Crisis at Katoomba Hospital

by Lucy Clark

  Nicolette headed back out to the nurses’ station where she found Stephen talking to Lauren, the pretty brunette. The nurse was smiling up at him as she spoke and although he didn’t share her smile, he was listening intently. Nicolette felt an instant dislike for Lauren zap through her and she quickly pushed it away. Stephen was nothing more than a colleague so why did Lauren’s attempts at flirting bother her so much?

  The nurse laughed and Stephen smiled politely, his standoffish attitude making Nicolette feel a little better. It seemed to say, You can flirt all you like, lady, but it isn’t going to get you anywhere. The problem was, he seemed to be like that with her as well, and that she didn’t like.

  Stephanie came up at that moment and slumped down into a chair. ‘I’m wiped out.’

  ‘How long have you been here?’ Stephen put his hands on his sister’s shoulders and began to massage them. Lauren, who’d been angling for his attention, fired mental daggers at Stephanie. Nicolette hid a smirk, realising the nurse had no idea the two doctors were related.

  ‘Since eight this morning.’

  ‘Go home.’

  ‘Ooh, that feels good.’ She leaned her head back and looked up at him. ‘Don’t forget to pay up big with your sponsorship.’

  He groaned and dropped his hands. Nicolette couldn’t help but laugh. ‘She’s conned you, too, eh?’

  ‘When doesn’t she con me? Ever since she could walk, she’s been conning me.’

  ‘Really?’ Stephanie smiled. ‘I thought it started in the womb. Mum always said I took up most of the room.’

  ‘Which was why I had to get out at the first available opportunity,’ he replied drolly. ‘Hence, I’m the oldest.’

  ‘And you haven’t let me forget it since.’

  ‘Oh, my gosh! You two are related?’ Lauren had just caught up.

  ‘We’re twins,’ Stephanie replied.

  ‘Go home,’ Stephen reiterated as he reached for a set of casenotes. ‘Nicolette and I can hold the fort for the next few hours until our shift is over.’

  ‘Sure?’

  ‘Of course,’ Nicolette assured her. Stephen’s answer was simply to glare at his sister.

  ‘All right. I’m going.’ She kissed him on the cheek. ‘Don’t have too much fun without me.’ She winked at Nicolette, which gave a whole new meaning to her words.

  Nicolette turned away, feeling herself begin to blush, and concentrated hard on making sure the pens on the desk were neat and tidy. Stephen picked up a set of casenotes and headed off to an examination cubicle. She glanced up, watching him walk, his back straight, his shoulders square, his long legs striding with purpose. He had a nice walk…and a cute butt. Lauren sighed and it was then Nicolette realised they’d both just been standing there, watching him.

  ‘What a dish, eh?’ she murmured as she picked up a file and handed it to Nicolette. ‘I wonder if he has a girlfriend.’ She snorted. ‘Probably. All the good-looking ones are taken.’

  Nicolette headed off to her new patient with that thought in mind. Did Stephen have a girlfriend? If he did, where was he hiding her? And also why would he be asking her out if he did? She stopped her thoughts. She had been the one who had called it a date, but still it probably wouldn’t hurt to find out if he was currently attached. Not that it would mean anything to her. He was just a colleague.

  The next few hours flew by and she hardly saw him until they were both coming out of the changing rooms at the end of their shift. Stephen stopped when he saw her and waited, then they continued down the corridor together, their briefcases between them like a barricade.

  ‘Stephanie mentioned you had car trouble.’

  Nicolette groaned. ‘Don’t remind me.’

  ‘How did you get here?’

  ‘Taxi.’

  ‘How are you planning to get home?’

  ‘Taxi. I was just going to ring for one.’ She stopped by a house phone as if to prove her point.

  ‘I’ll take you.’

  ‘No. It’s all right. It won’t take long for the taxi to come. Besides, Stephanie said I’d be reimbursed for the expense.’ She was babbling so to stop herself she picked up the receiver and started to dial.

  Stephen took the phone out of her hand and replaced it on the hook. ‘I’m going to Blackheath and you don’t live far from me. Let me take you.’

