Chapter 6
The feeling of falling reached an unbearable intensity.
Maybe it was the glow of the glorious sunset. Or perhaps the emotions that Connor’s words had stirred up. Whatever the cause, there was no way of catching herself in time and, for a few memorable seconds when his lips touched hers, Kate simply let herself go.
She fell into the softness of his lips and the warmth of his body as he drew her close.
The knot of longing deep in her belly spiralled into a white-hot glow.
Kate felt her lips parting beneath Connor’s, but it was in that split second before his tongue touched hers that she realised just how far out of control this was.
With a gasp, she put her hands on Connor’s chest and pushed herself away.
They stood there, staring at each other.
‘We – we need to go,’ Kate stammered. ‘It’s really getting dark now.’
‘Hmm.’ Connor licked his lips and Kate felt an odd melting sensation in the core of her body, but he didn’t say anything else. He reached for her hand again and this time they reached the track.
He held her hand until they came to a narrow section of steps where they needed to go in single file and by the time they reached the sand, they were walking side by side, the same way they had done when they had arrived.
They still hadn’t said anything. That kiss hung between them. An invitation or a solid wall?
Something had to be said. How could Kate climb onto the back of that bike and hang on to Connor for as long as it would take for him to deliver her back home if she had to wonder whether he saw this as the start of a relationship?
If he was taking it for granted that it would follow the usual path and she would be panting to get into his bed in no time flat, like she could imagine any other woman he dated would be?
What if it got that far and he ended up being… disappointed? Disgusted, even?
Kate didn’t want that to happen. There was something between them that had become so much bigger this evening. Something that was too precious to risk.
She opened her mouth. ‘I’m not looking for a relationship, Connor.’
‘Okay.’
Oh, God… Was that relief in his tone?
For some reason that hurt rather a lot.
‘I’d like us to be friends, though,’ she added. ‘If that’s possible.’
‘Anything’s possible,’ Connor said, sounding neutral now. They reached the spot where he’d parked the bike and he handed Kate her helmet. In the deepening twilight she saw the gleam of teeth as he smiled.
‘I like you, Kate,’ he said. His smile widened. ‘I’m not sure exactly why but you…’ His voice faded, giving his last words a sincerity that took Kate’s breath away. ‘You’re… special. You surprise me.’
Kate had to swallow a small but very unexpected lump in her throat. ‘You surprise me, too.’
‘Do I?’ Connor zipped up his jacket. ‘How so?’
‘Well… I expected you to rake me over the coals over what happened today. You had – you still have – every right to.’
Connor shrugged. ‘I suspect you’ve been doing that to yourself.’
Kate bit her lip. ‘What are you going to do about it?’
‘What would you do?’
‘Probably take the matter to a disciplinary committee,’ Kate admitted.
Connor rammed his helmet onto his head and lowered the visor. He looked far more menacing now. Big and dark and… threatening.
‘There’s another way of looking at it,’ he suggested.
‘Which is?’
‘It could be a good platform to use to make a case for getting that mini pathology lab set up in the theatre suite as soon as possible. We’ve been trying to get it established for years and the powers-that-be keep stalling.
What happened today could be seen as being more about the way the whole system is failing its patients than trying to make it the fault of an individual.
I’m not saying that your registrar doesn’t need a bit of up-skilling but it would be good to see something positive come out of it, wouldn’t it? ’
‘Oh… yes…’ How many times was her breath going to be stolen tonight?
First by the depth of involvement and caring this man had for his patients and then by that kiss, and now by the way he could not only let go of an entirely justifiable anger but do a complete U-turn and go in a new direction.
An excellent direction.
‘I could help,’ Kate offered. ‘I could do some research and compile a list of cases where the time taken to do biopsies could have had a bearing in the patient’s outcome.’
‘Cool.’ Connor swung his leg over the bike and kicked it into life. ‘We’ll talk.’
Kate climbed on behind him. She raised her voice. ‘If Bella’s actually remembered to turn the oven on, there might be a roast chicken waiting. You could stay for dinner and we could talk about it.’
They not only talked about it; they came up with a plan of action that they got stuck into the very next day by going to see the clinical director of St Patrick’s hospital.
