Читать книгу The Pregnant Surgeon - Jennifer Taylor, Jennifer Taylor - Страница 8

‘GOOD work!’

Dylan smiled when Tom Barnes clapped him on the back as he came into the changing room. They had just finished their last operation for the day—the one to repair Ada Harper’s hiatus hernia—and he knew that Tom was as pleased as he was that it had gone so well. Ada was now in Recovery and would be transferred to the surgical ward as soon as she came round from the aneasthetic. However, Dylan wasn’t anticipating any problems.

‘Thanks, but you should give yourself a pat on the back as well. Anaesthetising a patient of that age is no mean feat, buddy!’

‘I know.’ Tom’s face split into a wide grin as he stripped off his Theatre greens and tossed them into the laundry hamper. ‘I did one heck of a job in there, too, didn’t I?’

Dylan gave a bark of laughter at such unashamed lack of modesty. ‘You certainly did. It’s no wonder Joanna overlooks your dodgy dress sense if that’s any indication of your expertise.’

‘What do you mean, “dodgy dress sense”?’ Tom tried—and failed—to look suitably offended as he took his T-shirt off a peg and inspected it. ‘This is the real McCoy, I’ll have you know. A genuine, bona fide surfer’s shirt, only given to those brave souls who’ve ridden the Big One.’

‘The Big One, as in Hawaii?’ Dylan whistled. ‘Then I stand in awe of your surfing talents as well as your anaesthetising skills. No wonder you’re the star of Joanna’s team.’

‘Thank you kindly. It’s nice to be appreciated although I might need to look to my laurels now you’ve joined us.’ Tom dragged a towel out of his locker and flung it over his shoulder as they headed for the showers.

‘What do you mean?’ Dylan paused and looked at the other man in surprise.

‘That my undoubted talents might not be enough to keep me in pole position as our revered boss’s star performer.’ Tom grinned as he reached a long arm into the cubicle and turned on the water. ‘The lovely Joanna obviously has a soft spot for you.’

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ Dylan denied, stepping into the cubicle and hurriedly turning on the jets. The water was icy cold and he gasped when it hit him. Shivering, he quickly adjusted the temperature then looked up when Tom’s voice came from the neighbouring stall.

‘It’s unheard of for Joanna not to give a new recruit a thorough going over,’ Tom shouted above the noise of the water. ‘I can’t recall her ever letting anyone get on with the job without first checking to ensure he knows what he’s doing. You can have a list of references as long as your arm but she still has to be sure you’re equal to the task, so how come she gave you free rein today? What’s your secret?’

‘Oh, I expect she’d seen enough when I operated on that chap with the ruptured spleen,’ Dylan replied uncomfortably, because he’d heard the speculation in Tom’s voice. A wave of heat that had little to do with the temperature of the water rushed through him and he grimaced. The thought that Joanna might have treated him as a special case was both intriguing and scary. Whilst he appreciated the fact that she trusted him enough to do his job, he didn’t want to get carried away by the idea that she might have afforded him special treatment for any reason other than his professional skills…

The hell he didn’t!

Did Joanna see him as rather more than just a very new colleague? he wondered euphorically. And was that why she’d waived her rules today? His mind ran riot with the idea so that he missed what Tom said and had to apologise. ‘Sorry. What was that?’

‘I said that it still isn’t like her to be so lenient.’ The water in the neighbouring stall was suddenly switched off but Tom didn’t bother lowering his voice. It came booming over the partition.

‘Joanna is paranoid about making sure everything is done to her exacting standards. That woman lives and breathes surgery to the exclusion of everything else. I don’t know how you managed it, my friend, but you’ve achieved the impossible. You’ve made Joanna Martin behave like a human being for once, and I and the rest of the staff salute you!’

Joanna left the changing room as soon as she was dressed. It had been a busy day but she was pleased with what she had achieved. She checked her watch as she hurried towards the stairs and smiled when she realised that she’d have time to go over her speech before she needed to get ready for the dinner. She’d got through her list that day in record time thanks to the fact that Dylan Archer had taken half her patients, so she may as well make the most of the early finish. Although she was confident that she had covered all the points she wanted to make, it wouldn’t hurt to go through her notes one last time…

Joanna is paranoid about making sure everything is done to her exacting standards. That woman lives and breathes surgery to the exclusion of everything else. I don’t know how you managed it, my friend, but you’ve achieved the impossible. You’ve made Joanna Martin behave like a human being for once, and I and the rest of the staff salute you!

