Alison Roberts - Scandal In Sydney

It drove him crazy, though, the fact that he was being watched all the time. ‘When’s our aloof Dr Williams going to crack and prove he’s human?’

He was aware he was a target; he was aware there were bets—first woman to break his icy barricade. Even a couple of the gay guys had tried.

The gossips would be relentless now, he thought. A one-night stand … They wouldn’t stop.

And Lily? She’d signed up for four weeks’ work and she was labelled from this moment forth.

She was in his bed. They’d find that out in about two seconds flat. Other medics lived in his apartment block, Kirribilli Views. Hell, his cleaning lady was due in there this afternoon. By the time she’d finished dusting, the news would be all over Sydney.

‘She’s not a one-night stand,’ he found himself saying, before he even knew he intended saying it. ‘I already told Dr Lockheart that. I’ve known Lily for years.’

‘Years?’ Finn raised his brows in disbelief. Finn Kennedy made stronger doctors than Luke nervous, Luke thought. The man just had to raise one of those supercilious eyebrows and minions were supposed to quake.

But Luke was still thinking of Lily retching. This was no time for quaking. Or for disbelief.

‘Why do you think she’s here?’ he demanded. ‘We wanted to see if we could make a go of it.’

‘You were checking her records.’

‘I was making sure they’d got her address right. We used a boarding-house address as cover, intending to keep our relationship private a bit longer.’

‘By snogging on the on-call couch?’

‘Yeah, that wasn’t exactly wise,’ he admitted. ‘She was waiting for me after finishing work. I found her and …’ He closed his eyes. ‘The kid had just died. Sure, what happened was inappropriate, but Lily’s a big-hearted woman. She held me first, asked questions later.’

‘You’re in a relationship. What the—?’

‘This hospital thinks it knows everything about me,’ Luke said wearily. ‘It doesn’t.’

The door to his office was open. Their voices were carrying, which was just what Luke intended.

Everyone knew what had happened in the on-call room. They were labelling Lily because of it, but if they thought Lily and Luke were in an established relationship she’d be treated with respect. He’d already hinted at it to Evie. Why not take it further?

Maybe this was the least he could do. Where women were concerned he always did the least he could do, he thought grimly, but this time …

‘You bring your woman to work here without telling us about the relationship?’ For some reason Finn’s disbelief was giving way to anger.

‘What of it?’ It was Evie, just passing. Like half the hospital. How many medics used this corridor, and how carrying was Finn’s voice?

Answer—very carrying.

‘It’s deception,’ Finn growled.

‘What, not telling us who he’s sleeping with?’ Evie demanded. ‘What gives us the right to know?’

‘We’re a team.’

‘If we are you have an odd way of treating team members,’ Evie snapped. ‘Leave Luke alone. It’s his business.’

‘If he wants to bring his—’

‘Luke’s your friend,’ Evie said, closing the door. ‘You want to make this worse?’

‘I have a patient being sedated,’ Luke said warily. Sparks flew whenever these two got close and he didn’t want to be in the middle. He needed to leave. Now.

‘I’m so pleased,’ Evie was saying warmly, and she hugged him. ‘She’s a very competent nurse. I agree you should have told us, but …’ she cast a disparaging glance at Finn ‘… I can see why you wouldn’t. She looked bad though when she left this morning. Is she okay?’

‘She has gastro,’ Luke said. ‘Remind me to speak to Admin. She’ll have got it here; she’ll get paid for time off or I’ll take it further.’

‘She needs time off?’

‘Yes.’

‘Where is she now?’ Finn growled, and Luke fixed his friend with a challenging stare.

‘At home,’ he said. ‘In my bed.’

‘How wonderful,’ Evie said happily. ‘Lily and Luke … Ooh, I love it.’ She cast a cheeky look at Finn. ‘Maybe it’s time you tried a solid relationship, Mr Kennedy.’

‘In your dreams,’ Finn snapped.

‘Aren’t you having one?’ Luke asked.

‘He’s been seen with Mariette from Accounts,’ Evie said, disparagingly. ‘Not exactly a long-term proposition, that one.’

‘Will you butt out?’ Finn was almost explosive.

‘Like you butted out of Luke’s love life?’ Evie retorted. ‘Certainly, Mr Kennedy. Can I walk you to Theatre, Dr Williams?’

‘Yes,’ Luke said with relief.

‘And tell me about Lily on the way. Leave nothing out. First sight, first touch, first kiss. The whole romantic fantasy.’

Fantasy, Luke thought. She had it right there.

Lily woke as someone was vacuuming right through the door.

There were sunbeams on her counterpane. Her counterpane?

She was lying in the middle of a king-sized bed, on down-filled pillows, ensconced in crisp, white sheets and fleecy blankets.

The room was spacious, painted in cool soft greys, with white drapes—masculine but not too harsh.

The focus of the room was the floor-length picture windows, and through the windows Sydney Harbour.

She could see the Manly ferry chugging across the harbour. She could see the opera house.

A sunbeam was on her nose.

The cramps had stopped. She wriggled, very carefully. The nausea had gone as well.

She’d died and gone to heaven.

She was in Luke Williams’s bed.

It didn’t matter whose bed she was in, she decided. Anyone with a bed like this was a friend for life.

Was she more like her mother than she’d thought?

Even that concept wasn’t enough to spoil what she was feeling right now. Like life might be possible again.

A tap on the door. ‘Come in.’ She hauled her sheets to her chin, expecting … Luke? Instead a chubby little lady in a floral pinafore peered round the door, looking anxious.

‘Are you awake, dear? I didn’t want to disturb you, only I popped my nose round the door an hour ago and saw you hadn’t drunk anything. I think Dr Williams would like you to drink. Would you like a cup of tea?’

Lily thought about it. She had many things to think about, but right now tea was pretty much the limit of her brain power.

‘I’d love one.’

‘With lots of sugar.’ The lady beamed. ‘I’m Gladys Henderson and I do for Dr Williams. I do for other doctors in this apartment block as well but he’s my favourite. But he’s in my bad books for not telling me you were coming. They tell me you’ve had quite the romance and then you just start doing night duty and no one knew. And now to get this nasty bug … But we’re all so pleased for Dr Williams. He’s ever so nice and we’ve been thinking he goes up to that farm of his all the time with only his old uncle, and he stares at nothing and just thinks and thinks about that poor young wife of his. But she’s four years dead, and we’re so pleased … well, not pleased she’s dead, of course, but pleased as Punch that he’s got a young lady. And that’s enough from me; you don’t want me standing here gabbling for ever. I’ll make you a nice cup of tea and plump your pillows and then you settle down and sleep until the doctor comes home. Ooh, I do love a good romance.’

LUKE’S list went overtime. There were always complications, he thought. The problem with being a plastic surgeon with a decent reputation was that he was sent other people’s mistakes. Repairs of repairs … He hated it.

His real work, his passion, was repairs that made a huge difference to people’s lives. Birth defects, accidents, improving the aesthetic results after disfiguring cancer surgery.