The Doctor's Secret Family

‘I didn’t mean to—’

‘I’m sure you didn’t.’ Hannah’s interruption was as smooth as it was forceful. Her gaze was locked on Jack’s so it was safe enough to let him know that her mood in no way matched her words…or her tone. ‘And I’m sure you don’t intend to hold me up any longer. Enjoy the rest of your tour.’ She turned away, deliberately cutting off any attempt Jack might have made to say anything else. ‘Catch you tomorrow, Pete. 8 a.m. start for the ward round?’

‘Sounds good. Have a great evening.’

Hannah was already walking away. Every step was going to take her farther away from Jack. Her evening was getting better already.

The improvement continued. Hannah could feel her spirits lifting as she hurried along the ground-level corridor past Orthopaedic Outpatients and the plaster room on her right, the hospital pharmacy and chaplain’s office to her left. A sharp turn just before the entrance to the bone marrow transplant unit took her through a door into a fire-exit stairwell that was a short cut to the main car parking area for staff. Now she just had to negotiate the route past the hospital kitchens, Medical Records and the pathology department. Hannah kept up her brisk pace, trying to shake off the remnants of her reaction to seeing Jack again. The beginnings of the smile that tugged at her lips had a hint of smugness. If he tried to follow one of her private routes around this hospital he would get lost in no time at all.

* * *

If only she hadn’t got lost trying to find her way around that unfamiliar and huge children’s hospital in Auckland all those years ago. Dressed to the nines in a tailored skirt and jacket, nervously clutching the same briefcase she held now and panicking just a little. She had only scant minutes left to find the venue for her interview, and the sign hanging from the ceiling ahead of her indicated she had still not found the general medicine office suite.

He had been standing just beneath the unhelpful sign, wearing a suit and apparently absorbed in reading the contents of a manila folder. There had been a faint air of tension about him as though he’d been reading something important. Or waiting for someone who was late showing up. There had also been an aura of assurance. He’d obviously belonged there. He’d looked like a doctor. He would know where General Medicine was.

So Hannah approached him. Her determination to find her own way and handle the nerve-racking process of applying for her first permanent job with aplomb had been replaced by a desire to avoid looking stupid by arriving late and confessing she hadn’t been able to find her way. The solitary man beneath the sign seemed to be her best chance of resolving her predicament. She had cleared her throat to attract his attention away from the folder.

‘Excuse me. I’m wondering if you might be able to help me?’

He’d looked up from the folder and Hannah found herself the new focus of a pair of the darkest…and warmest brown eyes she had ever seen.

‘That would be a pleasure.’ The frown line between the unusually dark eyes disappeared and then the man smiled and Hannah knew that the conviction she had cemented over the last year that she had lost the capacity to find men attractive was completely wrong. The totally unexpected and badly timed realisation was disconcerting and Hannah dragged her gaze away from the disarming smile only to find it caught again by those dark, dark eyes. She could see a distinctly amused gleam in them now.

‘How can I help?’

‘I…ah…’ Hannah caught her bottom lip between her teeth, unhappily aware that she was probably compounding an image of being a helpless female. Not only had she been unable to follow directions but she was now rendered incoherent by the smile from a good-looking man. There was only one way out before this got any worse and Hannah took it. She smiled wryly as she made her confession. ‘I’m kind of lost.’

‘I’m not surprised. This is a very large hospital.’

Hannah’s deep breath was almost a sigh of relief. She didn’t feel so stupid any more. His tone was understanding. Sympathetic. And he had an accent. English, but not the public-school variety. It was more of a lilt that added colour to an already attractively deep voice.

‘Where are you heading?’

‘General Medicine. Not the ward, though. I’m looking for the head of department’s office.’ The movement to push her wrist clear of her navy jacket sleeve and check her watch was automatic. ‘I’ve got a job interview in five minutes.’

‘Have you?’ Thick, dark eyebrows rose until they almost vanished beneath the wayward curls above. ‘What’s the job?’

‘A registrar’s position. It’s the first one I’ve ever applied for and I really don’t want to be late.’ The words tumbled out. This was no time to be distracted into conversation no matter how attractive this stranger was. ‘Look, I’m getting a bit desperate here. Can you help me?’

‘I’d love to.’ The sincerity in the statement was obvious. ‘But…I’m afraid I can’t.’

Hannah held back a renewed surge of panic. ‘What?’

‘I hate to admit this…but I’m as lost as you are.’

‘What?’ Hannah knew she probably looked like a fish stranded out of water but she didn’t care. She had just wasted another precious two minutes and she was no closer to finding her goal.

‘I’ve got a job interview myself.’ The explanation was apologetic. ‘For a surgical consultancy. First one I’ve ever applied for as well and I’m damned if I can read this map and find the department.’

