The Surgeon's Secret

by Lucy Clark

  This time, however, it felt nice to share the knowledge with only Alex. Perhaps it was because she already knew she was in love with him so she wasn’t that keen to dissect every move he made with her family and friends.

  ‘Patience,’ she told her reflection as she finished putting on her make-up. She reminded herself of the way he’d withdrawn a few times last night and he’d openly confessed that he wasn’t really worried about Jed’s approval. Her intuition told her that something else was wrong, and if she didn’t proceed with caution she would run the risk of losing him altogether.

  When she finally arrived at the hospital, Jordanne rushed to the ward just in time for the start of the ward round. They’d been doing roadwork, and the detour had almost made her late, leaving her no opportunity to say a proper good morning to Alex.

  As the group of consultants, registrars, interns, nursing staff, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and the social worker toured the ward, checking and discussing patients, Jordanne was acutely aware of Alex’s presence. For the most part he stood opposite her and only once did their gazes meet.

  She felt very conscious of all the other people and could have sworn they could read in her face the truth of her new relationship with the director of the department. Taking a breath and telling herself not to be so paranoid, Jordanne forced herself to concentrate on the rest of the round.

  When they were finally finished, Jordanne stopped by to check on Louise Kellerman. It was almost a blessing to slip into the private room, away from the hustle and bustle of the ward. Louise was sitting up in bed, looking better.

  ‘Ready for breakfast?’ Jordanne asked as Alex came in behind her and crossed to the foot of Louise’s bed. Her heart pounded wildly against her ribs as she glanced across at him, but he was engrossed in the patient chart.

  ‘Everything seems to be healing nicely,’ he stated, looking directly at Louise who nodded.

  ‘How’s the pain?’ Jordanne asked.

  ‘OK. The nursing staff have reduced the number of tablets I’ve been taking.’

  ‘And you’re coping fine with that?’ Alex asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Louise answered proudly. The door to her room opened again and Dean, the social worker, came in.

  ‘Sorry,’ he apologised quickly, his colour rising as he looked at Jordanne and Alex as though he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. His gaze settled on Louise, who smiled shyly at him.

  Hello, Jordanne thought. What’s going on here? ‘Come on in, Dean. We’ll be out of here in a few more seconds. Stay and keep Louise company.’

  ‘How’s everything going from your perspective?’ Alex asked Dean.

  ‘Great. Emotionally, Louise is making an uncomplicated recovery.’

  ‘Dean organised for my bed to be wheeled outside yesterday,’ Louise told them. ‘Although it was cold, it was great to be out in the fresh air again.’

  ‘Good.’ Jordanne nodded and looked from patient to social worker, intercepting a glance that said it all. It seemed as though Louise’s track record with men was changing for the better. If there was a romantic interest between the two of them, it was no wonder her recovery had suddenly picked up. She only hoped Dean had the sense to transfer Louise’s management to another social worker. ‘Finished, Alex? We’d better get to clinic.’

  He looked up and frowned at her. He made a note on Louise’s chart before they said their goodbyes.

  ‘What’s the rush?’ he asked her quietly after the door had shut behind them. Before Jordanne could answer, Dean came out again.

  ‘Um…I wanted to ask your permission about something,’ he said, and took a deep breath. ‘Louise has a cat,’ he began.

  ‘A cat,’ Alex repeated.

  ‘I was wondering if I could bring it up for her to see it. She’s really missing it.’

  Alex frowned again and opened his mouth to comment but the social worker quickly rushed on.

  ‘I won’t bring it inside the hospital. If Louise’s bed is outside, I can take the cat to her.’

  Alex looked at Jordanne as if to say, Do you believe this?

  ‘I don’t think—’ he began, but Jordanne placed her hand on his arm, stopping him.

  ‘She was very distressed about the cat last week,’ she said. ‘If this happens, there are going to be some strict rules. She would only be able to pat him. He can’t go on the bed or we risk infection, especially with the fixator pin sites. I want her hands and her face, if she insists on kissing him which she probably will, disinfected before she re-enters the ward. What do you think, Alex?’

