The Surgeon's Secret

by Lucy Clark

  ‘See you tomorrow,’ he whispered and kissed her again. ‘I have to go,’ he said a while later. Jordanne walked on wobbly legs towards the door where he kissed her one more time. ‘Sleep well.’

  ‘Mmm,’ she replied, and watched dreamily as he left.

  As Alex walked to his car, he reflected on the evening. The more he saw of Jordanne and the more he kissed and caressed her, the more he was willing to risk. The woman was driving him insane. Insane with desire, insane with passion, insane with needing more of anything and everything that she had to give.

  He had been completely honest when he’d told her he wanted to slow their relationship down. Right now, he felt as though he was moving along like a freight train. If Jordanne McElroy was the woman for him, then he had a lot at stake.

  ‘OK, Roberto,’ Jordanne advised. ‘You can get dressed now.’ She and Alex took another look at the most recent set of Roberto’s X-rays while they waited for their patient to join them.

  ‘How does it look?’ Roberto queried, and they both turned around to face him.

  ‘Good.’ Alex nodded. ‘Your admission details are all organised, the equipment we require is organised.’

  ‘Sounds as though everything is organised,’ Jordanne said with a smile. ‘Now, let me go over the operation with you again, so you know what you can expect before and after surgery.’

  The intercom on her desk buzzed and Jordanne pressed the button.

  ‘I have a call for Alex,’ the receptionist said.

  Alex looked at Roberto. ‘Excuse me,’ he said, before leaving the room.

  Jordanne took down her plastic model of a hip and a metal prosthesis set. ‘This is what we’ll be doing. We need to replace this section of bone which is called the neck of femur. Your thigh bone is your femur and the hip is the upper part of the femur. So we’ll be removing the bone which has been rendered almost immovable thanks to the rheumatoid arthritis. In its place, we’ll be using this.’ She held up the metal prosthesis set and demonstrated how they fitted together.

  ‘It will work like new?’

  ‘Yes, given time. Total hip replacement patients are weight-bearing one day after surgery. We need to keep your muscles good and strong to cope with the change. A physiotherapist will be assigned to you and will work with you daily. Any other questions?’

  Roberto shook his head.

  ‘Let me know if you think of some.’

  ‘You’ve answered everything I wanted to know,’ he told her.

  ‘Good. Now…’ She looked down at his notes. ‘We have the letter from the rheumatologist, we have verification from the autologous blood clinic—’

  ‘The what?’

  Jordanne smiled. ‘The place where you went to have blood taken. During the operation we need to transfuse you, and this way you can get your own blood back.’

  ‘Oh, yes, I remember now.’ Roberto nodded. ‘This past week has been very busy.’

  ‘I understand.’ Jordanne smiled. She looked at his notes again. ‘You’ve seen the anaesthetist and he’s OK’d you.’ She returned her gaze to Roberto. ‘Is there someone who can take you to the hospital?’

  ‘My son. He’s waiting out there.’

  ‘Good. I’ll be around later this evening to check that you’ve settled in well. For now, that’s it.’

  ‘I’ll see you then.’ Roberto used his walking frame to get to the door. He’d stated that he didn’t like wheelchairs and would only use one when it was absolutely necessary. ‘By the way,’ he said with a wide smile on his face, ‘I see you’ve…worked things out with Dr Page. Good to see.’

  Jordanne was stunned. Did their body language reveal that much? Roberto laughed.

  ‘I’m an expert,’ he said, as though reading her mind. ‘Don’t worry. I’m glad you’re both so happy. Until tonight.’

  That afternoon, Jordanne rang the firms who had supposedly taken X-rays of the athletes the company had referred to her. By the end of it she had a sore ear and elbow from holding the phone up for so long and a headache from listening to the awful music most of the firms had when they put people on hold.

  The good news was she’d found out what she’d intended to. She grinned to herself in excitement and couldn’t wait until she saw Alex that evening. It was as though they were doing a jigsaw puzzle—finding pieces here and there. She wondered how his secretary had gone with her enquiries on Alex’s behalf.

  Having tidied her office, Jordanne left the hospital, stopping by to see Roberto Portatello as she’d promised. He was settled quite comfortably in a private room and his family had just gone to the cafeteria to have some dinner.

