Awakening the Shy Nurse Read online

  It was Hugh who finally broke the awkward moment, his mouth curving into a lazy smile. ‘You’re blushing.’ He sounded amused. ‘Again...’

  Oh, help... So, avoiding eye contact with him out on the pier hadn’t been enough to disguise her beetroot-coloured cheeks, then. Lisa closed her eyes as she sighed. ‘I’m a redhead. It kind of goes with the territory.’ She opened her eyes again, frowning. ‘I thought you were a passenger.’

  ‘But you knew I was a doctor. We’ve just been working together.’

  ‘Yes, but... I thought you were a doctor who was on holiday.’ Good grief...the look she was getting suggested that it was Hugh who was confused now. He probably thought that she was an idiot. ‘I’m Lisa,’ she added. ‘Lisa Phillips. I’m a—’

  ‘Nurse,’ Hugh put in helpfully. ‘Yes, I remember. A good one, too, I think. Thank you for your help earlier. With Mabel.’

  ‘It was a pleasure.’ The compliment about her abilities was making her feel far more proud of herself than it merited. ‘Do you know how she is?’

  ‘I believe she’s doing well. She’s scheduled for hip surgery later this evening but the better news was that her neurological symptoms had virtually resolved by the time she reached the hospital.’

  ‘So it was a TIA rather than a stroke?’ A transient ischaemic attack could present with the same symptoms of a stroke but they were temporary. A warning signal rather than a critical event.

  ‘So it would seem.’ The quirk of Hugh’s eyebrow told her that he was impressed by her medical assessment but then his smile reappeared. ‘Now...what it is that I can help you with, Lisa Phillips? I hope you’re not unwell...or injured...’

  Along with a very genuine concern in his voice, there was a gleam in those brown eyes that made Lisa remember that kiss all over again. Or rather the moment he’d caught her gaze after the kiss and they’d both acknowledged what she’d seen. There was also an acknowledgement of something on a different level—one of mutual attraction, perhaps? Oh...help... Lisa looked away. Any attempt to return the man’s smile evaporated instantly. She’d never expected to see him again and things were about to get even more unsettling.

  ‘I’m a nurse,’ she explained.

  ‘Yes, I know. A nurse on holiday.’

  ‘No... I’m here to work. Through London Locums. I believe I’m replacing someone called Amanda who needed time to support her mother who’s having surgery?’

  There was another moment of startled silence. ‘You’re our locum? Why didn’t you say something?’

  ‘Why would I? I thought you were a passenger.’

  ‘But you didn’t say anything when Peter turned up.’

  ‘Peter?’

  ‘Our other doctor. And Janet was there—one of our nurses.’

  ‘Well...it didn’t seem quite the right moment to be introducing myself.’

  ‘I guess not. Let’s do that properly now, shall we?’ Hugh was holding out his hand. ‘I’m Hugh Patterson. Pleased to meet you, Lisa. I look forward to working with you for the next couple of weeks. And it will be me you’re working with mostly because you’re filling a gap on my Blue Watch.’

  ‘Oh?’

  Lisa had taken his hand automatically but, instead of shaking hers, he simply held it for a moment and then gave it a slow squeeze, and that did it. Like a switch being flicked on, an electrical jolt shot from Lisa’s hand and raced up her arm—an extraordinary tingle she had never felt before in her life. It was enough to make her pull her hand free with the kind of instinctive reflex she might have had to touching something that was hot enough to burn her badly.

  How weird was that?

  And this Hugh Patterson was looking forward to working with her?

  ‘Yes,’ he said, as if confirming her silent query. ‘I’m Blue Watch. Peter’s Green Watch. It just means that we’ll be working together. Probably having the same days off as well and you should be able to get some shore excursions if there’s space. Do you have a favourite place to visit around the Mediterranean?’

  ‘This is the first time I’ve been out of England,’ Lisa confessed.

  ‘Really?’ Hugh sounded astonished. ‘You don’t like travelling?’

