Emergency Doctor and Cinderella

by MELANIE MILBURNE

  ‘You can’t run away for ever, Erin,’ he called out after her. ‘Eventually someone is going to get through your armour and make you see what you’re throwing away.’

  She threw another caustic look over her shoulder before she stalked out.

  Eamon let out a rough sigh as her heard her footsteps on the path outside. ‘Well,’ he said, addressing the sleeping dog on the floor. ‘I handled that brilliantly, didn’t I?’

  When Erin came through to the house the next morning breakfast was in full swing. The delicious smell of bacon drew her like a magnet, so too did the aroma of freshly baked bread and brewed coffee.

  Eamon was sitting at the table next to his father, both of them with newspapers propped up in front of them. He looked up as Erin entered the room, but his expression gave nothing away. ‘How did you sleep?’ he asked.

  ‘Fine…eventually,’ she answered.

  Grace came over with a plate of toast. ‘You poor love,’ she said as she set a rack of toast on the table. ‘You doctors work too hard. It’s no wonder you’re tired all the time.’

  ‘What time does the conference kick off?’ Henry asked his son.

  ‘It starts at nine and finishes at four,’ Eamon said. ‘I thought on the way back I might take Erin out to The Gib.’ He turned and addressed Erin. ‘That’s Mount Gibraltar. Once we get to the top there are great views over Bowral and Mittagong and the rest of the Southern Highlands.’

  ‘It sounds like fun,’ Erin said. ‘I enjoy walking.’

  ‘It’s a lovely time of year to see Bowral,’ Grace said, stirring her tea. ‘In the late 1880s a tree-planting programme was started. There are avenues of beautiful deciduous trees and private gardens. In September there’s a tulip festival in Corbett Gardens. You’ll have to make sure you come down for that. Kate and Simon got married there two years ago. It was the most beautiful wedding, so romantic. I’ll dig out the photos to show you later.’

  Erin gave Grace a small smile. ‘That would be lovely.’

  Once breakfast was over Eamon led the way out to his car. The drive to the hotel where the one-day conference was being held was conducted in snatches of banal conversation. Erin got the feeling he was avoiding any mention of the night before. She was rather relieved, and quietly took in the passing scenery, content to enjoy the autumn colour and the crisp, bright morning once they ran out of things to say.

  Eamon’s colleagues greeted him warmly once they arrived at the conference venue, and once name tags were on and introductions carried out the day’s program began. Erin watched from the back of the small conference-room as Eamon presented a PowerPoint presentation of some of the innovations that had been trialled in other hospitals he had visited whilst he was in the UK. She kept a low profile throughout the day, quietly taking in the information, listening with interest to the question and answer session at the end of the morning’s session.

  Lunch was a casual eat-while-you-mingle-and-chat affair. Erin was balancing a glass of orange juice and a sandwich when one of the female delegates came over and introduced herself.

  ‘Hi, I’m Tracey Bolton,’ she said. ‘I trained with Eamon at Sydney University. I live in the district as a rural A& E specialist.’

  ‘Hi, I’m Erin,’ Erin said, juggling her food and drink to offer her hand.

  ‘I think it’s great you’ve come along to the meeting with Eamon,’ Tracey said. ‘I hear you’re staying with him at his parents’ place.’

  ‘I’m just…we’re not… I mean…’

  Eamon came over at that point and stole a triangle of sandwich off Erin’s plate, sending Tracey a quick, boyish grin. ‘Hi, Trace, enjoying the meeting?’

  ‘Of course,’ she said, smiling back. ‘It’s great to see you so happy, Eamon.’ She turned her smile on Erin. ‘He’s a great guy. I would have snatched him up myself, except his best mate got in first.’

  ‘I’ve forgiven him for that,’ Eamon said, still grinning. ‘How is Rob?’

  ‘He’s great,’ Tracey said. ‘He’s at home with the twins.’ She smiled at Erin again. ‘We have twin boys, eight months old.’

  ‘Come on.’ Eamon beckoned with his hand. ‘Show us the photos. I know you’re dying to.’