  She’d been there for a whole five minutes when Alex arrived.

  ‘Why are you so bubbly with excitement?’ Roberto asked her. ‘Are you two going on a date tonight?’

  Alex looked astonished but quickly veiled his reaction before he glared at Jordanne.

  ‘I didn’t say a word,’ she said defensively, holding her hands up.

  ‘I used to be a private investigator,’ Roberto offered. ‘I’m good at reading people.’

  Alex nodded, only mildly satisfied with the explanation.

  ‘So tell me,’ Roberto insisted, ‘I see now that it’s not a date with your handsome doctor but something else.’

  Jordanne looked to Alex who simply shrugged as if to say, What have we got to lose?

  ‘Well…’ Jordanne sat on the edge of his bed, her enthusiasm bubbling over. ‘Alex and I are doing a research study.’ Jordanne briefly outlined the basis for their research and what they’d discovered with the X-rays. ‘Today I checked all of the other X-rays we’ve been sent and every single one has been falsified.’

  ‘I thought so!’ Alex exclaimed.

  ‘I checked each and every date,’ she told him. ‘None of them were recorded.’

  ‘Anything else?’ Roberto asked, giving them both a thoughtful look.

  ‘All X-rays have a common association,’ Jordanne told him. ‘It could mean absolutely nothing.’

  Roberto nodded, his eyes alive with the opportunity to help them out. It was clear to see that he had loved his previous profession. Jordanne also realised that it would help Roberto recover better from his surgery if he had something to ponder other than his present situation.

  ‘Look for the simple connections,’ he told them after a few minutes’ silence. ‘Don’t try to make it complicated. Look for the simple clues as these are the things that will lead you to the answer.’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  JORDANNE and Alex discussed the possibilities of what might be going on with the study for quite some time as they ate dinner that night. Finally, Alex stood and went into the kitchen to start clearing up.

  ‘It’s good to see a man barefoot in the kitchen with his hands in soapy water,’ Jordanne teased. The phone rang.

  ‘Don’t worry. I’ll get it.’ Before he could say another word, Jordanne had picked up the receiver. ‘Dr Page’s residence,’ she said in a shrill English accent. There was silence on the end of the line. ‘Hello?’ she said in her normal voice.

  A deep chuckle rumbled down the line. ‘That has got to be Jordanne McElroy,’ the voice said.

  Jordanne frowned. ‘And this is?’

  ‘Scott—Alex’s brother.’

  ‘Scott,’ Jordanne said slowly, nodding and looking at Alex. ‘So how come you know about me, Scott?’

  Alex had taken his hands out of the sink and dried them quickly before snatching the receiver from Jordanne.

  ‘Hey, bro,’ he said. ‘Can I call you back?’

  Scott chuckled down the line. ‘Caught you at a bad time, did I? Way to go, big brother.’

  ‘Goodbye, Scott,’ Alex said between clenched teeth before hanging up.

  ‘So?’ Jordanne looked at him in surprise. ‘Have you been telling your brother all about me?’ She advanced slowly towards Alex.

  ‘I haven’t told Scott anything.’

  ‘Oh,’ she said, not believing a word he
said. ‘I suppose he’s very good at reading people, just like Roberto Portatello is.’

  ‘Something like that,’ Alex said, now hard up against the kitchen cupboard. Jordanne was enjoying herself.

  ‘I didn’t think my memory was that bad. I could have sworn I’d never met your brother.’

  ‘You haven’t,’ he said as Jordanne pressed her body against his. He loved it when she was in this type of playful mood.

  She kissed his neck. ‘I suppose Scott has…’ she added a few more kisses, teasing him lightly with her lips ‘…read your mind and…’ a few more kisses ‘…found out my name.’

  ‘Ah.’ Alex hesitated as her kisses started moving upwards to his face. ‘Something like that,’ he repeated in a whisper as her mouth finally reached his. His lips caught hers as his arms came around, holding her firmly in an embrace.

  Jordanne felt a burning need rip through her being as she gave everything to the kiss. How she loved to be with Alex, to tease him and joke with him. How she loved working alongside him, in clinics, meetings and Theatre. How she loved him—full stop.