‘If nothing else,’ Kate finished their presentation by saying, ‘if news of this near-miss got into the media, it would be a good thing to be able to say that definitive steps were being taken to make sure it never happened again.’
Connor was impressed by her inspired addition. The clinical director looked thoughtful.
‘I still need the facts and figures to take to the funding committee. How soon can you present a report?’
Connor sounded confident. ‘The end of the week. Early next week at the latest.’ He glanced at Kate for confirmation, and she nodded.
The clinical director looked from Connor to Kate and back again. He shook his head and actually smiled.
‘I think it might work,’ he said, ‘but I have to say you two seem like a very unlikely team.’
Unlikely they may be but it became clear rapidly that they worked very well together. Connor spent more than one evening in the pathology department helping Kate locate and document cases. Not that they needed anything more than Estelle’s case but it wouldn’t hurt to strengthen it.
‘How’s Estelle doing?’ Kate asked.
‘Great. She’s up and around on her crutches. I’ll let her go home very soon.’
‘How long before she can go surfing again?’
‘I’m not sure I’m going to be able to control that one. I suspect she’ll be in the water as soon as that fracture’s healed. I’ll keep a close watch on her for the next few years, though, to make sure she doesn’t get a recurrence.’
Kate smiled at him.
‘What?’
‘Nothing… I was just imagining you keeping a watch on her by going to some surfing competition.’
Connor grinned. ‘I might just do that. Want to come with me?’
The question hung in the air. They were talking about the future here. Possibly a long time into the future. Would they still be friends?
Connor hoped so.
More than friends?
No. Kate had made it clear she didn’t want a relationship.
And he didn’t either. Not with someone like Kate, anyway.
She was so different from the usual type of women he had enjoyed brief relationships with that he wouldn’t know where to start.
And if you did start, how on earth would you finish?
Finishing always had to be on the agenda.
It wasn’t fair to expect anyone to want to stay with him long term.
Not when he couldn’t offer what it was that women always wanted.
Even a friendship with this woman was not something to be taken lightly.
It felt like a privilege.
Connor insisted on walking Kate back to the car-parking building when they finished those sessions late at night. Offering protection to a woman was mandatory in his book.
‘You just never know,’ he said, overriding her protests sternly.
His point was proven on that last night, when they’d been putting the finishing touches to their report. He’d seen Kate to her car and was heading for his bike when he heard the voices behind him. Turning, he saw that a man was approaching Kate so Connor headed over as well.
The man’s voice was raised by the time he got close.
‘I just want change so I can get a parking ticket from the damned machine,’ he was shouting angrily. ‘You’re a doctor, for God’s sake… it’s not as if it’s a big deal.’
Connor was close enough now to smell the alcohol fumes coming from the man, who was wearing a very scruffy overcoat despite the fact that it was a warm evening.
He was also carrying a plastic shopping bag that appeared to be stuffed full of old clothing.
Was he homeless? Had he found a good way of conning small change out of a large number of people?
Whatever. He wasn’t a small man and Kate wasn’t looking happy.
In fact, when Connor stepped in to stand beside her, his shoulder touched hers and he could actually feel how tense her whole body was.
Kate was frightened and Connor suddenly felt very angry.
‘Get lost,’ he told the man. ‘And if I find you here again, intimidating women, I’ll call Security. No… I might just deliver you to the nearest police station myself.’
‘Oh… yeah?’ The man swayed slightly and then took a closer look at Connor and backed away. ‘I only wanted a couple of dollars,’ he muttered.
‘He would probably have just gone away if you’d given him something,’ Connor reassured Kate. ‘I don’t think he intended you any real harm.’
‘No.’ But Kate seemed frozen to the spot.
‘Not that I’m saying you should have given him the money,’ Connor added. He’d known instinctively the first time he’d met Kate that the worst way to gain her cooperation would be by making demands. She needed to be treated with respect. She deserved to be treated with respect, dammit.
But even so, there was something strange about the way she was standing, holding herself so rigidly. Connor put his arm around her shoulders.
‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘He’s gone.’
She flinched at his touch. He felt it and a chill ran down Connor’s spine, but instead of letting go he turned Kate to face him, holding both her shoulders.
‘What is it, Katie?’ he asked softly. ‘What happened to you? Did someone hurt you?’