The Secret Between Them Read online

  Until next time.

  ‘Sunainah?’ Nicole, standing beside her, watching the two of them rather intently, cleared her throat.

  ‘Oh, yes. I apologise. Elliot, allow me to introduce my colleague, Nicole Tada.’

  Elliot stretched out a hand towards Nicole and shook her proffered hand. Nicole immediately checked his left hand for a wedding ring and when she didn’t find one she asked bluntly, ‘So you’re not married?’ At Elliot’s raised eyebrows Nicole continued. ‘Sorry to be so blunt but, quite frankly, I have a few young agency nurses who love to flirt. It will make my life easier if you are married.’

  Elliot shook his head. ‘Sorry, Nicole. I’m a widower.’ His voice dropped to a more reverent tone and Sunainah noticed the sparkling look in his eyes dulled a little as he said the words that were never easy to say. ‘My wife passed away the day after my son was born.’

  ‘Oh, Elliot.’ Sunainah’s heart instantly went out to him as the memory of cradling the small blond boy as he slept flashed through her mind. ‘I am so sorry to hear that.’

  ‘That’s why Joshie is so precious to me. Daphne, too.’ Elliot smiled pointedly at Sunainah. ‘She has her mother’s get up and go. Always wanting to help.’

  Sunainah’s smile was tinged with sadness as she remembered the little girl’s words yesterday. Mummy’s gone. The poor lamb. She probably had no real memory of her mother. ‘She is very good at it.’

  ‘Hang on.’ Nicole held up her hands as though calling for a time-out. ‘How do you two know each other?’

  ‘Uh...well—’ Sunainah was about to answer when there was a loud crash then a bang, followed by an almighty cry from one of the ward rooms. Elliot and Sunainah headed instantly in the direction of the disturbance, a shared room of four boys, but when they arrived it was to find two boys of about seven years old sprawled out on the floor, both of them crying.

  ‘It was his fault.’ One of the other boys, still safe in his bed, instantly pointed. Sunainah quickly took in the situation, with the overturned bedside tables, jigsaw-puzzle pieces everywhere and the contents of two plastic cups on the floor.

  One of the boys had a cast on his leg and was having difficulty getting up off the floor. Elliot immediately scooped the boy up and carefully deposited him on his bed, while Sunainah helped the other boy up.

  ‘Are you all right, Matthew?’

  Matthew was still crying as she lifted him onto his bed so she could inspect him better. She glanced across at where Elliot was talking to Dean, ensuring that his cast was still intact and that there was no other permanent damage done.

  ‘We were doing the p-p-puzzle together,’ Matthew said between his tears, his voice hiccupping. ‘And he put a piece in the wrong side and I said it was wr-wr-wrong but he...he...’

  ‘Shh,’ Sunainah soothed. ‘It is all right.’ She glanced over her shoulder and realised that Nicole, who had followed them in, was calling a few other nurses in to help with the clean-up.

  ‘But now the pieces are wet,’ Dean added, his own sobs blending with Matthew’s.

  ‘It will be all right,’ Sunainah told him. ‘It is just water and it is only on one or two pieces that are wet. We will get them dry for you.’ She looked at Matthew. ‘Now, can you lie back on the bed for me, please? I need to check your bandage is still in place.’

  Matthew did as he was told, and when Sunainah checked his abdominal bandage she found the dressing was still firmly in place. ‘Thankfully, you have not pulled your stitches out, which would not have been good.’ Even though her voice was firm, she smiled at him.

  ‘May I suggest,’ Elliot said as he settled Dean back into bed, ‘that we set the puzzle up in the playroom and after both of you have had a little rest and Nurse Nicole has dried out the wet pieces, you can start again. That way, you don’t need to lean across the beds or accidentally knock over the bedside tables.’ As he spoke, Elliot righted the tables and wheeled them back to the end of each boy’s bed.

  ‘Good idea, Dr Elliot. In fact,’ Sunainah continued, ‘I will even come and help you to get the puzzle started again.’

