The Accidental Romeo Read online

  ‘You’ll soon make new friends,’ her mother had again insisted.

  Yes, Marnie had made new friends but none had come close to Siobhan.

  Marnie chose wisely and so when she gave her heart it was for ever and she and Siobhan were still best friends nearly twenty years later. They shared daily emails and video-called often, as well as catching up every couple of years face to face. Marnie smiled as she put out the photo and was still smiling when she pulled out the last one—but maybe it had been a long day, because she felt the sting of tears at the back of her eyes. Marnie cried rarely and she hadn’t expected to feel that way today. She was tired, she reasoned, as she gazed on the familiar and much-loved photograph of an eighteen-year-old Marnie holding Declan.

  Finally holding Declan.

  It was such a bitter-sweet time because until he had been two weeks old Marnie had never got to hold him, though her body had ached to, her breasts leaking as much as her eyes as she’d peered into the incubator and craved the feeling of holding her son in her arms. Until the day of the photo his tiny body had been smothered in tubes and equipment but, when it had been deemed that nothing more could be done for Declan, they had all been taken away. She and Craig had been given a comfortable room away from the hustle and bustle of the neonatal unit and had had a few precious hours alone with him.

  Her parents Marnie had allowed in only briefly.

  ‘There will be time for other babies.’ No, her mother hadn’t been insensitive enough to say it on that day. It had been said when Marnie had first told her she was pregnant—that there would be plenty of time for other babies later down the track had been a large portion of her mother’s advice.

  No, there would be no other babies.

  Declan was her son and he forever had her heart.

  Marnie ran her finger over the image and felt not the cold of the glass but the soft warmth of her baby’s skin. She looked into his dark blue eyes that were so weary from fighting and, just as she did every night, Marnie said goodnight to him.

  Setting the photo down, Marnie set her alarm for six and then settled down on her yoga mat to get ready for an uncomfortable night, sleeping on the floor.

  Not that she minded.

  Yes, Marnie had been through far worse.

  CHAPTER TWO

  ‘I THINK YOU’VE already met Marnie...’ Lillian, the director of nursing, said as she introduced Marnie to Dr Vermont.

  ‘I have.’ The elderly doctor shook her hand and Marnie smiled back at him warmly. ‘We met at Marnie’s first interview. I was thrilled to hear that you had accepted the position,’ he added to Marnie. ‘Hopefully you can bring some order to the place.’

  ‘I have every intention to.’ Marnie smiled again. She had, on sight, liked Dr Vermont. He was old school and liked things done a certain way and had had no qualms in telling her such, which was exactly how Marnie liked to work.

  ‘Harry!’ Lillian called, and Marnie turned to the sight of Harry Worthington, fast realising that instead of his wild youth catching up with him, he had left it behind, only to improve. Rather than the scrubs she remembered him wearing, that tall, muscular physique was now dressed in a well-cut charcoal-grey suit. He seemed taller, a touch broader, but there was far from a paunch; if anything, he was slimmer than the Harry of yesteryear. He wasn’t quite perfection. It was no longer designer stubble that graced his jaw—Harry needed a good shave! He also needed to put on a tie. He had an unfinished look to him that ten minutes would soon take care of. Perhaps, though, the most surprising thing to see was that the once terribly sexy, laid-back Harry was now late and clearly rushing with a little boy and girl hanging off each hand as Lillian made the introductions.

  ‘This is Marnie Johnson, the new nurse unit manager. You didn’t manage to come in for her interviews.’

  ‘No, I was on night duty for the first and on a day off for the other,’ Harry explained, ‘but Dr Vermont has said many good things about you.’ He let go of his daughter and shook Marnie’s hand, albeit briefly, because the little girl, as soon as she was let loose, started to wander off.

  ‘Charlotte!’ Harry warned, giving a brief eye-roll to Marnie before retrieving his daughter’s hand. ‘How many times do I have to tell you? You’re to stay with me.’

  ‘But I’m hungry.’

  ‘That’s because you didn’t eat your cornflakes,’ Harry said to his daughter as he returned to the group, and Marnie watched as Lillian’s lips pursed in disapproval. Marnie couldn’t see that there was an issue—clearly, Harry had just arrived for work and was taking his children to day care. It was hardly his fault that there was a group to meet him.

  ‘You and Marnie might already have met.’ Lillian pushed on with the conversation when really it would be far easier to make the introductions once Harry didn’t have his children with him. ‘Marnie, didn’t you train at Melbourne Central?’

  Harry 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 about that! Harry had always prided himself on his appearance and tried to look smart for work, and he really didn’t need a lecture today.