Joanna was passing the men’s changing room when Tom’s voice suddenly boomed out into the corridor. She came to an abrupt halt, feeling herself trembling when she realised what he’d said. Did the staff really consider her dedication as a form of paranoia? Might it even be true? She didn’t want to believe it but she couldn’t deny there was some truth in what Tom had said. She did live and breathe surgery but she’d needed to be completely focused to get where she was. She was a woman in a man’s world and it had needed total commitment to get her this far…

But surely she was entitled to a life apart from her work?

The thought slid into her mind and she frowned because it was the second time that day she’d found herself questioning the life she had chosen. It didn’t make sense because she was perfectly happy with what she had achieved, but then the rest of Tom’s statement didn’t make much sense either. To suggest that Dylan Archer possessed any kind of power over her was ludicrous!

Joanna’s lips snapped shut as she hurried to the stairs. She deliberately closed her mind to the little voice inside her head which was calmly pointing out that the suggestion had simply mirrored her earlier thoughts. Maybe she had toyed with the idea that Dylan Archer seemed to have a strange effect on her, but a stint in Theatre had soon brought her feet safely back onto the ground. Dr Archer was a colleague and that was all he would ever be. The chances of him turning her ‘into a human being’—whatever that meant—were nonexistent. She didn’t intend to get that involved with him!

Joanna was more than a little irked by the suggestion as she let herself into her office. Fortunately, it was gone five and Lisa had left so she was spared having to make small-talk with her secretary. She found her speech then sat down at her desk. There was a stack of letters in her tray for signing but she would deal with them after she had read through her speech. She wanted to be sure she was word perfect because it was important that she should put on a good show that night. She was Joanna Martin, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Head of Surgery at St Leonard’s Hospital, and that was something to be proud of. Whether or not her staff considered her to be paranoid or inhuman was neither here nor there.

Joann quickly read through the speech from start to finish but the words which had sounded so fluent and interesting that morning now sounded stilted and pompous. Panic hit her as she pictured herself standing up in front of the august gathering and watching them yawning with boredom. What on earth was she going to do? She couldn’t possibly hope to rewrite the whole speech at this late stage.

‘Sorry to bother you, Joanna, but I just wanted to tell you that Ada Harper is fine…Joanna? Are you OK?’

Joanna looked up when she heard Dylan’s voice. He was standing in the doorway to her office and the concern she could see on his handsome face suddenly made her want to cry.

‘I’m fine,’ she replied thickly, struggling to control herself. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d felt this emotional and it was hard to hold back her tears now.

‘Of course you’re not fine! That’s obvious so tell me what’s wrong. Maybe I can do something to help?’

His tone was even gentler now, gentle and persuasive and so wonderfully tempting that she longed to unburden herself, but how could she? How could she show any sign of weakness when she was supposed to be in charge of this department? It could undermine her credibility to such an extent that she might find it impossible to do her job. Then she would have to hand in her notice and start afresh somewhere else although it wouldn’t be easy because news travelled fast. It would be all round London that she hadn’t been able to cope and then, of course, people would say it was her own fault for aiming so high in the first place…

‘Hey, come on! Nothing can be that bad.’

She hadn’t realised that Dylan had crossed the room and nearly shot ten feet into the air when she felt his arm go around her shoulders. He bent so that their faces were level and her heart stumbled to a halt when she saw the tenderness in his eyes.

No man should be allowed to look at a woman like that, she thought dazedly. It gave him an unfair advantage because it made it impossible for her to think rationally. When a man looked at a woman the way Dylan was looking at her she became putty in his hands.

Joanna shrugged off his arm and pushed back her chair in one rapid movement that startled her as much as it startled him. She leapt to her feet and glared at him. ‘I have no idea what you think you’re doing, Dr Archer!’

‘I’m trying to find out what’s wrong and if I can help in any way. I thought that was obvious.’

His tone was clipped although the look on his face was so comical that Joanna experienced a sudden urge to laugh. Did he have any idea how stunned he looked at that moment? Of course not! He was the type of man who was normally in control of himself and the situation and it must be a rare event for him to find himself out of his depth like this.

The thought should have been comforting but for some reason it just served to knock her even further off balance. Joanna felt her insides quiver as she tried to deal with the thought that Dylan was as unsure about what was happening between them as she was. What had Tom said about Dylan making her behave like a human being? Well, it was true because he made her feel things that she’d never experienced before.