  Jordanne eased back and looked at him. The desire and need were evident in his gaze and she loved seeing it there. She watched as it slowly cooled before disappearing. He was withdrawing again and it wasn’t the first time he’d done it.

  He kissed the tip of her nose and set her from him before returning to the sink.

  Slowly does it, she told herself as she picked up the drying towel to help him with the dishes. ‘Have you ever thought about investing in a dishwasher?’ she asked, and to her surprise he looked at her and smiled. Jordanne felt her knees go weak with the desire that was still simmering below the surface. ‘What?’ she asked when he didn’t say anything.

  ‘I quite like doing the dishes,’ he responded, and the awkward moment passed. ‘I guess it gives me a sense of control in an otherwise chaotic society.’

  ‘You get all of that from doing dishes?’ Jordanne asked with a laugh. ‘Maybe you’ve been inhaling too many of those soap suds.’ When his rich laughter filled the room, she was glad that she’d been able to make him smile again.

  They ate dinner at Jordanne’s place the following evening after a busy public clinic in the morning and operating on Roberto Portatello in the afternoon, the surgery going off without complications.

  On Friday morning in the private practice there was a knock on Jordanne’s consulting-room door, not long after her final patient had left. Alex came in without waiting for her to answer.

  ‘I just received this,’ he said, and held out an envelope to her.

  ‘Oh, is the mail in? Is there a letter about—’

  ‘Yes, the mail’s in but forget about that. Do you know anything about this?’

  Jordanne took the proffered envelope from him and recognised the handwriting on the front as her mother’s. ‘It’s an invitation to my parents’ wedding anniversary party next Saturday.’ Jordanne was just as surprised as Alex. She matched his frown. ‘I didn’t know anything about it. You getting an invitation, I mean. Of course I knew about the party. Mum’s been planning it for ages.’

  ‘So you didn’t tell your parents to invite me?’

  ‘No. I had planned to bring you with me.’

  ‘Then why did I get an invitation?’

  ‘Well, they know we’re dating and my mother probably didn’t want you to feel left out but I certainly didn’t tell her to invite you. Mum probably figured you’d want your own invitation, especially as you missed Jed’s big birthday bash a month or so ago.’

  ‘But I’ve never met your parents.’

  ‘Haven’t you? That’s weird. You and Jed have been friends for such a long time, yet you’ve never met our parents.’

  ‘I have lots of friends and colleagues and I don’t know any of their parents either.’

  Jordanne indicated the chair behind him. ‘Why don’t you sit down and we can discuss this further?’

  ‘I don’t want to sit down.’ He started pacing around her office. ‘So your parents know that we’re dating.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I thought we were taking it slow.’

  ‘Telling my parents increases the rate of our relationship?’ Jordanne asked in amazement.

  Alex raked a hand through his hair. ‘Look Jordanne. Things are progressing way too quickly and there are some things we need to talk about.’

  Jordanne felt a hand tighten around her heart, constricting it from movement at his words. ‘OK,’ she said carefully. ‘Why don’t you sit down?’

  ‘No.’ He shook his head for emphasis. ‘We can’t talk here. How about we go out for dinner tonight?’

  ‘Out?’ This was more serious than she’d thought. Tears started to well behind her eyes and she instantly willed them away. Every other night this week they’d eaten either at his house or hers but tonight, when he wanted to talk to her, he wanted to go out. Her intuition told her it wasn’t a good idea and the suspicion that he was going to break up with her grew stronger. He obviously thought that if they were in a public place when he broke the news she wouldn’t make a scene.

  Jordanne swallowed the lump in her throat. ‘Uh…but we’re on call.’ Her voice sounded flat even to her own ears.

  ‘We’ll have our mobile phones with us.’

  ‘All right. Why don’t you pick me up just after seven?’

  ‘Sounds good. I have a sub-committee meeting which usually runs late.’ He glanced at the clock on her wall. ‘Are you heading off to the IAS soon?’

  ‘Yes.’ Jordanne cleared her throat and looked down at her desk. ‘I just have to finish typing up my notes on the last patient and dictate a letter before I’m ready to go.’

