The Italian Doctor

It wasn’t her place to ask, however, so she carried on getting Lauren settled. She was just showing the teenager how to operate the radio when the sound of footsteps made her glance round, and she felt herself colour when she saw Luke. She hadn’t expected him to appear so soon and felt a little flummoxed by his early arrival.

‘I…um…this is Lauren Atkins, Dr Fabrizzi.’ She quickly gathered her wits and made the introductions. ‘You’ll be operating on her ankle tomorrow morning, I believe.’

Before Luke had a chance to reply, Mrs Atkins cut in. ‘You look very young to be performing such a skilled operation. I must say that I expected someone more experienced. I don’t know if I’m happy about you treating my daughter. Lauren’s whole future is at stake here!’

‘I understand your concerns, Mrs Atkins.’ He smiled politely at the woman. He didn’t appear at all perturbed by her comments, although Maggie knew that a lot of doctors would have taken a very dim view of being spoken to that way.

‘However, I assure you that I’ve performed this operation a number of times in the past and each time the outcome has been entirely successful.’

‘You’re American!’ Mrs Atkins visibly brightened.

‘That’s right. I’m from Boston. I was fortunate enough to be offered a placement on the exchange scheme so I shall be working in Dalverston for the next six months,’ he explained calmly.

‘And you’re a surgeon back in Boston?’ Gloria persisted.

‘I am. I’m working here as a senior registrar. However, when I return home I shall be taking up a consultant’s post.’ He shrugged modestly as he continued outlining his qualifications. ‘I’ve done a lot of research into the causes and problems of sports-related injuries, including publishing a number of papers on the subject. It’s an area that I am extremely interested in.’

Maggie was amazed by what she’d heard. She’d had no idea that he was so highly qualified. It made her wonder why he’d decided to accept the post on the exchange scheme. Most of the doctors who did so weren’t nearly as high up the professional ladder as he was.

There was no time to dwell on it, though, not with Luke waiting to examine Lauren and take her case history. That was another strange thing he did, now that she thought about it. Most of the senior staff left it to the junior housemen to take patients’ medical histories but Luke preferred to speak to those he would be operating on himself. It made her realise that there was a lot she didn’t know about Luke Fabrizzi and that was worrying, even though she wasn’t sure why it should be.

It took a bit of persuasion to remove Mrs Atkins from her daughter’s bedside but Maggie was firm. She ushered the woman into the day-room then went back to the ward. Luke had drawn up a chair beside the bed and was chatting to Lauren. Maggie was pleased to see that the girl looked far more relaxed now, although that was probably due to Luke’s presence, of course!

Her mouth set into a prim line. Most women would find it hard not to respond to a man as good-looking as Luke was, whatever their age. However, she hoped that he wouldn’t lay on the charm with too heavy a hand. She had seen cases before where patients had developed crushes on their doctors and they were always tricky to deal with. The thought of having to cope with a love-sick teenager wasn’t one that appealed at all.

He looked round and his brows rose when he saw her set expression. ‘Nothing wrong, I hope, Staff?’

‘Not so far,’ she replied with a smile that could have drawn blood. She turned her attention to Lauren and smiled more warmly this time. ‘We need to take a few details, Lauren, if you will bear with us. I know it’s a bind, having to answer all these questions, but we’ll get them done as quickly as we can.’

‘There’s no rush!’ Lauren laughed self-consciously and Maggie sighed as she realised that her suspicions had been correct. Obviously, the girl wasn’t in a rush to get the formalities over with if it meant prolonging the time she spent with Luke.

‘The longer you can keep Mum away from me the better, although I know that sounds an awful thing to say.’ Lauren grimaced. ‘She means well but I wish that she would let me get on with my life, instead of interfering all the time!’

Luke laughed softly although his gaze had sharpened. ‘A lot of mothers tend to be over-protective, Lauren. It comes with the job.’

‘Oh, I know that! But it’s more than that. Mum seems to want me to do all the things she wanted to do. She doesn’t understand that I’m not her.’ A tear slid down her cheek. ‘I don’t know how to make her understand that I want to lead my own life, not the one she has mapped out for me!’

There was a wealth of anguish in the girl’s voice. Maggie glanced at Luke and could tell that he was as concerned as she was. It was obvious that the situation was causing Lauren a great deal of distress and that was the last thing they wanted.

‘It isn’t easy to make parents understand that you know what you want, Lauren,’ she explained sympathetically. ‘I know that only too well.’

‘Do you?’ The teenager looked expectantly at her and Maggie sighed as she realised that she had to explain what she’d meant. It made her feel a little uncomfortable to talk about her own situation with Luke there, but maybe it would be for the best, in a way. It was about time he realised that he’d made a mistake when they’d met in Milan.

‘I do. My family’s dearest wish is to see me married, you see. And they’ll go to almost any lengths to make it happen, too.’ Her tone was rueful. ‘I can’t count the number of times they’ve tried to set me up with some suitable man. It’s got to the point where I won’t tell my mother that I’m going to visit her because I’m terrified there will be another prospective candidate sitting on her sofa!’

Lauren groaned in sympathy. ‘Really? Oh, poor you! But what are they like, all these men? Or shouldn’t I ask?’

‘Definitely not! I wouldn’t want you having nightmares.’

She smiled as the younger girl laughed. However, she couldn’t help glancing at Luke and was surprised by the expression on his face. What was it that she could see there? Regret? Apology? Neither seemed quite right.

