Winning the Surgeon's Heart

by Annie Claydon

  ‘Run straight back to Sophie and Grandma now, sweetie. Matt and I have to do some things, but I’ll see you later.’ Hannah gestured to her mother, making sure that she saw that Sam was on his way back.

  ‘I can take him. Sign me in...’ A worried look crossed Matt’s face, and Hannah shook her head.

  ‘It’s okay. He can do that by himself.’ Hannah watched as Sam scampered back, making sure that he didn’t get distracted. Sophie took his hand, bending down to say something to him, and Sam turned, giving her a wave.

  ‘He’s great.’ Matt was watching too. ‘I’ll bet he’s a bit of a handful...’

  ‘He’s more than just a bit of a handful. But all the best kids are.’

  Matt nodded thoughtfully. Then he turned suddenly, as if tearing himself away from the boy, and walked towards the signing-in table.

  * * *

  They’d responded to the interview questions, giving all the expected answers. They’d enjoyed the challenge, and were feeling good, and hoping they’d done well. Now that they were alone, Hannah’s optimism seemed to have subsided into a worried determination. They’d reached their pretend patient first, but there was still the matter of how they’d answered the judges’ questions. Matt was confident that they’d outlined the right course of action clinically speaking, but maybe they’d missed something that the other teams had seen.

  Hannah was getting more and more nervous, and he tried to think of something he might say to her. There was nothing. He was nervous, too.

  Taking Sam onto his shoulders had been the most challenging part of the day. Being responsible for a child, even if it was only for a few minutes and his grandmother was close by. Sam hadn’t been taught to be afraid, and the way he’d clung to Matt, confident that he’d keep him safe, had been a new experience.

  He shouldn’t read too much into it. Hannah’s mother and Sophie both looked after Sam as naturally as Hannah did. The boy was a happy, normal kid. The thought that he could be a part of what Hannah had was entirely inappropriate. And the more urgent desire to touch her was equally inappropriate.

  Finally, the four teams were gathered, cameras pointing at them to record their reactions. One of the judging panel stood up and started to talk into the microphone, giving an overview of each team’s performance. Hannah was standing next to Matt, looking very nervous.

  ‘I’m taking bets on how long he’s going to drag this out...’ He bent, whispering into her ear behind his hand, so that the camera couldn’t record his words. Even now there was a freshness about her scent that worked its way into his consciousness.

  She looked up at him, smiling suddenly. ‘Two minutes.’

  ‘Okay. I’ll say thirty seconds. Loser buys coffee next time round.’ Matt reckoned it would be closer to three minutes. But at the moment, buying coffee for Hannah was his idea of being a winner.

  She threw him a sceptical look. Matt fixed his eyes on the clock and Hannah followed suit. The second hand ticked around, and he felt her nudge him when it had signalled that two minutes had passed. He looked down at her and found that her smile was worth the price of a thousand cups of coffee.

  ‘You win.’ He murmured the words to her just as the judge’s voice crashed into his consciousness.

  ‘And the winners are... Matt and Hannah, for Hamblewell Hospital.’

  Cheers erupted from the crowd, and Matt could see Sam jumping up and down, doing the victory dance he’d done with Hannah last week. Hannah seemed paralysed by the news, and he took the lead, shaking the hands of the other competitors. Matt waited until she’d followed suit, and then propelled her towards the judge.

  She shook his hand, smiling and holding aloft the medal that he’d draped around her neck. Matt received his, standing next to Hannah, as everyone cheered. It was a dizzying, almost surreal experience. Winning this with Hannah was a more potent achievement than he’d thought.

  An endless round of handshakes and congratulations. And then suddenly they were alone.

  ‘Well done, Flash.’

  ‘You too, Robin...’ She frowned suddenly. ‘Don’t you want to be Flash? Robin sounds as if you’re my sidekick...’

  ‘Hey. You stick with your own middle name, and I’ll stick with mine. I’ve become attached to it over the years.’ He wasn’t particularly attached to either of his first names, because he guessed they’d been his father’s choices. But on Hannah’s lips the name had acquired new and better associations.

