Emergency Doctor and Cinderella by Melanie Milburne Page B

were so many distractions as critically ill patients were ferried in and out. And then of course there was the trainee staff she had to keep an eye on, residents and interns, and even registrars at times didn’t always follow directions. They were not the ones who had to take responsibility for any mistakes, however; it was the doctor who was ultimately in charge who had to step up to the plate.
    ‘Maybe the patient just needed more than the standard dose of pain-relief,’ Eamon said. ‘She had a gangrenous bowel obstruction, after all, a painful condition.’
    ‘Yes…’ Her eyes fell away from his.
    He took the file and placed it with the rest of folders on his desk. ‘I’ve taken up enough of your break. You haven’t even had a cup of tea.’
    Erin met his eyes briefly. ‘I don’t want you to think that I’m the sort of person who does this…’ she grimaced as she hunted for the right word ‘…you know, fraternises with colleagues during work time.’
    He smiled as he sat on the edge of his desk, his arms loosely folded over his broad chest. ‘I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.’
    She chewed at her lip, her hand fidgeting with her ID badge. ‘I feel embarrassed about what just happened.’
    ‘The kiss thing?’ he asked.
    She nodded, her throat feeling tight as she swallowed. ‘That and the bet thing. I’m sorry for shooting first before asking questions.’
    He unfolded his arms and pushed himself off the desk, coming to stand in front of her again. He brushed her cheek with the back of his knuckles in a feather-light caress. ‘Forget about it, Erin,’ he said. ‘I wouldhave jumped to the same conclusion, especially given what you’d been told. But I can assure you I had absolutely nothing to do with it. I admit I want you to commit to my plans for the department, but no doubt you have your reasons for not wanting the change. My job is to find out what they are and help you overcome your doubts.’
    Erin lowered her gaze from his. ‘It’s not that I don’t care about the patients. I do. They are someone’s son or daughter, mother or father, uncle or aunt, cousin or niece, nephew—whatever. I never forget that while I’m treating them. I’m always thinking of the people waiting on the other side of A&E’s doors: what they’re feeling, the hope, the dread and the disbelief that something terrible has happened to the person they love, that they might never be the same again, or even worse not survive.’
    ‘I know,’ he said, resting his hands on her shoulders. ‘I feel that too. But that’s why I’m so committed to improving the system.’
    She looked up into his clear, green eyes. ‘I don’t want you to think I’m deliberately being obstructive. It’s just that I…I don’t think I have anything further to offer than initial assessment and treatment.’
    ‘I think you’re once again underestimating yourself, Erin,’ he said. ‘I realise you’re not as comfortable as some of the others at relating to the patients and their relatives, but that is a skill that can be worked at over time.’
    ‘I’ve never been a people person,’ she said. ‘I like my own company.’
    ‘You seemed to enjoy mine a few minutes ago,’ he said with a wry smile.
    Erin gave him a look of mild reproach. ‘Yes, well, you do have a rather persuasive manner about you at times.’
    He grinned at her again. ‘Just you wait until I really lay on the charm. You won’t know what hit you.’
    Erin tried to suppress a little bubble of excitement that rose in her, but even so it was impossible to ignore the flutter of her pulse at his words. She was already floundering in an unfamiliar sea of sensual temptation. She had lost her bearings the first time he’d kissed her, and each of his subsequent kisses had made her cling to him like a raft. She had never experienced anything like it before. Her response to him was so out of character. She had certainly been attracted to the occasional man in the