Nurse In A Million

‘I’ll stay,’ Natalie offered immediately.

‘Are you sure? It’s not even your night to work…’

‘That doesn’t matter. It was my decision to keep him here so I should be the one to stay with him.’ She shrugged. ‘Anyway, I’ve nothing better to do so I may as well be here as at home.’

‘Fair enough, although it’s not what you’d call a fair trade, is it?’ Helen grinned when she looked blankly at her. ‘A night in the clinic instead of a night of passion?’

Natalie laughed dutifully. It wasn’t worth explaining that a night of passion hadn’t been in the offing. She found something more suitable to wear than the red evening gown and changed in one of the empty cubicles. The clinic was open until midnight every day of the week and there was a steady stream of youngsters needing attention until they shut up shop.

She said goodbye to the others then went to check on Danny. He still didn’t look well and once again she tried to persuade him to let her phone for an ambulance, but he was adamant that he didn’t want to go to hospital. In the end she had to bow to his wishes, although she made up her mind that if he hadn’t improved by the morning, she would have to reconsider.

She went into the next cubicle and lay down on the bed, fully dressed, and dozed until it was time to check on him again. That set the pattern for the night and she was glad when morning came. The clinic opened again at eight and she had everything ready when the day staff arrived.

Danny seemed a little better thanks to the drugs and a night spent in a proper bed so Natalie handed him over to Sam Cummins, one of their volunteer doctors, then changed back into her evening dress and went home, to find Rafferty sitting on her doorstep. She took a deep breath as she got out of the cab because if the expression on his face was anything to go by, he wasn’t in the best of moods either.

Rafferty had gone straight home after Natalie had driven away in the taxi and had spent the night pacing the floor of his flat. The thought that she was meeting some other guy had been more than he could bear but how else could he explain why she’d refused to tell him where she was going? By the time dawn broke, he had been almost beside himself with frustration and had known he had to do something to rectify the situation. Maybe it wasn’t too late for them to work things out? Maybe they could find a solution to their problems if they tried hard enough? Maybe…

To hell with maybe, he’d thought grimly, heading for the door. He was going to see her and get this sorted out!

He took a taxi to her home and rang the bell, unsurprised when he didn’t get an answer. He sat down on the step to wait—she would have to come home at some point. This area of London was one of the most exclusive parts of the city and he sighed as he looked at the expensive houses surrounding the elegant, tree-lined square. He’d worked hard to reach his present position as chief of surgery at one of London’s most prestigious teaching hospitals, but even on his salary, he couldn’t have afforded to buy a property here. Only the very rich could afford to live in these houses and it was an unwelcome reminder of the difference between his and Natalie’s lifestyles. How could he hope to make their relationship work when they were worlds apart?

The thought nagged away at him so that by the time she appeared, a couple of hours later, he’d reached boiling point. He stood up as she crossed the pavement, feeling his heart ache when he saw the shadows under her beautiful grey eyes. She looked as though she hadn’t slept a wink and it confirmed his suspicions about what she’d been doing. She’d spent the night with another man and the thought was like rubbing salt into an open wound.

‘I thought I’d already explained that I would see you in the office,’ she said coolly, taking her front-door key out of her bag.

‘You did.’ Rafferty ground his teeth because he wasn’t accustomed to being spoken to in that offhand fashion. ‘However, I’m sure you would prefer to keep your private life away from the office, wouldn’t you?’

‘That’s very thoughtful of you, Rafferty.’ She smiled at him as though she was acknowledging a favour from an underling and his already-volatile temper rocketed another few notches up the scale. ‘However, quite apart from the fact that my private life has nothing to do with you, I really don’t have time to talk to you about it right now. I need to get ready for work, so whatever you want to say to me will have to wait, I’m afraid.’

She opened the front door but if she thought he was going to meekly turn tail and leave, she could think again. Rafferty followed her into the house, ignoring her protests as he closed the door behind him.

‘If you don’t have much time to spare, I’ll keep it brief. Where were you last night, Natalie?’

‘I really don’t think it has anything to do with you.’

‘Were you with someone else?’ he demanded as jealousy got the better of him. He’d spent the whole damned night imagining what she’d got up to after she’d left him at that dinner. He’d thought about it so much, in fact, that it was picture-perfect in his head: She’d gone to some other guy’s home where they’d had a glass of wine and discussed subjects they were both knowledgeable about, like opera for instance. He hadn’t a clue about opera or ballet or any other such elitist topics, but he’d bet his last pound that this fellow knew everything there was to know about them. Then after the wine had been drunk and the conversation had petered out, no doubt they’d found other ways to entertain themselves…In bed!

‘Someone else,’ she repeated woodenly.

‘Yes!’ He glared at her, wondering why she was trying to pretend that she didn’t understand when it was perfectly clear to him what had been going on. ‘You spent the night with some other guy, didn’t you? And that’s why you wouldn’t tell me where you were going last night.’

‘I see. You seem to have it all worked out, don’t you? I wouldn’t tell you where I was going—ipso facto, I must have been seeing someone else.’

Rafferty frowned when he heard the hurt in her voice because it was the last thing he’d expected to hear. ‘Are you saying that you didn’t spend the night with someone else?’

‘Not at all.’ She placed her bag on the gilded console table beside the front door and looked steadily at him. ‘If there’s nothing else that you wanted to say, I really think it would be best if you left now.’

