Page 6 of Reunited with His Long-Lost Nurse

‘No,’ she cried, horrified. ‘Of course not.’

Though it unsteadied her to realise that a tiny part of her wondered if that was exactly what she’d done. She shook her head to dislodge that thought.

‘This is exactly why I didn’t want Nate to tell you that I’d been the one to recommend you. It isn’t about me, or you, it’s about a kid who is terrified and has been told by three top surgeons already that her only chance is to get on this trial. And I happened to know that you have performed multiple successful full aortic reconstructions using the RAT approach.’

At least that much was true—he had been successful with several right-anterior thoracotomies—whatever else she might not have realised had been bubbling away in her subconscious.

For several long moments they stood, facing off against each other, and Talia tried to stop herself from visibly shaking.

‘I wasn’t trying to engineer some ill-fated reunion,’ she managed when she couldn’t stand the silence any longer. ‘Trust me, you’re the last person I want to see again, too.’

And it was only as the words came out of her mouth—a touch too melodramatically, if she was being honest with herself—that she realised them for the lie they were.

Ten minutes ago she might have truly believed that she was over Liam but right here, with him standing inches from her, she finally admitted it for the lie that it was.

Liam, however, didn’t even blink.

‘Funny thing is, I don’t believe you.’

‘Well, you should. I even asked Nate to take me off surgeries here at the clinic while you were here. In two days I’m scheduled to start a month-long rotation at St Vic’s, across the other side of the island.’

‘St Vic’s?’

She cranked up her smile once more and told herself that his icy tone didn’t hurt. Not at all.

‘St Vic’s is the local hospital about fifteen miles outside our capital, Williamtown. It isn’t a patch on The Island Clinic, of course, but Nate’s main aim in setting up the clinic was to enable it to fund new equipment for St Vic’s, and for the local community to also have some access to the world-class medical team of the clinic, via an outreach programme.’

‘Yes, thank you for the tour-guide spiel but I’m well informed on the history between St Vic’s Hospital and The Island Clinic.’ His tone was clipped. ‘My surprise was more about the fact that you apparently didn’t want your chief of staff to know there was any problem between us, yet you asked to be transferred while I was here.’

‘Oh.’

She shifted awkwardly and his nostrils flared slightly. Once upon a time it had meant that he wanted her. Now she could only imagine it meant he was resenting the amount of time he was letting her take up.

‘I assure you, Liam,’ she pressed on hastily, ‘if you hadn’t arrived here today—two days earlier than planned, I should point out—we wouldn’t have seen each other at all.’

Something swept through those green eyes of his and, not for the first time, she wished to God that she could read whatever was going on in this beautiful, enigmatic man’s head.

If she’d been able to years ago, surely it would have spared her a mess of heartache? It was almost impossible to remember now how she’d once believed that nothing could ever have made her walk away from someone as incredible as Liam. Or how her love for him had turned, so quickly, to such pain.

‘You really didn’t expect us to see each other at all whilst I was working on this case?’ he demanded curtly, after what felt like an eternity.

Her head was a leaden weight as she bobbed it once in assent. The air pressed in around them, almost suffocating, and she wished it didn’t hurt half as much as it did.

‘I recommended you when Isak had his boating accident, simply because I knew you were the best chance of a successful procedure for Lucy.’ And if there was a little voice in her head calling her out for being a liar, she would be damned if she acknowledged it.

‘Why me?’

‘Because I know Nate. For him, finding a replacement cardiothoracic surgeon wasn’t just about finding one who was at the top of his game—although that’s a given, of course—it’s also about finding someone who would be the right fit for his team.’

‘And you decided that was me? Even meaning we would have to work together?’

‘I knew you would fit in. And I was right,’ she pressed on, needing to say the words. ‘You said you know of Nate Edwards so you must know that The Island Clinic, and its vulnerable patients, are all that ever matters to him.’

‘That and the local hospital.’ Liam jerked his head in assent. ‘I heard that he set the clinic up following a hurricane here, as a way to fund St Vic’s Hospital and help the locals.’

It was hell. standing here almost toe to toe with Liam and refusing to let herself back away.

Hell. And heaven.

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