‘You don’t have to go there. Flynn’s bringing him here.’
‘What?’ She barked the word so loud she was certain people in Walhalla heard it. She swallowed her embarrassment and pressed the intercom button. ‘Tell him it’s best for Aaron if I come to them.’
‘Too late. He’s already on the road. Barb said he’d be here in ten.’
Crap. Didn’t he realise his boy would be in horrible pain and every movement of the car would be excruciating until the shoulder was put back in? Really, what was Flynn thinking? She hoped he hadn’t tried to put it back in himself. Some people fancied themselves glorified medics just because they’d done years of first aid training or watching doctor-based TV shows which were as close to reality as her butt was close to being petite.
Really, it did her head in sometimes.
She thought Flynn knew better. Nat would have. So would Reid. So, why hadn’t they stopped Flynn from putting Aaron in the ute and bringing him here? Where it would be only the two of them in that little treatment room with his injured son. The treatment room where they’d kissed and then she’d run from him, only to kiss him again up in her bedroom followed by that horrible conversation. It had taken her a lot of hard work to try not to think of that kiss every time she walked into the treatment room since. And now, he was going to be there again, crowding up the room and making it hard to think straight. She could ask Cherry to stay. She was her nurse after all.
But no. Cherry had plans and it would be completely arseholish of her to ruin them.
Crap-crap-crappity-crap-sticks!
Prita sighed and put the bag down, fingers clenching reflexively. ‘Relax, Prita. Relax.’ She took a deep breath and plastered a pleasant smile to her face—her doctor’s smile, the one that always helped her sound like she was in control and knew exactly what she was talking about and wasn’t bothered by anything. She’d used that smile a lot in the last few weeks with the phone calls and Bob Thompson and Doc Simpson’s ongoing backstabbing. And with Max Smith coming by every day to drop in a new candle he’d made that he thought she might like and flirting with her in that slightly nervous-sweet way of his. She really was going to have to do something about that.
So, smile. Calm, self-assured doctor smile. It should feel second nature by now but it felt forced. Giving it up, she pressed the intercom. ‘Thanks, Cherry. I’ll just go prep the treatment room. Can you please call Lisa and tell her I’ll be by to pick up Carter a little later than planned?’
‘Sure thing. Do you want me to tell her why you’ll be late? Maybe if she tells Carter it’s for Aaron, he won’t be so disappointed.’
‘Cherry, you’re a godsend. Yes, that would be great. Thank you. Then you better go. You don’t want to miss out on any of your date night.’
‘You sure? I could stick around for a little longer. Frank won’t mind.’
‘No. It’s fine. Flynn can help if I need it. You go. And thanks for calling Lisa for me. I really appreciate it.’
At least if Carter knew it was for Aaron, he would be more likely to understand. Even though he’d been much better since they’d moved here a year and a half ago, he was still prone to anxiety, particularly when it came to adults letting him down. And her having to stay late tonight would be letting him down. Especially given their celebration. But he did love Aaron and would understand she needed to stay to treat him.
She just wished Flynn hadn’t put his poor boy in a car to bring him to her. It would have been so much better for all of them if she’d just gone to CoalCliff. She could have dealt with going out there. The boy had probably injured himself trying one of the new climbs on Reid’s rock climbing wall. It was Friday. Training night for the Nippers Squad after school. The only reason Carter wasn’t there was because of their special plans. Reid and Nat would be there as would Barb, possibly Mac and Ben as well. She could have dealt with seeing Flynn with all of them around.
But no, he had to pack Aaron into his ute and bring him here.
She made a tsking sound as she left her office and walked into the treatment room to prepare for their arrival. She’d give him a piece of her mind after she’d made sure Aaron was okay. Actually, no, she wouldn’t do that at all. That would prolong him being here and she really didn’t want to do that. Certainly not in the room where they’d kissed. God, that kiss …
She took a deep breath. ‘Stop it, Prita. You are a doctor. Aaron is a patient. You see patients and their parents all the time. This is no different.’ Yes. There. That was better. Or it would be if she could only make herself believe it.
Damn it.
‘Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?’
She jerked around. Cherry stood in the doorway, a look on her face that said she’d heard Prita talking to herself and understood exactly why she might not want to be in a room with Flynn alone. Bloody hell. To make it worse, she wasn’t the only one who seemed to have an inkling why
