The Secret Doctor (3 page)

‘That's great,' he said, a look of relief crossing his face. ‘Welcome to Bay View. You'll find we're a friendly bunch here, and we all support one another come what may. Rick Mayfield's a good young doctor… I'm sure you'll find he'll be a great help to you. Anyway, if you have any problems at all, just shout.'

‘I'll do that.' She went to the locker room to stow away her bag and jacket, and within minutes she was
back on the main floor of the emergency room, checking through the list of patients waiting to be seen.

‘There's a wrist fracture in treatment room one,' the assisting nurse said, ‘and a shoulder dislocation in room two. You might find it easier to deal with the wrist first, while I find someone to help you with the shoulder.'

‘Thanks, Emma.' The nurse was a pretty girl, with clear hazel eyes and long, chestnut-coloured hair tied back in a ponytail. She was good at her job, confident, and a fountain of knowledge about the set up in the busy emergency room. Lacey worked with her throughout what was left of the morning, and on into the afternoon.

Around teatime, when Dr Mayfield was preparing to go off duty, he came to find Lacey. He was a young man, fair haired, and, from what she had gathered, conscientious in the way he did his job.

He studied her, a wave of fair hair falling across his brow. ‘How's it going today? Have you managed to find your way around our system?'

‘More or less.' She smiled. ‘Everyone's been great, pointing me in the right direction when I was lost, or, best of all, showing me where you stash the pasties and cakes.'

‘Well, we have to get our priorities right, don't we?' He chuckled and then turned his attention to business, outlining the details of patients he had admitted for observation that day. He handed over the files. ‘Anyway, best of luck with these,' he told her. ‘They're mostly respiratory problems or cardiac queries.'

He made brief comments as she checked each patient's file, but Lacey hesitated at one in particular.
The name and profile of the patient jumped out at her and alarm bells started to ring inside her head.

‘This man—Mr Callaghan,' she murmured, scanning the text. ‘It says here that he was brought in suffering from dehydration and that he appeared to be in a confused state.' She looked at the intern. ‘What happened to him?'

‘Apparently he was filming some alligators in the marshes and came unstuck. From what I can piece together, one of the alligators started to head towards him and he retreated, but twisted his ankle and then went off in the wrong direction instead of returning to his base. His ankle's fine, just sprained, so I've applied a compress and put on a support bandage.'

Rick ran his gaze fleetingly over the file. ‘It's his general condition that's giving us cause for concern. He passed out a couple of times, and he's suffering from palpitations. According to his notes, he's been receiving treatment for cardiac arrhythmia over the past year, so that probably needs more investigation. Anyway, he has been given fluids, and he's had a bath and generally been made to feel more comfortable, but his vital signs are not too good at the moment.'

‘I'll go and take a look at him straight away,' Lacey said. ‘I'm sure I know him—he's a friend. He went out to the Everglades recently and didn't return.'

‘Sounds as though he's had a lucky escape, then.'

She nodded, and then glanced through her list of patients once more. There was no particular urgency to any of them that she could see, so went to seek out Rob Callaghan straight away.

It was exactly as she had suspected. Rob was lying in bed, his light brown hair tousled against his pillows. He appeared to be dozing, but as she approached the bedside his eyelids flickered and he blinked, acknowledging her presence with a few mumbled words.

‘Lacey,' he said in a low, cracked voice, ‘it's good to see you. You're a sight for sore eyes.'

‘I think I'll take that literally,' she murmured, noting the grey circles round his eyes and the general sunken appearance of his skin. ‘What have you been doing to yourself?' She could see from the monitors that his blood pressure was high, and his heart rate was a lot faster than it ought to be.

‘I got lost,' he said. ‘There was no water, and my phone battery failed. I feel so stupid.' There was a breathless, weary quality to his voice, and she knew that she shouldn't tire him by asking too many questions.

‘Well, at least you're safe now,' she murmured. ‘I'm a little concerned about some of your symptoms, though. You told me some time ago that you had been having palpitations, and your ECG shows that your heart is going at full tilt right now, even after the medication Dr Mayfield gave you. I think we need to find out what's going on, so I'd like to run some tests.'

