Most people with this condition would end up in a cardiac theatre, with an angiogram and stent inserted to open up the blocked vessel. But there was no specialised equipment like that on Arran.
There were monitoring facilities and Gerry was currently attached to a cardiac monitor in one of the side rooms with an extra nurse called in to observe him closely for the next twenty-four hours.
Kristie couldn’t stop pacing. He hated to see how worried she was, but the truth was he couldn’t give her the guarantee she so desperately needed—that Gerry would be fine.
Rhuaridh put down the phone after talking to one of the consultants in Glasgow. Emergency situations called for emergency treatment.
‘What’s happening?’ Kristie was at his side in an instant.
He ran his fingers through his hair. ‘Bloods and ECG confirm it. Gerry’s had a massive heart attack. If he was on the mainland he’d go to Theatre to get the vessel cleared and probably have a stent put in to try and stop it happening again.’
It seemed she knew where this conversation would go. ‘But here?’
‘But here I’ve given him the first two drugs that should help, and now we’ll need to do things the more old-fashioned way and give him an IV of a drug that should break up the clot.’
She frowned. ‘Why don’t you still just do that? It sounds better than Theatre.’
He gave a slow nod. He had to phrase this carefully. ‘Studies show the other way is better. But as that isn’t an option, this is the only one we have.’
‘That doesn’t sound good.’ Her voice cracked.
Rhuaridh put his hand on her arm. ‘It takes an hour for the treatment to go in, then we have to monitor him carefully. There can be some side-effects, that’s why we’ve called an extra nurse in to monitor Gerry all day and overnight.’
Kristie’s head flicked from side to side. ‘Right, where can I stay?’
He tried not to smile. He knew she would do this. ‘You can stay with me. I’m going to have to stay overnight too. We’ll pull a few chairs into one of the other rooms close by. Miriam, the nurse, can give me a shout if she needs me.’
He looked down at her white knuckles gripping the camera in her hand. ‘What are you going to do with that?’
She took a few breaths as if she were thinking about it, then she lifted her chin and looked at him. ‘I’m going to do Gerry’s job. I’ll film it.’
There was something in her eyes that struck him as strange. ‘Are you okay?’
Her jaw was tight. ‘If Gerry was the one out here, he would film. He told me back at the B and B.’ She nodded as if she was processing a few things. ‘And I’ll film you. You can explain what a heart attack is and what the medicines are that you’ve given Gerry.’ She paused for the briefest of seconds then added, ‘Then you can talk about the weather and why we can’t leave. I’ll ask you a few questions about that.’
He tilted his head to the side. What was wrong with Kristie? Something just seemed a little...off. He understood she was worried about her colleague. Maybe this was her way of coping—to just throw herself into work.
He gave a cautious nod. ‘Of course we can do an interview. But give me a bit of time. I’m going to set up the IV with Miriam and have a chat with Gerry.’
She pressed her lips together and swung the camera up onto her shoulder. ‘Carry on. I’ll capture what I can.’
Just as he’d finally managed to get used to Gerry constantly hovering in the background with a camera, now everything was flipped on its head and Kristie hovering with a camera was something else entirely. Initially he’d found Gerry’s filming intrusive, and probably a bit unnecessary. But Kristie’s? That was just unnerving. Gerry had an ability to be unnoticeable and virtually silent. Now he was constantly aware of the scent of Kristie drifting from behind him and the noise of her footsteps on the hospital floor.
Where Gerry had felt like a ghost, Kristie was more like a neon light.
And things were certainly illuminating. It turned out Gerry had been harbouring a history of niggling indigestion and heaviness in his arms and a constant feeling of tiredness. Trouble was, Gerry had worked out himself that all the signs were pointing to cardiac trouble—but instead of seeking treatment he’d kept quiet, out of fear of losing his job.
Rhuaridh wasn’t there to judge. Healthcare and insurance in the US was completely different from healthcare in the UK.
