just put a bit of fizz back into his veins and see him through the night.
He flicked the switch on the kettle then spooned coffee granules into a mug, added whitener and sugar—three large spoonfuls—and sank down onto the nearest chair. It had been quite a day, one way and another, and he was already bone tired from the long hours he’d been working recently. The kettle soon came to the boil and switched itself off but Nick never even noticed because he was fast asleep by then, his dreams full of babies crying and women with swollen bellies begging him for help…
Something green suddenly appeared just beyond his field of vision and his eyelids twitched. He could just make out a cap with a pompom, some pointy-toed boots and freckles—lots and lots of red and green freckles…
He sighed wistfully when a familiar little elfin figure suddenly materialised right in the middle of his dream. His life would be so much better if he had someone like Katie to share it with.
KATIE was on her way back to the delivery suite when she spotted a light on in the office. She sighed as she immediately changed course. They’d been inundated with memos recently about the need to save money by turning off lights and it was hardly setting a good example to leave one on in the office.
She glanced at her watch as she opened the door and frowned when she saw that it was almost two in the morning. She hadn’t been into the office since Karen Johnson had been admitted so the light must have been burning for hours. They’d had three new admissions that night although, thankfully, none of them had presented with any problems. One mum had just delivered a healthy baby girl and was on her way to the ward, and the other two were well advanced with their labours. With a bit of luck both mums would have given birth before she went off duty so the day staff would have a clear run…
Katie stopped dead when she spotted the figure slumped in a chair. She’d thought Nick Lawson had left ages ago but obviously she’d been mistaken. Now she wasn’t sure what to do, whether she should wake him or leave him to sleep, and before she could make up her mind, his eyes suddenly opened.
‘Did you want me?’ he muttered, dragging himself upright in the chair.
‘No. I just came to switch off the light. I spotted it when I was passing and thought I must have left it on by mistake,’ she replied hurriedly, wondering why she felt the need to explain how she happened to be there. Was it because Nick looked so appealing with his dark hair all rumpled and the shadow of a beard darkening his jaw?
She wanted to deny it but she was too honest to lie to herself. She might not like Nick for the way he’d tricked her but she couldn’t deny that she responded to him, and it was hard to reconcile two such conflicting emotions after what had happened with David.
‘Oh, I see.’ He stood up then groaned as he began hopping up and down on one leg. ‘Drat! I’ve got pins and needles in my foot.’ He flopped back down onto the chair and removed his shoe so he could knead his toes. ‘That’ll teach me to fall asleep in the chair. I was only going to sit down while the kettle boiled but I must have dropped off.’
‘You must have been tired,’ Katie said lightly, hoping her confusion didn’t show. ‘Too many late nights, I expect.’
‘Too many late nights on top of too many long days, you mean,’ he replied rather cryptically. He slid his foot back into his shoe and gingerly stood up. ‘That’s better. Anyway, if I’m in your way just say the word and I’ll find somewhere else to sit. I didn’t mean to clutter up your office.’
‘No, it’s fine,’ she assured him. ‘Anyway, isn’t it about time you went home?’
‘I thought I’d hang on here in case you needed me.’ He shrugged when she looked at him in surprise. ‘I didn’t want there to be a repeat of the Karen Johnson episode. If you’re a registrar down because she’s gone home sick then it could cause problems.’
‘That’s very good of you,’ Katie said slowly, wondering if there was an ulterior motive to the offer. Maybe she was a little over-sensitive where Nick was concerned but how many people would offer to work on Christmas Eve if they didn’t need to?
‘There isn’t a catch, if that’s what you’re thinking,’ he said quietly. ‘I just feel really bad about what happened earlier. I should have told you who I was from the outset instead of leaving it until we had a near tragedy on our hands.’
‘But you weren’t to know it would happen,’ Katie protested, surprised that she should feel a need to defend his actions.
‘Maybe not, but that doesn’t alter the fact that Karen could have lost her baby and maybe even her life if she hadn’t received the treatment she needed.’ His deep voice was laced with guilt and Katie frowned because it certainly wasn’t the response she would have expected from him.
‘But she did receive the right treatment and it was all thanks to you, Nick. I don’t know why you’re blaming yourself. I mean, we weren’t expecting you to start work until after Christmas so it was really fortunate that you happened to be here in the first place.’
‘Maybe,’ he conceded, although Katie could tell he wasn’t convinced.
‘There’s no “maybe” about it. It was a stroke of luck that you turned up when you did. Let’s face it, not many people decide to move house on Christmas Eve. They usually wait until after the holidays.’
‘It just seemed like a good time to do it.’ He went to the filing cabinet and switched on the kettle again. ‘Everyone’s always so busy at Christmas that I thought I’d have a couple of days to myself to get settled in before I had to start work.’
‘I see. What about your family, though?’ she asked curiously because it still seemed rather a strange thing to have done. ‘Didn’t you want to spend Christmas with them this year?’
‘My parents got divorced a few years ago,’ he explained, pouring boiling water into a mug. ‘Mum emigrated to New Zealand to live with her sister and Dad remarried. He lives in Scotland now with his new wife and family.’
‘Oh, dear.’ Katie grimaced. ‘That must be rather difficult—unless you take it in turns to visit them, of course.’
‘No. Christmas is just another day so far as I’m concerned,’ he said flatly, stirring the contents of the mug. ‘I prefer to work over the holiday, but it just so happens that I was off this year because of starting this job.’
He glanced up and Katie shivered when she saw the bleakness in his eyes. She sensed there was a lot more that he wasn’t telling her but before she could think of a way to ask him, he countered it with a question of his own. ‘So what about you? D’you normally spend Christmas with your family?’
‘No.’ She summoned a smile but it was difficult to keep the ache out of her voice. If things had gone to plan then this year she would have spent the holiday with David, but after she’d found out how different their views on life were there’d been no chance of that happening. ‘My parents died a couple of years ago in a coach crash. I was an only child and don’t have any other family so that’s why I volunteered to work over Christmas.’
‘I see. Sorry. That was a bit tactless of me, wasn’t it?’
‘There’s nothing to apologise for. You weren’t to know about my circumstances,’ she said briskly because she certainly didn’t want to be the recipient of his sympathy. Nick Lawson had aroused a lot of conflicting emotions inside her already and she didn’t want to add any more so she swiftly changed the subject. ‘Anyway, I’d better get a move on. We have two mums in labour so there’s always something that needs doing.’
‘Just give me a shout if you need me,’ Nick told her, carrying the cup of coffee over to the desk and sitting down.
‘I doubt we’ll have another emergency tonight. Why don’t