‘I know,’ Shelly muttered, scuffing the floor. ‘We’ve had a bad run.’
‘I have enough trouble accommodating my staff’s holiday requests without having to take into account their parents! I need dependable staff, Shelly, this is a children’s ward and it has to be run by competent, reliable staff.’ Her words were delivered in a relatively calm voice but Shelly felt the sting of them as surely as if she’d been slapped. To date she’d always prided herself on her competence, her organisation and her meticulous attention to detail, and suddenly here she was being told that even that saving grace was being taken from her.
‘When you’re here, you’re wonderful.’ Tania added more gently, the evident shock on Shelly’s face softening her stance. ‘I know you’ve had a lot of problems, I know you’re home life’s rather difficult, and it’s a credit to you that you manage to leave your problems at the ward door and deliver excellent nursing care, but I can’t keep juggling the roster to fit in with your domestic issues.
‘I’m sorry,’ she added as Shelly stood up and left the office and in her haste to get out of there didn’t even attempt to say goodbye.
‘Hey, Shelly, I thought you’d be safely tucked up in bed by now!’ Ross was grinning, as laid-back as ever, walking alongside her effortlessly even though Shelly was marching briskly, hoping to make it to the car park before she broke down in tears.
‘I had to sort out my roster,’ Shelly replied, without looking. ‘How come you’re still here?’
‘I wanted to have a word with the boss about Angus.’
His words stopped Shelly in her tracks and she turned abruptly to face him.
‘I’m still not happy with the story,’ Ross said with a tight shrug. ‘Not that my opinion counts for much.’
‘They’re not going to report it, then.’
‘Dr Khan doesn’t think there’s any need. “Accidents happen” were his exact words.’ His voice was flip, but Shelly knew the words that were coming out of his mouth weren’t Ross’s. ‘I’ve also been delivered a short sharp lecture on my over-zealous nature. Dr Khan seems to think that as I’ve been stuck in the bush for the last couple of years I’m chafing at the bit to get my hands into some “real” medicine. Hell, if only he knew what I’d dealt with out there. I tell you this much, Shelly, I don’t get any kick out of exaggerating things, but there’s something going on with Angus, and I’m the only one who can see it.’
‘You’re not, Ross,’ Shelly sighed. ‘I’m not happy either. I’ve written it all up in my notes and I’ve handed it over…’
‘That’s all we ever do.’ The angry edge to his voice shocked Shelly and for a second the man that stood in front of her seemed so far away from the Ross she knew that Shelly barely recognised him. But almost as soon as the words were out his expression changed, the easy smile was back and the Ross she knew so well was smiling down at her. ‘So, did you get it sorted?’
‘What?’
‘The roster.’
Pulling her bag high on her shoulder, Shelly resumed her angry march. ‘No. In fact, I got my own short sharp lecture this morning, except in my case it would seem I’m not zealous enough. Apparently the ward’s been making allowances for my lack of dependability, given my “domestic issues”, but it would seem the goodwill has run out now.’
A warm hand was on her arm, a hand that was pulling her back, turning her around to face him.
‘Tania can be a right cow sometimes. Don’t take it personally, Shelly.’
‘But it is personal,’ Shelly hissed. ‘My mum and dad have run themselves ragged looking after Matthew and the one chance they get to go on holiday I can’t even take the time off to look after my own son.’
‘You’ll work something out.’
‘How?’ Shelly snapped, her exasperation brimming to the surface.
‘Because you always do. Come on, Shell, let’s go and get some breakfast in the canteen, have a chat and see if we can come up with something. Two heads are better than one.’
‘Oh, spare me the proverbs.’ Snarling at Ross was the last thing Shelly wanted to be doing, he didn’t deserve it, but she was past caring. If he’d just let her go she could get to the car park, and if he didn’t, well, Ross would just have to wear the steam she was blowing in all directions.
‘Come on,’ Ross pushed. ‘At least for a coffee.’
‘I don’t want a drink, Ross, I want to go home and sleep. I’ve got to come back here tonight.’
