One Week to Win His Heart

by Lucy Clark

  ‘Yes, thank you. It was—um—silly of me to choke on the water like that. Then again,’ she said with a small chuckle, ‘I’m usually the person who drops their knife on the floor and or spills food on their shirt.’

  With that, George’s gaze instantly dropped to her shirt to check if she’d done just that. When he realised he was staring at her breasts, he instantly focused his gaze back on her lovely green eyes. ‘You’re in the clear today.’

  ‘So far,’ she remarked jestingly, and he returned her smile.

  ‘Were you clumsy as a child?’

  Melody pondered his words for a moment. ‘Not clumsy exactly…or at least not that I can recall. I’m sure if you asked my brothers, they’d have a different story.’

  ‘Older brothers?’ George was delighted she was talking to him about her personal life. He wanted to know about her, he wanted to know what made her laugh, what thrilled her, what made her sad. Perhaps Carmel was right and he should just accept the little moments of happiness he could experience.

  ‘Yes, but thankfully as we’ve grown older, they don’t treat me like I’m completely useless. Now we’re all good friends. How about you?’ Melody couldn’t stop herself from wanting to know more about him, about things that weren’t contained in the professional dossier she’d been sent months ago. ‘Any siblings?’

  He nodded. ‘I have younger twin sisters who still love to stick their noses into my life.’

  ‘My brothers aren’t twins, there’s eighteen months between them, but as I’m four years younger, the two of them did a lot of things together and I always felt like left out.’

  ‘I’m like that with my sisters. They’ve always had each other.’

  ‘There you go, then. We’re both the odd ones out in our families.’ She picked up her glass and held it out to him. He quickly clinked his against hers, and they both sipped. Their gazes held again and she felt her smile begin to fade. That underlying tug of attraction was starting to wind its way around them and she desperately fought for something to say that would break the moment. ‘You haven’t touched your dessert. Don’t you have a sweet tooth?’

  ‘Not really. I used to before I started this tour but I’ve had so many working dinners and lunches—even breakfasts—that my sweet tooth has definitely disappeared.’

  ‘That’s a lot of food.’

  ‘Absolutely.’ He smiled. ‘But it gives me the opportunity to speak to more people, to get the word out about new advances, new techniques, and that’s one of the main aims of visiting professorships.’

  ‘Excuse me, Melody,’ Rick interrupted. ‘I’ve just had a call from Mr Okanadu’s office.’

  ‘Problem?’

  ‘One of his private patients is having complications.’

  ‘He’s gone to Theatre,’ Melody stated, and automatically checked her watch. Rick nodded.

  ‘Something wrong?’ Carmel asked, her radar ears picking up the conversation.

  ‘Mr Okanadu, the surgeon who was scheduled to assist George in Theatre this afternoon, has called through with an emergency.’

  Carmel thought calmly for a moment, then indicated to Melody. ‘I’m sure you wouldn’t mind stepping into the breach, Melody.’

  ‘Me?’ Melody looked from George to Carmel to Rick, then back to Carmel. ‘Surely there’s someone—’

  ‘You’re a qualified orthopaedic surgeon,’ Carmel stated. ‘And I’m fairly sure, being the thorough professional that you are, you’ve already read the information packet sent to all host hospitals regarding the techniques George will be teaching.’

  ‘She has,’ Rick chimed in. ‘And she chose the patient. She was putting Mr Barnes’s mind at ease this morning before ward round, telling him he’ll have the best surgeon in the world performing the operation.’

  ‘Best surgeon, eh?’ George drawled, a glorious smile lighting his face, his brown eyes twinkling with delight.

  The effect was mind-numbing and Melody wasn’t at all sure she’d be able to keep herself under control while standing opposite him in Theatre. At the moment, she was glad she was still sitting down as she wasn’t sure her legs would have continued supporting her. What was it about his smile that seemed to make her body melt and her mind go blank?

  ‘So it’s settled,’ Carmel stated, then rushed off to tell the rest of the team.

  ‘Where is she going?’ Melody asked.