  A brief war waged inside her. What he said made sense but she didn’t want to put him out—although he’d just said it wouldn’t be an imposition, which meant she could accept. Then again, she’d be in his car…close confines of his car…with him so…close to her. Perhaps an impersonal taxi was better in the long run—at least for her pounding heart.

  In the end Stephen made the decision for her by placing his free hand gently beneath her elbow and propelling her in the direction of the hospital front doors. Nicolette gave up the war and followed his lead.

  They walked out into the cold night and her first thought was it might take them longer to get back to Blackheath. Usually it was a fifteen-minute drive. Tonight they’d be lucky to do it in thirty.

  ‘I think it’s worse than Thursday night,’ he said as he unlocked his car and they both quickly got in. ‘If that’s possible.’

  ‘At least I’ll be able to make myself useful by guiding you around the curves,’ she said, and then realised how her words might be misconstrued. ‘Of the road,’ she added lamely, feeling herself beginning to blush. Thank goodness it was dark.

  ‘Of course,’ he said, but she could hear the amusement in his voice. He started the engine and pulled out of the car park.

  ‘Do you ever smile?’ she blurted out, and he briefly glanced her way. ‘ Really smile, not just polite ones for the staff and patients.’

  ‘Of course.’ Again that amusement was still in his voice.

  ‘Most people smile at least once a day.’

  ‘Give me something to smile about and I’ll smile,’ he replied indulgently.

  ‘At least Stephanie makes you smile.’

  Stephen nodded. ‘She always has.’

  ‘You’re very different. Chalk and cheese.’

  ‘Isn’t that usually the way with twins?’

  ‘I wouldn’t know. I’m not a twin. Stephanie’s bubbly and vivacious and so out there.’

  ‘While I’m not?’

  Had she offended him? She hadn’t meant to. ‘I didn’t mean it like that. Your sister is about to shave her head. I mean, to me that’s out there.’

  ‘To me, too.’ He shrugged. ‘Stephanie’s just…Stephanie, and I love her dearly. The past few years haven’t been easy for her.’

  ‘That’s what she said about you.’ Nicolette thought for a moment. ‘It must be hard, always having to think how your actions or reactions might affect her. I mean, if something were to happen to you, she would feel it, wouldn’t she?’

  Stephen took in her words. ‘Yes.’ He exhaled slowly. ‘Sometimes it is hard, but the good far outweighs the bad.’ He thought his words out carefully and Nicolette waited patiently. ‘I’ve always had company. I’ve never been alone. Even in some of the darkest moments of my life, Stephanie’s always been with me through this connection we have. I don’t have to explain myself and there are no repercussions. She instinctively knows and understands me, and it’s an amazing feeling.’

  Stephen’s words made Nicolette think of Simone and again she wondered what had really gone on in that relationship as what she’d seen of Stephen and what he’d said didn’t gel with what Simone had related.

  ‘It sounds great. My brothers haven’t a remote hope in understanding me, although I’m not sure they’ve tried all that hard.’ She laughed. ‘Still, they love me and that’s important.’

  ‘That’s very important. Are they older than you?’

  ‘Yes, and they never let me forget it.’

  ‘An older brother’s prerogative.’

  Nicolette laughed at his remark and thought she caught a glimpse of a smile on his lips. Nah—she must be dreaming. She st
ared out into the foggy night, wanting to deepen their discussion, but knew now wasn’t the time. Instead, she gave him tips as to which lane he should be in to handle the curves more easily.

  ‘At least at this time of night there’s not much traffic to contend with,’ she said into the silence that surrounded them. It was as though they were in their own little world, a world of whiteness, lit only by the headlights of Stephen’s car. They crawled along, thankfully not running into trouble or seeing anyone else in trouble.

  Nicolette gave him directions to her house after he’d turned off into the streets of Blackheath. ‘Thanks, Stephen,’ she said after he’d pulled into her driveway. She undid her seat belt and turned to face him. The front sensor lights had come on, illuminating the white mist around them. Even so, the extra light meant Nicolette could see him more clearly than before. He was squinting a little at the sudden light but had also shifted a little to look at her.