All of a sudden Joanna realised what dangerous ground she was on. She’d spent the whole of her adult life focusing on her work to such an extent that her emotional life had been neglected. Oh, she’d had the odd romantic liaison over the years but never anything serious. She hadn’t been prepared to put in the time or the effort it had needed to maintain a relationship when she’d had her career to consider.

The men she’d dated had soon tired of coming second to her job so for the past few years she had refused any invitations. It had seemed pointless going out on a date when she wasn’t interested in having a relationship with anyone, yet she realised with a sudden flash of insight that she would be interested if Dylan asked her out. The thought terrified her because she knew in her heart that there could be no compromises in that situation. It would be all or nothing if she got involved with a man like Dylan, and that was out of the question. She wasn’t prepared to sacrifice her career for love.

Dylan walked over to the door then turned and walked all the way back to the desk just to prove to himself that he was capable of making his limbs obey him. He felt a little better after he’d done it, more able to cope with making his mind listen to reason. If Joanna didn’t want his help then that was the end of the story.

Only it wouldn’t be the end because he would be forced to spend the rest of the night worrying about her, wouldn’t he?

He swore under his breath, wishing not for the first time that day that he’d never taken this wretched job. If he hadn’t taken it he would be carrying on as normal. He glanced at his watch and made a few rapid calculations. He should be on his way home by now and trying to decide nothing more stressful than which restaurant he would take the current woman in his life to for dinner. Once dinner was over they might either go on to a club or back to his flat depending on the stage they were at in their relationship, although lately it had been rare that he’d invited anyone to spend the night with him.

Dylan frowned when it struck him just how long it had been, in fact, since he’d slept with a woman. It wasn’t because of a lack of willing partners either, but he just wasn’t interested in casual sex nowadays. He wanted more from a relationship than a few hours of physical pleasure, things like closeness and commitment, a sense of them belonging together. Casual sex was a bit like scratching an itch—good while it lasted but quickly forgotten afterwards—and he wanted more than that. In fact, when he asked Joanna to spend the night with him it would be because they both knew they were making a commitment to each other.

The thought astounded him. He swung round and marched back to the door again then stood there while he took half a dozen deep breaths to clear his head. Putting the horse before the cart wasn’t in it! Commitment and Joanna Martin were two concepts which should never have been uttered in the same breath at this stage, so how come they had sneaked into his head?

He had no idea but what he did know was that he’d be in serious trouble if Joanna discovered what he’d been thinking. The last thing he could afford at this stage in his career was to be dismissed, yet it was a distinct possibility if she thought she was in danger of being compromised in any way.

Dylan called on all his resources before he turned to face her, and even then found his resolve wavering when he saw how upset she looked. He ached to comfort her but he forced himself to behave with decorum. Joanna was his boss and he was going to treat her as such even if it killed him—which it very well might!

‘Look, Joanna, I’m not trying to pry but if there is any way I can help you only need to say the word.’ He shrugged when she glanced up, hoping he looked suitably nonchalant. ‘The offer’s there but it’s up to you whether or not you accept it.’

‘I…um…Thank you. I appreciate your concern but everything is fine, I assure you.’

Dylan’s nostrils flared with impatience when he heard the distance in her voice. She was deliberately trying to blank him and it hurt to be on the receiving end of such tactics. However, deep down he knew there would be little to gain but a lot to lose if he pursued the matter so he merely shrugged.

‘Fine. In that case I’ll say goodnight. Have a pleasant evening.’

‘Fat chance of that!’

He’d already taken a couple of steps out of the door when he heard that comment and he stopped dead. He looked round, feeling his very bones melting with tenderness when he saw how appalled she looked. It was obvious that she hadn’t intended to say that and it touched his heart that the words had spilled out despite her intentions. Maybe Joanna found it a bit more difficult to maintain her aura of cool professionalism in front of him than she did in front of the rest of her staff?

The thought was far too tantalising to ignore so Dylan didn’t try. He slowly made his way back into the room. ‘Want to explain that comment?’ he asked, half expecting a rebuff. His heart lifted when she grimaced because it was the first time she’d willingly betrayed any sign of weakness in front of him.

‘I have to give a speech at the Royal College of Surgeons annual dinner tonight and I’ve just realised that what I’ve written is a complete load of rubbish.’ She tapped a fingernail on the neatly typed notes piled on her desk. ‘It’s flat, boring and will have everyone snoring before I reach the second paragraph!’

