by Lucy Clark
“I need to tell you something, Susie.”
“What?” She made no attempt to move, still standing by the door. He came over and took her hands in his and led her over to a chair.
“Sit down.”
“I don’t want to sit down,” she retorted.
“Can you feel that?” His voice was harsh, yet urgent.“When I touch your hands? It’s there, Susie. Whatever this thing is between us, it’s there.”
“So? We don’t have to act on it. You’ll be gone at the end of the week and—”
“Susie.” He dropped his hands and took a few steps away. His actions were stiff and unnatural. Something was really wrong.“We need to talk.”
“About what? About this attraction?”
“No. About my wife.”
Dear Reader,
We’re all given second chances at some point in our lives. Whether we act upon them or not is up to us.
In The Visiting Surgeon, Susie and Jackson need to decide whether or not to take that chance, and I, for one, enjoyed being with them every step of the way, sharing their ups and downs.
The Australian setting for their story is Queensland’s capital city—beautiful Brisbane, with a touch of the Sunshine Coast thrown in, as well. Both are among my favorite holiday destinations in the land Down Under.
I hope you enjoy The Visiting Surgeon.
With warmest regards,
Lucy Clark
The Visiting Surgeon
Lucy Clark
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER ONE
DR SUSIE MONAHAN brushed her hands apprehensively down her calf-length navy skirt and ensured her embroidered white blouse was tucked neatly into the waistband before shrugging into her matching navy jacket.
‘Keep it cool.’ She started to pace in front of her desk, taking deep breaths. ‘Keep it cool.’ She checked that none of her unruly auburn curls had managed to escape from the clip at the nape of her neck.
The buzz of the intercom on her desk startled her. She pressed the button. ‘Yes, Todd?’
‘The delegation is here.’
‘Show them in, thank you.’ She closed her eyes for a millisecond. How had she ever let herself be talked into this job? Acting Head of the orthopaedic department? It was ridiculous!
Not that she minded the administrative side but many other aspects of the job, such as lecturing and playing host to delegates, weren’t her cup of tea. She was a doctor, not a tour guide!
Susie opened her eyes at the sound of the doorhandle being pulled down. Should she be sitting behind her desk? Should she be looking cool, calm and collected, as though she did this sort of thing every day? Too bad. She was standing like a statue in the middle of her own office with a fake smile pasted onto her face as a small group of people filed in.
The smile, however, became genuine when she found herself staring up at a man with the most gorgeous blue eyes she’d ever seen. He was tall—a lot taller than she’d expected. Probably about six feet four. His hair was a rich, dark brown and was fashionably short.
‘I’m Jackson Myers,’ he said, holding his hand out.
‘Ah…Welcome.’ She quickly recovered her composure. ‘I’m Susan Monahan.’ She placed her hand in his. His touch sent a jolt of electrifying tingles up her arm. His fingers gripped her hand firmly, warming not only her hand but the rest of her as well.
She’d been unprepared for such a reaction to this strange man. He held her hand for a fraction of a second longer than was necessary. His gaze locked with hers and Susie felt something wild pass between them—a connection. A flicker of surprise registered in his eyes before they both dropped their hands and took a small step backwards.
Whoa! What was that? He was a married man! Susie cleared her throat. ‘Welcome…er…to Brisbane General Hospital, Professor Myers.’
‘Please, call me Jackson.’
She rested a hand momentarily on her chest. ‘I’m Susie.’
‘Good. Well, then…Susie. Allow me to introduce you to the rest of my staff.’ Jackson turned and introduced the people who were responsible for helping him keep to the strict timetable he lived by. As the visiting orthopaedic professor, Jackson had been touring the world for the past year and had now returned to his homeland of Australia. He had two secretaries, one research assistant, one technical consultant and a personal aide.
Susie’s own secretary, Todd, was hovering by the door. She beckoned him in and introduced him. ‘Todd and I are both at your service this week. If there’s anything you need to know or can’t find, please, don’t hesitate to ask.’ Susie addressed the group as she spoke but her gaze kept being drawn back to Jackson.
‘Thank you,’ he responded, their gazes holding again. Susie gave herself a mental shake and checked her watch.
‘Right. I guess we should be making a start. Have there been any changes to the agreed agenda?’
‘Not that I’m aware of. Richard?’ Jackson turned and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his personal aide. Richard shook his head.
‘Good.’ Susie nodded. ‘Well, then, we’d better get started to ensure we don’t fall behind schedule.’ She smiled at Jackson and headed for the door. She waited for everyone else to go through. ‘After you,’ she said when only Jackson remained.
‘Ladies first,’ he insisted. He smiled at her and Susie felt her insides turn to mush. She was knocked off guard by the feeling but as she was unsure what to do about it she went through the door, mumbling, ‘Thank you.’ They headed out of the orthopaedic department towards the operating theatres, Susie pointing out different areas of the hospital as they went.
Once in Theatres, they did a tour of the operating room Jackson would be using when he taught. It had a viewing gallery positioned on a mezzanine floor surrounding the operating table so that students, interns and other surgeons could see what was happening with ease.
