get Sally to follow Summer’s suggestion while Sasha’s cast was being reapplied. When the little girl was back in the ward, still groggy from the sedative, Sally gave her the card—dripping with glitter—and was rewarded with a tired smile from her twin.
‘That’s them settled,’ Jason remarked as they headed out to the nurses’ station so he could write up the report.
‘I guess it is.’
‘Got any other plans for the day?’
‘Well, I promised Sally I’d make some Christmas decorations with her, which might not be a bad idea while Sasha’s sleeping.’
‘And speaking of decorations, I noticed last night that you don’t have any up in your apartment.’
‘That’s probably because I don’t have any.’
‘What? No decorations?’
‘Do you have them up in your place?’
‘I put them up in October. I love Christmas. I’d decorate the ward far earlier than the beginning of November if Rhonda would let me, but she won’t and that’s all there is to it.’
Summer smiled at him. ‘You’re like a little child.’
‘Duh. Why do you think I work with them? That way, I have the most perfect excuse for never growing up.’
‘Peter Pan?’
He grinned. ‘Something like that. Why don’t you go and get Sally while I do these notes and I’ll meet you in the playroom.’
‘I was going to ask Tommy and Bradley if they’d like to come and join in.’
‘Good luck. They were playing games on the computer not long after I took Tommy down.’
‘Hmm. Computer games versus making Christmas decorations.’ She held out her hands as though they were scales and pretended to weigh the options.
‘As I said, good luck.’ Jason set about writing up the notes but lifted his head and watched Summer walk towards Sasha’s room. He loved the way she moved. It was so lithe, so calm, with a ballerina’s grace. He recalled her mentioning she’d done ballet as a child so that was obviously where she’d learned to carry herself that way.
Had she also done deportment? Gone to finishing school? Wasn’t that what all good young ladies did? She’d told him quite a bit about her life with Cameron but he realised he didn’t know anything about her childhood, about her parents. He knew she didn’t have siblings but had obviously wanted some. Were her parents as equally as wealthy as the Hoyts family? He couldn’t see the heir to the Hoyts fortune choosing a ‘nobody’ for his bride so Summer certainly had to have come from money somewhere down the line. He didn’t even know her maiden name.
Of course, receiving the answers to these questions would no doubt only serve to increase the strong feelings he was beginning to have for her. Where he’d warned himself not to get involved, where he’d cautioned himself to learn from his past mistakes, not to go down the same road again—none of it seemed to matter when Summer was around him.
She most certainly wasn’t what he’d first imagined. She had far more depth, more character, more compassion in her perfectly manicured little finger than Amanda had possessed and he�
�d do well not to continue comparing them, but the fact of the matter was that Amanda had been his wife, had been a woman he’d had incredibly strong feelings for, had thought himself completely in love with, and it had all turned out to be a farce.
Summer wasn’t a farce. She was real. She was honest and in a lot of ways there was also a naiveté about her that appealed greatly to his male protective instinct. She was a good mother, wanting to help her son in any way she could, and Jason knew the seven-year-old boy was quickly becoming a favourite with him. There was such intelligence behind his blue eyes mixed with a lot of pain. Now that Summer had explained what had happened, what Tommy had witnessed, Jason understood that look and knew that if Tommy ever needed help, he’d be more than happy to provide it.
‘You actually need to move the pen to get it to work, Jase.’
He turned and looked at his sister as she leaned over the top of the desk. ‘Howdy.’
‘Howdy back. You were lost in thought. Go anywhere nice?’
Jason’s grin increased but he didn’t say anything. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Came over to see if the parents were free for lunch, but they’re busy and mentioned you were in the ward so…here I am.’
‘And you’re just in time. We’re doing more Christmas decorations today.’ He pointed to the ones that had been made during the week, which were hanging from the ceiling. A few paper chains graced the walls but the ward needed more.
‘Ooh, you are right. I am just in time.’ Cassandra clapped her hands and rubbed them together. ‘Come on, then.’ She held out her hand to him. ‘Let’s go. Glue and glitter await.’
Summer came out of Sasha’s room, holding Sally in her arms, and almost dropped her when she saw a strange woman reaching out for Jason. She watched as he smiled brightly, stood and took her hand in his. Who was this woman? What was going on here?