She looked away, not wanting to fall into the trap of letting her mind start wandering again. ‘Anyway, Lauren, I do know how hard it is to make a stand, but it’s something you have to do. You can’t live your life for other people, you have to live it the way you want to.’

‘I know that. It’s just that I’m such a coward. I hate arguments and the thought of telling Mum that I don’t want to dance any more terrifies me because she’ll be so upset.’ Lauren sighed. ‘That’s why I was glad that I hurt my ankle. I was hoping that it might mean I wouldn’t be able to dance again.’

‘It would be a rather drastic solution to your problems, Lauren.’ Luke’s dry tone brought a touch of colour to the teenager’s face. ‘Wishing that you were permanently incapacitated isn’t the answer, believe me. As Maggie said, you have to stick to your guns.’

It was the first time that he’d called her by name since they’d been working together. Maggie knew that it meant nothing yet she couldn’t control the ripple that ran down her spine. She busied herself with the admission forms, not wanting to dwell on it. So Luke had called her Maggie—big deal! Yet it felt as though their relationship had shifted slightly and that bothered her a lot.

He went through the admission procedure in his usual thorough fashion and she had to admit that she was impressed by his attention to detail as he asked Lauren to explain what she’d been doing at the time of the accident. He noted everything down on the form then put the cap on his pen.

‘That’s been a big help. I like to know exactly what I’ll be dealing with. It’s vital that the ligaments are repaired in a way that won’t cause you any problems in the future even if you do decide not to pursue a career in ballet.’

His voice was firm as he continued. ‘However, the operation is only the first step, Lauren. You will be seeing a physiotherapist afterwards and will be given a series of exercises that you’ll need to do to get your ankle back to full strength. Please, don’t cut off your nose to spite your face. Being left with a permanently weak ankle would be too great a price to pay just to avoid telling your mother the truth.’

‘I promise I won’t be that stupid, Dr Fabrizzi,’ the girl muttered, looking so uncomfortable that Maggie knew she’d been contemplating doing just that.

What a good job that Luke had been astute enough to guess that, she thought as he stood up. But, then, he did appear to have a rare ability to relate to people and understand them. That thought certainly didn’t seem to gel with the image she’d formed of him. If Luke really was the arrogant, egocentric man she’d imagined him to be then surely he could never have been so perceptive about other people?

It was another unsettling thought and she was only too happy to brush it aside when he turned to her. ‘Seeing that Lauren has promised to be a model patient, I suggest we help her out now. How do you feel about persuading her mother that she’s not needed here?’

The suggestion made her smile. ‘Well, I’m willing to give it a shot, but it won’t be easy.’

He grinned. ‘No, it won’t, but I’m sure we can sort something out if we work together.’ He adopted a deliberately professional tone but his blue eyes were dancing with mischief. ‘In my opinion, this patient needs complete rest, Staff Nurse Carr. Would you advise Mrs Atkins that I feel it would be beneficial if Lauren didn’t have visitors for the remainder of the afternoon?’

‘Certainly, Doctor. I shall go and inform Mrs Atkins of your decision straight away.’

Maggie just managed to smother a giggle when he winked at her. He was obviously having difficulty keeping his face straight as well. Lauren was chuckling softly, a hand pressed to her mouth to contain her mirth. She looked a world removed from the unhappy teenager who’d been admitted a short time earlier, so Maggie had no qualms whatsoever about what they were doing. Lauren would benefit greatly from a breathing space away from her overbearing mother, in her view.

‘Thank you, Staff. You know where to find me if there’s a problem,’ Luke said with commendable aplomb as they moved away from the bed.

‘Oh, never fear! I’ll have you paged if there’s any backlash from this,’ Maggie retorted, following him down the ward. He paused to open the door for her and she felt her pulse skitter when she saw the laughter on his face. He looked so different when he laughed like that, she thought. It was like being given a glimpse of the real man beneath the handsome exterior, a warm, caring person whom she could learn to like a lot.

‘I’m always at your service, Maggie, although I would prefer not to have to deal with an irate mother if it could be avoided.’ There was an unashamedly coaxing note in his voice as he placed his hand on her arm. ‘So try your best to persuade Mrs Atkins that she isn’t needed here—for my sake?’

She took a deep breath. The touch of his hand was setting up a chain of reactions that ranged from a flutter beneath her skin to a tingle that was working its way right down to her toes. The temptation to see what other reactions it might cause was enormous but something warned her that would come under the heading of ‘Big Mistake’ and she tried to avoid making too many of those!

She moved away so that his hand fell from her arm, striving for a suitably light note to hide her confusion at the way she was behaving. ‘I’ll do my best, although I can’t make any promises, you understand.’

Luke’s smile appeared a trifle strained. ‘Your best is good enough for me.’

There was a moment when she thought that he was going to say something else but then his pager beeped. He frowned as he unclipped it from his belt and checked the display. ‘Theatre. I wonder what’s wrong. I’d better go and see. Page me if you have any problems, Staff.’

He was back to normal again, his tone coolly professional once more. Maggie sighed as he hurried towards the lifts, feeling the tension oozing out of her. It was good to be back on a firm footing again. She far preferred the status quo to any surprises when dealing with Luke.

She went to find Mrs Atkins, expecting to have a battle on her hands. However, the older woman accepted what she told her without question.

‘What did you say to her?’ Lauren asked in astonishment as her mother happily waved on her way out of the ward. ‘It just isn’t like Mum not to make a fuss!’