Which was worrying. And yet exciting, at the same time. There was something about James; she couldn’t put her finger on it, but he was…different. Definitely not like Michael. And not like the men she’d dated in the past.
They were halfway through their lasagne when there was a flash. At first, Charlotte thought someone on another table was taking a group photograph, but when the flashes were repeated, James sighed.
‘Just ignore it,’ he said.
She frowned. ‘Ignore what?’
‘Paparazzi.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Obviously they’ve worked out where I am. If you don’t make a fuss, they take their picture and then they leave you alone.’
She couldn’t quite get her head round this. ‘The press are following you?’
He shrugged. ‘They’ve done it ever since I was small. My mum was a top model and Dad’s a bit of a big noise in the business world, so once my brother and I came along, I guess it was natural for the press to be interested in us, too.’
‘People take your photograph and it doesn’t bother you?’
‘Actually, it does,’he said, ‘but if you make a fuss, the paparazzi think there’s a story and it blows up out of proportion. So I’ve learned that you get a quieter life if you just leave it.’
Charlotte frowned. ‘So is someone going to print a photograph of you and me together?’
‘There might be something in one of the gossip rags.’ He shrugged. ‘But you and I know we’re just colleagues. Everyone at work knows we’re colleagues. And the people who read those magazines know that most of the gossip stuff is just that—pure supposition, not fact. So it’s not a big deal.’
‘Not a big deal?’ Charlotte shook her head. ‘James, I’m not comfortable with the idea of a photographer following me around.’
‘It’s not what you signed up for. I know.’ He shrugged. ‘And I’m sorry. But trust me on this. It’ll be a two-day wonder. Then some celeb or other will be caught wearing something a bit indiscreet at the beach, and the attention will all go there.’
‘But I’m not going to be doorstepped or anything?’
‘Probably not. Though, to be on the safe side, we’ll put you in a taxi from the back of the pub and get the cabbie to take you the long way home.’ He smiled at her. ‘Just forget about them and finish your lasagne.’
She tried, but she had to admit defeat. How could James be so cool about this kind of interference in his life? ‘Sorry. I’ve lost my appetite.’
‘I’m sorry, too,’ James said, sounding rueful. ‘Because the dessert menu looked fabulous. Maybe next time?’
‘Maybe,’ she said, trying to sound noncommittal.
True to his word, James organised a taxi for her. On the pretext of going to the loo, she slipped out to meet the taxi driver, while James remained in the pub as the focus for the photographer’s attention. Just as James had suggested, the cabbie took the long way home, and Charlotte was surprised to discover that James had already paid the fare. Although she didn’t like the idea of being in his debt like this, she had a feeling he’d come up with a reason she couldn’t argue with.
When Charlotte unlocked her front door, Pandora was waiting for her on the bottom stair; she bent and scooped up the beautiful Burmese blue, and Pandora purred a welcome.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ she said, closing the front door behind her. ‘It’s been one of those days.’
Pandora rubbed her cheek against Charlotte’s, as if saying that she knew exactly what kind of day Charlotte meant.
Charlotte set her briefcase down on the floor and went through to the kitchen; she sat down at the kitchen table, and the cat curled comfortably on her lap. ‘I can’t get James Alexander out of my head and that worries me,’ she said, making a fuss of the cat. ‘I always said I wouldn’t get involved again. And yet…There’s something about him that makes me want to take a chance.’
Kate Althorp turned the shower on to full and stepped underneath it. At least with the water going, she knew that Jem wouldn’t hear her crying.
She was so sick of being brave. But she sure as hell wasn’t going to dump how she was feeling on a ten-year-old boy who was feeling even more scared than she was. Which was why she was crying on her own in the shower at nine o’clock in the evening.
