A Change Of Heart

“You haven’t changed a bit, have you, David?”

“I’m older and wiser.” David’s smile was relaxed, but he felt disturbed. Just how much of a reputation had he left behind? Okay, so he’d played hard. But not that often and only as a counterbalance to the effort he put into his work. At thirty-three, David knew he was exceptionally young to have gained this surgical consultancy. He also knew that he deserved it, and he was looking forward to proving his abilities and commitment. This idea that he was a good-time guy might be an obstacle to professional acceptance.

Alison Roberts was born in New Zealand, and, says she, “lived in London and Washington, D.C., as a child and began my working career as a primary school teacher. A lifelong interest in medicine was fostered by my doctor-and-nurse parents, sharing apartments with doctors and physiotherapists on leaving home and marriage to a housesurgeon, who is now a consultant cardiologist. I have also worked as cardiology technician and research assistant. My husband’s medical career took us to Glasgow for two years, which was an ideal place and time to start my writing career. I now live in Christchurch, New Zealand, with my husband, daughter and various pets.”

A Change of Heart

Alison Roberts

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ONE

HEARTSTOPPING!

David James knew his heart had stopped because he was a doctor and knew about such things. He also felt the distinct thump a second later which indicated that the organ in question had decided to make up for its momentary lapse. The surprising force of the thump still failed to break the mesmerising effect of the moment.

David James was a firm believer in lust at first sight but this was definitely one for the books! She had to be the most stunning woman he’d ever seen and so far he was only getting a profile. Tall, slim, shoulder-length wavy, dark blonde hair, expertly streaked with threads of silvery gold. He couldn’t see her eyes but they would have to be blue…David finally became aware that the voice beside him had continued unabated. With an effort he managed to change the static-like buzz back into words.

‘So we had a bit of a reshuffle. This office seemed the perfect choice, being at the surgical end of the cardiology suite.’

‘I hope I haven’t put anyone out.’ The husky drawl was a bit of a giveaway but had certainly not been intentional. Was it wishful thinking or did his voice have the effect of causing a momentary freezing of her decisive movements? The box was almost overflowing in any case.

‘Oh, no. Lisa didn’t mind a bit.’

Lisa. Perfect! It went with that elegantly tailored clothing. That fitting black skirt with the provocative little slit that went from the above-knee hem to halfway up her thigh. David rearranged his face into what he hoped was his most charming expression as the head of Christchurch Hospital’s cardiothoracic surgical team launched into a formal introduction.

‘Lisa, this is our new consultant surgeon, David James.’ Alan Bennett’s smile reminded David of a proud parent. ‘David, I’d like you to meet Lisa Kennedy, senior cardiology registrar. You two will probably be seeing quite a lot of each other.’

Play nicely, children, his tone suggested. Not a problem, David’s expression assured his senior colleague as the vision turned her head towards them for the first time. Her eyes weren’t blue, they were brown. Dark brown. Even better!

‘I’ll look forward to it,’ David said aloud. He felt his smile widen further than he’d intended. It felt disturbingly close to a leer. Hastily he cleared his throat. ‘I seem to have been a disruptive influence, even before walking in the door. I do apologise, Lisa. I had no idea I’d be kicking anyone out of their office.’

‘As Alan said, it was the obvious choice. Like everything else in the public health system, floor space is at a premium. And, as Alan also said, I don’t mind a bit.’

The tone was sweet. It just didn’t match the flash of annoyance in those velvety brown eyes or the defensive tilt of her chin. Lisa Kennedy minded all right. Fair enough, too. It was a very nice office. The window had a view out to the Avon River with the glorious backdrop of the botanical gardens. Where was she going now? Probably some windowless cubbyhole down behind the exercise testing laboratory. Never mind, he’d make it up to her. His smile was understanding. Sympathetic—but helpful.

‘Let me give you a hand with that.’

