‘My publicist. She said that I should look a bit more civic-minded. It seems that some of the activity at the clinic has been examined. It was granted a licence on the grounds it would also see some local patients for free, but it’s been so busy there just hasn’t been time.’
She smiled. ‘Ah, now we’re getting to the real news.’
He lifted his hand to run his fingers through his hair, but they kind of got stuck.
‘She asked me about my past, and if I knew anyone, and if there was some place I could think of to see some local patients.’ He shrugged awkwardly. ‘And your name came up.’
It was like a cold breeze sweeping over her skin. ‘What do you mean, my name came up?’
He couldn’t look her in the eye. ‘Well, when she asked me if I knew anyone...’
‘What, I was the one person who came from the worst district in Hanoi that you knew—the token person from the slum?’ She couldn’t stop the rage that surged through her veins.
The eyebrow remained raised. He seemed surprised by the passion behind her words. ‘I know that you are familiar with the area, with the people—and their health needs.’ He looked as if he was trying to find the right words, but there was an inherent smugness in how he sounded. He waved his hand dismissively. ‘We know the stats. The people.’ He glanced at her. ‘The most deprived populations have the worst health.’
She put a hand to her chest. ‘You mean my people?’
The words just came out. She hated the fact that her stomach almost curled in embarrassment or that she could feel tears prickling at the sides of her eyes.
‘Well...yes,’ he said simply.
She tried to push all her emotional and irrational thoughts to the back of her mind. She had to be professional. This was her workplace.
His hand swept past her again. ‘I’m not all bad, Lien. You just think I am.’ He put his hand to his chest and stepped a little closer, letting her inhale his cloying aftershave. ‘I’m me. And you’re you. We can’t change that. But...’ he took a deep breath ‘...I would rather fulfil the terms of my licence here than anywhere else.’ His eyes rested on the stack of patient files on the desk. ‘That tiny part of me that wanted to do well as a doctor? It is still there.’ He shrugged. ‘It just got lost in the hype. I know you have more patients for me. People I can help, who would never get these surgeries otherwise. People like you, Lien. I can be here once a week for the next four months. Will you let me help them, or should I go somewhere else?’
She hated him. She hated him for being so factual, and reasonable, but continuing to throw in subtle digs about their different backgrounds.
* * *
It was quite extraordinary. When she’d started dating Reuben at university, he’d been a little pompous perhaps, but he had at least tried to fit in with all the other students. It had only been as they’d got further along in their studies that his entitled persona had appeared.
For a time Lien hadn’t told anyone where she was from. Maybe she had felt a bit ashamed at the time—fitting in had been hard enough. It had been clear that most of the students who had been studying medicine came from well-to-do families. No one had known about her scholarship, and for that she’d been glad.
She’d been so focused on her studies that when Reuben had started to show an interest in her, and invite her on dates, she’d been quietly flattered.
After a few months of his endless attention she’d started to believe it was real. He’d invited her to his home and she’d been dazzled. When he’d asked about her family she’d made excuses.
It shamed her now to think about it, but she’d felt pressurised to fit in. She’d got along with the rest of her colleagues. Duc, Khiem and Hoa’s son, had also been in her class. He’d been great, and he’d seemed to understand that she was trying to keep things quiet about her background. He’d never judged, or commented. Just kept gracefully silent. For that, she’d been eternally grateful.
Two years along it had been inevitable things would come to a head.
She’d noticed that Rueben had started to attend more and more events within his mother’s elite circle—where Lien had felt distinctly uncomfortable. One night they’d been socialising with colleagues and he’d made some comments about those born in the ‘wrong places’, and she’d asked him to define exactly where he meant.
He named a few districts with a gesture of his hand—one of those districts had been hers. She hadn’t waited. She’d exploded then and there, asking him what exactly was wrong with people from that district and not waiting for his answer before she’d told him that was where she had been born, and where her parents still lived.
The table had been shocked into stunned silence.
She’d realised what she’d done by the looks on some faces, but she hadn’t been sorry. When she’d grabbed her bag to leave, Duc had joined her, along with a few other colleagues.
