The Royal Doctor's Bride. Jessica Matthews

his medical skills. Suddenly, a burden she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying lifted.

      “Airway’s in,” he said, sounding quite pleased. “His pneumothorax is next on the agenda.”

      The activity on the other side of the room faded into the background as the nurse at her side interrupted with a terse “BP is falling”.

      Gina immediately noticed her patient’s visibly distended jugular veins and muffled heart sounds—Beck’s triad—and knew the man’s heart was failing. “His pericardium or coronary artery must have been nicked,” she said aloud. “He needs his chest opened, but…”

      “But what?” Ruark asked from across the room. Apparently he also had the ability to listen in on two conversations at once.

      “But I’m not qualified to perform the procedure,” she admitted. “He needs a surgeon. We belong upstairs, now!”

      Dr Horton suddenly nudged her aside. “He won’t make it as far as the elevator. Move over.”

      “Nice of you to join us, Frank,” she replied caustically as she traded places with the tardy surgeon.

      “Hey, I’m here now.” He turned to Candy. “It’ll ruin his tattoos, but get ready for a thoracotomy.”

      “At least he’ll be alive to complain,” Gina muttered.

      “Only if we stop the bleeding before he goes into cardiac arrest. Scalpel.”

      While Frank began to work, Gina glanced at the paramedics hovering nearby. “Do we have names for these two yet?”

      “I’ll check.” Andy slipped from the room.

      Intent on assisting Frank and urging her patient to hang on, Gina didn’t notice Ruark until he stood at the foot of the bed. “How’s your fellow?” she asked.

      “Better than yours,” he answered. “He’s on his way to an operating room as we speak. They’re also holding a suite open for your patient.”

      “And here we have it,” Frank announced with distinct arrogance at discovering the problem. “His coronary artery is nicked. I’m cross-clamping the aorta and then we’re out of here.”

      A few minutes later, Frank and the John Doe were gone. Lucy and Candy immediately began the unenviable task of dealing with the mess and, oh, what a mess it was. Instruments littered every available surface, paper wrappers and used gloves covered the blood-slickened floor.

      Gina tiredly stripped off her face shield and blood-stained gown before removing her gloves, conscious of Ruark doing the same. She started to slip out of the room with the other extraneous personnel, but the sound of his voice stopped her, and everyone else, in their tracks.

      “Nobody move,” he commanded.

      CHAPTER THREE

      EVERYONE froze. Most appeared resigned, as if they were already bracing themselves for a coming storm. Determined to protect her staff, Gina immediately began her defense. “Don’t blame them for not instantly following your orders. You could have been a medical student for all they knew.”

      Anyone with two eyes and an ounce of common sense would never believe he was a mere med student—he was far too confident and authoritative, not to mention distinguished. From the wry expression on his face, he recognized the feeble excuse for what it was.

      “I’m well aware we didn’t get a chance to observe the formalities, Dr Sutton,” he stated as he met her gaze. “So we’ll put this incident behind us. However, I am the new emergency director and I can assure every one of you I am fully qualified to handle the position.”

      Gina’s face warmed at his rebuke. Clearly, he’d known she had sent Lucy to monitor him. Her embarrassment grew as he shared his experiences in other emergency departments and during the course of his medical relief efforts. At first, she felt guilty for having thought he was only a figurehead—a royal prince who didn’t do more than lend his name in support of a cause—but how was she to have known otherwise? She hadn’t even known his name before he’d waltzed in and took over. No, if anything, he should feel remorse for sneaking into Belmont like a burglar.

      “I don’t plan to change your routine overnight,” he continued, “but I will be looking at your operations closely and fine-tuning those processes that need it. No matter how well a department functions, there’s always room for improvement. Rest assured, I will not tolerate slipshod performances. I expect one hundred and ten percent from each of you, and intend to put forth the same effort.”

      Gazes met and shoulders squared as everyone seemed willing to meet his demands. It was almost surprising to see the staff cooperateso wholeheartedly this soon, but he had proved himself with his first case. Clearly, they were eager to impress him as well.

      “What’s the possibility of budgeting for more staff?” someone asked.

      “If the numbers justify it, I’ll do what I can to get them,” he promised.

      Those who had still appeared suspicious now nodded as if satisfied with Ruark’s response. Slowly, skepticism and stoicism faded as he shared his vision for the department as well as a few personal facts. By the end of his impromptu meeting, not only was everyone smiling and joking with him, but they’d also learned he liked all flavors of coffee as long as they were strong, loved fresh pastries and any dessert containing apples. No doubt there would be donuts and apple pie tomorrow.

      “I’m certain you’ll have more questions as time goes on, but if you have a problem, my door is always open,” he added in conclusion.“Meanwhile, you can return to work.”

      Gina accompanied him from the room while the rest of the staff headed off to deal with their respective tasks. “You had them eating out of your hand,” she remarked.

      His wide grin only enhanced his handsome features. “People usually produce in accordance with the level of expectation. If they know I expect a lot, they’ll deliver. If not…” He shrugged.

      Determined to clear the air, she squared her shoulders and met his gaze. “For the record, I’m not sorry I’d asked Lucy to report any problems you had to me. Having never seen you in action, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

      “Under similar circumstances, I would have done the same, as would any physician who cares about his patients. I trust I’ve satisfied your curiosity and relieved your doubts?”

      “Yes.”

      “Then we’ll put this behind us, too.”

      “Why didn’t you tell them you were a prince?”

      “They need to see I’m a physician first and a prince second,” he said simply, “otherwise they won’t look past the issues of royalty and we can’t form the cohesive unit we need to be.”

      He was obviously speaking from experience. “You told me who you are.”

      “Given our backgrounds, I made an exception for you.”

      Lucky her, she thought glumly. “I thought you prided yourself on honesty.”

      “I do, but do you want reporters swarming all over the place, digging into your past? Believe me, it only takes one curious reporter for all of your secrets to become tomorrow’s headlines. Are you ready for that, Countess?”

      She gritted her teeth. “I told you before, I consider that title purely academic. I prefer to use the one I earned, and I’d appreciate it you did, too.”

      “I stand corrected. In any case, my personal background is irrelevant.”

      She scoffed. “Do you really believe that? The staff aren’t blind. People will notice your bodyguards and ask questions.”

      “After what happened today with Bill Nevins, no one will give two extra guards a second thought. Besides, my men are professionals. They’re experts at blending in. But