Читать книгу Dr Ferrero's Baby Secret - Jennifer Taylor - Страница 7

SHE had made her decision. She would hand in her notice and leave at the end of the week. She had spent the night thinking about it and realised it was the only rational solution. Getting this job might have been the fulfilment of all her dreams, but no job was worth this amount of heartache.

Kelly Carlyon felt her heart start to pound whan she heard the office door open. She knew what she should do, yet the irrational part of her couldn’t bear to think that Luca might believe she was too scared to work with him. She had got over him a long time ago, as soon as she had found out that he was going to marry another woman, in fact.

Admittedly, it had been a shock when she had arrived at the hospital to take up the post of junior registrar and discovered that he was her new boss, but she had made up her mind that she would deal with the situation professionally. However, after the argument they’d had yesterday, she was less confident of that. Could she really work with Luca Ferrero when there was so much history between them?

‘Buongiorno, Kelly.’

Luca swept into the office and closed the door. Kelly felt a wave of resentment rise up inside her as she watched him walk over to his desk. There was no sign of discomfort on his handsome face, no hint at all that he found the situation as stressful as she did. Luca didn’t give a damn that he had turned her world upside down again. If he had cared then he would never have treated her the way he’d done two years ago.

Kelly’s mouth compressed as she recalled what had happened. Luca had spent six months as visiting consultant on the paediatric unit where she’d been working as a senior house officer and that was how they had met. The intensity of her feelings for him had taken her completely by surprise. She’d been too busy establishing her career to get romantically involved with anyone, yet within a week of them meeting she and Luca had been lovers.

She’d been devastated when he’d returned to Rome at the end of his tenure. Even though he had sworn that they would always be together, she’d been so afraid of losing him. When he had telephoned her a week later to say that he was back in England and needed to see her, she had been elated. She had rushed home after work, sure in her own mind that he was going to ask her to go back to Italy with him, but she’d been wrong.

When Luca had arrived, he had refused her invitation to sit down. He had stood in the middle of her living room and had told her simply that he was getting married. Oh, he had tried to break it to her gently, said that he had never meant to hurt her, but she had stopped listening. The truth was that she had served her purpose and he’d had no further use for her.

She had ordered him to leave and that had been the last she’d seen of him until she’d arrived in Sardinia. Now, as the newly appointed head of clinical care at the Santa Margherita Ospedale, a hospital devoted to the care of sick children on Sardinia’s northern coast, Luca must be more determined than ever that she wasn’t going to stand in his way.

‘So, Kelly, have you decided what you intend to do?’

Luca pulled out a chair and sat down. Kelly took a deep breath as she blanked out the unhappy memories. Luca had given her twenty-four hours to decide if she wanted to continue working at the hospital and he wouldn’t allow her a second more. She opened her mouth to tell him that she had decided to leave when he interrupted her.

‘Before you say anything, I believe I owe you an apology.’

‘An apology?’ she repeated uncertainly.

‘Si.’ He leant back in his chair and studied her across the width of the desk. ‘It was wrong of me to speak to you that way in front of the team. I apologise for it.’

‘Oh! I see.’

Kelly bit her lip, hoping he couldn’t tell how emotional she felt. She’d been bitterly upset by what had happened yesterday. Luca had been extremely abrupt with her when she had suggested a change of treatment for one of the children. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he had taken the time to consider her idea, but he had dismissed it out of hand. She had been furious about the way he had spoken to her and had told him so in no uncertain terms. If he hadn’t been called away, she knew that a full-scale row would have erupted and that would have been reprehensible. It was bad enough that Luca had felt it necessary to advise her to consider her position at the hospital before he had left. Maybe Luca wasn’t the only one who needed to apologise?

‘I think I owe you an apology too. I should have accepted what you said and not argued with you.’

‘Then we were both at fault, it seems.’

He shrugged, his broad shoulders moving lightly beneath his suit jacket. He was always impeccably dressed and the black suit he was wearing fitted him like a glove, moulding itself to the lean lines of his body. He had chosen a plain white shirt to go with it and the colour was the perfect foil for the olive tan of his skin. With those deep grey eyes and that lustrous black hair, he looked more like a film star than a doctor, yet it hadn’t just been his looks that had attracted her when they had met. It had been everything about him: his vitality; his commitment; his intelligence. Luca Ferrero had seemed like the embodiment of all her dreams and it was little wonder that she had fallen in love with him. The hardest thing of all had been discovering that her idol had clay feet.

