by Lucy Clark
CHAPTER SIX
AS PIERCE SAT at the nurses’ station in the Emergency Department, glad of a quiet night so far, he couldn’t help but think of the way he’d actually touched Stacey’s hair that morning. What he’d told her had been the truth—he’d thought about touching her hair from the first time he’d seen her. It had looked so soft and glossy in the sunshine that day, as it had bounced around her shoulders, her fringe framing her face perfectly.
He’d been determined to keep his distance, to ensure that his relationship with Stacey remained one of a working friendship. But the night her family had come for dinner, the way he’d felt the need to follow her to the park to ensure she was safe, then having her open up to him about her life, had only intrigued him even more.
Who was Stacey Wilton? The real Stacey Wilton? What were her dreams and hopes for her future? He, of all people, knew what it was like to live for others, always putting your own life on hold for everyone else—and he only had one sibling to consider. Stacey had five.
After Mike’s admission to hospital last week he and Stacey had returned to his house, where Molly had been in full organisational mode. It hadn’t felt awkward, walking into Nell’s house and seeing it full of other people. It had felt right, somehow. It hadn’t felt awkward eating the dinner he’d prepared and which Molly had reheated, sitting alongside the sisters, all of them chatting quietly but happily. It hadn’t felt awkward when he and Stacey had rinsed the plates and stacked the dishwasher, tidying the kitchen together. Everything had felt…right.
Along with that, Nell had loved spending time with the rabbits, and she had definitely formed a bond with George, Lydia and especially Jasmine. Pierce had discovered that out of the Wilton triplets Stacey was indeed the oldest—‘By five minutes,’ Molly had told him. ‘And she never lets us forget it.’
He’d liked watching the easy interaction between the sisters. The tight bond they shared was quite evident. Still, all he could see was Stacey, giving her time to everyone else. Accommodating Cora’s desire to head off to work as a doctor in Tarparnii. Encouraging Molly’s desire to study surgery. Assisting George and Lydia as they entered the world of raising a championship rabbit jumper.
‘She’s quite a woman, our Stace,’ Mike had said one evening, when Pierce had dropped by to check on him, and had been pleased with the other man’s progress. ‘She’s always putting others ahead of herself. For as long as I can remember—even when she was little.’ Mike had thrown some poker chips onto the table. ‘I call.’
‘We often worry—especially after what that terrible Robert did to her.’ Edna’s indignation was fierce. ‘She stood at the front of that church, wearing her wedding dress, calmly told everyone there wouldn’t be a wedding and apologised for any inconvenience. Molly or Cora would’ve been happy to make the announcement, but Stacey insisted on doing it, on making sure they didn’t have to bear her burden.’ Edna shook her head. ‘Goodness knows whether she’ll ever get married now.’ She looked at her cards. ‘I fold.’
‘It’ll be tough for her,’ Mike added. ‘Those kids need a stable environment, and she’s doing her best to provide it for them.’ Then he pointed to Pierce’s cards. ‘You gonna call or fold, boy?’
Pierce looked absent-mindedly at his cards, more focused on the way Stacey was constantly infiltrating his thoughts rather than on playing the game. He’d already realised she was the type of woman to put others before herself, and it made him want to do something nice for her—something unexpected, something just for her. But what? ‘Uh…fold.’
Mike shook his head. ‘Easy victory. Your mind’s not on the game tonight, boy.’
‘I’ll go put the kettle on,’ Edna said as she stood from the table and headed into the kitchen. ‘You go sit in your comfy chair, Mike. Time to put your feet up!’ she called.
‘Yes, dear,’ Mike replied, and rolled his eyes. ‘Help an old man up, Pierce.’
‘You’re not that old,’ Pierce protested, but still did as he was bid.
‘She’s tying you in knots, isn’t she?’
The question was rhetorical and Pierce looked at Mike with a frown.
‘Oh, don’t give me that. I’ve seen the two of you in the same room together—those sneaky little looks you both have. You like her. She likes you. I get it. I’ve been there, too, you know. Might have been a long time ago, but my Edna had me in a right tailspin and I had no idea how to pull out of it.’