  ‘I’ve...um...never really had the opportunity, that’s all.’ Lisa wasn’t about to tell him the reasons why. He didn’t need to know about her family responsibilities and he certainly wouldn’t be interested in hearing about financial hardship. This Hugh Patterson looked like one of life’s golden people who never had to worry about anything much. Someone from a completely different planet from her own, which made her wonder how well they might be able to work together. Perhaps he was thinking along the same lines now because the look she was receiving made her feel as if she was being seen as someone very unusual. Someone...interesting?

  The prospect of her new working responsibilities pushing the limits of her professional comfort zones were nothing in comparison to how this man was pushing the boundaries of anything she considered personally safe when it came to men.

  No wonder she’d snatched her hand back as if she was about to get burned.

  Anyone who had anything to do with Hugh Patterson could be playing with fire. Lisa could feel herself releasing her deeper than usual breath carefully. It was nothing to worry about because she never played with anything dangerous. Never had. Never would. That there was even any temptation there was enough of a warning that she wasn’t about to ignore.

  ‘I’m looking forward to working here as well,’ she heard herself saying with commendable calmness. ‘And, if you’ve got a moment, I’d appreciate a bit of a tour, if you’ve got time, that is. I’d like to get up to speed as soon as possible—preferably before my first shift tomorrow morning.’

  Lisa was edging back a little as she spoke. Even though she had broken the skin contact between them well over a minute ago, she could still feel that odd tingle it had provoked. It was almost as if she could still feel the warmth of his skin, filling the air between them, and when he spoke both his words and his tone made both those impressions even more noticeable.

  ‘No problem,’ he said. Those dark eyes were watching her so closely Lisa had the horrible feeling that he knew about that tingle. That he knew that she thought he was dangerous.

  ‘Come with me,’ he added, with that lazy smile that was already beginning to feel familiar—the one that suggested he was finding this all rather amusing and he intended to enjoy the entertainment as much as possible. ‘I’m all yours, Nurse Phillips.’

  CHAPTER TWO

  OH, DEAR...

  It was going to be too tempting not to tease this new colleague a little. There was something about her that made her seem much younger than she probably was. First appearances were giving him an interesting impression of someone being well educated and intelligent but possibly naïve at the same time. Hugh had never had a little sister, but if he had, he was quite sure he’d feel like this in her company. He could appreciate the fact she was gorgeous without being remotely attracted, feel proud of her ability to do her job well and perhaps recognise that there were things he could teach her. That, in the interests of being a kind, big brotherly sort of person, he had a duty to teach her, even.

  Like persuading her that life could be significantly more enjoyable if she relaxed a bit? She was so tense. So eager to give the impression that she could cope with anything she might be asked to do. It seemed that this Lisa not only liked to be able to manage on her own when it came to carrying a suitcase, she was determined to get all the information she needed to be able to achieve the ability to manage alone in her professional environment if that should prove necessary.

  ‘So...do you follow a standard protocol for resuscitation in cardiac arrest?’ Lisa was clearly familiar with the model of life pack for cardiac monitoring and defibrillation that was on top of their rapid-response/resuscitation trolley. ‘Thirty to two compress
ions to ventilation rate until an advanced airway is secure? Immediate shock for documented VT or VF and then every two minutes?’

  Hugh nodded. ‘You’ve got a recent Advanced Care Life Support qualification, I assume? That’s one of the standard requirements for working on board a ship.’

  Lisa mirrored his nod. ‘I’ve had experience with laryngeal mask airways and administration of adrenaline but I’m not yet qualified for antiarrhythmic drugs or intubation.’

  Something in her tone made Hugh curious. Or maybe it was the use of that qualifying ‘yet’.

  ‘What made you decide to go into nursing and not become a doctor?’ he asked her.

  There was a flash of surprise in her eyes that made him wonder if she wasn’t used to people asking her personal questions—or that she discouraged them because she preferred to guard her privacy.

