Sleigh Ride with the Single Dad Read online

  ‘Blood pressure eighty on forty.’ The resident looked up at the overhead monitor. ‘And heart rate is one-thirty. Oxygen saturation ninety-four percent.’

  ‘Is that bleeding under control, Grace?’

  ‘Almost. I’d like to get a traction splint on asap for definitive control. It’s a mid-shaft femoral fracture.’

  Another nod from Charles. ‘As soon as you’ve done that, we need a second line in and more fluids running. And I want an abdominal ultrasound as soon as I’ve intubated. Can someone ring through to Theatre and see what the situation is up there?’

  The buzz of activity around the patient picked up pace and the noise level rose so much that Grace barely noticed the arrival of more paramedics and another patient being delivered to the adjoining trauma room, separated only by curtains. Working conditions were difficult, especially when some of the staff members were directed to the new arrival, but they were by no means impossible. Even with the murky half-light when a torch wasn’t being directed at the arm she was working on, Grace managed to get a wide-bore IV line inserted and secured, attaching more fluids to try and stabilise this patient’s blood pressure.

  With the airway and breathing secured by intubation and ventilation, Charles was able to step back and oversee everything else being done here. He could also watch what was happening on the neighbouring bed, as the curtain had been pulled halfway open. As Grace picked up the ultrasound transducer and squeezed some jelly onto her patient’s abdomen, she got a glimpse of what was happening next door.

  Judging by the spinal board and the neck collar immobilising the Spanish-looking woman, this was the ‘fall down stairs’ patient they had been alerted to. What was more of a surprise was that Charles was already in position at the head of this new patient. And he looked...fresher, somehow. Younger...?

  No... Grace blinked. It wasn’t Charles.

  And then she remembered. He’d had a twin brother who’d gone to a different medical school. Elijah? And hadn’t their father been the chief of emergency services at a prestigious New York hospital?

  This hospital. Of course it was.

  Waiting for the image to become readable on her screen as she angled the transducer, Grace allowed herself a moment to think about that. The dynasty was clearly continuing with the Davenport family front and centre in Manhattan Mercy’s ER. Hadn’t there been a younger sister who was expected to go into medicine as well? It wouldn’t surprise her if there was yet another Davenport on the staff here. That was how rich and powerful families worked, wasn’t it—sticking together to become even more powerful?

  A beat of something like resentment appeared. Or was it an old disappointment that she’d been so insignificant compared to the importance of family for Charles? That she’d become instantly invisible the moment that scandal had erupted?

  Whatever. It was easy to push aside. Part of a past that had absolutely nothing to do with the present. Or the future.

  ‘We’ve got free fluid in the abdomen and pelvis,’ she announced. ‘Looks like it’s coming from the spleen.’

  ‘Let’s get him to Theatre,’ Charles ordered. ‘They’ve got power and they’ve been cleared to only take emergencies. He’s stable enough for transfer but he needs a medical escort. Grace, can you go with him, please?’

  The metallic sounds of brakes being released and sidebars being raised and locked were almost instant. Grace only had time to ensure that IV lines were safe from snagging before the bed began moving. This was an efficient team who were well used to working together and following the directions of their chief. Even in the thick of what had to be an unusually stressful shift for this department, Grace could feel the respect with which Charles was regarded.

  Behind her, as she stayed close to the head of the bed to monitor her patient’s airway and breathing en route to Theatre, Grace could hear Charles moving onto a new task without missing a beat.

  ‘Any signs of spinal injury, Elijah? Want me to see if the CT lab is clear?’

  And then she heard his voice change. ‘Oh, my God... Maria?’

  He must know this patient, she realised. And he was clearly horrified. She could still hear him even though she was some distance on the other side of the curtain now.

  ‘What happened? Where are the boys?’

  * * *

  A break from the barely controlled chaos in a badly lit emergency department was exactly what Grace needed to catch her breath but it was a worry how crowded the corridors were. And a glimpse into the main waiting area as they rushed past on their way to the only elevators being run on a generator suggested that the workload wasn’t going to diminish any time soon.

  This was a different planet from the kind of environment Grace had been working in for the last few years and the overall impression was initially overwhelming. Why on earth had she thought she could thrive with a volume of work that was so fast-paced? In a totally new place and in a huge city that was at the opposite end of the spectrum from where she’d chosen to be for such a long time.

  Because her friend Helena had convinced her that it was time to reconnect with the real world? Because she had become exhausted by relying solely on personal resources to fight every battle that presented itself? Because the isolation of the places she had chosen to practise medicine had finally tipped the balance from being a welcome escape to a bone-deep loneliness that couldn’t be ignored for ever?

  Like another omen, lights flickered overhead as neon strips came alive with a renewed supply of power. Everybody, including the porters and nurses guiding this bed towards Theatre, looked up and Grace could hear a collective sigh of relief. Normal life would be resumed as soon as the aftermath of this unexpected challenge was dealt with.

  And she could cope, too. Possibly even thrive, which had been the plan when she’d signed the contract to begin work in Manhattan Mercy’s ER. This was a new beginning and Grace knew better than most that to get the best out of new beginnings you had to draw a line under the past and move on. And yes...some things needed more time to heal but she had taken that time. A lot more time than she had anticipated needing, in fact.