‘How do you pull out of it?’ Pierce asked as he tucked a blanket around Mike’s legs and made sure the television remote controls were within easy reaching distance.
Mike laughed, then coughed. ‘Sometimes, boy, you’ve gotta fly right through it. No pulling up, no manoeuvring around it. Gotta go through it.’
Pierce shook his head. ‘I’ve been down that road, though. It didn’t end well.’
‘Your fiancée left you and broke your heart—but that was a while ago and you’re over it now. Edna told me.’
‘Edna has a way of getting information out of people.’
Mike grinned. ‘That’s my girl.’ He rested his head back and closed his eyes. ‘So you’re not gonna do anything about the way Stacey makes you feel?’
‘I don’t know.’ Pierce paused, then looked at his friend. ‘I’ve been head-hunted by a hospital in America.’
Mike opened his eyes. ‘Really?’
Pierce smiled. ‘Edna didn’t manage to wheedle that titbit out of me.’
‘What about Nell?’
‘That’s why I’ve spent so long setting up her independent living situation. Her new housemates will move in soon, and Nell’s ready for that. She wants to do it. She knows I’ll be overseas. We’ll talk over the internet, and she’ll have a network of people around her who are available whenever she needs them.’
Mike thought this over. ‘How long are you going for?’
Pierce shrugged. ‘At least six months—if I take the position.’
‘When did they offer it to you?’
‘Four years ago.’
‘What?’
‘I keep turning them down. They keep offering.’
‘They must want you to work with them badly?’
Pierce nodded. ‘They do.’
‘Do you want to go?’
‘Yeah, but—’ He spread his arms wide. ‘And that’s always been the problem. There’s always been a “but”.’
‘So for years you’ve not been able to go because of Nell?’
‘Correct.’
‘And now that Nell is finally settled and all ready for you to leave you’re not sure because…?’
‘Because what if this attraction between Stacey and myself is more than just an attraction? What if this is it? The one! What if she’s the woman I’m meant to spend the rest of my life with?’ Pierce began pacing up and down in front of Mike, then stopped and spread his arms wide again. ‘Do you see my dilemma?’
Mike shrugged. ‘You’ve put those Americans off for four years, laddie. What’s a few more months? You’ve promised Stacey you’ll stay until Cora gets back and you’re not going to leave her in the lurch. It’s not your way. So why don’t you see whether this thing between you and Stacey is real? Give it a chance.’
‘And what if it is? Does that mean I never get to go to the States?’ Pierce raked both hands through his hair. ‘Everything was going along just fine. I should have known that that would be when I finally met the woman of my dreams.’
‘Your dreams, eh?’ Mike chuckled. ‘Then you’ve got nothing to worry about.’ His grin widened as Edna came back into the room, carrying a tea tray. ‘Dreams always come true.’
‘Pierce…? Hello…?’
Sister was snapping her fingers near his face and Pierce instantly looked at her. ‘Sorry. I was miles away.’
‘Daydreamer!’ She chuckled. ‘Can you review these notes, please? Plus we’ve just had another drunk brought in by the police. Non-abusive, passed out in the middle of the road. I’ve put him in Cubicle Twe
lve.’
‘Thanks.’
Pierce took the first set of case notes from the pile Sister had handed him and tried desperately not to think about the way he’d felt when he’d caught Stacey ogling him. Her visual caress, the way she’d responded when he’d touched her hair, when he’d later leaned towards her, looking deep into her eyes and realising he’d never felt that alive for years… Just that one moment…it had been intoxicating. It was also why he’d forced himself to walk away. Too much of a good thing could cause an addiction. But perhaps Mike was right. Perhaps he should give this attraction with Stacey a chance, see exactly it might lead.
The thought excited him and he smiled, thinking of what he might say to her the next time they met. If they had another tension-filled moment like the one they’d shared that morning he was determined that he wouldn’t be the one to walk away. He wanted to know what it was like to kiss Stacey—well, perhaps it was about time he found out.
*
The insistent ringing of Stacey’s cell phone woke her with a start. She sat bolt upright in bed and, having had years of practice at being instantly awake, quickly connected the call, her voice sure and firm—as though it wasn’t half past two in the morning and she hadn’t been sound asleep.
