Reawakened by the Surgeon's Touch

by Jennifer Taylor

  Bang! That was all it took, just the thought of her and his pulse was off and running again like an Olympic sprinter. As Jude made his way outside, he tried to tell himself that it meant nothing, that it was merely the result of him and Claire having been thrust together into that highly dangerous situation the day before. Why, it was common knowledge that even professional soldiers formed a close bond when they were forced to face untold dangers together, so it was no wonder that he was having all these crazy thoughts after what had gone on.

  Jude did his best but no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that was the real explanation, he didn’t actually believe it. Somehow, some way, Claire had cast a spell over him and no amount of rationalising seemed able to break it.

  * * *

  Claire was relieved when no one mentioned what had gone on the previous night over breakfast. It seemed that everyone had decided to ignore her outburst and she was relieved. Although she knew that folk would be sympathetic if she explained what had caused it, she couldn’t bear to go down that route. She didn’t want the people she worked with to behave differently around her, to be constantly on their guard in case they said the wrong thing. She just wanted to be treated the same as everyone else.

  That was one of the reasons why she hadn’t told anyone at the time. It wasn’t only what Andrew had said about the police not believing her but the thought of the effect it could have on her family and friends. It had made her see that staying in London was out of the question. Not only would she run the risk of bumping into Andrew but there was also the fear of somehow letting slip about what had happened to her. When the job with the WHO had come up she had immediately applied for it. No matter what dangers she faced, she would feel safer in Mwuranda.

  That was why she had decided to stay on when the WHO job had ended. However, the time was fast approaching when she would have to leave. Her visa was due to expire shortly and she couldn’t remain in the country without it. The thought of returning to London weighed heavily on her. She had honestly thought that she had turned a corner but what had happened last night had rocked her confidence. Was she really ready to put the past behind her and get on with her life?

  Thoughts tumbled around her head as she went outside to wait for the truck. The early morning air was pleasantly cool although the temperature would start to rise soon. All the nurses were wearing cotton scrubs the same as she was wearing. Lesley had lent them to her and Claire was grateful for her kindness. She would miss Lesley and the others when she left Mwuranda. She would miss Jude too.

  Her heart lurched even though she knew how stupid it was to think such a thing. She had known him less than a day, so why on earth should she miss him? She tried to dismiss the idea but it wouldn’t go away. She was going to miss him whether she liked it or not.

  A movement caught her attention and she glanced round, feeling her heart lurch again when she saw Jude standing on the steps. He was wearing khaki chinos and a white T-shirt, and Claire bit her lip. The soft cotton chinos emphasised the muscular length of his legs while the T-shirt highlighted the midnight darkness of his hair. He looked exactly what he was, an incredibly handsome and sexy man in his prime. Even though she didn’t want to be aware of him, she couldn’t help it.

  His eyes suddenly alighted on her and she saw him frown. Striding down the steps, he came straight over to her. ‘I thought you were going to rest,’ he snapped, his deep voice grating with annoyance.

  ‘I did.’ Claire shrugged, hoping that he couldn’t tell how keyed up she felt. Now that he was standing right beside her, she could feel the warmth of his skin and smell the citrusy scent of the shower gel he had used that morning. All of a sudden it felt as though her senses were being swamped by him, that he was invading every atom of her being...

  ‘I had a good night’s sleep and I feel fine this morning,’ she said, quickly quashing that thought. She wasn’t a character in some fifth-rate film. She was a qualified nurse and she knew for a fact that ideas like that were a load of nonsense. Sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell—it needed a lot more than some man’s proximity to affect all of them.

  ‘Really? So you’re not going to throw another wobble like last night?’ Jude folded his arms and regarded her with open scepticism. ‘You can swear to that, can you?’

  ‘Yes, I can!’ Claire snapped, glaring up at him. Everyone else had had the decency to let matters lie but not him. Oh, no, he had to go raking it all up and make her feel even more unsettled. ‘I am perfectly fine, Dr Slater. Thank you for your concern but it is unnecessary, I assure you.’

