‘That he has a previously undiscovered allergy to morphine. We will write it on his notes and make sure the information is received by everyone we speak to. We will also advise the patient that it would be a good idea to wear a medic alert bracelet from now on.’
‘That was good.’ Matteo slapped Luke on the back as they left the house. ‘I might not have thought of recommending the bracelet.’
‘I was too slow to spot the change in our patient’s condition. Well done, you.’
Matteo grinned at him. ‘We make a good team.’
‘We’ve got a break now, haven’t we? About an hour?’
‘We should use it to do the driving test.’
‘Okay.’ The driving test was something they could do at any point of the day. A gravelled area beside the river that ran through this village had been cordoned off. A line of orange road cones marked the test area. They could see an ambulance completing the test as they arrived, clouds of dust billowing as it snaked around the cones at high speed and then came to a sudden halt between the cones marking the end of the course.
Another car was waiting for its turn.
The car with the Scottish flags.
‘Cute.’ Matteo grinned. ‘I didn’t notice that before.’
Luke raised his eyebrows. ‘You mean Georgia? Or Kate?’ He wasn’t sure he liked the idea of Matteo being attracted to Kate. Then he shook the reaction off. Why not? Matteo was a great guy and the best friend he’d had since Kate had vanished from his life. He’d make some lucky woman an ideal husband and father for her children and, if Kate felt the same way, he should do his best to make it happen.
But Matteo was laughing. ‘Oh, the girls are both cute but that wasn’t what I was looking at. Have you seen what is tied to the front of their car?’
No. Because Luke had been looking at Kate who was standing beside the car, talking to Georgia who was in the driver’s seat. He glanced at the stuffed toy bear that was wearing a kilt and holding a set of bagpipes.
Matteo rolled down his window and pointed to the toy. ‘He is going to get dirty, I think.’
‘All part of the fun,’ Georgia called back. ‘Which one of you is going to do the driving? You’re only allowed one person in the vehicle.’
Georgia was clearly the one doing the test for their team. Luke glanced at Matteo and unclipped his seat belt.
‘You do it,’ he said. ‘You’ve got far more experience with emergency driving skills than I have. I’ll wait with Kate.’
‘Cool.’ Matteo was already focussed on what Georgia was doing to see what his turn would involve.
Luke walked over to where Kate was standing, well away from where the dust clouds would drift.
‘How’s it all going?’ he asked.
‘Great.’ Kate’s expression was animated and she opened her mouth again as if she couldn’t wait to tell him about something but then it snapped shut and the excitement faded into disappointment. ‘But we can’t talk about it yet.’
‘No.’ It was a moment longer before Luke turned away from watching her face. Did she have any idea how much of what she was thinking was revealed in how quickly her expressions could change? He’d forgotten that about conversations with Kate. Forgotten how entertaining it was.
They both watched Georgia as she careened through the serpentine, knocking over a couple of cones.
‘She’s a bit wild.’
‘Enthusiastic,’ Kate conceded. ‘But she’ll get another go. The team before us had three goes.’
So they had a few minutes, then. And nothing to talk about?
‘Where did you say that you’re working in Glasgow? At the Western?’
‘No. The Eastern. We’re a specialised maternity and paediatric hospital. Best PICU in Scotland.’
Luke nodded. ‘Yes...some of our surgical cases have been transferred there. Are you based in PICU?’
‘No. I’m on the wards as a senior paediatric registrar. I do the occasional shift in Emergency as well.’
‘Are you happy?’
Kate’s eyes widened. ‘With the job? Of course. I’ve always loved working with kids.’
Luke wanted to know what that flicker in her eyes suggested. That she wasn’t happy with her life away from work?
‘I remember,’ was all he said. ‘You had a rapport with small people right from the start. How come you haven’t got some of your own now? You never said last night...’
‘Huh? Some of my own what?’
‘Kids.’
‘No.’ Kate’s gaze slid away from his to watch Georgia’s second attempt at the course. ‘I will, though. One day. It’s certainly still part of the grand plan.’
There was a wistful note in her voice. A flick of a glance that made him wonder if she was hearing the echoes of that champagne-doused conversation. Remembering his plan to have a stellar career and find the woman of his dreams to share the glory with?
His breath came out in a soft snort. Ah, well...he was well on the way to the career he’d dreamed of, at least. He flicked a glance back at Kate.
‘So you’ve got a potential father lined up?’
Kate shaded her eyes against the sun. ‘That’s better, Georgia, but you’re too slow now...’
‘A partner?’ Luke persisted. ‘A boyfriend? Any kind of significant other?’
Kate sighed, sounding a little exasperated. ‘No.’
Luke was silent for a moment, digesting the information, as Georgia circled back to where the officials were standing. They seemed to be having a discussion about whether she would have another attempt.
So Kate was single.
This was good, he decided. It meant that there were no barriers to them spending some time together and he didn’t have to find someone so that they could double date.
This was more than good. It was excellent.
‘And you’re thirty-five...’ Oh, help. Had he said that aloud?