‘Then it should be fine.’ He grinned when she looked at him in surprise. ‘Every single speech I’ve ever heard at the dinner has had me nodding off so yours should fit the occasion perfectly.’

There was total silence for a moment and he gritted his teeth as he wondered if his flippancy had offended her. This was obviously important to her and he shouldn’t have tried to make light of her concerns. A little chuckle suddenly broke the silence and he heaved a sigh of relief when he realised she was laughing.

‘Thank heavens for that! I thought I’d mortally offended you.’

‘You didn’t. Not at all.’ She chuckled again, a throaty sound that made his toes curl and caused an immediate reaction in another part of his anatomy as well. Dylan shifted uncomfortably when he felt his body make its own appreciative statement as to how it felt about that alluring little laugh.

‘You’ve made me see how stupid I’m being so thank you very much. I’d got myself so keyed up about making the perfect speech that I’d lost sight of the fact that most of the speeches I’ve listened to have bored me rigid.’ She grinned as she briskly gathered up her notes. ‘At least mine won’t rock the boat and give anyone a heart attack by being too challenging!’

‘I’m sure you’re doing yourself an injustice,’ he protested, desperate to get his mind back on the subject under discussion rather than what was currently occupying it. Thoughts like that—and he certainly wasn’t going to elaborate on what sort of thoughts they were—were totally inappropriate.

‘I doubt it but who cares? I shall do my best and just have to hope that it’s enough.’

‘Nobody can do more than that, Joanna. Nobody expects any more than that, in fact,’ he gently pointed out. He sighed when she looked at him questioningly. He really didn’t want to start making more waves but he could hardly refuse to explain what he’d meant.

‘You’re far too hard on yourself. It isn’t good to keep striving for perfection all the time.’

She laughed shortly. ‘You hardly know me, Dr Archer, so I really can’t see that you’re qualified to make that kind of judgement.’

‘Maybe I don’t know you all that well but it’s obvious that you are completely dedicated to your work,’ he countered.

‘And is that your opinion or are you quoting your esteemed colleague. What was it that Dr Barnes said? Ah, yes, that’s it. I’m paranoid about making sure everyone works to my standards and that the staff all salute you for making me behave like a human being. I think I got it right, didn’t I?’

Dylan’s heart sank, not because Joanna had somehow overheard Tom’s comments but because of the hurt in her voice. It had upset her to hear herself being spoken about in those less than flattering terms and he felt guilty about having been part of the conversation.

‘Maybe Tom did say all that but he said it out of concern rather than because he was criticising you. I’ve only been here a day but it’s obvious the esteem your team have for you, Joanna. You’re a wonderful doctor, a superb surgeon and you are doing what any surgeon hopes to do—you are improving people’s lives with your skill.’

Joanna felt a lump come to her throat because there was no doubt that Dylan meant every word. Maybe he had been trying to smooth over an awkward moment but that didn’t detract from the fact that he believed what he had said.

She cleared her throat, not wanting him to see how touched she was by the compliment. ‘Thank you. I appreciate your comments, Dr Archer.’ She shrugged, suddenly wanting to lighten the mood because she wasn’t sure she could handle so much emotion. ‘I should have remembered the old adage about listeners never hearing anything good about themselves.’

‘And Tom should have had the sense to lower his voice.’ He grinned but his eyes were full of tenderness again and her heart surged because every time he looked at her she could see it in his eyes. ‘He could waken the dead with a voice as loud as that. No wonder nobody dares die when he’s in charge of their anaesthesia!’

Joanna burst out laughing. ‘If only it were that simple! Still, I was pleased to hear that Ada Harper came through her op. She’s such a game old lady and I was keeping my fingers crossed it would be all right.’

‘She’ll be fine. I’m going to pop down to see her in a few minutes.’ He checked his watch and frowned. ‘What time does the dinner start? These events usually kick off quite early so shouldn’t you be on your way home to get changed?’

‘I brought my clothes into work the other day,’ she explained. ‘I knew I had full list today and that I would need to spend extra time supervising…’ She broke off, not wanting to remind him about her decision not to supervise him. She still wasn’t completely comfortable with the fact that she had waived the rules for him.

Dylan grinned. ‘Supervising me? That’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it?’ He laughed when she nodded. ‘Thought so, and may I say that I feel honoured that you let me loose on your patients without being subjected to a thorough check-up first.’