Playing the Playboy's Sweetheart

by Carol Marinelli

  ‘Any luck with Miriam?’ Hugh asked at the end of the day as Emily came out of the changing room dressed for the outside world. Hugh was looking pretty drained—he’d been operating since eight a.m. and now would be heading up to the wards to check on his post-operative patients.

  ‘Nope.’ Emily’s jaw tensed and she let out a tense breath. ‘If I want to get on—’

  ‘Ha,’ Hugh interrupted. ‘Don’t complain about that to me—at least you don’t have Alex as your boss. I need a wife if I want to get on.’

  ‘When we’re in charge we’ll change the world,’ Emily said as they walked together. Hugh was heading up to ICU, Emily for home, and it felt like a long time till next Monday for Hugh.

  Hugh was possibly the one person who did like Mondays. Sure, he and Emily caught up during the week at various times but Monday was Alex’s rostered operating day and on the days that Emily wasn’t there he missed her.

  Yes, Hugh wanted to finally move things on between them and give this almost romance its wings. He wanted a nice table between them and a waiter whose arm would probably drop off as he cracked enough pepper to satisfy Emily.

  Okay, Hugh decided as they walked down the long corridor, whatever happened, he would not let it affect their friendship.

  ‘You do realise,’ Hugh said as they reached the swing doors that would take them out of Theatre and to their separate destinations, ‘that this is the first time in three years that we’ve both been single at the same time.’

  Nice opening! Hugh was just silently congratulating himself when Emily delivered her response.

  ‘Well, I don’t know about you but I’m staying that way,’ Emily said, shutting down the conversation as firmly as the black doors swung closed behind them. ‘’Night, Hugh, it was nice working with you today.’

  Was he missing something?

  Hugh just watched as she walked off.

  Did he have body odour that only Emily could smell?

  They liked each other!

  They fancied each other!

  He could taste it.

  If only she’d let him.

  ‘Problem?’ Alex asked, as he came out and saw his junior standing with a puzzled frown on his face.

  ‘More a mystery,’ Hugh said. ‘One I intend to work out.’

  He couldn’t, though.

  It would seem Emily was serious about staying single and for two whole months she did just that.

  Till Hugh decided they might need a little helping hand.

  CHAPTER TWO

  ‘ARE YOU COMING to Emily’s leaving do on Friday?’ Louise asked Hugh, and Emily rather hoped the answer would be no—a meal at Imelda’s and a few drinks afterwards would probably be a bit tame for Hugh.

  ‘Can we do the swab count before I start to close?’ Hugh said, instead of answering.

  Nothing distracted him, Emily noted.

  It was the mark of a brilliant surgeon.

  Hugh chatted and joked but when it mattered he concentrated totally. As boring as the swab count and equipment check might be, it was necessary to ensure that nothing was left inside the patient before the surgeon closed, and Hugh took it seriously.

  The counts all tallied.

  ‘It isn’t Emily’s leaving do,’ Hugh said, as he started to close the incision. ‘She’s only going to be working in A and E for three months but, yes, I’ll be there. Actually, Alex and his wife are coming too, if they can get a babysitter.’

  ‘It’s just a few drinks...’ Emily frowned because why the hell was Alex coming, let alone his wife? ‘As you said, it’s not even a leaving do.’

  Except, unbeknown to anyone but Emily, it very possibly was her leaving do.

  Emily hadn’t yet handed in her notice but next Wednesday she was going to Cornwall for a week and had decided if, after a break, she still felt the same way about working in A and E, then that was what she would do.

  ‘You’re going to be missed,’ Hugh said. Emily saw his lovely green eyes over the mask and, yes, he was speaking the truth both personally and professionally. Emily was efficient, incredibly efficient, some might say pedantic and others set in her ways, but Theatre worked well with pedantic nurses. ‘Mondays won’t be the same.’

  ‘Actually, they shall, for a little while at least,’ Emily said. ‘I’m back working here on Monday as an extra shift—they haven’t found my replacement yet. The nurse who was coming here from A and E resigned.’