  The response was no more than a verbal shrug, however. ‘Why do you ask?’

  ‘I just get the impression you’d like to be doing more. Like intubating someone in a cardiac arrest?’

  Lisa’s glance slid away from his. ‘I always wanted to work in a medical field,’ she said. ‘Nursing was the most practical option at the time.’ She turned to touch another piece of equipment that was close. ‘Does this take digital X-rays?’

  ‘Mmm...’ Hugh was still curious but he knew when someone wanted to avoid talking about something. Had Lisa become a nurse because she hadn’t been able to afford the time or costs to go to medical school? ‘It can be helpful to be able to transmit an image, either for a second opinion—which we can get via internet links to all sorts of international experts—or to get the right treatment available as soon as possible if we transfer someone to a land hospital, by chopper, for instance.’

  ‘Do you go with them?’

  ‘Sometimes they might need a doctor on board if they’re critical. If someone local doesn’t come with the evacuation crew we might send Tim, who’s qualified as both a paramedic and a nurse and covers a lot of our night shifts currently. Or you might even go as a medical chaperone, depending on what else is going on.’

  It was a true statement but Hugh was telling her that she might be involved because he wanted to see her reaction and, sure enough, there was a gleam of interest in those amazing eyes at the prospect of being choppered off the ship and back again. A glow of excitement even, and that gave him an odd little kick in his gut. So, she was up for a bit of adventure, this Lisa, even if she was uptight. This was good. It could make teasing her even more enjoyable.

  ‘And do you ever do actual surgery in here? It looks more like an operating theatre than an assessment or treatment area.’

  ‘It is, at times.’ Hugh told her. ‘We have to be able to deal with every situation you could imagine and sometimes we’re out of range of emergency transport for some time. We’ve got anaesthetic and ventilation gear along with the digital X-ray and ultrasound and a full range of surgical instruments, though I haven’t had to use too many of them yet.’

  ‘But you’ve got a surgical background?’

  ‘I’ve mostly specialised in emergency medicine and critical care but I’ve got both surgical and anaesthetic diplomas as well. How ’bout you?’ Hugh led the way out of the room. ‘What’s your background?’

  ‘My early experience was working in A and E,’ Lisa said. ‘Which I really loved. But my last job as head of a nursing home team gave me a lot of scope for first response and medical assessment and that was interesting, too. I’m...between jobs at the moment, which was why a locum position was ideal.’ She had paused to look through the door of the laboratory. ‘What range of tests can you do on board?’

  It seemed like asking Lisa a question only made him want to ask more—like why she’d gone to work in a nursing home if she’d loved the emergency department so much? And, if she’d had so much experience already, why did she give off this impression of...well, it was almost innocence. Unworldliness, anyway, and that certainly wasn’t something Hugh normally came across in the women he met these days. He was curious, he realised. A lot more curious than he usually was when he met someone new.

  ‘Again, we have to be prepared for as many things as possible. We can test for cardiac enzymes if we suspect a heart attack, infections, arterial oxygen levels and blood glucose levels and a dozen or more other things. Janet’s our expert and she can give you a rundown on how to do the tests but it’s mostly automatic so it’s easy. And, speaking of Janet, she’s in our little two-bed infirmary at the moment because we admitted a woman with a severe migraine earlier today for monitoring so let’s go there and I can introduce you.’

  ‘That will be great, thank you.’

  Hugh watched as Lisa took a last, slow glance back over her shoulder towards the areas he’d already shown her, as if she was mentally cataloguing and memorising everything she’d learned so far, and he was almost tempted to give her a quick quiz but then her gaze ended by catching his and there was a note of surprise there. Or maybe it was criticism because she had expected him to be moving by now and taking her to the next source of information about her new job.

  She could turn out to be bossy, he decided, once she had settled in and was confident of her surroundings and responsibilities, but he took the hint and led her towards the hospital end of the medical centre.

  “Bossy” was the wrong word, he decided moments later. “Feisty” was probably a more accurate prediction. His internal correction made him smile.