  Fortunately, the truck arrived just then. Claire climbed on board, patting the seat beside her when Lesley followed her inside. Everyone took their places and she was relieved to see that Jude had opted to sit by the tailgate. They set off with a lurch and she grabbed hold of the bench, shaking her head when Lesley apologised as she cannoned into her. It would have been a very different matter, of course, if Jude had been sitting next to her...

  Claire erased that thought and concentrated instead on what her friend was saying. Apparently, Lesley had received a letter from her fiancé and wasn’t sure what to make of it. She handed it to Claire to see what she thought. Claire’s heart sank as she read through the tersely worded paragraphs. Quite frankly, the tone of the letter didn’t bode well and she hated to think that her friend might be heading for a major disappointment.

  ‘I’ve no idea what Tom means about us needing to talk when I get home,’ Lesley said as she took the letter back. She frowned. ‘I mean, everything’s sorted. We’ve booked the wedding venue and the honeymoon, and we’ve put down a deposit on a house that’s being built in an area we both particularly like. What’s there to talk about?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Claire said carefully. ‘You don’t think he’s having second thoughts, do you?’

  ‘Tom?’ Lesley laughed. ‘No way! We’ve been together since sixth form, so I reckon he knows me inside and out the same as I know him. No, I honestly can’t see it’s that.’

  ‘Then I have no idea what he wants to talk about.’ Claire summoned a smile, not wanting to upset Lesley, hopefully, unnecessarily. ‘Mind you, I’m no expert when it comes to relationships. My track record is abysmal.’

  ‘Is that why you’re so wary of Jude?’ Lesley lowered her voice. ‘It’s as plain as the nose on my face that he’s interested in you, Claire, yet you’ve batted him into touch in the most effective way possible. No way is he going to try anything now he thinks you’re a nun!’

  ‘Good. I don’t want him trying anything.’ She shook her head when Lesley rolled her eyes. ‘No. It’s true. I’m through with handsome, charming men like Jude Slater after what happened the last time.’

  ‘Is that why you’ve remained over here?’ Lesley asked curiously.

  ‘Yes. I got well and truly burnt, and I needed time to get over it. Being here has helped enormously,’ Claire said quietly.

  ‘Helped but not killed off all the demons,’ Lesley said astutely. She patted Claire’s hand. ‘If you ever need a sounding board then you know where I am.’

  ‘I do. Thank you.’

  Claire was touched by the offer even though she knew that she would never take Lesley up on it. Her friend let the subject drop and Claire was glad. She didn’t want to think about the past, especially now when she felt so vulnerable. She glanced at Jude and sighed. Was he interested in her, as Lesley claimed? She wasn’t sure, not that it really mattered because she definitely wasn’t going to get involved with him. Maybe she was far more aware of him than she wanted to be but it didn’t make any difference. She still wouldn’t risk getting involved with anyone after what had happened.

  * * *

  ‘I’m pleased with his progress, although it will be a while before we can be sure that he’s over the worst. In the meantime, I want him kept sedated. It will allow the swelling in his brain t
o subside and, hopefully, lead to a better outcome.’

  Jude handed Ezra’s notes to Amy, who was accompanying him on his rounds that morning. Without wanting to appear boastful, he knew that it would be down to his skills as a surgeon if Ezra pulled through. As he followed Amy to the next bed, he felt his spirits lift. He had felt a little deflated after speaking to Claire earlier that morning but this had helped put things into perspective. Even if his reasons for coming to Mwuranda hadn’t been as noble as everyone else’s, he could still make a positive contribution while he was here.

  The rest of the ward round passed quickly. Jude made a couple of minor adjustments to various patients’ medication but on the whole he agreed with his colleagues’ recommendations. He had been told that there was a clinic that morning which he would be taking, so after he left the ward, he made his way to the main hall where it was being held. He ground to a halt when he saw the queue of people waiting to be seen. He had never imagined there would be this many!