‘It’s also equipped with microphones and miniature cameras. The images can then be projected up onto the screen…’ Susie pointed up to where a screen was fixed to the wall facing the gallery ‘…as well as being videotaped.’
‘An impressive facility,’ Jackson murmured. They continued with their tour, heading down yet another long corridor. ‘This is the one characteristic all hospitals have—long corridors.’
Susie smiled up at him, pleasantly surprised to find he had a sense of humour and wasn’t averse to sharing it with strangers. When she’d been planning for the visiting orthopaedic professor’s visit, she hadn’t given a lot of thought as to what type of man he might be. She’d just expected him to be a professional, which Jackson Myers was showing every indication of being. It was her own reaction that puzzled her more. She hadn’t expected to be instantly attracted to a married man.
‘All right, can everyone fit in the lift?’ Susie asked as she held the doors open. ‘Everyone in?’ When she received affirmative murmurs, she allowed the doors to close and pressed the button for the fifth floor. ‘The hospital’s main lecture facility, which is where you’ll be giving most of your lectures, had a complete upgrade last year. It’s quite a nice facility to speak at,’ she informed them. ‘I’ve been assured that all the gadgets are in working order but if you find we don’t have everything you require, please, let me know.’
‘Thank you,’ Jackson replied. When the lift doors opened, they all exited, again Jackson waiting until Susie had preceded him. She politely smiled her thanks, before leading the wa
y to the lecture room. She pushed open the large double doors and watched as his team fanned out and checked out the facilities. It was quite funny to see them scuttling here and there, reporting back to each other and pointing things out.
Jackson walked over to the podium where Richard gave him several instructions as well as handing him a folder with notes inside. He familiarised himself with where his water glass would be, where to find the laser pointer and how to adjust the lapel microphone.
Susie wandered over to a seat in the front row and sat down, mesmerised by him. Lecturing wasn’t one of her strong suits so she was always willing to learn. Just by watching him, she knew she could learn much.
Was that the real reason she was watching him? She tilted her head to the side, her gaze following his every move. He was very handsome. ‘Pleasing to the eye’, as her mother would have said. ‘Hot to trot’, would have been her oldest sister’s opinion and ‘big on the yum factor’ youngest sister’s contribution.
Susie found Jackson Myers…intriguing, and therefore a man to be avoided at all costs. After all, she was still recovering from a broken heart—her second broken heart, she corrected herself—and she didn’t need a third. Two broken engagements were enough and Susie wasn’t about to risk any involvement with the opposite sex, especially a liaison with a married man.
Then again, what did it matter if she enjoyed watching him? He’d be gone at the end of the week, off on the rest of his tour, and she could go back to her life. Surely there wasn’t any harm in looking.
Someone sat in the chair next to her, bringing her out of her reverie. Was it time for people to start arriving already? She glanced up to find herself face to face with Jackson.
‘Lost in thought?’ His deep voice washed over her.
Susie laughed nervously. If only he knew where her thoughts had been. ‘Bad habit,’ she admitted.
‘You were right. This is a great lecture room. One of the better ones.’
‘I’m glad.’ She checked her watch. ‘Well, everyone should be starting to arrive soon.’
Jackson nodded but didn’t move.
‘You certainly have well-trained staff,’ Susie commented, feeling the need to say something. His close proximity made her very self-conscious and some of her earlier apprehensiveness began to reappear.
‘They are certainly that. At first it was all rather strange, having people bossing me about every step of the way, but now, after ten months of travelling and lecturing, I’ve learned to trust them. They’re all extremely good at their jobs and if we each do our own thing and avoid getting in each other’s way, things run smoothly.’
‘I guess that’s the name of the game when you’re on one of these visiting professorships.’
‘Absolutely.’ A few people started to trickle in but still Jackson didn’t move. He seemed quite settled where he was.
Susie fidgeted with her watch. ‘Have you enjoyed it so far?’
‘Yes,’ he replied without hesitation. More people came in and started taking their seats. Jackson leaned a little closer to Susie, his elbow touching hers on the arm rest. She felt the warmth of him immediately, her breath catching in her throat as she waited for him to speak. ‘Although, after ten months, I’m heartily sick of living out of a suitcase and waking up in a different city almost every day. Sometimes even a different country. Lots of flying. Only six weeks to go.’ He turned his head as he spoke the last few words and looked at her. Their heads were almost touching and Susie found herself hypnotised by him. The tang of his aftershave teased at her senses and his breath slightly fanned her cheek. What was it about this man—this stranger—that drew her in?
‘Jackson?’ Richard called, and instantly the man beside her stood up and walked over to the podium. ‘We’ll just go over things one last time,’ she heard Richard say, and continued to watch as Jackson patiently listened, nodding here and there to what he was being told.
Susie broke her gaze free of the enigmatic man. Don’t focus on him, she told herself sternly. He’s male and will no doubt break your heart—just like the others. Satisfied that she was now back in control of her emotions, Susie glanced around the room. When had it filled up? Almost every seat was taken and Richard now came over and sat down in the one next to her.
‘Now, Susie, I believe you’re introducing Jackson.’ Richard shuffled through a few files, eventually finding the piece of paper he was looking for which confirmed the details.