  ‘I’m on my way to the hospital for a meeting now, so I’ll see you tonight.’

  He walked around her desk and bent to kiss her briefly before turning and heading towards the door. He stopped and looked at her again. ‘Are you planning on speaking to Coach Cooper this afternoon?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Would you mind waiting?’

  ‘Why? So you can come with me? I can handle the man by myself, Alex.’ Her words came out harshly and she knew she was just trying to cover up her vulnerability.

  ‘It’s not that.’

  ‘He’s the common factor with the eight athletes the company have recommended and I think he knows what’s going on here. The sooner I talk to him, the sooner I’m going to get some answers.’

  ‘What makes you think you’re going to get answers?’ Alex responded.

  Jordanne thought about it for a moment. ‘You think I should wait?’ she asked, seeing his point.

  ‘Yes. I can’t say why, it’s just a gut reaction.’

  She nodded, respecting his opinion. ‘OK. I’ll cancel my appointment.’

  ‘Thanks. See you tonight.’

  Jordanne pushed all thoughts about what Alex wanted to discuss that night to the back of her mind and forced herself to concentrate on the research project. It was true that the more they uncovered, the more intriguing it became. On the other hand, they didn’t know what they might be getting themselves into.

  She reread the patient information she’d taken from all of the participants in the study, not just the athletes from the company, desperately trying to find some hidden clue. After a few hours her vision was blurring and her head was aching, although she presumed that was from trying to keep her thoughts off Alex. Deciding she needed to stretch her legs, she locked her office and headed over to the library.

  ‘Hi, there,’ Sky said as Jordanne walked in the door. ‘I was just going to phone you. I have a parcel for you.’

  ‘Really? Hope it’s something nice.’

  ‘I think it’s that new book you ordered.’

  ‘Excellent.’

  ‘Oh, and these came for you also,’ Sky said, handing over two envelopes of blood test results.

  ‘Thanks.’ Jordanne put them to one side and opened up the parcel. ‘About time, too,’ she said as
she pulled the book out. She glanced through a few of the pages before closing it again. ‘Sky? Those X-rays you sent to me the other day, did they arrive via courier?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Can you remember which one?’

  ‘It’s all documented here,’ Sky said as she pulled out a file. ‘This has a record of all incoming deliveries and any parcels I send out.’

  Jordanne read the log. ‘VF Couriers. What does the VF stand for?’ she asked.

  ‘Very Fast?’ Sky shrugged. ‘I don’t know. The only time I’ve had them deliver here is when I have stuff coming in from the pharmaceutical company who pays your research grant.’

  Jordanne made a note of the details. ‘Thanks.’

  ‘Something wrong?’

  ‘Everything’s fine.’

  ‘Hey, here’s our gold medallist,’ Sky said as Sally walked into the library. Jordanne knew that Sky liked to tease Sally about the gold medal she’d won in the Olympics when she’d been a teenager, and as it was all in fun Sally didn’t mind.

  The three of them stood around chatting for a few minutes, Jordanne and Sally grilling Sky about the new man in her life. It was a welcome change to concentrate on someone else’s romance, Jordanne thought as she listened to Sky rave about the new biomedical engineer who had stolen her heart.

  ‘He’s from Sri Lanka,’ Sky enthused. ‘I just love his dark brown eyes. I could drown in them.’ She sighed.

  ‘Blue eyes for me,’ Sally and Jordanne said in unison, and they all laughed.

  ‘This isn’t going to get the work done,’ Jordanne complained as she gathered up the book and the blood-test results.

  ‘I just came by to check my pigeonhole,’ Sally said, and did exactly that.

  ‘Good idea.’ Jordanne followed suit. ‘Have a good weekend, Sky,’ she called as Sally held the door for her. The two friends walked back towards their research offices.

  ‘How’s the study going?’ Sally asked.

  ‘It’s…interesting. There are a few discrepancies that I want to clear up but otherwise very interesting. Hey, aren’t you and Jed off to Sydney tonight?’

  ‘Yes. It’s all very exciting and I’m looking forward to it.’ They stopped outside Sally’s office door which was just down the corridor from Jordanne’s. ‘Sorry about the other night and us barging in on you two like that.’