‘No, thanks, I can manage.’ Lisa hurriedly added a couple of items to the top of the carton and folded her arms around its edges. David’s glance took in the elegantly tapered fingers of her left hand. Not a ring in sight! He was straightening, ready to prove his helpful intentions by insisting on carrying the box, when his companion’s beeper sounded.

‘I’ll have to go and scrub,’ Alan Bennett informed them. ‘I’ll leave you to get settled in, David, and we’ll continue our tour later. You’ll find quite a few of the old crowd still around so you should feel at home pretty quickly.’

‘I do already.’ David smiled. ‘It’s good to be back.’

Alan nodded and returned the smile as he turned away. ‘You were a very popular choice for the consultancy. I wonder if so many people would welcome me back if I disappeared for a few years.’

David laughed easily but he had been surprised himself by the warmth of the welcome he’d received up until now. Up until he’d stepped into this office, in fact. Decisively, he moved forward.

‘Do let me take that, Lisa. It looks heavy.’

‘I said I can manage.’ Lisa took a sideways step to evade his touch on the box. The slippery journal covers on the top layer refused to support the final item added and it slid with remarkable speed to land on the floor with a thud. A large, plastic, anatomical model of a heart, it now lay in several pieces.

David swore softly but then felt the corners of his mouth lift and couldn’t suppress the smile.

‘I seem to have broken your heart, Lisa.’

She could smile. Even the fleeting glimpse of the accomplishment was enough to make something inside David tighten with a very pleasurable sensation.

‘Par for the course for you, from what I’ve heard, Mr James. Still, I imagine it takes first prize for speed.’

What did she mean? The tone did not suggest an attack but there was an edge to it that made David’s hackles rise defensively.

‘I’m sure anything you’ve heard is grossly exaggerated, Lisa. Pure fiction. Such rumours generally are.’ He stooped to pick up the pieces of the model. ‘Let me see if I can repair the damage. I’m a doctor, I know about things like this.’ His smile was back in place as he straightened. He would give her the benefit of the doubt and try again.

‘I wouldn’t worry about it.’ Her tone was offhand. ‘I can assure you my heart’s quite indestructible.’

This time the message was clear. David’s smile finally wilted under what could only be described as a chilly stare.

‘I have a ward round I should have started ten minutes ago,’ she informed him crisply. ‘Just put anything else in that empty box and I’ll come back for it later.’

David found himself staring at the chunks of moulded plastic in his hands after Lisa swept past with her carton. She was right, of course. The solid model clipped together with a series of small brass hooks and eyes. Even its stand was unscathed. Had she intended the inuendo that the genuine article was equally impervious to damage? Quite possibly, David conceded. Lisa Kennedy obviously liked to project an image that advertised strength and competence. If the packaging hadn’t been quite so attractive she might even come across as intimidating. Certainly not the type of woman David James gravitated towards.

He had to admit that her indifference to their introduction rankled. Rejection was not an experience David was accustomed to, especially from women. Taking over her office might not have been the best start but was an obstacle that could easily be overcome. Even rumours concerning any past relationships—and he had to admit there had been a few—could be laid to rest. Unfortunately, it was more likely that Lisa Kennedy was firmly attached elsewhere even if she wasn’t married and would therefore be immune to any amount of charm he could turn on. That was a far more likely explanation. Who could look like that and not have been snapped up long ago?

With a resigned sigh, David deposited his briefcase onto the desk top and flipped open the catches. Never mind, it was still great to be back. As his indrawn breath caught the lingering trace of perfume in the office David found himself smiling. She might come across as being tough but there had to be a sensual side to a woman who wore Chanel to work. The decisive head shake as he unpacked and connected his laptop computer should have been enough to clear the distracting images of the woman from his mind, but David James was vaguely delighted to find that it failed so noticeably.

