The Secret Between Them Read online

  As Sunainah walked towards the nurses’ station, feeling Elliot’s strong, warm and comforting presence behind her, she was quite dumbfounded. No man had ever promised to support her in such a fashion, his tone indicating he might be someone she could actually come to trust. In fact, no man had ever winked at her like that—jovial yet determined. Elliot Jones, a man she barely knew, was willing to help her.

  What had she done to deserve such attention?

  CHAPTER THREE

  AT THE NURSES’ station, several people were gathered—consultants, registrars, dieticians, interns and even a few medical students. William, her more-than-capable registrar, who had almost finished his paediatric training, caught her gaze. Sunainah nodded once, giving him the all-clear to begin the round.

  ‘I demand to speak to someone who knows what they’re really doing around here.’ The booming male voice came from one of the side rooms and Sunainah instantly stiffened, turning in that direction. She would have to walk over there and deal with Mr Preedy yet again.

  Right now, it was the last thing she wanted but, she reminded herself, she was a strong woman who protected her patients, even if it was from their own parents. Besides, she did not appreciate people making a scene in her ward, not only upsetting the patients but making the staff feel uneasy. Arrogant, overbearing men were her least favourite people to deal with and a shiver from other times she had heard such a tone ran down the back of her spine.

  Elliot was standing just behind her and as she paused for a moment, ensuring her memories remained repressed, Elliot’s comforting words washed over her again.

  ‘I’ve got your back,’ he reiterated, his words firm and unyielding.

  Sunainah swallowed and turned to look up at him, which, she realised belatedly, was a very large mistake. Elliot was much closer than she had realised and as she stared into his eyes, surprised to feel comforted by his presence, she tried with great difficulty to ignore the way his spicy scent invaded her senses, momentarily making her forget everything.

  ‘Er...thanks,’ she whispered, then swallowed over her suddenly dry throat. Why was she so aware of him? It was odd and confusing and—

  ‘I’m here, Sunainah,’ Bethany, the paediatric social worker called as she closed the door behind her. ‘Nicole caught me at the perfect time.’

  ‘I am glad you could make it.’ Sunainah indicated Elliot. ‘This is Elliot Jones, our new paediatric consultant.’

  Bethany quickly shook hands with him but anything she might have said was cut off by the loud, blustery voice coming from the private room near the end of the corridor.

  ‘Why does he still have these tubes going into him? Why isn’t my son getting better?’

  ‘I see Mr Preedy is starting early today,’ Bethany remarked drolly.

  ‘It is unfortunate,’ Sunainah replied, handing Elliot Rory Preedy’s case notes. William had set off on the ward round, taking the gaggle of medical students, interns, registrars, nurses and consultants with him. Having so many people in the ward along with Mr Preedy’s booming voice cutting through the usual calmness the staff strove hard to promote was increasing Sunainah’s agitation. She needed to get this situation under control as soon as possible and she most sincerely hoped Elliot was going to assist her, as he had promised.

  ‘Shall we?’ Nicole asked, pointing in the direction of Rory’s room.

  ‘Yes,’ Bethany replied. ‘We’d best rescue the poor nurse he’s yelling at before he tears her to shreds.’

  Elliot closed the file and walked closely behind Sunainah. ‘I have an idea how to handle this man.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Just...please don’t be offended if I seem a bit different. Sometimes the only way to deal with a man like Mr Preedy is to speak his language.’

  ‘Anything for Rory. The patient comes first,’ she stated as they all paused outside Rory’s private room before Nicole opened the door.

  Elliot pushed past the three women and strode firmly into the room, flicking Rory’s case notes open. He didn’t look at Mr Preedy, didn’t look at the young nurse, who took the opportunity to escape through the open door like a frightened bird flying the coop.

  ‘Hello, Rory.’ Elliot’s voice was controlled but not as loud as Mr Preedy’s. ‘I’m Dr Elliot Jones and I’ll be monitoring your progress today.’ He looked down at the notes then back to Rory. ‘You’ve just turned three years old, is that correct?’

  Rory, surprised to see another man in the room, glanced once at his father then at Sunainah. Sunainah nodded encouragingly and Rory mimicked her action, nodding his head.