  He looked down at her hand, which was still resting on his arm, and she quickly removed it. ‘I’ll think about it and let you know,’ he told Dean, before turning on his heel and stalking out of the ward.

  ‘I’ll try and bring him around,’ Jordanne told Dean.

  ‘Thanks…and don’t say anything to Louise. I don’t want to get her hopes up.’

  ‘Fair enough,’ Jordanne replied with a smile. ‘Dean? I hope you don’t think I’m out of line here but I did notice just now the way you and Louise seem to…well…feel about each other.’

  ‘Oh?’ The social worker blushed beetroot red.

  ‘I just wanted to know if you’d planned on transferring her care to someone else?’

  ‘Ah. Good point. Yes. I see. Yes. I’ll look into that today but if you still wouldn’t mind asking Alex about the cat?’

  ‘Sure. No problem, but I’d better get to clinic immediately or I’ll never get Alex back into a good mood.’

  ‘You can do it, Jordanne,’ Dean replied. ‘If anyone can, you can.’

  It was Jordanne’s turn to frown. ‘What do you mean by that?’ she asked cautiously.

  ‘Your family connection. I know you think of each other as brother and sister. So go to it, sis. Change his mind.’

  Jordanne smiled with relief and hurried from the ward, heading for her office. There was no time to discuss anything with Alex before clinic, but when she entered her office her phone was ringing.

  ‘Dr McElroy,’ she answered.

  ‘Hi, Jordanne. It’s Sky, from the IAS library.’

  ‘What’s up?’

  ‘I’ve had some more X-rays delivered here for you. They won’t fit in your pigeonhole and I didn’t know if they were urgent. Do you want me to hold onto them until your session here tomorrow or send them to the hospital?’

  ‘Put them in the courier that goes between the hospital and the IAS. Mark them urgent and that way I should get them this afternoon.’

  ‘Will do,’ Sky said.

  ‘Thanks,’ Jordanne said, before disconnecting the call. Obviously the pharmaceutical company had found another candidate for her study. Hopefully it would be the last, otherwise she’d have too many patients to interview and track. She quickly checked with Alex’s secretary on the way to clinic and made an appointment to see Alex that afternoon to discuss the research study further.

  ‘How was your weekend?’ Trudy Elliot asked as Jordanne came into the clinic.

  Jordanne thought for a moment and hid the smile that threatened to spread across her face. ‘Hectic on Saturday night.’

  ‘That’s right, you and Alex were on call. Terrible accident.’ She shook her head.

  ‘How was yours?’

  ‘Relaxing.’

  ‘I don’t want to know,’ Jordanne said mockingly.

  ‘Clinic,’ Alex’s deep voice boomed from behind them, and Jordanne jumped.

  ‘You just like scaring me, don’t you?’ she asked rhetorically, and smiled up at him before heading to her consulting room. Seeing a constant flow of patients, one after the other, Jordanne had little time to think about Alex and his strange behaviour.

  When clinic finally finished she went to the cafeteria, hoping there was some food left as it was the end of the lunchtime rush. The staff made her up a salad sandwich and she ate it as she walked to her office.

  Slumping down into the chair, she removed her stethoscope a
nd took another bite of her sandwich. Looking at her desk, she noticed a packet of X-rays sitting on top of her paperwork.

  ‘Thank you, Sky,’ she mumbled as she stuffed the last of her sandwich into her mouth and reached for the X-rays. She took them out of the packet and held them up to the light. She blinked and frowned before getting up to switch on the X-ray viewing box. She hooked the films up and stared at the fracture before her. Her gaze jumped to the name of the patient.

  ‘Ethan Hoe?’ she said out loud. ‘It can’t be.’ Jordanne looked at the fracture again. ‘Something’s wrong here.’

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  JORDANNE stormed up the corridor to Alex’s office. She tucked the two sets of X-rays under her arm, knocked on his door and went in without waiting for his reply.

  ‘Sorry I’m late,’ she told him. ‘I had to rush over to the IAS to pick something up.’ Jordanne headed straight for his viewing box. ‘Take a look at these.’ She hooked one of the X-rays with the name ‘Ethan Hoe’ on it and beside it she hooked up one of Dylan Foster’s.

