Scandal In Sydney: Sydney Harbour Hospital: Lily's Scandal

Wherever home was.

Home with Luke?

‘So why’s she looking like she’s been hit by a train?’

To say Evie was blunt was an understatement. She said things as she saw them.

‘She had gastro.’

‘You and I both know gastro doesn’t make you look like that. There’s no underlying medical problem? She went out like a light in Theatre. She scared the hell out of Judy.’

‘She’s been under strain.’

‘Because of your relationship?’

‘Will you butt out?’ He turned to face her head on. Finn had labelled her Princess Evie. The staff still called her that, not to her face but as a gentle reminder to themselves of the power she wielded. Evie was one doctor among many, but her family money meant she was unsackable. Her grandfather had brought her in here when she was tiny, she’d practically lived in his office and she thought of the place as home.

So this hospital was her home and she didn’t like mess. She was trying to tidy Lily up, he thought. Pigeonhole her. Figure exactly where she fitted.

‘She almost looks abused,’ Evie said conversationally, and he practically spluttered.

‘You’re accusing me of abusing … my girlfriend?’ It took him a while to find the last two words but he managed it.

‘I’m not saying anything of the kind,’ Evie said. ‘That’s why I’m asking. I said almost. What other explanation is there?’

He groaned inwardly. There was no way she’d leave this now; no way she’d stop pestering him. If he didn’t give her what she wanted then he had no doubt she’d march right back and ask Lily. If she thought a woman was in trouble …

She might be Princess Evie, but she had courage and honour.

Almost as much as Lily?

He had to give her the truth, he thought, or as much as he needed to divulge to get her off both their backs.

‘Lily’s having trouble with her mother,’ he said. ‘Major trouble.’

‘Illness?’

‘Her mother’s stolen her savings and has taken up with the local vicar. And if you repeat that to a soul I don’t care who your family is, I’ll hang you out to dry. I imagine Lily would kill me if I told anyone.’

Evie stared at him, stunned. ‘All her savings …’

‘Yep.’

‘So that’s why she’s finally staying with you. Oh, the poor girl.’

‘I’m fixing it,’ he said heavily.

‘You’re fixing it?’

‘As much as she’ll let me.’

‘You?’ she said, and he wondered what exactly the staff did think of him.

‘Leave it,’ he said, and her face creased into a smile.

‘Our Luke, fixing it,’ she said happily. ‘How about that? Falling for a woman with problems.’

He wasn’t.

Or wait … maybe he was.

He needed to get things in perspective.

He wasn’t sure what perspective was.

‘Luke, while you’re in fixing mode …’ Evie said

And he thought, Uh-oh, here we go. He did not have this kind of conversation with Evie. He didn’t have this kind of conversation with anyone.

Did Evie suddenly think he’d changed?

‘It’s Finn,’ she said. ‘I’m worried.’

Here was another jolt. Evie wasn’t a worrier; she was a brisk, efficient doctor with the weight of the Lockheart fortune behind her.

Finn.

The niggle of worry he’d been feeling about his friend surfaced again, and turned into something more substantial.

But this was Finn Kennedy they were talking about, and no matter how much money Evie’s family had, he wouldn’t thank Luke for crossing boundaries. A junior doctor was talking to him about his boss. ‘I don’t think he’d thank you for worrying about him,’ he said dryly.

‘You’re his friend,’ Evie snapped.

Was he? Finn didn’t do friends. Still … He’d been there when Finn had been released from the army. He’d spent time with him whether Finn wanted him or not. The number of bottles of single malt they’d consumed …

There was a good reason why Finn had hit the bottle, Luke conceded. His brother had died in front of him. He’d been wounded himself. There was trauma, deep and never spoken of.

He didn’t want to get involved.

Too late. He already was.

‘So why are you worried?’ he growled, and started walking again, but Evie took his arm and made him stop. Here in the carpeted corridor of the private suites they could have some privacy.

‘He dropped his clipboard.’

He dropped his clipboard. He let her words sink in. There wasn’t a lot of basis there for worry.

But this was Evie, talking about Finn. Evie didn’t do worry lightly.