  He pulled the medal ribbon over his head. ‘Would Sam like this?’

  ‘You earned it. He can have mine.’

  Matt put the medal into her hand. ‘Give him this one. Then you can both wear one.’ He reckoned that Sam might like that.

  ‘Are you sure...?’ Hannah looked up at him and he nodded. ‘Why don’t you come and give it to him yourself, so he can say thank you? We’ll probably have to go for a drink somewhere before I get to go home and lie on the sofa—you’re welcome to join us.’

  There was nothing that Matt would like more. Being with Hannah for just a while longer. Seeing that softer side of her, which seemed to retreat behind a determined shell when she was competing. But it wasn’t a good idea. He was already becoming too aware of her, and it was an uneasy path to take.

  ‘Thanks, but I’d like to get home. I’ve got a few things to do.’ The lie sounded hollow on his lips. ‘Actually, lying on the sofa sounds like a good idea.’

  Her gaze searched his face for a moment. Then she nodded. ‘I’ll let you go, then. Thanks for today. And the medal, Sam will love it.’

  Matt watched her walk away. She knelt down in front of Sam, putting the medal around his neck, and Matt’s heart began to swell as the little boy picked it up gravely, examining it. Then Hannah pointed behind her in his direction and started to turn...

  He turned away quickly. It wouldn’t do for her to know that he was watching, greedy for every detail of the scene. Matt walked away, starting to feel the heaviness of his limbs and the sting of the wound on his shoulder. He should go home, take a long shower, and forget all about Hannah until next week.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  HANNAH WAS TRYING not to think about Matt. That wasn’t easy, because Sam hadn’t stopped talking about him, and her mother had mentioned that he seemed nice and wondered innocently whether he had a family. Sophie didn’t have such reservations.

  ‘I asked. He’s definitely single.’

  Hannah leaned back in the front seat of the ambulance, closing her eyes. ‘And they know this how?’

  ‘I spoke to one of the nurses in Orthopaedics. He comes into the ward quite a lot on account of operating on quite a few of their patients.’

  ‘Oh, and they’ve compiled a dossier?’

  ‘Yeah, pretty much. He lives just around the corner from the hospital. Been here a year, isn’t married and doesn’t have a girlfriend, despite being a complete and utter god in the looks department.’ Sophie frowned. ‘That sounds a bit too good to be true actually. I wonder if he’s got a dark secret.’

  Hannah had wondered that too.

  ‘Maybe he just likes to keep his personal life to himself.’

  ‘So you know something? That you’re not telling me?’

  ‘No. We don’t all have your dating stamina, I haven’t had a partner in years either. I suppose that doesn’t count, though, I’m not a complete and utter goddess...’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous. You’re a super-goddess.’ Sophie pulled a face. ‘You just can’t believe that there’s someone out there who won’t let you down, the way John did.’

  ‘And I’ve got a six-year-old, and a job. It doesn’t give me a lot of time for dating.’ Hannah was sure that she could have made time if she’d really wanted to, her Mum was always telling her she should go out more. But guilt stopped her. She’d let her father down, and she wouldn’t break the promise she’d never had the chance to ma
ke to him. She’d never get carried away, thinking that she was in love, and let down the people she really cared about. Her place was with Sam and her mother.

  ‘Sure you couldn’t squeeze him in?’ Sophie grinned, and then puffed out a breath as the radio hissed into life.

  Good. Something else to think about for a while. Something that didn’t involve Matt’s broad shoulders, or what might happen if a girl should accidentally-on-purpose cut through that gentle veneer of his. She’d seen the fire and the determination beneath it, and it had made her shiver.

  ‘Here we go...’ Sophie glanced at Hannah, starting the engine of the ambulance.

  * * *

  The second part of the competition was being held at the blue team’s hospital. Matt had texted Hannah, saying that he’d be there at seven thirty, and since she’d won the bet, he would be bringing coffee. Hannah had texted him back, saying she looked forward to a latte with no sugar and her phone had pinged almost immediately with a smiley face.

