The Doctor and the Princess

by Scarlet Wilson

  She’d finally managed to procure a pair of violet scrubs and a thick pair of socks. At least she felt comfortable here at work, but from the glances Franz shot her, he was far from happy.

  ‘Shouldn’t you change? The people of Mirinez will expect a statement from their Head of State. You can’t do it looking like that.’

  She glanced down and felt a little surge of anger.

  ‘Why not? Their Head of State is a doctor. They should be proud of her.’

  Sullivan’s voice cut through everything.

  She jumped to her feet and ran over to him. What she really wanted to do was wrap her arms around his neck but it was hardly the time or place. ‘How are you? Is everything okay?’

  He pulled his surgical hat from his ruffled hair. There were huge dark circles under his eyes. He looked exhausted. ‘First case took longer than any of us thought. Mr Bahn arrested in Theatre. He’s in ICU now. I’ve just checked on him again before I came down here. I’ve also spoke to the other surgical team about their patients.’ He gave a weary smile. ‘I have to say, for a bunch of plastic surgeons they’ve done a damn good job.’

  She tipped her head to the side. ‘You didn’t think they would?’

  He shrugged. ‘I hoped. Most of these guys have spent the last few years performing cosmetic surgery. Breasts, noses, lips and liposuction.’

  She shook her head. ‘Nope. We have plenty of those too, but I demanded the doctors I knew had worked on skin and facial reconstructions. I thought they would be best.’

  He gave her an appreciative smile. ‘Then you were right. The two patients who needed facial surgery couldn’t have got any better in the US. I’m impressed.’

  ‘And I’m relieved,’ she sighed. ‘I’m just glad everything came together.’ She held up her hands. ‘Shouldn’t we have a national disaster plan, where everything just falls into place?’

  Sullivan threw back his head and laughed. He’d worked in enough countries and with enough organisations to know just how difficult those things were. ‘Good luck with that. You’re right, you should. In case of emergency, there should be an agreement between all healthcare providers in Mirinez that they’ll play their part.’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t expect them to do it for free, but when was the last time you had an emergency like this in Mirinez?’

  Gabrielle glanced at Franz then Arun, who was standing by the door, and back to Franz again. ‘I don’t actually remember if we’ve ever had an emergency before.’

  Franz frowned. ‘There was some trouble at the harbour once. An accident when a boat capsized. There were around ten casualties.’

  ‘And who looked after them?’

  Franz looked a little embarrassed. ‘Your father asked the French Prime Minister for help.’

  Gabrielle couldn’t help but let out an exasperated sigh. ‘We need to do something about this.’ Then a horrible realisation swept over her. ‘I need to do something about this.’

  Sullivan’s arm slid around her waist. While the warmth and familiarity was instantly welcomed, a thousand other thoughts of country and duty pushed into her head. ‘What you need to do—in fact, what we need to do—is get some sleep. I’m happy the patients are settled for now and we can check on them later.’

  She didn’t step away. Couldn’t. She’d forgotten just how tired he looked. He’d been down a mine then on his feet in Theatre for the last fourteen hours. She was proving to be a terrible host.

  ‘Of course, you’re right. Let’s go.’

  Franz held up his hand. ‘But what about the statement? The people will be expecting one.’

  Sullivan’s arm put a little pressure on her from behind, urging her down the corridor. ‘Just write a press release,’ he said over his shoulder.

  Arun walked in front of them, holding open the door of one of the palace limousines. ‘Arun waited too?’ Sullivan asked.

  She smiled. ‘And Mikel. He went to Princess Elizabeth’s to see if he could help—answering phones, wheeling patients about. He said he wanted to.’

  Sullivan gave a strange kind of smile. ‘It’s amazing how a disaster can bring out qualities you hadn’t noticed before.’

  He leaned back in the seat, letting himself sink into the soft leather. His arm moved from her waist to curl around her shoulders. She followed his lead and leant her head against his chest, closing her eyes for a few seconds.

  Next minute Arun was opening the door and the cool air swept around them. She rubbed her eyes and stepped out of the car, waiting for Sullivan.

  The palace corridors were quiet. Half of the staff would no doubt be glued to the news channels and the other half would be answering phones and queries from all over the globe.

  Her feet started to slow as she started to wonder if she should offer to go and help.

  ‘No,’ said Sullivan firmly.

  She stared up at him from tired eyes. ‘What do you mean, no?’

  He kept her walking. ‘You’re not going to do anything else. You’re going to rest. Take a few hours down time. Everything immediate has been dealt with.’

  She knew he was right, but something inside her stomach coiled. ‘But—’

  He cut her off. ‘But your staff haven’t had a functioning Head of State in over a year. Do you think Andreas would have organised any emergency services? Would he have found other surgeons? Treated patients? Negotiated with the directors of the hospitals?’

  Fatigue rested heavily on her shoulders. ‘No. But he isn’t a doctor. He wouldn’t have been able to think that way.’

  Sullivan stopped outside her doorway. ‘But would he have done anything?’ The coil inside her stomach gave a little somersault.

  She pushed open her door and looked inside. In her eyes, this room still belonged to her brother. It didn’t feel like the most restful place to be—she’d spent most of last night tossing and turning.