After resting in bed for the last hour or so, his symptoms should have begun to subside by now, but that clearly wasn't happening. She gave him a thoughtful, assessing glance. ‘Perhaps I ought to leave you to rest. You don't look as though you're in any fit state to be talking.'

He frowned. ‘Stay awhile. Do you have time to sit with me for a bit? I know you must have other patients to see.'

‘Of course I can stay. There's nothing urgent to drag me away for a while.' She pulled up a chair beside his bed and placed her hand over his. ‘Do your parents know that you're here? Do you want me to get in touch with anyone?'

‘They're coming over. I think it took a while to contact them because they were out of town.' He studied her fleetingly. ‘Florida suits you,' he said. ‘I always thought you would do well out here.' He took a deep breath in order to gather strength and then added, ‘How are you getting on with Jake? I'm assuming you've met?'

‘Oh, yes, we've met.' Her lips made an odd shape. ‘I can't quite make him out. He seems to enjoy a very relaxed way of life, and even though he talks about business meetings, I've no idea what he does for a living.'

‘Nothing, right now, I guess.' Rob's mouth made a cynical line. ‘He likes to party…and I mean parties…every month or so…big affairs, with his wealthy friends. He spends the rest of his time snorkelling, scubadiving, or sunbathing on board his yacht.'

Lacey's eyes widened. ‘All the time?'

He nodded. ‘There are maybe one or two business meetings thrown in from time to time. Perhaps he just feels he doesn't need to do anything more.'

Lacey shook her head. ‘I imagine that could be fun for a while, but I'm not sure I could live like that all the time. My work's important to me. I'd need to do something more fulfilling with my life than sit around endlessly soaking up the sun.'

‘I'm with you on that. Though, right now, lazing around sounds like the ideal occupation for me.' He made an attempt to smile, and she knew he was battling extreme fatigue.

She looked at him with concern. ‘I've tired you out…I knew I shouldn't have sat down here and let you talk.'

‘No.' Rob's breathing was ragged. ‘I'm glad you agreed to stay. I'm only telling you these things because I know he'll make a play for you—it's the way he is—and I don't want you to get hurt. He was asking a lot of questions about you even before you came down here.'

‘Thanks, Rob, but I'm all grown up now,' she said with a smile. ‘And I'm more than cautious where men are concerned. You don't need to worry about me.'

He reached for her arm and gave her a cautionary squeeze. ‘Even so…you take care, Lacey. You're a gentle soul, and you've been through the mill lately. You deserve better.' His breathing became increasingly ragged, and Lacey saw that the heart monitor showed a rising, thundering rhythm.

‘Perhaps you shouldn't talk any more,' she told him, getting to her feet. ‘I'm going to give you an injection of something to slow your heart rate down, and then I'll go and organise the tests. The consultant will come along and see you once we have the results.'

‘Okay.' Rob closed his eyes momentarily, clearly worn out by sharing those revelations with her.

Lacey went to prepare the injection, and once she had administered it she waited a while to gauge its effect.
When Rob's heart and blood pressure rate began to drop, she felt able to leave him in the care of the nurse.

‘I'll go and order an echocardiograph,' she told Emma. ‘I've a feeling we might need to implant a device to regulate his heartbeat, so I'll ask the consultant to come and take a look at him.' She glanced at her watch. ‘It's probably too late to bring him here now, but first thing in the morning would be good.'

Emma nodded. ‘I'll take care of him in the meantime. Any changes and I'll let you know.'

‘Thanks, Emma.'

Lacey wrote up a form for the technician and made arrangements for Rob to undergo the testing of his heart activity. Only when all those wheels were in motion did she stop and give some thought to what she had learned about her new neighbour.

No wonder Rob had his reservations about Jake. Rob had no time for the ‘idle rich', as he called them, but Lacey's curiosity had been piqued.

Was Jake just out for a good time, taking life as he found it, and living it to the hilt?

