you want me to stay on here?’ she asked in surprise because she had never expected him to make such an admission. Luca had been cool to the point of indifference since she’d arrived. He’d given no hint that he remembered the time they had spent together. Although it shouldn’t have made a scrap of difference to discover that he considered her an important part of his past, she knew that it did.
‘Yes. But only if it’s what you want, too.’ He leant forward and his eyes were very intent all of a sudden. ‘I won’t try to persuade you to do something you don’t feel is right for you, Kelly. I have too much respect for you both as a person and as a doctor.’
‘Thank you.’ Kelly took a quick breath when she felt her emotions see-saw once more. ‘I would like to stay. It’s always been my dream to work in a children’s hospital. I couldn’t believe it when I was told that I had the job.’
‘Me, too.’ A sudden smile curled his sensual mouth as he leant back in his chair. ‘I knew there were dozens of candidates for the post and that they came from all over the world, too. I could scarcely believe my good fortune when the board offered me the job of clinical director.’
‘Stop being so modest.’ Kelly smiled back, feeling some of her tension ease when she saw the laughter on his face. This was the Luca she remembered best, the warm, caring man who took such delight in even the smallest success. No wonder everyone had adored him when he’d worked in Manchester. He could have had his pick of all the single women in the hospital, but he’d chosen her.
The thought sent a frisson scudding through her but she ignored it. She laughed, wanting to keep the mood light because it was safer. ‘You know very well there are few paediatricians who can match you, Luca.’
‘Hmm, I think I should hire you to do my PR. You are very good for my ego, Kelly.’
He returned her smile before he abruptly sobered. She had the impression that he was deliberately drawing back and couldn’t help feeling disappointed before she realised how stupid it was. She should be glad that he was keen to keep their relationship on a strictly platonic footing.
‘You are an excellent doctor, Kelly. The proof of that is the fact that the board offered you this job. Whilst I hadn’t taken up my own post when you were interviewed, I wouldn’t have had any hesitation about endorsing your application if I’d been consulted.’
‘Thank you. That means a lot to me. I thought…Well, you can probably guess what I thought.’
‘That if I’d had the chance I would have found a way to stop you working here?’ He sighed. ‘It’s speculation at this stage, but I’d like to think that I would have considered your application on its own merits. You have a very promising career ahead of you, Kelly. That was obvious when we worked together in Manchester. I know how committed you are and I wouldn’t want to do anything that would prevent you achieving your potential.’
There was something about the way he said it that bothered her. Kelly had a feeling that her career really mattered to him and that he wasn’t just saying so for appearances’ sake. However, before she could reply, the phone rang. She waited while Luca took the call. It was obviously bad news because he looked grim when he hung up.
‘Alessandro Alessi—the boy we saw yesterday during ward rounds—has suffered a convulsion. I’ll make my way straight to the ward. Can you tell the rest of the team to meet me there, please?’
‘Of course.’
Kelly stood up as he came around the desk. She followed him out of the office but soon got left behind. She headed for the staff lounge and relayed the message, trying to ignore the speculation on everyone’s faces as they made their way to the ward. They were obviously wondering if she was going to stay after what had happened yesterday so should she tell them that she had decided to leave, or should she wait until she was sure it was what she really wanted to do?
She pushed open the ward door and felt her heart scrunch up inside her when she saw Luca talking to the sister. Whether she stayed or went, it was going to hurt and there was no point pretending otherwise.
‘Grazie.’
Luca handed the chart to the sister and walked over to the bed. Ten-year-old Alessandro had been admitted with a severe headache and fever ten days earlier. Luca had immediately suspected bacterial meningitis and had had him rushed to the intensive care unit without waiting to do a lumbar puncture to confirm his diagnosis first. By the time the characteristic rash had appeared a short time later, Alessandro had been receiving intravenous antibiotics, and they had undoubtedly saved his life. That the child should have suffered this setback now was a blow.
‘How long did the convulsion last?’ he asked, his gaze centred on the boy. He knew that his team was gathering around him but he didn’t look up because he didn’t want anything to distract him…
His pulse leapt when someone brushed past him. He didn’t need to look to know it was Kelly. His internal radar had been working overtime since she had arrived. He could pinpoint her position in a room with complete accuracy, and the thought troubled him deeply.
He couldn’t afford to feel like this—it wasn’t fair to Kelly or to himself. He had promised Sophia that he would love and care for Matteo for the rest of his life, and that’s what he was going to do. There was no room in his life for anyone except his son, and he certainly didn’t intend to jeopardise Kelly’s career prospects by involving her in his affairs.
‘How long did the seizure last?’ he reiterated, clearing his mind of everything else.
‘Only a few minutes,’ Sister replied. ‘One of the junior nurses alerted me. By the time I got here, Alessandro was fine, but I thought I should let you know immediately, dottore.’
‘You did exactly the right thing. I want to know about any changes that occur as soon as they happen,’ Luca said firmly, wondering how long it would take him to drum that into his staff. Some of the nurses in particular were loath to call him in case it appeared they couldn’t cope. However, he didn’t care how many false alarms he was called to if it meant a tragedy could be averted.
He smiled at the boy. ‘So how do you feel now, Alessandro?’
‘All right, I guess,’ Alessandro muttered.
‘Bene.’ Luca nodded, although he could tell that the child wasn’t as alert as he’d been the last time he’d seen him. Taking a pen torch out of his pocket, he checked the boy’s response to light. If he wasn’t mistaken, the right eye hadn’t reacted as quickly as it should have done. The delay was infinitesimal but enough to make him decide that he would value a second opinion.
He glanced around the group, pleased to see that everyone was present. He’d made it clear when he had taken over that he expected them to turn up on time for ward rounds. The team had grown a little lax after his predecessor had left but Luca wasn’t prepared to accept less than one hundred per cent commitment from every single one of them. His gaze skimmed over his senior registrar, Carlo Baldovini, an earnest young man in his thirties. Next to Carlo was Letizia Sentini, one of the two junior registrars on the team. Letizia smiled at him, although he didn’t respond. He wasn’t interested in Letizia’s less than subtle attempts to flirt with him.
His gaze came to rest on Kelly and he felt a sudden tightening in his chest. He knew how difficult it was going to be to keep their relationship on a professional footing if she stayed at the hospital. Of all the women he had known, Kelly was the one who had touched him most. When he’d met Kelly, he’d found his
