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'We are not about to get married. Dr Decker and I have been avoiding each other as much as possible,' she said, determined to bring any supposition out into the open. 'By mutual, unspoken consent. He has a new girlfriend. She meets him sometimes in the hospital lobby.. . I've seen them several times.' At least, she had seen him meet a woman and had made the assumption about her relationship to Richard. 'Actually, I'm relieved that he has her.'

'I see.' Marcus handed her a cup of coffee. 'The other thing,' he said, moving restlessly around the room, 'is that Miss Damero has been spotted, and warned off, several times in the vicinity of the hospital over the past two weeks—both by Ravi's men and the hospital security people—near the entrances. I wanted to warn you to be careful, Lisa. Things seem to be hotting up. She may be planning something.'

'I am careful,' Lisa said. 'I take a different exit every day.'

'Good,' he said tensely. 'What burns me up is that there's little we can do about her until she actually does something definite—makes a move. After all, a hospital is public property, even though no one is normally here without legitimate reasons.'

'I know how to be careful,' she said stiffly. 'Is there anything else you wanted to see me about?' Inside, she felt like weeping.

'No...' He had hesitated before the word. Intuitively she knew that he was not as indifferent to her personally as he would like her, and himself, to believe.

Mercifully, the telephone on his desk rang and as he answered it Lisa drained her coffee cup, then helped herself to another sandwich and a paper napkin. She left his office, knowing she was running away. She felt even less sure about anything.

When she was in the triage station later, entering data into the computer prior to going off duty, she looked up to see Richard in the lobby talking to his 'girlfriend'. Without consciously forming a definite plan, she headed out to accost him. The tension of not knowing what his intentions were with regard to Emma Kate was getting to her in a serious way.

Richard looked big and dominating, like a professional rugby player, his muscles rippling beneath the thin cotton of his green scrubsuit. It was this overt masculinity which had attracted her initially. Now she found it slightly repugnant, an over-stated case that didn't really mean much.

'Hullo, Richard,' she said, with an acknowledging nod to his companion. 'I was.. .um.. .wondering if you would like to see Emma Kate this next weekend? Or maybe you would like to take her for the weekend? Then you could really get to know her.'

With that, she looked from one to the other, as though including his companion in the invitation. All the time she felt sick with worry in case he actually took up the offer. It was a gamble that she had to take—to call his bluff, if that was what it was. She was banking on an educated guess that he didn't really want a baby but simply wanted to throw his weight about, to dominate.

Richard straightened from the intimate, slouching stance which had inclined him towards the other woman. A look of what Lisa took to be muted, stupefied horror came over his face, and a slow, dark red flush moved up from his neck to suffuse his cheeks.

The woman looked enquiringly from one to the other, frowning. 'And who,' she said chirpily, 'is Emma Kate? Do you share a stray cat or something?'

Lisa could almost have laughed, if there hadn't been so much that was serious hanging on his reply. She forced herself to continue. 'Emma Kate is my baby,' Lisa said, saying each word slowly and clearly. If Richard was really serious about having a baby he would obviously have to inform the woman in his life. A sense of relief came over her as it was clear that he hadn't told this particular woman.

'She's also Richard's baby,' she added quietly but firmly. 'Did he not tell you that? Frankly, I'm surprised. You see, he's claimed that he would like to have legal access to her.'

It wasn't possible to say which one of the two people in front of her looked the more stunned. Richard's face was almost thunderous with anger, while the woman looked so taken aback that Lisa found it in her heart to feel sorry for her.

'Well?' Lisa said, pressing her advantage, even though her heart was thudding with nervousness. 'I'm rather fed up with all the emotional blackmail, Richard. Please make up your mind one way or the other so that I can instruct my lawyer accordingly.'

With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, just as a nurse approached calling, 'Oh, Dr Decker, you're needed in—' She didn't hang about to hear more. Richard hadn't uttered a single word.

A curious kind of elation buoyed her up as she made her way to the locker room to change to go home. Perhaps now she would get some answers so she could sort out her life. Never would she forget the resounding silence from Richard after he had made love to her that last time, after implying that there could be some sort of future for them. A silence that had lasted for over a year... That silence had told her much.

