The Nurse's Christmas Wish

by Sarah Morgan

  She looked away quickly and tried to concentrate on work. Her eyes scanned the drugs, anticipating what they’d need. Aware that Mac was still watching her, she worked swiftly, laying out various pieces of equipment in logical order. Then the doors flew open again and the paramedics hurried in with the little girl.

  Louisa braced herself.

  ‘This is Martha, aged six.’ The paramedic handed over quickly, explaining what had happened and what drugs had been given. ‘She was at the pantomime with her grandma.’

  Mac stepped forward. ‘And where’s Grandma now?’

  ‘At Reception, giving details.’

  Louisa took one look at the child and felt her heart twist. The little girl looked exhausted, her skin pale and her eyes hollowed from the effort of breathing. ‘Her respirations are 52,’ she said crisply, reaching for the nebuliser, ‘and her pulse is 150. Martha, sweetheart.’ Her voice softened as she stroked the child’s head gently. ‘You’re in hospital now and we’re going to help you breathe. You’re going to be fine.’

  Please, let her be fine.

  ‘Let’s give her high-flow oxygen,’ Mac instructed, his dark head bent as he examined the little girl, ‘salbutamol via the nebuliser and some prednisolone. Is she taking theophyllines?’

  The paramedic nodded and Mac glanced at Josh who had just walked into the room. ‘She’s very cyanosed, she’s exhausted and her peak flow is less than a third of what it should be. Can you get me a paediatrician and an anaesthetist?’

  At that moment Martha clutched at his sleeve, panic in her eyes as she struggled to breathe.

  Mac gave her his full attention, his eyes locked on hers as he adjusted the mask. ‘I want you to stay calm, angel,’ he said quietly, ‘and trust me. We’re going to help you breathe, I promise. You’re in hospital and you’re safe. How was that pantomime? Was it good? Did you see the ugly sisters?’

  Louisa felt herself begin to relax. There wasn’t a hint of panic or urgency about him. Instead, he was calm and totally in control of the situation, his movements smooth and apparently unhurried as he worked. Even though she knew the child was dangerously ill, she felt a rush of confidence. If anyone could help the little girl, Mac could.

  He continued to talk to the little girl, explaining what he was doing. Louisa handed him an IV tray and watched while he examined the little girl’s arm for a vein.

  ‘Paeds and anaesthetist on their way,’ Josh said as he walked back into the room just as Mac slid the cannula into a vein.

  ‘I need her weight—I want to give her a maintenance dose of aminophylline. Will you do the calculation? Grandma is outside somewhere—let’s get her in here.’

  Josh disappeared again and reappeared almost instantly with a piece of paper in his hand. ‘Grandma’s on her way. I’ve got the weight—have you got a vein?’

  ‘Of course.’ Mac secured the cannula and glanced at Louisa. ‘OK, let’s give her 100 milligrams hydrocortisone and add some ipratropium to the nebuliser. How are her sats?’

  Louisa checked the reading. ‘Coming up. Ninety-four per cent.’ She handed him the various syringes with the ampoules to check.

  ‘All right, folks, we need to maintain her sats above 92 per cent and we need to repeat her peak flow.’

  Hannah came into the room accompanied by an elderly lady in a thick coat, clutching a handbag. She stared at the little girl anxiously. ‘Martha?’

  The little girl wriggled on the trolley and Mac put out a hand to soothe her. ‘You’re all right, sweetheart,’ he said gruffly, ‘Grandma’s here now and she’s going to give you a cuddle in just a minute. You’re a brave girl. Is it easier to breathe now?’

  Martha nodded and he gave her a smile that made Louisa catch her breath.

  How could she ever have thought he wouldn’t make a good father?

  Something warm slithered through her veins as she watched him with the child. He was so strong. Dependable. And he’d be the perfect father.

  Coping with that sudden revelation, she met his questioning gaze and felt herself colour.

  Oh, help.

  She’d told him he wasn’t her type.

  What would he say if she confessed that she’d discovered that he was exactly her type?

  The anaesthetist and the paediatrician arrived together and there was another flurry of activity.

  ‘She seems stable,’ Mac said quietly, his eyes on the child’s chest, ‘but she’s obviously going to need admitting.’