  Alex looked at them both and frowned. ‘They’re identical.’

  ‘I know. Dylan had these views taken on Friday, specifically for the research study. I requested them myself.’

  ‘How did this happen? Did the radiographer put the wrong name on the X-ray?’

  ‘That’s what I thought, but surely once they discovered their mistake the copied films should have been destroyed. After all, there are Dylan’s X-rays sitting right next to it.’

  ‘Is it just this one?’

  ‘No, it’s the entire set.’

  Alex glanced at her. ‘Obviously someone on the clerical staff hasn’t destroyed them.’

  ‘But why were they sent to me? I thought they were from the pharmaceutical company but now I’m not so sure.’

  ‘Who’s the referring doctor?’

  They both peered at the films. ‘Dr J. Scelero. Never heard of him,’ Alex said.

  ‘Where are the reports?’ Jordanne rummaged through both packets for the reports. ‘All right,’ she said when she had them side by side. ‘Here’s the one I requested for Dylan.’ She looked at the one for Ethan. ‘That’s impossible.’

  ‘What?’ Alex asked as he looked from the films to her.

  ‘The reports have different letterheads.’

  Alex took the reports she was holding side by side. ‘The same X-rays from two different radiographer companies?’ He looked back to the X-rays again. ‘The date on this X-ray is from six months ago.’ He shook his head. ‘There’s been a big mix-up here.’

  He crossed to his desk and Jordanne followed, pulling up a chair to sit next to him. ‘Let me take some notes. Dr J. Scelero,’ he said as he wrote it down. ‘What’s the name of the radiologist who signed Ethan’s report?’

  They compiled a list and checked the numbers in the phone book. ‘You ring the firm you sent Dylan to and just check that they didn’t send his films anywhere else,’ Alex suggested as he picked up the phone.

  ‘I’ll also ring the pharmaceutical company just to make sure the films weren’t sent from them.’

  ‘Good.’

  Jordanne returned to her office and made the calls. She spoke with the radiologist who had reported on Dylan’s films, asking him leading questions as she didn’t want him to know what was going on. When she called the pharmaceutical company, she was blocked at every turn when she requested to speak to one of the organisers of the grant. So she left a message with the secretary, asking her to check whether some X-rays had been forwarded to her at the IAS.

  ‘Haven’t you received them?’ the secretary asked. ‘I sent them out by a courier earlier today.’

  ‘Oh, so they did come from your company.’

  ‘Yes. Is there a problem?’

  Jordanne didn’t like the other woman’s patronising tone so decided to be vague. ‘No. I wasn’t sure who’d sent them as the IAS forwarded them to the hospital. Thanks for your help.’

  Before the secretary could say another word, Jordanne hung up. She almost ran up the corridor back to Alex’s office. He was just concluding a call.

  ‘Anything?’ he asked when he saw her.

  ‘The company did send them.’

  ‘How did they get hold of Dylan Foster’s X-rays with someone else’s name on them?’

  Jordanne shrugged. ‘Did Dr J. Scelero check out?’

  ‘Yes, he’s a GP in the southern suburbs, but he’s never seen an Ethan Hoe and sends his patients to a different X-ray place when they require films. I also called the other firm of radiographers and they don’t have a member of staff by this name,’ Alex said as he pointed to Ethan’s report.

  ‘Is there an athlete called Ethan Hoe?’ Jordanne wondered out loud.

  ‘Why don’t you ring the IAS and find out?’ Alex suggested, holding the telephone receiver out to her.

  A few moments later, Jordanne replaced the receiver. ‘Sky, the librarian out at the IAS, knows everyone and everything about that place. Yes, there is an athlete called Ethan Hoe. He’s in track and field, his specialty being the triple jump.’

  Alex rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger as he thought. ‘Why would the company send us these X-rays?’ He glanced across the room at the viewing box where the films in question were still illuminated. ‘How many other patients have they sent you?’

  ‘Seven, and this makes eight.’

  ‘Have you interviewed the others?’

  ‘Yes, I did the last two on Friday.’