It was painful to recall again what had happened so she pushed the memory to the back of her mind. It wasn’t relevant now, anyway. The days when she and Luca had been lovers were long gone and a lot had happened since, her move to Sardinia to work at the Santa Margherita hospital being one of the major events.

Moving abroad had been a big step for her and her twin sister, Katie. When she had moved to Sardinia, Katie had gone to live in Cyprus. Kelly had been worried in case things didn’t work out for her twin but, after speaking to Katie the previous night, and discovering that she was getting married, Kelly was confident the move had been a success for one of them at least. It was one less thing to worry about if she had to give up her job here.

Kelly frowned when she realised that an element of doubt had crept into her mind. She had decided that she must leave and that should have been the end of it. However, part of her was still reluctant to give up the job and life she had dreamed about for so long.

‘So, Kelly, you were about to tell me what you have decided to do.’

Kelly felt panic well up inside her again as Luca prompted her for an answer. All of a sudden she wasn’t sure what she was going to tell him. Should she hand in her notice, or should she stay? But if she stayed, she was going to have to work with him on a daily basis. Could she treat him as just another colleague, or would the memory of the past always affect her judgement, as it had done yesterday? She had never argued with someone senior to her before, yet she’d had no compunction when it had come to squaring up to Luca.

‘I know how difficult this is for you, Kelly. It’s not easy for me, either.’

Luca’s tone had softened, stroking along her raw nerves like a velvet-gloved hand, and she shivered. She had always been highly responsive to him. Just a word or a touch and she’d been like putty in his hands. That was another reason why she should leave—she didn’t want to feel like that again. Luca was a married man now and he was strictly off limits. However, even though she knew that, she couldn’t help the feelings that were trickling through her, hot little shivers which she hated yet couldn’t control.

‘I can’t see why it should upset you, Luca,’ she said sharply, trying to quell the treacherous response of her body. ‘You forgot all about me the moment you left England. After all, you had other things on your mind, didn’t you?’

‘If you mean that my life changed dramatically after I returned to Italy, I won’t deny it,’ he said quietly. ‘However, it doesn’t mean that I forgot what we shared while I was in England. You played a very important role in my life during the time I was there, Kelly, so this situation is just as difficult for me as it is for you. However, we’re both adults and I honestly believe that we can find a way to work together if we put our minds to it.’

‘Does that mean you want me to stay on here?’ she asked in surprise because she had never expected him to make such an admission. Luca had been cool to the point of indifference since she’d arrived. He’d given no hint that he remembered the time they had spent together. Although it shouldn’t have made a scrap of difference to discover that he considered her an important part of his past, she knew that it did.

‘Yes. But only if it’s what you want, too.’ He leant forward and his eyes were very intent all of a sudden. ‘I won’t try to persuade you to do something you don’t feel is right for you, Kelly. I have too much respect for you both as a person and as a doctor.’

‘Thank you.’ Kelly took a quick breath when she felt her emotions see-saw once more. ‘I would like to stay. It’s always been my dream to work in a children’s hospital. I couldn’t believe it when I was told that I had the job.’

‘Me, too.’ A sudden smile curled his sensual mouth as he leant back in his chair. ‘I knew there were dozens of candidates for the post and that they came from all over the world, too. I could scarcely believe my good fortune when the board offered me the job of clinical director.’

‘Stop being so modest.’ Kelly smiled back, feeling some of her tension ease when she saw the laughter on his face. This was the Luca she remembered best, the warm, caring man who took such delight in even the smallest success. No wonder everyone had adored him when he’d worked in Manchester. He could have had his pick of all the single women in the hospital, but he’d chosen her.

The thought sent a frisson scudding through her but she ignored it. She laughed, wanting to keep the mood light because it was safer. ‘You know very well there are few paediatricians who can match you, Luca.’

‘Hmm, I think I should hire you to do my PR. You are very good for my ego, Kelly.’

He returned her smile before he abruptly sobered. She had the impression that he was deliberately drawing back and couldn’t help feeling disappointed before she realised how stupid it was. She should be glad that he was keen to keep their relationship on a strictly platonic footing.

‘You are an excellent doctor, Kelly. The proof of that is the fact that the board offered you this job. Whilst I hadn’t taken up my own post when you were interviewed, I wouldn’t have had any hesitation about endorsing your application if I’d been consulted.’

‘Thank you. That means a lot to me. I thought…Well, you can probably guess what I thought.’

