The fact that she was intelligent made no difference.
The jolt of electricity he’d felt when his hand had brushed hers shouldn’t make any difference, either.
But it did, dammit.
Against his better judgement, Blake had to admit that he was lying to himself by pretending he wasn’t attracted to this newcomer.
He was. Seriously attracted.
Not that he was going to act on it.
So, maybe it wasn’t a bad thing if he’d somehow offended her. A useful insurance policy if his body decided it would be worth overriding his better judgement and he was tempted to find out if Samantha Braithwaite was single. Or interested.
And why would she be interested anyway? He didn’t sit around in wine bars or treat his dates to great seats for some show at the Sydney Opera House. His spare time was devoted to helping out the less privileged members of society at the free clinic and keeping up with any DIY or gardening at his mother’s house. And training, of course. If it wasn’t an organised session with the SDR team, he’d be out running or at the gym using the climbing wall or something. Physical kind of stuff for the most part.
The kind that made you sweaty and dirty.
Could break your nails, even.
Nope. She definitely wasn’t his type.
And he didn’t need to go and find Sam. He’d see her soon enough and he could pass on the message.
Or he could write a note and leave it under the windscreen wiper of the car he couldn’t help looking for every day when he arrived at work. Except that she’d think it was a ticket or something, wouldn’t she? She might be really annoyed by a gesture like that.
Blake thought about that for a moment. Then he turned to Emily who was working nearby at the central desk.
‘Got a bit of scrap paper, Em?’
CHAPTER THREE
THE SUN WAS low enough in the sky that Blake had to shield his eyes as he walked through the car park. He almost didn’t see the figure standing beside the little red car.
No. Not exactly standing. Samantha Braithwaite had one hip resting on the bonnet, close to one of the headlights. She looked like she was waiting for something. The roof of the car was down so maybe she was waiting for the interior to cool off?
He had to walk past her to get to his bike. It would have been rude not to acknowledge her, so he nodded.
She nodded back.
‘I got your note.’
Blake’s steps slowed. Uh-oh...
He’d left that note a couple of days ago. He’d had a day off the next day and he’d barely seen her today with the department having been so busy so he’d forgotten that it could have been annoying. That she might have thought she was getting a ticket for parking in the wrong place or something.
But Sam was smiling now. ‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘It was nice to know that someone was impressed but...’
Blake had stopped walking. He raised an eyebrow.
‘But how did you know this was my car?’
Oh, man... She had been waiting for something, hadn’t she?
She’d been waiting for him.
He shrugged. ‘It’s a distinctive car. I saw you getting into it. On your first day here, I think it was.’
She slid off the car. The way she caught the length of her hair and pushed it back over her shoulder came across as a defensive gesture. An understandable one, perhaps, and Blake felt a slight twinge of remorse. He hadn’t intended to remind her of the humiliating incident of dropping a bedpan in front of everyone.
‘Fair enough. And you ride a Ducati.’
His eyebrow still hadn’t lowered. Maybe because he remembered that she’d been watching him ride away that day. That he’d revved a bit more than necessary.
That he’d liked that she was watching him.
Dangerous territory, here. It would be oh, so easy to keep talking. To flirt with her a little, even. He willed his muscles to tense, ready to keep moving forward. Oddly, they weren’t co-operating.
‘That’s right.’
‘Seven-fifty Sport, I believe.’
Good grief. She knew about bikes? His eyebrow had dropped now. His jaw probably had as well.
‘My brother was into bikes.’
‘Ah.’ Past tense. ‘So he grew out of his wilder inclinations, then?’
Sam seemed to have found an interesting oil stain on the asphalt. ‘Something like that.’
It was time for him to move. To wish his new colleague a good evening and then go and get on with what was left of his own.
‘So...do you know what happened? To Jess, I mean. The girl with the long QT syndrome?’
‘She was kept in for some tests but I expect she’s been discharged by now.’
‘I meant her management. Did she get put on beta blockers? Or is an implantable defibrillator on the cards?’
So she’d been waiting for him just because she wanted follow-up on a case they’d both been involved with?
Very professional but a bit odd to be doing it in the car park when she could have approached him at work at any time. Usually, if women went out of their way to talk to him, they had a very different agenda in mind.
Sam didn’t wait for him to respond. ‘I guess it depends on the genotype and the exact QT interval when it’s been corrected for things like gender and age.’
‘Yeah... You got it.’ A warning bell was ringing somewhere in the back of Blake’s mind. Sam clearly wanted to keep this conversation going.
She wanted...something...
He actually took a step forward to suggest that he had someplace else he needed to be. It could go two ways. Either she’d take the hint and give up or she’d reveal what it was that was really on her mind.
It appeared that Sam could ignore hints.
‘Can I ask you something?’
‘Sure.’
‘I’m friends with Harriet Collins. From ICU?’
‘Yeah... I know Harry.’
