Breaking All Their Rules

by Sue MacKay

  ‘I’ll tell you this for nothing. I don’t care about scars and a change in her shape. I love that woman and think she’s the bravest person I’ve ever met.’ Duncan touched the corner of one eye with a forefinger.

  ‘I think Anna’s a lucky woman.’ Olivia swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. ‘Go tell her exactly what you just said.’

  ‘She’s not going to throw her water bottle at me or tell me to go away for ever?’ Duncan was deadly serious.

  ‘I doubt it, unless it’s because you’ve taken so long to get along to her room since I said I was coming to find you.’ Anna shouldn’t have thrown anything—it would hurt her wounds and might pull some stitches. Something to check up on when she examined her later. She hadn’t wanted to have Anna expose herself for an exam when she’d been so upset, and had figured that as all the obs were fine it didn’t matter if they waited before doing that.

  Dropping into the seat Duncan had vacated, she stared at the toes of her boots. And yawned.

  Zac chuckled. ‘Want to grab a coffee while we wait for the battery man? He’s about twenty minutes away and we could both do with something to keep us awake.’

  ‘Hospital coffee will be a comedown after that fabulous brunch.’

  ‘Nothing like a reality check.’

  Reality. Of course. ‘You don’t need to hang around. You’ve got a perfectly good vehicle downstairs. I can visit patients while I wait.’

  ‘You don’t want to share crap coffee with me?’ His grin set butterflies flapping in her tummy. ‘Anyway, the guy’s got my number, not yours.’

  ‘I hate it when you gloat.’ She laughed tiredly. ‘Disgusting coffee it is.’ Along with great company. All in all, not a bad way to continue her morning.

  Olivia’s bubble burst quickly.

  Zac directed her to a corner table as far away as possible from the few staff and visitors using the cafeteria, ordered long blacks for them both, and dropped onto the chair opposite her. ‘I’ve talked to my practice manager so she can arrange for my days off when we go to Fiji. The hospital roster is easy to fix, with Paul offering to cover for me.’

  The man didn’t muck about. He must’ve been on the phone the moment she’d clambered out of his four-wheel drive in the hospital garage; ordering a battery, sorting his week off.

  She sighed. ‘I thought I said I wasn’t going.’ He had to be deaf as well as organised.

  ‘You did.’

  ‘So you are planning on going alone.’

  ‘Nope.’ Zac leaned back as a girl placed two over-full coffee cups on the table and took away their order number. ‘I want you to come with me.’

  So do I. ‘No.’

  Those eyes that matched the coffee in colour locked onto her. ‘Are you telling me no? Or yourself, Olivia?’

  ‘We’d probably end up hating each other.’

  ‘Somehow I don’t think so.’ Shock widened his eyes. So he hadn’t thought it through. ‘But we won’t know if we don’t try.’

  What was this about? Zac had made it clear he’d only been interested in sex last time round. Her hands were back in her lap, her fingers aching with the tightness of her grip. ‘Is this so you can then walk away with no regrets? Did I finish it too soon last time?’

  Now his gaze dropped away. He leaned far back and draped one arm over the top of the chair next to him. His eyes cruised the cafeteria before returning to her, a guarded expression covering his face. ‘I’ve learned more about you in the last twenty-four hours than I ever did in those eight weeks last year.’

  ‘Then you’re probably up to speed and there’s nothing more to find out.’

  Zac stared at her. ‘You’re selling yourself short.’

  To hell with the coffee. Pushing up from the table, she aimed for a moderate tone. ‘No, I am not. What you see is what you get, and as for Fiji, you get nothing. I’m not going.’ But I want to. Really, really want to.

  Of course he followed her. He was persistent if nothing else. Unlike last time. ‘Rethink that, Olivia. We don’t have to live in each other’s pockets while we’re there, but it would be fun to lie in the sun together, to share a meal under the stars.’

  The problem was that if she lay on the beach in her bikini beside Zac in his swimming shorts they would end up having sex. Not that doing so didn’t appeal. Of course it did. Her mouth watered, thinking about it. But she’d made up her mind the day she’d walked out on him that they weren’t going anywhere with their relationship because she couldn’t afford to get her heart broken. Neither had she wanted to break his—if it was even up for grabs.

