The Greek Children's Doctor(25)

Without giving her a chance to respond, he strode out of the room, leaving her staring after him.



Chapter 8



Libby managed to avoid Andreas for the rest of the shift by staying with Jenny.

When the night staff arrived she was still in the little girl's room,  cuddling her, talking softly to her, making her feel more secure in her  strange surroundings. There seemed no hope that she'd be able to see  either of her parents before the morning.

Her mother was still in Theatre and her father was being treated for smoke inhalation.

'The neighbour thinks that there's an aunt living nearby,' Bev told her,  'but no one has any idea how to contact her. We'll just have to wait  for one of the parents to tell us. In the meantime, we'll keep the baby  overnight. Andreas seems keen to keep an eye on her anyway, given the  seriousness of the fall.'



'I can't believe she survived it,' Libby murmured softly, careful not to wake Jenny, who was dozing quietly.

'Well, the mother obviously took the brunt of the impact.' Bev looked at  the little girl lying on the bed. 'She seems more peaceful. Has she had  more morphine?'

Libby nodded. 'It will be good when she can see one of her parents. She needs the reassurance.'

Bev nodded. 'Well, hopefully we'll manage something tomorrow. We can  always carry her up to them if necessary.' Her eyes narrowed as she  looked at Libby. 'You look exhausted. You should have requested the day  off today. How late did you get to bed?'

Not that late, Libby reflected. But she'd been awake for most of the  night thinking about Andreas. Dreaming about fairy-tales and happy  endings.

'I'm fine.'

'What you need is some proper time off. You've got a few days' leave due. I want you to take them.'

Libby looked at her. 'Bev, we're far too busy for me to take leave.'

Bev shrugged. 'You're knackered, Lib. You're no use to me like this.  You've been working double shifts for as long as I can remember and you  need a rest. I'll ring the agency and see if I can get someone for the  week after next.'

Libby frowned. 'Holiday leave … '

'Yes, holiday leave,' Bev said firmly. 'You've got five days. For goodness' sake, go away somewhere.'

Libby looked at her blankly. She didn't really want to go anywhere. She  didn't have the energy. If she wasn't going to work, all she really  wanted to do was go to bed and sleep for ever.

'I'll see how things are,' she said vaguely, thinking that it might  actually be nice to have a few days at home, doing nothing. She could  lie in bed in the mornings and meet Katy for lunch. 'If you're sure,  that is.'

'I'm sure,' Bev said firmly, breaking off as Andreas strolled into the room.

Libby felt her stomach turn over. He was so good-looking he took her  breath away and she was starting to have really, really foolish  thoughts.                       
       
           



       

Thoughts about being pregnant and him insisting on marrying her.

Ridiculous!

She closed her eyes briefly, horrified by the way her mind was working.

What was the matter with her? She was thinking like someone who wasn't thoroughly disillusioned with men.

A holiday was definitely a good idea. It would mean putting space between her and Andreas. And she needed that space.

Her mind seemed to have a will of its own and she was starting to  believe that Andreas might be different from all the other men she'd  ever met.

She definitely needed a holiday.

Libby picked up her bag and left the ward, thinking longingly of her bed.

She just hoped that tonight she'd sleep.

Last night she hadn't managed to do anything except think of Andreas.  She'd lain in the darkness, reliving every incredible second of their  encounter by the lake. The memory had been so vivid that she'd almost  been able to smell the damp grass and feel the cool night air on her  skin. Her body had tingled with the memory of his touch and she could  still hear the rough, masculine timbre of his voice as he'd spoken to  her in Greek. She hadn't been able to understand a word that he'd said  but it had been an unbelievably erotic experience and she couldn't get  it out of her mind.

Damn.

Running a hand over her flushed face, she tried to pull herself  together. It had just been sex, for crying out loud. Just sex, and she'd  done it before.

But it had never been like that.

With Andreas it had been a totally different experience and if she was  ever going to survive, she had to avoid him. And what better way to  avoid him than by taking a holiday?