Two hours later she’d received a text from Reuben saying it might be better to break up. Even though she couldn’t have agreed more, it hadn’t stopped angry tears from spilling down her cheeks. The next day she’d discovered he’d transferred out of some of her classes.
She hadn’t needed any more messages. He’d been embarrassed by her, and she’d been furious with him. She’d avoided him ever since.
He gave her an amiable smile. ‘How about we look at these files together? You can fill me in on some of these patients.’ He gestured towards the chairs.
Lien pressed her lips together. She should do this. She should do this for her patients. They had to come first, no matter how much she didn’t want to be in his company. That was her problem—not theirs.
Once a week for the next four months wasn’t actually enough. But it was more than he’d originally promised and it was a start. For now, she’d take it.
As she sat stiffly in the chair next to him, he gave her another half-smile. ‘Oh, don’t think I haven’t noticed. The other doctor, the Scot...is there something going on between you two?’
Her breath caught somewhere in her throat. She wasn’t quite sure how to answer that question—she was caught totally off guard. But his words made old memories and feelings flood to the surface.
Feelings of how inadequate Reuben had made her feel. Would she feel that way around Joe too?
‘Nothing’s going on,’ she said quickly. ‘We’re colleagues. I’ve been showing him around, helping him get settled in. That’s all.’
Reuben gave her a knowing nod. It was clear from his expression he wasn’t buying anything she was saying. ‘Okay,’ he replied simply as he pushed the first set of case notes towards her. ‘Let’s start here.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
TWO WEEKS LATER, Joe and Lien headed to Uông Bí hospital to provide some holiday cover.
The car journey only took a few hours, with them mainly entertained by Regan singing at the top of his voice to the selection of songs he’d picked for the trip.
As they passed lush green hills with gorgeous scenery, Joe let out a sigh. ‘This place is more like Scotland than I ever imagined possible.’ He smiled and turned his head towards Lien, who was concentrating on the road ahead. ‘I think it would surprise you. You should come and see it sometime.’
There was an odd silence for a few seconds. One that he wanted to fill. ‘Ever thought about coming to Scotland to work for a while? You tried Dublin, didn’t you? I bet we can be more hospitable. You should give us a try.’
Her jaw tightened, as did her hands on the steering wheel. ‘I’ve done my travelling,’ she said. ‘I’m happy just to stay here now.’
Joe leaned towards her, his enthusiasm catching fire as he sta
rted to imagine showing Lien around the sights back home. ‘You would love it. There are a few islands with cottage hospitals that you might like, or you could come and work in Glasgow with me. There are always positions for doctors.’ He shot her another sideways glance. ‘And we have plenty of space. You could stay with me and Regan.’
She shook her head as she drove. ‘Nice offer, but I’m happy here. I don’t want to work anywhere else. This is where my heart is.’
She said the words with an edge of determination. His stomach flipped. Where her heart was. Did that mean there wasn’t room for anything else?
The thought was probably ridiculous, but as the seed grew in his mind he became even more enthusiastic about Lien coming to Scotland. He was sure she could love it just as much as he loved Vietnam. With Regan due to start school in a few months, he had to return. Was it possible he might be able to persuade Lien to join them?
‘Glasgow and Hanoi aren’t that different.’ He gestured towards Regan in the back seat. ‘Our life here isn’t that different.’
Lien looked surprised. ‘You’re on a totally different continent, treating people with conditions you’ve never came across before, and speak a totally different language. How on earth can you find anything the same?’
He stared ahead and shrugged casually. He understood her points, but still felt the same. ‘Patients are patients, no matter where in the world you treat them. They have the same expectations of you—that you treat them competently, and fairly, without judging them. For me, the hours are more or less the same, I have somewhere for Regan that I trust, and I’m getting to do the job that I love. The same as you.’ He gave her a smile. ‘We’re not that different, you know.’
Her eyebrows shot upwards. ‘We’re a world apart, Joe. You just don’t see it yet,’ she added with a hint of sadness in her voice.