A Consultant's Special Care. Joanna Neil

realise that…I thought—I hoped that would come with time.’

      ‘I hope so, too, Dr Curtis. For all our sakes.’ His glance seared her. ‘In fact, you should know that you saved the man’s life. His injuries caused a haemothorax, which led to him losing a lot of blood, and you did what you could to compensate for that. The surgeon has dealt with the tear and managed to stem the bleeding. He’ll be all right.’

      A surge of relief flooded through her. ‘Oh, I’m so glad about that.’

      ‘Of course. We all are.’ His glance ran fleetingly over her, making her conscious all over again of her beach clothes. ‘Are you expected somewhere, or do you have time to take a look at him?’

      ‘I don’t have to rush back just yet. I’ve a few things that I must see to at home, and I’ll need to go and pick up my car fairly soon—I left it on the clifftop—but, yes, I’d like to go and see him, if that’s all right.’

      He nodded. ‘You had better come with me, then, and take a look at the results of your handiwork.’ Without any more preamble, he moved briskly away.

      Abby blinked, feeling somehow as though she had just been in collision with a juggernaut. Then, seeing his tall figure rapidly disappearing along the corridor, she got a grip on herself and hurried after him.

      She had never before come across anyone who was such a peculiar mixture of abrasiveness and compelling vigour…except perhaps for her ex-boyfriend, Richard. He had certainly been one to make decisions and sweep her along with him, hadn’t he?

      He hadn’t started out that way, though. To begin with, he had simply been kind and considerate, wanting only to please her. It had only been later that his strength of will had emerged and eventually turned to something infinitely more disquieting.

      Catching up with the consultant, Abby went with him into the intensive-care unit. Kieran was asleep, his body needing rest after the trauma he had gone through. His vital signs were being monitored, and there were tubes and drips of various sorts attached to him to support his recovery. Vicky sat beside his bed, and she looked up and smiled as the two of them came into the room.

      ‘The nurses said they think he’s going to be all right.’

      ‘I know,’ Abby said softly. ‘I’m glad.’

      ‘He’s still drowsy from the anaesthetic,’ Jordan put in, ‘but his vital signs have improved, and he seems to be doing well enough. The tubes can probably come out in a day or so.’

      They stayed by his bedside for a moment or two, while Jordan explained to Vicky about Kieran’s condition and told her what was likely to happen next. Then he signalled to Abby that it was time to leave, and they said goodbye and quietly left the room.

      Out in the corridor, Jordan looked down at the gold watch on his wrist. ‘I have to go. That’s my stint finished for the day, and I’m due at a charity function within the hour.’ He threw her a quick look. ‘You said you have to pick up your car—where is it?’

      ‘By Blue Ridge Cove. I was spending the afternoon there, taking some time out to get to know the area.’

      ‘That’s more or less on my way home. I’ll give you a lift.’

      The unexpected offer threw her off balance. ‘I don’t want to put you out…’

      ‘You won’t. Let’s go, shall we?’ Briskly, without giving her any more chance to discuss the matter, he led the way down to the car park and across to a gleaming midnight blue saloon.

      He appeared to be in a hurry, and as soon as she was settled in the luxuriously upholstered seat beside him, he started the engine and drove smoothly out onto the main highway.

      ‘You said that you were getting to know the area…you’re new to Cornwall, then?’ he queried as they left the town and headed towards the cove. He glanced at her obliquely, and when she nodded, he asked, ‘Where have you come from?’

      ‘London. I’ve lived there for a number of years, because that’s where I did most of my medical training, but I decided that I wanted a change, the chance to come and live by the coast for a while and breathe in some fresh sea air.’

      Abby wasn’t going to tell him that part of her reasoning in coming here was that she had hoped to escape from her ex-boyfriend. She was determined to make a new start, free from the worries of Richard’s persistent refusal to accept that the relationship was over.

      ‘That’s a big change,’ he murmured. ‘Have you left your family behind? Friends?’

      ‘Friends, yes—I shall miss them. My brother lives down here, though, and my mother lives fairly nearby, in Devon, so I shall be able to see more of her than I did before.’

      ‘And your father?’

      She might have known that he would pick up on that omission. She was saddened, thinking about her father. ‘He died some years ago,’ she said quietly.

      ‘I’m sorry.’ He flicked her another brief glance. ‘At least you’ll have your brother close by.’

      She shook her head. ‘Unfortunately, I won’t. He’s working abroad for a few months, but he’s letting me stay at his house in the meantime. It makes things easier for me, and Daniel will feel happier knowing that the house is being looked after while he’s away.’

      ‘Even so, you’re taking a huge step, moving away from everything you’ve been used to. Choosing a coastal area when you’ve been used to city life is an immense change. You can’t have come to that decision lightly.’

      ‘I didn’t, of course. I wanted to study emergency medicine, and the Roseland has a good reputation as a teaching hospital.’

      His blue-grey eyes searched her face. ‘So do a lot of others.’

      She sensed that he was still doubtful of her logic, and that he was expecting her to say more, but she didn’t want to go into her real reasons for moving down here. She wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about the worries she had back in London, least of all to Jordan Blakesley.

      If he knew that she was afraid of a man who had become too possessive, too demanding, his opinion of her would take a nosedive. He would probably dismiss her as incredibly weak and lacking in backbone. How could he possibly comprehend the way that Richard had begun to exert an insidious hold on her, refusing to let her live her life as a free agent? She could barely understand it herself.

      By now, they had arrived at the clifftop where her car was parked. Drawing up alongside it, Jordan cut the engine and let his gaze narrow on her. ‘Life down here is vastly different from that in the City, but if you’re expecting it to be easier, you’re in for a disappointment. In the summer months we’re inundated with visitors to the area and the hospital takes the strain.’

      ‘Yes, I guessed that.’

      ‘Are you sure? You’ll be under pressure a lot of the time.’

      ‘I appreciate that. I’m not afraid of hard work.’

      ‘There will be no time for indecision and wallowing in uncertainty.’

      Her mouth quirked in a wry grimace. ‘I’ll try to bear that in mind,’ she murmured. She guessed his opinion of her wasn’t great. No matter that she had managed to save a man’s life this afternoon, he believed that she had been uncertain and anxious, and he wasn’t a man to tolerate shortcomings in his colleagues.

      ‘Good. I’ll expect to see you tomorrow, bright and early, then. Just remember,’ he added on a warning note, ‘that if you do make any mistakes, I want to know about them straight away, so that they can be put right.’

      ‘I understand that.’

      ‘I hope that you do.’

      She hunted for her car keys in her bag, and then slid out of the passenger seat. ‘I must go. Thanks for the lift.’