‘So do I,’ Ross pointed out, his laid-back calmness only exacerbating Shelly’s volatile mood.
‘Yes, but no doubt you’ll get up at eight, hop in the shower and pour some boiling water over two-minute noodles then rock across from the doctors’ mess around nine.’
‘I don’t like noodles.’
‘I, on the other hand,’ Shelly carried on, ignoring his grin, ‘will get up at four, pick up my son and then prepare a dubiously delicious but extremely nutritious dinner, packing in as many omega oils as I can along the way to supposedly increase his brain function. Then I’ll try to squeeze in an hour of quality time before I bathe him and attempt to have him tucked up in bed before my mum gets over, and then…’ Shelly took a deep breath, her angry, tired eyes finally meeting Ross’s. ‘Then I’ll come and start work.’
He stood there for a moment, eyeing her thoughtfully, as Shelly’s colour darkened, stunned at the venom of her own outburst, waiting for him to crush her with some cutting remark.
‘Was that a no to the coffee, then?’ A lazy smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth, and to Shelly’s absolute amazement a reluctant smile was wobbling on the edge of hers.
‘Yes, it was a no,’ she mumbled, scarcely able to believe after her anger only seconds before she was now almost smiling.
‘Some other time maybe?’
Shelly nodded. All the fight had gone out of her and she ached, literally ached for her bed, the vented steam leaving her curiously calm.
‘Come on.’ His lazy arm slung itself around her and for the tiniest second Shelly let herself lean on him. ‘I’ll walk you to your car.’
Surprisingly, the steering-wheel wasn’t privy to a second batch of tears. In fact, idle fingers drummed on it as Shelly drove home, listening to the radio and singing tunelessly.
She didn’t even toss and turn as she lay in bed, her mind didn’t throb as she tried to fathom the hows and whys of arranging childcare in her parents’ absence, she didn’t lie there fretting about Matthew and the beastly crèche. Instead, she pulled the curtains closed on the midmorning sun, slipped into the welcomingly cool sheets and closed her eyes with only one sleepy thought on her mind.
Ross was back.
And how good it felt.
‘What’s this?’
Shelly shifted in her seat and quickly folded the papers she had been reading in front of her. The last few days had been spent simultaneously assuring Marlene she had everything in hand and panicking at her inability to organise Matthew’s childcare.
So desperate was Shelly, she’d even swallowed every last shred of pride and rung Neil, taken the bull by its very reluctant horns and dialled his office. But even before he had stopped huffing and puffing, even before Neil had admitted there was no way his new wife would even consider having Matthew for a week, Shelly had decided that he wasn’t going there anyway.
She’d rather pay someone to look after him than expose Matthew to such blatant apathy!
Which was why Ross had found Shelly sitting at the nurses’ station engrossed in the pile of brochures the crèche had provided her with, reeling somewhat at the hourly rates. It wasn’t just the money that was the problem—the thought of a stranger looking after Matthew in her house at night while she worked was giving Shelly palpitations! Folding up the papers, Shelly pushed them away on the desk before turning her frown on Ross. ‘Don’t you know that it’s rude to read over people’s shoulders?’
‘No, it isn’t.’ Ross laughed. ‘Maybe for an uptight puritan like you,
but as to the rest of us…’
Shelly swung round on her chair, her jaw dropping incredulously. ‘That’s a bit strong, even from you!’
Ross just shrugged and spooned three sugars into his coffee. ‘Possibly,’ he conceded with a grin. ‘But it got a reaction. Anyway, you can’t afford it.’
‘Can’t afford what?’
‘A live-in babysitter.’
This was getting way too personal and Shelly pulled off her glasses, snapping them firmly in their case before heading off towards Kane’s room.
‘That’s right,’ Ross called good-naturedly, ‘run off, why don’t you? One mustn’t discuss money or personal problems or any other social taboos.’
‘I’m not running off,’ Shelly corrected. ‘I’m checking on Brody in cot two.’
‘You did that ten minutes ago and, anyway, Melissa’s just been in.’
Reluctantly Shelly sat back down, her back rigid, her lips disappearing into her face.