  Zac pulled his phone from his pocket and read a message. ‘Your battery’s nearly here.’

  ‘Good. Thanks for arranging it.’ She didn’t know why she felt small and mean, only knew she was floundering, fighting between going with him on that trip and staying away from temptation. She was looking out for herself, something she’d always done. Her mother had never put her daughter before herself, never would. She gasped. That meant she was the same as her mother. Putting her determination to remain alone before anyone, anything else. But… But I’m doing it for a good reason. Dad left Mum because she’d worn him down, tossed his love back in his face again and again. I’m not doing that to a man I might fall in love with.

  A hand on her elbow directed her to the elevator. Seemed that Zac was always taking her to the lift. ‘Five days of sunshine and no patients. Sounds wonderful to me.’

  Ain’t that the truth?

  *

  At least Olivia hadn’t questioned why he was so adamant they should go to Fiji together. He should be grateful she was refusing to go, but the thought of being alone when he should be celebrating with his family grated. A distraction was needed and Olivia would certainly be that.

  But, more than that, it was time to start changing from being reactive to his family’s attitude to becoming proactive in sorting out what he wanted for his future—starting with taking time off from his heavy work schedule to have some fun. Hell. When was the last time he’d done that? Nothing came to mind except the hours he’d snatched to be with Olivia eighteen months ago.

  The sound of squealing tyres filled the basement garage as they exited the elevator on the way to the outside car park. The smell of burning rubber filled his nostrils. ‘What the hell?’

  A nearly new, upmarket car raced past them. At the end of the lane it spun left, the rear wheels sliding out of control. Just when impact with parked vehicles seemed imminent the driver got the car under control.

  Zac pushed Olivia back against the now closed elevator doors, tugged his phone from his pocket to call Security, and cursed. There was no signal down here. ‘The driver looked very young. How’d he get in?’

  The garage and car park were reserved for medical personnel and accessed with a swipe card. The car flew past them again as Zac looked around for a wall phone. Spying one by the stairwell door, he changed direction, only to spin around when he heard an almighty thump, followed by a metallic crashing sound. Then ominous silence.

  ‘He’s hit someone and then slammed into a vehicle!’ Olivia began running in the direction of the crashed car.

  Zac raced alongside her. ‘We need someone down here, taking charge of that kid.’ A boy looking about fifteen staggered out of the car, looking shocked and bewildered.

  ‘Where did she come from?’ he squawked as they reached him.

  Zac’s hands clenched as he saw a woman in blue scrubs sprawled across the concrete, a pool of blood already beginning to form by her head. ‘What the hell were you doing?’ Zac shouted at the kid as he dropped down to his knees beside the unmoving woman.

  ‘Hey, steady.’ Olivia reached across from the other side of the woman to grip his arm. Shaking her head at him, she said, ‘This nurse needs our undivided attention.’

  ‘You’re right,’ he ground through gritted teeth. ‘Kid, get on that phone by the elevator and get help down here fast.’

  Without a word the youth was gone, a
nd Zac could only hope he was running for the phone.

  Zac felt for a pulse, and sighed with relief.

  Olivia was carefully feeling the nurse’s head. ‘Amelia, can you hear me?’

  A low groan was the only answer she got.

  ‘Amelia, you’ve been in an accident. There are two doctors with you and we’re going to check your injuries.’

  ‘How much do you think she’s heard?’ Zac wondered aloud.

  Olivia shrugged. ‘We can’t be sure anything we say registers.’

  ‘You know her?’ Zac noted the odd angle of the nurse’s legs and checked for bleeding in case a blood vessel had been torn. ‘No major swelling indicating internal bleeding.’

  ‘I can read,’ Olivia muttered.

  The name badge. Duh. Left his brain behind this morning, had he? With gentle movements he began assessing her hips and thighs for fractures. ‘Broken femur for starters. This knee has taken a thump too.’ His fingers worked over the kneecap. ‘Smashed, I’d say.’