And why did it bother her so much to think that a man with such charisma might be just an empty shell?

L
ACEY
stretched, trying to ease away the stiffness in her shoulders. Now that her first shift at the hospital had come to an end and she parked her car in the garage, she was left with mixed feelings about the experience. It had been an eventful day, overall, and perhaps not quite what she had expected.

Meeting so many new colleagues had been a good thing. She had even managed to overcome the difficulties of working for a medical service that was different from anything she had known back home… But coming across one of her dearest friends lying ill in a hospital bed had been a huge shock.

That was the worst part of the day, the one that left her troubled and out of sorts, so that by now the muscles in her neck were knotted with tension.

She slid out of the car and went towards the front of the house. Darkness had fallen some time ago, and in the distance she could see that Jake's house was ablaze with light—it was coming from the windows, the open doors, and even the patio areas were bathed in gold. Soft
music floated on the air, a lilting Caribbean rhythm, and it sounded as though the music was live, coming from an authentic steel band. She heard the occasional burst of laughter—obviously his party was in full swing.

She didn't stop to listen for long, though. More than anything, she needed to unwind, and perhaps the best way to do that would be to soak in a scented bath for a while, and let the warm water soothe her aching body.

She went upstairs, ran the water into the tub and added a silky essence that produced a satisfying blanket of foam.

When she came out of the bathroom some half an hour later, she felt much more refreshed. She had put on soft cotton shorts and teamed them with a loose, button-through shirt that skimmed her hips and floated somewhere around mid-thigh. It wasn't exactly night-wear, but the material was soft and comfortable and it felt good next to her skin.

The music was still drifting on the night air, and she wandered restlessly about the kitchen. What was going on at Jake's house—what were his friends like? Was there some woman there who was particularly close to him? She cut that thought off at the root. She didn't care what Jake was up to…not really… It was just that her restless mind was busy mulling things over.

The night was still warm, and even though she was tired, she knew she wouldn't sleep. Instead, she poured herself a long glass of iced juice and wandered out to the dock area at the front of the house. It always calmed her to lean on the rail and look down at the water.

A few minutes later, she was disturbed by a soft
footfall, the faintest rasp of leather on paving, and a shadow loomed beside her. ‘You look sad,' Jake murmured, coming to join her at the rail.

‘Oh!' Lacey jumped. Where had he come from? He had appeared like a phantom out of nowhere. The iced clinked in her glass and she spilled some of the contents over the deck rail. She stared at him open-mouthed. ‘That's the second time you've done that to me,' she said crossly. ‘You have to stop sneaking up on me that way. One of these days you could give me a heart attack.'

‘Nah—you're way too young for that,' he said, giving her an apologetic but altogether insincere smile. ‘I didn't mean to startle you, though. As to sneaking…I'm pleading not guilty. I saw you out on the dock and decided to pay you a visit. I walked along the path in full view of anyone who cared to look, but you were so deep in thought you obviously didn't notice me.' He studied her reaction. ‘Perhaps next time I'll hum a few lines of, “Hey-ho, here I come again”.'

She tried to glower at him, but his resolute cheerfulness had the better of her, and she grudgingly gave in, her face relaxing a fraction. ‘A warning would be great,' she agreed, ‘but you really don't have to sing. I'm not sure I'm ready for that.'

He chuckled. ‘It sounds as though you're not in the best of moods.' Sobering, he asked, ‘So how did your day go? Was it tough? We all know the emergency room can be hell on earth at times…and that's not only as far as the patients are concerned.'

‘That's true,' she acknowledged, ‘but it wasn't like
that for me today. Everyone was doing their best to make me feel at home, and that helped to make it a really good experience. It's just that I discovered what had happened to Rob—the reason why he didn't come home. He was admitted to hospital earlier today.'

Jake frowned, leaning against the rail beside her. ‘I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?'

