by Lucy Clark
Tomorrow was going to be the worst. Unfilled Friday, she’d decided to call it. For some reason Hayden had rostered her off and she had the entire day to herself. Well, if exhaustion was going to be the only way for her to get through the day, she would fill it to the hilt with activities guaranteed to make even the most insomniac sufferer sleep.
Jogging in the morning, a workout at the gym, doing an entire grocery shop in less than twenty minutes, a few games of pool to try and relax her. She had to fill every second of the day, and when she got home from work on Thursday evening she sat down to write up a detailed schedule of events.
The knock at the door just after half past nine startled her. She was just rearranging the time frame of six thirty seven to six fifty-two, trying to decide the best way to completely fill this time gap.
‘Hayden!’ She gasped after opening the door. ‘Is something wrong?’
‘No. I just realised I hadn’t told you what time we’d be leaving tomorrow.’
‘Sorry?’
‘We’ll need to get away fairly early. After all, we don’t want to get stuck in peak-hour traffic.’
‘What?’ If she’d been confused before, it was nothing compared to now.
‘It’s either that or leave after ten o’clock, but then we risk Sydney’s peak-hour traffic in the evening.’
‘What on earth are you talking about?’
‘My sister’s wedding.’
‘Is on Saturday. Tomorrow is Friday.’
‘That’s right.’ He was looking at her as though she had two heads. ‘The wedding is on Saturday.’
‘So why do we have to leave tomorrow and what does Sydney traffic—?’ She stopped as his words caught up with her. ‘Your sister lives in Sydney?’ she asked incredulously.
‘Yes.’ Now it was his turn to frown. ‘Didn’t I mention that?’
‘No.’
He smiled apologetically. ‘Sorry. I rostered both of us off for the weekend as we’ll need to drive to Sydney tomorrow and drive back on Sunday.’
‘Why drive? Why not fly?’
‘I prefer to drive,’ he said nonchalantly.
‘So we’re driving to Sydney tomorrow,’ she stated.
‘Yes. You didn’t have anything scheduled for tomorrow?’
She thought of the excessive list she’d been poring over for the past few hours. ‘No.’ She got to spend the day in a car with Hayden! She smiled and then a giggle escaped. She got to spend an entire day with Hayden—all to herself. The giggle turned to a laugh as the pressure she’d been feeling for the past few weeks came bubbling up to the surface.
‘Annie?’
She leaned against the door, laughing with relief.
‘Are you OK?’
‘Yes.’ She wiped the tears from her eyes. ‘Yes, I’m fine. Whew! I needed that.’
‘I’m glad…’ Hayden’s smile was cute but confused. ‘I think.’
‘So, what time do you want to leave?’
‘I thought if we could get away by about four or four-thirty in the morning, we should get into Sydney around ten hours later.’
Annie thought for a moment. ‘Sure. Four o’clock should be fine.’
‘Good. I’ll knock on your door at four.’
She giggled at the rhyme. ‘See you then.’ As she was about to shut the door, Hayden looked as though he was going to say something. She stopped but he only smiled so she continued to close the door.
‘Yes!’ She punched the air with her fist and almost danced over to her ridiculous schedule. ‘Your services are no longer required.’ She took the piece of paper and ripped it up with great delight. Next, she danced over to the phone and called Natasha to tell her the news.
‘Well, well, well,’ Natasha said. ‘Two whole days stuck in a car with the man of your dreams.’
‘I know.’ Annie cradled the phone between her shoulder and ear, packing as she spoke to her friend.
‘Annie?’ Natasha’s voice was cautious.
‘Hmm?’
‘I just said “the man of your dreams” and you agreed.’
‘So?’ Her stomach twisted with pleasure and uncontrollable excitement as well as trepidation and horror.
‘So? Is Hayden the man of your dreams?’
‘I don’t know, Tash,’ she wailed, and slumped down onto the futon. ‘I’m not sure how I feel. One minute he’s completely irresistible and the next he’s aloof. He’ll smile at me in a friendly way and the next instant we’re staring at each other as though we want nothing more than to tear each other’s clothes off.’
