Anna ran out of steam, then took her hand. ‘You’ve had a shock. No amount of explaining could’ve prepared you.’ Which was why she asked patients to wait until she was there before they looked at the results of their surgery. ‘Remember, I said that your breast implants were going to look and feel strange. They’re not natural, like your real breasts were, and we have yet to bring them up to full size. This will take time as we can’t pump them full of saline instantly. It’s a gradual process, giving your skin time to stretch and accommodate the implants.’
‘You told me that, but I saw them and freaked out,’ Anna whispered. ‘You must think I’m a total head case.’
‘Not at all. You’ve just had your breasts removed when as far as we know there’s nothing wrong with them. You’re not dealing with the fear of knowing you’ve already got cancer. Instead, breast cancer is a real possibility for you, so you’re working ahead of things. Of course it’s a shock and very different from other situations.’
‘I know you went over this more than once. I thought I understood how I’d feel, and that the fact I was doing it to be there for my kids and Duncan would override every other emotion. I was wrong.’ At the mention of her husband tears began pouring down her face again.
‘You’re a woman, first and foremost. Our breasts help define us. When we’re young we can’t wait for them to start growing and then it’s what size will they be? Will they be sexy? They’re also about nurturing our babies. You’ve done something very brave. Don’t ever think you’re not as feminine as you were before yesterday because you are. You’ve got a lovely figure, a pretty face and a heart of gold. Not to mention a family who adores you. Especially that husband of yours.’
A shadow of a smile lightened Anna’s mouth through the deluge of tears. ‘Duncan’s something, isn’t he?’
‘He’s a hero.’ There, she’d said it again. What was it with her that she kept coming up with that word? It wasn’t as though she believed in heroes. But you want to. You want one of your own.
‘You think?’ Anna asked, a twinkle slowly lightening her sad eyes and easing her tears.
‘I know.’ She stood up. ‘In fact, there’s a hero out in the waiting room. I’ll go tell him you’re busting to see him.’
‘What will he say when he sees my false breasts?’ There was a hitch in Anna’s voice and fear in her eyes.
‘I bet he tells you he loves you.’ Lucky woman. What was it like to have a man to love you, to say those precious three words to you? Olivia had never known and wondered if she ever would. It must be the most precious thing—love, unconditional and everlasting. When she walked into the waiting room she found Zac talking rugby to Anna Seddon’s husband as though he’d known him for ever.
Her heart did a funny little jig. Zac. Sexy Zac was doing nothing more than yakking to a stranger who was trying to cope with his wife’s unenviable situation, and yet he looked … like everything she’d thought she might want in a man, in her man. Her hero.
Get out of here. Where had that come from? Yeah, sure, yesterday when she’d called Duncan a hero it had been Zac’s face flitting across her mind, but Zac? Hero? Why would she even think that? What had he done for her to think so?
She’d dumped him and he’d sent her beautiful flowers.
He’d driven her here this morning and taken her keys to get her car battery sorted.
He’d turned up to help yesterday afternoon when everything had been turning to custard.
He’d never once been rude to her, or made fun of her need to keep herself to herself, or told her to stop being so much in control of just about everything she touched.
Did any or all of those things make a man a hero? Didn’t heroes slay dragons? She still had dragons, but Zac didn’t know about them because she’d never shown that weakness to him. It wasn’t as though he could make everything right for her, even if he was aware of her screwed-up family life.
‘CC, you’re daydreaming.’ Zac was smiling at her, his head at an angle that suggested he wanted to know exactly what was on her mind.
Thank goodness she wasn’t the type to blush. The absolute last thing Zac needed to know was what she’d been thinking. ‘I don’t daydream.’
‘Then you’re missing out on a lot of fun.’
‘How’s Anna?’ There was a load of worry in Duncan’s short question.
‘Wanting to see her man.’ Olivia moved closer. ‘She’s got past that little meltdown but, Duncan, you need to be prepared for more episodes. I’m not saying Anna’s going to fall apart on you long term, but she’s facing reality now, whereas before surgery it was still an unknown. It’s scary for her.’ She continued, ‘She’s afraid you won’t be able to cope when you see her breasts. It’s natural to feel that way, but it’s how you handle the situation that’s going to make the difference.’
‘I’ll tell you this for nothing. I don’t care about scars and a change in her shape. I love that woman and think she’s the bravest person I’ve ever met.’ Duncan touched the corner of one eye with a forefinger.
‘I think Anna’s a lucky woman.’ Olivia swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. ‘Go tell her exactly what you just said.’
‘She’s not going to throw her water bottle at me or tell me to go away for ever?’ Duncan was deadly serious.
‘I doubt it, unless it’s because you’ve taken so long to get along to her room since I said I was coming to find you.’ Anna shouldn’t have thrown anything—it would hurt her wounds and might pull some stitches. Something to check up on when she examined her later. She hadn’t wanted to have Anna expose herself for an exam when she’d been so upset, and had figured that as all the obs were fine it didn’t matter if they waited before doing that.
Dropping into the seat Duncan had vacated, she stared at the toes of her boots. And yawned.
Zac chuckled. ‘Want to grab a coffee while we wait for the battery man? He’s about twenty minutes away and we could both do with something to keep us awake.’
‘Hospital coffee will be a comedown after that fabulous brunch.’
‘Nothing like a reality check.’
Reality. Of course. ‘You don’t need to hang around. You’ve got a perfectly good vehicle downstairs. I can visit patients while I wait.’
‘You don’t want to share crap coffee with me?’ His grin set butterflies flapping in her tummy. ‘Anyway, the guy’s got my number, not yours.’
‘I hate it when you gloat.’ She laughed tiredly. ‘Disgusting coffee it is.’ Along with great company. All in all, not a bad way to continue her morning.
Olivia’s bubble burst quickly.
Zac directed her to a corner table as far away as possible from the few staff and visitors using the cafeteria, ordered long blacks for them both, and dropped onto the chair opposite her. ‘I’ve talked to my practice manager so she can arrange for my days off when we go to Fiji. The hospital roster is easy to fix, with Paul offering to cover for me.’
The