‘You can’t afford it,’ Ross said again. ‘Because if you had that type of money to burn, you wouldn’t be at work in the first place.’
His irritating logic was unfortunately spot on.
‘Ring in sick,’ he suggested lightly. ‘You get two weeks with chickenpox when you work on a children’s ward.’
‘Oh, very helpful, Ross.’ Shelly gave a slow handclap. “‘Hi, Tania, I know I sat in your office and begged for unpaid leave, but it really is just a coincidence that I’ve come down with chickenpox and can’t work for a week. Yes, I know Matthew had it a few weeks ago and I didn’t catch it then. Funny, that. And I know you think I’m undependable and are probably about to sack me, but can I take this opportunity to assure you that I’m really very reliable?’”
‘All right, bad idea,’ Ross shrugged. ‘How about I babysit for you?’
‘You?’ Shelly gave a rather undignified sniff.
‘I am a doctor,’ Ross pointed out. ‘Almost a paediatrician even! I can look after Matthew at night while you work, then you can take over in the day, the same as you’re doing with your parents now.’
‘But you’ve never even met him.’
‘Neither have any of this lot.’ Picking up the brochures, Ross flipped them in the wastepaper basket.
‘Why on earth would you want to do this?’
‘Because I can.’ Perching on the desk beside her, he tapped his thigh with a pencil, his leg so close it occasionally brushed Shelly’s as he distractedly swung his feet. ‘You need help,’ he pointed out. ‘And I’m only too happy to give it. Mind you, you’ll have to feed me a lot. You already know I don’t like noodles, but apart from that I’m pretty easy. I’m not very tidy, though.’
‘I’d never have guessed.’
‘And I’m a morning person. You can’t just march home after a hard night at work and demand silence. I like someone to talk to over my breakfast.’
The image of Ross sitting at her breakfast table was doing terrible things to Shelly’s concentration.
‘It would never work.’
‘Why? I’ve only got a room at the doctors’ mess, it would take two minutes to pack my backpack.’
‘It wouldn’t work,’ Shelly insisted in an irritated voice. ‘I’d rather pay someone, at least that way I’d know they were doing things properly.’
‘Properly!’ Ross repeated her last word through pursed lips.
‘Yes, properly, Ross,’ Shelly snapped, her words coming out way too harsh, but suddenly Ross was getting too near for comfort, making promises he would surely never, ever keep, and perhaps more to the point Shelly was frightened of letting him into her life. Terrified that one look at the real Shelly, the mum, the housewife, the eternal juggling game that her life was at the moment, would have Ross scuttling away in two seconds flat.
Snapping seemed her only option.
‘I like things done in a certain way. You’d probably let Matthew stay up half the night chewing on sweets and no doubt then you’d forget to tell him to brush his teeth.’
Ross roared with laughter. ‘You’ve really got an obsession with dental decay, do you know that, Shelly?’
‘People would talk.’ She shot him a look, knowing exactly what was coming next and keen to get in first. ‘And if that makes me an uptight puritan then so be it.’
‘Let them talk.’ Ross leant across the table, his dark blue eyes dangerously close, very white teeth that he most certainly had brushed glinting at her as she took in his wide sensual mouth. ‘Better still, let’s give them something to talk about.’
‘This is silly.’ Standing up, Shelly shook her head. ‘I really am going to check on cot two now.’
Brody was fine, better than fine actually. The little boy who had been keeping Shelly on the run with his exacerbation of asthma was sleeping peacefully, his respiration rate finally nearing normal, his heart rhythm settling and his oxygen saturations spot on.
‘I think he’s turned the corner.’ Ross had come up behind her, and they stood there in the darkness for a moment eyeing the baby, sharing a mutual sigh of relief. ‘When did he last have a nebuliser?’
Shelly glanced down at her watch. ‘An hour and a half ago and it’s still holding him.’ Pulling her stethoscope out of her pocket, Shelly carefully listened to the sleeping baby’s chest. ‘Not even a hint of a wheeze.’ She smiled, pulling the earpieces out and offering them to Ross. She moved the bulb of the stethoscope as Ross listened, then looked up with a grin.