‘She’d told me about the Specialist Disaster Response team. I heard all about that last callout you had, to that bushfire?’
Blake waited politely for the question he was supposed to answer but Sam seemed to be searching for what she wanted to say.
‘And?’ he prompted.
The movement of her chest as she took a deep breath caught his eye. That hint of cleavage in the low scoop of her T-shirt was even more eye-catching. He looked away swiftly.
‘And it’s the sort of thing I’d really like to be able to do myself. To be somewhere on the front line, in a crisis. To be part of an emergency response when it really counts. When it can be a matter of life or death.’
If he’d wanted to flirt with her, this was an ideal opportunity. He could make himself look pretty good by sharing a few war stories, too, if it went that far.
But it wasn’t going to go that far.
It wasn’t going to go anywhere at all.
‘You get that yourself. We get plenty of life or death situations in ED.’
‘But it’s not the same. We’ve got any amount of backup and resources in ED. It’s...’
There was a frown line between Sam’s eyes as, again, she tried to find the words that would explain exactly what she meant.
She didn’t need to explain because Blake understood perfectly well. Working in a well-equipped emergency department wasn’t as exciting. Or challenging. You didn’t have to dig deep and find out what you, as an individual, were really made of.
But he didn’t want to get into a discussion that could turn personal very quickly.
So he lifted both eyebrows this time. ‘Boring?’ he suggested.
‘No... I love my job. But I’d like the challenge of being able to do more. I really admire what you guys do.’
Blake was silent. Was she hitting on him? No. He knew wha
t a woman looked like when that was happening. Sam’s gaze was too steady.
Determined, even.
‘So that’s what I wanted to ask you. How can I join?’
‘What?’ He hadn’t seen this coming.
‘I’d really like the opportunity to join the SDR team.’
His breath came out in a startled huff. It was only in the silence that followed that he realised it could have sounded a lot like a bark of laughter.
Sam was standing very still. She hadn’t broken the eye contact and he saw the flicker of uncertainty that gave way to a flash of something like anger.
‘That’s funny?’
‘No... Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting you to say that.’
‘Why not?’
No. Maybe it wasn’t anger. The bright spots of colour on Sam’s cheeks suggested embarrassment. Or possibly humiliation? She had been waiting out here for probably quite some time, given that her shift would have finished ages ago and she had done so in order to ask about something that, inexplicably, she obviously felt quite passionate about.
And he had all but laughed at her.
Now he remembered that moment of connection, when he’d known exactly what she was talking about in wanting the extra dimension of dealing with emergencies when you were a long way away from the relatively safe environment of a hospital department.
He was being a bastard, wasn’t he?
But the thought of having Sam in the SDR was...
Well, it was unthinkable, that’s what it was.
It was distracting enough to have her in his emergency department. Imagine if she was there during team meetings or on training days? They might be serious sessions but they were also the best of times for Blake. Downtime that fed his need for adventure.
For freedom.
And what if Sam was there during a real callout? They were intense enough situations as it was. A simmering attraction could easily explode into something else. He’d seen that happen before, with Harriet and that firie, Pete, who’d joined the team last year. They were a serious item now, despite everyone knowing how he felt about relationships between team members. He’d actually heard a rumour that they had moved in together recently.
Blake was confident that it wasn’t going to happen to him but he wasn’t about to make it any more difficult to resist temptation. Because he was tempted. Of course he was. He just knew how messy it would get. Girls like Sam didn’t go for casual relationships that were only ever intended to be fun for a while. She was the type who would expect champagne dinners, dancing to slow music and a misty proposal down the track that involved a diamond the size of a rock.
But what could he say? That he couldn’t have her on the team because any man in the vicinity wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the job they were there to do? She might guess that he was talking about himself. But he couldn’t really say that she wasn’t suitable because she might be worried about breaking a nail without sounding ridiculously sexist.
As his thoughts flashed past in the blink of an eye, Blake involuntarily lowered his gaze to her hands. Those absurd polka dots might have vanished but they were still beautifully manicured nails. On the ends of long, delicate fingers that looked far more suited to playing a piano or arranging flowers than sifting through rubble or messing with ropes.
He didn’t like being a bastard, though. He needed to let her down gently.
‘Sorry,’ he said again. ‘It’s great that you’re interested but...we kind of have a full team at the moment. How ’bout I let you know if we’re on the lookout for someone in the future? If you’re still interested, we can talk about it then.’
‘Sure.’ The word was no more than a slightly disappointed monosyllable. Or maybe it was more the sound of someone who knew they were being brushed off. Sam was turning away. Getting into her car. She shot him a quick glance after starting the engine.
‘I will be,’ she added. And this time her tone was even. Resolute. ‘Still interested, that is.’
* * *
He’d laughed at her.
Worse, he’d brushed her off as not being worth bothering with.
He was going to let her know if they needed someone new? Yeah...like that was going to happen...
