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Having made their examination and listened to Alessandro’s handover, they decided that the patient needed an endoscopy and made arrangements to take him to Theatre.
Christy arranged the transfer, accompanied the patient and then returned to Resus to tidy up the mess she’d left.
Pushing open the door, she was surprised to find Alessandro and Katya still in there, talking.
Katya was standing quite close to him, closer than was strictly necessary, her eyes fixed on Alessandro’s face.
‘So you’re saying that the differential diagnosis could have been a Mallory-Weiss tear, oesophageal varices, some sort of mucosal inflammation, gastric carcinoma or a coagulation disorder.’
‘It could also have been a simple peptic ulcer,’ Alessandro said dryly, dropping his gloves into the nearest bin. ‘Not everything we see in this department is rar
e or out of the ordinary. Remember that.’
‘Of course,’ Katya breathed. ‘I hope you don’t mind me taking the opportunity to ask questions.’
‘Not at all.’ Watching Alessandro’s encouraging smile, Christy ground her teeth.
He was so patient with her. Why was that? Patience wasn’t one of his virtues.
‘Do you fancy a drink tonight, Alessandro? I could really do with your help on a few issues,’ Katya murmured, and Christy watched as her husband gave the younger girl a thoughtful look.
‘Unfortunately tonight isn’t possible,’ he said, his Spanish accent very pronounced as he reached for a pen to sign a request form that one of the nurses was holding out to him. ‘Some other time maybe.’
Some other time?
The hairs on the back of Christy’s neck prickled with outrage. What did he mean by that? Why some other time? And exactly what sort of help was Katya looking for?
Ready to hit him for the second time in twenty-four hours, Christy cleared the trolley noisily and slammed her foot on the bar that opened the bin. It gaped open and she stuffed in the rubbish and let it slam shut with a crash.
Not very mature, she thought to herself, but at least it made her feel better and it reminded the pair of them that she was in the room.
He had such a nerve!
First he had hit Jake for kissing her and now he was flirting with Katya.
Aware that Alessandro was looking at her with astonishment, she gave him an innocent smile. ‘Well, that’s just about finished with the clearing up. I’ll be off, then, and leave you to it.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘Leave us to what?’
Despite her clenched jaw, she managed to beam at him. ‘To whatever it is you have to do, Alessandro,’ she replied in perfect Spanish, and then turned and left the room.
By the time she arrived home, she’d made up her mind that Alessandro was going to be staying at the hospital so what was the point of changing for dinner? Still seething about the sheer front of the feline Katya, she stepped into the shower, wondering how Alessandro had dealt with her.
Were they together at this precise moment?
Was he giving her personal instruction?
Still simmering, Christy wrapped herself in a large towel and padded into the bedroom, only to find him standing there holding a huge bunch of red roses.
She stared. ‘What are those for?’
‘They’re for you.’
‘Me?’ He was giving her flowers? Alessandro never gave her flowers. It just wasn’t something he thought to do. So why was he thinking of it now?
Her heart plummeted and she wondered again just what sort of help he’d been giving the seductive Katya. ‘Feeling guilty about something, Alessandro?’ Her frosty tone brought a wary look to his eyes.
He muttered something under his breath in Spanish and she glared at him.