He was actually grinning as he sent himself an e-mail to test his new connection. Unexpectedly, it reminded him of his fourth-form science class when that new student teacher had taken over. Miss Drummond. Blonde hair down to her waist and legs up to her armpits. Memories of words in the science textbook blurring into total irrelevance and an entire classroom of adolescent boys squirming uncomfortably at their desks widened David’s grin even further. Even he had been in danger of dropping his position at the top of the class until he’d realised that the most effective way to get Miss Drummond’s attention was to excel.

It had been a valuable lesson that had served David well over the years but until now had been simply a distant memory. Had Lisa Kennedy had that much effect on his circulating levels of testosterone? Yes. He had to admit that it seemed the only explanation for the uncharacteristic sprint down memory lane.

With a determined effort David turned his thoughts back to his surroundings and left the office. He had worked too hard to get here to have his concentration undermined the instant he walked through the door. He poked his head through an adjacent doorway.

‘Hello again, Sue.’

His secretary looked up from her typing. Her smile was welcoming. Very welcoming. ‘Is there something I can do for you, Mr James?’

‘You can call me David, for a start.’ He watched the faint flush of colour stain the girl’s neck as she nodded. ‘I’m just off to chase up a white coat and collect my pager. Perhaps you could give me a beep in half an hour so I can test it.’

‘I’ll get them for you if you like,’ Sue offered eagerly.

‘No. Thanks anyway, Sue, but I’m rather looking forward to exploring my old stamping ground. I’ll expect a beep from you, though.’

The call came precisely thirty minutes later and David smiled as he put down the phone. A reliable and helpful secretary was a definite bonus. Like a lot of the nursing staff, Sue had probably still been at high school the last time David had worked here.

The familiar faces were all amongst the senior staff and David was thoroughly enjoying their surprised and delighted reactions as he came across them. Like Jane Maddon, who had had changed her surname but looked just the same and who was now the nurse manager of the twin cardiology wards that flanked the intensive coronary care unit.

‘I knew you’d come back eventually,’ she informed David, having given him a hug. ‘You were so determined.’

‘I love Christchurch.’ David nodded. ‘And a few years out of the country makes you appreciate what we’ve got even more.’

‘I kept up with the occasional bit of news. Last I heard you were in Washington, D.C.’

‘That was over two years ago. I had eighteen months in Europe after that and then had some time with a transplant unit in London. I think that experience might have been what swung the decision for this consultancy in my favour.’

‘There were a lot of applicants,’ Jane confirmed. ‘Some were a lot older than you, too. Well done, David.’

‘Thanks.’ David smiled modestly.

‘The parties were never as good after you left,’ Jane added with a wistful grin. Then she frowned. ‘You haven’t gone and got married or anything, have you?’

‘No chance. I was hoping you’d wait for me.’

‘Oh, sure!’ Jane’s expression was knowing. ‘I’m delighted to say you’re too late.’ Then she laughed. ‘I’d forgotten just how cute you were, mind you. All those curls and those wonderful dark blue eyes. They’re going to be queuing up around here. You haven’t changed a bit, have you, David?’

‘I’m older and wiser.’ David’s smile was relaxed but he felt disturbed. Just how much of a reputation had he left behind? OK, so he’d played hard. But not that often and only as a counterbalance to the effort he put into his work. At thirty-three, David knew he was exceptionally young to have gained this surgical consultancy. He also knew that he deserved it, and he was looking forward to proving his abilities and commitment, as well as undoing this idea that he was a good-time Charlie, which might be an obstacle to professional acceptance.

‘I’m just on my way to check out the surgical ward,’ he told Jane. ‘I don’t start officially until tomorrow.’

‘You should be impressed. It’s a great set-up.’ Jane Maddon switched from old friend to professional colleague without blinking. ‘Post-Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care is attached to the main ICU and the ward is right beside that. Come and have a look at CCU on your way. We’ve just upgraded the whole monitoring system. State-of-the-art technology.’