  Matt stood out in the crowd, and she didn’t have to look for his blond hair and red T-shirt. He was next to the blue team’s contingent of supporters, chatting to a girl of around thirteen in a wheelchair, who’d obviously been brought down from one of the wards to watch. Hannah walked over to him, reaching out to tap him on the shoulder, but he seemed to sense she was there before she even touched him.

  ‘Ah, there you are.’ He was holding two large cardboard beakers and he handed one to Hannah. ‘Latte, no sugar. Mia, this is Hannah.’

  ‘Hi, Mia.’ Hannah grinned down at the girl. ‘You’re here to cheer for the blues, are you?’

  ‘I’m cheering for Dr Matt as well. He’s my doctor.’

  Matt grinned. ‘Well, that’s very kind of you. I’ll run even faster knowing that you’re watching me.’ He gestured to a large screen that had been set up to one side of them. Clearly whatever they were going to be doing today would involve another location, and the cameras would be relaying what was happening.

  ‘He’d better run if he’s going to keep up with me.’ Hannah shared the information with Mia and she grinned.

  ‘That sounds a lot like a challenge.’ Matt was smiling too. ‘Hannah’s an ambulance paramedic, Mia.’

  Mia’s face lit up. ‘That’s what I want to be...’

  ‘It’s a hard job, but I love it. I wouldn’t do anything else.’ Hannah wondered what was wrong with Mia and whether it would prevent her from dealing with the physical demands of the job.

  ‘When you’re better, you’ll be able to do anything you want.’ Matt came to her rescue. ‘The ambulance service will be lucky to have you.’

  ‘You’ve played a big part in making that possible.’ The woman standing next to Mia was obviously her mother.

  ‘It’s been my pleasure. I’m glad to see Mia doing so well.’ Matt bent down again. ‘Will you come back later today?’

  ‘You bet. I’ll be cheering you and Hannah.’

  Hannah grinned at her. ‘Thanks. Ambulance crews have to stick together.’

  They took their leave of Mia and her mother, strolling across the grass towards the reception tent. ‘I didn’t realise you worked here as well.’

  ‘I operate here from time to time. Mia had severe scoliosis, which is my specialty.’

  ‘She obviously thinks a lot of you.’ In Hannah’s experience you could generally judge a doctor by what their patients thought of them.

  ‘She’s a brave girl, and very determined. The first time I met her, she gave me a list—she’d written down all of the things she wanted to be able to do after her surgery.’

  Hannah laughed. ‘And how are you doing with that?’

  ‘It’s looking good. Mia’s already working with the physiotherapists, and she’s doing well. She’ll tick everything off her list, given a little time.’

  ‘It must be nice, being able to follow through with your patients. I don’t always get that opportunity.’

  ‘Some of them I don’t get to know too well, on account of their being under anaesthetic. But I try to make time to see how they’re doing, especially the kids. Giving them a decent start in life is...’ Matt shrugged. ‘It’s what it’s all about, really.’

  Hannah nodded. She’d been lucky and had had the best start in life; whatever mistakes she’d made had been hers alone. Something about Matt told her that maybe his life had been shaped by other people’s mistakes.

  * * *

  This time the teams were called one by one. They waited for what seemed like an age after the red team had been summoned, and finally they were kitted out with heavy boots, along with work gloves, jackets and hard hats. Then one of the production assistants ferried them by car to a row of old warehouses, empty and due for demolition. She drove away without another word, leaving them alone.

  ‘What do we do now?’ Hannah looked around. The site seemed deserted, although it was fair to assume that there must be cameras somewhere, trained on them.

  ‘I’ll walk that way a bit.’ Matt gestured to his left. ‘Maybe you go the other way, and see if you can see anything.’

  ‘Okay. Stay within hollering distance.’

  He nodded, walking away from her. Hannah started to walk, scanning the crumbling brick fascia of the warehouses. If the hard hat was anything to go by, they were expected to go inside one of them, but which one...?

  ‘Hannah... This way...’ She heard Matt’s call, and turned, running towards him. His trajectory was more determined now, and she guessed he must have heard or seen something.

