The Surgeon's Secret

by Lucy Clark

  ‘He’s in the plaster room, getting a cast on his leg. I want him in overnight for observation,’ Alex said.

  ‘That will mean all his drunk rugby buddies will be around to see him later today,’ Ian added. ‘I’d better notify the ward sister or she won’t be too happy.’

  ‘Good idea.’ Alex nodded.

  Jordanne gave Dylan Foster’s case notes to Ian so he could make the necessary arrangements.

  ‘I’ll get onto it right away.’ Ian walked out of the room, leaving Jordanne and Alex alone.

  ‘A very…unique case,’ Jordanne remarked after a moment’s silence. ‘Mr Foster will fit nicely into the amateur athlete section of the study.’

  ‘Agreed.’ Alex leaned back against the desk, his arms folded across his chest. Still he didn’t venture to say anything.

  Back to monosyllables, she thought. ‘I presume a case study has already been done on Mr Foster?’ Jordanne asked, trying not to be intimidated by his stance.

  ‘Yes.’

  She clenched her jaw tightly together as Alex began to annoy her once more. ‘Do you think I could do an updated presentation for the grand round next week?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Why not?’ Jordanne was now having trouble controlling her rising temper. ‘He’s an incredible case. I’ve never seen anything like it before and there are quite a few new staff members who won’t be familiar with the previous findings. Isn’t that what the grand round is for? I mean, everybody who’s anybody is at that meeting for the purpose of learning about new and interesting cases.’ There, she thought. Try and answer that with a monosyllable.

  He gave her a thoughtful look before nodding. ‘You’ll be too busy. I’ll get Ian to do it. He did the last one.’

  Jordanne grinned exuberantly. She’d managed to get him to say more than one word in that answer.

  ‘Something funny?’ Alex asked, frowning—a look she was positive he’d been born with, he did it so often to her.

  Jordanne instantly wiped the smile from her face. ‘No.’ The one-word reply was her crowning glory. Her lips might not be smiling but her eyes were twinkling with delight. When her stomach grumbled its protest at the lack of food, the humour died altogether. She glanced up at Alex, not sure whether or not he’d heard. His raised eyebrow indicated he had.

  For a brief second the world appeared to stand still. There was silent communication going on between them—a communication that both were trying hard to ignore. His gaze displayed an emotion Jordanne hadn’t witnessed before and briefly—so quickly, she thought she’d imagined it—his gaze dipped to her lips.

  Her stomach fluttered in anticipation and her breathing increased. Her lips parted to let the air out and the tip of her tongue slipped between them, moistening their suddenly dry state.

  Alex cleared his throat. ‘So, do you want to see him?’

  ‘Who?’ Jordanne’s mind was a complete blank. ‘Oh, Dylan Foster. You said he was in the plaster room, didn’t you?’

  ‘Yes.’ Alex turned on his heel and walked out of the consulting room. Jordanne followed behind. The plaster room was only two doors down. Alex knocked before entering and held the door for Jordanne.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, a little surprised he’d actually waited.

  ‘Mr Foster.’ Alex addressed the man lying on the examination couch. The plaster orderly was almost finished. ‘This is Dr McElroy, my associate.’

  ‘Well, hello, there.’ Dylan Foster leered at Jordanne. ‘Where have you been hiding all my life?’

  Jordanne forced a smile and ignored his question. ‘Mr Foster—’ she began.

  ‘My friends call me Dylan,’ he corrected in what she could only presume was his attempt at a sexy voice. ‘You can, too.’

  ‘Thank you so much,’ Jordanne answered. ‘Dr Page has brought your unique case to my attention. I’m currently involved in a study of lower limb fractures and a new medication which helps repair fractures more quickly. It’s a non-steroidal, non-performance-enhancing medication. In the study, we’re mainly focusing on professionally trained athletes, but we’ll also be including case studies of amateur and non-athletes. As you periodically play rugby and have sustained injuries from it, you’re perfect—’ Jordanne smiled sweetly as she said the word ‘—for our study.’

  ‘Am I, now?’ He raised one eyebrow at her suggestively.

  ‘If you’re interested, I’d be more than happy to supply you with further information. It’s important that the participants of the study understand exactly what’s involved.’

  ‘Well, how about you and me get together tonight and discuss things in more detail?’