  She turned back to face Sullivan. His pale green eyes stood out against the dark night visible through her windows. ‘Probably not,’ she whispered.

  She hesitated at the door again.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked.

  She shook her head. ‘I just don’t want to sleep in there.’

  He gave a half-smile. ‘In that case, come with me.’

  He slid his hand into hers. ‘I can’t promise you’ll be safe.’

  Her heart ached. He had no idea how her thoughts tumbled around her mind right now. One hint of impropriety, one mis-seen kiss and the weight of a nation that was currently around her neck would end up around Sullivan’s too. She still hadn’t heard from Andreas. She still didn’t know why he’d left. Could it have been the pressure to start a family? They’d never discussed his family plans. But as soon as he’d married, there had been constant press speculation about a pregnancy—an heir to the throne.

  In the blink of an eye the same could happen to her. Every sighting of her with a man would result in hints of an engagement then a wedding. Then the pressure to have a baby, to continue the line of succession for Mirinez.

  How could she contemplate putting all of that on Sullivan? There were already tiny shadows behind his eyes. He hadn’t told her everything. She knew that. But she respected his right to privacy. The press wouldn’t.

  She looked down the empty corridor. She felt entirely selfish. And so physically tired. But still it was as though every cell in her body just ached for him. She pushed everything else aside. Gave him a smile. ‘I think I will be. I could probably sleep standing up right now.’ He raised his eyebrows and she added, ‘I’d just rather do it next to you.’

  He opened the door to his apartments. The bed was right in the middle of the room, the dark windows looking out over the city below. He pulled his scrub top over his head and kicked off his shoes before he was even halfway across the room. She sat down on the edge of the be
d and wriggled out of her scrub trousers and pulled off her borrowed shoes and socks, hesitating at the bottom of her top.

  A soft T-shirt landed sideways on her shoulder. ‘Here, have this,’ he said as he climbed into bed, wearing only his black jockey shorts. This wasn’t exactly how she’d expected to spend her first night in Sullivan’s bed, but for now it just felt right.

  ‘Thanks,’ she said, swiftly swapping the scrub top for the T-shirt and crawling into bed next to him.

  He held out his arm and she put her head on his chest, her arm resting across his body.

  For the first time since she’d returned home she felt relieved.

  This was exactly how things were supposed to be.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  IT WAS THE ideal way to wake up. A warm body next to his, their limbs intertwined, and soft lemon-scented hair under his nose.

  Once his eyes had flickered open he really didn’t want to move.

  He glanced at the clock. It was only six a.m. So far he’d seen one a.m., two a.m. and five a.m. Thankfully he’d missed three a.m. and four a.m. Last night had been a good night and Gabrielle’s steady breathing had definitely played a part in that. It was likely that Gabrielle’s day was due to start any minute. He would dearly love to wake her up with the promise that had been hovering between them since they’d first met.

  His body wanted him to wake her that way.

  He gave a little groan as she shifted next to him and laid her palm on his bare chest. He wasn’t quite sure how Gabrielle wanted to play this.

  The palace staff would be looking for her any minute. Would Princess Gabrielle want to be found in his apartments, wearing only a T-shirt and her underwear? He didn’t think so.

  He gave her a gentle shake. ‘Gabrielle, wake up. We have patients to check on and you have a country to run.’

  She made a comfortable little noise as she snuggled closer, her fingers brushing the hairs on his chest. ‘It can’t be time yet. It just can’t.’

  He smiled. The temptation to stay here was too strong. Things were changing. A few days ago he’d thought he was going to have a harmless fling with a colleague. He hadn’t contemplated anything else.

  But circumstances had changed. For both of them.

  The attraction between them was still strong. He would happily act on it in the blink of an eye. But Gabrielle wasn’t just thinking about herself now. Everything she did would be examined and watched. He didn’t want to make the front-page news in Mirinez. He didn’t want her criticised or judged because of a casual relationship.

  It was clear Gabrielle was already going to have to bear the brunt for the work her brother had ignored. He’d abdicated just as things were about to come to a head—that much was clear.

  Her soft hair tickled under his nose and she moved her leg, brushing his thigh.

  He groaned out loud.

  She sat up in bed. ‘What time is it? Oh, no. They’ll be looking for me.’

  He smiled. Her hair was mussed up and one cheek showed a crease from the pillow. ‘That’s what I thought. That’s why I woke you.’

  She swung her legs around the edge of the bed then paused, her dark eyes fixing on his. ‘You were pretty amazing yesterday. Did I even thank you?’

  ‘You don’t need to thank me. I’m a doctor, it’s what I do. But I thought you were pretty amazing too. We make a good team.’

  Her smile reached her eyes as she nodded. ‘You’re right, we do.’ She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to tame it. ‘I’ll need to check up on what’s happened with the directors of the mine. I’ll probably need to give an update to Parliament.’ She stood up and walked across the room. His pale T-shirt outlined her figure in the early morning light. ‘And then I’ll meet you back at the hospital and help review the patients.’

