‘I’ll order him breakfast,’ Jasmine yawned.
She ordered a breakfast from the canteen and then checked on the query appendicitis. His drip was about through so she headed over to the IV room. When she swiped her card and saw that Jed was in there, sorting out his trolley to take the bloods, she nearly turned and ran.
But that would be making a big deal of things so instead she stepped in.
‘We need to talk,’ Jed said without looking up from his task.
‘No we don’t,’ Jasmine said. ‘Really, it’s fine.’
‘Sure about that?’ Jed said, and then looked over.
And, no, she wasn’t sure about that because the ghost of their kiss was there in the room. She could see the exact spot where he’d pressed her to the wall, feel again every feeling she had yesterday—except the anger, except the upset.
‘What about we meet for coffee after work?’ he suggested.
‘People will see,’ Jasmine said. ‘You know what this place is like.’ She certainly didn’t want a hint of this getting back to Penny.
‘I meant away from the hospital. Just to talk.’
She shook her head. She’d hardly slept yesterday and had to work tonight as well as stop by her mum’s at five and give Simon his dinner.
‘I just want to go to bed.’ She opened her mouth to correct herself and thankfully they both actually laughed.
‘I really,’ Jasmine said slowly, ‘and I mean really am in no position to start something. I know people say that, but I’ve got a whole lot of things to sort out before …’ She shook her head. ‘I’m not going there.’
‘I get that,’ Jed said. ‘Believe me, I had no intention of getting involved with someone at work but yesterday, hell, these past weeks …’ He wondered how something he had spent all yesterday regretting should be something he would happily do again right this minute.
‘Is that why you’ve been so horrible?’
‘I haven’t,’ he said, then conceded, ‘Maybe a bit. We need to talk, maybe clear the air—because if we don’t—’
‘If we don’t,’ Jasmine interrupted, ‘we’re going to be caught making out in the IV cupboard.’ She gave him a grin. ‘And I have no intention of going there again.’
Except she was lying.
She was looking at his mouth as she said it.
And he was looking at hers.
Had Greg not come in, that was exactly what would have happened and they both knew it.
Yes, the air needed clearing.
‘WHY IS HE waiting for the medics?’
Despite not having to start till eight, Penny was in at a quarter to seven, standing and staring at the admission board and determined to make the most of a rare opportunity to clear the board and start her working day with not a single patient.
‘He’s brewing something.’ Jed shrugged.
‘We’re not a holding pen,’ Penny said. ‘I’ll get the nurses to order him transport home.’
‘Let him have his breakfast at least.’
‘Of course he can have his breakfast—by the time transport gets here he’ll probably have had lunch as well.’ She glanced briefly at a weary Jed. ‘You look awful.’
‘It’s easier when it’s busy,’ Jed yawned.
‘Go home,’ she said.
‘I might just do that.’ And then he looked at Penny, who was rather determinedly not turning round to face him, just staring fixedly at the board. ‘Speaking of looking awful …’ he waited till she reluctantly turned to face him and he saw her red swollen eye ‘… what happened?’
‘I walked into a branch.’
‘Ouch.’ Jasmine walked over just as he was taking a look.
‘Ooh.’ She winced when she saw Penny’s red eye. ‘Penny, what happened?’ And then she remembered she wasn’t supposed to be her sister.
‘My neighbour’s tree overhangs,’ she said darkly. ‘Though it won’t by the time I get home—I’ve left them a note, telling them what’s happened and that they’d better cut it.’
Jasmine could just imagine she had, and what was in it. And she could picture the branch, too, and Penny’s gorgeous old neighbours who would be so upset.
Trust Penny to handle things so sensitively!
Of course she said nothing.
‘I’ll have a look,’ Jed said, and went to buzz Reception to get Penny an admission card.
‘I don’t need to be registered,’ Penny snapped. ‘It’s just a scratch.’
‘A nasty scratch on your cornea,’ Jed confirmed a few minutes later. Penny was sitting at the nurses’ station and Jed had put some fluorescein drops into her eye. It made her eye bright yellow but any scratches showed up green. ‘You need antibiotic drops and to keep it covered. When was your last tetanus booster?’
‘I can’t remember,’ Penny said. ‘I’m sure I’m up to date.’
‘Penny?’ Jed checked, as Jasmine walked in.
‘Ken Jones just spiked a temp—his temp’s thirty-eight point nine.’
‘I’ll do cultures.’ Jed grinned, and Penny rolled her tongue in her cheek because now the old boy would have to be admitted.
‘I’ll do them,’ she sighed.
‘Not yet,’ Jed yawned. ‘I’ll just give you your tetanus shot.’
‘I’ll go to my GP.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Jed said, already opening a trolley and pulling out a syringe.
It was then that Jasmine had to say something.
‘I’ll do that.’ Jasmine smiled. ‘You can do the cultures.’
‘I’ll do the cultures,’ Penny said. ‘You go home, Jed, and think about shaving.’
Jasmine said nothing, not a single word as they headed into a cubicle and Penny unbuttoned her blouse. She just handed her a wad of tissues as Penny started crying.
Penny was, as Jasmine knew only too well, petrified of needles.
Not a little bit scared, completely petrified of them, though she didn’t blink when sticking them in others.
‘If you breathe a word of this …’
She was shaking on the seat as Jasmine swabbed her arm.
‘No, wait!’ Penny said.
‘For what?’ Jasmine said, sticking the needle in. ‘Done.’ She smiled at her. ‘You big baby.’
‘I know, I know.’ Penny shuddered. ‘Just give me a minute, would you? Go and set up for those blood cultures.’ She had snapped straight back to being Penny, except this time Jasmine was smiling.
Jed didn’t think about shaving.
He had a shower and tried not to think about Jasmine.
And then he pulled on some running clothes and ran the length of the beach and told himself to just