  ‘My pleasure.’ He said the words in his usual calm, controlled manner—just as she was coming to expect. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow at ten.’

  Nicolette nodded slowly, knowing she should get out of the car but finding herself unable to move. ‘Stephen, about Simone…’

  ‘It’s late, Nicolette.’

  ‘I want to apologise for my behaviour. It was a bit of a shock when I finally realised where I’d seen you…or rather your face. Simone had a lot of photos of you.’

  ‘Hmm.’

  ‘Stephanie said it wasn’t a good relationship for you.’

  Stephen exhaled harshly and shook his head. ‘Stephanie doesn’t know when to keep her nose out of my business.’

  Nicolette smiled. ‘Isn’t that what pesky little sisters do?’

  ‘Yes.’ He nodded. ‘Thank you for apologising and I hope you’ll accept mine in return.’

  ‘Done. We’ll start tomorrow with a clean slate. What do you say?’

  He paused for a moment, as though totally amazed. ‘Good idea.’

  Then it happened.

  The corners of his mouth twitched upwards into a slow smile. It wasn’t a toothy grin, it wasn’t merely a smirk. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight and she glanced momentarily at his blue eyes to find them looking intent yet relaxed.

  ‘Wow,’ she whispered, then cleared her throat. ‘You should do that more often.’ Her words were soft and in that one second the atmosphere in the car changed from one of camaraderie to one of intense awareness on both sides. ‘You look really different when you have something to smile about.’

  ‘Thank you for providing the reason.’ His deep voice washed over her.

  ‘What did I do?’

  His smile increased a little more at her surprise. ‘You showed your worthiness.’

  She nodded slowly, her heart hammering wildly in her chest. ‘So worthiness is rewarded with smiles. I’ll have to remember that.’

  ‘You do that.’

  Both of them could feel the undercurrents of a completely different conversation happening while they sat there staring into each other’s eyes.

  After another few seconds she roused herself. ‘I’d…uh…better go in.’ Nicolette pointed to her house.

  ‘OK.’

  The smile was starting to fade and she had a desperate urge to do something—anything—to keep it in place. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow morning.’ She picked up her bag from the floor and opened the door.

  ‘Nicolette.’

  The pounding of her heart increased as he said her name. Was he going to smile again? Was he going to lean across and kiss her? Her lips parted in nervous anticipation. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Dress warm and comfortable. We’ll be doing some walking.’

  ‘Oh. OK. Thanks.’ She quickly climbed from the car and shut the door, feeling instantly foolish. How could she even think he’d kiss her? The man hardly knew her and even though they’d just shared an intense moment, it was no indication he was ready to press his lips to hers.

  When his car didn’t move, she realised he was waiting to make sure she was safely inside and the chivalrous act earned him extra brownie points. After she’d unlocked and pushed open her front door, she turned to wave and he slowly reversed. She leant against the closed door, listening to his car as it went slowly up her street. It wasn’t far to his place but the fog was still extremely thick.

  She stood at the door, waiting for her heart rate to return to normal. What had she been thinking? She’d been flirting with him—just like Lauren back at the hospital. Surely she was better than that?

  Of course she was. She’d made him smile.

  The knowledge instantly warmed her, even though her house was cold. Finally, she managed to get her legs to work and walked over to the heater, turning the setting to FULL. ‘After all, you can’t live off warm memories with Stephen Brooks for long,’ she warned.

  Even though she told herself to calm down, not to read anything into the moments they’d shared, she couldn’t help the thrill of excitement at the thought of seeing him tomorrow. Dress warmly. She frowned, wondering where he’d planned on taking her—and at ten o’clock in the morning.

  ‘You’re starting to think seriously about this guy,’ she growled at herself as she changed into a russet-red tracksuit. It was fleecy and warm, just like her ugh boots. She wandered through to the kitchen and switched on the kettle. ‘You’ve been hurt too many times before,’ she admonished herself five minutes later as she sipped her cup of tea. ‘He’ll break your heart,’ she finally concluded as she rinsed her cup and headed for the bathroom.