He turned to speak to Kristie just in time to notice a big fat tear slide down her cheek. Her eyes were fixed on Gerry’s pale face as he lay with his eyes closed on the hospital bed, surrounded by flashing monitors and beeping IVs.
Something inside him clenched. This was her worst nightmare. Of course it was. She hated hospitals and now she was forcing herself to stay to be with Gerry. He knew in his heart that any suggestion he made about her leaving would fall on deaf ears. Rhuaridh slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards him. ‘You okay?’
She shook her head then rested it on his shoulder. ‘I was mad at him. I went across to his room to shout at him.’
Rhuaridh tilted his head towards her. ‘Why on earth did you want to shout at Gerry? You two seem to get on so well. You complement each other.’
She hesitated for a second then pulled a face. ‘If I tell you why I was mad, you might get mad too.’
Rhuaridh shook his head. He had no idea what she was talking about. ‘Okay, I feel as if I missed part of the conversation here.’
Her eyes lowered, her hands fumbling in her lap. Her voice was sad when she spoke. ‘I found out Gerry filmed us kissing outside the hospital in December. I didn’t know. He didn’t say a word to me. And now my producer, Louie, has seen it, and loves it, so it’s going to be in the next episode of the show, no matter how much I begged him not to use it.’
For the first time since she’d got here Rhuaridh felt distinctively uncomfortable. He didn’t actually care about being filmed kissing Kristie. What he did care about was the fact she didn’t seem to want anyone else to know. All those previous thoughts that he’d pushed away rushed into his head. Why would a girl like Kristie be interested in a guy from a Scottish island?
He took a deep breath and said the words he really didn’t want to. ‘What’s wrong with us kissing?’
Her head turned sharply towards his. ‘It’s private. It’s not something I want to share with the world.’
She was looking at him as if he should understand this. But his stomach was still twisting. His brain was sparking everywhere. He was looking at this woman in a new way. A way that told him she could easily break his heart.
He’d kind of shut himself off from the world since he’d come to Arran—focusing on work had seemed easier than realising he might never get the opportunity to meet someone to share his life with. And even though he knew things were ridiculous and completely improbable, even the fact that he’d thought about Kristie in that context had meant that he’d finally started to open himself up a little again. But it seemed he couldn’t have timed things worse.
‘We were in a public place,’ he said carefully. ‘That isn’t so private.’
For a millisecond he might have been annoyed with Gerry—just like he had been in the beginning, questioning everything they filmed and the ethics behind it.
But Kristie had already told him. She needed this show to be a hit. If she didn’t want the world to know they’d kissed, then at least part of him could be relieved she wasn’t playing him.
She looked wounded by his words, her hand flew up to her chest. ‘But it’s private to me,’ she said empathically.
He leaned forward, looking into those blue eyes and then whispering in her ear, ‘Kristie, I don’t care if the world knows we’re kissing.’ And he meant it. He glanced at Gerry on the bed. They still didn’t know how this would all turn out for Gerry. If he had medical insurance he’d get shipped home
once his treatment was complete. But chances were Rhuaridh wouldn’t see him again anytime soon. Gerry might not be fit enough to travel like he had been.
He had to admire the canny old rogue. He’d seen the opportunity to film and taken it. Something flashed into Rhuaridh’s head. Something he hadn’t really processed earlier.
‘Gerry asked you to film—and you did. We don’t know how this is going to play out yet, Kristie.’ He was serious. The IV drug Gerry was currently on could cause heart arrhythmias. It could also lead to small clots being thrown off while the heart was trying to re-perfuse. There were no guarantees right now. ‘I’m not sure this is footage you should use.’
He left the words hanging in the air.
She blinked and her body gave a tremble. When she spoke her voice was shaky, ‘I’m a terrible person. You know I want Gerry to be okay, don’t you?’
He nodded and she continued, ‘And I was still angry when he asked me to start filming, so I just automatically did. I’ve left the camera running at times without actually being behind it. I’m not even sure exactly what’s been shot.’