  ‘This way, Dr Slater.’

  Jude spun round when he recognised Claire’s voice but she had already turned away. He followed her over to where old-fashioned screens had been set up in the corner to form a cubicle. Inside there was an old wooden table—presumably his desk—a couple of equally elderly chairs, plus a battered couch with a trolley beside it holding an ancient sphygmomanometer. Jude’s eyes rested on the single piece of equipment. Was this it, then? Was this museum piece the sum total of his diagnostic aids?

  He turned to Claire, unable to keep the incredulity out of his voice. ‘You must be joking. You surely don’t expect me to diagnose patients with only that to help?’

  ‘Of course not.’ Claire reached over and opened a drawer in the table. She brought out a stethoscope and offered it to him. ‘There’s this as well, Dr Slater.’

  Jude took the stethoscope off her and stared at it in disbelief. How could he be expected to function with such a pitiful lack of equipment! Opening his mouth, he started to tell her in no uncertain terms what he thought when he suddenly thought better of it. What would she think if he kicked up a fuss when everyone else simply got on with the job? It was obvious that her opinion of him wasn’t all that high and it would only make it sink even further. Was that really what he wanted, to be scraping the absolute bottom of the barrel in her eyes?

  Jude took a deep breath as he walked around the desk and sat down. Maybe it shouldn’t have mattered a jot what Claire thought of him but it did. It mattered a great deal, although he refused to go down the road of wondering why. Looking up, he met her eyes, determined to project an aura of confidence even if his stomach did seem to be suffering from a bad case of the collywobbles.

  ‘If you could show in the first patient, please, Sister. We may as well get started.’

  ‘Of course, Dr Slater.’

  There was grudging approval in her voice and Jude was heartened by it. Maybe he did have his doubts but the fact that Claire approved made him feel much better. He sighed, wondering why she had such an effect on him. It wasn’t as though she was going to play a major role in his life, was it? Once he had done his stint here, he wouldn’t see her again—their lives were destined to go in completely different directions. For some reason the thought filled him with a deep sense of sadness.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ‘THIS IS JEREMIAH. He’s ten years old and lives at the convent. As you can see, his leg was broken and healed badly, causing problems when he walks.’

  Claire ruffled the little boy’s black curls. Of all the children the nuns cared for, Jeremiah was her favourite. His parents had been killed when rebel fighters had attacked his village. Although Jeremiah had survived the attack he had been badly injured. His left leg had been broken in several places and as there had been no medical aid available, it had set badly, leaving him with a severe limp. However, he certainly didn’t let it slow him down.

  ‘Right. Let’s take a look at you, Jeremiah. Can you hop up onto the couch or do you need a lift?’

  ‘I can do it, Mr Doctor.’ Jeremiah scrambled onto the couch and sat there beaming happily.

  Jude laughed. ‘Well done. So let’s have a look at this leg and see if there’s anything we can do to make it better for you.’

  Claire moved aside as Jude donned a pair of gloves and started to examine the child. She had been rather surprised by how well he had got on with their patients. Even though she knew that he was way out of his comfort zone, he had an easy and relaxed manner that people responded to. Now she watched as Jeremiah happily answered his questions. There was more to Jude Slater than she had thought and it was unnerving to admit it. She had to make a conscious effort not to let him see how alarmed she felt when he turned to her.

  ‘Can we get X-rays of his leg? I really need to see how the bone has set before I can determine if there’s anything we can do.’

  ‘Of course.’ She frowned. ‘Sister Anne brought Jeremiah in along with a couple more children from the orphanage. She will need to stay with them, so is it all right if I take him to X-Ray? I can ask Lola to stand in for me,’ she added hurriedly.

  ‘I can’t see why not.’ Jude helped the boy off the bed and smiled at him. ‘OK, Jeremiah, you go with Sister Claire and have some pictures taken.’

  ‘Will you be able to make my leg better, Mr Doctor?’ Jeremiah asked eagerly. ‘So I can play football with the other boys?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Jude bent and looked into the child’s eyes. ‘All I can do is promise that I shall try my very best, but it could turn out that your leg is just too badly damaged.’

