‘Priscilla.’ Eden’s voice held a warning. ‘If you eat all your carrots, potato and chicken, then you can leave the broccoli.’ Turning back to the book, she flicked the pages. ‘Where are you up to?’
To an onlooker, Eden knew she probably looked as if she was doing nothing but sitting on the bed as Priscilla slowly worked her way through her meal, but, Eden knew exactly what she was doing; knew she had the best job in the world. Rose had trusted her enough to go down to the canteen and Priscilla was actually eating her dinner. They might not be cutting-edge science, but tonight she and Nick had hopefully made a difference, a huge difference, in a little girl’s life.
And Priscilla did very well!
Eden’s heart swelled with pride as finally the plate was if not clean then almost so. Priscilla had even had a small piece of the broccoli.
‘Well done, honey.’ Eden grinned and picked up the tray, careful not too make too much of a fuss but also wanting to acknowledge Priscilla’s effort. ‘How about I go and ring down to the canteen for your mum?’
‘Are you on in the morning?’ Priscilla asked, and Eden shook her head.
‘I’m on another late shift. I’ll come and check on you a bit later. You enjoy reading to your mum.’
‘How did Priscilla get on with her dinner?’ Nick asked a while later, when Becky was on her supper break and Eden was giving a grumpy six-month-old named Justin the last of his bottle.
Eden loved this time of night on the children’s ward. At seven the main lights were switched off and the curtains drawn and, despite the light Sydney evening outside, the whole ward was plunged into darkness, filled with the sounds of babies’ and toddlers’ final protests as their parents or nurses soothed them off to sleep, the background drone of the television in the older children’s rooms. Usually with Donna, the unit manager, gone and most doctors long since headed for home there was a chance for Eden to take her time feeding a baby or sit on a bed and have a chat with a lonely patient or just catch up with the mountain of paperwork involved in nursing these days. It was one of the main reasons she often volunteered for the late shift.
‘Good.’ Eden said. ‘Rose is going to go through tomorrow’s menu with her a bit later on and I’ll pass it all on to the night staff. Hopefully, if we all keep it up, she’ll be a different girl in a few days. Becky and I are both on another late shift tomorrow, which will make things easier when Rose comes in. How come you’re still here?’ she added.
‘I’m not.’ Picking up his briefcase, he gave a tired smile. ‘Unless my pager goes off between now and the car park. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘See, you, Nick.’ Eden smiled back. ‘Have a good night.’
‘I will if you don’t call!’
No doubt a thousand doctors were jokingly saying those exact words to a thousand nurses even as Nick spoke them, but for Eden they hurt like hell.
The hardest part of the entire day was about to ensue.
She kept a professional smile in place as he picked up his briefcase and walked out of the ward, wondering who he was on his way to see, wondering who was filling the long hours till she saw him again.
Wondering where the loyal man who had been engaged to Teaghan had disappeared to…
Maybe he felt her eyes on him, but for some reason as he reached the door he turned around, then walked back the length of the ward in long purposeful strides. Eden figured he must have forgotten to sign for something or was going to remind her about a patient.
‘I’ve been thinking about our mutual problem.’
‘Mutual problem?’ Eden frowned, shifting Justin on her knee into an upright position, his little face held between her thumb and finger as her other hand rubbed his back.
‘Christmas.’ Nick said with a note of exasperation, as if the conversation they had had a few hours ago should still be at the front of her mind.
‘I’ll sort something out,’ Eden said airily. ‘Though I have to admit I’m not particularly looking forward to ringing my parents tonight and telling them I’m not coming home.’
‘Will they be upset?’
‘Not upset.’ Eden shook her head. ‘Just sorry, I guess, and worried that I’ll be on my own.’
‘But you don’t have to be on your own,’ Nick said, and Eden just shrugged and turned her attention back to the babe in her arms, continuing to rub his back in an attempt to bring up the wind she was sure was there. ‘Why don’t you spend it with me and my family?’
Despite a very loud burp from a very little baby, Eden carried on rubbing his back, determinedly not looking at up as her cheeks started to colour, waiting for Nick to roar with laughter or make some wisecrack to show that he was joking, but when finally she did jerk her eyes up to look at him, she was shocked to see that his face was deadly serious.
‘It makes perfect sense,’ Nick insisted. ‘My sister’s kids are spending the day with their dad and they won’t be there till the evening so there won’t be any tantrums, and my mum’s an amazing cook so you can have the massive roast dinner you’re dreaming of. At least you can tell your parents when you ring them that you’re not going to be on your own.’
‘And what’s in it for you?’ Eden asked directly, her eyes narrowing as Nick blushed slightly.
‘I just don’t like the thought of you being on your own,’ Nick attempted, but Eden just slowly shook her head.
‘What’s in it for you, Nick?’ she asked again.
‘Well, if I hinted to Mum that we were seeing each other, I guess that would buy me a few months of grace.’
‘You mean get them off your back?’
‘Something like that. Think about it, Eden. It would be good for both of us and you’d have a great day, I can guarantee it.’
‘So why not ask one of your many admirers? I’m sure Tanya’s hoping for an invitation to meet your family.’
‘Exactly.’ Nick rolled his eyes. ‘I spoke to her last night and unfortunately you’re right—she was hoping…’ He gave an embarrassed shrug. ‘Suffice to say an invitation to Tanya to spend Christmas with me and my family could only confuse things, whereas with you and I…’ He gave another shrug. ‘Well, we’d both know that there was…’
‘Nothing in it,’ Eden finished for him as his voice trailed off. ‘Thanks but, no, thanks.’
‘Why not?’
Somehow she managed a smile as she placed a nappy over her shoulder and rested Justin against it as she stood up.
‘Playing your girlfriend for a day, just isn’t my idea of a fun Christmas,’ Eden said. Heading down the ward and coming to Justin’s room, she pushed the door open. ‘You’ll have to come up with someone else, Nick.’
‘Think about it,’ Nick said, but Eden shook her head.
‘’Night, Nick.’
As the door closed behind her, she placed Justin in his cot, soothing him gently as he struggled to open his heavy eyes. She listened to the sound of Nick’s footsteps going down the ward and felt the sting of a great salty tear as it rolled down her cheek.
Stupidly, she’d dreamed of that very moment.
Secretly dreamed of Nick asking her to be with him and his family, the thought of sharing Christmas with him a fantasy she’d harboured—only not like this.
Never like this.