The Greek Children's Doctor Read online

  Andreas straightened and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. ‘OK, let’s do a map of those burns and dress them, and then I want to pass a catheter so that we can measure her urine output.’

  They worked as quickly as they could and Jenny clung to Libby, obviously seeing her as some sort of substitute mother.

  Finally Andreas was satisfied that they’d done all they could. ‘We need to check that her fluid replacement is adequate. I want an output of one mil per kilogram per hour.’

  Libby nodded and she and Charlotte manoeuvred the child onto the scales, recording the result in the notes.

  ‘Right, let’s get her up to the ward and make her comfortable. Keep an eye on her pulses in case her circulation is compromised. Now, how’s that baby?’

  ‘She seems fine.’ While she’d been helping with Jenny, the A and E sister had put the baby safely in a cot and she was now lying there quietly. ‘Do you want to check her here or on the ward?’

  ‘I’ll do it here.’ Andreas unlooped the stethoscope from around his neck and walked across to the baby.

  With Jenny still snuggled on her lap, Libby watched as he examined the baby thoroughly, finally picking her up and making her laugh by blowing raspberries on her stomach.

  ‘She seems none the worse for her dramatic fall,’ Andreas observed quietly, holding the child with the easy confidence of someone who was thoroughly at home with children.

  Libby watched him, unable to stop herself. He was just so good with children.

  It was amazing that he didn’t have any himself.

  But that would have meant settling down with one woman, and that clearly wasn’t his style.

  And he obviously wasn’t that keen to be a father. After all, he’d been the one to suggest that she take the morning-after pill.

  Pushing the thought away, she stood up, intending to place Jenny on the trolley so that she could dress her legs, but the little girl clung to her and whimpered pathetically.

  ‘I’ll do the dressings,’ Charlotte said immediately. ‘She seems to have taken to you so it seems a shame to upset her again. Keep her on your lap and I’ll sort it out.’

  She bustled around the room, collecting various bits and pieces, and then pushed a dressing trolley close to Libby.

  With the deft efficiency of a nurse who was well used to doing dressings, Charlotte covered the burns and made the child comfortable.

  ‘Carry her up to the ward,’ Andreas advised softly, placing a large, reassuring hand on the child’s head. ‘She’s had just about all the trauma she can take, poor thing.’

  Libby nodded and shifted the child into a more comfortable position, careful not to hurt her injured legs.

  ‘I’ll take her up, then,’ she said quietly, and Andreas nodded.

  ‘I just want to get an update on the parents and then I’ll join you with this little one. It won’t hurt to have her in overnight, given the fall she suffered, and we can’t exactly discharge her anyway until we know what’s happening with the parents.’

  Libby nodded and left him to it, carrying little Jenny the short distance to the paediatric ward.

  Bev was waiting for them, the room all ready, clucking with sympathy when she saw the child. ‘Oh, the poor mite—how are her parents?’

  Libby shook her head. ‘We don’t know yet. Andreas is talking to Jago now.’

  Bev sighed and pulled out a chair so that Libby could sit down. ‘It looks as though you’re going to be occupied for the rest of the shift so I’ll reallocate the rest of your patients. Luckily we’re not that pushed today so it shouldn’t be too difficult.’

  ‘Thanks, Bev.’ Libby cuddled Jenny closer. Like the ward sister, she knew that staying with the child was the most important thing she could do at the moment. ‘What are we going to do with the baby?’

  ‘We’ve got a spare cot in with Rachel,’ Bev said, hooking Jenny’s infusion up to a drip stand. ‘I thought we’d put her in there for now.’

  ‘Good idea.’

  Libby cuddled Jenny close, talking to her quietly until she fell asleep, her soft hair brushing against Libby’s cheek.

  ‘I’m glad she’s asleep.’ Andreas spoke from the doorway and Libby looked up to find him leaning against the door-frame, watching them, his handsome face inscrutable. ‘You look good with a child on your lap, Libby.’

  She blushed and changed the subject. ‘How are her parents?’