‘Dr Wilton.’
‘Stacey? It’s my Gary. There’s something wrong. I think he’s eaten something, but he has a temperature and he’s vomited, and I wasn’t sure whether I should ring the ambulance because he’s refusing to see a doctor, saying it’s just food poisoning, but this is really bad and I didn’t know what to do, and—’
‘It’s fine. Give me your address. I’ll come over now and assess him,’ Stacey interrupted, and quickly wrote down the details with the pen and paper she always kept on the bedside table. Initially she’d had no idea who Gary was, because her mind had still been coming out of the fog from her dream…a dream in which a tall, dark and handsome Pierce had brushed her hair from her face, leaned forward, pressed his lips to hers, kissing her with such tender passion…
Even now, as she did her best to reassure Gary’s wife Nanette—who, it turned out, had been at school with her—Stacey could feel her cheeks still flushed with heat from the memories floating around in the back of her mind. As she ended the call and dressed she tried desperately to focus her thoughts on Gary’s symptoms, planning several strategies in order to cope with a variety of possible scenarios. If Gary hadn’t been able to keep any fluids down then his electrolyte levels might be low and he might require hospitalisation.
Out in the family room, Stacey collected her fully stocked emergency medical backpack from the locked cupboard and left a message for Molly on the whiteboard to let her sister know she’d been called out. Then she collected her handbag and car keys before heading out, thankful that Nanette and Gary didn’t live too far away.
‘Sorry for calling in the middle of the night.’
Nanette rushed out to meet Stacey, her words tumbling from her mouth as Stacey collected her backpack from the car and both women headed inside the house, which was lit up like a Christmas tree. Nanette had her two-year-old daughter in her arms, the child clearly having been woken from her sleep with all the ruckus and was not happy about it.
‘That’s what family practices are for, Nanette. To form bonds with the community. Which way?’ Stacey’s tone was firm and direct, yet she was also trying to reassure Nanette. She needed her to be calm, but given what she could remember of her old school friend that might be impossible.
‘I didn’t know what to do,’ Nanette dithered. ‘And I couldn’t remember the name of your partner at the GP practice, who I saw the other day when one of my kids was sick, so I called your practice number and the answering machine gave me a cell phone number, and it turned out to be yours, but then I wasn’t sure whether to call the ambulance or just take Gary to hospital myself, but when I tried to move him, to get him closer to the front door, he groaned so badly that I started trembling, and—oh, Stacey, I’m so glad you’re back in Newcastle. Help my Gary. Please?’
Stacey continued to follow Nanette through the house, heading to the bedroom at the back where she could hear Gary groaning.
‘What’s wrong with him?’ Nanette kept asking, and Stacey had to use all her mental control to block the other woman out and remain calm as she introduced herself to Gary.
The man was lying quite still, sweating and clammy to the touch. Stacey pulled out her stethoscope and lifted Gary’s shirt, talking him through what she was doing. She listened to the sounds of his stomach, not wanting to palpate the abdomen, given he was already in so much pain.
She asked him about the times he’d been ill, about the type of pain he was experiencing, and after she’d taken his blood pressure and temperature she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and called for an ambulance, letting them know her suspected diagnosis.
‘Appendicitis!’ Nanette’s high-pitched shriek made their daughter start to cry and Nanette quickly jiggled the toddler up and down, whispering soothing words.
‘Is there someone who can look after your children for you, Nanette?’
‘Oh. Oh. Uh… Yes. OK. This is happening?’
‘Yes, it is.’ Stacey took Gary’s temperature again. ‘We’ll have you sorted out in next to no time,’ she told him, giving him something to help with the pain.
Within another twenty minutes Gary was being wheeled on an ambulance gurney towards Trauma Room One.
‘What have we got?’ a deep male voice asked as Stacey quickly washed her hands before pulling on a disposable gown and a pair of gloves.
