Anne Fraser – The Wife He Never Forgot (страница 4)

‘That’s the team,’ Sue said, ‘a mixture of lifers, like me, and volunteers.’

Tiggy’s eyes were immediately drawn to a man sitting in the centre of the group. Nick. He was laughing at something someone had said. Then he looked up and caught her eye. He pursed his lips in a soundless whistle and let his eyes roam over her body before dropping one eyelid in a wink. Whether it was the weather or something else, Tiggy felt heat race across her skin. In the dim light of the descending plane last night, she hadn’t noticed just how gorgeous he was with his toffee-coloured eyes, weatherbeaten face and high sharp cheekbones.

There was something about him that was sending warning signals to Tiggy’s overheated brain. Danger and excitement radiated from him—along with a casual self-assurance, as if he was used to women gawping at him and almost expected it.

She tore her eyes away. Men like him were so out of her league. And even if he wasn’t, he wasn’t her type. When she fell in love it would be with a decent, steady, one-hundred-per-cent monogamous man. The only type who asked her out. Not that she had managed to fall for one of those, come to think of it.

Sue tapped her on the arm and grinned at her. ‘Major Nick Casey—our very own playboy doctor.’ She dropped her voice. ‘Let me give you a word of warning. He eats woman like you for breakfast. If you want to survive with your heart intact, keep away from him. Trust me.’ Her lips twitched. ‘I’ve known Nick for a while and picked up the pieces of his conquests’ broken hearts too often to count.’ Sue’s grin widened. ‘Thankfully I’m married and immune to his charms.’

Nick stood and held out a chair, indicating with a tilt of his head that Tiggy should take it. Acutely conscious of his eyes on her, every step of the dozen or so required felt like a mile.

‘Everyone, this is our latest, crazy volunteer, Lieutenant Tiggy Williams—otherwise known as Casualty Nurse Extraordinaire,’ Sue introduced her with a flourish.

Tiggy knew she would no more get used to being called ‘Lieutenant’ than she would get used to the army revolver she had in her possession. It was beyond her why they had issued her with one. There wasn’t the remotest chance of her ever firing it. She was more likely to shoot herself in the foot.

‘Good to have you with us.’ Nick grinned at her. His accent, like Sue’s, was an unusual mixture of Irish and Scottish.

Her heart did a crazy pirouette and it took all her willpower not to whimper. She managed a cool smile—at least, she hoped it was a cool smile and not a grimace—in his direction before turning to hear the names of the folk with whom she’d be working closely over the coming months.

Apart from the surgeons, there were nurses, radiographers, physios and several other professionals all involved in making sure casualties had access to the best care. The names were too many for Tiggy to remember, but she felt reassured by the warmth of her colleagues’ welcome.

‘If you need anything, let us know,’ an older nurse called Pat said. ‘There’s hardly any of us women so we have to stick together. Don’t mind this lot, I keep them in order.’

Nick detached himself from the desk he’d been leaning on and loped towards Tiggy. Everyone was too busy catching up with one another to notice him bending his head and whispering in her ear.

‘You recovered from the flight to hell yet?’ His warm breath fanned her neck causing goose-bumps to spring up alarmingly all over her body. She much preferred it when he was way over on the other side of the room.

‘Completely.’

‘Good. You may have to go out in the ’copter sometimes, though, on a retrieval. You do know that?’

Although Tiggy had heard it might be a possibility that she’d be asked to accompany the medical emergency response team, she hoped to hell it wouldn’t happen. If last night’s flight had been scary, how much worse would it be going into an actual hot zone? She lifted her chin. ‘If I’m needed, of course I’ll go. I’m here to do my bit, the same as everyone else.’

‘Good girl.’ He straightened and once again Tiggy was aware of his eyes sweeping over her body.

‘Hey, do you play poker?’ one of the male nurses asked. ‘I need someone new to take some money from. With the exception of Nick here, no one else will play with me any more.’

As everyone laughed, Nick turned towards them. ‘Time for ward rounds. Let’s go.’

They all started to troop away, leaving Tiggy feeling like a spare part. Nick fell back and touched her elbow.

‘What’s up, Red?’