Susie had completely forgotten. She’d been so caught up in…well…Jackson that she hadn’t had time to think about standing up in front of such a large group of people. Todd sat down in the chair on her other side and handed her a folder.
‘Here you go, boss. Knock ’em dead.’ He patted her shoulder.
‘What? Now?’ she asked as Jackson came to sit on the other side of Richard.
‘Now would be the perfect time,’ Richard answered with an energetic nod.
She cleared her throat, ‘Right, then.’ As she stood, she smoothed down her skirt with her free hand and carried the folder to the podium. People stopped talking and the volume of noise in the room dropped rapidly. Susie opened the folder and took out the notes she’d prepared. Thank goodness Todd had brought them. She could always rely on Todd when it came to work.
Susie swallowed her nervousness, pushing it aside the way she usually did when she had to stand before a crowd. Giving her head a little flick, she straightened her shoulders and opened her mouth to speak.
‘Thank you all for coming,’ she said, mentally blocking out the sound of her own voice. ‘We’re gathered here today to welcome Professor Jackson Myers, the visiting orthopaedic professor, to Brisbane General Hospital.’ She continued with the spiel about his accomplishments, his credits as a surgeon and mentioned some of the places he’d visited during the past ten months.
Soon she was inviting him to join her at the podium, which he did. He smiled politely and shook her hand, but this time she felt nothing but a cool reserve exuding from him. What had happened? Susie took her seat and watched him. Perhaps this was the ‘public’ side of him.
As he spoke, she pushed everything from her mind, listening to his deep, melodious tones. He had a wonderful speaking voice, one she could have listened to all day long. He didn’t stutter, stumble or hesitate. Susie frowned, instantly cross with herself for studying the man instead of listening to what he was saying. She focused her thoughts and did just that.
Two hours later, when he finished, she was surprised at how quickly the time had passed. He was given a hearty round of applause which he accepted graciously before answering questions. After a further half-hour, people started to pour out of the lecture room. Jackson stayed where he was, answering yet more questions from people who approached him.
‘Once we leave here,’ Richard told her after he’d gathered up Jackson’s notes, ‘we’ll be heading across the road to a restaurant for lunch. Correct?’
‘Yes.’
‘Is there anything you need to do or get before we go?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then do it now. Jackson will be about another ten minutes at least and we’ll meet you in your office,’ Richard said with a final nod before heading back to one of the secretaries to have a word with her.
‘That went well,’ Todd remarked as he accompanied Susie back to the department.
‘Yes.’ What was wrong with her? Was she completely incapable of stringing more that two words together?
‘I’ll just go over your schedule for the rest of the day.’ Without waiting for Susie to reply, Todd read from a sheet in front of him. ‘Lunch is next, where you’ll be officially welcoming him to the department. The tutorial operating session is after lunch, where he’ll be assisted by Mr Petunia, and then the official hospital faculty welcome dinner where you’ll be the MC for the evening.’ Todd chuckled. ‘And as the MC, you’ll be giving the official dinner welcome. Talk about pomp and ceremony.’
‘That’s the way these visiting profess
orships are handled,’ Susie told him. ‘Jackson represents the best of the best. It’s a prestigious honour.’
‘But one you’ll never want,’ Todd added. ‘I saw how uneasy you were when you stood up there. I know you prefer not to speak in public, Susie.’
‘Was I that obvious?’ Susie was horrified.
‘No. You looked as cool as a cucumber. Don’t forget, I’ve been working with you for nine months now and already know your strengths and weaknesses.’
Susie smiled at the man who was the same age as her youngest brother. ‘Todd, you have helped me out so much this year. I wouldn’t have enjoyed this acting head stuff nearly as much otherwise.’
‘Shucks,’ he said as they walked into the department. ‘You say the sweetest things.’
Susie laughed, glad to have the momentary respite from Jackson and his team. ‘Let’s get the rest of this day over and done with. Oh, and would you mind bringing me Jackson’s dossier again? I just want to review some facts about him,’ she added.
Todd brought the file through and left her alone. With trembling fingers, she flicked through the pages until she found the one she needed. Holding her breath, she scanned it quickly, hoping she’d previously read it wrong. Next to ‘Marital Status’ was the word ‘Married’.
Lunch was a lavish affair for a ‘few’ special guests—all fifty of them. Susie accepted her notes from Todd, who was sitting opposite her, just before she was due to get up and talk. Having Jackson seated next to her didn’t do anything to help her nerves.
When they’d arrived, he’d held her chair for her to be seated and Susie had politely thanked him. Was he just being nice? Did he want something? With it having been only six months since Greg had broken their engagement, Susie was very cautious of men and their motives.
She was extremely conscious of the warmth of his body so close to hers. His spicy aftershave smelt incredible and she did her best to fight the sensation it evoked. She didn’t want to be so aware of him, yet she was.
She focused on the conversation taking place about the latest medical breakthrough, listening intently to Jackson’s opinion on the subject. During their entrée and main course, Jackson answered many questions. It was a rare and unique opportunity to have access to someone who was travelling the world, hearing about and seeing at first hand new innovations in the ever-changing orthopaedic world, and her colleagues were making the most of it.