  ‘You’ll really come and help us?’ Dean asked, and Sunainah smiled at him, straightening her shoulders.

  ‘I am an expert at doing jigsaw puzzles.’

  ‘Really?’ Matthew’s eyes were wide.

  ‘Yes. My father and I used to do a new one every few weeks. It was great fun.’

  Elliot caught the past tense in Sunainah’s words and as he watched her a little more closely he noticed a moment of sadness cross her face. It was the same sadness he’d seen yesterday and from the way she’d needed to swallow, he realised her pain was very recent.

  ‘Do you still do them?’ Dean wanted to know.

  ‘I think that’s enough excitement for now,’ Nicole interrupted in her best nurse-knows-best voice. She glanced at Sunainah, who smiled gratefully, knowing the nurse had timed her interruption to perfection.

  ‘Nurse Nicole is right.’ Sunainah pulled Matthew’s sheets up to tuck him in a bit more. ‘I know it is almost eight o’clock in the morning but you have all been up and wide awake since half past five so now will be a good time to rest.’

  ‘That goes for you two as well,’ Nicole added, tucking in the other two boys in the rowdy ward room.

  ‘Ward round will be starting soon,’ Sunainah told them, ‘so you must all be on your best behaviour. Once it is over, we will all go to the playroom and start the jigsaw.’

  ‘Yes!’ Dean pumped his fist with delight and Elliot couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to see the boys enjoying an activity that wasn’t about the latest computer game.

  ‘Let us leave Nicole to settle the boys,’ Sunainah suggested, motioning towards the door. ‘She is much better at it than you or I will ever be.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Nicole remarked with a wide grin. ‘With five brothers and three children of my own, I do consider myself something of an expert.’

  ‘And while we are waiting for the other consultants and registrars to arrive...’ Sunainah turned to look at Elliot ‘...I will give you a quick tour of the ward.’

  ‘Sounds like a plan,’ Elliot replied.

  ‘And the first thing I will show you is the cupboard where we keep our white coats.’ Sunainah grinned as they headed towards the doors that led to the paediatric ward. Just off to the side was another doorway, which opened up to reveal a closet. ‘It was a decision made quite some time ago that the doctors would not wear white coats because there was the possibility it might frighten the children. A hospital can be a very scary place for someone so young and this way we at least make it a bit more happy for them.’

  As she spoke, Elliot removed a few things from the pocket of his coat and dutifully took it off and hung it up. ‘Done. Next.’

  ‘Ah...’ She crooked her finger, indicating he should follow her. ‘The next thing you must see is the kitchen. We have a microwave, toaster and refrigerator if you want to bring your lunch from home and, of course, we have tea-and coffee-making facilities.’

  As Elliot looked at the kitchen, he nodded. ‘I’m pleased to see you have your priorities straight. Every new doctor should be shown the way towards the nearest source of coffee.’

  Sunainah laughed at his words, the sweet sound washing over him like a soft, comfortable blanket. Didn’t she have any idea how the laughter brightened her dark eyes, washing away any hint of repressed sadness?

  ‘Do you need a cup before rounds?’

  Elliot shook his head. ‘I’m doing all right at the moment, thanks.’

  ‘Excellent. So...on with the tour.’ She showed him where the photocopier was, how they filed the paperwork and a few other things. ‘And this,’ she said, opening a door at the end of a short corridor, ‘is my office.’

  ‘They tuck you away down here?’

 
‘I was offered a larger office but it was not on the ward and I would much rather be doing my work here, nice and close to the patients.’

  ‘Quite right, too,’ he agreed. ‘I would have chosen the same.’ He looked around the room, walking in, looking at the generic prints on the wall and the large umbrella plant in the corner. ‘Did you decorate it?’

  Sunainah smiled and reviewed her office décor. ‘No, I did not. This was how I inherited it from my predecessor.’

  ‘I thought you might have some pictures up that your grateful little patients have drawn for you.’

  ‘Those brilliant masterpieces we usually put on the picture wall in the ward so everyone can see and admire their handiwork. Oh, but I do have...’ She walked around to her desk drawer and pulled out a battered necklace made from dried macaroni pasta. ‘As you can see, it is a little worse for wear.’

