His Unexpected Child

‘Just a moment ago.’ She gestured towards the phone. ‘Apparently someone was supposed to have informed me of the board’s decision before the weekend, but in the excitement of snagging someone as eminent as David ffrench…’ She shrugged, trying to appear philosophical about hospital management’s total lack of courtesy.

‘David ffrench?’ Kelly frowned.

‘The name doesn’t ring a bell with me either,’ Leah agreed. ‘But, then, I just grabbed the minimum time necessary from the department to attend the interview. There just wasn’t time to hang around to meet the competition so I don’t even know where he’s been working.’

‘Well, if he’s such hot stuff, how come he’s free to take up a position here at the drop of a hat?’ Kelly demanded.

‘All I know is that he’s apparently been at a top-flight IVF centre in New Zealand and he’s come to Britain for family reasons.’

‘Is he a New Zealander?’ There was a definite spark of interest in Kelly’s dark eyes and Leah actually had to subdue a grin at the predictability of her colleague’s reaction. ‘Oh, tell me he’s one of those gorgeous seven-foot rugby-playing Maoris, please! That’s what this department could do with—a few really sexy hunky single men!’

‘Sorry I can’t oblige,’ said a dry voice behind them, and they both whirled in surprise to face the man who had arrived unannounced at the office doorway. ‘I’m not a New Zealander and it’s years since I played any rugby.’

That didn’t mean he was lacking in the looks department, Leah registered with an unexpected surge of awareness, something that hadn’t happened since…for ever.

At five feet seven, she wasn’t short, but she had to look up some way to meet his uncomfortably direct greeny blue gaze, in spite of the fact that she hadn’t had time to change out of her heeled shoes this morning. His bronzed skin was a testament to the fact that he’d just returned from a summer in New Zealand but his face was all planes and angles as though he’d recently lost more weight than was good for him. He certainly didn’t look as though he was carrying enough muscle bulk to be a rugby player now.

‘You’re English!’ Kelly’s gurgle of laughter startled her and Leah felt a wash of heat surge up into her cheeks. Had she really been standing there admiring the man’s physique, for heaven’s sake? Had he noticed?

‘Through and through,’ their new boss agreed with a slight smile, but Leah noted that, for all his pleasant manner, the smile hadn’t reached his eyes. ‘In fact, I did part of my training at this very hospital.’

And that would account for his appointment, Leah thought waspishly, then had to stifle a grimace.

She knew she was being illogical. No hospital would appoint a head of department without being certain that they were the best for the position, especially when they had several to choose from. She would just have to learn to console herself with the idea that it had probably been her age—or lack of it—and a lack of seniority in this particular discipline that had lost her the headship this time. David ffrench looked to be several years older at least, and had already headed a similar department in New Zealand. Added to that, her experience of holding the department together over the last few months had gone largely unnoticed by the hospital hierarchy as her head of department had been covering his tracks to conceal how badly his health had been hampering him. While the extra burden had been exhausting, Leah hadn’t really blamed Donald for wanting to hang on to the job he loved as long as possible. She knew what it was like to build your whole life around a special profession.

‘I’m Kelly Argent,’ Kelly was saying with the sort of blinding smile that would tell even the slowest-witted man that she was interested. ‘I’m Senior Sister in the department.’

‘David ffrench,’ he said, accepting her handshake but, as far as Leah could tell, not even registering any other offers. ‘I’m not actually starting till the beginning of next week but I was hoping to meet up with my second in command so that we could compare notes about the department and the case load. Is he here at the moment?’

‘He?’ Leah repeated in shock, her thoughts a whirling maelstrom. Had she lost out completely? Had she been so shocked by the announcement of his appointment over her that she’d missed a vital second part to that phone call? Had there been another appointment, replacing her without her knowledge? Was she now relegated to third in the pecking order, or even bounced out of the department altogether?

‘Lee Dawson,’ he said with a hint of impatience. ‘The chap who’s been holding everything together since my predecessor—’

‘Lee!’ Kelly giggled, clearly delighted with his mistake. ‘You mean Leah!’ She sketched a sweeping gesture in her direction. ‘And I bet the panel didn’t tell you that if it weren’t for her working twenty-six hours a day, there wouldn’t be a department for you to take charge of.’

Leah cringed with embarrassment when he turned the full force of those striking eyes on her. It had been for the sake of her—their—patients that she’d worked so long and hard, not to have fulsome praise heaped on her shoulders. She would far rather have had the position of head of department instead.

‘Loyal staff,’ her new boss said quietly, his eyes giving nothing away. ‘That speaks well of a department. I hope I can earn the same sort of loyalty as my predecessor.’

‘Oh, he wasn’t the one—’ Kelly began, but Leah quelled her with a glare. She might be disappointed to have lost the plum job but there was no way she wanted to start off a new working relationship with the rest of the staff taking sides.

A frown briefly pleated the smooth skin of his forehead, as though he’d suddenly become aware of unanticipated undercurrents, but with her deliberately noncommittal expression, Leah hoped that there was nothing for him to glean.

‘Well, then, Leah, if it’s convenient, I’d like to spend some time in the department today to see how things are run at the moment. I expect you’ve got everything ready for my arrival on Monday, but have you got time this morning to go over the current patient files?’

To see how things are run at the moment? Leah’s heart sank. That certainly sounded as if he intended making changes before he’d even seen how things were organised. Not that there weren’t changes that she’d had in mind should she have been given the job, but she already knew what needed changing because she’d been running the department for months.

‘Actually, there’s nothing ready for your arrival on Monday because we had no idea that you were coming,’ she said bluntly, unable to stop her frustration coating her words. ‘In fact, we’d never even heard of you until five minutes before you turned up, and we certainly didn’t know that you’d been appointed head of department.’