She told him the story, adding, ‘I spoke to the consultant briefly, and he said that he'll come and have a look at him tomorrow and review all the tests. Because Rob has had several instances of collapse, he's thinking of implanting a monitoring device in his chest. It's very new technology—wireless, so that the consultant knows what's going on with his heart at any time and can use the information downloaded to his computer system to diagnose what exactly is causing the problem. If the patient starts to show dangerous symptoms the monitoring device will alert him and allow him to start or change treatment accordingly.'

Jake gave her a thoughtful look. ‘It seems that everything possible is being done for him. Doesn't that make you feel any better?'

‘I suppose it should.' Her mouth turned down at the corners. ‘It's just that I'm not used to seeing Rob helpless like that. He's always been an outdoors kind of man, for ever on the move, wanting to keep busy and get the most out of life.'

Jake draped an arm lightly around her shoulders in a gesture of sympathy. ‘I'm sure he's in good hands. They have an excellent treatment record at Bay View,
and the consultant will do everything that's necessary to turn his condition around.'

‘I know.' The words came out in a muffled tone. She was conscious of the heat from his arm gently seeping into her, and as he moved closer, she felt the brush of his long body next to hers. It was a good feeling, that warmth of human contact, and it occurred to her that it had been a long time since she had known such tenderness. She had a strange yearning to lean against him, to have him hold her and comfort her, but that would never do, would it?

This was Jake, a man she had known for barely two weeks, and instinct told her that she ought to be keeping him at arm's length. It was a pity her heart wasn't listening. Instead, it was beating out its own erratic rhythm, and seemed to be recklessly bent on overriding common sense.

A soft breeze stirred the air, and she looked out over the water. Moonlight glittered on its surface, beautiful in its serenity.

‘Are you cold?' Jake asked, and she was suddenly reminded that they were standing out here on the dock, with her wearing little more than a cotton shift.

She shook her head. ‘No, but I should go and put something on—a robe, or something.'

His mouth curved. ‘You don't need to do that on my account. I'm perfectly happy for you to stay as you are… You feel very soft and cuddlesome to me, and you look like an angel, a dazzling, white angel who makes the moonbeams dance on the water.' His eyes gleamed
in the darkness. ‘Which reminds me…I came here to ask if you would come and join the party… There's dancing, friendly people, and lots of good food and drink to warm your soul.' He looked at her intently. ‘What do you say? Will you come?'

She shook her head. ‘I can't. It's late… I'm not dressed.'

‘Late doesn't matter, does it? After all, you don't have to be at work till lunchtime tomorrow, do you? You said you were on the late shift all week. And as to being dressed, much as it goes against the grain to suggest altering what's perfect already, we could soon rectify that, couldn't we?'

He started to turn her around, and began to walk her towards the house. ‘It really doesn't matter what you wear. You'll look gorgeous in anything, so choose whatever takes your fancy—maybe something cool and partyish.'

‘I haven't said I'll come to your party,' she objected huskily as he urged her into the house, his arm still draped around her shoulders.

‘Then I'll stay here with you and abandon my guests for even longer than I have done already. It will be all your fault when they say I'm a bad host.'

She gave him a look from under her lashes. ‘Am I supposed to worry about that? Your problem is, you haven't learned to take no for an answer.'

He nodded. ‘You're absolutely right.' He halted at the foot of the stairs, leaning negligently against the newel post. ‘So what's it to be? Am I staying the night?' He paused, reflecting on that for a while. ‘Actually, come
to think of it, it seems to me that's much the better option.' Flame darted wickedly in his eyes.

‘Oh, you're impossible.' She turned away from him and started up the stairs, but then she swivelled around and held out a forbidding hand as he made to follow her. ‘You stay there,' she told him.

‘Are you sure?' He gave her an innocent, wide-eyed look. ‘I thought you might need some help deciding what to wear.'

‘I'm
quite
sure.' Her blue eyes sparked a warning, and this time he paid heed, holding up his hands in mock submission.

‘Okay, okay. I get the message.'

‘That's good.'