  ‘We’ll get her to the ward,’ the paediatrician said, and they made the necessary arrangements to transfer the child.

  ‘Obviously not a great pantomime,’ Josh drawled, humour in his eyes now that the emergency had passed. ‘Remind me to give it a miss.’

  Hannah accompanied the child to the ward and ten minutes later Louisa found herself alone with Mac.

  ‘You did well.’ His voice was gruff. ‘Do you still suffer from asthma?’

  She shook her head. ‘No. I grew out of it.’

  ‘But you suffered badly?’

  ‘Oh, yes.’ Memories clouded her brain. ‘I can still remember how scary it is not to be able to breathe. You were good with her. You calmed her down.’

  He shrugged. ‘We were lucky.’

  ‘You were amazing.’

  His dark gaze fixed on her and the tension built between them. Suddenly she was aware of every male inch of him. The broad, muscular shoulders, the powerful legs, the strong column of his throat. And his mouth. Her eyes drifted from his and rested on the firm lines of his mouth. What would it feel like to be kissed by Mac?

  Without realising what she was doing, she swayed towards him and heard his sharp intake of breath.

  ‘Louisa...’ His tone was suddenly harsh and she gave a start and looked up at him.

  ‘I—’

  ‘It’s time to go home. You’re off duty.’ His gaze was hooded, his expression revealing nothing of his thoughts.

  He was icily remote once more and she took a step backwards, suddenly flustered.

  She didn’t usually react to men like this. She just wasn’t interested.

  But Mac was different to every other man she’d ever met.

  Suddenly realising just how tired and confused she was, Louisa gave him a brief smile. ‘Off duty. Sounds good. See you later.’

  She picked up her coat and her keys and strolled towards her car, wondering why her legs ached so badly. She’d obviously spent too long on her feet. She slid inside with a sigh of relief and turned the key in the ignition. Nothing happened.

  ‘No!’ She thumped her palm on the wheel in frustration. ‘Don’t do this to me.’ She turned the key again and pumped the accelerator, but the little car was totally dead.

  She tipped her head back against the seat and closed her eyes, too tired to think of an immediate solution to the problem.

  The driver’s door was jerked open. ‘What’s wrong?’

  She knew it was Mac without even opening her eyes. ‘My car doesn’t like cold weather.’

  ‘Your car doesn’t seem to like any weather. Are you planning to spend the night here?’ His tone was dry and she smiled without bothering to open her eyes.

  ‘Dr Sullivan, I’m too tired to care where I spend the night so this is as good a place as any.’

  ‘That bad?’ His voice softened and he reached into the car and removed her keys from the ignition. ‘Come on. I’ll give you a lift and we’ll sort this wreck of yours out tomorrow. At least it isn’t blocking anyone.’

  She shook her head. ‘I can’t move.’

  ‘That’s what happens when you try and cook, clean and work full time,’ Mac muttered, retrieving her bag and coat and throwing them in the back of his car. ‘Now you know why Josh and I resort to take-aways. Something has got to give.’

  ‘Yes, well in this case it’s my legs,’ she groaned. Her eyes opened and clashed with his and she felt her heart miss a beat. His jaw was dark with stubble, his eyes were tired and he was still without doubt the mos
t shockingly handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on.

  He lifted an eyebrow questioningly. ‘In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s snowing again and I’m freezing to death here. Are you going to get into my car or am I going to have to carry you?’

  She got out of the car and gave a squeal of shock as her legs slid from under her. ‘It’s icy!’

  With a soft curse Mac caught her hard against him and for a moment she clung to him like a child, feeling rock-solid muscle under her fingers. Then she started to giggle.

  ‘I didn’t realise it was that slippery.’

  ‘Louisa.’ His voice was patient. ‘For heaven’s sake, stand up.’

  Her feet slithered on the ice as she struggled to regain her footing, and he cursed again and braced himself as she almost took the two of them down hard.

  ‘It’s like an ice rink.’ She was clutching at him and she couldn’t stop laughing, and when she looked into his face she saw an answering gleam in his eyes.

  ‘My car is all of three feet away.’ His teeth were gritted as he braced himself to keep them both upright. ‘Do you reckon we can make it?’

  She was still clinging to him, although how he was managing to keep his footing she didn’t know.

