The Doctor Meets Her Match. Annie Claydon

raised an eyebrow to make it clear that she didn’t believe him for a minute, and he ignored her. Abby had seen that kind of flat-out denial before but it was puzzling coming from Nick. She’d get back to that one later.

      ‘Okay, let me know if you change your mind and I can give you something that will make you much more comfortable.’ He nodded almost imperceptibly. ‘I’m going to send you for some X-rays, and I’ll come back and see you again when I’ve reviewed them.’ That would give Abby at least half an hour to gather her wits. Maybe more. Perhaps the next time she laid eyes on him, she’d be able to retain her composure a little better.

      ‘Thanks.’ He hesitated, as if something was bothering him. ‘I hope I’m not keeping you from going home. It must be gone seven o’clock.’

      Twenty past. The charge nurse from A and E had called her just as she’d finished catching up on the week’s paperwork and had been about to leave. ‘Not a problem. That’s what I’m here for.’ It seemed that finally, despite all Abby’s promises to herself, she was going to be spending one more evening in Nick’s company.

      By the time Nick’s X-rays were back, Abby had already found his notes on the computer and read them. And it gave her no pleasure whatsoever to find he was wrong. She took a deep breath before she made her way back to his bedside to deliver the bad news.

      ‘Hey, there.’ His smile was too broad. Slightly brittle.

      ‘How are you doing?’

      ‘Thought you might be able to tell me.’ He nodded at the large manila folder she carried.

      ‘Yeah.’ Abby sat down by his bedside. Whatever she felt about his behaviour towards her, she had to give him credit for his resilience. She knew how much pain he must be in, and it was searing through her. That trick of being able to insulate yourself from a patient’s pain didn’t seem to be working so well for her at the moment.

      ‘What’s the verdict, then?’

      ‘The X-rays show a hairline crack on your patella.’

      He stared at her as if he didn’t understand, or perhaps he just wasn’t taking her word for it. Abby drew one of the X-rays out of the folder, holding it up to the strip light above his head. ‘Here, can you see?’

      He shifted closer to her to look, and reached up, steadying her hand with his. His touch was still electric. The soft brush of his fingers against her wrist made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. ‘I can’t see anything.’

      ‘Right there.’ She indicated the line of the fracture, trying to ignore the fact that she was leaning over him. That she would be able to hear his heartbeat if she got any closer. ‘The good news is that it’s not displaced, so it should heal relatively quickly.’

      ‘I see.’ He squinted at the area she had indicated. ‘It doesn’t look too bad, then?’

      Abby bit her tongue. Asking him whether that statement was based on medical knowledge or wishful thinking probably wasn’t appropriate. Neither was enjoying leaning over him. At the swimming pool it had been pretty much impossible not to notice Nick’s beautiful physique. Here it was irrelevant.

      She straightened quickly. ‘Well, a fractured patella is never good. But it could have been a lot worse. From the looks of your knee there may well be some other damage, though, and I’m ordering an MRI scan to see what’s happening with the cartilage and to get a better view of the fracture.’

      ‘But if that’s okay…?’ He sat up straight on the trolley, as if their business was now finished and he could go. Abby fixed him with the sternest glare she could muster. This was her territory and she was in charge.

      ‘There’s still the matter of the crack on your patella. You’re going to need to rest it and wear a brace for four to six weeks.’

      He ran his hand back through his hair in a gesture of frustration. ‘Four weeks?’

      ‘Four to six weeks. That’s pretty much how long a bone takes to mend.’ Abby bit her lip. Enough sarcasm. He was in pain here, and she knew how much Nick loved his job. The least she could do was show him a bit of understanding. ‘I’m sorry, but you won’t be fit enough to go back to work for a while.’

      ‘How long?’

      ‘I can’t tell for sure at this point. I’m going to refer you on for an early appointment with a colleague who specialises in injuries of this kind. By the time you see him, we should have managed to get some of this swelling down and the MRI results will be available. He’ll be able to tell you much more.’

      ‘Yes. Of course.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Thanks for everything, Abby. Can I go now?’

      He really didn’t want to be around her. She could tell from the way he was focussing past her, on something just over her right shoulder. He’d do anything but look her in the eye.

      That was fine. Abby didn’t much want to be around Nick either but that wasn’t the point of this particular exercise. She was a doctor and he was a patient. If she reminded herself of that enough times, she’d get it in the end. ‘Not yet. I need to sort out a suitable knee brace for you, along with some painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs.’ She fixed him with a stern look. ‘Stay there, I’ll be back shortly.’

      Abby didn’t wait for his answer. Making for the curtain, which covered the entrance to the cubicle, she yanked it firmly closed and caught the charge nurse’s eye. If he attempted to run out on her this time, he’d find that the A and E staff were more than a match for him.

      Abby was in a class all of her own when she did stern. Nick tried not to think about that, and concentrated on all the reasons why continuing their relationship had been a seriously bad idea. Why he’d been right to walk away before the shimmer in her light blue eyes, the little quirk of her mouth when she’d smiled, had pulled him spiralling out of control. Even now it was tough work to resist her.

      Not that she was doing a great deal of smiling this evening. She didn’t seem to be having much trouble with resisting him either. She’d drawn back so quickly when he’d touched her that he’d wondered whether an apology was in order. Common sense was yet another thing he had to award her ten out of ten for.

      He pulled himself up into a sitting position and swung his good leg over the edge of the trolley. So far so good. Kind of. He gripped his injured leg and tried to move it and pain seared from his calf to his thigh. Not such a good idea. Nick reached for his jacket, which was over the back of the chair where his clothes were folded, managing to pull his phone from the pocket with the tips of his fingers.

      When he switched it on, there were two missed calls, and a text. Off duty in ten. Be there in half an hour. Nick looked at his watch. Sam would be arriving in fifteen minutes and, with any luck, by that time Nick would be dressed and ready to go.

      ‘It’ll be a lot easier with this. And you’re supposed to keep that switched off.’

      Nick’s gaze jerked upwards from the small screen on his phone and found Abby’s half-amused grimace. ‘What will?’

      ‘Your escape.’ She shrugged, walking to his bedside and propping the pair of elbow crutches she carried against the chair. ‘Swing your leg back onto the bed while I sort this knee brace out.’

      She fiddled for a while with the ugly-looking contraption, rolling her eyes and grinning when the Velcro straps tangled themselves together and stuck fast. Nick added kindness to the list of her virtues. Even though he’d treated her badly, there was no trace of reproach in her attitude towards him.

      ‘Just relax and let me move your leg. I’ll try not to hurt you too much.’ She gently took hold of his leg and Nick braced himself for the pain, letting out an involuntary breath when it wasn’t half as bad as when he’d tried to move it himself.

      ‘There.’ She carefully fastened the brace and stood back, reviewing her handiwork. ‘How does that feel?’

      ‘Better.