  Hugh liked feisty. He liked it a lot.

  * * *

  If he was any more laidback, he’d be horizontal.

  But Lisa knew that this relaxed impression of complete confidence with a streak of an impish desire to liven things up a little was just one side of the coin as far as Dr Hugh Patterson was concerned. She’d seen him morph into a completely focused professional dealing with an accident scene and she saw the coin start to flip again as they entered the ship’s hospital at the other end of the medical centre. There were two small four-bed wards, one for passengers and one for crew, separated by a nursing station currently staffed by the team’s senior nurse. Janet was older, with a friendly face and a Scottish accent but they had no time for more than a brief introduction before Hugh picked up the chart for their inpatient.

  ‘She’s responded well to the treatment,’ Janet told him. ‘She’s had a good sleep, her headache’s down to a two-out-of-ten pain score and she hasn’t vomited since her first dose of anti-emetic.’

  Lisa saw the frown line of concentration that appeared between Hugh’s eyes as he rapidly scanned the information on the chart of medications administered and observations taken. Then he walked towards one of the only two beds in the room, the frown line evaporating as his mouth curved in a reassuring smile.

  ‘Rita, isn’t it? I’m Hugh Patterson, one of the doctors on board. It was my colleague Peter who saw you this morning, yes?’

  The woman on the bed, who looked to be in her early forties, was nodding. ‘I feel ever so much better,’ she told Hugh. ‘Those pills have been wonderful.’ She was staring at Hugh. ‘Have we met somewhere before?’

  His smile was charming but fleeting. ‘I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure but I’m very glad you’re feeling better. I suspect the main thing that’s helped was to give you something for the nausea and vomiting and fix the dehydration that was making things worse. This wasn’t your first migraine, was it?’

  ‘No, but I haven’t had one for ages. I know to stay away from triggers like chocolate and red wine.’

  ‘Are they the only triggers that you know of? Flashing lights and loud noises can do it for some people. You haven’t been out partying in the nightclubs on board till all hours, have you?’ His tone was teasing.

  ‘I should be so lucky.’

  Rita was smiling now. And blinking more rapidly, Lisa noticed. Good grief...was she trying to flirt with her doctor? Batting her e
yelashes even? If so, at least Hugh wasn’t responding with anything more than a hint of his earlier smile.

  ‘Might be an idea to keep avoiding anything like that for a day or two. I’m sure you don’t want to be stuck in here and missing out on any more shore excursions.’

  ‘No...my friends all went out for a horse riding trek today and I was so looking forward to doing that. Oh...’ Rita’s eyes widened. ‘I remember now. I do know you. You’re that Hugh Patterson...’

  ‘Oh?’ Hugh was looking wary now. ‘Which one would that be?’

  ‘Your mother was Diane Patterson, yes? The District Commissioner for the Windsor pony club and you used to have a three-day event on your family estate every year. I rode in it more than once—oh, ages ago now but I remember you used to be on the quad bike, doing errands like delivering coffee to the judges.’

  Wow... His family had an estate in Windsor? Somehow that didn’t surprise Lisa. That laidback, making the most of good things approach to life often went hand in hand with extreme wealth, didn’t it?

  ‘Mmm... Ancient history.’

  His clipped tone made it very clear that he had no interest in pursuing this line of conversation and Lisa dropped her gaze instantly when his glance slid sideways so she could let him know she wasn’t interested in hearing personal information like this. She could understand perfectly well why he might be embarrassed at having his family’s financial situation made common knowledge and she could sympathise with that. She might be completely at the other end of the financial spectrum but she wouldn’t want strangers knowing about hers either.

  ‘We’ll be setting sail in the next hour or so.’ Hugh was scribbling something on Rita’s chart. ‘What we’ll do is take your IV line out and give you some medications to take with you.’ He was turning away from this patient. ‘Don’t hesitate to call if you’re not continuing to improve, though. One of our wonderful staff members will be available at all times.’