  ‘When do you go on holiday?’ Louise asked.

  ‘Next Wednesday,’ Emily answered. ‘A whole week of doing nothing but walking and reading. I can’t wait.’

  ‘There’s some nice weather predicted...’ Louise smiled.

  ‘Which means it will rain!’ Hugh’s comment was dry.

  ‘I don’t care,’ Emily said. ‘I just want to read and walk on the beach and relax.’

  ‘Well, you’ll need it before you go to A and E,’ Louise said.

  ‘How are we doing, Rory?’ Hugh glanced over at the anaesthetist as a couple of alarms started to sound.

  ‘All good. How much longer?’

  ‘Done,’ Hugh said.

  Yes, it was a very small world in Theatre. Emily headed to the large staffroom. She was the first there but everyone would soon come in. Rarely did anyone go to the canteen—it was too much trouble to change shoes and things. She turned and gave a brief smile as Hugh came in and she got out her lunch from the fridge but, as they sat down, instead of their usual catch-up Hugh got paged to go up to a ward.

  ‘Damn,’ Hugh said. ‘I wanted to talk to you.’

  ‘I’m sure it will keep.’

  Hugh thought for a moment as he answered his page. Emily was right, it would keep and what he had to ask her would probably go better with wine!

  ‘Can I borrow you for ten minutes on Friday night?’

  ‘Borrow me?’

  ‘Well, I know you’ll be busy but there’s something that I want to ask you away from everyone else.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Not here.’

  ‘Have you got another rash?’ Emily smirked.

  ‘Ha-ha.’

  They both smiled as they remembered the day when Hugh, for once, had struggled to focus. Emily had been scrub nurse and had frowned as a usually together Hugh had breathed loudly beside her, sweat beading on his forehead as he kept moving from one foot to the other. The second the operation had been over he had fled and, walking past the male changing rooms on the way to the staffroom, Emily had seen his frantic face peer out.

  ‘Emily...’ he’d hissed. ‘I need some antihistamine.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Now. IM...’

  ‘An injection?’

  Hugh let the towel slip a fraction and Emily’s eyes widened at the sight of the angry red welts and urticarial rash spreading down his buttocks.

  ‘Believe me, Emily, that’s not the worst of it...’

  ‘I don’t want to see the rest.’

  Oh, my!

  Emily had returned with the injection and some hydrocortisone cream for Hugh to put on himself and had happily stabbed him.

  ‘Maybe it was the shaving cream...’

  She didn’t want to know that he’d shaved, or that she, whoever she was this week, had shaved him. Emily was tired of the glimpses into his love life.

  ‘Have you changed your washing powder?’ Emily asked instead.

  ‘No.’ Hugh shook his head and thought for a moment. ‘Though I did buy the liquid one.’

  As it turned out, he had bought the triple-strength liquid one!

  Happily, his reaction had calmed and the theatre list had gone ahead, Emily trying and failing not to dwell on the fact that he was naked and bald beneath his scrubs.

&nb
sp; ‘What will I do without you?’ Hugh asked, still smiling as he recalled that day.

  ‘Inject your own antihistamine!’

  ‘That was a long time ago, Emily.’

  Yet she remembered it like it was yesterday.

  The hurt, the jealousy, the itch of her own that she simply refused to scratch.

  ‘If I don’t catch up with you properly,’ Hugh said, ‘then I’ll see you Friday.’

  ‘Okay.’

  * * *

  Friday found her in the staff changing room, getting ready to go to Imelda’s, a nice casual bar that did amazing food and, on weekends, had a band.

  Emily was tired before the night had even started but, given it was her leaving do, she did her best not to show it.

  Louise and she changed at work. Emily into a tube skirt and top, Louise into the tightest red dress and high heels. They were close friends now.

  Louise looked stunning, especially when she topped it off with dark red lipstick.

  ‘Tart,’ Emily said.

  ‘A happy tart, though.’ Louise smiled.

  ‘Are you?’ Emily checked. Louise was coming out of a terrible break up and had been very subdued but finally she seemed to be finding herself again.