She let the paramedics give the debrief as she tried desperately to ignore the way her entire body seem to fill with trembles at the sound of Pierce’s tone, but it was impossible. She was so incredibly aware of him, of memories of the way he’d tenderly touched her hair, of the way he’d stared into her eyes, of the dreams she’d had of the two of them together, and as she turned to look at him a fresh round of excitement burst forth when he smiled brightly.
‘Hello, Stace.’ He seemed a little surprised to see her but his smile was wide and genuine. ‘No sleep for you tonight, eh?’ he said as he walked over to where Gary was being transferred from the paramedic’s gurney to the hospital barouche.
‘No. I’m Gary’s GP, and his wife called me because she was concerned. I’ll just see him through to diagnosis. It’ll help his wife to feel more relaxed if she knows I’m helping to look after her husband.’
He nodded. ‘Fine by me if it’s fine by the hospital,’ he stated.
‘I’m registered here.’
‘Excellent.’ Pierce hooked his stethoscope into his ears, ready to listen to the sounds of Gary’s abdomen.
Stacey looked at her patient, pleased she’d been able to convince Nanette to go and wait in the patients’ lounge as Gary had turned exceedingly pale.
‘I think he’s going to be sick again,’ Stacey warned, and the nurses were on the ball with their assistance, attending to Gary as Pierce finished his consult.
‘Right. Let’s get some fluids into him, boost electrolytes, and an injection of Maxalon to help stop the vomiting. Cross, type and match. We also need to lower that temperature. Get the on-call surgical registrar down here.’
Stacey and the rest of the Emergency Department staff started carrying out Pierce’s orders.
‘Molly said there have been quite a few cases of food poisoning presenting at the Emergency Department?’
‘That’s correct. But in Gary’s case I think it’s something a little more sinister.’ Pierce had come around the barouche and was once more listening to the sounds of Gary’s abdomen.
‘Definitely appendix?’
‘Definitely,’ he confirmed as the surgical on-call registrar walked into the room.
‘What do we have?’ he asked.
‘Forty-five-year-old male,’ Pierce began, giving the registrar a breakdown of Gary’s vitals. ‘Initial suspected food poisoning, but all symptoms indicative of appe
ndicitis with possible signs of peritonitis. Bloods have been ordered, but I don’t think we can wait too much longer for the results.’
‘Right.’ The registrar performed his own set of examinations, listening to the sounds of Gary’s abdomen before nodding and hooking his stethoscope about his shoulders. ‘OK, Gary. We’re going to get you to Theatre as soon as possible.’ He turned to Pierce and Stacey. ‘I’ll go see if I can find a theatre that’s free and get the paperwork started. Next of kin?’
‘Gary’s wife is in the patients’ waiting room. She’s quite distraught,’ Stacey supplied.
‘And who are you?’
‘I’m their GP.’
‘Excellent. Fetch the wife from the waiting room so I can explain the operation to her and her husband and get the consent forms signed.’
Stacey nodded as the registrar left the room.
‘Brisk and to the point,’ Pierce murmured. ‘Your sister has a much better bedside manner.’
‘I’m sure he’s a good registrar,’ she offered as they watched the nurses perform Gary’s observations once more.
‘Oh, he is. There’s no doubting that.’ Pierce stood beside her, speaking softly so only she could hear. ‘I’m just saying that you Wilton women have a certain way about you that makes everyone feel more…calm, more relaxed. It’s nice.’
He smiled at her—that cute, sexy little smile that she was coming to adore. Then he winked.
The intimate action, as though linking them in their own private bubble, caused Stacey’s heart-rate to instantly increase. How was it possible that with such a small gesture he was able to tie her insides into knots and make her tremble all over?
Stacey licked her lips and gave him a little smile in return, before lifting the curtain which afforded Gary and the team the privacy they needed and slipping through before Pierce turned the rest of her body to jelly with another of his full-watt smiles.
When she’d licked her lips his gaze had dropped, taking in the action, before he’d looked into her eyes for a brief second longer. It was why she’d forced herself to move, to step away from his presence—because that one look had said so much. It had said that he wanted to hold her close, that he wanted to feel her touch, that he wanted to press his mouth to hers and take them both on a ride that would send them soaring to the stars.
