by Judi Nolan
"Care to talk about it?"
Kate frowned. "About what?"
"Whatever it is that had you so upset. You looked half scared to death just now. I only wanted to talk to you."
Kate shuddered. "Oh. No, it's nothing. I was just... thinking."
"Ahhh." Spencer nodded, as if he understood completely. "You seem to be doing a lot of that lately. Can you feel this? Or this?"
He touched her palm gently with his forefinger in several places. Kate concentrated. "No, nothing."
"Excellent. I'm going to begin suturing now. Care to supervise my technique?"
His tone was light, teasing. Against her will, Kate found herself smiling in response. "You indent sound as if you're enjoying yourself."
"Having you completely at my mercy." Spencer grimaced. "It has certain advantages."
Kate swallowed her disquiet and looked away from his narrowed eyes. She felt a gentle tug on the flesh of her palm. She looked down.
Spencer's concentration was now total. He worked swiftly and smoothly, the sutures quickly forming in her flesh.
He was very good; his technique flawless. Watching him, Kate found his touch firm and impersonal. She shook her head. It was a pity she couldn't switch off her own reactions to the man with the same apparent ease.
The tanned olive skin of his forearms above the latex gloves was a sharp, disturbing contrast against her pale flesh. Everything about him, from the long sweep of his dark lashes to the full curve of his lower lip captivated her attention.
Against her will, she found herself wanting to ask about his question. Dig deeper into this complex and intriguing man. She studied his movements as Spencer finished bandaging her hand with brisk efficiency. In the next instant she was free. For a brief moment of feminine weakness the broad, comforting sweep of his shoulder had looked undeniably tempting.
No! Not again! Her throat catching on a gasp of chagrin, Kate snatched herself back from temptation. What am I thinking?
Spencer's eyes held hers. "It's a nasty laceration and I'm concerned it might become infected. You'll need prophylactic antibiotics."
"Thanks." Kate nodded jerkily. "And...thanks for this." She raised her injured hand. "I'll try not to be so careless next time."
His eyes were doing that assessing thing again, as if he was trying to analyze a problem that was giving him trouble. He dropped his gaze to the script pad in his hand. "Don't mention it. All part of the service." He handed her the script and began repacking his bag. "I'm sure you'd do the same for me."
"Of course."
Calm down and get a grip on yourself. She stood, taking several steps away from his disturbing presence. Spencer moved away to wash his hands, his eyes tracking her all the way.
Kate turned to smile at Jamie, ruffling his curls with her uninjured hand. "Thanks for the offer of tea, but I think I'd better get going."
The little boy nodded, his blue eyes wide. "You sure you're all right?"
"I'm all right," Kate answered softly. "Your father's a good doctor."
Spencer watched them together. Back in the stables he'd wanted to tell her all about Katerina—their physical alikeness—and ask about the exact nature of her relationship with Eric. Settle the nagging question in his mind. Had he truly misjudged Kate?
Suddenly he wanted to know. And to ask her something that had risen in his mind ever since he had kissed her. Unfortunately his timing was all shot to hell, he usually used more finesse in getting what he wanted.
As she continued to move away he went after her. "Kate. Come back here. Sit down. I...we need to talk."
"Not now, maybe later. I must go." Kate avoided the reach of his long fingers.
She walked swiftly out of reach. "I'll see you tomorrow at the surgery. Maybe we can talk then."
She could sense his frustration as she left the house. He'd wanted to say more. What had he wanted to confide in her?
Spencer Stelanos was a man carrying deep and painful secrets. Melancholy shadows of some old, half-healed pain moved through his eyes when he thought himself unobserved. She would have to hold on hard to her resolve to have nothing to do with an easy-on-the-eyes man like him. That way lay only trouble and heartache.
Except on a purely professional basis, of course. That she could handle given sufficient warning and time to prepare. Easier said than done, that small internal voice chided her.