Lacey started to climb the stairs once more, but in the background she heard his plaintive voice muttering, ‘She doesn't like me a bit… She doesn't trust me…yet here I am, innocent as the day…'

‘Innocent as an alligator on the prowl,' she retorted without looking back, and was rewarded with a soft splutter of laughter.

She dressed quickly in a simple, pencil-line dress made of a soft jersey fabric that clung to her figure like a second skin. She felt good in this dress. In delicate shades of blue, it enhanced the colour of her eyes, and lent her confidence. It had a V neckline and was waist cinching, and the bodice was embellished with a smattering of sparkling diamanté.

When she went back downstairs just a few minutes later, she found Jake was waiting for her in the hall. As
she approached, he simply stared at her, an arrested look in his eyes, as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He gave a soft gasp of appreciation.

‘You look fantastic,' he said, his gaze drifting over her. ‘Like the girl of my dreams… I want to scoop you up and keep you all to myself.'

‘Sorry. That's not an option.' She smiled. ‘Besides, you said yourself that your guests will be wondering what's happened to you.'

‘Maybe…but I left the caterers in charge. They'll see to it that no one goes hungry or without a drink.' He was still gazing at her in an enthralled fashion. ‘Perhaps the party was a bad idea. It would be so much easier to get to know you better if we were to stay here.'

‘On your way, neighbour,' she told him in a firm voice. ‘You railroaded me into this, and you promised me food and drink… Besides, I have to confess I'm dying to see what your house is like inside. What I've seen from a distance looks magnificent, like a millionaire's retreat…all those different elevations and those landscaped acres. Even the pale sunshine colouring looks good, with the white deck rails and tiled roofs and awnings. I'm intrigued to know what the rest of it looks like.'

‘Then it will be my pleasure to show it to you,' he said. ‘Though I don't think you need to feel envious in any way. The place you have here is just lovely—a lot smaller than mine, I grant you, but perfect for a couple, maybe, with a small family.'

He sent her a glance as they left the house and started out along the dock. ‘Have you thought about selling up
and finding yourself another place nearer to the hospital, or closer to your sister? I mean, you have no real reason to stay on here, do you? And Rob said you were hoping to meet up with your sister again soon.'

Her brow knotted. ‘No, I hadn't thought about it at all. I'm still coming to terms with the move out here, and this was the natural choice of where to stay.'

He nodded. ‘I can see how you would need time to acclimatise yourself. But if you ever do decide you want to sell up, I would give you a good price for the property.'

She looked at him in astonishment. ‘Why on earth would you want to buy the place? Don't you have enough room to rattle about in already?'

He smiled. ‘It's more about the land… I'd like to extend the dock, and build a marine basin… And then there's the orange grove at the back of the property. I already grow oranges, limes and grapefruit, but with your land added to mine I could do it on a commercial basis. There's always a market for fresh fruit or fruit juices.'

They were approaching his property by now, and she frowned, studying him briefly in the glow of lanterns that were sited at strategic intervals all around. ‘I think you'll have to look elsewhere for any business opportunities,' she told him. ‘I have good memories of the house from when it was a family home, and I don't believe I'm ready to sell up. I'm just getting used to being here, and the familiarity helps.'

He nodded, but his eyes had darkened a fraction as though he was disappointed by her response. ‘Well, the offer will still be there if you change your mind.'

He ushered her along the sweeping, wide drive that led up to his house. The gardens were beautifully landscaped, with palm trees making striking silhouettes against the skyline. Bougainvillea shrubs provided glorious splashes of colour along the curving borders, their heart-shaped leaves and flowers enclosed by scarlet bracts. Oleander vied for room with a variety of herbaceous plants, the dark green leaves a rich contrast to its delicate yellow and white flowers. Here and there she saw breathtaking clusters of orchids peeping through the display, and above all there was the delicate perfume of frangipani, filling her senses with all that was tropical and exotic.

‘I'll fix you a drink and then introduce you to some of the people here,' Jake murmured, his hand resting lightly on the small of her back. ‘Mostly they're friends, or business acquaintances of my father, and some are people I know from Miami. I think you'll like them.'