She’d waited out there in the car park for over an hour hoping to get the chance to talk to him privately. She’d been nervous about it, too. She knew it was probably too soon to say anything but that note that had been left on her car had been an unexpected opportunity she hadn’t wanted to waste. Not only had they connected professionally thanks to that long QT syndrome case but he now knew she wasn’t incompetent.
So did everybody else. For once, the kind of gossip that went around a hospital department like wildfire had been welcome. Other consultants like Kate Mitchell had taken the time to talk to her about it and say how impressed they’d been and surely Blake must have been pleased that at least one of the cardiologists at Bondi Bayside had complimented one of his department’s staff.
But it hadn’t made any difference, had it? That look of incredulity on his face when she’d said she wanted to join the team hadn’t been all that dissimilar to the look he’d given her when she’d dropped the bedpan in front of him on her first day.
A sound almost like a growl escaped Sam’s lips. He’d managed to slide in a reference to that in their brief conversation as well.
It should be enough to quell any interest she had in joining the SDR and make her want to stay as far away as possible from anything that Dr Cooper was involved with. It was, in fact, doing the opposite. Harriet had been quite correct in reminding her that the idea of being able to join this team had been the major factor in deciding to change hospitals. Blake Cooper wasn’t the only person who could help her achieve her goal. She could talk to Luc Braxton, an emergency physician who was involved with the team. Or Kate, for that matter. Maybe she should have done that when they’d been talking about Jess’s case.
She hit a number on her Bluetooth speed dial.
‘Harry? What are you up to at the moment?’
‘Not much. I’m clearing out a shelf in the bathroom for Pete. We decided that it was a much better idea for him to move in here than the other way around because I’m so much closer to the beach.’ There was a thump as something got dropped or shifted. ‘I have no idea how I collect so many bottles of stuff that never get used. What’s up?’
‘That committee you told me about—the one that decides whether someone gets to try out for the SDR team—does it have to be a unanimous decision?’
‘I have no idea. Why?’
Sam could hear more shuffling sounds and the odd clunk as she relayed the conversation she’d just had. Clearly, Harriet was multitasking and still cleaning out her cupboard.
‘It’s not true, is it? You don’t have too many people on the team at the moment?’
‘No. We’re always open to new members, as far as I know. It might only be a small team that gets deployed on a callout but you need a lot more people available because not everyone can just walk out of their jobs at a moment’s notice. You might have firies tied up at a major fire or a surgeon who’s in the middle of an operation or something. That’s happened more than once to Kate Mitchell. Everyone has a pager but only the people who can respond will answer. The co-ordinator picks the team according to the different skill sets they have on offer at the time so everything gets covered as best they can.’
‘Yeah, I thought it worked something like that. He is trying to put me off, isn’t he?’
‘I dunno. Doesn’t sound like Blake.’
‘So who should I talk to next, do you think? Kate? Or Luc?’
‘Hmm. I wouldn’t do the rounds just yet. Might make you look desperate.’
‘Maybe I am desperate. I really want this, Harry.’
‘Give it a bit of time. Show him that you’re serious.�
�
‘How?’ Sam took the next exit from the motorway and noted the slow traffic ahead with dismay. Her parents were expecting her for dinner and she was going to be late. She’d have to call them, next, so they wouldn’t start worrying.
‘Um, maybe you could learn to abseil? That’s a really valuable skill.’
Sam groaned. ‘Imagine how much that would freak my parents out. I haven’t even been near a climbing wall in a gym since...well, you know.’
‘Oh...yeah... I almost forgot. Sorry.’
‘It’s okay. Joining the SDR is going to freak them out as well but I’m not going to let it stop me. I’ve been wrapped up in cotton wool for far too long. Maybe that’s why I want this so much.’
‘Yeah...they can’t expect to keep you in cotton wool for ever.’
‘It’s not that they’ve tried to. It was my choice to start with because I didn’t want them to worry and it just became a way of life. It’s felt wrong for a long time but I couldn’t find a way to change things. Joining the SDR would do that and I’m sure they would understand why I want to do it so much.’
‘You could do a course in disaster management,’ Harriet suggested. ‘It’s actually a university degree now, did you know that? You could do it online. Part time.’
‘That would take years.’
‘It would show commitment, though.’
‘I need a faster way to show that I’m serious.’
Sam heard a click that sounded like a cupboard closing. Or maybe it was Harriet snapping her fingers.
‘I’ve got it. Do one of those basic USAR courses. An introductory one. That only takes a weekend.’
‘Now that’s a really good idea. Where do they happen?’
‘I did one here but they don’t happen that often. I think they have them all over the country, though. Go online and have a look.’
‘Thanks, Harry. You’re a star. I’d better let you go. I need to call the folks and let them know that the traffic’s holding me up and I haven’t been squished in a car accident or something.’
The Shy Nurse's Rebel Doc Page 4