  ‘I thought I heard someone calling out...’ He was suddenly silent and Hannah heard it too. A woman’s voice, shouting for help.

  ‘I think it’s coming from over there. Must be on the other side.’ The voice was too faint to be coming from any of the doorways that they could see.

  Matt nodded and they jogged together across the rubble-strewn ground towards the end of the row of buildings. Hannah felt her foot turn, and pain shot through her knee. Then she yelped in surprise as her downward trajectory suddenly reversed itself.

  Matt had caught her, and she was pinioned against him. One arm wrapped firmly around her waist and the other hand... He moved it quickly away from the curve of her hip but it was too late. She’d already felt the pressure of his fingers.

  ‘Um... Sorry. Are you okay?’

  Maybe. Hannah wasn’t quite sure. Maybe it was the sudden close-up of his blue eyes that had turned her legs to jelly, or maybe the shock of almost falling face first onto the sharp stones. Maybe that fleeting touch, but she could hardly blame him for that. Matt hadn’t had the time to check exactly where he was putting his hands, and he was clearly a little embarrassed about it.

  ‘Yes. Fine. Thanks.’ He could let go of her now. Even if every fibre of her body was clamouring for his.

  He nodded, hesitating for just one moment before he stepped away from her. In that moment, Hannah could have sworn that he felt it too. The heat of an attraction that stubbornly failed to respond to reason. Matt turned to retrieve her hard hat, which had spun out of her hand, landing some feet away.

  Her knee hurt. But she could keep going. ‘You go on ahead, I’ll catch you up.’

  ‘I’ll wait.’ There was no trace of impatience in his tone.

  He was right, they should stay together, and Sophie would have done the exact same thing in these circumstances. But when Matt did it, all Hannah could think about was that she’d had no more than a taste of his strong arms, and she wanted more. She tried to concentrate on her knee, flexing her leg, and the pain subsided a little. When she took a couple of steps it felt better still.

  ‘I’m good.’ She started to walk again, and Matt fell into step beside her, still watching her. When they reached the other side of the warehouses, which faced the road, the voice became louder and clearer.

  ‘Up there.’ Matt was the first to see it. A f
lash of red at one of the upper windows. As they ran closer they could see it was a woman waving a red scarf.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Hannah shouted up to her. The woman was making a great job of appearing panicked and distressed.

  ‘I’m all right. My boyfriend... He’s hurt...’ The woman seemed about to climb out of the window.

  ‘Stay there. Don’t try to climb down, we’ll come to you. What’s your name?’ Matt was already on his way towards the door, leaving Hannah to deal with the woman.

  ‘Isobel. You can’t get up here...’

  ‘Okay, Isobel. Leave that to us. Are you safe where you are right now?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Can you see your boyfriend?’ Hannah knew that when dealing with someone who was panicking and probably in shock, she had to give clear, step-by-step instructions.

  ‘Yes...’

  ‘Listen to me carefully, Isobel. Put your hand on the windowsill.’ Isobel hesitated, but she did it. ‘Good. Now turn and look at him. Tell me what you see.’

  ‘He fell... There’s blood and I think he’s broken his leg.’

  ‘Is he breathing?’

  ‘Yes...’

  ‘What does his breathing sound like, can you hear a rasping sound?’

  ‘No, he’s breathing easily.’

  Hopefully so. ‘That’s good, Isobel. Have you got a phone on you?’

  Hannah waited while Isobel did as she was bidden. Where was Matt? He should be up there by now, but she suspected that was going to be far too easy a solution. He appeared again at the door, running towards her.

  ‘The way up there is blocked with rubble. We’re going to have to dig our way through.’ He glanced up at the window, where Isobel was watching them. ‘Do you have an idea of the situation?’

  ‘I’ve got pictures. Or I will have...’ Hannah’s phone beeped, and she opened the texts that Isobel had sent. The pictures showed a large open space, and a lifelike dummy with a good representation of a broken leg. There must be a wound as well, because blood was pooling on the floor. Isobel had obviously been well drilled in giving answers that matched the scenario, and this felt chillingly real.