  ‘I’m getting there,’ Louise said. ‘Come on.’

  They walked out of Theatre and down the corridor and there, coming towards them, was Anton, the new Italian obstetrician who had hearts thumping everywhere.

  ‘Hi, Anton.’ Louise smiled.

  ‘Evening.’

  ‘We’re heading over to Imelda’s—there will be quite a few of us.’ Louise gave a smile that could be described as sweet were it not for the wanton red lips, but it was barely returned.

  ‘I’m working,’ Anton said, and strode off.

  ‘You’re subtle,’ Emily commented.

  ‘He’s fresh off the plane,’ Louise said. ‘I was just doing my social duty. God, don’t you want to just grab him by the stethoscope and climb up it?’

  ‘No.’ Emily laughed. ‘Not in the least, he’s far too moody for me.’

  They had booked a room at the back of the restaurant and it was actually really nice to be among friends and colleagues. Hugh hadn’t arrived but that was possibly a good thing as Emily didn’t really want to meet whomever it was that he was dating now.

  Surely he was seeing someone.

  Two months single for Hugh would be a record.

  Or maybe he was just enjoying the off-season and sleeping around, though, for once, Emily had heard nothing on the grapevine about him.

  Emily sat between Louise and Alex’s wife Jennifer and, as it turned out, Louise had news of her own.

  ‘It will be my leaving do next,’ Louise said.

  ‘You’ve just done your internal rotation.’ Emily frowned.

  ‘No, mine will be for real.’ Louise’s blue eyes were shining. ‘I’m going to work in Maternity.’

  ‘When did you decide that?’

  ‘It’s been brewing for a while,’ Louise admitted. ‘I can’t wait to get back there.’

  ‘It wouldn’t have anything to do with Anton?’ Emily teased.

  ‘God, no! I’m not that shallow,’ Louise said, because despite walking a little on the wild side she took her work seriously. ‘I’m just ready for a change. I love the Caesareans we have in Theatre and lately it’s just not been enough for me. I want to be more involved with the mothers and babies.’ She smiled at Emily. ‘You like the cool of Theatre, don’t you?’

  ‘I do,’ Emily said.

  ‘I just want back out there...’ Louise admitted.

  ‘Have you told Miriam?’

  ‘Not yet.’ Louise winced at the very thought. ‘I haven’t actually applied for a position yet, I’m just putting out feelers, but I don’t think Miriam will be very pleased—a lot of staff have left recently.’

  ‘Well, she should have thought of that before she moved the goalposts for getting a promotion,’ Emily said, but as Louise went to open her mouth to respond she stopped her. ‘If another person tells me I’ll be great and that it will fly by, I won’t be responsible for my response.’

  ‘I’ll say nothing, then.’ Louise smiled. ‘I’ll get you a drink instead.’

  Hugh arrived just as dessert was being served. Emily was sitting chatting to Alex and Jennifer when Hugh came over. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, which was a bit uncalled for, but, yes, at the time Emily put it down to the fact that it was her leaving do.

  ‘Sorry, I tried to get here earlier...’ Hugh said.

  ‘It’s fine.’

  ‘I got stuck up on ICU...’

  ‘Really, Hugh, it’s fine,’ Emily said. She had no idea why he was making such a fuss about not getting here on time—a lot of her colleagues were only dropping in for a drink after all.

  ‘I’ll get you a drink,’ Hugh offered.

  ‘I don’t want one...’ Emily said, only Hugh wasn’t listening. He headed off to the bar and returned with something very icy and bubbly and so not what Emily wanted. She’d had a bit too much icy and bubbly and she wasn’t a big drinker at the best of times but everyone seemed determined to buy her one tonight.

  ‘You’ll be dancing on the tables in a few weeks,’ Hugh said, squeezing a chair into the tiny gap between herself and Louise.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I’m here tomorrow night with the emergency mob for Gina’s thirtieth—believe me, the theatre staff’s nights outs are very civilised in comparison to that lot.’

