for yourself. I make no bones about the fact that I need a drink after the day I’ve had!’ Robin White, the newest houseman on the surgical team, picked up his pint glass and took a long swallow. ‘At one point I found myself wondering why I had willingly gone in for medicine as a career. I mean, I could have been a solicitor or an accountant or…or anything rather than a doctor!’
Everyone laughed, but Maggie could tell that Robin hadn’t been joking. Something had obviously upset him that day and she couldn’t help wondering what had caused the normally easygoing young doctor to feel like that.
‘So what happened?’ she asked under cover of the conversation.
‘What didn’t happen would be an easier question to answer!’ Robin set his glass on a coaster. His pleasant face looked unusually grim. ‘We had an emergency in Theatre. Jefferson was operating on this chap who had been thrown off his motorbike and suffered multiple fractures. He was a mess, I can tell you, and it was obvious that old Jeffers was out of his depth.’
Maggie sighed. Norman Jefferson had worked at Dalverston General for more years than anyone could care to count. It was rumoured that he’d refused to retire when he’d been offered the chance a few months earlier. There was no doubt that he must have been a skilled surgeon in his younger days, but those days were long past. Frankly, it was fast reaching the point where he was becoming a liability. Maggie knew that the surgical team had a tacit agreement to make sure that Jefferson was never left to deal with any difficult surgery by himself, but obviously the system had fallen down that day.
‘So what went on?’ she asked softly, glancing round to make sure that nobody was listening. Although everyone in the hospital was aware of the situation, she guessed that Robin would feel uncomfortable about the others hearing him criticise the older man.
‘Just about everything that could go wrong did so. Everyone was on pins as soon as they discovered that Jefferson would be operating. Normally, someone would have headed him off at the pass, so to speak.’
He gave her a grim smile. ‘It was just unfortunate that another casualty had been brought into A and E a few minutes earlier, needing urgent surgery. It meant that everyone was tied up when the motorcyclist was sent up to Theatre so there was nobody there to step in when Jefferson announced that he would deal with the case.’
‘Tricky situation,’ she murmured sympathetically.
‘You can say that again! Anyway, we were all keyed up, as you can imagine. It seemed to be going quite well at first and then somehow or other Jefferson nicked the femoral artery…’ Robin shrugged, not needing to explain the problems that had caused.
‘What on earth happened after that?’ Maggie exclaimed in horror, trying not to visualise the scene of chaos that must have ensued. She felt quite sick when she thought about the injured motorcyclist possibly bleeding to death on the operating table. ‘He didn’t—well, you know?’
‘Die? No, but it was a close call, I can tell you. Jefferson just seemed to go to pieces, he didn’t appear to have any idea what to do. I just grabbed the phone and rang for help—’ Robin broke off. A smile brightened his face as he looked towards the door. ‘Aha, here he is now, the hero of the hour!’
Maggie looked round and felt her stomach sink when she saw that Luke had come into the pub. She’d had no idea that he’d been invited to the party that night, although she should have guessed, she thought as she watched him making his way towards them. The staff at Dalverston General had taken to him in a big way, as was evident from the number of people who greeted him en route. It wasn’t just the staff from the surgical wards either—everyone seemed to know him and be pleased to see him.
Her brow furrowed. Everyone liked Luke. Everyone admired him. Robin considered him to be a hero, even. So how come she didn’t feel the same way about him as everyone else did? Why was her view so opposed to the general consensus? Exactly who was right? Her or them?
She took a deep breath, feeling her heart hammering against her ribs because the next, logical step scared her. She had a duty to find out who the real Luke Fabrizzi was.
‘HI, THERE. Sorry I’m late. I had trouble finding a cab.’
Luke smiled around the assembled group. His eyes seemed to linger a fraction longer on Maggie than they did on anyone else, but that was probably her imagination, she told herself sternly.
‘Dalverston night life isn’t much to shout about so taxis tend to be rather thin on the ground,’ Robin explained as he got up and edged past her. ‘Anyway, it’s my round so what will you have to drink?’
‘Beer, but only if they serve one that’s chilled.’ Luke laughed when there was a chorus of catcalls. ‘I know, I know. But it isn’t my fault that I have an uneducated palate and can’t appreciate the finer points of warm beer!’
‘We’ll have to attend to his education post-haste, won’t we, folks?’ Robin replied with a grin. ‘You can’t live in England and not learn to enjoy the delights of a nice pint of bitter!’
‘I don’t know if my taste buds are ready for it.’ Luke groaned. ‘I’ve only just learned to drink that revolting stuff you claim is coffee so have some pity. There’s only so much torture a guy can take!’
‘I suppose we shall have to make allowances a while longer, then,’ Robin declared as everyone laughed. ‘Anyway, sit yourself down and I’ll fetch the drinks.’
Luke turned to her as Robin hurried away. ‘Is there room for me or will it be too much of a squeeze?’
‘Of course not.’ She scooted along the bench to make room for him, feeling the shiver that raced along her nerves when he eased himself into the gap. His thigh was pressed hard against her own, his hip bumping hers when he tried to get comfortable.
‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to squash you.’
‘It’s fine…really,’ she said quickly, then hurried on when she heard how breathless she sounded. ‘I… I didn’t know you were coming tonight,’ she said, more for something to say than for any other reason. His nearness was having the strangest effect on her, making her whole body tingle with awareness. She didn’t like the feeling and was determined to nip it in the bud before it got worse.
‘No?’ He shrugged so that his shoulder brushed hers this time, sending another spiral of sensation flowing through her before she could stop it. ‘I never thought to mention it. It isn’t a problem, is it?’
‘Of course not! Why should you think I have a problem about you being here?’ Maggie heard the defensive note in her voice and bit her lip. She almost jumped out of her skin when he suddenly reached over and squeezed her hand. Her eyes flew to his face and she was stunned by the look of regret she saw there.
‘Because you and I got off on the wrong foot when we first met and it was all my fault.’ Luke’s fingers tightened around hers and her heart bumped up and down in her chest when she felt the gentle increase in pressure. ‘I can understand why you wouldn’t be pleased to see me after what I said to you that night at your grandmother’s house, Maggie. I was way out of line then and I apologise for it.’
‘I don’t know what to say.’ She was telling the truth because