  ‘My own son, Joshua, is almost two years old. He likes to play with cars and trucks. Do you like cars and trucks?’

  This time Rory didn’t look at anyone before he nodded his head but kept his eyes trained on Elliot.

  ‘Excellent.’ Elliot turned to Nicole. ‘Perhaps we can get some small cars and trucks in here for Rory to play with?’

  ‘I’ll get it organised, Doctor,’ Nicole replied, her voice calm.

  ‘Good.’ Elliot put the opened case notes at the end of Rory’s bed, flicked over a few pages, then nodded. ‘I see the treatment for your urinary tract infection is coming along just nicely.’ He still hadn’t looked at Mr Preedy and when Sunainah glanced at the parent, it was to see him scowling, unappreciative that his rant had been interrupted.

  ‘Who are you? This is my son,’ Mr Preedy blustered.

  Elliot exhaled harshly, as though he was annoyed with the interruption. He still didn’t look at Mr Preedy but instead focused on checking Rory’s drip. ‘I’m Dr Elliot Jones.’ He finished what he was doing, then finally raised his gaze to look firmly into the other man’s eyes.

  Sunainah blinked, feeling as though she were watching a scene from an old Western, the two men staring at each other in a stand-off. Elliot was almost half a foot taller than Mr Preedy and much broader in the shoulders. She was reassured by the strength he exuded. He had told her he was going to try speaking Mr Preedy’s ‘language’ and it appeared Elliot was winning.

  After a good fifteen seconds had ticked by, Elliot held his hand out towards the father. Mr Preedy waited a moment before accepting the hand. The handshake was more like a firm clasp with no up and down shaking going on at all. ‘I’m one of the paediatricians here at Sunshine General and I’ll be joining Dr Carrington here...’ he nodded politely towards Sunainah ‘...in caring for your son while he’s in our ward.’

  ‘You must be new.’ There was a slight hint of acceptance in Mr Preedy’s tone.

  ‘I am, and as I have just joined Dr Carrington on this case, I must say from what I’ve read in young Rory’s notes and from what I see here...’ Elliot waved a hand in Rory’s direction ‘...his treatment has been exemplary.’ He still kept his words brisk, clipped and very much to the point.

  ‘All I can really do is reassure you that everything is progressing exactly as it should be and if everything continues to go without a hitch, if Rory is able to rest effectively and relax so his body isn’t too stressed out from being pressured to get better, then he should be ready for discharge by the end of the week.’

  Matter-of-fact. That was his attitude. No nonsense. Take charge. That was the persona Elliot was portraying for Mr Preedy, that he was the doctor in charge and he would make sure everything ran smoothly from now on. Then he said something that surprised her. His tone remained the same but the look in his eyes changed to one of shared comprehension. ‘Mr Preedy, I can see you’re a caring father who only wants the best for his son. I understand that completely, being a father myself.’

  ‘Er...yes.’ Mr Preedy shuffled his feet, clearly uncomfortable but not willing to back down. Sunainah instantly felt sorry for the man. It was evident he was having difficulty showing exactly how much he did care for his son and she hoped that somehow, some time he
would come to know it was all right to show affection towards Rory. ‘I had...er...just thought he would have been better by now.’

  ‘I’m sure Dr Carrington has explained the treatment to you and the main factor that will assist with Rory’s immediate recovery is not to be around loud noises. Having some cars and trucks brought in for him to play with will help ease his boredom and maintain a sense of calm. Hopefully, by tomorrow morning we’ll be able to remove the catheter and Rory will be able to spend some time in the playroom with a few of the other children. I understand it might sound old-fashioned and slow but at the moment rest, relaxation and time will play an important part in Rory’s recovery.’

  ‘That’s what she said,’ Mr Preedy remarked, a scowl returning to his features as he jabbed a finger in Sunainah’s direction.

  Elliot smiled brightly. ‘Then you have nothing to worry about. Between Dr Carrington and myself, as well as the nurses caring for him, we’ll have Rory up and about in no time at all. The two of you will be lying on your living-room floor, playing cars and trucks and building with blocks, before you know it.’