  Their patient groaned again and lifted an arm a small way off the ground.

  Zac quickly caught her, and gently pressed her arm down by her side. ‘Amelia, try not to move.’

  One eye opened, shut again.

  ‘At least she’s responding,’ he said.

  ‘Oh, my God. What’s happened?’ A man loomed over them.

  Zac told him, ‘An out-of-control car hit her.’

  The newcomer said, ‘I’m in Admin, but I can get help if you tell me what you need.’

  ‘Get us the emergency equipment and a bed. I told the driver to ring upstairs but you’re part of this hospital, you’ll know exactly who to speak to,’ Zac told him. Who knew if the boy had done as he’d said or taken a hike before everyone turned up and started pointing fingers?

  Olivia was speaking quietly. ‘We’ve got a soft cranial injury, probably from impacting with the concrete. Left ear’s torn.’

  Zac added to the list of injuries. ‘At least her chest appears to have dodged a bullet.’ His fingers were gently working over Amelia’s ribs. ‘The car would’ve hit her in the lower body.’ What had that kid been thinking, doing wheelies in here? He hadn’t looked old enough to know how to drive. Who are you to ask? You were eighteen and still got it wrong.

  ‘On my way.’ The admin man nodded at the vehicle parked with its nose caught in the side panel of a sedan. ‘That the car? It’s Maxine Sutherland’s.’

  Olivia’s head shot up, horror in her eyes, but all she said was, ‘Can you run? This woman needs urgent help.’

  With the man gone, Zac said, ‘Maxine must’ve left the car unlocked, unless…’ Had it been Maxine and Brent’s son driving? Shock rocked through Zac. No parent ever wanted to deal with something like this. He knew. He’d done it to his brother and parents, with dire consequences. They’d never forgiven him, blaming him for not looking out for his younger brother. Like they’d ever been there for either of their sons. But every time Zac saw his brother and that blasted wheelchair the guilt crunched his insides. Zac’s remorse would never go away, and was stronger than anything anyone else could lay on him.

  ‘Zac? You okay?’ A gentle hand touched his cheek.

  His chest rose as he dragged in a lungful of air. ‘Yes.’ No. Now wasn’t the time to explain. If ever there was a right time. He tried to straighten Amelia’s right leg. ‘Her knee is also dislocated.’ He had to know. ‘Do you think the kid is Maxine and Brent’s boy?’

  Distress blinked out at him from Olivia’s hyacinth eyes. ‘No. Couldn’t be.’ Her bottom lip trembled even as the truth pushed aside her automatic denial. ‘How dreadful for them if he is.’

  ‘He was in here, and only card holders have access.’

  They were interrupted by the sound of people running and an emergency trolley laden with everything they needed being pushed at a fast pace between the cars. Guess the kid had fronted up for help.

  As Olivia explained to the ED staff what had happened and her assessment of Amelia’s injuries, the anger Zac had put on the back burner roared to life. ‘That boy really has made a mess of things for her.’ Zac was equally worried for the lad. His life had changed for ever. ‘Where is he, anyway?’

  ‘Probably safer away from you.’ Olivia came to stand beside him and reached for his hand. ‘Calm down, Zac. You’re not helping an already tricky situation. I know he’s done wrong but let’s leave that to others while we help with the medical side of things.’

  The last thing Zac wanted was Olivia telling him what to do. It took a moment for it to register in the red haze of his brain that he had an excuse to put distance between them. ‘The battery guy. I’ll go and wait for him at the gate.’ He needed to get away from what had happened before he blew a gasket. Amelia was getting all the attention she needed from Olivia and the ED doctor, while his attitude wasn’t helping anyone. He stomped off before Olivia could say anything more.

  But not before he saw the shock in those beautiful eyes. Yes, he had his secrets, just as he suspected she had hers. Secrets neither of them wanted to share. His definitely held him back from having a complete and fulfilling life. Was it the same with Olivia? Could that be why she’d walked out on their affair? She hadn’t wanted to keep going in case they grew close?

