Resisting Her Rebel Doc

‘There’s a phone call for you, Caitlin.’ The clerk at the nurses’ station held the receiver aloft as she approached the desk. ‘Sounds urgent.’

‘Okay, thanks.’ Caitlin took the receiver from her and said in an even tone, ‘Hello, this is Dr Braemar. How may I help?’

‘Hi, Caitlin.’ The deep male voice was warm and compelling in a way that was oddly, bone-meltingly familiar. ‘I don’t know if you remember me—it’s been quite a while. I’m Brodie Driscoll. We used to live near one another in Ashley Vale?’

She drew in a quick breath. Brodie Driscoll! How could she possibly forget him? He was the young man who had haunted her teenage dreams and sent hot thrills rocketing through her bloodstream. Just hearing his name had been enough to fire up all her senses. He had been constantly in her thoughts back then—and to be scrupulously honest even now the sound of his voice brought prickles of awareness shooting from the tips of her toes right up to her temples.

Not that she’d ever let on that he had the power to affect her like this—not then and certainly not now! Heaven forbid she should ever fall for the village bad boy, let alone become involved in any way with him. He was a rebel, through and through, trouble with a capital T … But who could resist him? His roguish smile and his easy charm made him utterly irresistible.

‘Oh, I remember,’ she said softly. She couldn’t imagine why he was calling her like this, out of the blue. Not to talk about old times, surely? Her pulse quickened. Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad idea, after all …?

‘That’s good, I’m glad you haven’t forgotten me.’ There was a smile in his voice but his next words brought her out of her wistful reverie and swiftly back to the here and now. ‘I’m sorry to ring you at work, Caitlin, but something’s happened that I think you need to know about.’

‘Oh? That’s okay … what is it?’ She’d no idea how or why he’d tracked her down, but he sounded serious, and all at once she was anxious to hear what he had to say.

‘It’s about your mother. I’m not sure if you know, but I moved into the house next door to hers a couple of weeks ago, so I see her quite often when she’s out and about on the smallholding.’

She hadn’t known that. Her mother was always busy with the animals and the orchard; knowing how friendly she was with everyone it was easy to see how she and Brodie would pass the time of day with one another. Her mouth curved. It was good that she had someone nearby to take an interest in her.

‘What’s happened?’ she asked. ‘Are the animals escaping on to your property?’ Her mother could never resist taking in strays and wounded creatures and nursing them back to health. ‘I know the fence was looking a bit rickety last time I was there. I made a few running repairs, but if there’s a problem I’ll make sure it’s sorted.’

‘No, it isn’t that.’ There was a sombre edge to his tone and Caitlin tensed, suddenly alert. ‘I’m afraid it’s much more serious,’ he said. ‘Your mother has had an accident, Caitlin. She had a fall and I’m pretty sure she’s broken her hip. I called the ambulance a few minutes ago and the paramedics are transferring her into it right now. I’ll go with her to the hospital, but I thought you should know what’s happening.’

Caitlin’s face paled rapidly. ‘I— Yes, of course. I … Thank you, Brodie. I’ll get over there … I need to be with her.’ She frowned. ‘What makes you think she’s broken her hip?’ She added tentatively, ‘Perhaps it’s not quite as serious as that.’

‘That’s what I was hoping, but she can’t move her leg and it’s at an odd angle—it looks as though it’s become shorter than the other one. I’m afraid she’s in a lot of pain.’

‘Oh, dear.’ Those were typical signs of a broken hip. The day was just going rapidly from bad to worse. ‘Will they be taking her to Thame Valley Hospital?’

‘That’s right. She’ll go straight to A&E for assessment.’ He paused as someone at the other end of the line spoke to him. She guessed the paramedic had approached him to say they were ready to leave.

‘I’m sorry, I have to go,’ he said.

‘All right … and thanks again for ringing me, Brodie.’ She hesitated then said quickly, ‘Give her my love, will you, and tell her I’ll be with her as soon as I can?’

‘I will.’ He cut the call and Caitlin stood for a moment, staring into space, trying to absorb what he’d told her.

‘Are you all right?’ Emerging from one of the patients’ bays, the senior registrar came over to the desk and looked her over briefly. ‘You’re as white as a sheet,’ he commented. ‘What’s happened? Is it something to do with one of the patients?’

She shook her head. ‘My mother’s had an accident—a fall. A neighbour’s going with her to the hospital—it sounds as though she’s broken her hip.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ he said with a frown. ‘I know how worrying that must be for you, especially with her not living close by. You’ll want to go to her.’

‘Yes, I do … But are you sure it’s all right?’ She wanted to jump at the chance to leave but she had patients who needed to be seen.

‘It’s fine. I’ll take over your case load. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure Molly will fill me in on some of the details.’

‘Thanks,’ she said, relieved.

She left the hospital a short time later, walking out into warm sunshine. The balmy weather seemed so at odds with what was happening.

She picked up an overnight bag from her flat. The news was dreadful and she was full of apprehension about what she might find when she caught up with her mother. It was a relief at least to know that Brodie was with her. She must be in shock and in terrible pain but it would be a comfort to her to have someone by her side. Caitlin would be eternally grateful to Brodie for the way he had responded to her mother’s predicament.