  ‘You’ve actually worn it?’ Elliot came around to inspect it, noticing the way Sunainah’s fresh floral scent wound its way around his senses. It wasn’t an exotic scent but one that was understated and very pretty. He liked it.

  ‘Of course. A little boy called Patrick made this for me. He was only three years old at the time but now he has just turned thirteen.’

  Elliot watched her eyes light with happiness as she spoke of her past patient. ‘What was his story?’

  ‘He was mute.’

  Elliot raised his eyebrows in surprise. ‘Not something you come across every day.’

  ‘No. Patrick had been traumatised. He had witnessed the death of his father and after that he closed up his words tight, like a clam shell. His mother was distraught and it was thought that the best place for Patrick was at the hospital. He barely interacted with the staff and three days after he came in here he went missing. We searched everywhere and eventually I found him. He was hiding in one of the cupboards in the playroom.’

  ‘Poor little fellow.’

  Sunainah nodded. ‘Yes. I will never forget the look on his face, seeing him there, completely terrified. Instead of trying to coax him out, I sat down next to him and started to play with some of the toys. It took well over an hour for him to feel secure enough to come out of the cupboard and after that he was like my little shadow. He would only eat if I was around. He responded better to his sessions with the psychologist when I was there.’

  ‘And I’ll bet you were a hectic registrar with a massive workload and yet you still made time for him.’

  ‘But of course.’ Sunainah’s words were matter-of-fact, as though she had not even thought of doing otherwise. Besides, she knew firsthand what it was like to be pushed aside when a parent could not cope with enormous life changes. The instant those dark, personal thoughts entered her mind she forced herself to lock them away again.

  ‘Patrick was my patient. He needed me. One day I found him in the playroom, sitting by himself, making this necklace. When I asked him if it was a present for his mother he shook his head. Then he came and placed it around my neck.’ Tears began to well in her eyes and she quickly looked away, putting the necklace back in the drawer.

  ‘A perfect moment.’ Elliot’s words were soft and filled with empathetic understanding.

  Sunainah raised her gaze, surprised. ‘Yes.’ Elliot understood?

  ‘We have so few of those in our lives, Sunainah. It’s important to recognise them when they come along, which you clearly did as you’ve kept that necklace, broken and battered as it is. It’s not just a necklace given to you by a little patient, it’s a symbol of love. A love that was not only given from Patrick to you but also a constant reminder that what you do, the way you choose to care for your patients, is important.’

  ‘Yes. I needed to be there for him, so he had someone to lean on.’

  ‘Exactly.’ Elliot pointed to the drawer. ‘I’ll bet that on days when things go wrong, when nothing seems to work out the way you want, you come in here, close the door and put that necklace on.’

  Sunainah nodded, surprised Elliot seemed to understand her so completely. How odd. No man, not even Raj, who had been her fiancé, had understood.

  ‘I know because I have something similar.’ He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of smoothed wood. On it were the childishly shaped letters D-A-D. ‘Daphne made this for me just before we left Melbourne to come here. She gave it a kiss, then put it into my hand and then kissed me on the cheek. She wrapped her little arms around my neck and said, “I love my daddy.”’

  Elliot looked down at the keepsake in his hand before closing his fingers around it and shoving it back into his pocket, trying to keep his voice calm and controlled. It wouldn’t do for him to get overly emotional in front of his new colleague.

  He shrugged one shoulder. ‘I needed to have it with me today, to remind me why I’ve uprooted my children and moved them away from everything and everyone they’ve ever known.’

  Sunainah watched him for a moment. ‘You are still not sure you have done the right thing?’

  ‘No, I know I’ve done the right thing but I also know it isn’t going to be at all easy.’ He turned away and walked to the small window that overlooked the doctors’ car park. ‘Sometimes we need to walk the more rocky path.’

  ‘It makes us stronger,’ she ventured, agreeing with him. They both remained silent for a moment before Sunainah spoke softly. ‘May I ask you a question?’