Rhuaridh slid his hand over hers. ‘I know what you’re thinking. You need to take a breath. Take a moment. If Gerry is fine, then you’ve covered his work. You can show what happens to people in an island community when there’s no possibility of getting off the island. This is a fact of life here. Gerry’s had an alternative treatment for his heart attack. We hope it will work. If it does, you have footage.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘If it doesn’t, then you stay some extra days and we’ll shoot something else.’
He was trying to give her an alternative. The last thing he wanted was for her to be forced to use footage that would prove to be heartbreaking for her. He whispered again. ‘No one needs know it’s there.’
She shook her head. ‘But it is. Our cameras don’t need to go back to the studio to be uploaded. Everything uploads automatically to our server. Even if I don’t want to use it, Louie probably will.’
‘Surely he’s not that heartless? You told me he was the guy that held your hand while you were at the hospital.’ He leaned forward. ‘Footage of us kissing? That’s nothing. But if something happens to Gerry? No way. He couldn’t use that. He wouldn’t use that.’ Rhuaridh wasn’t quite sure who he was trying to convince. Her or himself.
She leaned back in against his shoulder and put her hand up on his chest. ‘I hope so,’ she whispered in reply, as both of their eyes fixed on the pulse, pulse, pulse of Gerry’s monitor.
CHAPTER TEN
February
TRAVELLING WITH SOMEONE else felt all wrong. Thea was nice enough, but clearly obsessed. She had around one hundred Scottish travel books and couldn’t seem to understand there wasn’t time to drive around all the rest of Scotland before they got the ferry to Arran. It seemed she hadn’t quite grasped the size of Scotland, or the terrain. By the time they docked in Arran, Kristie had a full-blown migraine.
The last few days at the helpline had been hard. Someone had called and kept hanging up after a few minutes. Every time it had happened, Kristie’s thoughts flooded back to her sister. This could be someone like Jess. Someone who needed to be heard but couldn’t find the words.
She’d struggled with it so much but she dealt with her feelings by continuing to work on the book she’d started writing a couple of months before. It had been years since she’d tried to write things. Last time she’d done this she’d been in college. But all of that had been pushed aside as her course work had taken priority. Now this story seemed to be shaping itself. All of it was fiction. None of it was based on a real person. Instead, it was an amalgamation of years of experiences. But it all felt real to Kristie. Even though this show was the thing the whole world was excited about, this story was the thing that kept her awake at night—that, and thinking of a hot Highland doc.
She’d also had over a thousand social media messages today alone. Since the kiss had been shown, her social media presence had erupted even more than before. Her conversations with Rhuaridh had continued. He’d been hit with just as many messages as she had—more, probably. And he was feeling a bit shell-shocked by it all. But Rhuaridh seemed able to pull his professional face into place and use his job as a protective shield.
She looked up just in time to meet the glare of an elegant-looking woman with gleaming dark brown hair. She looked out of place on the Arran ferry in her long wine-coloured wool coat, matching lipstick and black high heels. Kristie frowned. Why on earth would that woman be glaring at her?
‘Will he be waiting for you at the dock? Should I film that?’ Thea asked. Kristie started at Thea’s voice and turned just in time to catch Thea shooting her a suspicious look. ‘And this thing—it is real? Or is it all just made up for the camera? I have to admit I’m kind of curious.’
Kristie was more than a little stunned. ‘You think it’s fake?’
Thea was still talking. ‘I mean, let’s just say I’m asking in principle, because—let’s face it—he is hot.’
A surge of jealousy swept through Kristie. ‘You think Rhuaridh is hot?’ She said the words almost in disbelief.
Thea threw back her head and laughed. ‘Oh, honey, the whole world thinks he’s hot.’
Now she wasn’t just jealous. Now she was mad. Rhuaridh Gillespie was hers. She could picture herself as a three-year-old stamping her foot. Very mature.