  ‘To make the necessary changes. Every day, an extensive diary is kept about who operated on whom and where and when and everything else. The slides for the presentation will need to be changed, your name inserted instead of Dr Okanadu’s…’ He trailed off and shrugged. ‘That sort of thing.’

  ‘Would you mind quickly going over the procedure again with me? Just talk me through the highlights,’ she stated. Although she had read up on the procedure, now that she’d been forced into this, she wanted to do an excellent job.

  Before George could answer, someone came over from another table and commandeered his attention, leaving Melody sitting there, trying her best to remember what she’d read.

  ‘You OK, boss?’ Rick asked, pulling up a chair beside her.

  ‘No.’

  ‘Oh? What’s the problem?’

  ‘I don’t want to assist.’

  ‘You’d rather be up in the gallery, squashed in all hot and bothered, telling people to shush so you could hear what was being said?’ He paused. ‘Now you get to be a part of the action, Melody. It’s an honour and a privilege and you’ll have the best view in the house.’

  ‘I guess when you put it that way…’ The one thing she wasn’t looking forward to were the small sensual bursts of tension she seemed to experience whenever George was near. She would have to work extra-hard on her self-control and professionalism in Theatre.

  Accepting her fate, Melody reached for her water glass again and drank the contents. That would be her last drink until she came out of Theatre. At least she hadn’t choked on this drink. Surely that was a good sign that she wouldn’t make a fool of herself. Right?

  CHAPTER THREE

  ‘SUCTION,’ GEORGE ORDERED, and Melody complied. They’d been in Theatre for almost four hours now and George looked as fresh as when he’d first walked in. At first Melody had been very conscious of the packed viewing gallery but once the operation had begun, she’d pushed it to the back of her mind. She had a job to do and they owed it to their patient to do just that.

  They still had an hour to go on the pelvic reconstruction. George’s research in this field had led him to invent a device that made certain aspects of the surgery more manageable. He’d been extensively published in several of the world’s leading orthopaedic journals, hence why he’d been chosen for this visiting professorship. And here she was—operating alongside him. She couldn’t quite take it in.

  ‘Now we’ll start reducing the posterior aspect of the fracture. I’ll be fixing one eight-hole, three-and-a-half-millimetre reconstruction plate, securing it in place with two screws at either end.’ George spoke in his normal tone, knowing his words would be picked up on the microphone that was situated within the theatre.

  When the viewing gallery had been built, the actual operating room had undergone a transformation as well. Small cameras had been installed, enabling everyone to see the procedure being performed. Apart from general teaching, this was the first time the theatre had been used for a visiting specialist.

  ‘I’ll need an inter-fragmentary screw as well to keep that acetabular margin firmly in place,’ George said once the reconstruction plate had been positioned.

  ‘Swab.’ A few moments later, George glanced at Melody and she read the satisfaction in his gaze. The look made her feel as though they were sharing a special secret. ‘I’m happy with that,’ he stated. ‘Check X-ray, please.’ While they waited for the radiographer to take the X-ray, George looked up at the viewing gallery and explained some of the finer points of the surgery he’d just performed.

  Melody allowed herself a brief glance up, o
nly to see several heads in the gallery bowed as students, interns and registrars alike furiously took notes. Thanks to the cameras, though, it meant a permanent record would be kept of this procedure so anyone who had missed it could view it online through the hospital’s link.

  Melody had never been so relieved to walk out of theatre and into the changing rooms, leaving George to finish answering questions and the theatre staff to clean up. Operating with him had been a wonderful experience, but during the first few minutes of the procedure she’d been so acutely aware of him that her heart had been beating a wild tattoo against her ribs. Forcing her professionalism to the fore, Melody had pretended he was just like anyone else she’d operated with.

  Although she hadn’t been the centre of attention, Melody had still felt as though she were trapped like a mouse in a cage. All those people, watching everything they did. ‘Relax,’ she told herself as she had a quick shower. ‘It’s over.’ Everything had gone fine. There had been no complications, no awkward moments. George had been very explicit in what he’d wanted each member of staff to do and Melody realised he was used to operating with strangers.