Guilt and anxiety washed over her. She should have been there; somehow she should have been able to prevent this from happening … She tried as best she could, but it wasn’t always possible for her to get away every week, with shift changes and staff shortages and so on. It was frustrating.

Her heart was thumping heavily as she drove along the familiar route towards her home town. She had the car window wound down so that she could feel the breeze on her face, but even the heat and the beautiful landscape of the Buckinghamshire countryside couldn’t distract her from her anxiety.

How bad was it? Being a doctor sometimes had its disadvantages—she knew all too well how dangerous a hip fracture could be, the complications involved: perhaps a significant amount of internal bleeding and the possibility of disabling consequences.

She gripped the steering wheel more firmly. Think positively, she reminded herself. Her mother was in good hands and she would be there with her in just a short time.

A few minutes later she slid the car into a parking bay at the Thame Valley Hospital and then hurried into the Accident and Emergency department, anxious to find out how her mother was getting on.

‘They’ve been doing some pre-op procedures, X-rays and blood tests and so on,’ the nurse said. ‘And as soon as those are complete the surgeon will want to talk to her. Mr Driscoll thought maybe you might like to have a cup of coffee with him while you’re waiting. He asked me to tell you he’s in the cafeteria.’ She smiled and added good-naturedly, ‘If you leave me your phone number, I’ll give you a ring when it’s all right for you to see your mother.’

‘Okay, thanks, that’ll be great.’ Caitlin wrote down her number on a slip of paper and then hurried away to find Brodie.

He caught her glance as soon as she entered the cafeteria. ‘Hi there,’ he said with a smile, coming to greet her, his blue gaze moving fleetingly over her slender figure. She had discarded the hospital scrubs she’d been wearing and had on slim, styled black jeans topped with a loose, pin-tucked shirt. ‘It’s good to see you, Caitlin.’

‘You too.’ Her voice was husky, her breath coming in short bursts after her rush to get here. That was the excuse she gave herself, but maybe the truth was that it was a shock to see Brodie in the flesh after all these years.

The good-looking, hot-headed youth she remembered of old was gone and in his place stood a man who simply turned her insides to molten lava. This man was strong, ruggedly hewn, his handsome features carved out of … adversity, she guessed, and … success? There was something about him that said he had fought to get where he was now and he wouldn’t be giving any ground.

He was immaculately dressed in dark trousers that moulded his long legs and he wore a crisp linen shirt, the sleeves rolled back to reveal bronzed forearms. His hair was black, cut in a style that added a hint of devilishness to his chiselled good looks. Tall and broad-shouldered, his whole body was supple with lithe energy, his blue eyes drinking her in, his ready smile welcoming and enveloping her with warmth.

‘Come and sit down,’ he said, laying a hand gently on the small of her back and ushering her to a seat by the window. ‘Let me get you a coffee—you must be ready for one after your journey.’ He sent her a quick glance. ‘I expect you’ve been told that your mother is having tests at the moment? The surgeon’s going to see her soon to advise her about what needs to be done.’

She nodded. ‘The nurse told me.’ She sat down, her body stiff with tension. ‘How is my mother?’

‘She’s okay,’ he said cautiously. ‘She’s been conscious all the while, and the paramedics were with her very quickly after her fall, so that’s all in her favour.’

‘I suppose that’s something, anyway.’

‘Yes. The doctor who’s looking after her gave her a pain-relief injection so she’s comfortable at the moment. She’s had an MRI scan to assess the extent of the injury—it’s definitely a fracture of the hip, I’m afraid.’

She winced. ‘Will the surgeon operate today, do you know?’

He nodded. ‘Yes. I was told it will probably be later this afternoon—the sooner the better, in these cases. Luckily she hadn’t had any breakfast to slow things up. You’ll be able to see her before she goes to Theatre.’

‘That’s good.’ She finally relaxed a little and when he saw that she was a bit more settled he left her momentarily to go and get her a coffee.

Caitlin glanced around the cafeteria. It was a large room, with light coming in from a wall made up entirely of windows. The decor was restful, in pastels of green and cream, and there were ferns placed at intervals, providing a touch of the outdoors.

Brodie came back to the table with a loaded tray and handed her a cup of coffee. It was freshly made, piping hot, and it smelled delicious. ‘I thought you might like to try a flapjack,’ he said, putting a plate in front of her. ‘Something to raise your blood sugar a little—you’re very pale.’ He took a small jug and a bowl from the tray and slid them across the table towards her. ‘Help yourself to cream and sugar.’

‘Thanks.’ She studied him thoughtfully. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like having Brodie as a neighbour. ‘How is it that you came to be living next door to my mother?’ she asked.

He sat down opposite her. ‘I’d been staying in a room at the pub,’ he said, ‘while I looked around for something more permanent. Then the place came on the market as a suitable property for renovation. The old gentleman who owned it found the upkeep too much for him when his health failed. He went into a nursing home.’