Perhaps it was just as well that the following week was extremely busy at work. With the coming of summer a number of medical students had come to work in the emergency department for a few weeks to get some clinical experience, thus adding to the total number of staff. For Lisa it meant that she was seldom alone with either Marcus or Richard. Life for Marcus was busier than ever as he planned training programmes for the students.

On a few occasions Lisa saw Richard looking at her darkly, yet he could say nothing to her that wasn't directly related to the job in hand. So far he hadn't said anything about Emma Kate, and Lisa felt her spirits lifting and began to hope that perhaps he was backing off.

'Dr Decker sure has an eye for a pretty face, and everything else that goes with it,' Diane Crane said cheerfully to Lisa one morning. 'The sort of guy who always wants to keep his options open.'

'Diagnosis perfect!' Lisa smiled at her. 'Your frankness is refreshing, Diane.'

'Maybe he'll wake up one day, when he's about forty, and realize that he hasn't got any more options and that women only want him for his money—assuming that he has some.'

'I think you're right on there, Diane,' Lisa found herself laughing. 'See.. .1 can even laugh about it!'

'Great! Keep on laughing, girl!' Diane replied. 'This is going to be one of those days, I can tell. Look at all those people coming through the doors. The waiting room's pretty full already.'

The morning went by in a mad rush of work. When Lisa finally got to look at her wrist-watch she saw that she only had two hours of work left. As she hurried through the lobby to check at the triage station she was brought up short by the sight of Ravi Davinsky coming through the central glass doors to the department. Although he wore dark glasses and had discarded his suit and gabardine raincoat for more seasonal attire she would have recognized him anywhere, if only by his oily curls that spilled boyishly over his high forehead.

Equally, he recognized her and made a beeline for her.

'Hi, there, Miss Stanton,' he hailed her. 'Great to see you.' He extended a hand, gripping hers in a fulsome greeting. 'Just the person I was hoping to see. Is Marcus around? I would like to see the two of you together, if I can.'

'We'll try his office,' Lisa offered, and led the way, dodging around people who were coming in and going out. 'Is anything up?'

'Could be,' Ravi said, panting a little with effort, as though he had been running.

Marcus was in his office with three medical students when they got there. Excusing himself, he came out into the corridor to talk to them. 'What's up?' he said.

'My men have lost sight of Miss Damero,' Ravi said. 'She's not at her place of work and not on vacation—we checked. Not in her apartment—we checked that. She isn't in her usual haunts—cafes and so on, where she goes for relaxation.'

'Damn!' Marcus said.

'She's been out of sight for twenty-four hours,' Ravi said, taking off his sunglasses to reveal tired eyes. 'That could mean that she's up to something.'

'Like what?' Lisa asked.

'She could have checked into a hotel under a false name. People like her have any number of names.. .with stolen IDs to back them up. My guess is that she's done just that. Most likely, she's going around in disguise.' He took out a handkerchief to wipe sweat from his forehead. 'I came here to ask you to be extra careful. Next, I've got an appointment with the hospital security people.'

Marcus looked at his watch. 'Could one of you guys escort Miss Stanton home when it's time for her to leave here?'

'Sure,' Ravi said obligingly.

'Lisa, you'd better call your mother,' Marcus said tiredly, his face tense. 'Advise her not to take the baby out. I wouldn't put it past Miss Damero to try something there.'

'Quite right,' Ravi agreed. 'She may be gearing up for the grand finale. What we have to do is be one step ahead of her, if we can.'

Lisa nodded, her throat tight with fear.

'I'll be back here shortly,' Ravi said, 'after I've spoken to Security. I'll let you know what they say.'

'Right,' Marcus said. He and Lisa stood together, watching the detective stride away from them down the corridor. 'Lisa, I'm going to talk to Sadie Drummond again about this and ask her to keep you away from the front lobby. I'll also tell Elsa Graham to give you work back here in the resuscitation rooms. Hopefully, if Miss Damero comes in here we'll spot her before she sees us. Stay back here.' The expression on his face was unreadable as he looked at her, his mouth compressed, yet she imagined that his gaze softened a little as his eyes met hers.

