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But for Riley there was something else. Finn seemed to light up around April. It seemed he’d spent much of his five years around women, so that didn’t seem so unusual.
What was unusual was the way it made Riley’s heart skip a beat.
Or two.
He sighed and closed the door. It was just the wrong time. He still had to work out his career plans. His house plans.
His life plans.
It was best that he do it alone.
CHAPTER FIVE
WORK FELT STRANGE. April had spent most of the last few days glancing over her shoulder in an attempt to try to stay out of Riley’s way.
What might have happened if she’d stayed longer the other night? It annoyed her that there was almost an ache inside at the mere thought of it. By the time she’d got home that night she’d been resolute. It was best not to get involved with Riley and Finn Callaghan. Things would get busy anyhow. They would forget about her. Riley’s parents would visit and Christmas plans would start to be made. She could fade into the background and take care of herself for now.
So why had she spent the last few days with her stomach doing flip flops?
Lucy, the staff nurse in the ward, was waiting for her when she arrived. ‘Hi, April. You here to see John Burns?’
April nodded. John had been wounded in action and after a few weeks with an extremely damaged lower leg and a persistent infection they’d taken the decision to perform an amputation. ‘How’s he doing?’
Lucy pushed his notes over. ‘Riley’s spent quite a bit of time with him this morning. He’s had a lot of phantom pain. He had some analgesia about two hours ago, so he should be fit for you to see.’
She nodded and walked down the corridor towards John’s room. She could hear the laughter before she reached the room and her footsteps faltered. Riley. This was where he’d been hiding out. From the way Lucy had spoken she’d assumed that Riley had already left.
She screwed up her face. She couldn’t avoid this. It was her job. Physiotherapy was essential for John’s recovery and for his confidence. She’d just have to keep her professional face in place.
She fixed on a smile and walked into the room. ‘Good morning, John. How are you doing today?’
Riley was sitting on an easy chair in the corner of the room. He looked comfortable. Too comfortable. She gave him a glance. ‘We don’t want you distracting us, Dr Callaghan. John and I have some work to do.’
John was sitting up on the bed. He waved his hand. ‘No, it’s fine. Riley wanted to stay to make sure I’m good to go with the painkillers he’s given me.’ John shook his head. ‘I just can’t get my head around this phantom pain stuff. How can I feel something that just isn’t there?’
April took a deep breath. Riley hadn’t spoken; he was just watching her with those green eyes. She turned her full attention to John as she sat beside his bed. ‘You’re right. It is difficult to understand. And we still don’t really know why it happens. Scientists think that the sensations come from the spinal cord and brain. The imprint of the leg has always been there, so it’s almost like the brain keeps hold of it.’ She licked her lips. ‘You’re not alone, John. Lots of patients experience phantom pain after this kind of operation. It’s our job to manage that pain for you. So you need to tell me if anything we do today is too uncomfortable.’
John let out a sigh. ‘I just want to get back on my feet as soon as possible.’ Then he realised the irony of his statement. He let out a hollow laugh. ‘Well, at least one of them.’ He met April’s gaze. ‘I just want to get some normality back. The last few months have been terrible. I want to be able to do things for myself.’
April nodded in appreciation. John’s mobility had been badly affected by his damaged and infected limb; that had been part of the decision for the amputation. ‘And we’ll get you there, John. We will.’
She looked at his position. ‘How has lying flat worked out for you?’
The first essential procedure for patients who’d had an amputation was to lie flat for at least an hour each day. This helped straighten the hip as much as possible. Any risk of hips tightening could make it more difficult to walk with a prosthesis.
John gave a nod. ‘That’s been okay.’
She gave him a smile. ‘So how do you feel about hitting the gym with me today?’
He grinned. ‘I thought you’d never ask. Music to my ears.’
She wheeled in the chair that was parked in the corridor outside, taking care to help him change position and ease into it. Riley stood up.
She gave him a tight smile. ‘I take it you have other patients to see? I can leave a report for you about how John does in the gym.’
But it seemed that the more she tried to brush off Riley, the more determined he became. And the most annoying thing about that was how casual he was about it. He didn’t act offended. He didn’t appear to be angry. He just seemed determined to hang around.
She pushed John down the corridor to the state-of-the-art gym. It was specially designed for patients with spinal cord injuries and amputations. April turned towards Riley. If he was going to hang around, she might as well use him.
‘I’ve looked over John’s wound and think it’s looking good. Good enough to take part in a walking trial. What do you think?’
Riley nodded. ‘It’s healing well. No problems. I think it would be useful to see how John manages.’
April gave a nod and took the chair closer to the parallel walking bars. She turned around and picked up what she’d left in preparation for today’s session. ‘We’re going to try one of these,’ she said, smiling as she watched the expression on John’s face.
‘What on earth is that?’
She kept smiling. ‘It’s called a pam aid. Pneumatic Post-Amputation Mobility Aid. It’s basically an inflatable leg. It helps reduce the swelling around your stump and helps you walk again. We need to assess your muscle strength and standing tolerance.’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘And the big one—your balance.’ She gestured behind her. ‘We always start with the parallel bars.’
John frowned. ‘Can’t you just give me one of those prosthetic limbs and let me get on with it?’
Riley stood up alongside as April started to make adjustments to John’s stump-shrinker compression sock. ‘If you manage well with your walking trial over the next few days then we’ll make arrangements to have you fitted with a prosthetic limb. But it has to be made just for you. And we have to wait until your wound is completely healed and any residual swelling has gone down.’
John gave a nod. ‘Then let’s get started. I want to be out of this wheelchair as soon as I can be.’
It was almost like being under the microscope. Even though she knew Riley was there to observe John, every move she made, every conversation that she started felt a little forced. She hadn’t even been this self-conscious when she was a student and was being assessed.
Riley, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease. He cr
acked jokes with John and kept him distracted while April got things ready.
But she was conscious of the way he watched. It was annoying. Her emotions were heightened.
Eventually she stopped keeping the false smile on her face. ‘Are you going to do something to actually help?’
Riley’s brow furrowed with a deep frown. Now, finally, he looked annoyed. He glanced around the gym as he positioned himself next to John. ‘What would you like me to do?’
April pulled herself into professional mode. It was the safest place to be. Then she wouldn’t notice those eyes. Then she wouldn’t focus on the fresh smell stretching across the room towards her.
She didn’t even look at him. She waved her hand. ‘I’ll stay on one side of John. You stay on the other.’
She bent forward in front of John. ‘First time standing on your own can be difficult. I’m going to let you push yourself up—it’s best if you can get a sense of your own balance without us taking your weight. Don’t worry. If it’s too painful, we can help you sit back down, and we’re on either side; we won’t let you fall.’
John nodded. Guys who’d served always had a grim determination about every task. They didn’t like to fail at anything and John was no different. He placed a hand on either parallel bar and pulled himself up sharply. April kept her hands off but close by, ready to catch him if he swayed. There was a kind of groan. Weight bearing on a stump for the first time would be sending a whole new range of sensations about John’s body. She didn’t look up at Riley. He had adopted a similar position to herself, ready to take the strain of John’s weight if it were necessary.
After around thirty seconds, John’s breathing started to slow a little. ‘Okay,’ he said gruffly. ‘It’s not exactly comfortable, but it’s bearable.’ He turned his head to April. ‘Do I get to walk in this thing?’
