HE WAS AWAKE and he was watching her.
His eyes were bright blue and she could see him follow her path as she continued slowly past. Knowing she was in his sights made her blush but she managed to smile at him. There was nothing else to do. She’d been sprung admiring him. She knew it and so did he.
He grinned back, his smile full of mischief, and Ruby felt a warm glow suffuse her body and lift her spirits. She knew he’d only been in the ICU for an hour or two but already he looked far too healthy and vital for this room. Which made her wonder about his smile. She had probably imagined a connection—most likely he was still delirious and drugged and would smile at anyone.
She kept walking. Each bed was separated by a thin partition wall and at the foot of each bed was a curtain that could be pulled across for privacy. The cubicles were arranged around the outside of the room with a raised central station for the medical team. Ruby stepped into Rose’s cubicle and her neighbour disappeared from view.
It felt like it had taken her several minutes to cross the room when in reality it had probably been seconds, but even though he was now out of sight his image was burnt on her retina—bright blue eyes, a tanned and ripped torso and a roguish smile. She knew the memory of his smile would get her through the rest of the day.
‘How did the lumbar puncture go?’ Jake asked, as he greeted Scarlett with a kiss.
‘Fine, apparently. We’re just waiting for the results.’
Ruby sighed. More waiting. Being impatient wasn’t going to speed up the process but she didn’t care, she wanted answers.
She offered to sit with Rose. She would read to her to pass the time while the others stretched their legs. As they left Ruby saw the swish of the curtain in the next cubicle as the nurse pulled it closed. Voices carried to her from the other side of the partition as she pulled the novel from her handbag.
‘Is your pain relief working?’ the nurse asked. ‘You can top it up if you need to by pushing this button.’
‘I can handle the pain,’ he replied. ‘What’s the damage?’
His voice was deep and sent an unusual tremble through her chest. It reminded her of distant thunder as it rumbled through her. His voice matched his rugged, muscular and masculine physique perfectly.
‘I need to know what injuries I sustained.’
‘You have a broken collarbone, a fractured elbow and a couple of busted ribs.’
‘No serious chest injuries?’
‘No, but the list does go on. You also have a fractured femur.’
‘Dammit.’
Ruby almost burst out laughing. She wasn’t even pretending to read as she smiled to herself and continued to eavesdrop on the conversation.
‘What have they done with that?’ he asked.
‘It’s been screwed and plated.’
‘How long will I be in ICU?’
‘You’ve only just got here. What’s your hurry?’
Ruby caught herself frowning as she listened to the nurse’s flirty tones.
‘It will give me an idea how severe my injuries are.’
‘I take it you’re no stranger to hospitals?’
‘I’ve been patched up a few times.’
Ruby would swear she could hear the smile in his voice and she could imagine his bright blue eyes sparkling with just a hint of recklessness.
‘You lost a lot of blood and you’ve just undergone major surgery. Protocol dictates that we need to keep a close eye on you for the next twenty-four hours.’
‘Whose protocol?’ he challenged.
‘The hospital’s insurance company and your team’s.’
‘I thought as much.’
‘ICU is not such a bad place to recuperate for a few days. It’s much more secure than any of the other beds, including the private rooms on the general wards. I’m guessing there may be quite a bit of interest in your story and at least we can keep journalists at bay while you’re with us.’
Ruby’s curiosity was piqued. She had always been a sucker for anything with a hint of difference, be it a job, a situation or, more often than not, a man. She listened with interest, waiting for further details but was left disappointed.
‘Fair enough. I won’t make a fuss for a day or two but I’m not a great one for standing still.’
‘I think you’ve managed to solve that problem for a while at least. You won’t be going too far at all on that broken leg.’
It went quiet in the cubicle next door and Ruby saw the nurse move on to the patient on the other side. She opened the novel and started to read but she could hear her words weren’t flowing. Her mind was distracted, fixated on the motorbike man. Who was he? And why would the media be interested in him?
She forced herself to keep reading. She couldn’t worry about a stranger in the bed next door. She tried choosing some of her favourite scenes, ones that showed the heroine’s sense of humour, but she found herself constantly looking at Rose, waiting for a response from her, expecting to see a smile or a hint of laughter but, of course, there was nothing. Unrealistically, she’d been hoping for a miracle, hoping the story would trigger a response, and it was difficult to continue without even a flicker of encouragement from Rose.
Ruby closed the book.
‘Hello? Are you still there?’
Ruby frowned. She recognised the voice. Deep and quiet, it was the motorbike man. ‘Are you talking to me?’ she asked.
‘Yes. Do you think you could keep reading?’
Her frown deepened. ‘You want to listen to a romance novel written in the nineteenth century?’
‘Romance? I thought it was a comedy.’
His comment made her smile. She’d always enjoyed the unexpected humour in this book too.
‘But it’s not the content … I like the sound of your voice,’ he said simply. ‘I could listen to you read the phone book.’
Ruby laughed and opened the book again. If the motorbike man could make her laugh when she really didn’t feel like it, she figured he deserved a favour. ‘If it’s all the same, I’ll stick with Jane Austen,’ she said.
She picked up from where she’d stopped but this time the words flowed far more smoothly. She lost track of time as she turned the pages, only stopping when the nurse interrupted to do Rose’s obs.
Ruby took a moment to stretch her legs. At least, that was what she told herself she was doing when she stood and wandered into the cubicle next door. She wanted to know why the motorbike man was in the ICU and she was going to ask him. He’d been very quiet while she’d been reading—she’d half expected some interruptions but she’d heard nothing from him—but now she saw why.
He was asleep.
Her eyes swept over his face. His cheekbones were wide and his nose was perfectly straight and narrow, flaring ever so slightly where it ended just above full lips. His eyebrows and lashes were a shade darker than his hair and she could see the beginnings of a darker beard on his jaw. A couple of little scars marked his face, one below his eye, another on his lip, but they did nothing to detract from his looks. His dark blond hair framed his face but one stray strand lay across his cheek. Ruby was tempted to reach out and brush it away but she was afraid of waking him. He looked like he was sleeping comfortably and she didn’t want to disturb him.
He had a face she suspected she