To say that he looked taken aback was putting it mildly, Leah thought, and, in spite of her own feelings of disappointment, she suddenly found herself having to fight laughter. Was it hysteria? Perhaps. But it certainly wasn’t a good example of professional courtesy, especially when she was going to have to work with the man.

‘Of course, the patients’ notes are completely up to date,’ she assured him with a touch of justifiable pride. He obviously didn’t think so and she could hardly blame him, given the fact that there were piles of files dotted around as a result of her ongoing reorganisation. ‘And the computer system the hospital uses is very quick to master so you shouldn’t have any trouble accessing any other details you may need.’

‘I see.’ He was silent for a nerve-stretching moment as his eyes roved the apparent chaos surrounding them, the dubious expression on his face saying everything. ‘And will you have any time free this morning?’

There was something in the tone of his voice that she couldn’t put her finger on, but it made Leah feel uncomfortable. She had no idea whether he was pleased to hear that all the paperwork was in order or whether he seriously doubted it and was wondering how soon he could find a way to replace her.

Just the thought of having to leave her beloved department was enough to send a chill down her spine and she instantly resolved to be less prickly. After all, she may have applied for the post but she hadn’t got it. It certainly wasn’t the first disappointment she’d suffered. Life went on.

She slid back behind the desk, leaning forward to press a combination of keys on the computer keyboard until the relevant diary page flashed up onto the screen. She always arrived at least an hour before she was due to start and she may as well get their initial meeting over as soon as possible. The situation wasn’t going to change even if she put him off until the end of the day, and she’d have it hanging over her, too.

‘I’m free for the next three-quarters of an hour,’ she began briskly, then realised that she’d automatically treated the room as her own domain, sitting at the desk as if it was her right. ‘That is, I’ll be free as soon as I’ve had time to take my belongings out of your room…although where I’ll be able to put them…’ she finished under her breath, completely unable to think of anywhere in the department that she could set up as her own space. She’d been doing so much of the day-to-day running of the department for so long that there was very little in the room to remind her that it had actually been her former head of department’s office.

‘That’s not important for the moment,’ he said dismissively. ‘We’ll just have to share the office if there isn’t anywhere else.’

Leah nearly choked at the impossibility of the idea. The room was far too small for a second desk to be shoehorned into the cramped space and they certainly couldn’t share the existing one. What was he proposing? That she should sit on his lap?

‘The important thing,’ he continued while she fought to rid her brain of that seductive image, ‘is that I need to be up to speed before I start work properly on Monday. Where we do it or whose name is on the door is immaterial.’

‘So, what do you think of him?’ Kelly demanded eagerly, her coat over her arm, at the end of her shift.

‘Who?’ Leah asked weakly, knowing it was a forlorn hope that the topic of conversation would be anything other than their new head of department.

‘David ffrench, of course,’ Kelly said impatiently, almost as though she doubted Leah’s sanity. ‘Remember? The man you’ve spent ages closeted with in that cosy little office, you lucky girl.’

‘He’s very different to Donald,’ Leah said blandly, hoping that Kelly hadn’t picked up on the fact that her heart had just performed a sudden jig at the mention of his name. It had been bad enough when he’d been standing in the office doorway and she’d been able to put the width of the desk between them, but sitting side by side with their elbows and knees in almost constant contact had quickly become torture. She’d never been this aware of any man, not even…

‘Duh!’ Kelly mocked, halting that particular train of thought before it could hit the buffers. ‘Tell me something I haven’t noticed! David ffrench is absolutely nothing like Donald, thank God. Tell me…while you were in here, what have you managed to find out about his private life? Is he married, engaged, living with a significant other or is he gloriously, wonderfully free to fall instantly in love with yours truly?’

‘I haven’t got a clue,’ Leah replied honestly, but felt the tide of warmth seeping up her face with the silent admission that for the first time in a long time she’d actually found herself thinking exactly the same questions. ‘All I can tell you is that he doesn’t wear a ring—not that that is any indication of anything these days, especially for a surgeon.’

‘Ah, so you were looking!’ Kelly pounced.

‘Not really, but I couldn’t help noticing as we were working our way through the current case files.’ And couldn’t help noticing what nice hands he had either. They were all lean and long fingered and looked as if they had the sort of sinewy strength that any surgeon needed, combined with the delicacy of touch and fine control that was essential for their exacting specialty.

‘So, do you think he’ll be good for the department?’ Kelly asked, suddenly reverting to a more serious frame of mind. ‘Do you think you’ll be able to work with him?’

‘Time will tell,’ Leah said noncommittally. ‘He certainly seems to know his stuff.’

‘And the fact that he’s so easy on the eyes is a big help, too,’ Kelly joked archly. ‘Not that he seems very interested in playing the flirting game. I think nearly every female in the entire obs and gyn section perked up as he’s gone by, but he didn’t even seem to notice. Oh!’ She gasped as a sudden thought struck her. ‘You don’t think he’s…you know, batting for the other team?’

‘You mean, homosexual?’ Leah fought a grin, determined to at least appear to take the suggestion seriously. ‘I suppose he could be. Once again, though, only time will tell.’

She was grinning openly as a scowling Kelly made her way out of the unit, muttering darkly that all the good-looking men were either married or gay, absolutely certain in her own mind that, married or not, David ffrench was a hundred per cent pure functioning male.

‘Hey, big brother! How did it go today? Did you get a chance to look around your new domain?’

‘Hi, Moggy! How are you doing?’ David felt a wide smile spread over his face at the sound of his sister’s voice at the other end of the phone, grateful for the chance to stop unpacking boxes. He lowered himself into his borrowed armchair and suddenly realised why it had been so eagerly donated when it nearly swallowed him whole. He might have to call for help just to escape from its smothering clutches. ‘Is that new husband of yours treating you right?’