  Tracey gave him a sheepish look, and, handing Eamon her plate—which he proceeded to steal food from—rummaged in her purse. She handed Erin a photo of beautiful blond, blue-eyed twin boys, chubby cheeked, glowing with good health, their little limbs bare and brown from the previous summer’s sun. Erin felt an acute sense of loss hit her as she handed the photo back. ‘They’re gorgeous,’ she said. ‘What are their names?’

  ‘Bryon and Bailey,’ Tracey said, sighing as she looked at the photo before putting it back in her purse. ‘I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since they were born, but I’ve never been happier. And I was such a career girl, wasn’t I, Eamon?’

  ‘Yep, you sure were,’ he said. ‘Just shows what a good man can do to your ideals, doesn’t it?’

  Tracey gave him a playful poke in the ribs. ‘Watch him, Erin,’ she said. ‘He’ll have you barefoot and pregnant before you know it. The man’s ruthless when it comes to getting what he wants.’

  Erin felt her face light up like a furnace and buried her nose in her glass of orange juice. The conversation drifted to other topics, and within a few minutes the last session was announced and everyone began filing back into the meeting room.

  Eamon held open the car door for Erin once the conference had ended. ‘Do you still feel up to a walk up The Gib?’ he asked.

  ‘Sure,’ Erin said. ‘I need to stretch my legs. I’m not used to sitting all day.’

  ‘Did you get much out of the sessions?’ he asked once he was behind the wheel of the car.

  ‘It was very interesting,’ she said. ‘I can see how follow-through has its advantages.’

  ‘But?’

  She met his quick glance. ‘I have my reservations.’

  ‘Because?’

  Erin gave a shrug and looked down at her hands. ‘I’m still thinking things through. I need time to adjust. I don’t usually rush into things. When I do, I end up regretting it later.’

  Erin felt his glance but didn’t look his way. He remained silent and she was glad for it. Maybe he understood how embarrassed she was about last night and was being gracious enough to let things slide.

  For now.

  The climb to the top of the mountain was well worth the view. Some other walkers had already made it to the top and were busily taking photographs. Erin used the camera in her phone to take a few shots, surreptitiously capturing an image of Eamon looking out over the Southern Highlands with a look of deep concentration on his face.

  ‘Time to go?’ he asked as he came back to where she was standing.

  ‘Thank you for bringing me here,’ she said on the way down. ‘I can’t remember the last time I breathed in such gorgeous fresh air.’

  ‘It’s a world away from the city, isn’t it?’ he said, taking her hand over a rough patch of ground.

  The solid grasp of his fingers sent a shiver of reaction through her flesh. How different this afternoon might have been if he had taken her up on her offer to sleep with him last night, she thought. She found it hard to look him in the eye, wondering if he thought she had come across as too easy or so pathetically desperate for physical intimacy she would sleep with the first man who showed an interest in her. The fact was she did want to sleep with him—not because he was interested in her, not because he was attractive and available, but because she had never felt this way before about anyone. She was so frightened of admitting to her feelings, even to herself. Love was not something she had ever trusted. Everything she had loved had been taken away from her. Why would this be any different?

  Eamon was still holding her hand when they got back to the car. He began stroking the back of her fingers with his thumb as his eyes met hers. ‘About last night…’ he began.

  Erin grimaced. ‘No, please don’t remind me of how appallin
gly I behaved. I must have been much more tired than I realised. I hope you weren’t embarrassed. I’m deeply ashamed about practically throwing myself at you like that. I can’t think what came over me.’

  He lifted his hand to her face, brushing the back of his knuckles down the curve of her cheek in a light-as-air touch. ‘You don’t have to apologise. I wanted it too. I still want it. I want you, Erin. If you don’t want to take things further, then fine. Maybe we should just go with this for now. No strings, no commitment, just the way you want it.’

  Erin swallowed. Is that what she wanted? She was so confused. All she knew was she wanted him. She wanted to feel his arms around her, to feel his mouth on hers, to feel the pulse of his blood inside her body, to feel him move with passion to the explosive point of release and beyond. She was about to tell him so when a shrieking cry pierced the brisk morning air.

  ‘Help! Oh God, my ankle! Oh God….’

