An Unexpected Proposal

‘It means seeing that you are a real doctor and you came to my aid and gave me a lift home, I guess I can tolerate you. But I’m a sceptic through and through, Dr Hunt. It’ll take more than good CPR technique to convince me.’

He laughed. ‘Ah, a challenge. I do so like a challenge.’ She shivered at the intimate promise in his words. This was crazy—he had a child and she was still wearing her engagement ring. She needed to put this conversation back onto even ground. ‘I’d better go, I’m keeping you from your family.’

‘Well, that would be difficult given I don’t have any.’ Her heart did a crazy leap. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I saw you earlier today in the skate park with a little boy. I thought…’

She had seen him earlier? Interesting… ‘He was my child? No. He’s my nephew. My sister lives here in Brisbane and Connor’s a mad keen skater. I promised I’d take him to the park on the weekend. Not married. Not in a relationship. No kids.’

He smiled at her and she thought, Free agent. No wife or girlfriend. And no child. ‘I’m sorry. You seemed really close, I just automatically assumed…’

‘Yeah, I guess we’re pretty close. He’s a great kid.’

‘How old is he?’

‘Six. When Nell, my sister, moved to Brisbane for her work I decided to follow. Connor’s father took off when he was a baby and I know what it’s like to grow up without a father.’

‘What happened to your dad?’ she asked, curious despite telling herself not to be.

‘He and my mum divorced when I was five. He was kind of absent really. He married again and sort of forgot about us for large periods of time.’

‘So now you’re Connor’s father figure?’

He laughed. ‘Let’s just say stable male role model.’

She wrinkled her nose. ‘Ah, a man afraid of the F word. How unusual.’

He grinned. ‘I’m not afraid. I just prefer being an uncle. I like being fun Uncle Marcus. But he’s pretty full on. I’m glad when I can hand him back. I like my life a little too much to tie myself down to something like that permanently.’

‘You make it sound like a death sentence,’ she chided.

‘Let’s just say—once bitten, twice shy.’

So there was something in his past. ‘Ouch,’ she joked. ‘Sounds painful.’

He shuddered, thinking about it. ‘It was.’

Madeline yawned despite her interest being piqued. The weariness had returned with gusto. ‘I’d better go. Thanks for the ride.’

He captured her gaze and the wrong kind of ride came to mind. Trying desperately to evict it from his brain, he cleared his throat. ‘Any time,’ he said.

Her hand stilled on the handle. Had she imagined the innuendo? She opened the door, exited the car and turned to face him. ‘Goodbye, Dr Hunt,’ she said, emphatically shutting the door.

His laughter followed her as she walked away on wobbly legs.

Madeline arrived at the hospital the next day just before lunch. She entered the main foyer, past the line of die hard smokers braving the midday sun, and into the blast of cool air. Madeline inhaled deeply, re-familiarising herself with the sterile smell found in hospitals the world over. She loved that smell and felt a pang of regret that she was no longer a part of the hospital system.

She made her way to the ICU only to discover her patient had stabilised and been moved to the coronary care unit. She spoke briefly to the registrar who had been caring for Mrs Sanders, and was told she had suffered a large inferior wall MI, evidenced not only on her ECG but by a massive rise in her cardiac enzymes.

Fortunately, with the swift administration of a thrombolytic agent they had managed to halt any further damage. Mrs Sanders’s condition had stabilised overnight, with fewer and fewer ectopic beats, and they had been able to extubate her in the early hours of the morning.

Madeline was relieved as she made her way next door to the coronary care unit. Mrs Sanders had five kids who needed her. Hopefully now she would start following medical advice and do something abut her diet and exercise. It was a drastic wake-up call but unfortunately her patient had been a heart attack waiting to happen for a long time—overweight, hypertensive, high cholesterol and a family history of heart disease.

Madeline smiled at Mrs Sanders, who was looking much better. She took her patient’s hand as her eyes sought the cardiac monitor. A regular sinus rhythm blipped on the screen. The last blood pressure taken had been good and the oxygen saturation also displayed was excellent. No doubt this was helped by the prongs sitting inside Mrs Sanders’s nose, blowing a steady supply of oxygen.

Mrs Sanders greeted Madeline warmly, thanking her profusely for saving her life.

‘Nonsense,’ Madeline said dismissively, blushing at the praise. ‘I just did what anyone who had that knowledge would have done. Besides, I didn’t do it all by myself.’

‘Yes, Brett said that a nice male doctor helped, too.’

Madeline grimaced. That wasn’t exactly how she would have described Marcus Hunt. Smug, yes. Sexy, yes. But nice…?

‘Did I hear my name?’ Marcus’s deep voice behind her made Madeline jump.

‘Maddy,’ he said to her suddenly erect back as he entered the room.

Madeline, perched on her patient’s bed, sat very still, awareness of Marcus stiffening her spine. He sauntered around the front of Madeline and sprawled himself in the low chair beside the bed. He offered Mrs Sanders the bunch of flowers he had.

Marcus introduced himself and proceeded to charm the socks off the middle-aged woman. Madeline sat rooted to the spot, unable to move and only vaguely aware of their conversation. Her eyes were irresistibly drawn to his powerful denim-clad legs. He was wearing one of those trendy T-shirts that looked like a toddler had scribbled on it and it clung to his biceps and chest wall perfectly. He laughed and it drew her gaze higher, to his mouth.

Marcus chose that moment to look at her with his strong, direct gaze. It broke her trance-like state and she looked away hastily, heat suffusing her face. I have to get out of here, she thought. I can’t think straight around this damned man.

‘Well, I think I’ll be off now.’ Madeline broke into the conversation with an unsteady voice and made a great show of gathering her things.

Mrs Sanders protested but Madeline could see how even the short visit had taken it out of her patient.

‘Yes,’ said Marcus, rising. ‘I’d better be off, too.’

‘Oh, please,’ said Madeline, panicking slightly, not wanting to spend any longer in his company than she had to. ‘Don’t leave on my account, you’ve only just arrived. Stay. I’m sure Mrs Sanders would love the company.’

‘No, no,’ Marcus assured her. ‘I don’t think we should tire her out.’

‘Yes, I am a little weary.’ Mrs Sanders finally admitted the truth.

‘Righto, we’ll be off, then,’ said Marcus, covering the older woman’s hands with his own. ‘If there is ever anything I can do for you, Mrs Sanders, please, don’t hesitate.’ He pulled a business card out of his back pocket and placed it on her bedside table.

Madeline stared at him, gobsmacked! She fumed silently as she stalked out of the unit. OK, she’d made up her mind to tolerate him but how dared he try and poach her patient? Once they had pushed through the swinging doors and were out in the corridor, Madeline let fly.

‘What the hell was that?’ she demanded.

‘Shh, Maddy…it’s a hospital.’ He wagged his finger at her playfully.

He looked so fresh and vital and she still felt tired and irritable. She wasn’t in the mood for his teasing. ‘I don’t give a damn,’ she snarled.

‘Maddy!’ He feigned a shocked expression.

‘How dare you try and steal one of my patients? How…how…unethical! You’re not doing a very good job of convincing me of your professionalism,’ she snapped, striding off.

He contemplated just ambling along behind her, because her annoyed strut in her snug three-quarter cargoes was very cute, but thought better of it. He caught her up.