Healing the Single Dad's Heart

She was right about the restaurant. It was a good choice. The food arrived quickly, and they chatted easily while they ate.

He could see Lien gradually beginning to relax further. The more she relaxed, the more animated she became. He started to realise just how stressed she must have been earlier by his actions. Trouble was, he really wanted to check on the family again at some point. He just wasn’t sure how to do it without getting on her wrong side.

By the time they finished eating, Regan was sleepy again and Joe gathered him into his arms to carry him back to the house.

Lien smiled. ‘It’s getting to be a habit, isn’t it? Don’t worry. It takes some adults a whole week to adjust to jet-lag. Got to imagine it’s worse for kids.’

They walked along the main road back to the hospital. ‘Do we need to do anything when we get back?’

She shook her head. ‘Dr Nguyen—Phan, you met him earlier—is on call tonight. You’ll have that pleasure later in the week.’

He nodded. ‘Well, since I’m only a few steps away, that seems fine.’

‘There aren’t many emergencies at night,’ she said, her dark hair catching in the wind. ‘An IV might need to be re-sited, but unless someone appears at the door, being on call is generally just about being available if needed.’

‘So what do you do on your nights off, then—apart from show the best restaurants to your new colleagues?’ He wasn’t quite sure where that question had come from. It was out before he had much of a chance to think about it. But he was curious.

She gave him a half-smile. ‘Are you being nosy, Joe?’

He dragged one hand across his brow. ‘Phew. I must be at least half-forgiven. I didn’t get Dr Lennox.’

She laughed. He could tell she was trying decide what to say. It had only been one day, but she appeared to live alone in the house next door. There had been no mention of another half. But that didn’t mean she didn’t have one.

‘To be honest, I concentrate on work most of the time.’

There was something about the way she said those words. A hint of regret. A hint of something else.

‘Not married?’ What was wrong with him? His mouth seemed to be having a field day of talking before his brain could engage.

‘Me? No way.’ She held up one hand. ‘When would I have time to be married? I spend just about every waking hour at the hospital.’ Then she laughed. ‘Plus the non-waking hours.’ She wagged a finger at him. ‘The only exception is when I have to chase after our international doctors who have crazy ideas.’

This time he made sure his brain engaged before he leapt to his own defence. ‘Can we have a chat about that tomorrow? There are a few things I want to run past you.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Dr Lennox,’ she said with a smile on her face, ‘why do I get the impression you’re going to be trouble?’

CHAPTER THREE

THEY’D FALLEN INTO an easy routine. Joe was keen and enthusiastic, and she couldn’t fault his clinical skills for a second. Which was just as well as the place was even busier than usual. Khiem and Hoa had returned for a week, and then gone to the other hospital in Uông Bí in the northeast of Vietnam.

They’d quickly given their approval of the latest employee, loving his enthusiasm and listening to his wide range of ideas.

She couldn’t help but admire the relationship Joe had with his son. When they weren’t working, he devoted all his time to Regan. The little boy seemed to love his new environment. He’d even tried a few Vietnamese words on Lien that he’d learned at nursery. She was impressed.

Her fears had started to settle. Even after the awkward first day, Joe didn’t seem inclined to jump on the first plane back home.

Dinner at her favourite restaurant had been...interesting. His dark green eyes often had a glint of cheekiness in them, and she liked that. She was beginning to believe that he really was looking for a fresh start—even if he was only here for six months. Apart from his mum and dad, he rarely mentioned home. It was almost as if he was putting things firmly behind him. He’d been learning the language basics from Mai Ahn, and had taken an interest in some of the wider public health issues in the area.

The biggest adult health problem in Hanoi was strokes. Joe had been keen to assess every adult who attended the clinic—with any condition—to see if they were at risk. Blood-pressure medications and dietary advice were at the top of his list of general patient care. She could be annoyed. He’d started something that was in her future plans. But sometimes new blood was needed to kick-start things, so she was happy to go along with his ideas.

He’d also followed up on the family with tuberculosis. The younger two children had tested negative and been vaccinated to protect them. The father and grandfather were being actively encouraged to keep taking their medications, and the other little girl was being regularly reviewed at the clinic.

Lien stretched her hands above her head to try and relieve her aching back.

‘Whoops.’ Joe put his hand up to his face as he walked in the door opposite.

Heat rushed into her cheeks as she pulled her shirt back down. He’d clearly got a flash of her abdomen.

‘What do you have?’ she asked quickly.

‘Just an adult with what could be appendicitis.’ He frowned. ‘I know there’s a theatre here, but I’m definitely no surgeon. What do we do with patients like this?’

Her hands gave her shirt another pull and she moved over to stand next to him. ‘We generally monitor for a few hours, then, if we have to, we arrange an ambulance and admission to one of the bigger hospitals.’

‘How does that work for payment?’

‘It’s an emergency surgery and should be covered. But things can be tricky. Sometimes patients get billed for the ambulance or for the nursing care. Sometimes they get billed for nothing at all.’

She pulled the notes towards her. ‘Let’s see. We have a few patients with grumbling appendices. They like to wait until they absolutely have to come out.’

Joe ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. ‘This guy is obviously in pain. I’ll go and give him something in the meantime.’ He put his hands on his hips. ‘Can’t you persuade someone to do free surgery for your patients?’

She smiled. ‘It’s on our wish list, along with free hospital care, free rehab, addiction and mental health services.’

He nodded slowly. ‘I guess it’s a long list, then.’

‘It is.’ She could tell he was feeling a bit despondent. She reached up to put her hand on his arm. ‘You’ll get used to the differences here. We all want to do more than we actually can.’

His eyes went to her fingers resting on his arm. He didn’t say anything or pull away. He just stayed still. His gaze made her self-conscious and she stepped back, feeling a bit flustered.

‘What are your plans for tomorrow?’

Joe blinked. It was as if she’d lost him for a moment. ‘What?’ He shook his head. ‘Nothing. Just spending some time with Regan.’

‘Would you like me to show you some of the sights?’

His head tilted to one side, as if he was considering the offer. She was still a little flustered and her mouth just kept talking. ‘There are a few places not too far away that you might not have had a chance to visit yet. Have you been to Hoàn Ki?m Lake yet? Or Ngoc Son Temple?’

Joe shook his head. ‘No. We haven’t really had a chance to see much of the city. Is it something Joe would like?’

She nodded and smiled. ‘Sure. It’s a lake with boats and turtles. He’s a kid. Of course he’ll like it.’

She said it so matter-of-factly that Joe burst out laughing.

She nodded. ‘Okay, then, let’s finish up with this patient and see if he needs to be transferred, or if he just needs to be monitored overnight. Neither of us is on call tomorrow so we can take Regan out for the day.’

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Her skin prickled. Joe was looking at her a little strangely. ‘Thank you,’ he said after a few seconds.

‘What for?’

‘For thinking about Regan.’