‘Why? Why are you doing this for me?’ He didn’t answer, and she was forced to carry on. ‘Is this about last night?’
‘I don’t make decisions about my OR for personal reasons.’ He looked distinctly unimpressed, and she knew what he must be thinking. She knew that was true better than anyone else. ‘My patients deserve the best team they can get. I’ve no doubt Isak’s team is brilliant but I haven’t worked with them all before. I have, however, worked with you and I rate your skills highly. So, as the surgeon running this operation, you are a logical choice.’
Talia couldn’t contain her smile, though she cursed her heart for the way it leapt in her chest. He was still prepared to give her a chance, and it struck her as so typically Liam that no matter how badly the two of them were communicating on a personal level, when it came to surgeries, he was the most approachable surgeon she could ever hope to work with.
Professional, and generous with his time and knowledge. Not every surgeon could boast those same qualities. A pang of emotion shot through her, and she could only put it down to some kind of wistful nostalgia.
‘And regarding what happened yesterday...?’
She’d never been known for her poker face, but if only she could display even a fraction of the reserve that Liam had.
He was paying her a professional compliment, not a personal one, though that didn’t seem to matter to her weak-willed organs. And it was typical Liam to put his patient before everything else. It certainly didn’t mean he wanted her around for his own purposes, she wasn’t going to be foolish enough to let herself think otherwise. No matter how much that traitorous part of her might want to.
‘We both said things I think we’d rather take back, but we can’t. Therefore I propose we put it behind us and move on.’
By ‘it’, she presumed he meant the kiss...and more. Was she being perverse, wanting to remind him once again that this was exactly the problem? The way he moved past personal issues but never actually tackled the source?
Maybe, maybe not. She shrugged inwardly. But the last thing she wanted was another row. Shoving her personal feelings down, she offered a tentative nod.
‘You’re right, we’re different people now. Whatever went wrong between us back then, it’s long since buried.’
‘Agreed,’ he answered, too easily for her peace of mind.
She forced herself to smile.
‘It doesn’t matter anymore.’
‘Precisely,’ Liam approved, and she hated his matter-of-fact tone, without even a trace of fondness. Especially when she couldn’t fight back those unwelcome waves of nostalgia. ‘So shall we grab a coffee and you can tell me what you know?’
‘Sure.’ Talia drew in a steadying breath. This was her moment to prove herself and she wasn’t about to blow it. Of all the surgeons to learn from, Liam was certainly one of the best.
It felt odd, walking with him down the hospital corridors. As if everyone was looking and could read what had already happened between them when logically she knew they couldn’t know.
Clearing her throat, she fought to sound purely professional. ‘I understand this technique allows you to combine the traditional two-stage surgical and endovascular procedures for complex aortic lesions into a single surgery.’
‘Shall we wait until we sit down?’ he suggested dryly.
‘No.’ She shook her head, and took another breath. The sooner she put things onto a professional footing, the better.
Were they walking too close to each other? Should she move out to the side more, or would that look too obvious?
‘This trial is to see how recent advances in the right anterior mini-thoracotomy approach mean reduced post-op pain and faster patient recovery, among other benefits, right?’
‘Right,’ he concurred as they reached the cafeteria. ‘Do you want to find a table while I get the coffees?’
She could feel even more eyes on them. Scrutinising them. No doubt she’d be subjected to any number of interrogations from colleagues after this, ranging from curious to downright jealous. Like at Duke’s, it was clear that Liam had attracted plenty of attention.
Not that she cared, Talia reminded herself hastily, they were just friends. Whatever had happened yesterday.
‘Your coffee, you still take it milk, no sugar?’
‘That’s fine, Dr Miller.’ She hastily took the drink, and ignored the odd look he cast her way. ‘So, anyway, there are a couple of different kinds of prostheses, too, aren’t there?’
He only hesitated a fraction of a moment but it was enough to make her feel foolish. What was she doing, letting other people dictate how she reacted, especially when she thought about Liam’s father? The irony of it didn’t escape her. She forged on regardless.
‘I’ve been reading the notes from previous operations for this trial and I noticed that with an open prosthesis a one-thirty-millimetre stented graft...’
‘Talia, this is ridiculous.’