She could spend the time reminding herself that all men were rats.

Andreas stared at the notes in front of him without seeing them. For the  third day running Libby had been in Jenny's room for almost the entire  shift, not even coming out for lunch. The little girl was very clingy  and she'd obviously bonded with Libby, but all the same it was obvious  to him that she was anxious to avoid any further conversation with him  and he knew why.

The chemistry between them was so overwhelming that he found it quite  unnerving himself. He'd never felt this way about a woman before and he  knew that she was experiencing the same emotions.

The challenge was going to be getting her to admit it.

Libby was terrified of being hurt. She found it impossible to trust men and she was incredibly wary and cautious.

He needed to prove to her that he could be trusted but he couldn't do  that unless she agreed to spend some time with him. But judging from the  way she'd been avoiding him since that night, the chances of her  agreeing to that were remote.

He leaned back in his chair and stretched his long legs out in front of him, frowning thoughtfully.

And then he remembered the date.

She still owed him a date.

A slow smile crossed his handsome face as he remembered the conversation he'd overheard between her and the ward sister.

No one had ever stipulated exactly what constituted the date that had been auctioned.

And suddenly he knew exactly what that date was going to be.

A week later Jenny was improving rapidly and spending much of the time  in the playroom with Polly, who had taken on a surrogate mother role.

Jenny's parents were still in hospital and her baby sister had been staying with an aunt who lived locally.

The ward had quietened down slightly, Bev had found an agency nurse  who'd agreed to work for the rest of the month and Libby was exhausted.

The strain of trying to avoid Andreas was making her jumpy and she  wasn't getting any sleep thanks to that one incredible night she'd spent  with him. She was totally unable to forget the way he'd made her feel.

She was thoroughly relieved that Bev had insisted she take leave. At  least she wouldn't have to peep round corners to check that there was no  sign of Andreas. She vowed to get plenty of exercise in the hope that  it would make her sleep.

Suddenly she couldn't wait for her shift to end.

She went through the motions of doing her job and at lunchtime Bev bustled up to her.

'You look absolutely wiped out.' The ward sister shook her head disapprovingly. 'Go home.'

'I can't go yet. I haven't finished my shift.'

Bev gave her a gentle push. 'Just go. Now. And if I see you back on this ward before next week, you're fired.'

Libby gave a weak smile. She couldn't actually believe she had a whole week off. 'You can't fire me. I'm your slave labour.'

Bev didn't laugh. 'You've lost your sparkle and bubble,' she said quietly. 'You've been working too hard, Lib. Have a rest.'

Libby didn't say anything. It was true that she was tired, but the truth  was her sparkle had gone because she was so disappointed about Andreas.  She'd really believed that he was interested in her, but evidently  she'd been wrong again.                       
       
           



       

Apart from that one conversation the morning after, he'd made no attempt to see her since the ball.

All right, so she'd been avoiding him, but he hadn't been that difficult to avoid.

Wondering whether he would even notice that she wasn't around, she went  to her locker, retrieved her bag and made her way to the car park,  feeling flat and miserable.

A low black sports car pulled up next to her and she sucked in a breath.

Andreas.

He leaned across to open the passenger door, his expression serious. 'Get in, Libby.'



She stared at him blankly. 'Why? Where are we going?'

'Just get in.'

Something about the urgency in his tone prevented her from arguing and  she slid into the passenger seat, glancing at him in alarm as he sped  away before she'd even finished fastening her seat belt.

'What's happening? Is something wrong?' Suddenly she felt cold fingers of panic touch her spine. 'Is it Katy? Or Alex?'

He covered her hand briefly with his. 'They're both fine. And nothing's wrong.'

'So why are you picking me up? It's not even lunchtime.' She looked at him in confusion. 'And what's the urgency?'

He glanced at the clock and muttered something in Greek. 'We are going to be late.'

'Late for what?'

But he wouldn't answer her. He just stared at the road and drove as  quickly as safety allowed, weaving his way through the London traffic  until he hit the motorway that led out of town.