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With the blood-test kit in hand, she returned to her patient ‘Jonathon, let’s get this done Your surgeon will be here to see you shortly’
‘You don’t ht with pain but there was also relief in his voice
‘I try not to’ She pushed up the sleeve of the gown and put the tourniquet in place before wiping an area above his vein with antiseptic fluid ‘One sharp scratch’ The needle slid in, and the tube began filling She decided to take a tube to be spun for serueon asked for biochemistry tests It would save time and discomfort for Jonathon if she didn’t have to co off the tourniquet, she withdrew the syringe and began labelling the tubes
‘Didn’t feel a thing’
Probably because he was focused on the pain froo If his appendix was playing up then she’d bet her lunch it was now in an advanced state and would need urgent surgery Slipping the tubes into a plastic bag, she stood at the end of the bed and said, ‘I’ll get this taken to the lab, then I’ll be back’ Hopefully by then the surgeon would be here, and she could relax
The door to the roo more pain than you should be’
The bag containing the blood saers onto the bed The blood in her body dived south, leaving her head dizzy Her mouth dried Her stomach roiled Noah?
Jonathon looked beyond her ‘Mr Kennedy—ah Stacey’s been very helpful, hasn’t doubted that I’ the truth about increased pain’
Mr Kennedy Phew She could relax, put her head back on straight, make her stomach behave It wasn’t Noah Why would he be Noah? The sao when she had been with hi her in places, softening her in others What were the odds? For one, because he’d been at the hospital ball she’d presumed he worked in theAnd if she’d been right there were nuht hto for ice cream She hadn’t seen his friend at the ball at all so couldn’t track hi at had refused to give out his nah she wanted to find him for Holly’s sake And mine She’d believed she’d be ready if the chance ca but ready
With a deep breath, she turned around ‘Hello, Mr’
Noah stood before her Looking as stunning as last tiood-looking face with the strong jawline and wide mouth was exactly as she recalled His suit enhanced his broad shoulders and the wide chest that led down to slihs Oh, man, could she rerey eyes Yes Deep grey like these ones The only difference was the shock radiating out at her
Gripping the bed end to keep fro on the floor, she stared at Noah Yes, Noah No one else The , and kind, and tender, and fun Theher about the feelings she had for soing that were ht now He’d also been a part of what had unexpectedly thrown her into turhter Their daughter
Stacey’s knees buckled and her ribs hit the end of the bed Fighting to stay upright, she held on tight and closed her eyes to focus It couldn’t be him But it was Finally she’d found Noah Ironic, because today she hadn’t been looking for him Worse, he was as attractive as she reht she’d feel this way again after Angus had jilted her He’d been the love of her life
Yet Noah had excited her very differently, had her wondering if her love for Angus had been all she’d thought Now, three years on, she’d accepted that her one-night fling with Noah was always going to have beenthan the man she’d known all her life She’d tried tohopes and dreaet with Holly a constant reminder
Then there were thoseherself to hi ato think she could forget hi at hi to keep her upright ‘Noah,’ she squeaked
He gasped, ‘Anastasia?’
Strike me down Noah stared at the apparition at the end of his patient’s bed After all this tiht to re as stunned as he felt ‘Anastasia? As in Stacey Wainwright?’
Her nod was abrupt ‘Yes Noah, as in Mr Kennedy, surgeon, I presume’ There was the faintest twitch at one corner of her exquisite mouth
A ain over the years when he’d been so far away from London, at the bottos to his body Then he surprised hi They’d talked like that the first and only tiether, each on the same track as the other, like they were kindred souls There was a thuh he was happy to buain Which he was, but so happy he felt a neorld was opening up before him?
He’d often wondered what had happened to the woman with an easy sense of fun and eyes that sparkled withfor since Christine, the ex who’d let hi time
He breathed deep Yes, there it was That citrus tang hung in the air between them A scent he’d taken with hi and hurriedly prepared to get to Heathrow and eventually New Zealand in an atteet away from his father’s family and have time for himself He’d joined his cousin from his mother’s side, shared an apart a wealth of experience in general surgery
Anastasia had gone with hi him to return home and hunt her down He hadn’t, because he was cautious about giving his heart to anyone again Yet deep down he did want to find a woman to trust his heart with, to love unconditionally—if only he could let go of his hang-ups from the past
He’d dated on and off, and no other woenuine fun with three years ago She’d raised hope hefor She’d become an itch under his skin, a constant irritation Now here she was, beautiful, and very real ‘We ain’
Her eyes ide, and those yellow and green flecks in the deep brown shade were shining That thick, dark blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail falling down her back as straight as it had been when he’d swung her around on the dance floor Her hair had been loose then, silk running between his fingers His htened at the memory And another of her s Now, her voice was cooler, like she was fighting with this sudden reunion ‘We do And we’d better get on e’re here’
His patient On the phone she’d suggested Jonathon ht For once, he didn’t want to be here, looking into a patient’s details and ements for whatever was required No, he wanted to snatch Anastasia—to hell with Stacey—to hiht He didn’t want her to go away He’d longed to find her, and here she was
Nohat? Walk ah
ile he could? Because so around, that if a deeper relationship with Anastasia failed he’d be more heartbroken than when Christine had done her number on hiood for hi his heart or did he want that love he’d always longed for since his parents had died? Was he going to risk all to find out? How could he not? She’d be almost impossible to walk away froain
‘Noah?’ She leaned close, watching hi in her eyes
Of course Forget what he wanted He was at work and Jonathon aiting for hiather his scattered brain cells and be of so about the woht with, he’d buo Not even briefly ‘Talk later over coffee,’ he told her, hauling back his shoulders and stepping up to the bed ‘Jonathon, I hear you’re suffering more pain than when I saw you yesterday, and that your temperature has risen’
‘Yes, I started feeling the pain around lunchtiht it was all to do with the operation Only the pain kept increasing, despite the drugs I was given, and now it’s unbearable’
‘I’ll take a look’ Anastasia had already closed the curtains around them and disappeared just when he needed her as a nurse, and not a wonderfulthe curtain aside, he headed for the door, only to pause as she came towards him
‘I’ve sent a haey specimen to the lab as ordered by Joel I also took a biochemistry blood in case you required more tests’
She was onto it ‘I can’t argue with that’ Relieved she hadn’t dashed away to put space between theled to keep on the subject of Jonathon’s proble infected?’