Forbidden Night with the Duke

by Annie Claydon

  ‘In that case, I’d say he’s doing well. Shall I put him on the list for a follow-up next Friday?’

  It probably wasn’t necessary. The people here had all seen dengue fever before and knew when to come to the doctor. But he’d asked her to examine Ashan and she’d decided to err on the side of safety. He shouldn’t second-guess her.

  ‘Yes. We’ll do that.’

  * * *

  Another test. Megan was used to being tested in new situations, most people waited until they could get the measure of the new member of staff. Jaye was no different, and if it made Megan nervous, that was her lookout. She pulled the strap of the heavy medical bag across her shoulder, daring him to take it back from her.

  Every action, every word had to be thought about. It would get easier. Just as she’d learned to be with him in the compound, she would learn to be with him out here. It was just a matter of practice.

  He gave her the history of their second patient on the way to the next house. Then he introduced her to the young woman whose right leg had been amputated by the blast of a landmine, folded his arms and stood back.

  This time Jaye seemed determined not to help when Megan’s Sinhalese failed her. The woman had picked up a few words of English, clearly as a result of contact with doctors, since they all seemed to relate to her leg. Gestures and smiles filled the gaps and they got by. Megan satisfied herself that the woman was managing her prosthetic leg well, and that it was causing no blisters or sores, and then moved on to the baby she was nursing, for good measure.

  All the time she felt that Jaye’s gaze was boring into her back, assessing and evaluating everything she did. When she turned to leave he asked a question in Sinhalese, which was too rapid for Megan to catch the meaning of. The woman smiled and replied and Jaye laughed. Her husband joined in the conversation, which for some reason seemed to centre around cushions. Then a smiling goodbye.

  She laboured up the dirt track with Jaye, struggling a little with the weight of the bag but determined not to give it up to him. In return, he was giving her no quarter and she had to break into a stumbling jog to keep up.

  ‘Wait... Wait!’ She stopped short, heaving the strap of the medical bag onto the other shoulder.

  ‘Can I take that?’

  It wasn’t an unreasonable offer, and it was entirely expected from Jaye. Megan was surprised he hadn’t tackled her to the ground and wrestled the bag away from her, just to satisfy his own good manners. But now she had it, she wasn’t going to give it up.

  ‘No. But you can stop a moment and tell me what you were saying to her.’

  He shrugged. ‘It was nothing. We were just discussing the work that she does.’

  ‘Cushions? She makes cushions?’ Megan wanted to let him know that she’d followed at least part of the conversation.

  ‘Yes. One of my mother’s projects. She imports hand-crafted goods from areas like these and sells them. She’s got a website. And it’s cushion covers, there’s no point in filling up a container full of stuffed cushions when you can perfectly easily pack the covers into a small trunk.’

  ‘It would have been useful if you’d mentioned it. It’s always good to know what patients do for a living.’

  ‘In case she suffers from some kind of industrial sewing injury, you mean?’ His lip curled slightly. ‘My mother doesn’t work like that.’

  ‘I’m sure she doesn’t. But if she’s doing a lot of close work, I might think it was a good idea to have a brief look at her eyes, even if the clinic’s optician visits every six months.’

  ‘You know about that?’

  ‘I went through the books to do a couple of reports for Dr Clarke that London was asking for.’

  ‘Ah. Well, yes, the optician will be visiting. I’ll make a note to check on exactly when.’

  They were getting nowhere fast. They had got used to working alongside each other, but that wasn’t enough out here.

  ‘Jaye, just hold on a minute.’ He’d turned, ready to start walking again, and Megan stopped him. ‘I know what you’re doing, and I appreciate that you’re allowing me to create my own relationships with the people here. But I need you to help me. My Sinhalese isn’t good enough yet, and I’m afraid I’ll miss something.’

  ‘I can translate anything you ask me to.’