  ‘Yes. OK.’ She took a deep breath and gingerly released her grip on his arms. ‘I can do this. I’m just not that great on ice.’

  ‘I’d noticed. The trick is to walk purposefully.’

  ‘Walk purposefully. I can do that.’ She straightened, took one step and immediately landed hard on her bottom. ‘Ow-w!’

  ‘You’re a disaster!’

  ‘You told me to walk purposefully!’

  Without further comment he scooped her up and deposited her in the passenger seat of his car before climbing in next to her. ‘Are you hurt?’

  She was laughing so hard she couldn’t tell. ‘I think I may have broken my bottom.’

  He grinned in response, started the engine and then glanced towards her. ‘Why are you staring at me?’

  Because he was every woman’s fantasy?

  ‘Because that’s the first time I’ve seen you laugh,’ she said, ‘and it suits you. You should do it more often.’

  ‘If you keep on falling on the ice, I probably will,’ he said dryly, reversing out of his parking space. ‘Don’t think I’m some sort of sad figure, Louisa. I’m perfectly happy with my life.’

  ‘That’s because you don’t know what you’re missing.’ She pulled a face and shifted in her seat. ‘I think I’ve seriously broken something.’

  ‘You want me to examine you?’

  ‘I’ve got a feeling that’s an offer I should refuse.’ She winced as she tried to find a more comfortable position on the seat. ‘Next time I step out of the car, remind me to wear crampons.’

  ‘The roads are terrible,’ Mac muttered, flicking on his windscreen wipers to try and clear the snow from the windscreen. ‘Let’s hope everyone has the sense to stay indoors.’

  Louisa stared ahead, watching the snowflakes racing towards them out of the darkness, relieved that he was the one who was driving.

  They turned onto the coast road that led to his house and Louisa squinted in front of her. ‘Mac, stop!’

  With a soft curse he gently pumped the brakes and pulled the car over. ‘Now what?’

  ‘Back there on the side of the road...’ She twisted in her seat and tried to look out of the rear window. ‘I saw something. A bundle.’

  Mac ran a hand over his face. ‘I didn’t see anything.’

  ‘Well, I think I did.’ She fumbled with the door-handle and he reached across and stopped her.

  ‘Are you forgetting what happened last time you set foot on the ice?’

  She didn’t smile. ‘I saw something, Mac, I know I did.’

  He sighed and reached into the glove compartment for a torch before hitting his hazard warning lights. ‘All right. Let’s take a look.’

  She opened the car door and flinched as snow swirled into her face, obscuring her vision. She slithered her way back down the road and then grabbed Mac’s arm. ‘There. Shine the torch there.’

  He swung the beam in an arc. ‘Nothing.’

  She grabbed the torch from him and shone it slowly over the ditch. ‘Mac! There! Something’s alive.’ She flung the torch at him and scrambled down into the ditch without thinking.

  ‘Louisa wait.’ Mac’s tone was harsh and he caught her arm. ‘You’re going to hurt yourself!’

  ‘But it’s an animal.’ She jerked her arm away and slid down into the ditch, gasping with shock as her feet slid through the ice and into a foot of freezing water. Floundering, she reached forward and grabbed the bundle, astonished by the weight. It was bigger than she’d thought. ‘Mac, it’s a dog. And it’s injured. Can you take it from me?’

  ‘Do I have a choice?’ But he leaned forward and gently took the shivering dog from her arms, allowing her to scramble out of the ditch.

  The snow was falling thickly now and she brushed the flakes away from her face with her sleeve. ‘Quick, we need to get it back to your car so that we can see what’s going on.’

  ‘You’re planning to put this soaked, muddy, wriggling wreck in my car?’

  Frantic with worry, Louisa slipped off her coat and covered the dog. ‘Oh, the poor little thing! Do something, Mac.’

  ‘Are you always this impulsive? I’m a doctor, not a vet, and you’re going to freeze without a coat. For goodness’ sake, Louisa! Put it back on!’

  She ignored the exasperation in his tone. ‘He needs it more than me. All right, where’s the nearest vet?’

  Mac sighed. ‘Back the way we just came. But I think that might be too far for this dog.’ His tone gentled. ‘He’s on his last legs.’