  He pushed himself up in the bed. ‘You won’t need to do that. I’m sure there are enough doctors at the two hospitals who can help me review the patients.’

  ‘You don’t know what the private hospitals can be like. Some doctors only like to see their own fee-paying patients.’

  ‘Well, I didn’t meet any of them last night. Maybe the fact that Princess Gabrielle was front and centre in the whole affair helped them find their civic sense?’

  She shook her head. ‘I’m fairly sure that the cold light of day and the arrival of the hospital accountants will mean that today will mainly be about finances.’

  He slid out of bed and started to search through his backpack for some suitable clothes. ‘Then I’m sure you can find a way to deal with it. This was an emergency situation. It might be the first, but you have to plan ahead. Give the task to Parliament to deal with.’

  She looked thoughtful then walked back over to him, putting one hand on top of his arm and reaching the other up to touch his cheek. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered. ‘This wasn’t exactly how I imagined us spending the night together.’

  He shook his head. ‘Me neither.’

  She licked her lips. It was almost as if she was trying to stop the words that came to her lips. ‘Then let me make it up to you. How about dinner tonight? We haven’t had a chance to spend much time together.’

  ‘I like the sound of that.’

  She stood on tiptoe and planted a soft kiss on his lips. ‘Then let’s make it a date.’ She grinned as she spun around and headed to the door. ‘And dress appropriately, Dr Darcy!’

  * * *

  It was odd. She’d worked with the guy at close quarters for two weeks. She was still sorry that their night at the bar had been curtailed and waking up in his arms this morning had felt much more comfortable than it should have.

  The day had gone quickly. There had been legal requirements, more agreements to sign, a meeting with Parliament, then she’d shared the rest of the day between the two hospitals. By the time she’d got to the first, Sullivan had reviewed all his patients and gone to the second hospital to help with communication with the Chinese patient.

  He’d been right. The hospital doctors had cancelled their theatre lists and reviewed all the accident victims. It was only the finance departments that had a whole host of queries, but she’d expected those.

  She was only just beginning to get a handle on exactly how much work her brother had left behind. He still hadn’t answered any calls or emails. He must have heard about the explosion in the mine but he still hadn’t called home. It was probably just as well, because right now most of what she’d say to him couldn’t be repeated.

  She adjusted the straps on her black dress and gave a wriggle. She hadn’t quite got used to wearing formal clothes again. Yesterday the scrubs had been a relief. And when she’d opened her wardrobe tonight to find something to wear to dinner, she’d felt strangely nervous.

  The thoughts of the press finding out about Sullivan being in the palace with her still made her nervous.

  Any man who decided to be with Princess Gabrielle would need to know what he was getting into. Every inch of his life would be exposed to the press. Sullivan could be sparky. Sullivan could be fun. His doctor side was compassionate and expertly efficient. But there was part of him that was private.

  She needed to tread carefully. When she’d woken this morning, for a few seconds she’d felt nothing but bliss. But as soon as she’d opened the door and walked down the corridor to her apartments her royal life had been back, front and foremost.

  Something was blossoming between them, that much was clear. That had been the impetus for tonight’s invitation. She’d spoken on instinct, wanting to reach out and find out what came next.

  Later her stomach had churned. Her emotions had cooled and rational thoughts had filled her brain. A tiny little seed was taking root. She liked him. She liked him a lot. Make the wrong move and Sullivan could be scared off by the press.

  He�
��d served two tours of duty. He probably wasn’t the kind of guy to be scared off by a few photographers or articles. He didn’t strike her as that kind of guy at all. But she just didn’t know. And she was scared.

  Scared enough to have spoken at length to Arun today. Everything about tonight was to be entirely private. Sullivan had insisted on organising everything, but she had made sure there would be no whisper about what they were doing.

  Her black dress with sequins around the V-shaped neckline was a favourite. Anji, one of the palace ladies-in-waiting, gave her an approving smile. ‘Your Majesty should wear your mother’s necklace with that.’

  Gabrielle gave a little start. She’d completely forgotten about the family jewels. In a way, she was surprised that Andreas’s wife hadn’t taken them all with her.

  ‘Where are they?’

  Anji smiled. ‘In the main safe. The diamond drop necklace would look perfect with that dress.’

  Gabrielle stared at her reflection for a second. Anji was right. It would look perfect. But opening the safe and wearing the family jewels would be another step towards being the ruler, remaining the Princess. Her stomach flipped over. She still hadn’t got used to the idea. This all just seemed so unreal. Almost as if she were living someone else’s life.

  Her mouth was dry. ‘Okay, would you tell Arun I’d like to access the safe?’

  It was ridiculous that she should be nervous. She’d already seen the administrative work that needed to be done for Mirinez. She hadn’t even questioned that there were treaties to sign, deals to negotiate. But this was different. This was personal.

  A few moments later Arun appeared behind her and led her down the corridor to the family safe. He gave her a nod. As Head of Security he knew every item in the safe. She sucked in a breath as it was swung open.

  ‘I half expected the family jewels to be gone,’ she joked.

  Arun glanced over her shoulder. ‘Some of them were. I had to make sure they were returned.’

  Her eyes widened. ‘You mean...’