Jane was right. The technology was impressive and David was particularly interested by the screens which gave closed-circuit-television coverage of the most acutely ill patients. The group of staff standing by the bedside of number eight was headed by an unmistakable figure. He couldn’t hear what Lisa Kennedy was saying but the examination seemed to be complete. The staff were moving away, Lisa pausing to have a final word with the patient, who was still smiling as he watched his doctor leave. David’s glance flicked down to the other monitors attached to bed eight.

‘You’ve certainly got all the bases covered.’ He indicated a small button. ‘I suppose this gives a printout of the ECG?’

Jane nodded. ‘It does it automatically when it recognises an arrhythmia.’

‘His blood pressure’s low.’ David was staring at the screen. His eyes narrowed slightly. ‘In fact, it’s still dropping.’

‘Is it?’

David’s eyes were back on the television screen. The curtains had been pulled open again around bed eight and he could see Lisa’s back as she stood near bed seven. He heard Jane’s muttered curse as she moved quickly away from the control desk and he caught the change in the ECG pattern out of the corner of his eye, but it was Lisa Kennedy he was watching. How had she known to turn back to her previous patient at precisely that point? A lightning glance at the monitor confirmed that the rhythm had slipped into the uncontrolled squiggles of ventricular fibrillation that heralded a cardiac arrest and the printout of the thin rhythm strip had begun, but it was several seconds before the alarm began to sound.

By that time Lisa had pushed the cardiac-arrest button on the wall to summon the crash team, had knocked the bed end into a horizontal position and removed the patient’s pillows, pushing his bedside table out of the way as another doctor replaced it with the unit’s crash trolley. Jane Maddon hurriedly pulled the curtains to screen the emergency from the horrified gaze of other patients but David had a bird’s-eye view thanks to the television screen.

The staff worked as a close team. David, frustrated at his own inaction, watched as conduction pads were slapped on, positioned over the apex and bottom of the patient’s heart, his bedding and clothing hastily thrown aside. It was Lisa who held the defibrillator paddles and he could almost hear her command to stand clear as other staff stepped back. He cringed inwardly as the patient jerked convulsively and then his gaze moved away from the screen as the crash team arrived at a run.

Despite the seniority of the extra staff, Lisa continued to direct the resuscitation and David’s eyes were riveted to the screen as he watched the CPR, intubation and further defibrillation of the patient. He found he had been holding his breath, which he released in a sigh as the spikes of a normal sinus rhythm began to drift across the screen in front of him.

‘Too slow,’ he muttered, surprised by the murmur of agreement behind his shoulder. He had been totally unaware that other staff members had joined him to observe the crisis. Nobody had switched off the automatic recording of the abnormal rhythms and the strip of ECG paper was now pooling around his ankles. They all watched as Lisa injected the drugs she had ordered, presumably including atropine, and there was a collective sigh of relief within the next minutes as the observers saw the evidence of the patient regaining consciousness.

‘Score one for our side, I think,’ a nurse pronounced as she moved away.

Score another one for Lisa Kennedy, David amended silently. He was still watching as the crash team left and Lisa and the other unit staff tidied up. He could hear the laughter and joking and recognised the sense of euphoria he knew existed between staff in the aftermath of a desperate situation. He would very much have liked to have been included but could only smile his congratulations as Lisa and her companion passed the desk on their way out.

‘Well done, Lisa,’ he said warmly. ‘I’m most impressed.’

‘Thanks.’ The smile didn’t quite reach those brown eyes. ‘But you must be easily impressed. It’s just part of the job around here.’

‘I’m sure Mr Steel wouldn’t agree.’ David enjoyed the surprised flicker in her expression at his knowledge of the patient’s name. Then he saw her glance towards the monitors and the television screen. Her expression changed as she realised how closely David had been able to observe the incident. Fascinated by her changing expression, David wondered if Lisa Kennedy had any awareness of how her face revealed her thoughts. Her body language was expressive too. Like the infinitesimal shrug that said it was of no importance that he’d been watching her. He could almost see the effort with which she made her gaze carefully neutral when she transferred it back in his direction.

