He laughed. ‘Ah, a challenge. I do so like a challenge.’
She shivered at the intimate promise in his words. This was crazy — he had a child and she was still wearing her engagement ring. She needed to put this conversation back onto even ground. ‘I’d better go, I’m keeping you from your family.’
‘Well, that would be difficult given I don’t have any.’
Her heart gave a crazy leap. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I saw you earlier today in the skate park with a little boy. I thought...’
‘He was my child? No. He’s my nephew. My sister lives here in Brisbane and Connor’s a mad keen skater. I promised I’d take him to the park on the weekend. Not married. Not in a relationship. No kids.’
He smiled at her like he was laying down his cards. He was a free agent. No wife or girlfriend. And no child. ‘I’m sorry. You seemed really close, I just assumed.’
‘Yeah, I guess we’re pretty close. He’s a great kid.’
‘How old is he?’
‘Six. When Nell, my sister, moved to Brisbane for her work I decided to follow. Connor’s father took off when he was a baby and I know what it’s like to grow up without a father.’
‘What happened to your dad?’ she asked, curious despite not wanting to be.
‘He and my mum divorced when I was five. He was kind of absent really. He married again and sort of forgot about us for large periods of time.’
‘So now you’re Connor’s father figure?’
He laughed. ‘Let’s just say stable male role model.’
She wrinkled her nose. ‘Ah, a man afraid of the F word. How unusual.’
He grinned. ‘I’m not afraid. I just prefer being an uncle. I like being fun Uncle Marcus. But Connor’s full on. I’m glad when I can hand him back. I like my life a little too much to tie myself down to something like that permanently.’
‘You make it sound like a death sentence.’
‘Let’s just say — once bitten, twice shy.’
So there was something in his past. ‘Sounds painful.’
‘It was.’
Madeline yawned despite her interest being piqued. The weariness had returned with gusto. ‘I’d better go. Thanks for the ride.’
‘Any time, Maddy,’ he said, his voice brimming with amusement.
Her hand stilled on the handle. She hadn’t meant that kind of ride...Or was she just imagining the innuendo? She opened the door, exited the car and turned, ducking down a little to face him. ‘Goodbye, Dr Hunt,’
And she shut the door and walked away, his laughter following her all the way inside.
Madeline arrived at the hospital the next day just before lunch. She entered the main foyer sighing at the blessed relief from the cool blast of air. She inhaled deeply, re-familiarising herself with the sterile smell found in hospitals the world over. She loved that smell and regretted briefly she was no longer a part of the hospital system.
Making her way to the ICU, Madeline discovered her patient had been moved to the coronary care unit. She spoke briefly to the registrar who had been caring for Mrs Sanders, and was told she had suffered a large inferior wall MI, evidenced not only on her ECG but by a massive rise in her cardiac enzymes.
Fortunately, with the swift administration of a thrombolytic agent they had managed to halt any further damage. Mrs Sanders’s condition had stabilised overnight and they’d been able to extubate her in the early hours of the morning.
Madeline was relieved as she made her way next door to the coronary care unit. Mrs Sanders had five kids who needed her. Hopefully now she would start following medical advice and do something about her diet and exercise. It was a drastic wake-up call but unfortunately her patient had been a heart attack waiting to happen for a long time — overweight, hypertensive, high cholesterol and a family history of heart disease.
Madeline smiled at Mrs Sanders, who was looking much better. She took her patient’s hand as her eyes sought the cardiac monitor. A regular sinus rhythm blipped on the screen. The last blood pressure taken had been good and the oxygen saturation was excellent. No doubt this was helped by the prongs sitting inside Mrs Sanders’s nose, blowing a steady supply of oxygen.
Mrs Sanders greeted Madeline warmly, thanking her profusely for saving her life.
‘Nonsense,’ Madeline said dismissively. ‘I just did what anyone who had that knowledge would have done. Besides, I didn’t do it all by myself.’
‘Yes, Brett said that a nice male doctor helped, too. A Dr. Hunt?’
Madeline grimaced. That wasn’t exactly how she would have described Marcus Hunt. Smug, yes. Sexy, yes. But nice...?
‘Did I hear my name?’
Marcus’s deep voice stiffened Madeline’s spine as he sauntered into the room carrying a bunch of flowers. Introducing himself, he proceeded to charm the socks off the middle-aged woman while Madeline stood rooted to the spot, unable to move and only vaguely aware of their conversation.
Her eyes were irresistibly drawn to his powerful denim-clad legs. He was wearing one of those trendy T-shirts that looked like a toddler had been let loose with several Nikko pens. It clung to his biceps and chest wall perfectly and, when he laughed, it drew her gaze higher, to his mouth.
Marcus chose that moment to look at her with his strong, direct gaze. It broke her trance-like state and she looked away hastily, heat suffusing her face. She had to get out.
She’d couldn’t think straight around the damned man.
‘Well, I think I’ll be off now.’ Madeline broke into the conversation with an unsteady voice and made a great show of gathering her things.
Mrs Sanders protested but Madeline could see how even the short visit had taken it out of her patient.
‘Yes,’ said Marcus, rising from where he’d sprawled himself in the chair beside the bed. ‘I’d better be off, too.’
‘Oh, please,’ said Madeline, panicking slightly, not wanting to spend any longer in his company than was necessary. ‘Don’t leave on
