by Lucy Clark
Not only did he really want a cup of tea, especially after the night the entire theatre department had just endured, he also wanted to give Mackenzie the opportunity to ask him whatever questions were currently churning around in that intelligent mind of hers.
Deciding it would also be best not to touch her any more, given that simply helping her to her feet had caused his gut to tighten, a sensation he certainly hadn’t experienced the last time he’d been with Mackenzie Fawles, John stepped back and swept his open hand towards the door. ‘Shall we?’
Mackenzie was still giving him quizzical looks but when Anna shooed her out the door, she did as she was told. As the two of them walked out of Theatre and into the main corridor, John remained silent, allowing Mackenzie to lead the way both in the course of the conversation and also in their present direction.
‘This way,’ she murmured as they came to a T-junction of corridors. That was all she said and as she was walking rather fast, he was having difficulty getting a good read on her expression. Finally she asked, ‘Is this your first visit to Sunshine General?’
‘I’m here to spread a little sunshine,’ he quipped, but Mackenzie didn’t even smile.
‘That’s the oldest joke here, John,’ she pointed out as they walked into the crowded cafeteria. ‘I’ll even go so far as to advise you not to try it out on anyone else.’
‘Advice accepted,’ he murmured with mock contriteness. He followed her to a self-serve tea and coffee bar, the scent of bacon and eggs filling the air as hospital personnel tucked into a hearty breakfast, a lot of them still dressed in scrubs, like Mackenzie and himself. It had indeed been a long night in Theatre for a lot of people. He may have come to Sunshine General in an official capacity but when he’d seen Mackenzie’s name on the list of orthopaedic consultants, his mind had been assailed with a barrage of memories.
He’d often thought about her over the years, wondering how her life had turned out. He’d helped her face some terrible situations and in turn it had caused his own repressed memories of love and loss to rise to the surface. In the end, once he’d known she was going to be all right, he’d quietly taken his leave and slipped out of her life as easily as he’d slipped into it.
‘This isn’t tea,’ he complained after jiggling a teabag up and down in a plastic cup.
Mackenzie smiled. ‘You’re so British, John.’
He stared at her, looking at the light in her eyes as her lips curved upwards. She was beautiful. There was no doubt about it. Even though her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, he could tell it was shorter than last time he’d seen her. She had a few more laughter lines around her dazzling green eyes, which made him glad. During their short acquaintance all those years ago she certainly hadn’t had anything to smile about but now, as he watched her sit amongst the hustle and bustle of a busy hospital, smiling so naturally at him, it caused his gut to tighten.
Did Mackenzie feel that same strange undercurrent presently passing between the two of them? Had she pulled away from him in the anteroom because she’d been affected by his nearness or repulsed by it? Did she loathe him, connecting his face with the horrific memories of her past? Or was there something more, something…new?
The smile was beginning to fade from her lips and it was only then he realised he was staring. He quickly looked down at his tea, wanting desperately to put her at ease once more, to see her smile return.
‘How long have you been working here at Sunshine General?’ he tried in an attempt at normal conversation, even though he’d already read her personnel file.
‘I moved here once Ruthie had been discharged from the children’s hospital in Sydney.’ Mackenzie sighed and looked down into her cup, not really seeing anything but the past. ‘After…everything, well, I needed a complete change of scene, a fresh start, and I had friends here.’
‘You had a friend in Sydney, too. Bergan, wasn’t it?’
‘That’s right.’ She forced herself to look at him, to meet his eyes—eyes that had seen her at her most vulnerable. Hopefully now, when he looked at her, he’d see a different woman, one who was more in control of her life than the mess she’d been back then.
‘Bergan was also moving from Sydney to here and there was a job opening in Orthopaedics so it seemed like the right thing to do. When you don’t have any family of your own, you tend to build one as best you can.’
‘Sometimes those are the better families,’ John remarked gently.
Mackenzie took a big gulp of her tea, not really tasting it. ‘Well, after growing up in various foster-homes, pulling a family together from those I’ve learned to trust is the only way to go.’
‘Do you trust me?’ The question came from his lips before he could stop it and his answer was one haughtily raised eyebrow from Mackenzie.
‘To a point.’
His smile was instant. ‘You haven’t changed a bit. Still so forthright. I like it.’
‘Blunt,’ she offered, the eyebrow lowering and her lips twitching slightly. ‘Call a spade a spade, John.’
‘I do but there’s no harm in employing a touch of diplomacy either,’ he offered, and took a sip of his tea, pulling a face afterwards. ‘This really is quite ghastly. How anyone can call this tea is beyond me.’
Mackenzie’s answer was to finish off her tea, crush the cup and lob it neatly into the nearest bin.
‘Good shot.’
‘Thanks, tea snob.’
‘I am. I freely admit it. At the last hospital I worked at I ended up bringing in my own teapot, filtered water and selection of teas.’
She smiled at his words as he reluctantly took another sip of the drink, once more pulling a face. ‘Which hospital was that?’
‘Adelaide General.’
‘Well, everyone knows the water isn’t the best in Adelaide. If it’s good water you’re after, Canberra’s water supply is good and it’s not too bad—’
‘Are you really going to sit there and give me a breakdown of the different types of tap water in this country?’