  At these words Bethany suddenly had a coughing fit as she tried to cover the bubble of laughter that had escaped her lips. Clearly the image of Mr Preedy lying on the floor and playing with his son was too much for the social worker to bear.

  Elliot closed the case notes, gently ruffled Rory’s hair and looked pointedly at his watch. ‘Good heavens. Is that the time?’

  The suggestion did the trick as Mr Preedy also glanced at his watch, his eyes widening with shock. ‘I’m going to be late for work.’ He looked at Rory then at Elliot then back at his son. He took a step closer and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. ‘Keep getting better, son. Your mother will be here shortly.’ His tone was still clipped but didn’t have any of the previous volume. Without looking at any of the women in the room, he turned and strode out.

  No one spoke for a few seconds, the air filling with a sense of incredulity. There was the strange sense that everyone should clap but they all refrained, not wanting to excite or upset Rory. Bethany spoke first, her tone calm yet filled with admiration. ‘Good job, Elliot.’ She grinned at him before exiting Rory’s room.

  ‘I’ll go see about those toy cars,’ Nicole told them, winking at Rory as she followed Bethany out.

  Sunainah moved closer to Rory’s bed and gently folded back the bed covers to reveal more of the little boy’s face. ‘It is OK now,’ she reassured him with a smile. ‘You can start to get better.’

  Rory seemed to sigh with relief at this news, as though he had just been waiting for someone to tell him he could get better. ‘Dr Elliot and I, along with Nicole, will all take good care of you and make sure your father and mother understand what is going on.’

  The boy nodded once then looked at Elliot. ‘Dr Sunainah’s right,’ Elliot remarked, his tone exactly like the one he had used with Joshua yesterday. Caring, understanding, compassionate. ‘And once some of the tubes are removed, you’ll be able to join in the fun in the playroom.’

  This brought a smile to Rory’s face and when Nicole returned with some toy cars and trucks, his smile got bigger.

  Elliot wheeled over the bedside table, and Sunainah helped Rory to sit up a little higher. The boy instantly grasped one of the cars in his hand. The two doctors stood there, playing cars with Rory for a few minutes while Nicole checked Rory’s catheter and drip.

  ‘I hope that big truck does not come and bump my car,’ Sunainah remarked, indicating the truck Elliot had in his hand. Rory’s eyes twinkled with delight as Elliot moved his truck towards Sunainah’s car and smashed into it, making Rory giggle with glee.

  Sunainah sighed, pleased to see the young boy smiling once more. She glanced across at Elliot, surprised to find him looking at her. He smiled at her and winked once more as though to say, ‘I told you I could help.’ And he had. He had done what he had said he would do. This was a good step in the right direction when it came to trusting her new colleague.

  ‘I’ll stay with him,’ Nicole stated, looking from Elliot to Sunainah, both of them quickly shifting their gazes to look at the nurse. ‘You two can go and catch the end of the round—that way you can introduce our new superhero to the masses.’ Nicole grinned at Elliot before he stood, said goodbye to Rory and then held the door open for Sunainah to precede him.

  ‘Nicole is right,’ Sunainah said, trying to ignore the way her heart was beating a little faster than before. She was sure it had nothing to do with the cheeky wink Elliot had given her. Honestly, he was just a colleague and while he might be a very good-looking colleague, he was still just a colleague...and she would do well to remember that.

  ‘Right about what?’ he asked as he handed Rory’s file in at the nurses’ station.

  ‘You are a superhero.’

  Elliot grinned but didn’t try to deny it. ‘At your service, Dr Carrington.’ He performed a sweeping bow, making her laugh out loud. It was a wonderful sound, soft and light and causing his gut to tighten. Her smile was bright, her eyes alive with laughter and he had to admit that at that moment he couldn’t believe how incredibly beautiful she looked.

  ‘Then, Dr Superhero, let us join the ward round and perhaps discover what other superpowers you possess,’ she remarked, laughter still twinkling in her eyes.

  ‘Lead the way, my trusty sidekick.’

  Sunainah laughed again as they left the nurses’ station, walking towards the crowd still moving from one bed to the next, reviewing the patients. ‘I do not think I am a sidekick,’ she said, ‘but I am happy to have you as a part of my team.’

