ER Doc's Forever Gift

There was no reply, just a lengthening of the strides taking her away.

As he was unused to being ignored, his interest was piqued. Had it been entirely her bad day at work putting that exhaustion in her face, her eyes? Or was there more going on in her life causing problems? Harry huffed a bitter breath. Why did he even want to know? He didn’t do getting to know women beyond the obvious, yet within minutes Sienna Burch had got under his skin like a serious itch. Not a good look. Best he didn’t scratch. That was going to take some serious effort, for sure.

‘I’ll start ordering taxis, shall I?’ Sarah nudged his arm with her shoulder. ‘For most of this lot anyway.’

Sarah had been trying to get his attention, as in up close and personal, from the day he’d started at the rescue service, and he’d been putting out the thanks-but-no-thanks signal to no avail. It would do wonders for his tired soul to lose himself in a woman tonight. Which was blatantly on offer, if he was reading Sarah correctly, and he had no reason to think otherwise. But he had a hard and fast rule—no sex with colleagues.

Sienna isn’t a colleague.

His gaze tripped sideways to the other drive leading up to the adjacent apartment and the woman stepping onto an identical front step. Short-tempered, not overly concerned for others needing an outlet for their grief, a different kind of woman. Intriguing. Irritating. To be ignored, forgotten about. If that was possible. It had better be. He turned to his co-worker. ‘Make sure everyone gets a ride home. Everyone,’ he repeated in case his message hadn’t got through. Boy, wouldn’t he like to scratch that itch with Sienna.

His temporary neighbour had ruffled his feathers. He couldn’t remember the last time a female had done that. Probably when he was fifteen and keen for just about any girl willing to join him in a bit of fun. His gaze remained on the neighbouring apartment, noting lights turning off, another going on—in the bedroom. Bedroom, bed, sheets, or not. Go, damn it. Just focus on that temporary bit and he’d be fine, wouldn’t succumb to the sudden craving filling him.

I won’t. I really won’t.

Would he? Could he call her a colleague because they were both doctors? It’d be a stretch but something to hang on to if this itch got too strong.

CHAPTER TWO

‘WE’VE LANDED ON the roof of the hospital, Felicity,’ Harry told his young patient. ‘You’ll soon be inside where the doctors can take good care of you.’ He checked the belts holding her on the stretcher.

She pushed the face mask aside. ‘I don’t want to be here. I wanted to stay on the island.’ Petulance didn’t suit her.

Gently putting the mask back in place, he said in his best friendly doctor voice, ‘You need checking out by the specialists.’ He could understand that petulance but she’d nearly drowned. With lungs in the condition of hers because of the cystic fibrosis, that was bad. ‘You coughed up a lot of water.’

The mask was again shoved away. ‘You don’t get it,’ griped the fifteen-year-old. ‘This was the end-of-year trip that all year tens in science have been slogging their guts out for. Me included. And on the first day you bring me back to Auckland. Thanks a bundle.’

His heart softened for this angry girl. People with her condition didn’t get a fair bat at life. But as a doctor there was no way he could’ve left her on Great Barrier Island. They might’ve cleared the water from her lungs, but all of it? Secondary drowning was always a risk, especially with her condition. Close attention was required for the next twenty-four hours.

‘Ready?’ asked Connor, his off-sider, standing on the ground waiting to take one end of the stretcher.

‘Sure am.’ Harry nodded to Felicity. ‘I’m sorry I had to bring you home.’

She blinked and tears spurted out of the corners of her eyes. ‘It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t blame you. If Tony Wilcox hadn’t leapt on my back I wouldn’t have gone under water. I know not to. At least not for as long as I was down there. I got stuck on a rocky ledge for a bit.’

Again he replaced the mask, certain she’d remove it any minute. ‘You give him a hard time when you both get back to school.’ With practised ease he and Connor quickly had the stretcher out and rolling towards the sliding door decorated with red and gold tinsel that gave access to the hospital emergency lift. Staff in scrubs were waiting for them. Presumably a doctor and nurses. Wait. The serious demeanour on one face was familiar. The slam as his stomach hit his toes was not. ‘Sienna? You work at Auckland Central?’ Duh, obviously. It made sense, given that she lived not too far away.

An abrupt nod in his direction as though he was immaterial to this scene had his blood more than heating—it was boiling. Down, boy. Not the time or place. For confrontation, or getting friendly. What was it with her that already his body was reacting so blatantly? She really had worked a number on him. Bet she had no idea either. Damn it.