  Andreas pulled a face. ‘Not good. Her mother is in Theatre now—she fractured both femurs in the fall so she’s going to be in hospital for a good while.’

  ‘Poor lady.’ Libby considered the implications of his words. The woman had two young children. How was she going to manage? ‘Did she suffer burns?’

  ‘Apparently not.’ Andreas shook his head. ‘She jumped out of the bedroom window with the baby to get away from the smoke. How is the baby, by the way?’

  ‘Seems fine.’ Libby spoke softly, careful not to wake Jenny who was still dozing, snuggled against her chest. ‘Bev’s made up a cot in Rachel’s room and put her there for now. I suppose we’ll need to find out if there are any other family members to care for her. What about the father? How’s he?’

  ‘Suffering smoke inhalation and quite severe burns to his hands where he tried to remove Jenny’s pyjamas.’ Andreas ran a hand through his dark hair, his expression suddenly weary. ‘He certainly isn’t going to be in a position to care for a baby on his own for some time.’

  Libby sighed. ‘Have we managed to contact any other family? Do the neighbours know of anyone?’

  ‘The police are looking into it,’ Andreas told her, his eyes resting on Jenny. ‘Poor little thing. She looks exhausted.’

  ‘It’s all that crying,’ Libby murmured, bending her head and dropping a light kiss on the little one’s head. ‘It’s hardly surprising she was upset. The one person you want when you’re hurt is your mummy and hers wasn’t around.’

  Andreas lifted his gaze. ‘But she seems to have bonded with you.’ His voice was deep and the look in his eyes was extremely unsettling. ‘You have a very special gift with children, Libby. They love you.’

  Her heart thudded in her chest and breathing was suddenly difficult. ‘Better with children than adults,’ she said lightly, dragging her gaze away from his. ‘Children don’t let you down.’

  ‘Neither do most adults,’ he responded quietly. ‘You’ve just been unlucky. And we have a conversation to finish, Libby.’

  She didn’t even pretend that she didn’t know what he meant.

  He wanted to talk about the possibility that she could be pregnant.

  But there was no way she was going to take the morning-after pill and she didn’t want him to try and talk her into it.

  ‘It’s fine, Andreas,’ she said softly, lifting her eyes to his. ‘It’s not your concern.’

  He frowned. ‘If you’re pregnant then it’s my concern.’

  She blushed, slightly embarrassed by the intimacy of the discussion and desperately hoping that no one was in the corridor, listening to the conversation. She wondered briefly what had happened to her notion of discretion since she’d met Andreas. First they’d made love in the open air where anyone could have discovered them and now they were discussing the consequences in the middle of a busy hospital ward.

  ‘I’m a modern woman,’ Libby said lightly, looking away from him again. ‘If it happens, rest assured that I’m not going to chase you for money.’

  His gaze darkened ominously. ‘Unfortunately, I’m not a modern guy,’ he responded icily. ‘I’m Greek and Greek men are notoriously old-fashioned about things like that. If you’re pregnant, Libby, you’ll be getting much more from me than money.’

  Without giving her a chance to respond, he strode out of the room, leaving her staring after him.

  Chapter 8

  Libby managed to avoid Andreas for the rest of the shift by staying with Jenny.

  When the night staff arrived she was still in the little girl’s roo
m, cuddling her, talking softly to her, making her feel more secure in her strange surroundings. There seemed no hope that she’d be able to see either of her parents before the morning.

  Her mother was still in Theatre and her father was being treated for smoke inhalation.

  ‘The neighbour thinks that there’s an aunt living nearby,’ Bev told her, ‘but no one has any idea how to contact her. We’ll just have to wait for one of the parents to tell us. In the meantime, we’ll keep the baby overnight. Andreas seems keen to keep an eye on her anyway, given the seriousness of the fall.’

  ‘I can’t believe she survived it,’ Libby murmured softly, careful not to wake Jenny, who was dozing quietly.

  ‘Well, the mother obviously took the brunt of the impact.’ Bev looked at the little girl lying on the bed. ‘She seems more peaceful. Has she had more morphine?’