  ‘I need to...rely on you.’ These were dangerous waters. The last time she’d relied on him, wanting to hear his every word, see his every reaction, it had led them into an intimacy that Megan couldn’t handle.

  The look in his eyes told her that he didn’t want to go there either. Maybe he was thinking the same as she was, that the last time they’d acknowledged the special connection that buzzed between them they’d been in each other’s arms. But if they could just move on from that and find it in themselves to harness that connection, who knew what energy they could create? Who knew what they could do?

  There was a long silence and then Jaye spoke. ‘Yes. You’re right. We’ll make a good team. Give me the bag.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘The bag. Working together, remember?’

  ‘Oh. Yes.’ She handed the heavy medical bag over, careful not to brush against him as she did so. It was actually quite a relief not to have to carry it any further.

  ‘Good.’ He smiled at her, and started walking again. Megan stumbled after him.

  ‘So... Our next patient? What’s the story?’

  ‘He’s a seven-year-old boy. He lost a hand and the lower part of his arm in another landmine explosion.’

  ‘Seven years old? I thought that all the landmines had been cleared in this area. Was this one that was left behind?’

  ‘Yes and no. They’ve all been cleared and this wasn’t one that was left behind. Chaminda was just a baby, in his mother’s arms. His mother stepped on the mine and her body shielded Chaminda from most of the blast. She was killed.’

  ‘So that means that the family’s not just coping with their son’s injury, they’re doing it without their mother.’

  ‘Yes. The father usually comes up with a load of questions about his other children as well. He’s naturally very protective, and he worries that he isn’t doing a good job of raising them.’ He grinned. ‘Although this is a village.’

  ‘And it takes a village to raise a child?’

  ‘Well, in this case, the village is doing a pretty good job of it. But the father still worries.’

  ‘I guess he’ll probably have a lot to say to me, then.’

  Jaye nodded. ‘Almost certainly. I’ll translate as we go.’

  ‘What about Chaminda? Have we been doing anything about providing him with a prosthetic hand?’

  ‘That’s an issue too. We’ve offered one, but since he’s grown up with only one hand, he manages very well without a prosthetic. It’s a delicate balance. The family needs to make their own decisions about that, but we want to keep his options open for the future.’

  ‘What’s Chaminda been offered? And what are the pros and cons, as you see them?’

  * * *

  Megan had suggested an audacious solution to a problem that had become increasingly apparent during the course of the morning. A meeting of minds that had been born in the heat of an embrace. Working together, and not just side by side.

  But it had worked. She’d examined Chaminda and talked at length with her young patient’s father, Jaye translating for her. They’d both made suggestions, and Jaye felt that they’d made some good progress in helping the family.

  It was exhausting, though. Jaye was almost pleased to be able to get back into the truck so that they could both find some refuge in silence.

  But the silence didn’t last long. As they rounded a corner, climbing the steep slope that led to the next village, he jammed on the brakes, managing to stop just inches away from the pile of mud and stones across the road.

&n
bsp; They both took a moment to catch their breath then Megan glanced towards him.

  ‘Landslip?’

  ‘Yes. It’s probably been dislodged by last night’s rain. But don’t worry, this area’s been combed for landmines and the road’s been safe for years.’

  ‘Then we can just get on and clear it?’

  Jaye nodded. They were going to have to make a path through the debris as they couldn’t go around the stones because of the steep slope rising up to the left and falling down to the right of the road.

  ‘Yes. Shouldn’t be too difficult. I think we can just roll that out of the way...’ He pointed to the right-hand side of the road where a heavy mass of earth, bound together by tree roots, blocked their path.

  Jaye got out of the truck and walked across to the boulder. When he set his weight against it and then heaved, the boulder moved three inches and then fell back two.

  ‘I need you to help me...’ If Megan added her weight to his, the boulder would move. The process might involve touching her, but that couldn’t be helped.

  ‘Right. Where do you want me?’

  There was a good answer to that question. A very good one. Jaye took the second-best option and pointed to the right-hand side of the boulder.

