“Who’s Katherine?” It was a woman’s voice.
“Shh,” Damien hissed. Muffled words were exchanged.
“Are you still there?” A bell was ringing in the background.
“Yes. Yes, I’m here.”
“Do you need to get that?”
“No. Go on.”
“There was a derailment late last night, near Camden Town. Katherine was on it and she sustained a head injury.”
“But she’s okay?”
The voices in the background were getting louder.
“She needed surgery. She’s stable now but—”
“Julia!”
“How dare you!” a woman shouted.
I pulled the phone slightly away from my ear.
“It’s not what it looks like.”
“Don’t insult me, Damien. It’s exactly what it looks like! Christ, the girl answered the door wearing a sheet. Do you think I’m an idiot? Kate’s in the hospital and you’re—”
“We aren’t having this discussion now. Kate’s condition, it’s serious, Julia,” he said. “I have her doctor on the phone.”
“Give me that! Hello? This is Julia Lawson, Katherine’s mother.”
“Julia, it’s Wes. I tried calling you a few minutes ago to see if you’d spoken to Damien. When you didn’t answer I thought that maybe I’d better ring him.”
“I left my purse in the car when I ran up here. How’s Kate?”
“She made it through surgery just fine. She’s stable. They’ll be moving her up to intensive care soon.”
“Is she awake? Can I talk to her?”
“I’m afraid she’s still unconscious. But that’s nothing to be alarmed about at this point. Are you on your way to the airport?”
“Yes. I’ll see you soon.”
“I’m coming with you,” Damien interjected. “It’ll just take me a few minutes to shower and pack.”
“Don’t bother,” I heard Julia say.
“You can’t stop me. You know she’d want me there.”
“She would want the man she thought you were there. But you’re not him. You’re not even close.” Then the line went dead.
Chapter Three
I’d been up close to twenty-four hours. It was almost 9:00 a.m. and I was in the intensive care unit. My shoulder was throbbing and I was completely done in. Exhaustion had worked its way into my bones. The dull hum of the respirator would have been lulling if it wasn’t so damned important. Katherine was still dependent on it to breathe. With just a glance in one direction or another I was able to stay apprised of all of her vital signs. Eric had come and gone. At this point, he was confident the burr holes would be sufficient. For that I was grateful.
Now it was a matter of watching and waiting. I hated waiting.
“Your mum’s on the way. I’d kiss you on the lips like bloody Prince Charming and wake you up, but this ghastly ET tube is in the way, love.” I lifted the hand I was holding to my mouth and placed a gentle kiss in its palm.
The nurses in the ICU were changing shift. I could hear them outside the curtained-off cubicle giving report. I knew visitors weren’t normally allowed during this time, but no one asked me to leave and I didn’t volunteer. I was just thanking God for that small favor when one of them pulled back the curtain.
“Dr. Atherton?”
“Yes?”
“I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“That’s quite all right.”
“There’s someone asking for you.”
“Do you know who it is?” I asked, running my hand through my hair then over the stubble on my face.
“He said he’s a friend of the family’s. He’s in the waiting area around to the left.”
“Thanks. Take care of my girl.” I headed for the exit then proceeded around the corner to the waiting area.
“Dr. Atherton?” The gentleman stood as soon as he saw me. He looked to be in his late forties, perhaps early fifties. He was wearing a rather rumpled tweed coat, wire-rimmed glasses and had the distinct look of someone who had been up all night. For a moment I wondered what his excuse was.
“Yes.” I offered him my hand. “Mr.—”
“Grant. George Grant. Can you tell me what’s going on?” He removed his glasses and began to polish them furiously. “No one will tell me anything. I worked all night and came home to a message on my machine from Julia. All she said was that Katherine was here and to ask for you. I tried to call her back, but she didn’t answer. I didn’t have any luck with Katherine’s mobile either.”
I reached into my suit coat pocket, pulled out the phone, and saw that the battery had died. “Bugger, the battery seems to have run out.” I sat down heavily in the chair next to Mr. Grant. “You’re a friend of the family’s?”
“Yes, Katherine was staying with me while completing her internship here,” explained George. “Now, tell me what’s going on! Is she all right?”
“I was out with Katherine last night. We had dinner and went to the theater. We took the Tube. On the way back, the carriage we were on, it derailed.”
“At Camden Town?” asked George. “I heard about the accident on the radio. Two people died, one critically injured.”
“I tried—”
“But that’s past our stop!” George stood, placing the glasses firmly back on his nose. He turned to me, his eyes full of accusation.
I’ve never been one to beat around the bush, so I just came out with it, the cold, hard truth. “Yes. She was coming home with me. If it wasn’t for me she wouldn’t have been there.”
“Good Lord.” George sat back down.
“She sustained a head injury. She was operated on earlier. She’s stable at the moment, but she’s still in critical condition.”
“You called Julia? You spoke with her?”
“Yes.”
“Does she know about you and Kate?”
“She knows we’re friends and that we were out together.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out Kate’s engagement ring. “Ever meet him?”