  Libby nodded. ‘It will be good when she can see one of her parents. She needs the reassurance.’

  Bev nodded. ‘Well, hopefully we’ll manage something tomorrow. We can always carry her up to them if necessary.’ Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Libby. ‘You look exhausted. You should have requested the day off today. How late did you get to bed?’

  Not that late, Libby reflected. But she’d been awake for most of the night thinking about Andreas. Dreaming about fairy-tales and happy endings.

  ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘What you need is some proper time off. You’ve got a few days’ leave due. I want you to take them.’

  Libby looked at her. ‘Bev, we’re far too busy for me to take leave.’

  Bev shrugged. ‘You’re knackered, Lib. You’re no use to me like this. You’ve been working double shifts for as long as I can remember and you need a rest. I’ll ring the agency and see if I can get someone for the week after next.’

  Libby frowned. ‘Holiday leave…’

  ‘Yes, holiday leave,’ Bev said firmly. ‘You’ve got five days. For goodness’ sake, go away somewhere.’

  Libby looked at her blankly. She didn’t really want to go anywhere. She didn’t have the energy. If she wasn’t going to work, all she really wanted to do was go to bed and sleep for ever.

  ‘I’ll see how things are,’ she said vaguely, thinking that it might actually be nice to have a few days at home, doing nothing. She could lie in bed in the mornings and meet Katy for lunch. ‘If you’re sure, that is.’

  ‘I’m sure,’ Bev said firmly, breaking off as Andreas strolled into the room.

  Libby felt her stomach turn over. He was so good-looking he took her breath away and she was starting to have really, really foolish thoughts.

  Thoughts about being pregnant and him insisting on marrying her.

  Ridiculous!

  She closed her eyes briefly, horrified by the way her mind was working.

  What was the matter with her? She was thinking like someone who wasn’t thoroughly disillusioned with men.

  A holiday was definitely a good idea. It would mean putting space between her and Andreas. And she needed that space.

  Her mind seemed to have a will of its own and she was starting to believe that Andreas might be different from all the other men she’d ever met.

  She definitely needed a holiday.

  Libby picked up her bag and left the ward, thinking longingly of her bed.

  She just hoped that tonight she’d sleep.

  Last night she hadn’t managed to do anything except think of Andreas. She’d lain in the darkness, reliving every incredible second of their encounter by the lake. The memory had been so vivid that she’d almost been able to smell the damp grass and feel the cool night air on her skin. Her body had tingled with the memory of his touch and she could still hear the rough, masculine timbre of his voice as he’d spoken to her in Greek. She hadn’t been able to understand a word that he’d said but it had been an unbelievably erotic experience and she couldn’t get it out of her mind.

  Damn.

  Running a hand over her flushed face, she tried to pull herself together. It had just been sex, for crying out loud. Just sex, and she’d done it before.

  But it had never been like that.

  With Andreas it had been a totally different experience and if she was ever going to survive, she had to avoid him. And what better way to avoid him than by taking a holiday?

  She could spend the time reminding herself that all men were rats.

  Andreas stared at the notes in front of him without seeing them. For the third day running Libby had been in Jenny’s room for almost the entire shift, not even coming out for lunch. The little girl was very clingy and she’d obviously bonded with Libby, but all the same it was obvious to him that she was anxious to avoid any further conversation with him and he knew why.

  The chemistry between them was so overwhelming that he found it quite unnerving himself. He’d never felt this way about a woman before and he knew that she was experiencing the same emotions.

  The challenge was going to be getting her to admit it.

  Libby was terrified of being hurt. She found it impossible to trust men and she was incredibly wary and cautious.

  He needed to prove to her that he could be trusted but he couldn’t do that unless she agreed to spend some time with him. But judging from the way she’d been avoiding him since that night, the chances of her agreeing to that were remote.

  He leaned back in his chair and stretched his long legs out in front of him, frowning thoughtfully.

  And then he remembered the date.

  She still owed him a date.

  A slow smile crossed his handsome face as he remembered the conversation he’d overheard between her and the ward sister.