  Once she’d brushed her teeth and climbed into bed, she snuggled down beneath the covers, a small smile on her face and her head still full of thoughts of Stephen.

  Maybe just for tonight she could dream about him. After all, one night couldn’t hurt…could it?

  Nicolette rushed around the house, looking for her gloves, stressed out because she couldn’t find them and she’d just heard Stephen’s car pull up outside. ‘Why did he have to be so punctual?’ she muttered as she continued searching. She knew she shouldn’t have expected anything less from him. He definitely seemed the type of man to not only be punctual but also meticulous.

  Was he meticulous in everything he did?

  She blushed as she remembered parts of her dream, and in her dream Stephen had kissed her as no other man ever had or ever would. She shook her head, snapping herself out of fantasy land and back to reality as she started pulling underwear out of her drawer. The doorbell rang just as she’d finished emptying the contents onto her bed. Still no gloves.

  She groaned with impatience and frustration as she rushed to the front door, not wanting to keep him waiting. She’d taken him at his word and dressed as he’d suggested, warm and comfortable. She was wearing a pair of denim jeans, two pairs of socks and her favourite walking boots, which she’d broken in two and a half years ago when she’d gone walking in Wales. That had been with Tim. Tim had come before Warren and Warren had come before Archie. Archie had been the last man she’d let break her heart and since then she’d forced herself to concentrate on other things besides relationships.

  Now, here she was opening the door to Stephen Brooks and effectively putting herself out there once more. This time, though, she’d be smarter and keep her wits about her, and that meant no more dreaming about heart-melting smiles and heart-pounding kisses from the delicious doctor.

  The instant she opened the door, she knew she’d have to strengthen her resolve.

  He stood there in a pair of jeans—not covered in paint—and a thick jumper, with a bright, striped scarf around his neck. His nose was a little pink from the cold and puffs of steam were coming out of his mouth as he breathed. ‘Good morning, Nicolette.’ When she didn’t say anything, he continued. ‘If you’re ready, we’ll get going.’

  ‘Uh…come in for a second. I can’t find my gloves.’

  He stepped quickly over the threshold and closed the door, not wanting to let the cold morning air into her warm house. She
led him into the lounge room. ‘I won’t be long.’

  Stephen stood on the spot and looked around the room, surprised to find it so…homey. There were bookshelves across one long wall and photographs on the others. Two large comfortable sofas were facing each other with a coffee table between. There was a cabinet which housed a television, DVD player and a stereo, as well as CDs and several DVDs.

  At the other end was an open fireplace which was tidy and all set up with wood ready to light. The walls around the room looked as though they needed painting but for the most part it was a very comfortable room. Stephen wasn’t sure what he’d expected but he was pleasantly surprised not to find the room decked out with modern furniture and the latest colour trends.

  He wandered over and checked out her gas heating unit. This was the type of thing he needed, and even though the slow combustion fire he’d had installed was working a treat, it didn’t quite heat all the way to the bedrooms.

  It was a few more minutes before Nicolette returned, her hands still bare.

  ‘No luck?’ he asked.

  She shook her head, a frown creasing her brow. ‘I don’t know what I’ve done with them. I’m sorry to hold you up, Stephen. I’ll get my coat and we can go.’ Nicolette disappeared again and Stephen headed back out to the front door to wait. She returned a moment later, winding a brown scarf around her neck and pulling a matching woollen hat over her head, the blonde ends of her hair sticking out around her face and shoulders. She looked warm, cosy and…inviting.

  Stephen cleared his throat and his thoughts. She was a colleague. Today was a test for her to see if they could work well together. Medically, he had no hesitation in offering her a job and if she passed the tests he had for her today, he’d have a clearer vision about his practice.

  Nicolette stuck her hands into her coat pockets, thinking she’d have to leave them there all day if she was going to have any feeling left in her fingers, then she gasped in astonishment and pulled out her gloves.

  Stephen’s eyes were bright with repressed mirth. ‘So that’s where you put them.’