The Shy Nurse's Rebel Doc. Alison Roberts

had been intended as no more than an astonished inward reaction must have escaped as a whisper but Emily didn’t seem offended. Her lips twitched.

      ‘I know...but he looks different when he’s in his scrubs and has that hair tied up. You’ll see...’

      Sam didn’t want to see. She’d never forget that appalled glance he’d given her. It would have been bad enough if he’d been the baby’s father but at least she wouldn’t have to see him again. That she’d come to the notice of one of this department’s consultants in such a humiliating manner was too much to even try and process right now.

      ‘How’s the baby?’

      ‘Stable. Looks like he’s got a respiratory infection going on but they’re also querying an underlying heart condition. He’s on his way to PICU at the moment for monitoring and follow up. Oh...your patient, Mrs Henderson? They’re coming to take her to Theatre any minute. She was asking for you. Perhaps you could go up with her?’

      ‘Sure. But what about my other patients?’

      ‘The registrar’s discharged the ETOH overdose. And the diabetic lad is eating breakfast. We’ll discharge him as soon as his mum gets back with his clothes. Don’t worry...’ Emily smiled again. ‘I’ll have a whole new list for you as soon as you get back. I might give you some time in the plaster room. And the paediatric corner—just to let you get a feel for the place.’

      Or to keep her out of harm’s way?

      Sam managed to paste a smile onto her face. ‘That’ll be great. Thanks.’

      * * *

      What a start to the day.

      It was nearly two hours later before Blake Cooper felt like things were back to normal. He had a crisp, clean scrub tunic over his jeans, his penlight torch clipped onto his top pocket along with his pens, and his pager and phone attached to a lower pocket. His hair was neatly combed and fastened into the looped ponytail that was appropriate to his work environment and his own stethoscope lay over his shoulders.

      The lasting impression of the dramatic start to his day was an odd mix. There was an enormous relief that the baby was going to be fine. A cardiac abnormality had been ruled out and the respiratory arrest seemed to have been caused by difficulty breathing due to a bad case of bronchiolitis, which was now being treated by the specialist paediatric team. The stress levels had been remarkably high as he was carrying that baby into Emergency, knowing that he could have already stopped breathing again on the journey from the car park but it didn’t excuse the way he’d shouted at that nurse who’d been right in his path.

      So there was an element of guilt to go with the relief. No wonder the poor girl jumped. He’d never seen her before, either, so maybe she was a relief nurse who wasn’t even experienced in being in an often chaotic environment like the ED. The sound of smashing glass had made him think that he might have been responsible for causing a nasty injury but when he’d looked, she was still on her feet and all he could see beneath a halo of very blonde hair and horrified eyes was a face half covered by a hand.

      A hand with ridiculously polished nails. Polka dots?

      Who the hell put polka dots on their nails? Nobody who was serious about working in a place like this, that was for sure.

      Emily was near the triage desk, updating details on the huge board that kept track of the whereabouts and condition of all the patients in this busy emergency department.

      ‘Hey, Em...’ Blake paused for a moment. ‘Thanks so much for sending someone to rescue my helmet and bag from the car park. Much appreciated.’

      ‘No worries, Blake. You can pay me back by seeing how many of these patients can be discharged. Like this asthma attack in cubicle three. Her oxygen saturation levels have been normal for the last hour but she’s anxious. Used her alarm to call an ambulance even before she’d tried her inhaler.’

      ‘I’ll go and have a chat.’ Blake scanned the rest of the glass board, hoping to find something more challenging but the resuscitation and high acuity areas were currently vacant.

      The peal of childish laughter made Blake, and everyone else around him, turn. It was a welcome change from the sounds children usually made here and there were smiles breaking out everywhere as a toddler came towards them at speed, crowing with delight. An adult was in hot pursuit, arms outstretched to catch the escapee.

      Hands that were almost in contact with the small person whose nappy was now loose enough to hamper chubby legs.

      Hands that had fingernails with polka dots.

      ‘Gotcha...’

      The toddler didn’t seem to mind being captured. With another gurgle of laughter he wrapped his arms around the nurse’s neck. She planted a kiss on the curly head and then turned to take him back to where he was supposed to be—presumably the paediatric area. The moment she became aware of her audience was very obvious. Her eyes widened and her smile was fading as she caught her bottom lip between her teeth.

      Then her gaze collided with Blake’s and a flush of colour instantly stained her cheeks.

      And, for the second time in a single day, he was blindsided.

      She’d had her face half covered the first time he’d seen her so he hadn’t realised...

      He hadn’t realised that this was the most beautiful woman he’d ever clapped eyes on in his entire life.

      Sun-kissed blonde hair and the bluest eyes imaginable. A cute little nose and a generous mouth clearly designed for smiling—or for being kissed...

      He couldn’t drag his gaze away from her.

      She was tall and slim, as well. A model masquerading as a nurse. A Disney princess who probably had a tiara and frothy ball gown tucked away in her locker.

      He was still staring as she hurried away with the toddler peering over her shoulder. As if mocking him, a small hand was waving at Blake.

      ‘Oh, dear...’ Emily murmured. ‘She’s not having the best first day, poor thing.’

      Blake’s inward breath made him realise that he hadn’t taken one for a while. ‘Who is that?’

      ‘Samantha Braithwaite. She’s come here from Sydney Central with impeccable references including postgrad qualifications in trauma management.’

      There was a moment’s silence, then, possibly because Blake’s tone had finally filtered through to his colleague.

      ‘Oh, no...’ Emily sighed. ‘Do I have to warn her of your reputation?’

      Blake grinned at her. ‘Do I have a reputation?’

      She laughed. ‘Go away. Do your work. What you do in your personal life is none of my business.’

      He pretended not to hear her final murmur as he headed for cubicle three.

      ‘And thank goodness for that...’

       CHAPTER TWO

      ‘OH, MY GOD, Harriet. I can’t go back tomorrow...’

      Ignoring the glass of wine her friend had put in front of her, Sam buried her face in her hands.

      ‘Don’t be daft. It’ll be fine.’

      ‘Everybody thinks I’m an idiot.’

      ‘That’s not true and you know it.’

      Sam reached for her glass and took a long sip. Okay...maybe not everybody thought that but one person certainly did and he wasn’t just one of the senior doctors in her new department and therefore her boss.

      He was, quite possibly, the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen in her entire life. Emily had been quite right that Blake Cooper looked different in his