‘I’m not leaving until we’ve sorted this out,’ he said firmly, as much for his own benefit as hers. So maybe it felt as though he’d been kicked in the guts to have his suspicions confirmed but he would get over it. Eventually. It was far more important that they sorted this out before any more mistakes were made, because that was what last night had been, of course: a mistake. If Natalie had spent the night with another man, it was because she’d thought their relationship was over. But was that what he really wanted?

They’d split up before, of course—several times—but had always got back together. Rafferty realised with a sinking heart that he’d assumed it would happen this time, too. However, it appeared that he might have taken too much for granted. Natalie obviously believed it was the end for them because she was looking for someone to replace him, and the thought was too much to bear. He didn’t want to lose her! He had to find a way to convince her that their relationship could still work…

Rafferty jumped when there was a sudden thunderous pounding on the door behind him. It sounded as though they were being attacked by a hoarde of marauding invaders but Natalie—surprisingly—didn’t appear the least concerned as she stepped around him and calmly opened the front door. His jaw dropped when he saw a couple of burly security guards standing on the step, because it was like watching a rerun of what had happened in her office the day before.

‘We have reason to believe that an alarm has been triggered in this house,’ one of the men curtly informed them, stepping into the hall.

‘I didn’t hear an alarm,’ Rafferty said, glancing at Natalie in surprise.

‘It’s a silent alarm—an extra security measure my father had put in place in case anyone forces his way in when I’m entering the house.’ She smiled sweetly as she nodded to the men. ‘I did tell you that it would be better if you left.’

Before he knew what was happening, Rafferty suddenly found himself being hustled out of the door. There was a van parked by the kerb and he swore when he realised the guards were taking him to it. He shot a glance over his shoulder in time to see Natalie waggle her fingers at him, then the men were pushing him into the back of the van.

He sat down on the seat as he was instructed to do because it wouldn’t achieve anything to argue with them. However, he found it difficult to believe that she’d pulled the same stunt on him again. By the time the van drew up in front of the headquarters of the security firm, he was beside himself with fury and it didn’t help when he was brusquely informed that Miss Palmer had telephoned to say that, as she didn’t intend to press charges, he was free to leave.

Rafferty went back to his flat and made straight for his bedroom, where he took a suitcase out of the cupboard. He’d arranged to take some leave after he’d returned from Guatemala so he wasn’t due back at the hospital until the end of the month. Although he hadn’t planned on going away, a break would do him good. A few days’ R & R might help to restore some order to his life…

And what about Natalie? a small voice taunted. Was he going to give up at the first hurdle, or was he going to do what he’d set out to do and get her back to nursing? When push came to shove, was he a man or a mouse?

His mouth compressed because he’d never considered himself to be a coward before. However, cowardice came in many different guises and he couldn’t deny that he was terrified of getting hurt. He had always guarded his emotions but he must put aside his fears if he was to achieve his objective. Natalie was a superb nurse and he had to convince her that she was wasting her talents. Just because he couldn’t handle the thought of her being with another man, that wasn’t a good enough reason to give up and he would bitterly regret it in years to come. He owed it to the rest of the Worlds Together team to bring her back into the fold.

He shoved the suitcase back into the cupboard and slammed the door. If Natalie thought she’d got rid of him then she was in for a shock!

CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_2a3c573f-c88b-5549-ab11-8b208e5d22b0)

‘THERE’S a board meeting at two so I’ll take an early lunch today. Can you make sure that everyone has a copy of that report I prepared, please, Janet?’

Natalie sighed as her secretary assured her it would be done and hurried away. It had been difficult to concentrate on work since she’d arrived at the office. She kept thinking about what had happened that morning and the awful things Rafferty had said to her. How could he believe that she’d slept with someone else? Didn’t he know that she loved him and that the thought of sleeping with someone else was totally abhorrent? Or was he judging her by his own actions perhaps?

She got up and went to the window, too on edge to sit while thoughts like that plagued her. It was a beautiful day yet she could derive none of her usual pleasure from the view over the river. Had Rafferty slept with someone else since they’d parted, and was that why he’d leapt to such a conclusion that morning?

She didn’t want to believe it but neither could she dismiss the idea out of hand. After all, Rafferty was a very attractive man and there would be no shortage of volunteers if he needed company. Had he found solace after their break-up in some other woman’s arms?

‘Sorry I’m late. I got held up but I’ll make sure I’m here on time in future.’

Natalie swung round when Rafferty suddenly appeared in her office. She’d never expected him to turn up after the latest stunt she’d pulled and it was hard to hide her consternation as he came towards her.

‘You were expecting me, I hope?’ he said smoothly, one dark brow arching. ‘There haven’t been any changes made to our arrangements?’

‘I…um…no. Of course not,’ she replied testily, immediately on the defensive.

‘Good.’ He stopped in front of her, smiling as he fingered the badge pinned to the lapel of his suit jacket. ‘I see I’ve been awarded top-level security clearance. I’m flattered by your faith in my integrity.’

‘You’ll need full clearance if you’re going to complete this challenge I’ve set you,’ she informed him curtly. She went back to her desk and sat down, riffling through the letters Janet had left for her to sign while she tried to get herself under control. If Rafferty could handle this situation, so could she.

‘So what’s on the agenda today?’

He pulled up a chair and sat down opposite her, his face betraying nothing more than friendly interest, and Natalie frowned. It was completely out of character for him to take this relaxed approach after what she’d done, so it was hard to know how to respond.

‘There’s a board meeting this afternoon,’ she explained, deciding it was easier to follow his lead and behave as though nothing had happened.