  ‘Just there. Put your shoulder to it when I say.’

  He found a handhold on the side of the boulder and they both pushed. Nothing happened. Jaye leant further in, feeling the warmth of her body, and the boulder slid a couple of feet.

  ‘Okay, stop a moment.’ He checked again that if the boulder tipped over and rolled down the slope to their right, there would be nothing in its path. The slope levelled out after twenty feet and a pile of rubble was already lodged at the bottom of it.

  ‘One more try...’

  They pushed hard, a cry of effort escaping Megan’s lips. The boulder slid to the edge of the slope and suddenly the handhold that Jaye had found gave way. A sharp pain shot up his arm as his hand caught in a matted tree root, almost dragging his little finger off. His grunt of pain caught Megan’s attention and she whirled around.

  ‘What...?’ She was off balance, and as the boulder started to roll down the slope, the momentum of her own body carried her after it. At the last moment she threw herself to the ground, trying to stop herself from toppling down the slope.

  ‘Megan...!’ The pain in his hand was forgotten. Everything was forgotten because although Megan had managed to stop herself from falling, she was sliding over the edge, scrabbling for a hold in the mud. Jaye ran to where she’d been standing, dropping to his knees.

  Chapter Ten

  A SMALL INCOHERENT cry came from below him. She’d managed to twist round and find a handhold and she was lying on her stomach, her feet sending chunks of mud and stones down the slope as she tried to find a firm foothold.

  ‘Still. Be still.’

  She obeyed him immediately, her gaze fixed on his face, the message in her eyes clear. Don’t let me fall.

  The fall wouldn’t kill her, but it could well hurt her. The boulder had broken up on the way down and sharp stones and tangled tree roots littered the slope.

  Jaye lay flat on the ground, reaching for her, his fingers just a few inches from her frightened eyes. He felt a searing pain as he grabbed hold of a tree root with his other hand but swallowed it, inching forward and reaching down with the other arm.

  ‘Okay. I’ve got you Megan.’ He curled his fingers around the top of her arm. He wasn’t going to let go, and if she fell now, he would be going with her.

  For one moment her gaze locked with his. They weren’t going to fall.

  ‘Let go. Hold onto me.’ She had to trust him now. Suddenly that didn’t seem as if it would be so difficult for her.

  He felt her hand, gripping his arm, just above the elbow. ‘Good. That’s good, Megan. Now try to find a foothold. Gently... There’s one about six inches to your right.’

  She didn’t answer but Jaye knew she’d do it. She was staring at him, her foot moving slowly in the direction he’d indicated.

  ‘Got it.’

  ‘Okay. Can you push yourself up a little?’ Lying flat on his stomach, Jaye didn’t have the leverage to pull her up. All he could do was provide a firm hold for her to climb by herself.

  ‘Yes, I can do it.’ He felt her move, and she grabbed his shoulder with her other hand. It was as if they were moving slowly into an embrace.

  ‘Good. A little bit more, Megan.’

  She moved again, closer still. He could feel her cheek against his. Waiting until she had got both hands on his shoulders, he wound his arm around her back.

  ‘I’ve got you.’ Carefully he rolled over, pulling her up the slope and away from the edge. He felt the sweet weight of her body on his and held her tight on top of him. Professionalism be damned, he wasn’t going to let her go now. She could put that down to the clinic director being unwilling to lose his best nurse if she wanted to.

  ‘Oh. Thank you... Thank you.’ She was still clinging to him, seemingly unaware of how his body was reacting, hardening against hers. Jaye held her tight, trying to stop his head from swimming.

  ‘Okay. You’re okay, Megan.’

  ‘I’m so stupid...’ Her face was grimed with mud and dust, making her eyes look even bluer. So blue that he could have plunged into them, like cool, clear water.

  His hand was really hurting now. Perhaps that was just as well because it brought him to his senses.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ She raised her head from his chest, her gaze searching his, as he twisted to inspect the damage.