Every second she spent in his sharp eyed company would be a lifetime too long. Kate was very conscious of him. More conscious than she had been of any man, far more than Eric. And her own traitorously wayward emotions had briefly tugged her in the direction of that broad shoulder.
Well, she wasn't going to lean. Not in this or any future lifetime. She wouldn't allow herself the luxury. As the saying went, she had made her own bed. She would now have lie in it.
Alone.
The next morning Kate was in the surgery kitchen talking with Edith over coffee when the door opened and Spencer walked in.
His frowning blue eyes tracked immediately to her. "Good morning. How's the hand?"
Kate grimaced at the abrupt question. "It's a little stiff and sore, but nothing I can't tolerate. I'll manage."
His frown deepened, apparently unsatisfied with her comment. "Well, make sure you don't ruin all my good work by trying to do too much for at least a week."
Kate huffed a sigh. "Thanks for the advice, but I do know my limitations, Dr. Stelanos."
Edith glanced sharply at her. "Good work? I thought you said it was only a minor laceration. What did happen?"
Kate didn't need this cross examination. "It was a silly mistake on my part. I fell down. Dr. Stelanos put a few sutures in my palm."
"Sutures?" Edith frowned. "That doesn't sound too good."
Kate set her lips. "Honestly, it's no big deal."
"If you say so." Edith divided her interested glance between them. "When did you say this accident of yours happened again, Kate?"
"Yesterday." Conscious of Spencer's watchful stare, Kate murmured, "I'll tell you all about it later."
"I can't wait," Edith replied, her wide eyes full of speculation. "I'll get out of your way, then. Now I have patients waiting."
After Edith left, Kate finished her coffee, hoping she would be able to satisfy the other woman's avid curiosity for all the details.
"We still need to talk." Spencer gently snared her wrist as Kate moved past him.
"Maybe later. I have a full list today."
"We will talk," Spencer growled in an uncompromising tone that offered Kate little choice but to deal with him in the near future.
She nodded. "Fine, but, later. I have to go."
Leaving the kitchen, she could feel Spencer's gaze on her back. She shut the door behind her with more force than was necessary, an unwanted wave of self pity swamping her senses.
Throughout the day Kate somehow managed to keep her mind on her work, and away from the distraction Spencer caused whenever he was around. But, she was beginning to find the task increasingly exhausting.
Something would have to give. She just hoped it wasn't going to be her emotional sanity. Later that afternoon Spencer suddenly appeared abruptly in the open door of her room.
"Got a minute, Kate?" He moved into the room and closed the door behind him.
Keeping her eyes downcast, she said, "Just a moment." She finished the patient notes she was typing and looked up. "Okay, how can I help you, Dr. Stelanos?"
"It's Spencer, remember?" He dropped into the chair beside her desk and stretched his long legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankle.
"Spencer." She didn't wish to start another argument with the man.
"I've just had the principal of St Joseph's Catholic school on the phone." His blue eyes creased at the corners as his lips curved downwards. "Apparently nearly the entire confirmation class has come down with chickenpox. Those few who were unaffected have already had the disease."
Kate stared at him. "Chickenpox? I did have a
patient recently."
"Stacey Mason." Spencer nodded. "She was sent to school for a day last week after she had been treated here. The principal was phoning me to ask what kind of medical advice we handed out around here that allowed a sick child to be sent straight back to school."
"I don't believe this. I recommended the child be kept home from school and I told Mrs. Mason her daughter was extremely contagious. She would have spread the disease among her classmates. She needed to be kept home for at least a week."
"I checked your notes and read your recommendations."
Kate remembered Mrs. Mason's calculating look. "She didn't want her daughter to miss the confirmation. She sent her to school deliberately."
"Yes, it would seem that's the answer. Now the whole thing has been postponed for two weeks."
"So Mrs. Mason got her way after all."