‘Sounds promising,’ Natasha murmured.
‘Tell me what to do. You have to tell me what to do!’
‘Don’t think about it. You’ve got him all to yourself for a few days. Away from the hospital, away from the rest of Geelong. So just try to relax and enjoy yourself.’
‘That’s the thing, though. The more I enjoy myself around him, the more I relax, the more I gaze into his hypnotic blue eyes…the more I feel myself falling in love with him.’
‘So?’
‘So he doesn’t want to get married or have children.’ Annie closed her eyes, desperately wanting to know more about Hayden’s daughter.
‘Really?’ Natasha was astounded.
‘Don’t say anything, Tash. Oh, I’m so confused. I can’t wait to leave but…’
‘Does he know it’s your birthday on Saturday?’
‘No, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to overshadow his sister’s wedding.’
‘You’d hardly do that. You’re not that type of person.’
‘I think you’re right. I think I should just let go and try to enjoy myself.’
Her friend chuckled. ‘You do that. What are you going to wear to the wedding?’
Annie sat bolt upright. ‘Oh, no.’
‘Oh, Annie, you haven’t.’
‘Yes, I have.’ She placed her free hand over her face. ‘I’ve been so wrapped up with work and trying not to think about Hayden or anything to do with him that I didn’t go and buy a dress! I can’t believe it. I don’t have anything to wear to the wedding. What am I going to do?’ she wailed. ‘We’ll be leaving in about six hours’ time!’
‘I’d bring some of my dresses over but Brenton’s at the hospital and Aunt Jude is out on a date.’
‘Jude’s on a date?’
‘Yeah. Pretty cool, but I’ll tell you about it later. I can’t leave the children.’
‘I wouldn’t want you to. It’s just gone ten o’clock so it’s too late for you to come out anyway. I’ll just have to go shopping on Saturday morning.’
‘What time is the wedding?’
Annie grimaced. ‘I hope it’s not a breakfast wedding.’
‘Me, too. Oh, Annie. Maybe you’ll get some time once you get into Sydney tomorrow night. The shops should be open, and by leaving at four in the morning…’
‘You’re right. I’ll just buy something there. Other than that, I’ll be wearing a black skirt and a bra as I don’t have any nice tops.’
‘Hayden definitely won’t be able to resist you if you wear that.’
Both women laughed. ‘Don’t want to outshine the bride,’ Annie added. ‘Seriously, though, I’ll be fine.’
‘OK. I’ll let you go and finish packing. Have a fantastic time and let us know when you arrive so we know you’re there safely.’
‘Will do.’ Annie paused for a moment. ‘Thanks, Tash. You and Brenton are the best friends a girl could ask for.’
‘Hey—what’s this friends garbage? Don’t you remember my children officially adopted you last Christmas? We’re family!’
Tears welled in Annie’s eyes. ‘You’re right. We are family. How stupid of me to forget.’
‘Well…don’t let it happen again.’
‘I won’t.’
‘Promise you’ll call?’
‘Promise.’
‘All right. Drive safely and have a wonderful time.’
‘I will. Love you.’
‘You, too.’
Annie rang off and looked at the phone. Both Brenton and Natasha were only children as well, so they knew exactly how she felt not having any siblings. How could she have forgotten the ceremony they’d had after Christmas lunch as the Worthington children had declared her an official member of their family? She vowed never to do it again.
One day, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, she would find her perfect match and start her new life, a new family she could share with the Worthingtons.
Was Hayden that man?
Was he her perfect match?
She really hoped so because, whether she liked it or not, she was falling in love with him.
Annie woke up just after midnight and checked the clock yet again.
‘I’m never going to get to sleep at this rate,’ she mumbled as she turned over, punched her pillow and tried to settle back down. Although she’d set her alarm clock for three-thirty, giving her enough time to shower and pack those last-minute things, she was still waking up every twenty minutes thinking she’d slept through the alarm.