  ‘I have some meetings this afternoon but I can certainly come to the ward to discuss the study.’

  ‘It’s a date,’ he said, and as he lowered his eyelids in what Jordanne could only surmise was supposed to be his ‘sexy’ look, she was hard-pressed to keep from laughing out loud.

  ‘I’ll see you then.’ With that, she turned and walked out, fearing she wouldn’t be able to control her mirth for much longer.

  Alex was hard on her heels. He gently placed his hand beneath her elbow and propelled her into his consulting room. He closed the door behind them. Jordanne tried hard to ignore the tingling throughout her body which his touch had evoked and instead glared down at his hand on her arm, indicating she wasn’t too impressed with his urging. He removed his hand instantly.

  ‘What on earth were you playing at in there?’ he demanded briskly.

  ‘Sorry?’ Jordanne frowned. ‘I don’t follow.’

  ‘You were flirting with a patient.’

  ‘What? Have you lost your mind? I was not flirting with a patient,’ she denied instantly. ‘He was flirting with me. There’s a big difference.’

  ‘Oh, please. You did everything to encourage him. He’s not that important to the study. We can find another patient to participate.’

  ‘He’s not a threat, Alex. I’ve handled worse than him before. Women learn these survival skills to protect themselves from leering males in high school. It’s the quiet, shy men that are a lot more dangerous than the likes of Mr Dylan Foster.’ She looked at him pointedly, indicating she meant men like him. ‘Dylan’s all bluster. Trust me, Alex. Growing up with four brothers has taught me a thing or two about men.’

  ‘You have no idea what you’re talking about.’

  Jordanne saw red. ‘How can you say that? You hardly know me.’ She took a deep breath, knowing that she had to cool it.

  Alex shoved his hands into his trouser pockets and frowned.

  ‘Look,’ Jordanne began again, more calmly. ‘I’ll be talking to him in the ward. There’ll be plenty of staff around. It’s not as though we’re going to have a candlelit dinner in the privacy of his home. It will still be daylight outside.’

  ‘Let me know when you’re going to see him,’ Alex insisted.

  ‘Fine.’ Her tone was clipped. ‘Come along if that’s what makes you happy but, remember, you did employ me to do this research study. If you’re going to be looking over my shoulder every five minutes, second-guessing what’s going on, I might as well go back to Sydney right now. My job was to lighten your load and get this project up and running. Now, you either trust me to do it or I leave. It’s as simple as that.’ Jordanne turned to walk out of his room and Alex quickly closed the distance between them. He placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face him, dropping his hand almost the instant he’d made contact.

  ‘I’m very protective of my staff.’ Alex focused on her lips for an instant before meeting her gaze again. ‘If Mr Foster continues with his present attitude, it could be bordering on sexual harassment and I don’t want any staff in my department to have to endure it. Not from other staff members and not from patients. I won’t stand for it and neither will the hospital. Besides, Jed would have my head if he thought I’d let anything happen to you.’

  Jordanne looked up at him, knowing she could quite easily drown in those gorgeous
blue eyes. ‘I appreciate your concern, Alex, but I’m a big girl,’ she told him, amazed at how gooey inside his words had made her feel. He cared—he really cared. ‘I know the hospital’s policy regarding sexual harassment. If I have any problems with Dylan Foster—groping hands, that sort of thing—I’ll report it immediately and you can take over his involvement in the study. But to tell you the truth, I think Mr Foster is all talk and no action. What’s the bet he’s married with a couple of kids but just has to look heroic in front of any other man?’ she suggested, hoping to lighten the atmosphere a bit.

  In the past fifteen minutes she’d seen more of the real Alex Page than she had during the entire time she’d been working with him.

  Alex considered what she’d said. ‘All right,’ he conceded. ‘Go and see him by yourself but if—’

  ‘I promise, Alex,’ she told him seriously. Her stomach growled again and Jordanne rolled her eyes, glad that something had broken the sombre mood. ‘I think I’d better go finish up with my patients before my stomach protests any louder.’

  This time when she went to open the door he didn’t stop her. Jordanne returned to her own consulting room, even more puzzled than when she’d first begun the clinic. Alex had shown such genuine concern for her that perhaps, just perhaps, during their time of working together he’d been covering up other feelings he hadn’t wanted Jordanne to know about.

