about it. But standing before him now in baggy scrubs, no make-up, her hair covered in a sexless blue theatre hat, he finally admitted he hadn’t forgotten one second of their time together.
A strange unease descended on them and he couldn’t bear it.
Paige’s heart skipped a couple of beats and then accelerated as his low flirty voice oozed into all the places that still craved his touch. The pinkness in her cheeks deepened as she remembered where his mouth had been. Oh, God! This wouldn’t do at all.
‘Dr Lombardi.’ Paige’s voice was stern as she glared at him and regained her composure. ‘What are you doing here? Where’s Harry?’
Valentino laughed. So much for small talk. He regarded her for a second. What he had to tell her next would have an impact on her probably more than anyone. Harry had stressed the need to break it to Paige gently.
‘I’m afraid Dr Abbott had to rush to Hobart in the early hours of this morning. His grandson was kicked in the head by a horse and is in Intensive Care.’
Paige gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. Oh, no! How awful. ‘Was it Andy or Ben?’ Harry’s daughter and her family lived on a horse stud just outside Hobart. They were a close-knit family despite the distance, and Paige knew this would be devastating for them all.
‘Ben.’
Oh, dear, Ben was only four. One year older than McKenzie. Paige moved closer to him, needing to know more. ‘How is he? Is he…has he…?’
Valentino covered the distance between them, reaching out for her, clasping her shoulders gently. ‘He’s critical. That’s all I know.’
Paige looked at him, trying to process it. Trying to understand how fate could be so cruel to a little boy and a man who had only ever done good things. ‘That’s just so…awful. I can’t believe it.’ She shook her head to clear it, searching his espresso depths, waiting for him to tell her it was all a bad joke. ‘I just can’t…take it in.’
Valentino nodded. ‘Yes.’ What else could he say?
Paige wasn’t sure how long she stood there, staring at him, trying to clear the block of confusion in her mind. But she suddenly became aware of the slow, lazy circling of his fingers against her upper arms and the clean, male smell of him. When the temptation to lay her cheek against the V of his scrub top came upon her she knew she had to step back.
Valentino released her and watched as she retreated to the nearby bench and leaned against it. ‘I’ll be covering Harry’s patients until he’s ready to return.’
It was then that the full impact of this incident hit home. McKenzie. She glanced at him sharply as her heart thudded like a rock band in her chest.
No. No, no, no.
Why? What had she done, what had McKenzie done to deserve such upheaval? The surgery had been delayed too many times already. So many things had gone wrong in her short life. The one constant had been Harry and his absolute faith that he could give McKenzie the gift of hearing that prematurity had robbed her of.
And now that was in jeopardy too. ‘My daughter’s surgery is on Monday.’
Valentino nodded. ‘Yes. Harry mentioned that.’ In fact, Harry Abbott had gone to great pains to explain to him that Paige would be understandably concerned and probably not all that happy.
Paige felt awful. She wanted to scream and rant and cry. For Harry as well as herself. Disgust built inside her too. How could she even be thinking of herself, of McKenzie, when little Ben was critically ill?
‘It’s okay. I’ll do her surgery.’
Paige glanced at him sharply as a tense ‘No’ fell from her lips.
Val’s jaw tightened. ‘You don’t think I’m a good surgeon?’
Paige had the urge to laugh hysterically. This was a truly bizarre conversation. She was having trouble keeping up. ‘How do I know, Valentino? I don’t know the first thing about you.’
Valentino raised an eyebrow. ‘Really? I have one night that says differently.’
Paige slashed her hand through the air, rage bubbling inside that he would make an innuendo at such a time. ‘You know I meant—professionally,’ she snapped. ‘Don’t ever, ever, talk about that night again. Okay?’ she demanded. ‘Just don’t.’
Valentino had every intention of talking about it again. In fact, standing before her, his loins stirring at the memory of them, he had every intention of doing it again. But he could see she was close to the edge and that night, for now, was better off left in the past. He put his hands up in front to calm her.
‘I am a world-class cochlear surgeon. I’m head of the department in a large London hospital. I chair an international cochlear implant committee. I have performed this operation countless times on both children and adults. And…’ he placed his hands on his hips ‘…I am a damn good surgeon.’
Paige shook her head, his arrogant stance and impressive credentials falling on deaf ears. He didn’t get it. He just didn’t get it. This was McKenzie.
McKenzie.
Her child. Did he think she would allow a total stranger to cut into her? Drill a hole in her head? Did he think that was an easy thing for her to consent to? Never mind allowing someone she didn’t know to do it?
Still, she was torn. McKenzie needed the operation and if they delayed now, who knew how much longer it might be? Her heart broke, thinking about yet another delay for her beautiful baby girl locked into a world of silence. ‘I’ll wait. I’ll cancel and wait for Harry to return.’
Valentino flinched inwardly, surprised that her rejection of his skills would feel so personal. He gave a stiff bow. ‘Of course, that is your prerogative.’
Paige nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘It could be a long time,’ Valentino murmured. ‘Harry was talking about months, maybe a year if Ben needs extensive rehab.’
The thought of McKenzie waiting that much longer was like an ice pick to her heart. She wanted to weep and wail and beat her chest. She shrugged instead, struggling for nonchalance, the effort nearly killing her. They’d waited this long…
Valentino could see the abject disillusion written all over her face and shimmering in her big grey eyes. ‘Why don’t you hold off making a decision until after today? Watch me in action. Then tell me you don’t want me to operate on your daughter.’
Paige couldn’t believe he would think it was quite that simple. ‘It’s not just about that, Valentino,’ she snapped. How were they supposed to have any kind of doctor/mother-of-patient relationship with their one-night-stand between them?
God, why had she been so impulsive two months ago? She was never impulsive!
Valentino regarded Paige, her implication clear. ‘I will treat McKenzie like any other child who is a patient of mine.’
‘And me?’
Valentino shrugged. ‘Like any other mother.’ Liar. He stood still, waiting for the thunderbolt.