They stared at each other.

And then they laughed.

The tension evaporated by magic then and they both studied the map in the manila folder together. The stranger’s hand touched Hannah’s and she decided it really didn’t matter if she was a minute or two late. He was going to be even later for his appointment because he insisted on taking the stairs to the next level and making sure Hannah had found her destination.

‘Good luck,’ he’d said finally. He paused as he turned away. ‘I’m Jack, by the way. Jack Douglas.’

‘I’m Hannah Campbell,’ she responded. ‘And thanks. Good luck to you, too.’

The charm of that encounter hung around Hannah. Quite apart from being devastatingly attractive, Jack Douglas had been so nice. He had gone out of his way to help her despite needing help himself. And he had made her laugh when she’d been feeling anything but relaxed. The combination had created a magic that had stayed with Hannah well after the door had closed again behind him.

* * *

She slammed the car door with unnecessary vigour but a punctuation point was definitely in order. There was no point in raking over old coals and Hannah had left the remains of that blaze alone for so long now she was surprised to find the memory so vivid. Maybe if she’d been prepared for seeing Jack again she could have thrown some extra protection into place. On the other hand, maybe letting things surface so that she could deal with them once and for all was healthier. The reminder of an important lesson, no matter how well learned, was never a complete waste of time or energy.

And the worst was over now. She had seen Jack Douglas again. Had acknowledged that he looked and sounded pretty much the same. And she hadn’t been attracted. Not one tiny bit. The relief she’d experienced walking away from him had been palpable. It was still with her now twenty minutes later as she walked towards the old converted villa that housed the Maysfield Child Care Centre. The moment she walked inside and saw her daughter, the resolve that she would never let anything—or anyone—threaten what they had was strengthened to the point where Hannah felt invincible. She would deal with this because there was simply no other choice.

‘Mummy!’ A small face shone with delight and Hannah held out her arms to catch Olivia’s headlong rush. ‘I made you something, Mummy. You can eat it.’

‘Fabulous. I’m starving.’ Hannah hoped it wasn’t a sand pie decorated with marigold petals like the one she had been presented with in the sandpit last week.

‘It’s quite safe.’ Shirley Smith, the owner-operator of the child care centre, grinned at Hannah. ‘We’ve been in the kitchen this afternoon.’

‘They’re butterfly cakes, Mummy. Come and look! They’re be-yootiful.’

Hannah had to agree. The tops of the Madeira cake muffins had been sliced off and halved, to be positioned in the icing later as wings. Jelly beans had made colourful bodies and feelers had been created from tiny strips of liquorice.

‘I made two, Mummy. One for you and one for me.’

‘Shall we save them for later? A special treat for supper?’ Hannah could see the battle the decision-making process caused but her smile was automatic. Had she really never noticed before how similar Olivia’s eyes were to her father’s? Perhaps the fact that they were framed by blond hair had made the comparison less obvious. And she had never credited her daughter’s curls to Jack either. She was just Livvy—her gorgeous, lovable and incredibly precious child. Impulsively, she gathered the small body into her arms again and kissed the soft, fluffy curls. ‘Thank you for making me a butterfly cake, darling. Love you.’

‘Love you, too.’ Olivia wriggled free. ‘Let’s go home, Mummy. I want to count the daff-dils.’

Shirley walked out to the car-parking area with them. ‘Did you see the van?’

‘No. Has it arrived, then?’ Hannah looked around at Shirley’s smile. She must have been very preoccupied on her arrival not to spot the minibus parked in the corner. The paint job with the centre’s name surrounded by bright cartoon characters was eye-catching. ‘It looks great!’

‘We’re going to start the school runs next week.’

‘I’m so pleased.’ Hannah lifted Olivia onto her booster seat in the back of the car and fastened her safety belt. ‘I was dreading having to make other arrangements when Livvy starts school.’ The centre’s hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. had been brilliant for Hannah and after nearly four years of coming here it was a second home for Olivia. The staff were caring and Shirley was a firm part of the family now.

‘I’m not sure about the roster for driving yet. I think Lucy’s a bit young at nineteen but some of the others are just as keen. I’m also having to decide how many schools we open the service to. I don’t want numbers to climb too much.’

Hannah nodded. Olivia had been one of the first clients of Shirley’s business. The numbers had climbed steadily over the years but there were never more than about twenty children at any one time. If too many parents took advantage of having the hours before and after school catered for then the atmosphere of the centre might change.

‘Just don’t leave Maysfield Primary off the list. Livvy’s enrolled there.’

‘That’s the closest school so it’ll be first. It may be enough by itself for the moment. I might wait and see what the numbers are like.’ Shirley leaned into the car to give Olivia a kiss. ‘Bye, sweetheart. See you tomorrow.’