She sighed with frustration as she closed her eyes once more and drifted off.
Twenty minutes later on the dot she sat bolt upright, checked the clock and then settled back against the pillows as her crazy heart rate slowly returned to normal after the initial fright that she’d missed the alarm.
‘I give up.’ She flung back the cotton sheet before stalking into the kitchen. It was madness trying to sleep, even though her body told her she was exhausted. She drank a glass of water, leaned against the kitchen bench and closed her eyes, trying to figure out what she should do.
A loud ringing sound woke her and she jerked upright, surprised to find she’d been sleeping at the kitchen bench. It was the alarm! No, it was the phone. She raced to the lounge room and silenced it.
‘Dr Beresford,’ she mumbled, forcing her sluggish brain to work as she listened carefully to what the nurse was saying. ‘OK. Give me fifteen minutes.’ She replaced the receiver and hurried to her bedroom to dress. A birthday party had apparently got out of control and the A and E department was now flooded with casualties.
She grabbed her keys and headed out. She hoped she’d be able to find a taxi at this time of night but the streets were well lit and it wasn’t that far to walk. When she reached the footpath, there wasn’t a taxi in sight so she started walking. She’d just reached the corner of her street when a car pulled to the kerb beside her.
She looked over her shoulder, slightly startled, and desperately tried to recall the self-defence moves she’d learned over five or so years ago.
‘Annie!’
She inwardly relaxed at the sound of Hayden’s voice, even though he sounded ready to explode.
‘What on earth do you think you’re doing?’ He’d stopped the car, opened the driver’s door and was yelling at her. ‘Get inside this car right now.’ He couldn’t believe her stupidity at walking alone in the dark. A primal protective urge welled up inside, taking him completely by surprise. As she climbed in the car, he quickly told himself that he’d feel this way for any woman of his acquaintance doing the same stupid thing. She was nothing special.
The instant the thought came into his head, his heart refuted it. If she really was nothing special, why was he so determined to keep his distance? She wanted marriage, he reminded himself, and he didn’t do marriage.
Her subtle perfume, which made her smell as sweet as a spring day, wound around him as she clicked her seat belt into place. It was enough to drive a man instantly insane with longing, and although he’d been schooling himself for the long drive to Sydney they were yet to undertake, he now wasn’t so sure he’d survive.
She’d asked him to keep his hands and his lips to himself and he’d thought he had enough self-control to do so, yet when she smelt this good, especially at such an early hour of the morning, he knew he had an internal fight coming if he was going to stay true to his word.
Thankfully, right now it was only a short trip to the hospital.
‘Some days I wonder if you’ve any sense at all,’ he growled as he started the engine and pulled the dark green Jaguar away from the kerb.
‘I was going to look for a taxi along the way,’ she protested.
He muttered something else beneath his breath and she was almost sure she didn’t want to know what it was.
‘Nice car,’ she said, glad the convertible roof was firmly in place. ‘Rental?’
‘No. Mine.’
‘I haven’t seen it in the tenant garages before.’
‘It’s been at the mechanic’s for the past few weeks.’ At her raised eyebrows he continued, ‘The car was involved in an accident before I left Perth so I had it brought over by rail and delivered straight to a specialised repairer.’
‘You had an accident? Well, that fills me with confidence.’ Her tone was dry but teasing.
‘I never said I had the accident. I said the car was involved in an accident. And besides, driving with me to the hospital is probably a lot safer than walking the streets in the early hours of the morning.’
Hayden parked the car and once Annie was out, he locked it and started off towards the emergency entrance. The sound of wailing sirens in the distance could be heard as the ambulances closed in on them.
‘Looks as though we may not be leaving at four o’clock after all,’ she mumbled as they walked in through the door.
‘We’ll just have to play things by ear.’
They went to the nurses’ station where Brenton was gathering people around to brief them. ‘All right, people. Listen up. Just after midnight an emergency call was logged from an eighteenth birthday party where over three hundred people had turned up.’
‘So many?’ Natasha asked.