  Elliot shrugged one shoulder but didn’t turn to face her. ‘Sure.’

  ‘Why did you openly tell Nicole that your wife had passed away? Your marital status is rather irrelevant as far as your job is concerned.’

  He exhaled slowly then turned to face her. ‘Because I loathe gossip. I’d rather the staff know right from the get-go that I’m a widower with two young children. No speculation. No whispers of Is he single? or I wonder if he’s ready to date?—the latter of which I received at my last hospital ad nauseam.’

  Elliot shook his head with frustrated sadness. ‘My wife had breast cancer, diagnosed four months into her pregnancy. She refused to terminate the pregnancy and although the doctors started chemotherapy, the cancer was too aggressive. Joshie was born five weeks premature. Marie died the day after he was born.’

  ‘I am so very sorry, Elliot.’ Sunainah’s words were soft and filled with empathy.

  He shook his head and spread his arms wide. ‘I don’t like the fact that I’ve been a widower for almost two years. I don’t like the fact that I’m a single father who felt so smothered by my wife’s family that I moved to the Sunshine Coast in order to get away from them. I don’t like it that Joshie has been sick and that Daphne ran off in the supermarket yesterday and I didn’t even have a clue she was missing.’ Elliot raked a hand through his hair. ‘Anything could have happened to her.’

  ‘But it did not.’ She paused. ‘I am presuming you were successful in enrolling them in a daycare centre?’

  ‘Yes. My new neighbour told me the one she uses is good so I called and the woman there was very accommodating and willing to take both the children immediately.’

  ‘That is wonderful news. Where are they going?’

  ‘A place called Grandma Liz’s daycare centre. It’s not far from the hospital, which is good because if they’re ever sick or I’m needed in a hurry, I’m close by.’

  Sunainah smiled. ‘I do know the place. My friend’s daughter goes there and she loves it.’

  ‘Well, that’s another good recommendation.’ He pushed his hand through his hair then shook his head. ‘I keep telling myself it’s just one step at a time. Deal with things as they happen—which was all I could do yesterday. And everything would have taken even longer to sort out if you hadn’t offered to help.’

  ‘It was my pleasure.’

  ‘Yesterday only brought home to me that I have no clue what I’m doing as a parent or how I’m going to cope.’
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br />   Sunainah smiled, her voice soft and sweet. ‘And then you put your hand into your pocket and you find that small piece of love with your name on it. It is a love you can hold, can grasp when you need it most. You love your children, Elliot. I could see as much yesterday. You will figure everything out. I am sure of it.’

  He looked at her with a hint of scepticism. ‘How can you be so certain? So positive?’

  ‘Because you are talking about it. Most men do not talk of their feelings in such a way, plus it is easy to see just how much your children love you.’ Her cell phone rang and she quickly pulled it from the clip on her belt. ‘You will make friends and so will the children and soon you will find your feet again.’ She nodded with a certainty Elliot found easier to believe than the lectures he’d been giving himself.

  ‘Is it ward round time, Nic—’ Sunainah stopped, then sighed as she listened to what Nicole was saying. ‘All right. Page Bethany to see if she can come now instead of at ten o’clock. Have William start the ward round. I will be there directly.’

  ‘Problem?’ Elliot asked as she ended the call.

  ‘A patient’s father is unhappy,’ she remarked as they exited her office. ‘I spoke to him last night and thought I had soothed his ruffled feathers but he has come back this morning.’ Sunainah shook her head, a frown creasing her perfect forehead.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘Pardon?’

  ‘Your instincts are telling you something, Sunainah. What is it?’

  ‘I do not think he likes female doctors. It does not seem to matter what I or any of the nurses tell him, he does not think we are looking after his son adequately.’

  ‘Ah. I know the type. If you’d like some assistance, I’d be more than happy to offer mine.’

  Sunainah thought for a moment before nodding. ‘A fresh perspective might be good.’

  ‘Then lead the way, Dr Carrington. I’ve got your back.’ Elliot nodded then winked at her, his voice filled with an honest promise.