  A woman in her sixties was lying groaning on the ground near where the cars were parked, and appeared to have fallen heavily on her ankle. Her husband was trying to get her back on her feet, but she was wailing in pain. ‘No! I can’t get up. Stop it. Leave me. Oh God!’

  Eamon snapped to attention. ‘Quick, Erin,’ he said, handing her the car keys. ‘Run and get the trauma bag from the car. I’ll assess the situation and call an ambulance.’

  Erin came back with the emergency kit to where Eamon was doing his best to calm the woman who was now close to hysterics. The pain she was in was obvious. She was sheet-white, and when Eamon tried to examine her ankle she screamed in agony and then began to hyperventilate.

  ‘It’s all right,’ Eamon said soothingly. ‘We’re both doctors. Just try and stay calm. It looks like you’ve broken your ankle. We’ll do what we can to ease the pain until the ambulance arrives.’

  ‘How far away is the ambulance?’ the worried husband asked.

  ‘About half an hour,’ Eamon said. ‘Apparently there was an accident on the freeway earlier. But we’ve got medical supplies to keep your wife in relative comfort until they get here.’

  Erin felt her throat tighten in panic when Eamon turned his gaze on her.

  ‘We’d better administer some morphine while we wait,’ he said.

  ‘Um…I don’t think there’s any in the kit.’

  The space between his brows narrowed. ‘What about some diazepam? That might take the edge off it.’

  She bit her lip. ‘Sorry, the drugs were past their use-by date. I…I forgot to replace them.’

  He gave her another frown before turning back to the patient. Erin listened as he eventually calmed the woman down, getting her into a more comfortable position while he removed her shoe and sock in preparation for the ambulance arrival. The woman whimpered in pain while her husband hovered about helplessly.

  A small crowd had gathered, which made Erin feel all the more inadequate and uncomfortable. Guilt struck at her with powerful blows. She should have known something like this would happen. She should never have left her bag in reach of her mother; it was like leaving candy out near a child. Leah Taylor just couldn’t help herself. And now a poor, innocent woman was suffering unnecessarily because Erin had not had the foresight to take adequate precautions.

  The wail of an ambulance had never been more welcome to Erin’s ears. It seemed to be hours since Eamon had made the call, but as it happened it was only about twenty minutes. The paramedics quickly and competently took over, thanking Eamon for his help before they drove off with the patient loaded in the back and her husband following in his car.

  Eamon picked up the trauma kit where Erin had placed it earlier. ‘We’d better get back for dinner,’ he said, leading the way to the car. ‘Kate and Simon should have arrived by now.’

  Erin waited until they were on their way before she spoke. ‘I’m really sorry about that. I should have restocked the kit.’

  ‘It can happen to anyone,’ he said graciously, although Erin noticed there was a small frown pulling at his forehead all the way back to Cloverfields.

  As soon as Eamon pulled up in front of the house a slim woman who looked like Steph but a few years older came rushing over. She barely waited until he was out of the car before she hugged him tightly. ‘It’s sooo good to see you,’ she said. ‘Wait until you see how much Emily has grown.’

  Eamon hugged her back, before releasing her to open Erin’s door. ‘Katie, this is Erin. Erin, Kate, the eldest of my three sisters.’

  ‘Hi, Erin,’ Kate said with a friendly smile. ‘Lovely to meet you. Steph told me how gorgeous you are.’ She grinned up at her big brother. ‘Well done, bro, a great improvement on the last one. I thoroughly approve.’

  Erin watched as he tugged at his sister’s hair as if she was five years old instead of a married woman with a two-month-old baby. Another little pang of envy assailed her at seeing how much love there was between the siblings. But when Kate’s husband, Simon, came over and handed baby Emily to Eamon, Erin felt an even deeper pain-like sensation. Eamon cradled the tiny baby in his strong arms, holding her gently but competently, as if he did it every day of his life.

  ‘Hello, gorgeous girl,’ he said. ‘My, you have grown. Are you keeping your mummy and daddy on their toes?’

  ‘And then some,’ Simon said with a wry smile.

  Kate slipped her arm through one of Erin’s. ‘Come and tell me all about how you met my brother,’ she said, leading the way to the house.