She’d told Jem half of it—given that she was going to have to stay in St Piran’s for a couple of days, she couldn’t exactly not tell him. So she’d explained that she’d found a lump, that she’d been to see the doctor and there was a problem, but just as Jem’s face had crumpled, she’d hugged him hard. ‘Hey. It’s going to be OK. Dr Bower said she was pretty sure all she has to do is take out the lump. I have to stay in for a couple of days, but it’s going to be right at the beginning of the summer holidays and you’re going to have a really mega-sleepover at Matthew’s. Rob says he’ll take you both out on your bikes and down to the beach, and you’re going to have loads of pizza and ice cream. It’s all going to be fine.’
God only knew how she’d found the strength to say it with a smile on her face. And keep back the warning that Rob knew about: that the plan was for a lumpectomy, but things might change. Once she was on the table, and Dr Bower had opened her up and seen what was there around the lump.
And she definitely wasn’t going to tell Jem of her fears.
What if it wasn’t just one little lump? What if, once she was on the table, Dr Bower found it had already spread to the lymph nodes—or, God forbid, further than that?
What if they hadn’t caught it in time?
What if she didn’t live to see her boy grow up?
Despite the heat of the water, Kate couldn’t stop her teeth chattering. Couldn’t stop the waves of fear. There was still so much she wanted to share with Jem. She wanted to see him grow up into the sweet, clever, loving man she knew he’d become. She wanted to be there when he passed his exams at school, teach him to drive, help him fly when he finally wanted to leave the nest. She wanted to be there on his wedding day, seeing him pledge his love to a woman who’d love him all the way back. She wanted to hold his firstborn child, and as she looked into her grandchild’s eyes she would remember the moment she’d first held Jem and looked into his eyes.
There were so many things she still wanted to do.
And what if she didn’t have the time? What if she never got to share those moments with him, never got the chance to make those precious memories?
She was all he had, as far as Jem was concerned.
Except…she wasn’t. Because Jem had a father—a father who still wouldn’t recognise him, despite his promise to try. A father who’d walked away from them both after a stupid throwaway comment by a tourist.
Things between her and Nick had been incredibly strained ever since.
But if the worst came to the worst, Jem would need someone to look after him. He’d need a father. Kate dragged in a breath. Jem had to come first. Which meant she had to go and face Nick. Talk to him again. Make sure that, if something happened to her, he’d take care of their son. That he’d look after Jem and love him and be there for him. If he really had to save face and stop tongues wagging in Penhally, he could always say he was being the guardian to the son of an old friend. And then instead of being just ‘Uncle Nick’, who blew hot and cold, he could be a real father to Jem.
But would Nick see it the same way?
CHAPTER FIVE
ON THE Wednesday morning, Charlotte called into Intensive Care before her shift to see Daisy and her parents. James was already there, and greeted her with a smile. ‘Perfect timing. We’re going to wake Daisy up shortly,’ he said. ‘She’ll still have a breathing tube in for a little while; once we’re happy she’s breathing well, we’ll take the tube out and give her an oxygen mask, to help ease her back into breathing on her own. Hopefully I’ll be able to remove the pacing wires and her chest drains tomorrow, and she’ll be back on the children’s ward on Friday.’
‘It’ll be lovely just to hear her chattering,’ Leslie said.
‘That might be a little while, because she’ll have a bit of sore throat,’James warned. ‘But encourage her to sip water, little and often. Now, I need a quick word with Charlotte about a couple of patients—do you mind if I just whisk her off into the corridor?’
‘Sure,’ Gary said with a smile.
Charlotte stepped outside with James.
‘Did you get home all right last night without any trouble?’ he asked.
‘Yes. And thank you for paying for the taxi. You didn’t need to do that.’
‘Actually, I did. If it hadn’t been for the press, you would’ve walked home.’
‘True. But it was still nice of you.’ She paused. ‘Maybe I could buy you lunch today.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you asking me out?’
Yes. No. A dozen replies skittered round her head, but nothing would come out of her mouth.
This was awful. She was never indecisive like this.
Now he’d think she was a complete idiot.
James reached out to stroke her cheek with the backs of his fingers; his touch and his smile made her knees go weak.
‘I’m teasing, Charlotte. Lunch would be great. And, actually, I have a favour to ask.’
‘What sort of favour?’
‘I hear you’re fitting a pacemaker today. Do you mind if I come and sit in?’