Judging by Kate’s dismissive snort, she had heard the impulsive statement.
‘I can’t believe you even remember that, given how drunk you were at the time.’
Kate had been just as enthusiastic about opening that second bottle of champagne. And she obviously remembered the pact...
‘Anyway, it’s null and void now. You got married.’
‘Hey... I made a mistake.’ Luke kept his tone light. ‘You don’t need to rub my nose in it.’
‘Sorry.’ Kate offered him a smile. ‘Good thing you didn’t have kids, I guess. Or did you?’
‘No. Thank goodness. It was a clean—and complete—breakup.’
There was a moment’s silence. Georgia was lining up to have what would probably be her last attempt at the driving test. Matteo was leaning out of his window, watching carefully.
Kate was also watching carefully but Luke couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease her a little.
‘The pact didn’t have any sub-clauses that I remember,’ he said. ‘Didn’t we solemnly declare that if we were both still single when we were thirty five, we would marry each other?’
The glance Kate gave him over her shoulder was dismissive. ‘Thanks, but I intend to give it a bit more time. I haven’t given up on true love yet. My soul mate is out there somewhere—I just haven’t found him yet.’
Luke had to groan. ‘You don’t really believe in that, do you? Finding ‘the one’?’
He could see her shoulders stiffen. And her voice was cool. ‘Maybe I want what you and Nadia had.’
‘No.’ The word came out with unexpected vehemence. ‘You don’t.’
‘It was great when it started, though, wasn’t it? I’d never seen you so happy.’
There was that wistful note again and Luke’s brain broke the rules and dredged up a memory of what it had been like to be so in love. How magic it had been. He shut down the memory instantly. He didn’t ne
ed that kind of magic in his life now because that was all it was. A spell. One that could be reversed with no more than a click of someone’s fingers to leave devastation in its wake.
Kate broke the silence. Maybe she realised she’d stirred up something unpleasant for him because her tone was gentle.
‘You just found it with the wrong person,’ she said.
‘And you think you can find the right one?’
‘I hope so.’
‘How will you know?’ Luke was genuinely curious.
‘I don’t know exactly,’ Kate admitted. ‘I guess I’ll have to trust my instincts.’
‘Good luck with that.’ Luke was more than happy to leave this conversation. He was relieved to see that Georgia was driving back towards them, passing Matteo who went to take his position at the start. ‘I really hope you’ll find him,’ he added. ‘And that you’ll live happily ever after.’
Kate smiled at him. ‘So you agree that the pact is null and void, then?’
Luke shrugged. ‘I’m over the whole marriage thing, anyway. Been there, got the T-shirt. Friendship’s better.’ He smiled back at Kate. ‘Seems to last a lot longer, too.’
He could see sympathy in Kate’s eyes. And something more. Something warm.
‘You’re right. True friendship is the most important thing in the world.’ Her breath came out in a sigh as she smiled again. ‘It’s really good to see you again, Luke.’
‘Likewise. We’ll have to make sure we don’t lose touch when we get back home. I’m still a fish out of water in Scotland. I haven’t had time to meet anybody, apart from the people I work with, yet. I haven’t been anywhere or seen anything, either.’
‘I haven’t done much sightseeing myself,’ Kate told him, as Georgia joined them. ‘I’m sure there are some great places to go in Scotland.’
‘Are you kidding?’ Georgia sounded offended. ‘It’s the most beautiful country in the world. We’ve got the most gorgeous lakes and forests and more castles than could ever wish for.’ She grinned. ‘The weather can be a bit grey and wet, of course, but it’s summer now. You’ll get at least three days of sunshine.’
‘It’s a plan, then,’ Kate said. ‘The first day we both have off, we’ll go and find something to see.’
‘Even if it’s not one of the three sunny days?’
Kate laughed. ‘I don’t mind rain. You get to find a lovely old pub with a roaring open fire and have a long lunch.’
The sun was shining on them right now and Luke was feeling good. That unpleasant reminder of failure in his personal life was well buried again and the future was suddenly looking a lot brighter.
He had the promise of expanding his horizons. Of a new country to explore and company that he knew would make it a lot more fun. Waving Kate and Georgia off as they headed for their next task, he found himself smiling.
He was even hoping that it would rain on that day off. He was looking forward to one of those long lunches.
CHAPTER THREE
THE STEW AND potato dumplings on offer for lunch were rapidly becoming unappetisingly familiar.
Not that Georgia was bothered.
‘I’m starving,’ she told Kate as they handed over their vouchers and found a place to sit in the dining area. ‘I feel like I’ve been on a full shift already and we’re only a third of our way through the competition. At least we get a break after this. I’m going to try and catch a nap.’
Kate wasn’t that bothered either. She was barely tasting her food, in fact.
After they’d eaten, they wandered outside and found a grassy patch to lie on under a shady tree. Georgia promptly closed her eyes and gave every appearance of having fallen asleep but Kate found herself staring up at the play of light on leaves dancing in a soft breeze.
The pact had been dismissed.