“No.”
“He was cheating on her. Can you imagine that?”
“She told you that?”
“No. I called the stupid git to tell him about the accident. While I was on the phone with him, Julia arrived. Damien’s shaggin’ mate was there. It seems Julia put two and two together.”
“I see.” George removed his glasses again and pulled out his handkerchief.
“You do realize you just did that, right?”
“I think I might have missed a spot,” said George irritably, scrubbing the lenses again. “What kind of a doctor are you?”
“I’m a psychiatrist.” I leaned back in the chair.
George abruptly stopped what he was doing.
“It’s not a compulsion you know, the thing with my glasses.”
“Of course not.”
“Just a nervous habit. Perfectly normal.”
“Absolutely.”
“Can I see her?”
“Of course. Though she is unconscious, you understand?” I cautioned before standing up and leading the way back inside the ICU and over to Katherine’s bed.
I pulled open the privacy curtain; the second George laid eyes on her, the blood drained from his face.
“Maybe you should sit down.” I offered him a nearby chair.
“She looks…”
“She’s not.”
George sat and I gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “She’s going to be all right. Look, I haven’t had time to cancel my patients for the day. I need to go to the office and try to clear my schedule, get a change of clothes. You can stay for as long as you want. I’ll be back as soon as I can be, yeah?”
“Of course.”
Before leaving I stopped by the nurses’ station and asked them to page me if anything were to change. I didn’t want to leave Katherine’s side, not for one bloody second. But I had other obligations to take care of. With luck, I’d be able to discharge my duties quickly.
I indulged in one more long, lingering look before tearing myself away and walking out the door.
“I didn’t expect to see you today,” gasped my secretary. “I’ve just finished canceling your appointments.”
“You heard about the accident?”
“It’s all the buzz. How is she doing?”
“No change. I want to get back to her as soon as possible. Cancel what you can for the next three days. All of my outpatients should be able to be rescheduled. I’ll do my rounds here if you can’t get them covered, but try. All right?”
“Of course.”
“I’ve covered for enough of the other guys. Call in some favors. Oh! And, can you see if Charles can bring me a change of clothes? Maybe for the next couple days? Though it’s his day off.” I looked down at the blood-stained clothes I was wearing. “Maybe it would be faster if I just found a nearby shop?”
“Wes, don’t be silly.” She held out her hand. “Give me your keys. I’ll run over and get you a change of clothes, then I’ll call Charles and update him on what’s going on.”
I gratefully dropped the keys to my house into the palm of her hand. “What would I do without you?”
“Let’s not find out. Is your arm going to be all right?”
“It’s just a dislocated shoulder. I’ll be right as rain in a week. Thanks. Oh! And can you somehow manage to get this charged?” I pulled Katherine’s mobile from my pocket.
“It’s the same phone as yours. Just stick it on your charger, Wes. There’s an extra in the top right drawer of your desk.”
“Really?”
“How did you make it through medical school?” she asked as she walked back to her desk and picked up the phone.
“I cheated!” I declared with a wink before walking into my office.
It took close to two hours for me to finish tying up loose ends and for my secretary to return with a change of clothes. Once she had, I headed back over to the hospital. There were showers there in the locker room adjacent to the operating theater and I was in desperate need of one.
I tilted my head up into the stream and let the endless supply of hot water sluice over my aching shoulder and down my back, rinsing off the last of the soap. I stretched my left arm gently forward, in front of my chest, testing its mobility and range of motion. Then I switched the jet to the massage option, turned toward the tile wall and leaned against it, resting my forehead on my right arm and positioning the jet so that the spray of water pounded against the knots in my mid-back.
“You slumming?”
I looked back over my shoulder. My old flame, Reese Wallace, was leaning against the doorway to the mens’ shower, looking as sexy as ever. Reese and I had been lovers for about two years. Despite the fact that I’d been the one to end it, until meeting Katherine, I really hadn’t started to move on.
I turned off the taps then nodded toward the towel that I’d left hanging on the wall. “Don’t you knock?”
“Banged you a few times,” she said saucily as she threw the towel at me. “Since the women’s locker room is closed this week for repairs we came up with a system. There was a memo and everything.”
“Yeah? Well, I tend not to read the memos from the surgical department.”
“Did you see the men/women/vacant sign outside?”
“No.” I ran the towel over my wet hair. “Was I supposed to flip it to men?”
“That’s the general idea.” Reese stepped closer. “Unless you’re here to shower with me?” She tossed her long mane of dark hair over her shoulder. “I could use some help. You know, I’m very, very dirty.”
I was trying to wrap the towel around my waist and failing miserably. “As tempting as you are, no.”
“Jesus, what did you do to your shoulder? Here, let me help with that.” She started to secure the towel for me.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Though I readily admit, I like undressing you far better than dressing you.”
“It was dislocated. I was in an accident.”
Reese stepped back and studied me for a moment. “Let’s see, you’re not flirting back, you’re being modest.” She slapped my chest, playfully. “You’ve met someone! Haven’t you?” She looked down and smiled. “That’s gotta be the reason I haven’t gotten a rise out of you yet.”
