Australian Affairs: Seduced. Carol Marinelli

frowned. He looked at Marnie’s raven hair and china-blue eyes and couldn’t quite believe they might have worked alongside each other for three years and that he didn’t recognise her at all.

      ‘No,’ Marnie corrected Lillian. ‘I only did my first year of training at Melbourne Central. After that I transferred to the Royal.’ She turned to Harry. ‘I do remember you, though…’ Marnie said, and suppressed a smile at the slight flare of concern in his eyes—perhaps Harry might be a little uncomfortable with people who could remember him in his wilder days.

      Perhaps, Marnie thought, noticing again, after all these years, his stunning green eyes, it was time for some fun. Dr Vermont was talking to Harry’s son and Lillian was briefly distracted by her pager going off and Marnie simply could not resist a tease, even though they had barely ever spoken. ‘You remember me, though, don’t you?’

      ‘Actually…’ Harry let go of Charlotte’s hand again as he rather worriedly scratched at the back of his neck. ‘Now I think back on it…’

      ‘Surely you remember,’ Marnie implored, enjoying herself.

      ‘Charlotte!’ Harry called, but Marnie could hear the relief in his voice at a brief chance of escape.

      ‘I’m just about to take Marnie on a tour and introduce her to everyone,’ Lillian interrupted the fun. ‘Marnie, do you want to go and get your jacket before I show you around?’

      ‘I’m fine.’ Marnie shook her head. ‘We’ll just get on.’

      But Lillian had other ideas. ‘We actually like the managers to wear their jackets, especially for things like formal introductions—it adds a nice authoritative touch.’

      ‘I don’t need a jacket to be authoritative,’ Marnie responded, and it was Harry who was suppressing a smile now as he watched her walk off.

      Not many people spoke to Lillian like that.

      Clearly Marnie was setting the tone.

      ‘I think,’ Dr Vermont said as Marnie clipped off with Lillian moving fast to catch up, ‘that Marnie Johnson might be just what the doctor ordered—did you see Lillian’s face when she said that she didn’t need a jacket?’

      ‘I did.’ Harry grinned.

      ‘So, do you remember her from Melbourne Central?’

      ‘I don’t.’ Harry swallowed, paying great attention to Adam and failing to see the twinkle in Dr Vermont’s eyes.

      ‘She seems to remember you!’

      ‘I’d better get these two over to day care,’ Harry said, again glad of the excuse of the twins to escape. He walked behind Marnie and Lillian on his way to day care, trying and failing not to notice her very petite, trim figure in the navy dress. She had stopped to shake hands with Juan Morales, one of the new consultants who was just finishing up after a night shift. ‘And Dr Cooper starts when?’ Harry heard Marnie asking as he walked past.

      ‘In four weeks’ time, I believe,’ Juan answered.

      Harry didn’t hang around to hear the rest of the conversation. Just wait until Lillian and Marnie found out that he had approved Juan’s annual leave, commencing in one week’s time! Yes, the place was almost running well with Juan finally on board, but it was all about to go to pot again some time soon.

      Harry signed his name alongside Charlotte’s and Adam’s in the day-care register and tried to focus on today instead of worrying about the weeks ahead.

      Since Jill had died, he had learnt that it was the best he could do.

      ‘Are you picking us up?’ Adam asked.

      ‘I’ll do my best to be here at six,’ Harry said. ‘But if it looks as if I won’t be able to get away on time, I will ring Evelyn and she’ll pick you up.’

      Harry could not stand Adam’s nod, or that his son was trying not to cry. He knelt down to look Adam in the eye. ‘We had a good weekend, didn’t we?’

      They’d had a brilliant weekend—the first in ages.

      With Juan working, both Harry and Dr Vermont had finally had a full, undisturbed weekend without being rung for advice or called in urgently. Dr Vermont had taken his wife away to celebrate their upcoming wedding anniversary, which fell today. He himself had taken his children to the beach on the Saturday and had spent Sunday finally tackling the garden then watching movies in the evening.

      Simple pleasures perhaps, but they hadn’t shared a weekend so straightforward in ages.

      ‘I just…’ Adam started, but he didn’t finish and Harry waited. He was worried about Adam’s talking, or rather the lack of it. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Adam said.

      Oh, but it did.

      Harry looked at Adam’s dark, serious eyes, so like his mum’s. And, like Jill, Adam never complained about Harry’s ridiculous work hours, which only served to make Harry feel worse. ‘Hey,’ Harry said. ‘Tonight we’re going to take those bruised bananas and make banana bread.’ It was completely off the top of his head. ‘So tomorrow you and Charlotte will have something nice waiting for breakfast that you can eat in the car if we’re in a hurry.’

      ‘Promise?’ Adam checked.

      ‘As much as I can promise,’ Harry said, because the very nature of his job meant that nothing could be guaranteed. ‘But if we don’t get to make it tonight then the bananas will be even blacker tomorrow and the banana bread even sweeter.’

      Finally, Adam smiled.

      ‘I hate banana bread!’ Charlotte, the louder of the two, had to have her say as Harry gave her a kiss goodbye.

      ‘I know.’ Harry smiled. ‘But you do like eating the frosting.’

      ‘Can I make the frosting?’ Charlotte was more easily cheered, though, unlike Adam and Jill, she did protest loudly whenever Harry was late picking them up or was called into work.

      ‘Yep,’ Harry said, and then, because he had to, he qualified again. ‘If I get home in time.’

      ‘Try,’ Charlotte said.

      It was all he seemed to be doing these days.

      He hugged them both and then, as good as gold, they headed off to join their little friends to start their very long day.

      Something had to give.

      Harry headed back towards the department and tried, for now, not to think about the unpalatable decision that he was coming to.

      As well as being an emergency consultant, Harry was also a renowned hand surgeon. He was reluctantly considering moving into the private sphere and focusing on his second love—hands. Emergency and single fatherhood, he had fast found out, simply didn’t mix.

      Harry had decided that he was going to take some annual leave while he made his decision. Once Juan was back from his honeymoon and Dr Cooper had started work and the department was adequately staffed, he could take some proper time off and work out what to do.

      He just needed to get through the next few weeks.

      Harry headed straight for the changing rooms and took the ten minutes Marnie had noted that he needed. he quickly shaved, combed his hair and added a tie, then walked back into the department, and the first person he saw was Marnie.

      ‘That’s better!’ Marnie commented, when others perhaps would not have.

      ‘Better?’

      ‘You’ve shaved, put on a tie…’

      ‘I don’t need a tie to be a consultant.’ Harry made light reference to her jacket comment to Lillian but still he bristled. She should see how Juan dressed some days, stomping about in Cuban-heeled boots, and, until recently, Juan’s black hair had been longer than shoulder length—imagine what she’d have had to say