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CHAPTER ONE
‘HURRY UP, RILEY. It’s your round.’ The hard slap on the shoulder nearly ejected him from his chair. Riley laughed and turned around. Frank Cairney, one of the rehab nurses, was standing with his rucksack on his shoulder. The rest of the team were hovering outside near the door. ‘Should I go and hold up the bar for us?’
Riley nodded. ‘Just a few notes to finish and I’ll be there. Thanks, guys.’
He typed quickly on the electronic record, leaving detailed notes on the plan for Jake Ashford, a soldier injured on duty in Afghanistan and now a resident in the army rehab hospital at Waterloo Court.
It was late afternoon on a Friday. Those who could go home had gone home. But some patients wouldn’t be able to go home for some time—Jake was one of those.
Working in the rehab hospital hadn’t really been on Riley’s career plan. But, due to a family crisis, a fellow colleague hadn’t been able to start when he should have, meaning the hospital needed someone to fill in. Riley’s surgical experience in orthopaedics had been flagged and his deployment had been delayed on a temporary basis for a few weeks.
But today was his last shift. And truth was he was relieved. The staff and support team at Waterloo Court were fantastic, as were the world-class rehab services, but Riley liked the pace of emergencies. On Monday he’d be in Sierra Leone, where another outbreak of Ebola seemed to be emerging.
He finished his notes and walked down the corridor to the in-patient beds. He heard the laughter before he saw her familiar frame.
April Henderson had Jake sitting at the side of his bed. Laughing. Really laughing, as if she’d just told him the funniest joke in the world.
Even from here he knew exactly what she was doing—testing Jake’s sitting balance. She was one of the best physiotherapists he’d ever worked with.
She was tireless. She was relentless. She was polite. She was professional.
He’d caught himself on more than one occasion watching that blonde ponytail swishing up the corridor in front of him as she made her way between the ninety patients that were housed in the state-of-the-art unit.
But even now—four weeks later—he really didn’t know a thing about her.
April was the quietest co-worker he’d ever met. Every conversation, every communication had been about their patients. When he asked her about life, what she was doing at the weekend or anything other than work she just shut down.
He’d asked
other staff a few questions about her, but no one really said much. Apparently she wasn’t married and hadn’t mentioned a boyfriend. The staff here were a mixture of military and civilian. April was civilian. She’d transferred to the new unit at Waterloo Court. The centre dealt with serious musculoskeletal injuries, neurological injuries and complex trauma, including amputees. The brand-new facility was four times bigger than its predecessor. There were gyms, full of cardiovascular and resistance equipment, two swimming pools, a hydrotherapy pool and a specialist centre where artificial limbs were manufactured on-site and individually tailored to the patients’ needs.
‘Doc?’ Jake caught his eye.
Riley crossed the room, holding out his hand. ‘I came to say goodbye.’ He paused for a second. ‘I’m shipping out again tomorrow.’ He had to be truthful, but he could see the momentary pang in the young man’s eyes. Jake loved the army. Had wanted to serve since he was five. And now, at the grand old age of twenty-three, would be unlikely to ever ship out again.
Jake took Riley’s extended hand. ‘Good luck, Doc—it’s been short and sweet. Where are you headed?’
Riley gave a shrug. ‘At the moment, I think it’s Africa. But you know how things can change. By the time Monday comes around it could be somewhere else completely.’
He glanced down at April, who was leaning against a stool at the side of the bed. ‘Are you coming to the farewell drinks, April?’
It was obvious he’d caught her off guard because two tiny pink spots flared in her cheeks and she stumbled over her words. ‘Wh-what? Er...no...sorry. I don’t think I’ll manage.’
Jake nudged her with one of his dangling feet. ‘Oh, go on, April. When was the last time you could tell me a good night out story?’
The pinkness spread. But the shy demeanour vanished instantly. He’d always found that curious about her. April Henderson knew how to engage with her patients. Really engage with her patients. Around them she was relaxed, open and even showed the occasional glimmer of fun. But around any of the staff? She was just April.
‘I’m not here to tell you night out stories, Jake. I’m here to help get you back on your feet again.’ She leaned forward and put her hands on his bare leg. ‘But don’t think I didn’t notice that deliberate kick.’ She looked up and gave Jake a wide smile. ‘That’s great. That’s something we can work on.’
With her bright blue eyes, blonde hair and clear skin, April Henderson could be stunning if she wanted to be. But there was never any make-up on her skin, never any new style with her hair. It was almost as if she used her uniform as a shield.
Riley watched the look on Jake’s face. For the first time in weeks he saw something that hadn’t been there much before. Hope.
It did weird things to his insides. Jake was a young man who should be filled with hope. His whole life was ahead of him. But there was already a good hint that his injury could be limiting. They still didn’t have a clear prognosis for him, and that was why April’s work was so vital.
He winked at Jake and folded his arms across his chest. ‘I’m completely and utterly offended that you won’t come to my farewell drinks. Four long weeks here, all those shifts together, and you can’t even say goodbye.’
‘He’s right, April.’ Jake nodded. ‘It is shocking. Thank goodness you’re not actually in the army. At this point you’d be getting a dishonourable discharge.’
For the briefest of seconds there was a flash of panic behind her eyes, quickly followed by the realisation that they were kidding with her.
She raised her eyebrows. Gave her best smile. The one reserved for patients in trouble. Both of them recognised it instantly.
‘Uh-oh,’ Riley muttered.
