yet Drew had shown her a caring side, a concern for the well-being of others. Wasn’t that why he had become a doctor?
She couldn’t make any sense of her feelings towards him. She was confused, drawn to him on the one hand but wary on the other, and all the time she was conscious of the way her brother and her parents felt about him and his family.
She glanced at him once more. He looked weary, a faint shadow of tiredness around his eyes, and she guessed it had been a long day for him. ‘Do you want to sit down?’ she asked. ‘I’ll just finish making the coffee. Have you eaten?’
He shook his head. ‘I didn’t get the chance.’ He pulled out a bar stool and angled himself on it by the breakfast corner. ‘I was hoping to grab some lunch before my meeting, but that all changed, as you know.’
‘I’ll heat some pasties,’ she offered, ‘and I’ve a bowl of salad to go with them. Not the most adventurous of meals, but it might fill a gap.’ He had taken the trouble to bring her shopping bag to her, and it was the least she could do to return the favour.
She watched him guardedly. She still couldn’t get used to the idea that he was here at all, and there was no point in wondering about what was to come of it. He would soon be moving on and out of her life once more.
As they ate, he said lightly, ‘I couldn’t help noticing that your shopping was mainly toys. A wooden train set and some baby things.’ He gave her a quizzical look. ‘Is there something I don’t know about? Are you married now? What have you done with the children? I don’t see them around, or maybe they’re in bed?’
She gave him a brief, taut smile. He didn’t seem at all concerned by the idea that she might be a mother, and for some reason that bothered her.
‘No, I haven’t married...yet. The train set is for my brother’s little boy, Reece, and the baby clothes are for the baby he and his wife are expecting. I thought I would get things in neutral colours since they don’t know whether they’re going to have a boy or a girl. They were in a sale, so I took the opportunity to buy now.’ She gave a small frown. ‘Perhaps I shouldn’t have—I’m way ahead of myself.’
‘Is there a problem with being prepared?’ His blue-grey eyes watched her curiously.
‘No...not really, but Becky hasn’t been feeling too well through this pregnancy. I hope I’m not jumping the gun.’
‘Is there any particular reason why she’s unwell?’
‘I’m not sure.’ She frowned again. ‘Things have been difficult for Becky and Luke this last few months and she might be suffering under the strain. Luke is trying to cope with running Dad’s business, and it’s been quite stressful for him lately. My dad’s been able to do less and less, and Luke’s finding it hard to manage on his own.’
‘Can’t he bring in more people to help out?’
‘I suppose he could, but that would mean training them up, and anyway I’m not sure that the business is doing well enough for them to take on more staff. Drew’s done his best these last few years to make a success of things, but working in management was never part of his plan when he left university.’
‘It’s difficult, I know, but sometimes things don’t go the way we want them to.’ He didn’t look particularly concerned. ‘I’m sorry to hear that your dad is still having problems with his health. Is there anything that can be done to improve things for him?’
‘Possibly. I’ve persuaded him that he needs to go and see the specialist again.’ She glanced at Drew’s plate, and saw that he had finished his food. ‘Can I get anything more for you? I think there’s some more crusty bread if you want it.’
‘No, thanks. That was good, but I must be on my way now.’ He pushed back his chair and stood up. ‘Thanks again for the food,’ he said. ‘It filled me up and made me feel much more human.’ He gave her a fleeting smile. ‘Perhaps we’ll meet up again some time.’
‘Maybe.’ She didn’t believe that was true, but it was easier to say it and to see him out. She went with him to the door and watched him climb into his sleek silver saloon car. Part of her wanted to beg him to stay, but her innate sense of self-preservation held her back. He drove away without looking behind him and she felt as though the lifeblood was draining out of her. She was empty inside.
A few days later, in A and E, she took advantage of a few minutes’ break to wind down. She had been on the go all morning, and when there was a slight lull, she stopped by the desk and chatted to Craig, a senior house officer who had been spending the last six months learning about emergency medicine.
‘How’s things?’ he asked. ‘I didn’t see you at the party last weekend. I was hoping you might be able to pop in for an hour or so.’
‘Something came up,’ she said. ‘I heard that you had a good time. Something about dancing the conga through the park?’
He laughed. ‘We all had a bit too much to drink.’ He leaned a little closer and slid an arm around her waist. ‘It would have been so much better if you had been there.’
She smiled at him. ‘You’re an inveterate flirt,’ she said.
‘You can’t blame a man for trying. One of these days you might agree to come out with me.’
‘In your dreams.’ Craig would have been a catch for any young woman, with his dark good looks and happy-go-lucky attitude, but Katie was steering clear of any kind of commitment. He was far too casual in his relationships for her to take him seriously and, anyway, she was looking for something more in a man, something that remained elusive. There had only been one love of her life, and that had turned to ashes. She wasn’t about to let herself get burned again.
An ambulance siren sounded in the distance, and she readied herself to receive her next patient. Craig went off humming to himself, full of beans, and she heard him call the name of a man who was in the waiting room. She had no idea how he could be so lively at this time of the day. Katie glanced at his patient. He looked as though he was hurting, but she couldn’t see any particular injury.
Her own patient was suffering from a particularly nasty fracture, and she called on Hannah to assist her. Hannah was an A and E nurse, with many years of experience of working in Emergency, and Katie liked working with her.
‘Have you seen the new consultant?’ Hannah asked.
Katie lifted a brow. ‘No—I didn’t know he was about. I’ve been so busy today I’ve been chasing my own shadow. What’s he like?’ She made sure that her patient had a painkilling injection and called for a surgical consultation.
‘He’s incredible.’ Hannah lifted her eyes heavenwards. ‘I don’t know how I’m going to get any work done around here—he’s so good-looking you wouldn’t believe it. I almost fainted at his feet when I saw him. He must have thought I was mad.’
Katie laughed. ‘I expect he was too busy finding his way around the place to notice.’
‘He noticed you.’
‘Did he?’ Katie was surprised. ‘When? How come I didn’t see him?’
‘You were talking to Craig and having a laugh. Neither of you was taking much notice of anything going on around you.’
‘Oh,