It had been a relief not to have to argue any more about any lingering validity to that vow they’d made but, oddly, there was a feeling curiously like disappointment in the wake of that relief.
Why?
She’d made such a determined effort to get past that crush when she’d first met Luke. To get over the heartbreak of watching him get attracted to other women. She’d only ever been one of his close circle of friends and, in the end, she’d embraced that position in his life because it was a whole lot better than not having him in her life.
He’d never seen her as anything more than a friend, she knew that for sure. Such a good friend that those around them at medical school had commented more than once that they were perfect for each other and that they should make it official, but both Kate and Luke had laughed off the suggestions. Because Kate would never forget the first time it had happened—the look of shock in Luke’s eyes as they’d caught each other’s gazes. The embarrassment that the idea of having sex with a friend had generated.
It had been the final push to give up any remnants of that crush and she’d done it so successfully that the next time someone said something, she’d actually felt that same embarrassment herself.
But the pact had been a product of how much they’d cared about each other and, looking back now, Kate remembered that it had been almost an insurance policy and actually a comfort on more than one occasion when a relationship had hit the wall.
Only until Luke had married Nadia, of course. After that, she’d had to cope without the comfort of reminding herself that someone would still want her when she’d been on the shelf so long that her use-by date had expired.
And now she was that age and it was only the pact that had expired. Despite both Luke and Georgia’s disenchantment with the whole business, she really did believe in love. In finding her soul mate. Someone that she would fall totally in love with and who would feel the same way about her. She knew what that felt like because she’d come close enough to touch it in the early stages of a past romance or two and she’d recognised the moment that the elusive goal had slipped from her fingers. The moment when it had become obvious that they weren’t right for each other. The moment when the flicker had sputtered and died...
There was no such thing as a use-by date, she told herself. She had all the time in the world. She just had to silence that malevolent little voice in the back of her head that was not in agreement. The one that whispered in a taunting tone.
You know there’s a use-by date on some dreams, Kate. Just how long do you think you’ve got to keep looking? Until you’re forty-five and too old to hope for that baby to hold in your arms?
Was that what the disappointment was about? That, subconsciously, she had welcomed the idea that the insurance policy had been reinstated and that, even if she didn’t find the love of her life, she could still have the family she’d always dreamed of?
How ridiculous.
Yes, she loved Luke but it was still only a friendship. She’d worked hard to make that a reality for both of them and, honestly, she’d been barely more than a teenager when she’d hoped for something more. She was grown up now and so was Luke. They were different people in many ways.
And the idea of having sex with him was still too embarrassing to even think about. It would be as bad as confessing the crush he’d been so oblivious to.
* * *
This was more like it.
The scene that Luke and Matteo entered that afternoon as their ninth task was exactly the kind of scenario that they’d expected from such a famous, international competition.
It was set in a huge park and it was a multi-casualty incident of a mini-bus crash. As the two men approached the cordoned-off area that had many spectators surrounding it, they took in the bus crumpled against a huge tree and a person lying motionless nearby. They could see people wandering aimlessly around, including a woman holding a blood-stained cloth to her head, and they could hear cries coming from inside the bus.
‘Wow...’
Not only must it have
been a mammoth undertaking to set this scenario up, Luke could see that it had been duplicated on the other side of the park so that more than one team at a time could compete.
Matteo was leading this scene.
‘I think this is a triage exercise,’ he told Luke, quietly. ‘We don’t stop to treat anything unless it’s immediately life-threatening.’ He pulled some brightly coloured labels from the kit as he raised his voice. ‘Anyone who can walk, please come here.’
People began moving. A man climbed out of the bus. They all looked visibly shaken and some had minor injuries like scrapes and bruises. The man who had come out of the bus was holding his arm as if it hurt to move it.
‘The driver,’ one of them said. ‘He’s bad...’
‘There’s a woman still on the bus...’ another person told them. ‘She has a little boy...’
‘Stay here,’ Luke ordered the small group. ‘We’ll be back.’
Matteo was already beside the man lying on the ground. Their first patient was conscious and Luke could hear him as he got closer.
‘It hurts,’ he groaned. ‘It hurts so much...’
He could talk, so his airway wasn’t a problem. There was no obvious haemorrhage that needed to be stopped but he was clearly in severe pain, possibly with internal injuries, so he was tagged with a green label as status two—needing urgent treatment but no immediate life-saving measures.
‘We’ll be right back,’ Luke promised. ‘As soon as we check to see who else needs help.’
The woman with the head injury was confused and trying to wander away from the scene and she was rubbing at her neck as if it hurt. Matteo put the rubber band of another green label around her wrist and then called to one of the men in the uninjured group and gave him the task of looking after her.
‘Get her to sit down and try to keep her head still so she doesn’t move her neck. Don’t let her go anywhere. We’ll be back.’
Then they climbed into the bus. The driver was slumped over the steering wheel. A judge was seated near the front of the bus.
Luke lifted the man’s head to open his airway. He felt for a carotid pulse in the man’s neck.
The Doctor's Wife for Keeps Page 4