'OK,' she said.

'Once again, I'm more sorry than I can possibly say that you've got dragged into this madness.' For once the great strain of the situation showed clearly on his face. 'I just hope that the "grand finale", as Ravi put it, will come soon—as long as no one gets hurt in the process. I'm getting pretty sick of this.'

'I can look after myself,' she said, more bravely than she felt, looking away from him down the corridor. A quiet resolve had formed in her a long time ago. 'You take care as well.'

'Well.. .1 have to get back to my students,' Marcus said quietly. 'Ask Elsa Graham to come to my office, please. Take care.' There was an unbearable tension between them that both propelled her towards him and made her want to get away at the same time—as though if she stayed in his presence for more than a few moments she would let him see the confused love that was growing in her.

'Yes.' Lisa went quickly through the double doors into the room which she knew needed to be cleared up and prepared for another case. She could see that the whole place was in a shambles.

'Dr Blair said I'm to help you clear up here,' she said to Elsa Graham, 'and he wants to see you now in his office.'

'OK,' Elsa said. 'Set this place up with the usual packs, please, Lisa. With the rate things are going today, we're going to need it pronto.'

When Elsa had gone out Lisa set to work quickly and methodically, clearing and setting up the room. There was a central operating table, an anaesthetic machine and the usual accoutrements. She found the familiar work soothing, yet she couldn't suppress a sharp premonition. There had been something urgent about Ravi Davinsky's concern...

Marie, the nurse whom Lisa avoided if she could because she was bad-tempered and unfriendly, poked her head round the door.

'Is this room free?' she asked abruptly. 'We've got some cases over the other side, things that need suturing, that may have to come over here because we're running out of space there. We've got a minor head injury, a woman with a badly lacerated hand and a few other borderline serious cases.' There was a belligerent note in her voice, as though she were challenging Lisa to deny her space.

'As you can see, this room isn't ready yet,' Lisa said, waving her arm to encompass the disorder of the room, 'but I'm pretty sure that rooms one and two are OK. Try those.'

Without another word, Marie left the room. Sighing, Lisa went back to her tasks, her mind running ahead to decide on the equipment that she would need to collect. Elsa had already wheeled a small trolley into the room, piled up with the necessary sterile packs which were wrapped in green cotton drapes and tied up with string like parcels.

After a few moments Lisa became aware that someone else had put a head around the door. Looking up from where she had been covering the operating table with a clean green cotton sheet, she saw a woman with short dark hair and glasses staring at her.

'Hi,' Lisa said, pausing in her task, 'can I help you?'

The woman, the top half of her body around the door, had a hand held up against her chest, and Lisa could see that the hand was covered with a blood-soaked towel wrapped tightly around it.

'I was told to come in here,' the woman whispered. 'I've cut my hand. I was told it needs stitches.'

'Oh, not in here,' Lisa said kindly. 'That will be next door in room two.' She pointed in the direction of the other resuscitation room. 'Just go in there. Someone will be with you.'

'Thank you,' the woman whispered.

Lisa tucked the sheet in neatly around the operating table, thinking it a little odd that a patient with a badly cut hand would be sent over here by herself from the other side of the department. Usually a nurse would accompany her and show her exactly where she had to go. There was always the danger that a bleeding patient might faint, even if they weren't losing much blood. There was always shock, with any sort of injury, which would lower the blood pressure.

Just as Lisa resolved to check up to see if the injured woman had been received by a nurse in the room next door she became aware that she wasn't alone. Even before she turned to face the door there was an odd sense of a prickling awareness that she was being observed.

Looking over her shoulder, with a primitive instinct of impending danger, she saw the woman with the injured hand standing quietly in the room a few feet away from the door. Lisa hadn't heard her come back in.

With an odd, almost clinical detachment Lisa's eyes fell to the floor at the woman's feet. The blood-soaked towel was on the floor, discarded. As Lisa's heart gave a sickening lurch of recognition, not so much from the woman's face as from what she held in her hand, she turned slowly so that her back was to the operating table and she could slide her hand along the edge of it right to the end. She edged away, not taking her eyes off the face with the glasses, surrounded as it was by the short, unfamiliar dark hair.