  As she dried herself and headed to her locker, she knew there was no way she’d ever be able to cope with the pressures of a visiting professorship. She was a good surgeon and that was all she wanted. The opportunity to do further research into micro-surgical techniques of the hand and fingers was definitely enough to keep her occupied for quite some time.

  She was just tucking in her shirt when two of the nurses who had been in Theatre with them came in.

  ‘Hot-diggity,’ Hilary said, fanning her face. ‘He is one gorgeous man. Pity he’s married.’ Hilary giggled. ‘Not that that would stop me.’ She covered her mouth. ‘Oops. Naughty me.’

  ‘I thought he was a widower.’ Evelyn angled her head to the side. ‘That’s what one of his assistants told me.’ Evelyn looked at Melody. ‘Have you heard anything, Melody?’

  ‘About what?’ Melody started to brush her curls. She hated gossip. When she’d been engaged to Emir, there had been a lot of gossip going on about her. Not only had Emir been cheating on her with several women, one of them had fallen pregnant. If it hadn’t been for Evelyn, who had come and told Melody the truth about Emir’s infidelities, she would have still been living in cloud cuckoo land.

  Before she’d confronted her fiancé, a distraught Melody had asked her brother, Ethan, to make some discreet enquiries. When Ethan had confirmed it, Melody had called off the engagement. Then Emir had told her a German doctor was carrying his child and that the two of them were moving to Germany to raise their family.

  That had hurt more than anything. Prior to their engagement, Emir had been adamant that he never wanted to have children. Melody had taken months to come to terms with the fact that she’d never be a mother if she married Emir and eventually she’d accepted that. Then to have him turn around and say he was more than willing to be a father to another woman’s child had made Melody realise that Emir simply hadn’t wanted to have children with her. He hadn’t wanted her. He hadn’t respected her. He hadn’t truly loved her.

  ‘About Professor Wilmont!’ Hilary exclaimed, bringing Melody’s thoughts back to the present. ‘Honestly, Melody, you should get out from behind that desk or operating table or whatever it is you hide behind more often because that man is so hot.’

  Melody clipped her unruly auburn hair back in its usual style. ‘He’s a great surgeon. That’s what I know about him,’ she replied. There was no way she was going to tell them that he set her blood pumping, made her knees go weak and took her breath away all with one smouldering, sexy look. She closed her locker. ‘Are you both coming to the dinner tonight?’

  ‘I have another shift,’ Evelyn said.

  ‘I couldn’t afford it.’ Hilary actually pouted. ‘And lucky you—you get to sit next to him.’

  ‘Enjoy it,’ Evelyn offered with a genuine smile before Melody walked out of the room and headed back to her office. She needed to check her in-tray and make sure everything was up to date. Rick was absent from his desk, so she headed directly into her office and almost jumped in fright when she saw George seated comfortably next to her desk.

  ‘George! I thought you’d gone.’ And how had he changed so quickly? Her stomach lurched in delight at the sight of him, and her knees started to weaken. She told herself off for behaving like a ninny and forced her legs to work, walking over to her desk before quickly sitting.

  ‘I wanted to thank you personally for assisting me at such short notice.’

  Her smile was instant. ‘It should be me who’s thanking you for the opportunity. Or should I thank Mr Okanadu’s emergency?’

  George chuckled and the sound washed over her, warming her even further. ‘Either way, it was great to be able to work with you.’

  ‘You made everything easy for me—and the rest of the staff,’ she added. She looked at him for a second, tilting her head to the side. ‘Are you always so…direct in Theatre or is it just because you have an audience?’

  He nodded. ‘It’s the audience. I’ve become accustomed to having people watch me.’

  ‘Well, you’re certainly very good at what you do.’ She idly shifted some paper around before placing her hands palms down on the desk in an effort to control her wayward emotions. How was it that just his close presence was enough to turn her into a jittery, hormonal mess? The intercom buzzed and she was glad of something to do. She pressed the button. ‘Yes, Rick?’

  ‘I’m going now, Melody.’

  ‘All right. See you tonight, Rick.’

  ‘Yeah, but only if I can tie that bow-tie thing straight. Who made it a formal dinner, eh?’