She blinked. ‘Aren’t you in Theatre? I thought you had another ASD to fix?’
‘I did, but I wasn’t happy with my patient’s obs. I think she’s cutting a tooth, but I’m not risking it in case the temperature’s caused by something else—I’ve put it back a fortnight to give her a chance either to get over any infection or cut the tooth. I have a free slot, so it’s a good opportunity to see the cath lab here in action.’
She was relieved that he’d gone back to a common-sense, professional approach. Something she could do, too, without making a fool of herself. ‘As long as my patient and his mum don’t mind,’ she said.
‘And he’s your first patient this morning?’
‘Yes. I’m going to see him on the children’s ward after I’ve talked to the Freemans.’
‘I might as well join you.’
She had a quick catch-up with the Freemans, gave them the book she’d bought to cheer Daisy up—about a cat just like her own—and, on the way to the children’s ward, she filled James in about Danny, her twelve-year-old patient with an irregular heartbeat. She gave his tie a sidelong glance. ‘I’m glad you don’t have the teddies today, because I think Danny might be a bit sarcastic about it.’
James laughed. ‘I was a teenage boy once, too.’
‘Don’t come in with me. It’ll make them feel pressured,’ Charlotte said, ‘and if they say no, I’m not going to push them.’
‘Sure.’
On the ward, Danny was wearing a hospital gown and was looking fed up with waiting. After she’d greeted him and his mother and made sure they were both happy with what was going to happen that morning, she asked, ‘Danny, Maria, would you mind if my colleague sits in on the procedure? He’s new to the hospital and wants to see this side of the cardio unit in action.’
‘Fine by me,’ Danny said with a shrug.
‘Me, too,’ Maria said.
‘Excellent. I’ll just go and get him.’
When she stepped into the corridor, she wasn’t surprised to discover James was flirting with Lisa. ‘Sorry to interrupt,’ she said coolly, ‘but if you want to come with us to the cath lab, James, it’s fine with Danny and Maria.’
‘That’s great. See you later, Lisa.’ James gave the junior doctor a dazzling smile, which made Charlotte feel distinctly out of sorts—and cross with herself for feeling that way—and then walked with her to Danny’s bedside.
She introduced him swiftly. ‘This is my colleague James, the cardiac surgeon.’
‘That’s James, as in Bond,’ James said with a grin.
‘You are such a flanneller,’ Charlotte said.
‘Hey. I have the watch to prove it.’ He pulled the cuff of his shirt back just far enough to show Danny his watch.
‘Wow, that’s so cool,’ Danny said, his eyes widening.
Maria, too, seemed impressed by James. Well, that was par for the course. James seemed to be able to charm practically anyone female.
‘And I’ve got a pilot’s licence,’ James added.
‘Really?’ Danny looked seriously impressed.
Charlotte groaned. ‘Oh, for goodness’ sake. Next thing, he’s going to tell you he’s got an Aston Martin.’
‘I have. It’s a DBS V12,’ James said with a grin. ‘A silver one.’
‘No way,’ Danny said, sounding delighted. ‘Can I go for a ride in it?’
‘If it’s OK with your mum, sure you can.’
Charlotte folded her arms. ‘Enough of the Bond stuff, guys. We’re doing real bionic stuff here.’
‘For your information, Dr Walker, the Aston Martin’s real,’ James said. ‘I’ll prove it—I’ll give you a lift home in it some time.’
‘You can give me a lift home, if you like,’ Danny suggested with a beaming smile.
‘Not tonight, he can’t,’ Charlotte said. ‘I want you in where we can keep an eye on you and make sure that it’s all gone well.’
James and his Aston Martin. She really wasn’t sure whether he was teasing or telling the truth; given that his watch was exactly what he’d said it was, she had a feeling that it was the latter. Completely flashy.
But at least it had taken the worry out of Danny’s eyes.
‘I’m utterly starving. Mum wouldn’t even let me have a drink of water after eight o’clock last night, and I’m absolutely desperate for a cheeseburger with extra tomato ketchup. The only thing I’ve had today was antibiotics, and that was disgusting!’ Danny complained.