If there was one thing Tiggy didn’t like it was being teased about her hair. She had put up with twenty-six years of it from her brothers and she was damned if she would put up with it from him.

‘The name’s Tiggy,’ she said through clenched teeth.

As Nick’s grin widened, dimples appeared on either side of his mouth and her overactive heart skipped another beat. Why did he have to be so damned sexy?

‘You’ll find out everyone here has a nickname,’ he drawled, and ruffled the hair on top of her head. ‘Come on, follow me.’

Had he actually done that? Ruffled her hair? Like she was his kid sister?

She raised her hand to her curls in a vain attempt to restore some order. She had cut her hair into its current pixie style hoping it would make it more manageable, but the heat of the desert had its own ideas and she knew her fringe was curling.

She nibbled her lip. Why the hell was she fretting about how she looked? Just because she’d be working with a hunk it was no reason to be fretting about a curling fringe. And hunk or not, he clearly thought he was God’s gift to women and, by the looks of it, probably tried it on with every new arrival. On the other hand, what did she have to worry about? Someone like him was bound to go after tall blondes with sylph-like figures—not curvy redheads with freckles.

She stared after his retreating back. Why, then, did the realisation give her no pleasure?

* * *

There were four patients between the two wards. In the first were three soldiers who, Sue explained, were in for observation and rehydration after a nasty bout of gastroenteritis. ‘We don’t keep the injured men here for long. We patch them up, operate if we have to, then we pack them off to the Queen Elizabeth in Birmingham as soon as they’re stable. You’ll find that nursing here is a mixture of frenzied activity followed by hours of boredom.’

Sue introduced her to the patients while Nick read their notes. After he’d ordered more tests he spent a few minutes chatting with them, teasing them a little for shirking. Then they moved to the next ward.

Its only occupant was a little Afghan girl with masses of dark curls and round brown eyes who was sitting up in bed looking lost and scared. Her body, from her forehead to the top of her pyjama bottoms, was covered in red angry welts and her right arm was heavily bandaged.

‘This is Hadiya,’ Sue said with a smile at the little girl. ‘She knocked over the family’s paraffin heater a few days ago and sustained severe burns to her face, neck, chest and arm. We managed to save the arm, but she’s going to require extensive reconstructive surgery if she’s to regain full use of it.’

Nick said something in Pashto and the little girl giggled. All at once some of the fear left her eyes and she looked up at Nick with adoration.

‘The surgeons had to remove a great deal of tissue from her hand and arm,’ Sue continued, ‘but she needs grafts.’

‘The problem is,’ Nick said slowly, ‘we can’t do it for her. Now she’s stabilised she has to go to a local hospital and it’s highly unlikely she’ll get the surgery she needs there.’

‘Why can’t we do it here?’ Tiggy asked.

‘Because this is a military hospital and the reality is, if we make an exception for one civilian, how do we say no to others? Our resources would soon be overwhelmed. As difficult as it is, we have to transfer non-combative cases once they have stabilised.’

‘But that’s not right!’

Nick raised an eyebrow. ‘What would you have us do?’

‘I don’t know! Something.’

He eyed her thoughtfully. ‘I haven’t given up on her if that’s what you’re thinking. In the meantime, however, we have other patients to see.’

CHAPTER TWO

HOW ANYONE COULD expect her to run around the perimeter of the camp in this heat while carrying a rucksack that weighed more than her own body weight, Tiggy couldn’t imagine. It wasn’t as if she was ever going to go out on patrol. That was left to the regular army doctors and the medics.

Although it was only just after six, the sun was already beating down and making her skin sizzle. She gasped for breath. If they didn’t let her stop soon she was going to have a heart attack.

‘Okay. Drop to the ground and give me twenty press-ups,’ the sadistic sergeant shouted. Twenty! She doubted she could manage more than five. If that.

She didn’t so much drop to her knees as collapse in a heap.

She had just finished her fourth press-up and was lying face down with her forehead resting on her hands when someone grabbed the back of her trousers and lifted her six inches off the ground.

‘I believe you have a few more to go,’ a familiar voice said. She didn’t have to turn her head to know it was Nick, and that he was laughing.