‘Hi, Fliss. This is a bummer, isn’t it?’ Sienna was focusing on their patient almost as if she hadn’t acknowledged him while everyone prepared to transfer the girl over to the hospital bed and change oxygen supplies.

‘It’s not fair, is what it is,’ grizzled the once again maskless girl. ‘You told me I’d be all right for a few days, Doc Sienna.’

‘I’m sorry, Fliss, I guess I was wrong.’ Nothing but compassion in her voice.

Sienna was taking the blame for something that was totally out of her control? Miss—make that Dr—Frosty? He really had read her all wrong last week. Or was it only in her medical capacity she managed to show warmth towards others? ‘I take it Felicity’s a regular patient of yours?’ Harry looked to Sienna.

‘Yes. We’ve been working towards this stay on the island for weeks now.’

Sympathy radiated out of those eyes he now saw were vivid blue, the colour of Lake Tekapo on a summer’s day. A lake he’d spent a day on trying to catch trout the first time he worked in New Zealand. It had been a fantastic day and despite the lack of fish he’d never forgotten how relaxed the stunning mountainous scenery and the bouncing waters had made him feel. It was a place he intended to revisit, if he ever found himself with a couple of spare days. The lake would be warmer than Sienna was towards him. Why the chill? Could that explain this overreaction to her? She was a challenge? It couldn’t be that he wanted to get to know her better, except maybe physically, and by the steely glint in those eyes that wasn’t happening.

‘Can I have the notes?’ A hand with rose-pink, perfectly manicured nails highlighting long, slim fingers waved in front of him.

Harry shook his head to rid the thoughts his overheated brain conjured up of those nails tripping over his hot skin. This was his unfriendly neighbour. Doc Frosty would never be interested in running her fingers anywhere near him. Not unless she was going to use them to impale him for not turning down the music the moment she’d requested he do so. The following morning she’d barely managed a nod in his direction as she’d left for work when he’d gone out to the four-wheel-drive that came with the apartment.

‘Excuse me, the notes?’

Focus, man. Passing over the required information, he explained, ‘The school first-aid officer managed to get Felicity to bring up a lot of water before we arrived, but she’s still coughing up fluid intermittently.’ A lot of that had to do with the mucus clogging her lungs, but still there was danger in residual salt water wreaking havoc with her breathing.

‘I’m glad the first-aid officer knew what to do.’ The frost melted a little as she studied Felicity.

‘I agree.’ Harry nodded before filling Sienna in on more details. Then he crossed to Felicity. ‘You take care, now; get back on your feet quick smart. Don’t let Tony Wilcox win this one.’ He got a watery smile in return.

‘Who’s Tony Wilcox?’ Doc Frosty asked from right beside him in a not so chilly tone.

‘The guy who caused Felicity to have her head under water too long.’

‘He didn

’t mean it,’ their patient interjected, with a red flush going on in her cheeks.

So that was how this went. Young Felicity was keen on Tony and didn’t want to show it. ‘I’m sure he didn’t.’ Harry grinned, then turned to Sienna, his mouth still curved upward. ‘Might see you later, Doctor.’

As in, I could drop in to your place with a bottle of wine.

And probably get thrown out on his butt, because that had to be the dumbest idea he’d had in a long time.

Once again he didn’t get any acknowledgement from Sienna as she headed into the lift, all her attention on their patient. He couldn’t fault her for that. Felicity came first, but it irked that she hadn’t taken a few seconds to give him a nod. Yet the woman had apologised to her young patient for her trip going horribly wrong. The doc did have a heart. She might keep it buried deep, but he certainly couldn’t fault her for that. He did the same. It saved getting too involved and then having to bail when things got too intense. But still, he wouldn’t have minded a smile: a warm, tender one like the smile she had for her patient.

* * *

Sienna held her breath until the door to the lift closed off the view of her neighbour. Her very sexy neighbour. It didn’t make sense. Harry wore red one-size-fits-most overalls and he looked hot beyond belief. There again, she’d been out of the dating circuit for years so could be that a four-foot-nothing, overweight goat would look sexy in the right circumstances.

A hand was tugging at her sleeve. Drawing in air and shutting out Harry, she turned to her patient. ‘Hey, Fliss, I hear you took seawater on board. That won’t make your lungs happy.’

The face mask was snatched away and words spewed out. ‘It’s not fair. I worked so hard to go on the trip. It’s the first time Mum’s let me go away without her and now I’ll be a prisoner in my own home again.’

‘Put this back on.’ As the lift jerked downward Sienna slipped the mask over Felicity’s face.