  ‘We can blame Carmel,’ George called loudly, and Rick chuckled before saying goodbye. ‘He’s good,’ George said. ‘How long has he been working with you?’

  ‘No.’ Melody shook her head. ‘The question you should be asking is how long have I been working with him? He’s been the PA to the head of orthopaedics for the past three years. I only started six months ago.’

  ‘How old is he? He looks about seventeen.’

  ‘Shh.’ Melody giggled. ‘Don’t tell him that. He’s still trying to fight his cute baby face looks. He’s twenty-four and an excellent PA.’ Melody pulled her bag out of a drawer before locking her desk. ‘When the head of department was taken ill at the beginning of this year, it was Rick who helped me find my feet. Without him, I’d have gone down the gurgler ages ago.’

  ‘So you’re not into hospital politics? Administration?’

  ‘Not really.’ Melody stood and motioned to the door. ‘We’d better make a move or we’ll end up being late for dinner.’

  ‘Sure.’ George followed her out of her office and waited while she locked it. Melody turned and bumped into him. She hadn’t realised he’d been standing so close.

  ‘Sorry,’ she mumbled, and quickly took a step to the side. She glanced down at the floor, trying desperately to control the mass of tingles that were now raging rampantly throughout her body. Melody kept her head down as she moved a few steps away before raising her head to look at him. One of her curls managed to escape from its bonds and swung down beside her cheek.

  To her astonishment, George reached out a hand towards her, as though he intended to tuck her hair behind her ear. Melody held her breath, her gaze darting erratically from his hand to his face and back to his hand again. Then George swallowed and dropped his hand back to his side, shoving it into his pocket. He clenched his jaw and took a step back, then glanced at her briefly before looking away, the moment slipping by.

  ‘Ah—are you—? I mean—do you—um…?’ She stopped and forced herself to take a steadying breath. ‘How are you getting back to the hotel? Do you need a lift?’

  George nodded, a slow smile forming on his lips. ‘That would be great. Thanks.’

  ‘Car park is this way.’ Without waiting for further communication from him, Melody headed off down the corridor and turned right
at the end. She opened a door and started heading down the stairs. She was acutely aware of George following her and it wasn’t until they’d gone down three flights of stairs that she pushed open the door that led to the street.

  ‘I’m parked over here,’ she told him as they walked side by side.

  ‘So, the previous head of orthopaedics? You said he was taken ill?’

  ‘Yes, in February. He was working out this year and had planned to retire at the end of it. Now he’s retired early.’

  ‘So he’s not coming back?’

  ‘No. He’s officially resigned from the hospital.’

  ‘Which leaves you in charge?’

  ‘They have to advertise the position. I’m only Acting Head until the end of this year,’ she told him as she stopped by her white Jaguar Mark II. She unlocked the door. ‘So when you finish your tour, do you want a job?’ She chuckled, but even the thought of working closely with George day in, day out filled her with a mass of tingles. She pushed the idea aside.

  ‘This is your car?’ George frowned in disbelief.

  ‘Yep.’ Melody climbed in and reached over to unlock the passenger door. ‘One thing about old cars, they don’t usually come with the mod-cons like central locking,’ she said as George slid onto the comfortable leather seat.

  ‘Wow.’

  ‘I know, right? Such an awesome car. I love it.’ She put her seat belt on. ‘It was a present from my brothers when I passed my final orthopaedic exams. David’s a mechanic,’ she added by way of explanation. ‘Both he and Ethan like restoring old cars.’

  ‘Are they both mechanics?’

  She chuckled as she put the key into the ignition before starting the engine. ‘Ethan likes to think he is but he’s more a mechanic of people—also known as a general surgeon.’

  ‘Huh. Does he work at St Aloysius as well? I’d like to meet him.’

  ‘He used to.’ Melody chatted as she began to exit the car park. ‘Ethan used to be Head of General Surgery but earlier this year he had a mild heart attack. He’s OK now,’ she added, then grinned. ‘More than OK, actually, as he recently got married.’ Melody sighed romantically. ‘It was a wonderful wedding in the lovely wine district, just inland of Sydney.’