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She took a deep breath. ‘I’m really sorry to hear about that baby, to hear about how busy the ER was. I’m sorry for him, and the fact that he lost his hearing.’ She sucked in another breath. ‘But, Philippe, I’m not sorry you heard the cry. I’m not sorry that today you recognised the cry instantly and acted appropriately. If I’d been on my own, it might have taken me a bit longer to reach the diagnosis, and we both know that time is of the essence.’ She pulled one of her hands free of his and reached up and touched his cheek. ‘You did good today, Philippe. You’ve probably saved Rosni’s life—and the rest of the family that’s been exposed.’
He opened his eyes, his lashes only an inch from hers. His dark eyes were so deep, so full of emotion that she blinked back tears. ‘You did good today, Philippe. Don’t forget that. We all have cases we can’t ever forget.’
It was odd. She’d never expected to get so up close and personal with this man who was still a bit of a mystery to her. But this just felt so right. He was her colleague. He was helping her. He had likely just saved a baby’s life and that had obviously brought back some hidden memories.
She gave him the smallest smile. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered. ‘You made a difference today. That’s all we can ever ask.’
And they sat there, foreheads touching, until the first patient arrived for the vaccination clinic.
CHAPTER SIX
HE WAS UNSETTLED. If he tried to be rational about things he would put it down to the baby conjuring a wave of memories and emotions and the frustration he’d felt first time around.
But it wasn’t the baby. He’d checked on Rosni, and after a few days in hospital she’d made a good recovery thanks to the early administration of antibiotics. None of the other family members or kids at nursery had developed symptoms. So, he should be happy. But he wasn’t. He couldn’t think straight.
Maybe it was the pressure of the job awaiting him back home. Maybe it was the million and one ideas that were clamouring for space in his head about how he could reform health services in Corinez. He had to start somewhere. His head was swimming. So many things needed to change back home.
But the truth was he knew exactly what was unsettling him. The days were marching on in Temur Sapora and his relationship with Arissa was growing every day. They worked well together, almost anticipating each other’s requests, and at the end of each day, they sat down together, debriefed, then generally spent the evening in each other’s company.
Sometimes it was dinner in a local restaurant, other times they grabbed a takeaway. Sometimes it was just a walk around the streets or down to the beach. But the more time he spent with the quietly gorgeous, unassuming doctor, the more time he wanted to spend with her. And she still didn’t know who he was.
The thing that had initially just been a vague and unimportant secret was beginning to feel like the elephant in the room. Why hadn’t he just told her straight away who he was? Now, it felt as if he were deliberately lying to her.
No one had recognised him in Temur Sapora and, for that, he was eternally grateful. But every day he was cautious, quickly checking the Internet for any mentions. It was almost like being off the grid and that had entirely been his intention when he’d come here. But now his intention seemed a little...deceitful.
Part of him was grateful for the chance just to be ‘Philippe’. No Prince. No Royal Highness. No one treating him differently at work. No actress waiting on the sidelines. My Night with the Charming Prince had been the headline after the interview.
But how would Arissa feel about headlines like that?
As he finished scrubbing his hands in the sink, she appeared at the edge of the door. ‘Almost done?’
He nodded. They’d finished work for the day and made plans for dinner. For the first time he was going to see the inside of her home as Arissa had offered to teach him to cook some traditional Malaysian dishes.
Her curls were loose and bouncing on her shoulders, she was wearing flat shoes and a red shirt dress that complemented her skin tone and dark eyes.
He gave a quick nod. ‘Let me change my shirt. I brought another with me.’ She raised her eyebrows and smiled as he strode towards the staff room. His cream short-sleeved shirt and jeans were sitting in the corner along with his antiperspirant and aftershave. Two minutes later he was ready and stood next to her as she locked up the clinic.