  Her eyes were huge. ‘Then we’d better move quickly. We can’t let him die. He must have been hit by a car and abandoned. Some child must be out there, pining for her missing pet.’

  His eyes met hers. ‘I hate to shatter your illusions but this dog doesn’t look like anyone’s much-loved pet,’ he said gruffly. ‘You have a vivid imagination.’

  She sensed him weakening. ‘But you’ll take him to the vet...’

  He rolled his eyes. ‘Yes. But if he makes a mess of my car, you’re cleaning it.’

  * * *

  ‘He’s half-starved and bruised but it could be worse.’ The vet finished his examination and reached for a syringe. ‘I’m going to give him some antibiotics for that infection in his ear but apart from that all he needs is love and attention. And a bath.’

  ‘Great.’ Mac raked long fingers through his damp hair and wondered what was happening to his life. ‘Is there a collar? Any clue as to an owner?’

  ‘None. If you ask me, this dog’s a stray,’ the vet said firmly, dropping the syringe back on the tray. ‘Probably bought as an early Christmas present and proved to be a handful. That’s what usually happens. We’ll send him to the local animal shelter and see if they can find him a home, but don’t hold out too much hope. At this time of year there’s a surplus of unwanted dogs.’

  Louisa looked horrified. ‘We’re not taking him to the shelter,’ she breathed, and Mac closed his eyes briefly, sensing what was coming.

  ‘Louisa—’

  ‘You can’t let him go there,’ she pleaded, her dark eyes huge as she looked at him. ‘It’s Christmas.’

  ‘Louisa, it’s a dog.’

  ‘It’s been abandoned.’ There was a choke in her voice and a shine in her eyes that he struggled valiantly to ignore. ‘He’s homeless. Unloved.’

  The vet grinned at Mac who gritted his teeth. ‘There’s no room in my life for a dog. I am not running a home for waifs and strays.’

  ‘You live in a massive house. How much more room do you need? And if you’re worried about the work, I’ll look after him,’ Louisa said immediately, and Mac ran a hand over the back of his neck. Never in his life had he found it so hard to say no to anyone, but there was something about those soft brown eyes that finished
him off.

  She was more pathetic than the dog.

  ‘Louisa.’ He hardened his tone. ‘You’re only here for a month.’

  ‘I’ll take him with me when I go. Please, Mac. He won’t be any trouble.’

  Mac looked at the dog, took in the size of its paws and the length of its shaggy body. ‘He’s going to be a bundle of trouble.’

  Louisa gave a wobbly smile and stroked the dog’s head. He thumped his tail weakly in response. ‘He deserves a chance. And it is Christmas.’

  Her voice cracked slightly and Mac felt his resolve weaken further. He’d never been remotely moved by feminine tears, but with Louisa it was different. Logic and common sense died a death. There was something about her that got to him and he didn’t understand it. ‘All right.’ His tone was exasperated. ‘We’ll take him home. But this is just temporary, Louisa. As soon as he’s recovered, we find him a proper home.’

  ‘Oh, thank you, thank you.’ She stood on tiptoe, flung her arms round his neck and hugged him tightly, and Mac felt something unravel inside him.

  How long had it been since someone had hugged him like that?

  He felt the brush of her soft hair against his cheek, the push of her full breasts against his chest, and breathed in her tantalising smell.

  Damn.

  He was about to step backwards when she removed her arms and turned towards the vet, her eyes shining. ‘How much do we owe you?’

  The vet named a figure that made Mac blink. ‘How much?’

  He was just considering changing his profession when he realised that Louisa was tugging at his sleeve. ‘You’ll have to lend me the money,’ she was saying to him, ‘but I’ll pay you back, I promise.’

  He must be nuts.

  ‘So not only do I have the bedraggled creature in my car, but I have to pay for the privilege,’ he drawled as he reached for his wallet and dutifully produced his credit card. ‘I thought you were supposed to be improving my life.’

  ‘I am improving your life.’ She stroked the dog’s head with a gentle hand and the animal thumped its tail weakly. ‘You’re going to have a lovely warm feeling from doing the right thing. And while you’re flexing your credit card, you might as well buy him an early Christmas present and get him a basket and some doggy stuff. I saw some things in Reception.’