  She was ready.

  Having stayed longer than the rest of the transfer team so that she could give the anaesthetist and surgeons a comprehensive handover, Grace found that she needed to find her own way back to the ER and it turned out to be a slightly more circuitous route than before. Instead of passing the main reception area, she went past an orthopaedic room where casts were being applied, what looked like a small operating theatre that was labelled for minor surgery and seemed to have someone having a major laceration stitched and then a couple of smaller rooms that looked as if they had been designed for privacy. Were these rooms used for family consultations, perhaps? Or a space where people could be with a loved one who was dying?

  A nurse was peering out of one of the doors.

  ‘Oh, thank goodness,’ she said, when she saw Grace approaching. ‘I’m about to burst... Could you please, please stay with the boys in here for two minutes while I dash to the bathroom?’

  The young nurse, whose name badge introduced her as ‘Jackie’, certainly looked desperate. Having had to grab a bathroom stop herself on her way back from Theatre, Grace could sympathise with the urgency. She was probably already later in her return to the ER than might have been expected so another minute or two wouldn’t make any difference, would it?

  ‘Sure,’ she said. ‘But be as quick as you can?’

  Jackie sped off with a grateful smile and vigorous nod without giving Grace the chance to ask anything else—like why these ‘boys’ were in a side room and whether they needed any medical management.

  She turned to go through the door and then froze.

  Two small faces were filling the space. Identical faces.

  These two children had to be the most adorable little boys she had ever seen. They were about three years old, with tousled mops of dark hair, huge curious eyes and small button noses.

  There was something about twins...

  For someone who’d had to let go of the dream of even having a single baby, the magic of twins could pack a punch that left a very physical ache somewhere deep inside Grace.

  Maybe she wasn’t as ready as she’d thought she was to step back into the real world and a new future...

  CHAPTER TWO

  ‘WHO ARE YOU?’

  ‘I’m Grace. I’m one of the doctors here.’

  It wasn’t as hard as she’d expected to find a smile. Who wouldn’t smile at this pair? ‘Who are you?’

  ‘I’m Cameron,’ one of the boys told her. ‘And he’s Max.’

  ‘Hello, Max,’ Grace said. ‘Hello, Cameron. Can I come into your room?’

  ‘Why?’ Cameron seemed to be the spokesman for the pair. ‘Where’s Jackie gone?’

  ‘Just to the bathroom. She’ll be back in a minute. She asked me to look after you.’

  ‘Oh... ’Kay...’

  Grace stepped into the room as the children turned. There was a couch and two armchairs in here, some magazines on a low table and a box of toys that had been emptied.

  ‘Are you waiting for somebody?’ Grace asked, perching on the arm of the couch.

  ‘Yes. Daddy.’ Cameron dropped to his knees and picked up a toy. His brother sat on the floor beside him. ‘Here...you can have the fire truck, Max. I’m going to have the p’lice car, ’kay?’

  Max nodded. But as he took hold of the plastic fire truck that had been generously gifted with both hands, the back wheels came off.

  ‘Oh...no...’ Cameron sounded horrified. ‘You broke it.’

  Max’s bottom lip quivered. Grace slid off the arm of the couch and crouched down beside him.

  ‘Let me have a look. I don’t think it’s very broken. See...?’ She clipped the axle of the wheels back into place. ‘All fixed.’

  She handed the truck back with a smile and, unexpectedly, received a smile back. A delicious curve of a wide little mouth that curled itself instantly right around her heart.

  Wow...

  ‘Fank you,’ Max said gravely.

  ‘You’re so welcome.’ Grace’s response came out in no more than a whisper.

  Love at first sight could catch you unawares in all sorts of different ways, couldn’t it? It could be a potential partner for life, or a gorgeous place like a peaceful forest, or a special house or cute puppy. Or it could be a small boy with a heartbreaking smile.

  Cameron was pushing his police car across the top of the coffee table and making muted siren noises but Max stayed where he was, with the mended fire truck in his arms. Or not quite where he was. He leaned, so that his head and shoulder were pressed against Grace’s arm. It was impossible not to return this gesture of acceptance and it was purely instinctive to shift her arm so that it slid around the small body and let him snuggle more comfortably.

  It would only be for a moment because Nurse Jackie would be back any second. Grace could hear people in the corridor outside. She could feel the draught of air as the door was pushed open behind her so she closed her eyes for a heartbeat to help her lock this exquisite fraction of time into her memory banks. This feeling of connection with a precious small person...

  ‘Daddy...’ Cameron’s face split into a huge grin.

  Max wriggled out from under Grace’s arm, dropping the fire truck in his haste to get to his feet, but Grace was still sitting on the floor as she turned her head. And then astonishment stopped her moving at all.

  ‘Charles?’

  ‘Grace...’ He sounded as surprised as she had. ‘What on earth are you doing in here?’

  She felt as guilty as a child caught with her hand in a forbidden cookie jar. ‘It was only for a minute. To help out...’