  No one had ever stipulated exactly what constituted the date that had been auctioned.

  And suddenly he knew exactly what that date was going to be.

  A week later Jenny was improving rapidly and spending much of the time in the playroom with Polly, who had taken on a surrogate mother role.

  Jenny’s parents were still in hospital and her baby sister had been staying with an aunt who lived locally.

  The ward had quietened down slightly, Bev had found an agency nurse who’d agreed to work for the rest of the month and Libby was exhausted.

  The strain of trying to avoid Andreas was making her jumpy and she wasn’t getting any sleep thanks to that one incredible night she’d spent with him. She was totally unable to forget the way he’d made her feel.

  She was thoroughly relieved that Bev had insisted she take leave. At least she wouldn’t have to peep round corners to check that there was no sign of Andreas. She vowed to get plenty of exercise in the hope that it would make her sleep.

  Suddenly she couldn’t wait for her shift to end.

  She went through the motions of doing her job and at lunchtime Bev bustled up to her.

  ‘You look absolutely wiped out.’ The ward sister shook her head disapprovingly. ‘Go home.’

  ‘I can’t go yet. I haven’t finished my shift.’

  Bev gave her a gentle push. ‘Just go. Now. And if I see you back on this ward before next week, you’re fired.’

  Libby gave a weak smile. She couldn’t actually believe she had a whole week off. ‘You can’t fire me. I’m your slave labour.’

  Bev didn’t laugh. ‘You’ve lost your sparkle and bubble,’ she said quietly. ‘You’ve been working too hard, Lib. Have a rest.’

  Libby didn’t say anything. It was true that she was tired, but the truth was her sparkle had gone because she was so disappointed about Andreas. She’d really believed that he was interested in her, but evidently she’d been wrong again.

  Apart from that one conversation the morning after, he’d made no attempt to see her since the ball.

  All right, so she’d been avoiding him, but he hadn’t been that difficult to avoid.

  Wondering whether he would even notice that she wasn’t around, she went to her locker, retrieved her bag and made her way to the car park, feeling flat and miserable.<
br />
  A low black sports car pulled up next to her and she sucked in a breath.

  Andreas.

  He leaned across to open the passenger door, his expression serious. ‘Get in, Libby.’

  She stared at him blankly. ‘Why? Where are we going?’

  ‘Just get in.’

  Something about the urgency in his tone prevented her from arguing and she slid into the passenger seat, glancing at him in alarm as he sped away before she’d even finished fastening her seat belt.

  ‘What’s happening? Is something wrong?’ Suddenly she felt cold fingers of panic touch her spine. ‘Is it Katy? Or Alex?’

  He covered her hand briefly with his. ‘They’re both fine. And nothing’s wrong.’

  ‘So why are you picking me up? It’s not even lunchtime.’ She looked at him in confusion. ‘And what’s the urgency?’

  He glanced at the clock and muttered something in Greek. ‘We are going to be late.’

  ‘Late for what?’

  But he wouldn’t answer her. He just stared at the road and drove as quickly as safety allowed, weaving his way through the London traffic until he hit the motorway that led out of town.

  ‘Andreas.’ Libby cleared her throat and tried again. ‘Where are we going?’

  He gave her a sideways glance. ‘We’re going on that date you owe me.’

  Date?

  He flicked the indicator and took the exit road that led to the airport and she lifted a hand to her aching head, totally confused.

  ‘What date? Why are we at the airport?’

  Andreas pulled up outside the terminal building and shifted in his seat so that he was facing her.

  ‘You still owe me that date, Libby,’ he said softly, lifting a hand to cup her face. ‘I’m claiming it now. You’ve got a week off. You’re spending it with me.’

  She opened her mouth to speak but he was already out of the car, handing his keys to a man in a uniform and removing two bags from the boot.

  Libby recognised one of the bags as hers.

  She leapt out of the car, waiting while he paid the man and signalled for a porter.

  ‘You packed a bag for me?’ She stared at him incredulously and he shrugged.