April touched Jake’s leg. ‘Well, just so you know, Jake, now that we’ve established there’s some movement and—’ she stood up ‘—your balance is gradually improving, I think I’ll have a whole new plan for you, starting tomorrow.’
Jake groaned as Riley laughed. He couldn’t quite work out why April could chat easily with patients but could barely say a word to him on a normal day.
Jake pointed at Riley. ‘This is all your fault. You’re abandoning me to this wicked, wicked woman. You know she’ll work me hard and exhaust me.’ He said the words with a twinkle in his eyes.
Riley nodded as he glanced at April. Her blue gaze met his. For the first time since he’d met her, she didn’t look away instantly. He smiled. ‘You’re right, Jake. But I’m leaving you with one of the best physios I’ve ever met. She’ll push you to your absolute limit—exactly what you need. If anyone can get you back on your feet again, it’s April Henderson.’ He put his hand on Jake’s shoulder as he leaned forward to fake whisper in his ear, ‘Even if she won’t have a drink with me.’
There was something about that bright blue gaze. Even under the harsh hospital lights that seemed to drain the colour from everyone else, April still looked good. The edges of her mouth gave just the slightest hint of turning upwards. It was the first time he’d wished he wasn’t leaving.
Jake reached up and grabbed his hand, giving it a shake. ‘Thanks, Lieutenant Callaghan. Good luck with your deployment.’ There was a tiny waver in his voice. Almost as if he knew the likelihood was he’d never make another deployment himself.
Riley clasped his hand between his. ‘I’ll look you up again when I come back.’ He started towards the door, then glanced over his shoulder and gave a warm smile. ‘You too, April.’
* * *
Her heart was acting as though she were racing along a beach, rather than sitting at the side of a patient’s bed.
Darn it.
Ever since Riley Callaghan had turned up on this ward she’d spent the last four weeks avoiding him. It was everything. The little kink in his dark hair. The smiling green eyes. The cheeky charm. Oh, lots of doctors and servicemen she’d met in the last few years had the talk, the wit, the lots of charm.
But she’d had enough to deal with. The diagnosis of her twin sister’s ovarian cancer, rapidly followed by her failing treatment, then Mallory’s death, had meant that she had found it easier to retreat into herself and seal herself off from the world. Her own genetic testing had floored her. She had decisions to make. Plans for the future.
Her last relationship had been half-hearted. Mallory had got sick and she’d realised quickly that she needed to spend time with her sister. But, since then, the last thing she wanted was a relationship.
After her own testing, she’d spent a day wondering whether she should just find some random guy, try to get pregnant, have a baby quickly and deal with everything else after.
But those thoughts had only lasted a day. She’d met the surgeon. A date for her surgery would be agreed soon. And she needed to do this part of her life alone.
Then Riley Callaghan had appeared on her ward. All cheeky grins and twinkling eyes. It was the first time in a long time she’d actually been aware of every sense in her body. Her surge of adrenaline. Every rapid heartbeat.
That was the reason she didn’t engage in small talk. That was the reason she kept to herself. She couldn’t afford to let herself be attracted to a guy at such a crucial point in her life. How did you start that conversation anyway? Oh, you want to go on a date? Great. By the way, in a few months’ time I’m going to have my ovaries and fallopian tubes removed and maybe later my breasts. What? You don’t want to hang around?
It didn’t matter that she’d found herself glancing in Riley’s direction every time he’d appeared on the ward. She’d hated the way she’d started stumbling over her words around him, or had trouble looking him in the eye.
But as she watched his retreating back her mouth felt dry. Part of her wanted to grab her jacket and join the rest of the staff for a drink. But then she’d be in a pub, where her inhibitions could lower, and she could encourage the gentle flirtation that could go a
bsolutely nowhere.
She shook her head and turned her attention back to Jake. ‘Can we get you more comfortable? I’ll work on your new programme and we’ll start tomorrow.’
Jake gave her a nod and she helped settle him in a comfortable, specially designed chair for those with spinal injuries.
Her shift was finished but it wouldn’t take long to write up her notes and make the adjustments needed for tomorrow. It wasn’t as if she had anywhere to go, right?
Half an hour later there were a few voices in the corridor behind her. This was a military hospital. When the Colonel appeared, it was never good news.
All the hairs bristled on her arms. She looked around, wondering who was about to get bad news.
‘Ms Henderson?’
She spun around in her chair and jumped to her feet. Her? How? What?
A woman with a pinched face and dark grey coat stood next to the Colonel. She didn’t even know that he knew her name.
‘Y-yes,’ she stumbled.
‘We’re wondering where Lieutenant Callaghan is.’
Her heart plummeted in her chest. Riley? They had bad news for Riley?
She glanced around. ‘He’s not here. But I know where he is. Can you give me five minutes? I’ll get him for you.’
The Colonel nodded and she rushed past, going to the changing room and grabbing her jacket. If she ran, the pub was only five minutes away.
As soon as she stepped outside she realised just how much the temperature had dipped. It was freezing and it was only the middle of November. As she thudded down the dark path a few snowflakes landed on her cheeks. Snow? Already?
She slowed her run. If spots of rain had turned to snow, then there was a chance the damp ground would be slippery.
The pub came into view, warm light spilling from its windows. She stopped running completely, her warm breath steaming in the air around her.
She could hear the noise and laughter coming from the pub already. She closed her eyes for a second. She hated that she was about to do this. To walk into a farewell party and pull Riley away for news he probably wouldn’t want. Did his family serve in the military? Did he have a brother? She just didn’t know. She hadn’t allowed herself to have that kind of conversation with Riley.