‘Clear as a bell.’
‘Which means you can get some sleep now.’
She felt rather than heard him go. Having written Brody’s observations down, she pulled a falling blanket around his little shoulders, her cheeks still burning from the conversation only moments before, a frown puckering her forehead as she recalled Ross’s offer.
It was all a joke to Ross. His suggestion, how ever well meant, had irritated her.
As if someone like Ross Bodey was going to take a week out of his life to devote to her and Matthew. Sure, he’d maybe even meant it while he’d been sitting there, but it wouldn’t last five minutes. He’d probably already forgotten he’d even offered.
Wrong.
Walking out into the corridor, she jumped as a face came out of the shadows.
‘Did you forget something?’
‘Your address.’ She couldn’t read his expression in the darkness but for all the world Shelly was sure she heard a note of nervousness in his voice. ‘What nights do you need me for?’
‘You’re really serious about this?’ Shelly checked.
‘Totally.’
‘Sunday through to Wednesday,’ Shelly ventured, watching his reaction closely, waiting for him to baulk at the final hurdle. ‘Then back again for one night next Saturday.’
‘Fine,’ Ross said easily. ‘I finish my nights on Saturday morning so I’ll have a sleep then come for dinner around six. Don’t worry,’ he rattled on as Shelly opened her mouth to protest. ‘I’ll bring the food. You won’t have to lift a finger. It’ll give me some time to get to know the little fellow and on Sunday afternoon I’ll come back to stay.’
‘Ross, this isn’t going to work,’ Shelly said quickly, confused at the turn of events, desperate for some breathing space to think things through.
‘Yes, it is.’
He sounded so sure, so confident Shelly felt the frown puckering her brow slip away, and after a moment’s more hesitation she took the pad he was offering and scribbled her address, which he deposited in his pocket.
‘And it is going to work, Shelly.’ One warm hand gently cupped her cheek, the small gesture losing all its innocence as her heart went into overdrive. ‘Because we’re going to make sure of it.’
CHAPTER FIVE
‘HONEY, I’m home!’
Shelly stood holding the front door, grinning as Ross barged in armed with white carrier bags wafting delicious smells.
‘What on earth are you going on about?’
‘I’m practising for our week of d
omestic bliss.’ Kissing her on the cheek, he shot a quick wink at a rather stunned Matthew who was clinging for dear life to Shelly’s leg, one curious eye peeping out from behind her far-too-short skirt. ‘Can you show me where the kitchen is?’
She should have been nervous!
She had been nervous!
The entire day had been spent in a flurry of cleaning and scrubbing, and not only the house! Her hair had been deep-conditioned, body lotion had been applied, eyebrows plucked and her wardrobe turned up and over as she’d frantically scrabbled for something to wear.
Something terribly casual, of course.
But also absolutely gorgeous.
A mad dash to the shops at four-thirty had for once been a success given that the very short lilac wraparound skirt Shelly had had her eye on all week actually came in her size.
Even Matthew was amazingly clean for six p.m. The usual sticky fingers for once were gleaming, his jammy face washed and wiped as he stood in very trendy clothes, a world away from the grubby overalls he normally wore around the house. Yet now that Ross was here, now that he’d burst in with his usual wacky humour, Shelly wasn’t nervous any more, just very, very pleased to see him.
‘How was your day at the office?’ She kept up the joke as Ross deposited his wares on her kitchen bench.
‘Awful, actually.’ For a second the easy smile slipped away and Shelly found herself frowning. ‘I had a bit of a run-in with Dr Khan this morning before I finished up.’
‘What happened?’
‘I’ll tell you later.’ Ross’s eyes shifted to Matthew shyly peering around the kitchen door and his face broke back into its usual wide smile.
‘What’s that smell?’ He sniffed the air, screwing up his nose as Matthew watched.
‘Tuna casserole,’ Shelly answered primly, awkward in her new skirt and panicking that she was showing too much of her pale legs. ‘And don’t worry, it’s not for you—it’s Matthew’s dinner.’
The Baby Emergency Page 6
