Jack watched Eliza clear the benches and restock the room in record time. He shook his head. Good was an understatement. He wasn’t sure he was used to someone telling him what he needed to give a patient, but he’d have to get over it. Eliza had certainly been instrumental in saving Mia’s condition from becoming perilous, and that was the important thing.
He cleared his throat and wondered why the words stuck a little. ‘You did well, Eliza. Mia hasn’t had an attack that severe before.’
Eliza stopped what she was doing and met his eyes. He watched her smile spread to her eyes at his compliment and he could feel himself responding. She was like a sunrise. Boom—explosion of light as she smiled. She blew him away again just like she had when he’d first met her.
‘Thank you,’ she said quietly. ‘So this is what a sleepy country town is like.’
The moment extended and his smile broadened. She was gorgeous in an understated way and his diaphragm imploded again. Unconsciously he took a step forward towards her, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to want to be closer to her.
Then she changed and the corners of her mouth drooped. The expression in her beautiful eyes grew distant and she broke eye contact as she looked away. The angry fairy wasn’t quite back but there were glimpses.
Eliza spoke to the package she lifted into the cupboard. ‘Mia said she doesn’t have an asthma plan or a spacer. Are the plans not something you do here?’
‘Not really.’ Jack didn’t concentrate too much on what she was saying because he was wondering why she’d created such reserve and backed away from being friendly. He re-focussed on her question. ‘If someone becomes a moderate asthmatic, I usually send them to a specialist in Armidale or even the respiratory clinic in Newcastle, and the specialists do all that.’
She twisted her neck and looked at him from under her brows. ‘I’ll have some forms sent from the Asthma Foundation. They’ll send us an info pack and a pad of plans that you could look at. I’ve helped generate plans before and believe they give the patient back control of their asthma. Spacers make it easier for the patient to take their Ventolin, especially during an attack.’
Her tone was icy and he couldn’t help the drop in warmth in his own voice. It was almost as if she’d engineered the whole estrangement of their brief rapport. Something else was going on here, something ill-defined, and he didn’t like it, but he had to get back to his surgery. If she didn’t want him here, he could take a hint!
‘Thank you, Matron May. I’ve actually seen such plans and I know what a spacer is,’ Jack said dryly. ‘I’ll certainly consider your suggestion.’ He glanced at the door where Mary was an interested bystander. ‘I thought you were going home, Mary?’
Mary raised placatory hands and bit back a smile. ‘I just need to finish the round I’ve started with Eliza. I’ll be gone soon.’
‘Well, I am gone,’ Jack muttered. ‘Matrons,’ he said mockingly, and inclined his head at Eliza. Then he took himself back to his surgery.
Eliza watched him go. What on earth had got into her? Lecturing Jack! It wasn’t part of her job and she didn’t need to alienate her boss for the next eight weeks.
And why was she thinking of him as Jack and not Dr Dancer?
The problem was, the guy was too tall, too handsome and too sure of himself, and he made her feel all weak and feminine and things she’d promised she wasn’t going to feel again. What really worried her was whether coming here had been another bad decision. She’d made a few of those in her life.
‘I’m afraid I’ve put his back up,’ Eliza said.
‘You don’t look too upset about it. It won’t kill him to have someone not in awe of him.’ Mary changed the subject. ‘You seemed to find everything you needed for Mia easily.’
Eliza glanced around at the now tidy room. Back to reality and escape from the distraction of Dr Jack Dancer. ‘You’ve stored everything in the most obvious place, Mary, and the labelling is fantastic. This is such a bonus. As an agency nurse, finding the equipment is the hardest part.’
‘I’ll bet.’ Mary tilted her head. ‘So how did you get into agency work? I bet a few hospitals would love to hire you full-time with your qualifications.’
Eliza met Mary’s eyes. ‘It’s a new direction for me. I like being unattached. It gives me the choice to move when I want to.’
‘Fair enough,’ Mary said. ‘We’ll move on ourselves before Jack discovers me here on his next round.’ She smiled and swayed out of the room to waddle further down the hallway.
‘Where was I? Basically, you do five days a week, eight hours normal and four hours overtime, then you’re on call at night except for weekends. Think you can handle that?’
‘Fine by me.’ Eliza shook her head at Mary. ‘How on earth did you have time to fall pregnant?’
Mary twinkled back. ‘My husband is the local fire captain, amongst other things, so we know there’s twenty-four hours in a day. We both enjoy being busy. He’s away at a conference at the moment.’
Mary shrugged. ‘When Mick’s home he’s home and when he’s not I spend a lot of time here. We both like it that way. He used to be in the navy.’ She answered the question Eliza didn’t ask. ‘Mick will be home in a few days and stick around more when my baby is due.’
‘And if baby comes early?’ They both glanced down at Mary’s stomach.
‘He’ll have to fly home quick smart!’
Eliza shook her head at Mary’s calmness. ‘Mary, I think you’re Wonder Woman.’
Mary shrugged. ‘I’ll be Bored Woman for the next few weeks. I wondered if you’d like to drop around in a day or so. I’m sure you’ll have questions and I’ll be dying to know how you settle in.’
And that’s how country towns worked. Eliza knew that from past experience. It wasn’t what she’d planned when she’d hoped to keep a city-dweller’s distance from the townsfolk. She’d seen the effect of gossip and everyone knowing her business, but she couldn’t offend Mary. Bellbrook’s matron was too genuine.
Trouble was the next thing would be an in-depth conversation with the publican’s wife when she went back to the hotel tonight. Then there’d be the corner shop purchases tomorrow and the visit to the post office, by which time everyone in the valley would be aware of her arrival, the car she drove and enough physical features to be picked out at a hundred paces.
She’d better not do anything noteworthy or Jack Dancer, who seemed to be related to everyone, would be the first to hear about it.
CHAPTER TWO
BY LUNCHTIME Mary had departed to rest as ordered by her doctor.
Eliza glanced around at the eight elderly patients seated at the dining table to eat their lunch. She’d handed out the medications and done a ward tidy with Vivian.
If Eliza looked on the workload as just a normal ward with diverse patients, and not a whole hospital, there was nothing she hadn’t done before.
By six-thirty that evening she’d found most things she could possibly need, had had in-depth conversations with all the inpatients, as well as read their medical records and helped with the evening meal.
She’d glanced through the rosters to see how they worked and spent ten minutes on the phone to Julie, her friend at the nursing agency, to say she was settling in.
Now all she had to do was a ward round with the distracting Dr Dancer and she’d be finished for the day.
Eliza