Spencer's mouth thinned. "Well, the circumstances are certainly unusual, but I explained to the principal that there's no blame to be apportioned to you. Stacey's mother will have to bear the guilt for what she's done. Putting her daughter's health at serious risk for her own selfish ends."
"Thank you. Do you want me to contact Mrs. Mason?"
"No," Spencer denied briskly. "The school will handle that and I will certainly be telephoning the woman to discontinue her care with this practice. I wanted to hear your side first."
Kate breathed a cautious sigh of relief. "I...was there anything else?"
She watched Spencer's expression closely, waiting for him to speak. To tell her what was on his mind. The fear of his wanting to release her from her contract still lingered in the back of her mind.
But, after a long silence he merely shrugged. "No, nothing comes to mind," he replied evenly, standing up.
He left the room on long, impatient strides that soon carried him well out of her reach. Kate was left to stare after him, her mind tumbling with confusion and the worry that he was now hiding something from her. Something important.
After that tense meeting Spencer seemed to be consciously avoiding Kate. She managed to get through the next couple of days by concentrating solely on her patients. Her bandaged hand made her feel clumsy, but she managed. The fact that she was right handed was a mixed blessing.
On Wednesday afternoon she took the time to attend Wirimu Rangi's funeral and tried to join in the spirit of the occasion, but she kept scanning the crowd. If Spencer was there, she didn't see him in the swirling mass of people. She couldn't know if he came or not. She returned home late and tumbled into bed, but once more sleep proved elusive. She finally fell into a fitful slumber just before dawn.
Later the next morning she looked up as her next patient entered the room. It was Cal Braddock.
"Hi, Doc." He seated himself. He'd come have his stitches removed from his ear. "I'm off on a long haul trucking job first thing in the morning. I'll be gone for about a month. Thought these were better out before I left."
"Fine, they're due to come out soon, anyway."
Kate peeled off the dressing as she spoke and then asked, "Have you taken the full course of the antibiotics I prescribed?"
"Sure. And I got a fine telling off from the missus, after I got home that day," Cal confided ruefully. "She said I should look where I'm going. Anybody would think I walked into that damn window on purpose."
"Your wife sounds a sensible woman." She prepared the area and began to remove the row of neat stitches.
"I guess Sharon is sensible. It's good, having someone around who cares about you. How does it look?"
"Fine." The wound was clean and had healed nicely. Kate gave it a final swab and sat back.
"I think you'll live." She stood up. "Make sure you drive carefully, Cal. Otherwise your wife will really have something to say."
"Hey, you don't need to remind me, Doc. Sharon knows how to use her tongue."
"Go and buy your wife some flowers. She deserves them."
Cal grimaced. "Okay, I get the message."
"Good." Kate showed him out and smiled at her next patient as she walked into the adjoining room.
"Hi, Dr. Martin. It's so good to see you again."
"It's great to see you up and around, Mandy." Kate closed the door of the consulting room.
As Mandy sat down, Kate leaned over her shoulder to admire her gorgeous little dark haired girl. She blinked her dark blue eyes, then yawned widely.
"Who would think that someone so small, could have made so much trouble." Kate stroked a gentle finger across her soft cheek, before moving away to seat herself at her desk.
"Four hourly feeds." Mandy rolled her eyes. "This young lady is certainly ravenous."
"That's a good sign." Kate nodded, accepting the Childcare baby book Mandy pulled from her bag. "She's progressing very well. I'm so glad everything worked out for you."
She examined Mandy, and her baby, finding that all was well with both. The Childcare book indicated that Josie Marie was gaining weight satisfactorily, and there were no complications from her abrupt and premature birth. During the examination Mandy chatted happily about her plans for the evening. Her husband had finally arrived home the previous afternoon. Kate listened and tried not to be envious of Mandy's glow and simple happiness. She sent them on their way with a clear conscience.
Spencer frowned as he read the lawyer's letter through a second time. Disbelief surged through his system. The whole thing still didn't make any more sense now than the first time he'd read it.