  ‘Jackie had to go to the bathroom.’ Cameron had hold of one of his father’s hands and he was bouncing up and down.

  ‘She fixed the truck,’ Max added, clearly impressed with the skills Grace had demonstrated. ‘The wheels came off.’

  ‘Oh...’ Charles scooped Cameron up with one arm. Max was next and the ease with which two small boys were positioned on each hip with their arms wrapped around their father’s neck suggested that this was a very well-practised manoeuvre. ‘That’s all right, then...’

  Charles was smiling, first at one twin and then the other, and Grace felt her heart melt a little more.

  She could feel the intense bond between this man and his children. The power of an infinite amount of love.

  She’d been wrong about that moment of doubt earlier, hadn’t she? Charles did have the perfect life.

  ‘Can we go home now? Is Maria all better?’

  Grace was on her feet now. She should excuse herself and get back to where she was supposed to be but something made her hesitate. To stand there and stare at Charles as she remembered hearing the concern in his voice when he’d recognised the new patient in ER.

  He was shaking his head now. ‘Maria’s got a sore back after falling down the stairs. She’s going to be fine but she needs to have a rest for a few days.’

  He looked up, as if he could feel the questions buzzing in Grace’s head.

  ‘Maria is the boys’ nanny,’ he said. ‘I’ll be taking a few days’ leave to look after them until she’s back on her feet. Fortunately, it was only a sprain and not a fracture.’

  That didn’t stop the questions but Grace couldn’t ask why the head of her new department would automatically take time away to care for his children. Where was their mother? Maybe she was another high-achieving medic who was away—presenting at some international conference or something?

  Whatever. It was none of her business. And anyway, Jackie the nurse had come back and there was no reason for her to take any more time away from the job she was employed to be doing.

  ‘I’d better get back,’ she said. ‘Do you still want me to cover Trauma One?’

  ‘Thanks.’ Charles nodded. ‘I’ll come with you. Jackie, I just came to give you some money. The cafeteria should be up and running again now and I thought you could take the boys up for some lunch.’

  Planting a kiss on each small, dark head, he deposited the twins back on the floor.

  ‘Be good,’ he instructed. ‘And if it’s not still raining when we go home, we’ll stop in the park for a swing.’

  He led Grace back towards the main area of the ER.

  ‘It’s still crazy in here,’ he said. ‘But we’ve got extra staff and it’s under control now that we’ve got power back on.’

  ‘I’m sorry I took so long. I probably shouldn’t have stopped to help Jackie out.’

  ‘It’s not a problem.’

  ‘They’re gorgeous children,’ Grace added. ‘You’re a very lucky man, Charles.’

  The look he gave her was almost astonished. Then a wash of something poignant crossed his face and he smiled.

  A slow kind of smile that took her back through time instantly. To when the brilliant young man who’d been like royalty in their year at med school had suddenly been interested in her as more than the only barrier he had to be a star academically and not just socially. He had cared about what she had to say. About who she was...

  ‘Yes,’ he said slowly. ‘I am.’

  He held open one of the double doors in front of them. ‘How ’bout you, Grace? You got kids?’

  She shook her head.

  ‘Too busy with that exciting career I was reading about in your CV? Working with the flying doctors in the remotest parts of the outback?’

  Her throat felt tight. ‘Something like that.’

  She could feel his gaze on her back. A beat of silence—curiosity, even, as if he knew there was a lot being left unspoken.

  And then he caught up with her in a single, long stride. Turned his head and, yes...she could see the flicker of curiosity.

  ‘It’s been a long time, Grace.’

  ‘It has.’

  ‘Be nice to catch up sometime...’

  People were coming towards them. There were obviously matters that required the attention of the chief and Grace had her own work to do. She could see paramedics and junior staff clustered around a new gurney in Trauma One but she took a moment before she broke that eye contact.

  A moment when she remembered that smile from a few moments ago. And so much more, from a very long time ago.

  ‘Yes,’ she said quietly. ‘It would...’

  * * *

  The rest of that first shift in Manhattan Mercy’s emergency department passed in something of a blur for Grace. Trauma related to the storm and power outage continued to roll in. A kitchen worker had been badly burned when a huge pot of soup had been tipped over in the confusion of a crowded restaurant kitchen plunged into darkness. A man had suffered a heart attack while trapped in an elevator and had been close to the end of the time window for curtailing the damage to his cardiac muscle by the time he’d been rescued. A pedestrian had been badly injured when they’d made a dash to get across a busy road in the pouring rain and a woman who relied on her home oxygen supply had been brought to the ER in severe respiratory distress after it had been cut off.

  Grace was completely focused on each patient that spent time in Trauma One but Charles seemed to be everywhere, suddenly appearing where and when he was most needed. How did he do that?

  Sometimes it had to be obvious, of course. Like when the young kitchen worker arrived and his screams from the pain of his severe burns would have been heard all over the department and the general level of tension rocketed skywards. He was so distressed he was in danger of injuring himself further by fighting off staff as they attempted to restrain him enough to gain IV access and administer adequate pain relief and Grace was almost knocked off her feet by a flying fist that caught her hip.