Charlotte laughed. ‘That’s to make sure you don’t pick up an infection. And I really hate to tell you this, but you’ve got an antibiotic for lunch and for dinner.’
Danny groaned. ‘Oh, that’s so unfair.’
She smiled. ‘If you’re good, I might let you have some food as well.’
‘I’ll be good. Really good. Scouts’ honour,’ Danny said quickly.
She ruffled his hair. ‘I know. Now, you’re OK with the fact it’s an overnight stay and tomorrow you need a day’s rest?’
‘Sure.’
‘The op’s going to take about an hour. We went through it last time, but I know it’s a lot to take in so I’ll quickly run through what I’m going to do when we get to the cath lab.’
Once they were settled, she showed them the pacemaker. ‘Basically, it’s a battery and electronic circuit sealed in metal. The circuit takes energy from the battery and turns it into electrical impulses; the impulses go down an electrode to your heart and make it beat in the right kind of rhythm. It works “on demand”, so if your heartbeat goes irregular it’ll kick in, but if your heart’s beating normally it won’t interfere. It’s also like a tiny computer, because it stores information that I can retrieve in a machine and tells me how well your heart and the pacemaker are working.’
‘So it’s really bionic,’ Danny said. ‘Cool.’
She smiled at him. ‘I’m going to fit a dual chamber pacemaker—that just means it has two leads. Now, you’re right-handed, yes?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then I’ll put this on your left-hand side. OK—can you take your top off for me?’ The boy was still smooth-chested, so she didn’t have to shave him, but she cleansed the area she was going to work with, covered him with sterile drapes and got him ready for the op. Swiftly, she put an IV line in. ‘I’m going to give you the anaesthetic now. You’ll feel a bit hot and then you’ll feel a bit woozy. I’m not going to hurt you, but you might feel as if I’m pulling you a bit. Are you ready?’
‘Ready,’ Danny said.
She gave him the anaesthetic. ‘OK, Danny?’ she asked. At his nod, she said, ‘Good boy. It’s not going to be long now.’
James watched Charlotte working: how she made a small incision just below Danny’s collarbone and threaded an electrode through a vein in his shoulder. She guided it into the correct chamber of his heart, using the X-ray screen to show her where the electrode was going, then secured it in position. After that, she connected the electrode to the pacemaker, cut a small pocket between the skin and the muscle of Danny’s chest, slid the pacemaker inside and closed up the pocket.
James was impressed by how deft her hands were and how neat the sutures were; Charlotte was very, very good with her hands. He could just imagine those hands stroking his skin, and it made him shiver.
Bad.
Very bad.
He was supposed to be concentrating on work and staying single, not letting himself get distracted by a colleague.
But he found Charlotte irresistible. Not just because she was beautiful, but because she seemed completely unaware of it. Charlotte wasn’t like the woman who’d stomped all over his heart and made sure the cameras saw her doing it; she was kind and sweet. And he really, really wanted her.
He caught her gaze and saw a momentary flare of heat, quickly damped down again.
So it was mutual.
Good.
‘When the anaesthetic wears off, is it going to hurt? Like when I broke my arm ice-skating?’ Danny asked.
‘There will be a bit of bruising around the site, but it shouldn’t be too bad,’ Charlotte reassured him, ‘and we’ll give you painkillers. You won’t even be able to see the pacemaker, because it’ll be hidden by your muscle.’
Danny, clearly making an effort to joke to mask his fears, said, ‘I always knew I was a muscle man at heart. And now I’m a bionic muscle man.’
‘You certainly are,’ Charlotte said. ‘I want to check your pacemaker now to be sure it’s working, so I’m going to put this magnet on your skin. This will pull a switch inside the pacemaker to make it work and send electrical impulses into your heart, and I can programme it with this computer. You might feel your heart beating faster, but don’t worry—just tell me what you’re feeling, when you’re feeling it.’
Brides of Penhally Bay - Vol 4 Page 36