  ‘Nothing...’ He frowned as he caught sight of his hand. It was something.

  She levered herself up suddenly against him, and Jaye winced as a delicious reaction to the movement shot through him. For a moment he forgot all about his hand.

  But Megan hadn’t. She was sitting on the ground next to him, holding his wrist so that she could see his finger properly. Jaye stared at the sky, trying to ignore the feel of her fingers and not particularly wanting to look at his hand either.

  ‘I think... It’s swelling already. I think you’ve broken your little finger.’

  Oh, well. Megan would deal with it. The thought of experiencing first-hand what it was like to be one of her patients seemed almost worth it. He wondered vaguely if he’d get the special smile. He was looking forward to that.

  His eye wandered to the wide scar on the hillside above them where the earth had slipped, leaving a wide trail of mud in its wake. Suddenly, there was no question about him just lying back and letting Megan do whatever she wanted.

  ‘Megan, look. Up there, you see where the landslip’s come from, right at the top of this hill?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Halfway down, right in its path. That’s where we’re going. The next village.’

  She let go of his wrist and her hand flew to her mouth. Jaye scrambled to his feet.

  ‘We need to get there. They might need help.’

  ‘Wait. Wait, you need help as well.’ She followed him to the car, grabbing his arm.

  ‘I’m okay. There could be people seriously injured up there.’

  She thought for a moment, obviously weighing up the pros and cons in her head.

  ‘I’ll see to your hand first then we’ll go and take a look.’ Jaye opened his mouth to protest and she fixed him with a fierce glare. ‘Be quiet. This is my judgement call.’

  She was right. She was in a much better position to assess his injury—every time he looked at his finger, hanging at an odd angle to his hand, his head swam. And he wasn’t any use like this.

  ‘All right. Strap it up so I’ve got use of my thumb and forefinger at least. Quickly, and then we’ll go.’

  ‘It’ll take whatever time it takes...’ Megan obviously knew they needed to be quick as she’d already opened the tailgate
of the truck and was rummaging in the back for the things she needed. By the time he’d walked unsteadily around to join her, she was splashing water over her hands and opening the zip of her sweatshirt to dry them on her T-shirt, which was at least mostly clean. Then she donned a pair of surgical gloves.

  ‘Sit.’ She pointed to the open back of the vehicle, and Jaye obeyed her. ‘You’re going to have to just grit your teeth for this bit.’

  He knew that. Any analgesic that would work fast enough to make a difference to the pain now would leave him feeling too groggy to be of any use later.

  ‘Just get on with it.’

  ‘All right. Wait...’ She’d slowed now, carefully feeling along each of his fingers, assessing the damage.

  ‘Okay, it’s definitely broken. I’m going to splint it temporarily until we get back to the clinic and we can X-ray it.’ She gave him the smile. The one that seemed to make all her patients feel a little better. It hit him hard, making him forget the pain as she deftly applied the finger splint.

  * * *

  He’d done exactly as she’d told him. Maybe he was in shock. Or maybe he’d felt it too, that sudden connection that had shot between them when it had seemed almost inevitable that she would slide away from him, down the slope. She’d asked him to work with her, but their conscious minds had only been able to go so far in breaking down the barriers. It had taken this one moment of panic to shatter them, and it had rocked them both to the core.

  Careful what you wish for. She checked that the dressing she’d applied over the splint to immobilise the side of his hand wasn’t too tight. That was going to have to do. If they got to the village and found that all was well, she could re-dress it then.

  ‘How does it feel?’

  She’d treated broken bones plenty of times before, and in Africa she’d done so with fewer medical supplies than she had available now. But not Jaye’s bones. Not with the adrenaline of having him haul her out of danger and into his arms running in her veins. Not with the scent of his body teasing her like a mischievous sprite.

  ‘Much better, thanks.’ He held up his hand, waggling his thumb and forefinger in answer to her next question.