  Emily went over to speak with Connor, another theatre nurse, but Hugh was like an annoying wasp and hanging around her like some lovesick teenager. Frankly, he was starting to really annoy her.

  ‘What?’ Emily snapped, when still Hugh hovered. ‘What’s going on, Hugh?’

  ‘Can I have that ten minutes now?’

  ‘Fine,’ Emily sighed, and turned to him.

  ‘Outside.’

  ‘Hugh, it’s my leaving do, I’m not going to—’

  ‘Ten minutes.’

  Emily headed outside.

  ‘I want to ask you something. You know what I said about us still being single—do you want to give us a try?’

  Emily was taken aback by his directness.

  ‘No.’

  ‘Can I ask why?’

  ‘I don’t need to give a reason.’ She went to head back but Hugh caught her arm.

  ‘I’ve still got nine minutes of your time left.’

  ‘Use them wisely, then,’ Emily said.

  ‘Okay.’ Hugh took a breath. ‘Second question. Would you consider pretending to go out with me?’

  ‘Pretend?’

  ‘I want the consultancy. Alex likes you...’

  ‘That’s the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard. He’d soon find out you were lying.’

  ‘Not if we’re clever about it.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Give me one good reason why not,’ Hugh said.

  She looked at Hugh, his hair flopping over his eyes, his green eyes smiling, and he was just so cocky and assured, so utterly at ease with himself that Emily could tell he was a touch taken back that she hadn’t jumped at the chance to be his fake girlfriend.

  ‘You know what Alex is like,’ Hugh persisted. ‘He hasn’t come right out and said it but the writing’s on the wall—he wants to know that my party days are over before he’ll give me the consultancy.’

  ‘But they’re not over,’ Emily pointed out.

  ‘They could be for the next couple of months.’

  ‘I’m not handing over two months of my life to be your fake girlfriend—’

  ‘No,’ Hugh interrupted. ‘I’m not asking for two months, I’m asking for a couple of Saturday nights and
the occasional wedding. I could come down to Cornwall at the weekend and kick things off with a few photos. You’re not seeing anyone and surely...’ He hesitated.

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘It will be exciting.’

  ‘Really!’ Emily was having trouble keeping an incredulous smile from her lips. ‘Tell me how.’

  ‘Well...’ Hugh actually had the decency to look a touch uncomfortable. ‘You said that your holiday was going to be a bit boring...’

  ‘No, I didn’t,’ Emily corrected him. ‘I said my holiday was going to be very quiet, which, somewhere between here...’ she tapped her lips ‘...and there...’ she tapped his forehead ‘...you translated as boring. A week in a cottage, doing nothing, isn’t boring, Hugh.’

  ‘It certainly wouldn’t be if I came along.’ Hugh grinned.

  ‘Would I have to sleep with you?’ Emily asked. ‘In this little charade of yours, would sex be on the books?’

  ‘If you want to,’ Hugh said, mildly surprised that Emily had so readily brought it up. ‘If you’re saddled with being my girlfriend, there would have to be perks...’

  ‘Your ego knows no bounds.’

  ‘Think about it,’ Hugh said.

  ‘I have,’ Emily said, and started to walk back inside, ‘and the answer’s no.’

  ‘Come on, Emily...’

  ‘Was that the reason for the kisses and the “Sorry I couldn’t get here earlier” and following me about?’

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘I tell you one thing,’ Emily said, ‘if we were going out then we wouldn’t be for long if you followed me about like that.’

  ‘I know.’ Hugh laughed. ‘I was just trying to get Alex used to the possibility that we were on with each other...I was actually starting to annoy myself.’

  Had he left it at that, all would have been okay.

  If a glass of champagne hadn’t been thrust into her hand by Louise then possibly things wouldn’t have unravelled but, unknown to anyone, she was battling tears.

  His fake girlfriend.

  Bloody cheek, Emily thought.

  She wanted to be his real one.

  So why hadn’t she simply said yes when he’d asked to give them a try? Or had that been just a ruse for Alex’s benefit too?