  She considered herself quite experienced at reading the signals a man could send a woman he liked. Now she was certain that that was exactly what Alex Page had been doing.

  ‘Wait until I tell Kirsten,’ she whispered to herself before a knock on the door brought her back to reality. Her next patient was shown in but nothing could shift Jordanne’s good mood.

  She and Kirsten discussed Alex—his every word and action—at length and in detail for the rest of the week. He had still remained a little standoffish with her and had asked for a complete report on her meeting with Dylan Foster. Jordanne had been pleased to tell him that Mr Foster was indeed married and his wife had been present when she’d spoken with him.

  ‘It sounds as though Alex wants to keep his distance from you,’ Kirsten said thoughtfully as Jordanne poured her another cup of coffee.

  ‘Oh, and there’s another thing,’ Jordanne added. ‘I was talking to Sally yesterday and she asked me about my dinner with Alex. I told her I hadn’t been out to dinner with him.’

  ‘Of course.’ Kirsten raised her free hand to her head. ‘Why didn’t I remember that sooner? Alex’s dinner.’

  ‘You know about this?’ Jordanne asked with surprise.

  ‘That he takes all his new surgical staff out to dinner? Yes. You know I went out with Alex, Sally and Jed—that was supposed to be Sally’s business dinner with Alex.

  ‘Oh?’ Jordanne frowned. ‘I didn’t know that.’

  ‘Sally had wanted me to see that Jed felt nothing for her. Huh! Sometimes the tension between the two of them was so taut you could have cut it with a knife.’ Kirsten smiled in remembrance.

  Jordanne smiled, too. ‘And now they’re happily engaged.’ She sipped her coffee. ‘Well, this is the first I’ve heard of these dinners.’

  ‘You have been rather busy during the past few weeks. Maybe he just hasn’t had the time to arrange it with you.’

  ‘Perhaps,’ Jordanne agreed, but somehow she doubted it. There was definitely something going on and Jordanne was going to find out what.

  CHAPTER TWO

  ON FRIDAY afternoon, four full weeks since she’d started working with Alex, Jordanne was in her office preparing to go to the Institute of Australasian Sport to work on the research project. Her pager sounded and she glanced at the number. ‘A and E,’ she murmured, and sat back down at her desk.

  ‘Dr McElroy,’ she said once the connection was made.

  ‘Jordanne, we have a private patient of Alex’s here. Hit-and-run victim. Louise Kellerman.’

  ‘I’ll be right down,’ Jordanne announced, and returned the receiver to the cradle. She contacted the Institute of Australasian Sport laboratory to let them know she probably wouldn’t make it in that day before heading towards A and E.

  ‘She’s in trauma room one,’ the sister there told her.

  ‘Thanks.’ Jordanne entered the room and crossed to Louise’s side. She smiled commiseratingly at her patient. ‘Are you feeling any pain?’

  Louise’s eyes closed momentarily before she looked at Jordanne, tears welling in her eyes. ‘No,’ she whispered.

  ‘That’s good. You’re in good hands now. Everything will be fine. I’m just going to read the notes the paramedics have taken. You rest.’

  Louise’s response was to close her eyes. Jordanne felt strongly for the twenty-two-year-old woman who had only been to see her last Friday morning in Alex’s private clinic.

  She’d initially been to a skating rink and had been caught up in a gang of fast, enthusiastic skaters. They’d shoved her out of the way, sending her hurtling across the roller-rink into a collision with a wall. Her right femur had been fractured in two places. Alex and Jordanne had realigned the fractures before a cast had been applied.

  Jordanne had been due to check on Louise’s femur in another three weeks, and hadn’t expected to see her patient until then. Now the poor woman had become the victim of a hit-and-run accident. Jordanne reviewed all of this in Louise’s notes then read the paramedic report before receiving an update from Teagan Hughes, one of Alex’s junior registrars.

  ‘Ms Kellerman is stable and vital signs are good, which is amazing considering her injuries. Mild concussion and check X-rays will be requested. Left Colles’ fracture to the wrist, fractured left humerus and her shoulder’s been dislocated, too. Left hip is dislocated, left femur and tibia are fractured, and at this stage I don’t know about her right femur. As you can see…’ Teagan indicated the tatty cast that was being cut off Louise’s leg ‘…the cast took quite a bit of damage. The paramedics said her crutches were in bits and pieces.’