  Heading to her office, Marnie gave it a good wipe down with alcohol rubs and then, deciding it was too drab, she rang a local florist and asked for flowers to be delivered. Then she asked Cate Nicholls, who had been filling in after Christine had left, to bring her up to date with certain protocols and paperwork.

  ‘Most multi-trauma goes straight to the city, though it depends on transport availability, so we can get a sudden influx,’ Cate explained, but Marnie had gone through most of this at her interviews. The paperwork took a while—there were all the patient complaints and staff incident reports to go through.

  ‘They’re mainly about waiting times,’ Cate commented.

  ‘And cleanliness,’ Marnie observed, flicking through them. ‘Is there a protocol for cubicle preparation for the patients?’

  ‘Not one that’s written as such,’ Cate said.

  There soon would be! Still, Marnie moved on to the budget lists and all the stuff that Cate had loathed but which Marnie just loved to tackle.

  ‘I hope everything is up to date,’ Cate said. ‘If it’s not...’

  ‘I’ll just ask you,’ Marnie answered.

  ‘I won’t be around, though,’ Cate reminded her. ‘I’m going on annual leave next week.’

  ‘Of course, you’re getting married...are you going anywhere nice for your honeymoon?’

  ‘We’re getting married in Argentina,’ Cate answered. ‘Juan and I—’

  ‘You’re marrying Juan?’

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘The new doctor?’ Marnie checked, and Cate nodded.

  ‘How long are you going to be away for?’

  ‘Three weeks.’

  Cate was still smiling. Perhaps, as most would be, she was waiting for congratulations—she just didn’t know Marnie, whose only interest at work was work. ‘Are you saying that Juan’s got three weeks off!’ Marnie exclaimed. ‘But he’s only just started.’

  By nine a.m. both Lillian and Cate had glimpsed what was to come.

  By midday the rest of the staff were starting to.

  ‘Are there four of her?’ Kelly, one of the nurses, grumbled as she sat on a stool beside Harry.

  ‘Sorry?’ Harry looked up from the notes he was writing. ‘Four of who?’

  ‘Marnie.’ Kelly sighed. ‘It seems that everywhere I go, there she is.’

  Harry grinned. Marnie certainly wasn’t hiding in the office, as Christine had—she darted in and out and wherever you looked it seemed that she was there.

  Harry had noticed and, as if to prove Kelly’s point, Marnie soon appeared.

  ‘Where are the nursing roster request forms kept?’ Marnie asked Kelly.

  ‘In here.’ Kelly opened a drawer and pulled out a large diary, which Marnie took.

  Then Marnie sat on a stool at a computer, quietly working her way through the rosters before disappearing.

  ‘See!’ Kelly said. ‘She’s everywhere...’ She launched into another moan but her voice trailed off as Marnie returned with not just a new diary but instructions.

  ‘From now on, all of the off-duty requests are to be written in the new diary, along with a reason for requesting that date,’ Marnie said, as she pinned up a laminated note stating the s
ame. ‘If you would prefer to speak to me personally, rather than write your reasons down, that’s fine.’

  Satisfied the note was up straight, she turned and Harry realised that, though the nursing rosters had nothing at all to do with him, he was watching her. He quickly looked away, telling himself he hadn’t just been admiring the rear view of the new nurse manager and the way her dress had lifted just a fraction as she’d pinned up the note.

  Surely he’d remember if anything had ever happened between them?

  Surely?

  ‘Do you have a moment?’ Marnie asked.

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘Not here.’

  Harry had guessed this would be coming—Cate had warned him that Marnie had been less than impressed about Juan taking time off. With a slight roll of his eyes he headed to her office and took a seat, leaning back in the chair and stretching out his legs, absolutely refusing to jump through hoops for Marnie, as everyone else seemed to be.

  ‘I was just looking through the doctors’ roster and it would seem that we are very short of senior medical staff.’

  ‘We have been,’ Harry said. ‘But things are steadily improving. We’ve got Juan now and there’s another new consultant—Dr Cooper—starting soon.’

  ‘Which would be great but I’ve just found out that Juan has been given three weeks’ annual leave, starting well before Dr Cooper commences.’

  ‘He’s going home to Argentina—you can hardly go there for a long weekend.’

  ‘But that will leave us with just you and Dr Vermont to cover the department.’

  ‘I’m aware of that.’ Harry was more than aware—things had only just started improving and now the nightmare was going to begin all over again, not that he was going to reveal the logistical nightmare to Marnie. ‘Juan’s getting married,’ Harry pointed out, assuming that there the discussion would end.