  ‘Set up a meeting with Ethan Hoe as soon as you can. Get all the names of the other athletes the company have sent you. We need to take a closer look at them.’

  ‘I’ll arrange to meet with the infamous Mr Hoe tomorrow morning.’ Jordanne smiled down at him, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

  ‘You be careful,’ he warned.

  ‘Yes, boss,’ she replied primly, her gaze teasing him.

  Alex looked at her and frowned.

  ‘What?’ She spread her arms wide, feigning innocence.

  ‘You!’

  Jordanne leaned against his desk, adopting a sexy pose. ‘What about me?’

  Alex’s gaze crossed to his closed office door before returning to Jordanne, his frown deepening. ‘No flirting during business hours,’ he growled.

  Jordanne inclined her head to one side. ‘Didn’t you sleep well last night?’

  ‘The question you should be asking is did I sleep at all?’

  ‘Ooh, I didn’t realise I was that irresistible.’

  ‘Jordanne!’ He stood, putting some distance between them. ‘Around the hospital we have to be—’

  ‘Brother and sister?’ she cooed at him.

  ‘Professional,’ he amended.

  Jordanne grimaced. ‘I like my answer better.’

  ‘Stop it.’

  ‘Oh, Alex, calm down.’ She crossed to his side. ‘What have I done this morning that’s been so terrible? You ignored me throughout ward round and frightened the life out of me in clinic.’

  ‘What did you do?’ he asked disbelievingly. ‘I’ll tell you. You smell incredible. You look fantastic. I keep remembering the way you felt in my arms and how delicious you tasted. You’re driving me insane.’ Alex raked an unsteady hand through his hair.

  ‘Oh, is that all?’ she replied, attempting to be blasé. His words had touched her so deeply, her heart turned over with love for him. ‘I had hoped I’d been driving you insane since we started working together, not just since last night.’

  Alex looked down into her face but made no move to touch her. ‘The attraction I feel for you is worse than it was before last night. The red top you’re wearing now reminds me of that amazing dress. When I look at your hair in that ridiculous bun, all I want to do is pull the pins out and run my fingers through those long, dark locks. And when I look into your eyes…’ Alex let his sentence trail off as he did just that.

  Jordanne felt the air whoosh out and her heart start its erratic rhythm. Neither
of them moved. Alex’s gaze penetrated deep down within her, causing her senses to swirl with the desire she saw in those hypnotic blue eyes of his.

  ‘Can’t you hear my heart beating?’ she whispered in a rush. ‘It seems so loud—always does when you’re near.’

  Alex clenched his hands into fists at his sides, desperately trying to control himself.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said as she quickly closed the gap between them before pressing her mouth firmly against his.

  Alex stayed motionless for a split second before his arms came around her body, hauling her closer to him. The intensity of the kiss was equally matched, their hunger for each other growing at an alarming rate with each passing second.

  Jordanne felt on fire, such was the effect Alex had on her. ‘I’m burning up,’ she groaned against his mouth as his lips moved over her neck.

  The buzzing of the intercom on his desk made them both spring apart with the speed of a rope recoiling after a bungee jump. They stared at each other, the desire still lighting their eyes, their breathing still uneven.

  Alex stalked over to his desk and punched a button.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You have five minutes until your next meeting,’ his secretary’s voice came through the intercom.

  ‘Thank you.’ He turned to face Jordanne slowly and for an instant she wasn’t at all sure what he would do or say. She held her breath.

  ‘Which part of the words “professional relationship” don’t you understand?’ he asked with a lopsided grin.

  Jordanne smiled back. ‘The same part you obviously don’t understand,’ she countered. They stayed where they were—almost on opposite sides of his office. ‘You’d better get ready for your meeting.’

  ‘It’s with Jed,’ he told her.

  ‘I see. So you’re going to tell him about us. Do you want me to be there, too?’

  ‘No. As I said last night, I’d rather do it. You know, man to man.’

  Jordanne nodded, still smiling, before turning to take the X-rays from the viewing machine. ‘Good luck, then. Right now I need to reorganise my research plan for tomorrow morning.’