“Yes, I’ve met someone.”
“I knew it! And you spent the night together. That’s why you’re showering here. Didn’t even have time to make it home before work. But how the hell did you dislocate your shoulder? That’s a new one!”
“I was with her all night, yes, but not like you think. She’s a patient here, Reese. She’s in critical condition up in ICU. We were involved in the Camden derailment. I’ve got to go.”
She followed me out of the shower area and back into the locker room. I didn’t care. Reese had seen me in the buff more times than I could count. When I reached the locker where I’d stored my clothes I loosened the towel and dropped it carelessly on the bench. She stood there silently, leaning against the wall while I awkwardly slipped on a pair of boxers and then tried to pull a T-shirt over my head.
“Wait.” She walked over to me and held the shirt so I could slip into it.
“Thanks, I feel…”
“No problem. I’m happy you found someone, Wes.” She smoothed down the front of my T-shirt then leaned in to kiss me on the cheek.
“Now I’ve just got to hold onto her.”
“You will. Who in their right mind would let a prize catch like you go? If you need anything,” she said as she grabbed a towel and headed toward the shower, “just whistle.”
“Reese?”
“Yeah?”
“How have you been? You doing okay?”
She flashed a brilliant smile. It seemed forced, empty, sad. “Never been better, babe.”
Once upon a time, I wouldn’t have been able to let that go. I would have reached out and she would have reeled me in. I’d learned the hard way, no matter how ardently I tried, I couldn’t erase Reese’s emptiness. She wouldn’t let me.
As soon as I finished dressing I made my way back up to the ICU. George was sleeping soundly in the chair, a book on his chest. The nurse that I’d spoken to before leaving was sitting comfortably at the desk, his feet propped up on the desktop, a magazine in hand.
“Ms. Lawson was extubated?”
“Yeah! Mr. Riley came by. Her intracranial pressure was down, things looked well, so bye-bye ventilator. Good news, huh?” He barely looked up.
“There was a change. You didn’t call.”
“It was a good change, not a bad change.”
“Right.”
“When was the last time you slept or ate?”
“I slept last night. Well, the night before. And I had dinner. I’m fine. You have any coffee?”
“I’ll make a fresh pot. It won’t be long before it’s ready,” he offered, standing up quickly and making his way over to the coffee station.
“Thanks.”
The next few hours passed slowly. George was dead to the world, but I couldn’t sleep a wink. When he finally came to, he seemed relieved to see me.
“What time is it?”
“It’s just gone past four,” I told him.
He looked at Katherine. “She’s still unconscious?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Her doctor came while you were gone, but he wouldn’t answer any of my questions. I wish she’d wake up.”
“She will, soon. It’ll be a while before Julia arrives. Why don’t you go grab a bite to eat? The cafeteria is down on the first floor.”
“Would you like me to bring something back for you?”
“I don’t think I could eat anything.”
He nodded. “I’ll see you in a bit then.”
I pulled my chair closer to the bed and stretched my legs out. Then I picked up the book George had left, and started to read aloud. It wasn’t long before I was interrupted.
/> “Dr. Atherton? Katherine’s mother just arrived,” one of the nurses called out. “I’m buzzing her in now.”
Chapter Four
“Mrs. Lawson?”
She was a bit taller than Katherine with shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes. Her features were slightly more angular and she looked predictably exhausted.
“Yes.”
Before I could offer her my hand, she moved over to the side of the bed and took her daughter’s hand in hers.
“I came straight from the airport. Oh my God!” Her eyes flooded with tears. “Mommy’s here, baby,” she whispered to Katherine before turning her attention back to me. “How is she?”
“Better, actually. I think she’s out of the woods, so to speak. She’s breathing on her own again and the pressure in her head is down. That means that the burr holes and medications are working to reduce the swelling. That’s good. We just need to be patient.”
“She’s so still. She hasn’t woken up since the surgery?”
“No.” I reached for the box of tissues and offered her one. The tears were flowing now and she’d started to stubbornly wipe them away with the back of her hand. “It may likely be a while yet. Mr. Grant has been here.”
“I saw him downstairs. Actually, at the elevator. He’s taking my luggage back to his place. I sent him home to get some rest. And, speaking of rest, it looks like you could use some too.”
I ran my hand through my hair, ignoring her remark about my needing rest. I wasn’t about to go anywhere.
“Would you like some coffee?”
“I’d love some,” she said.
I made a quick trip back to the break room, then returned with two cups. Julia accepted hers with a smile and sat down before going in for the kill. No mincing words.
“What were you doing out with my daughter?”
“I think you need to hear that from Katherine.”
“Don’t give me that. I’m asking you.”
I took the seat next to her. “I met your daughter on the Tube one evening. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. She was radiant, fiery, quick tongued, totally unpretentious. I’m afraid that once I see something I want, I can be rather unrelenting.”
“So you convinced her to go out with you on a date?”
The Sacrifice: Forbidden, Book 1 Page 3