  That evening was one of the most pleasant Erin had ever experienced. She was enveloped with the Chapman family’s friendliness and warmth, her shyness gradually easing as she felt more and more at home.

  One of the most poignant moments was when Kate handed Emily to her to hold while she helped Grace with something in the kitchen just before everyone was about to head off to bed. Erin sat in the sitting room with the fire crackling in the hearth, the baby cooing up at her, waving her little starfish hands about, a bubble of saliva dribbling out of her tiny rosebud mouth. Erin felt a flood of emotions wash over her as she cradled the child. This was just part of what she would be missing, she thought. Not just the experience of giving birth, but nurturing that child, watching it grow and mature, bonding with it along with its father, as Kate and Simon had so securely bonded.

  Erin captured one of the little flailing hands and pressed a soft kiss to each of the tiny fingertips. The baby smiled a gummy smile, and Erin felt her chest constrict again. Had her mother ever felt like this with her? she wondered. How could she have? Within days of her birth Leah had been back on the streets looking for the drugs she craved.

  ‘She’s beautiful, isn’t she?’

  Erin looked up to see Eamon had come in. She had been so lost in the moment she hadn’t heard him approach. ‘She certainly is,’ she said, looking back down at the baby, whose little eyelids were fluttering as she fought against sleep.

  Eamon sat next to her on the sofa and, reaching out, brushed one of his fingertips down the baby’s cheek, close to where she was cradled against Erin’s breast. ‘It’s a pity they have to grow up so fast,’ he said.

  ‘Some have to grow up faster than others.’ Erin hardly realised she had said the words out loud until she saw the way Eamon was looking at her. He had that thoughtful look on his face, as if he was trying to put the pieces of a complicated puzzle together.

  ‘Things were pretty tough on you growing up, weren’t they?’ he said after a long moment.

  She looked back down at the baby lying in her arms. ‘It wasn’t anything like your childhood, that’s for sure.’

  ‘I recognise how lucky the girls and I have been,’ he said. ‘It’s not something I’ve ever taken for granted.’

  Erin wanted to tell him everything; the words were hovering on her tongue, but something held her back. Pride, shame, perhaps a combination of both. Her background was so disparate from his. The experiences she’d had were unthinkable in his family context. Would his family be so welcoming to her if they knew the truth about her
upbringing?

  ‘You absolute darling!’ Kate whispered as she tiptoed into the room. ‘You’ve got her to sleep. You must have a magic touch because she doesn’t usually settle for anyone but me.’

  Erin carefully handed over the sleeping baby. ‘She was a little angel,’ she said. ‘I could have sat here all night with her.’

  Kate gave her a grin. ‘I’ll remember that at three in the morning when she wakes up and won’t go back down. I’ll come in search of you and hand her over.’

  Kate left with the baby and Eamon turned to Erin. ‘Do you fancy a nightcap?’ he asked.

  Erin didn’t really want a drink, but she did want to prolong the evening with him. Because there had been people around all day, they hadn’t had a moment by themselves. It had been so hard, seeing him but not touching him, watching his sensual mouth curved upwards in a smile but not being able to kiss it. The thought of a few stolen minutes with him now was too tempting to resist. ‘That would be nice,’ she said, adding after a little pause, ‘I had a lovely day today. Not just at the conference but here with your parents, sister and brother-in-law, and of course little Emily. I’ve never met a nicer family. Everyone has been so welcoming to me, so friendly and open.’

  Eamon smiled as he handed her a cognac. ‘They’re pretty special, aren’t they? I’m glad you like them. They’ve certainly taken a shine to you.’

  Erin dropped her gaze to the cognac glass cradled in her hands. ‘Eamon, I’ve been doing some thinking about…’ she snatched in an uneven breath ‘…about us.’

  He took the seat next to her on the sofa, one of his arms going along the back, his fingers idly playing with her hair. ‘Go on,’ he prompted.

  She looked at him, feeling her heart tighten as his eyes darkened with desire. ‘I’ve never met anyone quite like you before. It’s been amazing to spend time with someone who is so…’ she paused to search for an adequate word ‘…so well-balanced.’

  His fingers caressed the back of her neck in a bone-melting touch. ‘I’m not perfect, Erin. I have lots of faults just like anyone else.’