Mackenzie levelled him with a look. ‘You’re the one who was complaining about the tea.’ There was a hint of annoyance in her tone and she wished she could have stopped it. A range of different emotions passed through her, ranging from curiosity to embarrassment. How was she supposed to act when the man sitting opposite her, complaining about tea, was the same man who had helped her through one of the most difficult times in her life? For almost forty-eight hours John Watson had stayed by her side, helping her, guiding her, listening to her, holding her, when she’d been unable to remain strong with wave after wave of tears pouring down her face.
And then…as if by magic, he’d disappeared. Bergan had arrived on the scene to help Mackenzie and with that John had gone, leaving a note with the nursing staff, stating he was returning to Katoomba and that he wished her and Ruthie all the best.
John eased back in his chair, watching her with interest. ‘You’re mad at me.’
‘No. Not mad. Surprised to see you, here, at my hospital. Which naturally begs the question—what are you doing at Sunshine General? And, more specifically, what were you doing in my theatre?’
‘I thought that might have been obvious. Half the theatre staff had been working round the clock, all night long, and reinforcements were called in to help.’
‘You were one of the reinforcements?’
‘I’d not long finished in theatre five, heard you were just finishing up and thought I’d look in to see if there was anything I could do. Turned out there was.’
‘So you’re working here now, is that it?’ John’s answer was to finish the rest of his foul tea. ‘First the Blue Mountains, then Adelaide, now here. You sure get around, Dr Watson.’
‘Actually, after the Blue Mountains I headed back to England for a year then started working my way around three different counties, helping out here and there. Then to the United States for six months then Tarparnii and then finally back to Australia where, yes, I worked in Me
lbourne then Adelaide and now here.’
‘You really do get around. Why is that?’
He shrugged. ‘I like to meet people.’
‘Or you’re lonely.’ She held his gaze.
‘There you go again. Calling a spade a spade.’
‘I’m right, though.’
John shrugged one shoulder. ‘The Sunshine Coast has wonderful winter weather. Much the same as an English summer. What’s not to like?’
‘You’ve come here for the weather?’
‘That and the fact that they offered me the position of Director of Orthopaedics, at least for the next twelve months.’
Mackenzie couldn’t stop her jaw from growing slack at this news. ‘You’re the new director?’
He grinned, scrunched his paper cup with delight then followed her lead and lobbed it neatly into the bin before winking at her. ‘I’m your new boss.’
CHAPTER THREE
ANNA HAD BEEN well pleased with the colour in Mackenzie’s face when they’d met in the female change rooms later.
‘Much better.’ Anna patted Mackenzie’s cheeks then leaned back to study her with an air of mischief. ‘But I need to know…is the colour in your cheeks from having sweetened tea or the handsome man who sat opposite you?’ Anna giggled and fanned her face with her hand. ‘That man is gorgeous.’
‘And you’re a married woman,’ Mackenzie replied, not wanting to talk about John. Of course, there was no denying his good looks. It was a fact, pure and simple. The other fact, the one she was more than willing to refute, was that one simple look from John Watson could spin her heart into a possible myocardial infarction. That had never happened before and she didn’t even want to think about what it might possibly mean.
She’d thought about him a lot over the years, of the way he’d helped her, listened to her, believed in her even when she hadn’t believed in herself. She knew next to nothing about his personal life other than he was British, and most people could tell that from his accent.
Now, five years later, Mackenzie still had no idea whether he was married or had children. While he seemed able to draw information out of her, he was extremely guarded when it came to offering something back. What was it that made John Watson tick? Mackenzie wished she didn’t care but even now the mere mention of his name was enough to spark her interest.
‘Hey, no harm in looking.’ Anna waggled her eyebrows up and down. ‘And while I may be married, you are most definitely not.’
‘I don’t need another husband, Anna. Losing one was more than enough for me to bear.’
‘You’ve been a widow for over five years now.’
Mackenzie nodded as she finished changing. ‘I’m well aware of that fact.’
‘You don’t deserve to spend the rest of your life alone,’ Anna implored, reaching out to cup a handful of Mackenzie’s blonde hair. ‘You’re so pretty and you’ve been through so much. You deserve happiness.’
Mackenzie chuckled. ‘Well, if happiness is your agenda, don’t start by wishing me another husband. Ruthie and I are fine by ourselves. We’ve made do over the years, building our own little family here at the hospital. I simply don’t have room for any new people in my life right now.’ She picked up her light jacket, perfect for the July winter weather in Queensland, and closed her locker door. She looked at Anna, then stepped forward and gave the other woman a hug.
‘Thanks for your concern, though. I do appreciate it.’ Mackenzie buckled her watch to her wrist and checked the time. It was a quarter to six. ‘I’ve got to go. By the time I’ve finished doing a quick round of Recovery and ICU, I’ll get a full hour with Ruthie before I need to get her ready for school.’
‘Give her a kiss from me. We all love little Ruthie.’
Mackenzie smiled, pleased she’d managed to change the topic of conversation from the discombobulating John Watson to her gorgeous daughter. ‘Will do.’ She picked up her bag and started for the door, calling goodbye to Anna as she went out.