  Elliot nodded, his smile still bright. ‘And I’m happy to be here.’ Even though he’d basically said the words in order to be polite and keep the mood upbeat, Elliot realised that for the moment he actually meant it.

  * * *

  That night, after an exhausting day of meetings and paediatric clinics, not to mention spending time in the playroom with Matthew, Dean and a few of the other boys, doing a jigsaw puzzle, Sunainah was glad to finally get back home.

  As she drove into the small cul-de-sac she passed a removal truck that was just leaving. Outside the first town house a few large packing boxes were stacked on top of each other. It was then she remembered her friend Mackenzie had told her someone new had moved in, and here was the proof.

  Although Sunainah was tired after an emotionally exhausting and mentally draining day, especially with the meetings she had been required to attend, she knew it would be better to go and introduce herself to her new neighbours sooner rather than later. Mackenzie would no doubt be organising cul-de-sac dinners and get-togethers before too long and it would not be right for Sunainah not to know her new neighbours.

  Parking her car, she climbed out, pulling some energy from thin air as she walked towards town house number one. The front door was open and she could hear girlish giggling inside, the delightful sound making her smile. What was it about a child’s uninhibited laughter that managed to soothe her soul? Every day when she heard it at work she knew she had chosen the right profession.

  She knocked on the open front door. ‘Hello?’ She stepped over the threshold, hearing the sounds of grown-up laughter following that of the children’s. Male and female. It appeared they had a family living here for a while, which would be nice for Ruthie, Mackenzie’s six-year-old daughter.

  ‘Hello?’ she called again, venturing farther into the house, following the sound of the voices.

  ‘Oh. Sorry,’ a man’s voice called out from near the top of the stairs, a voice that was...vaguely familiar. Sunainah frowned but continued walking towards it. A moment later Elliot appeared before her and quickly came down the stairs, a big smile on his face.

  ‘Sunainah! Mackenzie just told me that we’re going to be neighbours.’ He was now standing beside her at the foot of the stairs.

&nb
sp; ‘Hi, there,’ Mackenzie said, looking down at both of them as she slowly descended the stairs. ‘I didn’t realise Elliot was also a doctor until a few minutes ago and then when he told me he worked in paediatrics, well...’ Mackenzie shrugged and flicked her blond hair over her shoulder. ‘What else was there to say? He’s going to fit in perfect with our little cul-de-sac family, don’t you think?

  ‘Er...yes.’ Sunainah could not think of anything more to say right at that moment but it did not matter because Mackenzie was on a roll. ‘Anyway, Elliot,’ she said, smiling politely at him, ‘please, come on over when you’re ready and we’ll have dinner together. Unpacking boxes can be exhausting and hunger-inducing work.’ Mackenzie grinned at Sunainah. ‘You’re coming, too,’ she ordered. ‘Bergan and Richard will be there too.’

  ‘And Reggie?’ Sunainah could not resist asking. Mackenzie was such an organiser and it was clear she was in her element tonight.

  Mackenzie shook her head. ‘She’s on call tonight. Besides, it’s just the cul-de-sac crew.’ She laughed. ‘I love how that sounds.’ She turned and angled her head towards the top of the stairs. ‘Ruthie. Come on, gorgeous girl. We’ll go and get things ready for Daphne and Joshua’s visit.’

  ‘I go, too,’ Daphne said, appearing at the top of the stairs next to Ruthie.

  ‘Wait there, sweetheart.’ Elliot instantly rushed up the stairs to collect his daughter while Ruthie barrelled down the stairs with all the expertise of a girl of six.

  ‘I help, Daddy. I help.’

  ‘It’s fine with me,’ Mackenzie stated. ‘Joshua can come, too. I don’t mind.’

  ‘Yay!’ Daphne ran through to the downstairs bedroom, calling to Joshua. A moment later the little boy came running after his sister, not really sure what was happening but not wanting to be left out either.

  ‘All righty, kids. Let’s go.’ Mackenzie scooped Joshua up into her arms and reached down for Daphne’s hand. The little girl was more than happy to go along, following Ruthie eagerly. ‘See you two in about ten minutes,’ Mackenzie called over her shoulder, and before Sunainah could blink she was standing in Elliot’s new residence, all alone with him.