Katerina had decided to sue him for full custody of their son. After all this time she had suddenly developed some kind of guilty conscience. He could only speculate why. What kind of mother completely abandons her son for three years and then remembers his existence as an afterthought? Her motives must be very strong and no doubt mercenary.
He dropped the letter to his desk, pushing fingers through his hair in frustration. He knew his ex-wife had recently become engaged to be married. That was another bombshell he had to deal with. Did she expect his approval or permission? He no longer cared what she did.
But it was there in black and white. She was expecting Jamie to be delivered by the time of the wedding at the end of next month. Spencer had been declared an unfit parent by some woman judge who knew nothing at all about him.
Because of his unmarried status…Spencer read the offending line again.
He glared at the broad wedding ring still on his finger. The time had come to finally remove it. His status—married or otherwise—obviously had nothing to so with this new attack on his family. Katerina had some deeper reason of her own for wanting to turn everything they had agreed to upside down. Some devious game to turn his life upside down.
But what was it? Spencer wished he knew.
It had to be something of momentous proportions to jerk Katerina out of her complete apathy in regard to her son. There was still time to find out. There was barely enough time to work out a solution that would keep his son with him and away from a woman who didn't care about him.
But last time he'd barely managed to secure custody of his son, mainly because Katerina had declared she didn't want him. So he couldn't allow Jamie to be shipped off like a parcel to someone he barely knew. It would devastate him. Even Kate was closer to the boy than his own mother.
Kate.
Spencer jerked his head up and frowned. Why did she suddenly pop into his head? He leaned forward in his chair, steepling his fingers below his chin, his opposite thumb absently pushing his wedding band around his finger.
If it came down to a custody case, this judge didn't seem inclined to do what was best for Jamie. And whatever else she might be, he knew Katerina was a consummate actress. She would get what she wanted and more and she would have the sympathy of the court with her.
He had no idea what kind of lifestyle she was now leading, but he knew it entailed parties and extensive travel. At the first opportunity she would ship her son off to boarding school and forget his existence, once she had achieved whatever it was
she was after. There had to be a solution, but what was it?
Again Kate's face surfaced in his mind, followed closely by the alluring picture of her walking hand in hand with his son. It was an image that wouldn't be banished. But what did it mean? How was the thought going to help him sort out this whole mess?
He certainly needed to know more about Kate's background, about her relationship with Eric. He needed to know a lot of things and in a very short time. He reached for the telephone, praying that he still had time to rescue the situation and find the right solution before it was too late.
He would move heaven and earth not to lose custody his son. Use any means possible. No matter what it took, he would make everything right again.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Kate finished her afternoon list in good time, so she decided to visit her elderly stroke patient in hospital and check up on the little girl with asthma Jake had admitted.
Jane was asleep, looking very small and frail against the crisp white sheets. Kate checked on her then walked out quietly and went to talk to the nurse in charge before finding Mrs. Shaw's room.
The old lady was propped up with pillows, staring out the window beside her bed.
"Hello again, Mrs. Shaw." Kate drew up a chair and sat down.
"Hello, dear." The old lady turned her head and smiled. "Please, call me Mavis. Mrs. Shaw is too formal."
"Thank you. I thought you could do with a visitor."
"What I could do with is a cigarette." Mavis' tired eyes twinkled. "I'm eighty-three years old and they treat me like a child in here."
"I think the nurses are just trying to look after you," Kate replied, returning her smile.
The older lady's eyes narrowed. "You know, it struck me the other day, my dear, you do remind me of someone. It was just something about your face."
Kate leaned forward. She clasped her hands in her lap. "Can you remember who it is?"
Mavis frowned intently at her face for a long moment, then she sighed. "Sorry, it just won't come. I can't, for the life of me, remember who it is." She tapped her wrinkled forehead with one thin finger. "It's my memory, love. It just isn't what it used to be. I'll let you know if it comes to me."