And still Thea kept talking. Did the woman ever shut up? ‘And anyway, you’re from LA, he’s from—what is it called again? Arran? How’s that ever gonna work? He might as well be on the moon. I mean, let’s face it, in a few months you won’t be getting paid to come here any more. I bet these flights cost a small fortune.’
A horrible sensation swept over Kristie. She’d always known this—it’s not like she was stupid. But she’d tried not to think about it.
The horn sounded as the boat docked, the sound ricocheting through Kristie’s head. She winced and stood up. ‘Come on,’ she growled at Thea.
* * *
Her heart gave a leap as she pulled into the car park of the GP surgery. Rhuaridh was standing outside, waiting for her, his thick blue parka zipped up against the biting wind.
Thea let out a sound kind of like a squeak as Kristie jumped out of the car and ran towards him. She couldn’t help it. Four weeks was just too long. Rhuaridh dropped a kiss on her nose and wrapped his arm around her. ‘What’s the update on Gerry?’ he asked straight away.
She gave a sigh. ‘Good, but not so good. He’s started cardiac rehab classes and is making some progress. He’s tired. I think he’s frustrated that things are taking longer than he hoped. He’s been assured he should make a good recovery, but just has to show some patience.’ She pulled a face. ‘And the TV channel won’t cover his travel insurance until he’s been signed off as fit by the doctor. And, to be honest, I think that will take a few months.’
The way Rhuaridh nodded made her realise that he’d known this all along—even if she hadn’t. He leaned forward and touched her cheek with his finger. ‘You okay? You look tired.’
‘I am.’ She glanced sideways over her shoulder. ‘Thea—I’ll introduce you to her in a sec—is exhausting. My head is thumping.’
He paused for a second, giving Thea, who already had the camera on her shoulder, a quick wave. ‘And the next show?’
Kristie let out another sigh. Maybe she was more tired than she’d thought. ‘The show is going out with Gerry as the star and you and I as background footage. Gerry’s fine about it.’
‘And are you?’
‘I guess I should be happy we’re not as front and centre this time. But we’re still there. The camera was running at the hospital and it’s caught us sitting together, holding hands.’
‘I can live with that.’ It was as if he chose those words carefully.
She met his gaze, ignoring the way her hair was whipping around her fac
e in the wind. ‘So can I.’ She couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on her face. There was just something about being around Rhuaridh. Not only did he make her heart beat at a million miles a second, he was also her comfort zone. Her place.
She leaned forward and rested her head against his chest for a second. ‘Kristie?’ he said.
Although she’d told him about her sister, she’d never got round to telling him about the helpline. Things were playing on her mind. She needed a chance to talk to him—but she wanted to do that when they were alone.
She lifted her head. ‘Can we go to the pub tonight for dinner?’ Tonight was only a couple of hours away. She could wait that long.
‘Of course.’ He nodded. She watched as he painted a smile on his face and put his hand out towards Thea. ‘Gerry, you’ve changed a little,’ he joked. ‘Welcome to Arran.’
* * *
Three hours later they finally had some peace and quiet. Even though the pub was busy, they were tucked in a little nook at the back where no one could hear them talk.
Rob, the barman, had just brought over their plates of steaming food, steak pie for Rhuaridh and fish for Kristie. Rhuaridh lifted his fork to his mouth and halted.
Kristie followed his gaze. The elegant woman from the boat was crossing the pub, heading directly towards their table. Every head in the room turned as she passed, her wool coat now open, revealing a form-fitting black dress underneath. She was easily the best-dressed woman in the room and she knew it.
Kristie’s skin prickled. She could sense trouble. Rhuaridh looked almost frozen as the woman approached.
Kristie tilted her head, pretending she felt totally at ease. ‘Can I help you?’
The woman looked down her nose at Kristie. For all her elegance, she wasn’t half as pretty when she was sneering at someone. ‘Oh, the American.’ She said the words as if Kristie were some kind of disease.
Tempted by the Hot Highland Doc Page 14