  ‘Disgusting. Hit-and-run accidents are disgusting,’ Jordanne murmured. ‘Go on.’

  ‘The left side of her pelvis doesn’t feel too stable so I was going to order X-rays for that as well.’

  ‘Good. Let me know when she’s out of Radiology. I’ll tell Alex.’ Jordanne checked on Louise, who was now sleeping, before leaving A and E and returning to the department. Alex was in a meeting and when she spoke to his secretary she discovered it was scheduled to go for at least another hour.

  ‘Who’s the meeting with?’ Jordanne asked, wondering when would be a good time to interrupt it. Louise could well be another hour just in Radiology, depending on how busy they were.

  ‘Your brother,’ Alex’s secretary responded.

  ‘Jed?’ Jordanne was surprised. ‘Oh, well, in that case, I guess I can interrupt the meeting.’

  She knocked once on Alex’s door and opened it. Alex was sitting behind his desk while Jed sat opposite him. Both were laughing.

  ‘Jordanne!’ Jed’s eyes lit up with happiness as he stood to embrace his sister.

  ‘Hey, big brother.’ She wrapped her arms around him in their usual family greeting. When she turned to face Alex his smile had disappeared and he was regarding her fiercely. What had she done now?

  She stepped from Jed’s arms and turned to face him. ‘Sorry to break up the party but Louise Kellerman is in A and E. Victim of a hit-and-run accident.’

  Alex groaned and looked at Jed. ‘Can we finish this later?’

  ‘Sure. When work calls…’ Jed trailed off and a smile lit his face. ‘Actually, it means I can go and surprise my fiancée while she’s doing research this afternoon.’

  Alex laughed. ‘Time was we couldn’t prise you away from your consulting desk, and now you’re willing to play hookey? I knew I was right about you and Sally. Even before you met her you were so vehemently opposed to her.’

  ‘Were you?’ Jordanne asked her brother.

  ‘It was Sally’s wealthy background that mad
e me…cautious,’ Jed defended himself. ‘Yet when Sally arrived in Canberra as my right-hand man, Alex immediately started flirting with her.’

  ‘Really?’ Jordanne was unable to hide her astonishment. It seemed so out of character for the Alex Page she’d worked with over the past month.

  Alex looked at her and shrugged before turning his attention to Jed. ‘I knew if Jed had feelings for her they’d surface immediately—he was so passionate about disliking her, sight unseen.’

  ‘That’s a bit harsh,’ Jed protested, his jaw clenching. ‘I never disliked Sally.’

  Alex smiled mischievously and the sight made Jordanne’s breath catch in her throat. He was teasing her brother and loving every minute of it.

  ‘And your engagement is proof of that. Admit it, Jed. If I hadn’t shown any interest in Sally, you would still be pussyfooting around, trying to figure out which way was up. Instead, you’re in love and you’re happy.’

  ‘You always like to be right,’ Jed jested.

  Jordanne looked from one man to the other. They really were very close friends, and for that reason alone she decided to make a bigger effort in getting to know Alex.

  ‘Well, if you’re both due elsewhere, I’ll go and surprise my fiancée.’

  ‘He just likes saying the word,’ Jordanne said in a mock whisper to Alex, and for the first time Alex smiled directly at her. The full force of just how handsome he really was slammed into her and slammed in hard. Her knees began to wobble and she placed her hand on Jed’s shoulder for support.

  ‘See you soon,’ she said, and reached up to kiss Jed’s cheek.

  ‘Tomorrow,’ he agreed.

  ‘What’s happening, then?’

  ‘Dinner at your brother’s house,’ Alex responded.

  ‘That’s right. Sally was going to invite you when she saw you at the IAS this afternoon but as you’re not going…’ Jed stopped. ‘Tomorrow night—dinner at our house. Sally’s inviting Kirsten, too, so the five of us should have a wonderful time.’

  Jordanne glanced at Alex, realising he would be there as well. It was bad enough having to see him all day, every day at the hospital. She’d spent countless hours going over every conversation they’d ever had and especially that moment they’d shared in Outpatients earlier on in the week. Now she was going to be socialising with him at her brother’s house? She shook her head slightly as she watched Jed and Alex shake hands.