‘I don’t think you’ve met our junior registrar, Mr James. This is Sean Findlay.’

‘Call me David.’ He held out his hand to the registrar. ‘I’m not big on formality.’ His gaze included Lisa but it only Sean who nodded and returned the smile. He sighed inwardly. Was establishing a friendly relationship with Lisa Kennedy always such an uphill battle or was it something about him?

Perhaps he shouldn’t have accepted Jane’s offer of a tour around the cardiology wards but it hadn’t occurred to David that it might coincide with Dr Kennedy’s round. Neither had he had any intention of staring at the woman every time she came into view. It had to be coincidence that she managed to catch his eye every time she glanced in his direction. Or could it be that she felt the same attraction and found, like him, that she seemed to have lost automatic control over her visual targets? If so, she was very good at covering it up. Her expression became increasingly exasperated and David felt it was not before time that he headed off to explore the surgical set-up.

The unfortunate timing of his exit from the ward was more than coincidence. It was sheer bad luck. The last thing he wanted was to irritate her further by disrupting her day yet again. But what could he have done? The woman coming down the corridor was the size of an elephant. The bars on her walking frame looked seriously strained and David instinctively stepped aside to remove himself from the path of what appeared to be a human steamroller. The momentum was deceptive, however, and David found himself blocking the purposeful approach of Lisa Kennedy.

‘Excuse me.’

There was nowhere to go. Jane was behind him. Lisa in front. The mountain of flesh on his left had rolled to a standstill and was breathing with alarming difficulty.

‘Use your puffer, Mrs Judd,’ Lisa ordered calmly. ‘Have you got it with you?’

The incongruously small head nodded slowly. Sausage-like fingers inched along the bar towards a fold in a baby pink candlewick dressing-gown that looked like a bedspread. David’s lips twitched. Hell, it probably needed to be a bedspread. He wanted to catch Lisa’s eye to see if she was sharing any amusement in the situation but Lisa was looking over his shoulder at Jane.

‘Do you have any idea where Mr Benson is?’

‘Having an echo, I think.’

Mrs Judd was having difficulty locating her pocket. She tilted towards David who stepped forward involuntarily. Lisa was forced to step backwards. She looked annoyed.

‘And Mrs Chisholm?’

‘She was on the list for a nuclear scan but she might still be in the shower.’

Mrs Judd had found her inhaler. It seemed to be an effort for her to raise it to her lips. David heard her gasp and had a horrifying vision of trying to resuscitate Mrs Judd here in the corridor. He drew in a deep breath and was again aware of the evocative scent of Chanel. But Lisa Kennedy was looking anything but sensuous.

‘It would be nice—just occasionally—if I could find my patients in their beds when I wanted to do a ward round.’

Jane laughed. ‘I’ll see what I can do, Lisa.’

Mrs Judd was moving again and David found himself deserted. He watched as Lisa disappeared into the ward office with Jane, before moving off himself with a small shrug. Why did he have the feeling that he was a major contributor in what was shaping up to be a bad day for Lisa Kennedy? And why did his thoughts keep returning to the senior registrar even hours later when he had finished his tour of the respiratory wards and lunched with their senior staff.

It had to be the novelty of an attractive woman apparently disliking him on sight that had sparked this preoccupation. It wouldn’t take long to readjust to a professional standpoint and then they’d probably get on just fine. She was obviously good at what she did and she would soon recognise that he was also more than competent. He would gain her respect at least. And after that? a small voice whispered. David ignored the question. After that, who knew what might happen? Things had a habit of sorting themselves out. It was really only a matter of time.

And time could often pass more quickly with a little push. David’s attention was caught by the display outside the hospital’s gift shop but he hadn’t expected to find Lisa in residence when he managed to track down her new office. He had intended to simply leave the single red rose along with the other items in the small box he carried. With dismay he now realised that the gesture might not have been such an inspiration after all.