  There was nothing for it. They had to take that trip. Time together, talking, relaxing, getting to know each other on a whole new level, was becoming imperative.

  Which really meant he should sign up for every orthopaedic surgery coming up at his clinic for the next six months.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  OLIVIA POURED BOILING water over the tea leaves. Earl Grey Blue Star. ‘Bliss.’ She sniffed the air.

  Every bone in her body ached with weariness. Her head pounded, her muscles drooped, and it felt as if there was grit in her eyes. The long soak in a very hot shower probably hadn’t woken her up at all. Seven o’clock on Saturday night and she couldn’t wait to crawl into bed. How pathetic could she get?

  Her stomach was crying out to be fed. She hadn’t eaten since brunch—the incident in the hospital garage and the resulting investigation by the traffic police had taken up a lot of the day. The pizza she’d ordered would arrive at the front door within the hour. She licked her lips in anticipation and tasted tea.

  Her sitting room felt cosy, and lounging in pyjamas and a baggy sweatshirt in front of the fire she’d lit earlier felt decadent. A rare treat to be so sloppily dressed, and she’d die if anyone but the pizza delivery girl saw her in this state.

  Right now a holiday would be perfect. There’s one on offer. Had she been too hasty turning it down? Not going to think about it.

  Picking up the remote, she turned on the TV, volume low, and flicked through the channels. Nothing interested her, not even the spunky guy showing how to swing a golf club. Not that sport of any kind interested her. It required energy she didn’t like expending getting sweaty.

  At the moment the most energetic she wanted to be was lying on a beach, getting a tan. Fiji would do that every time. She sighed. Fiji with Zac? What was wrong with her? She should be grabbing those tickets and packing her bag.

  The doorbell rang loud in the quiet house. Someone out there must be looking out for her because that pizza was early. She went to get her dinner.

  ‘Hi, Olivia. I hope you don’t mind me dropping by.’

  ‘Zac.’ Her stomach growled while her heart lifted.

  ‘Is that a good “Zac”, or a go away “Zac”?’

  ‘Take your pick.’ She stepped back, opening the door wide.

  Zac walked in quickly, as though afraid she’d change her mind.

  She probably would’ve if she’d had the energy to think about the consequences of letting him into her home. ‘Along here.’ She led him into the sitting room.

  When his gaze landed on her tea he asked, ‘Got anything stronger? Scotch on the rocks?’ He sank onto the couch and stared into the fire.

  ‘Sure.’ That was one spirit she did have, kept for her delight
ful elderly neighbour who liked an occasional tipple when he dropped in after a lonely day at home.

  Returning with a glass, ice and whisky, Olivia placed everything on the coffee table she’d spent weeks sanding and varnishing to make it beautiful. Taking her mug to the other end of the couch, she sat with her feet tucked under her bottom and flicked glances at her visitor.

  Something was going on. He’d been furious when Amelia had been knocked down by that car. No, as he’d told her angrily, it had been the boy who’d banged the car into Amelia. The car was not at fault. Couldn’t argue with that.

  His anger had been more than she’d have expected, but there hadn’t been an opportunity to talk to him about it. When they’d realised it might’ve been their colleagues’ son doing wheelies in the garage Zac had turned pale and charged outside to let the battery guy into the car park. Later she’d seen him standing beside her car, hands on hips, staring up at the rain-laden sky, impervious to everything going on around him. When he’d joined her and the police, he’d gained some control over his emotions but hadn’t been able to look her in the eye. After they’d finished telling the cops what little they’d seen Zac had been quick to drive away, leaving her none the wiser about what had been going on. Now here he was, looking badly in need of some quiet time and a big hug.

  She’d give him the quiet time by waiting until he was ready to talk, but she’d hold back on the hug in case she’d read him wrong and he took it as more than she intended.

  Zac reached for the bottle, slopped more whisky into the glass, and leaned back, his head on the top of the couch, his eyes closed.

  It was far too tempting. Placing her glass on the coffee table, she leaned over, pulled him against her, and wrapped her arms right around him. Zac didn’t resist, instead shuffling closer to lay his head on her breast.