‘Apparently it had been advertised over the internet, which meant anyone could turn up,’ Brenton answered. ‘We’ve already have a few casualties in but the ambulance crews have reported there’s plenty more to come. As you can hear, the sirens aren’t too far away. Tash, you and the triage sister handle the incoming cases.’ He checked his clipboard and continued down the list, giving people their jobs.
‘Where’s Paul Jamieson? Anyone seen him?’
‘He’s on his way,’ Deb, one of the nurses, reported.
‘Good. As usual, both elective and emergency theatres are available. Let’s get going.’ The ambulances pulled up at the door and for the next few hours Annie and Hayden saw one patient after another.
Even though A and E was hectic, she instinctively knew where Hayden was most of the time.
‘Has anyone seen Professor Robinson?’ Wesley asked, as another stretcher was wheeled into the treatment room.
‘Just gone into emergency theatre one,’ Annie replied, and before anyone could say anything else she pulled on a pair of gloves and turned her attention to the patient.
The first she knew Hayden was out of Theatre was forty-five minutes later when Hayden walked into examination cubicle nine.
‘Got half an hour to spare?’
‘Just let me finish up these notes. What’s on offer?’ She tried to ignore the tightening in her stomach as his deep, vibrant tone washed over her.
‘Badly fractured femur. Heavy loss of blood.’
She signed her name and carried the notes out to the nurses’ station to return them. ‘Sounds like fun,’ she replied lethargically. ‘Let’s go.’
Soon they were scrubbed and in Theatre, all previous fatigue disappearing as they both concentrated. She assisted Hayden in her usual efficient manner as he quickly found the offending artery and clamped it. ‘Right. Now, let’s get down to business.’ Together they debrided the wound before fixing the fractured bone back together with a Grosse and Kempf nailing rod.
The phone rang and the scout nurse answered it. ‘It’s Paul Jamieson,’ she told them. ‘He needs one of you urgently.’
Hayden’s gaze met Annie’s. ‘Who’s he again?’
‘Paul Jami
eson. General surgeon,’ she explained.
‘You go, Annie. I’ll be fine now.’ Their gazes met for a brief second and she couldn’t resist teasing him a bit.
‘Thanks for inviting me along.’ Immediately his blue depths twinkled and she knew he was smiling beneath his mask.
‘I know how to show a girl a good time.’ He glanced around at the other women in the theatre. ‘Don’t I, ladies?’
There were several murmurs of ‘yes’ and the tension everyone had been feeling for the past few hours started to lift.
‘Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone,’ Annie warned as she degowned and walked out of Theatres. She headed upstairs to the elective theatres where Paul was waiting for her.
‘This man’s arm is busted up so badly I needed someone to have a look immediately.’
‘Wesley?’
‘He’s stuck in Theatre with another emergency.’
Annie scrubbed and gowned, heading into the operating room with Paul.
‘Meet Mr Jock McInlay, who apparently is affectionately known to his friends as Hammer.’ Paul indicated the anaesthetised man on the operating table.
‘Hammer? I don’t think I want to know how he got that nickname,’ Annie replied.
‘He’s a twenty-five-year-old party goer who loves basketball and drinking games as well as lying beneath the tyres of four-wheel-drives while someone else drives over him—at least, that’s what we assume because that’s where he was found.’
‘What’s the damage?’ Annie peered at the arm and shook her head. ‘X-rays?’
‘Here, Doctor.’ One of the theatre nurses put up X-rays and Annie peered at them.
‘Three lacerations to the abdomen—all quite severe—and before you ask…’ he held up a hand to stop any questions ‘…we’re not exactly sure what happened. Fractured metatarsals, fractured tibia and I’d say that shoulder is definitely dislocated.’
‘You’ve got that right. I’m going to need Hayden in here. Ask him to come the instant he’s finished.’
‘Yes, Doctor,’ the nurse replied.
‘So he’s stable?’
‘As stable as I can make him. No offending arteries if that’s what you mean.’
Annie nodded and received a report from the anaesthetist. ‘All right. Let’s get to work.’