  Claire heard genuine regret in his voice and once again was surprised. As she led the child out of the cubicle, she couldn’t help thinking that Jude was turning out to be very different from what she had thought. Not only did he have a definite rapport with their patients but he genuinely seemed to care about them too. The thought sent a warm little glow through her as she stopped at the office to ask Lola to cover for her. She did her best to ignore it as she accompanied Jeremiah to Radiography but it proved surprisingly difficult. The fact was that Jude wasn’t the self-obsessed individual she had believed him to be and it was worrying to admit it.

  Once the X-rays were done, Claire took Jeremiah back to the hall and handed him over to Sister Anne. The X-rays wouldn’t be ready until later in the day, so she told the elderly nun that she would arrange for Jeremiah to be seen again later in the week. The rest of the children had been seen by then, so she waved them off and went back to the cubicle. Lola turned and grinned at her when Claire parted the screens.

  ‘Ah, here’s Sister Claire back again. Right then, I’ll leave you two to carry on.’

  Claire flushed when Lola winked at her as she left. It was obvious that Lola knew about the misapprehension Jude was under as to her true status and she couldn’t help feeling guilty. She busied herself rounding up their next patient, trying not to think about the trick she was playing on him. She wasn’t doing it out of a sense of malice, she assured herself, but purely because it made life simpler. If Jude was harbouring any ideas about her then it was far more sensible to nip them in the bud than allow them to develop and create a problem.

  It was another couple of hours before they finished. It was the middle of the afternoon by then and the temperature inside the hall was stifling. Claire lifted her hair off her neck as she fanned herself with a spare folder. If she didn’t get out of here soon, she might very well melt!

  ‘Is it always this hot?’ Jude stood up, easing his damp T-shirt away from his body.

  Claire hurriedly averted her eyes when she realised that the cotton had turned semi-transparent in places. The sight of all those finely honed muscles visible through the damp fabric made her feel very on edge.

  ‘It’s the hottest part of the day,’ she replied huskily, then cleared her throat when she saw Jude glance at her. She certainl
y didn’t want him guessing that she had a problem about the way he looked. ‘Of course, it doesn’t help that we have to hold the clinic in here. There’s very little ventilation in the hall despite its size.’

  ‘Couldn’t we hold the clinic outside?’ Jude suggested. He frowned thoughtfully. ‘If we had an awning or something similar then it would make life easier not only for us but for our patients as well. The last thing sick people need is having to wait around in heat like this.’

  ‘It’s an idea,’ Claire agreed, wondering why no one else had thought of it. They all complained about the heat when they were rostered to work in the clinic and Jude’s suggestion could be the solution they needed.

  ‘Do we have such a thing as an awning, do you know?’ Jude queried, then grinned at her. ‘Or am I hoping for the impossible, like I did before?’ He glanced ruefully at the ancient sphygmomanometer and Claire laughed.

  ‘There’s more chance of us finding an awning than any modern diagnostic aids,’ she told him with a smile.

  ‘Then what are we waiting for?’ Jude returned her smile, his handsome face alight with amusement, and Claire felt her heart skip a beat.

  ‘I’ve no idea,’ she replied, trying to inject a matching lightness into her voice, not the easiest thing to do when her heartbeat was all out of sync. ‘If there is anything like that then the only place it can be is in the storeroom round the back. Shall we try there?’

  ‘We most certainly shall.’

  Jude pushed open the screen then stood aside for her to lead the way. Claire was conscious of his gaze on her as they left the building. What was he thinking? she mused as they made their way along the path. Was he wondering what they would find in the storeroom or thinking about something else, her perhaps?

  She bit her lip as panic assailed her. She didn’t want him thinking about her—it was too dangerous. Thoughts led to actions and that was the very thing she wanted to avoid. Something warned her that if Jude ever made a play for her then she might not be able to resist.