not sure if I’ll be able to get into the staff accommodation block at this hour of the morning. I should have collected the key to my room from the admin office when I arrived but I forgot all about it.’
‘You’re staying in the staff quarters?’ Katie exclaimed.
‘Uh-huh.’ He took a sip of the drink then shrugged. ‘I’m only going to be here for a few months so it didn’t seem worth all the hassle of finding myself a place to live. Niall offered to get me a staff room so that will do me very nicely.’
‘You’ll find it very cramped,’ she warned, knowing it wasn’t just the shock of learning that a senior registrar had settled for the dubious delights of staff accommodation that disturbed her so much. The fact that she lived there as well was what she found really unsettling, for some reason.
‘Is that where you live?’ he asked curiously.
‘Yes.’ Katie summoned a smile because she didn’t want him to suspect how uneasy she felt about the idea of them living under the same roof. It was completely ridiculous and she hurried on. ‘It was only supposed to be a temporary measure to tide me over after I moved out of the flat I’d been sharing with my boyfriend, but six months later I’m still there.’
‘Are you hoping for a reconciliation?’ he asked, watching her over the rim of the mug.
‘With David? No way! We weren’t suited and I’m only surprised I didn’t realise it sooner.’ She cleared her throat because her relationship with David really wasn’t the issue here. ‘I just haven’t had a chance to go flat hunting so it’s been easier to stay put. However, living in staff accommodation wouldn’t be my first choice. I prefer a bit more room to manoeuvre!’
‘I don’t imagine it will bother me all that much.’ He grinned when he saw the scepticism on her face. ‘You’re talking to a guy who’s just spent six months living in a tent so, believe me, it will feel like a palace compared to that.’
‘A tent?’ Katie repeated, forgetting her own concerns at this fresh revelation. ‘What were you doing living in a tent for all that time?’
‘I was working for one of the overseas aid agencies. You may have heard of it…Worlds Together?’ He carried on when she nodded. ‘We were setting up a new maternity unit in an area of India which has a particularly poor record of infant mortality and ended up living in tents because there wasn’t any other accommodation available. What few resources the people have there are needed for themselves.’
‘Sounds pretty grim,’ she observed, watching him closely so that she saw the shadow which crossed his face.
‘It certainly wasn’t a picnic.’
He didn’t say anything else. However, Katie was left with the distinct impression that the experience had been a lot worse than he’d admitted. As she left the office, she found herself wondering if she’d been a bit hasty in her assessment of him. Was Nick really the trickster who’d set out to have fun at her expense, or was he a caring and dedicated doctor? Only time would tell but it was worrying to suddenly have these doubts about him.
The rest of the night flew past after that. Both mums had their babies and had been moved to the wards by the time the day staff came on duty. Katie handed over to Rosie Meadows, the young staff nurse who was in charge that day, and left her to it, yawning as she went to the staffroom for her bag. It was just gone six when she left the building and still dark, so she didn’t linger as she walked the short distance from the main part of the hospital to the staff accommodation wing. She keyed the entry code into the security lock then glanced round when she heard footsteps and saw Nick hurrying up the path. He grinned as she held the door open for him.
‘Thanks. You just saved me a journey. I forgot to ask the porter for the entry code,’ he explained as he followed her into the foyer.
‘Three-nine-seven-nine,’ Katie told him helpfully.
‘I’d better jot that down before I forget it.’ He took a ballpoint pen out of his pocket and quickly wrote the numbers on the back of his hand. ‘I’ll need to unload my car later and it would help if I didn’t have to go waking people up by ringing the doorbell.’
‘You wouldn’t be very popular if you did,’ she agreed lightly, heading for the stairs. ‘Most of the folk staying here at the moment are on nights and they’ll be keen to get some sleep. Anyone who’s off duty will have gone home to their families for Christmas.’
‘Probably best not to get a reputation for being a pesky neighbour so early in the day,’ he conceded as they reached the first landing.
Katie stopped when he hesitated. ‘Which room are you in?’
‘Number twenty-nine. Fortunately, the porters had a spare set of keys otherwise I’d have ended up sleeping in the residents’ lounge. The admin office doesn’t reopen until after Boxing Day, apparently.’
‘Lucky for you,’ she agreed, pointing towards the next flight of stairs. ‘You’re on the next floor, halfway along on the right. The doors are all numbered so you shouldn’t have a problem finding your room.’
‘Thanks.’ He turned towards the stairs then suddenly stopped and looked back. ‘Do you know if the staff canteen is open today? I meant to stock up on a few essentials after I’d got here but I never had the chance with one thing and another.’
‘That’s my fault,’ Katie said guiltily. ‘If I hadn’t pressganged you into playing Santa you could have done your shopping.’
‘It was just one of those things so don’t worry about it. So long as I can get my daily fix of caffeine I’ll survive, and I’m sure someone will lend me a teabag or a spoonful of coffee if I ask them nicely.’
‘You’ll need something a bit more substantial than coffee to keep you going!’
‘Yes, Sister,’ he replied with a grin that brought a rush of colour to her cheeks.
‘Sorry. I must try to curb my bossy tendencies,’ she murmured.
‘Don’t do so on my account, Katie. I like a woman who knows her own mind.’
Katie wasn’t sure what to make of that and turned away, making a great production of finding her keys so he couldn’t see how confused she felt. Nick had sounded as though he’d meant it as a compliment yet she was afraid to take it as such because she still didn’t quite trust him. In the end she decided it would be best to ignore it and answer the question he’d asked her instead.
‘The canteen is open today so there shouldn’t be a problem about getting something to eat. They’re serving a full Christmas dinner at one o’clock and a lot of the staff will be there. It might be a good way to introduce yourself to everyone.’
‘Good idea. If I’m awake I’ll go and join them.’ He grimaced. ‘Mind you, I could murder a cup of tea at the moment. I don’t suppose I could beg a teabag and a drop of milk off you, could I? I don’t think I can last out until lunchtime.’
‘Of course you can! Better still, I’ve got a spare box of teabags and a jar of coffee in my room so they’ll tide you over until you can get to the shops.’
‘Oh, no, really, I can’t take all your stuff,’ he began, but Katie shook her head.
‘Don’t be silly. They’re just sitting there so you may as well make use of them.’ She briskly led the way to her room and unlocked the door. Nick followed her inside, glancing round as she switched on the lamp.
‘Mmm, this is very cosy. And I mean cosy as in warm and snug rather than as estate-agent talk for small and cramped.’
‘Sounds as though you may have come a cropper when you’ve been flat hunting,’ she observed, opening the cupboard and taking out the teabags and the jar of coffee.
‘More times than I care to admit.’ Nick propped himself against the doorjamb and grinned at her. ‘I lived in London