‘That if I’d had the chance I would have found a way to stop you working here?’ He sighed. ‘It’s speculation at this stage, but I’d like to think that I would have considered your application on its own merits. You have a very promising career ahead of you, Kelly. That was obvious when we worked together in Manchester. I know how committed you are and I wouldn’t want to do anything that would prevent you achieving your potential.’

There was something about the way he said it that bothered her. Kelly had a feeling that her career really mattered to him and that he wasn’t just saying so for appearances’ sake. However, before she could reply, the phone rang. She waited while Luca took the call. It was obviously bad news because he looked grim when he hung up.

‘Alessandro Alessi—the boy we saw yesterday during ward rounds—has suffered a convulsion. I’ll make my way straight to the ward. Can you tell the rest of the team to meet me there, please?’

‘Of course.’

Kelly stood up as he came around the desk. She followed him out of the office but soon got left behind. She headed for the staff lounge and relayed the message, trying to ignore the speculation on everyone’s faces as they made their way to the ward. They were obviously wondering if she was going to stay after what had happened yesterday so should she tell them that she had decided to leave, or should she wait until she was sure it was what she really wanted to do?

She pushed open the ward door and felt her heart scrunch up inside her when she saw Luca talking to the sister. Whether she stayed or went, it was going to hurt and there was no point pretending otherwise.

‘Grazie.’

Luca handed the chart to the sister and walked over to the bed. Ten-year-old Alessandro had been admitted with a severe headache and fever ten days earlier. Luca had immediately suspected bacterial meningitis and had had him rushed to the intensive care unit without waiting to do a lumbar puncture to confirm his diagnosis first. By the time the characteristic rash had appeared a short time later, Alessandro had been receiving intravenous antibiotics, and they had undoubtedly saved his life. That the child should have suffered this setback now was a blow.

‘How long did the convulsion last?’ he asked, his gaze centred on the boy. He knew that his team was gathering around him but he didn’t look up because he didn’t want anything to distract him…

His pulse leapt when someone brushed past him. He didn’t need to look to know it was Kelly. His internal radar had been working overtime since she had arrived. He could pinpoint her position in a room with complete accuracy, and the thought troubled him deeply.

He couldn’t afford to feel like this—it wasn’t fair to Kelly or to himself. He had promised Sophia that he would love and care for Matteo for the rest of his life, and that’s what he was going to do. There was no room in his life for anyone except his son, and he certainly didn’t intend to jeopardise Kelly’s career prospects by involving her in his affairs.

‘How long did the seizure last?’ he reiterated, clearing his mind of everything else.

‘Only a few minutes,’ Sister replied. ‘One of the junior nurses alerted me. By the time I got here, Alessandro was fine, but I thought I should let you know immediately, dottore.’

‘You did exactly the right thing. I want to know about any changes that occur as soon as they happen,’ Luca said firmly, wondering how long it would take him to drum that into his staff. Some of the nurses in particular were loath to call him in case it appeared they couldn’t cope. However, he didn’t care how many false alarms he was called to if it meant a tragedy could be averted.

He smiled at the boy. ‘So how do you feel now, Alessandro?’

‘All right, I guess,’ Alessandro muttered.

‘Bene.’ Luca nodded, although he could tell that the child wasn’t as alert as he’d been the last time he’d seen him. Taking a pen torch out of his pocket, he checked the boy’s response to light. If he wasn’t mistaken, the right eye hadn’t reacted as quickly as it should have done. The delay was infinitesimal but enough to make him decide that he would value a second opinion.

He glanced around the group, pleased to see that everyone was present. He’d made it clear when he had taken over that he expected them to turn up on time for ward rounds. The team had grown a little lax after his predecessor had left but Luca wasn’t prepared to accept less than one hundred per cent commitment from every single one of them. His gaze skimmed over his senior registrar, Carlo Baldovini, an earnest young man in his thirties. Next to Carlo was Letizia Sentini, one of the two junior registrars on the team. Letizia smiled at him, although he didn’t respond. He wasn’t interested in Letizia’s less than subtle attempts to flirt with him.

His gaze came to rest on Kelly and he felt a sudden tightening in his chest. He knew how difficult it was going to be to keep their relationship on a professional footing if she stayed at the hospital. Of all the women he had known, Kelly was the one who had touched him most. When he’d met Kelly, he’d found his soul mate, but once Sophia had told him about the baby she was expecting, he had realised that he would have to let Kelly go.

He knew that if he had to make the decision again, he would do exactly the same thing. However, as he looked at Kelly’s face, he couldn’t help wishing that circumstances had been different. If he’d not had to care for Sophia and her unborn child, he and Kelly might still be together.