Rescuing Dr. MacAllister

She put the plates down on the table and poured the coffee.

'Are you trying to kill me with cholesterol?' He picked up a knife and fork and she watched anxiously, warming her hands around her mug.

'Stop complaining and eat. It will make you feel better.'

He glanced up, his expression unreadable. 'Ellie, I feel fine.'

It was a blatant warning for her to keep her distance but she chose to ignore it. He was obviously far from fine and she desperately wanted to help.

She took a deep breath. 'You look tired.' She tilted her head and scrutinised him closely, taking in the fine lines and shadows around his eyes. 'And stressed. Ben, I saw your face when you walked into Resus last night. What was wrong?'

The atmosphere in the room went from cool to freezing and his jaw tightened. 'Are you always this direct?'

'Always.' She nodded vigorously and then brushed aside a wisp of dark hair that threatened to fall into her coffee. 'I told you that last night. It's always better to speak your mind. It saves a great deal of confusion in the long run.' She hesitated and fiddled with her fork. 'You know, it really might help to talk about it.'

Ben's tone was cool and discouraging. 'Talk about what?'

'Whatever it is that upset you last night. Whatever it is that's making you tense.'

'Ellie...'

His tone was a warning and she dropped her eyes to her plate, wondering what was the matter with her. He was a total stranger. Why did she care so much about him?

Never one to give up easily, she tried again. 'You obviously don't want to talk about whatever it is. But there's no point in you denying that there's something wrong because it's obvious.' She chewed some bacon slowly, her face troubled. 'I know that most men aren't great at showing their feelings, but you might find that it feels better to talk about it and—'

'Ellie!' He interrupted her sharply and she sighed.

'All right, I'll change the subject' She ate some more bacon and egg. 'So how do you know Sean?'

He paused and then obviously decided that the question was harmless enough. 'We were in medical school together.'

'Wow.' She paused with her fork halfway to her mouth and grinned at the thought. 'I bet the p

air of you caused havoc. What was Sean like before he met Ally?'

'Lethal.'

Ellie laughed with delight. 'I thought as much.' She noticed that his plate was empty and smiled with satisfaction. At least he'd eaten something. 'Toast?'

He sat back in his chair and shook his head. 'No, thank you. I couldn't eat another thing.'

'Good.' She picked up his plate and popped it into the dishwasher. 'So how do you know my Uncle Jack?'

He sighed. 'Listen, Ellie...'

She drew breath guiltily. 'Don't tell me, you're not a morning person and I'm talking too much. I do that quite often. I'm sorry,' she said in a conscience-stricken voice. 'Can I stay if I promise not to talk?'

One dark eyebrow lifted. 'Is that possible?'

She considered it carefully. 'All I can say is that I'll try my hardest.'

'I'd hate to subject you to severe strain,' he said dryly. 'Feel free to talk if you feel so inclined.'

'But not about what happened yesterday, I suppose,' she said cautiously, testing the water and then flinching when she saw his face darken ominously, 'All right, whatever is bothering you is a taboo subject from now on.'

'Nothing is bothering me!' His tone was exasperated and he stood up suddenly and paced over to the window. He was silent for a long moment as he stared out over the lake and then he turned and settled himself on one of the comfortable leather sofas that had been placed to make the most of the view. 'How old are you, Ellie?'

She frowned. 'You really do have this thing about age, don't you?'