In Recovery, she headed to the nurses’ station to review Mrs Windslow’s progress and was surprised to find John standing there, reading another patient’s notes. He was also standing directly in front of the filing cabinet containing her patient’s information. He didn’t look up from what he was reading, didn’t even seem aware of her presence. Mackenzie cleared her throat impatiently.
‘Excuse me, Dr Watson. Would you mind passing me Mrs Windslow’s casenotes, please?’
John looked up from what he was reading, seemingly astonished to find her there. ‘Mackenzie! Sorry.’ He quickly shifted out of the way, collected Mrs Windslow’s casenotes and handed them to her with one his heart-melting smiles. ‘Here you go.’
‘Thank you.’ They stood side by side at the nurses’ station, reading and making notations on the notes, as the rest of the recovery staff rushed around, caring for their plethora of patients. Mackenzie felt strange. She had no idea why she was so aware of him, why every single move he made, even if it was just to shuffle his feet, sparked off an alarm deep within her.
When he’d been with her before, he’d been her rock, the man she could lean on, who understood what it was like to lose a spouse. He’d been kind, caring, giving and thoughtful and even though she’d recognised he was everything Warick hadn’t been, she still hadn’t experienced anything like the deep sensual awareness she felt now.
Add to that disturbing fact the knowledge that John Watson was her new boss and Mackenzie was starting to realise that she might be venturing into uncharted territory. Being attracted to one’s boss wasn’t a good thing and it simply meant she’d have to work extra hard in order to find some level of neutrality so she didn’t feel as uncomfortable as she did right now.
After he’d revealed his new position of authority, Mackenzie had started to feel her world begin to spin a little unevenly. John hadn’t only appeared in her theatre, reviving memories she’d thought locked away for ever, he was here to stay, at least for the next twelve months. Drawing in a slow, deep breath, she’d nodded politely and offered what she’d hoped sounded like positive and sincere congratulations before rising from her chair.
She’d been more surprised when John had followed suit, easily falling into step with her as they’d made their way out of the cafeteria, heading down the long corridor back towards the emergency theatre block changing rooms.
‘You don’t have to walk with me,’ she’d said. ‘I know the way.’
‘I don’t. This place is more of a rabbit warren than other hospitals I’ve been in.’
‘I think you’re lying.’
He’d shrugged one shoulder. ‘Perhaps. Look, Mackenzie, I didn’t mean my words just now to sound as though I was gloating. I wasn’t. I was offered the job of director and I accepted. It really is as simple as that.’
‘Of course.’
‘And yet you still sound as though you don’t believe me.’ She hadn’t ventured a reply and they’d continued to walk in silence for a minute before he’d said, ‘Why didn’t you apply for the job as director? You know the staff. You have the qualifications—’
‘Wait.’ She’d stopped momentarily and stared at him. ‘How do you know what qualifications I have?’ she’d asked.
‘I’ve read your file. I’ve read everyone’s file in the department but I have to say, yours is quite amazing. It’s impressive that you started your Ph.D. during your registrar training. That’s a fairly extensive workload.’
‘And I finished it while I was working part time at a private practice, as well as juggling full-time sole parenting.’ She’d shaken her head and started walking again. ‘Men. You all seem to have a block when it comes to children. For a man, the career always comes first, yet for most women, children and family come first.’
She’d stopped again and pointed her finger at him. ‘It’s far harder for a woman to become a director or get accepted onto registrar training programmes or climb any sort of corporate ladder if she’s putting her family first.’
‘Agreed. I have four sisters, Mackenzie. They’re all older than me and when our parents died when I was eight, the four of them raised me. They’re all very different, very protective and very forthright, and I’m right behind all of them when it comes to advocating equal rights for women, hence why I mentioned that you most certainly had the qualifications for the job. The fact that you have chosen to put Ruthie first is not only the department’s loss but Ruthie’s gain.’
Mackenzie frowned and, realising he’d effectively taken the wind out of her sails by agreeing with her, she turned on her heel and started to walk again, not surprised when John easily fell into step beside her once more.
‘Besides,’ she muttered, ‘I have a difficult enough time juggling my day-to-day workload, especially when I’m the surgeon on call, with Ruthie’s routine, let alone the extra pressure of more meetings, more paperwork and far more responsibility than I want.’
‘What about hiring a nanny? Surely you have someone to—?’
Mackenzie stopped short yet again and levelled a dangerous stare at him. ‘Look, John. You may have helped me out years ago, you may have delivered my daughter into this world, but don’t for a moment think that gives you any right to tell me how to live my life. I choose to spend as much time with my daughter as possible. I’ve had to make many sacrifices along the way and promotion is one of them.’ She swallowed and drew in a long, calming breath, forcing herself to take it easy, to not fall to pieces in front of him.
‘My career isn’t as important to me as Ruthie is,’ she offered more calmly. ‘I’m sorry, John. I didn’t mean to snap. You helped me out years ago. You were there for me when I needed someone and I will be forever grateful to you.’
‘But you wish I’d butt out of your personal life, especially now we’re going to be working together?’
