Page 33 of Stranded with the Surgeon

‘Thanks. I’d appreciate that.’

‘Don’t sneak off without saying goodbye, will you? Maggie would love to see you as well. She’s based in the ambulance station right next door.’

‘I’ll make sure I pop in and thank her. She was terrific.’

‘She is, isn’t she?’ Hugh’s quiet pride had the effect of making Jennifer feel even more isolated than her current location dictated. She needed to escape. To reassure herself that she was still the same person she had been before she’d come here. A successful, respected and popular person.

Someone who mattered.

* * *

Sneaking off would have been a highly desirable course of action as far as avoiding Guy was concerned, but Jennifer would not allow herself to take the easy way out. Her flight was due to leave at 10a.m., but the airport was very close to the hospital. Maggie had come in to say goodbye already, so Jennifer left it till 9.30a.m. to go to Guy’s room.

She was surprised to see an IV line attached to his arm and a cast on the foot raised on pillows. So the ankle had been fractured after all. How on earth had he managed that walk? She was also taken aback to see how pale Guy looked. The colour of his skin made those dark eyes stand out, and Jennifer suddenly wished she hadn’t screwed up the courage to make this visit. She felt like a bug trapped in a tiny jar under scrutiny to determine her species.

‘They said you were doing fine,’ she said uncomfortably. ‘You don’tlookfine.’

‘I got a bit of an infection in that cut on my leg. Hence the antibiotics.’ Guy tweaked the plastic line snaking from his arm. ‘This is coming out this morning. They’ll patch up the window in my cast and then I’ll be off.’

Off to Digger’s funeral probably.

‘I’m heading away myself.’ Jennifer dropped her gaze. The shame she felt now had nothing to do with the physical intimacy that had ended her time with this man. He’d been in far worse shape than she had realised, and she hadn’t even bothered getting down the corridor to see him. ‘I just wanted to come and… and thank you.’

‘You’re very welcome,’ Guy said politely.

‘I don’t really know what to say,’ Jennifer admitted. ‘You saved my life and I’m never going to forget that.’

She met his gaze again. It wasn’t just her survival she wasn’t going to forget. Not by a long shot. Should she say something about that night? Washegoing to say something? She couldn’t look away. The understanding of what was unspoken was there quite clearly.

‘So it’s back to reality then?’ Guy’s voice was very soft.

She nodded, unable to find any words. Their night together hadn’t been ‘real’, but then she already knew that, didn’t she?

‘The nightmare’s over.’ Guy nodded as he broke the eye contact. ‘Almost over anyway. I’ve got a funeral to go to this afternoon.’

‘I know. I wanted to go but then I thought I wouldn’t be very welcome.’

‘Why not?’ The tone was disinterested.

‘I think people blame me for what happened. I mean, the change of route that meant we weren’t found quickly.’ Jennifer bit her lip. If anyone had reason to feel bitter towards her, it had to be Guy. He’d lost the closest thing he had to a family member, hadn’t he? ‘I wish I could have done more,’ she ploughed on miserably. ‘I’m really so sorry about Digger.’

‘Yeah.’ The look Jennifer received was closed off enough to appear blank. ‘Forget it, Jenna. It’s over. And it wasn’t your fault.’

He closed his eyes and Jennifer glanced at her watch. ‘I’d better go. I hope you get well soon.’ She backed towards the door. ‘Thanks again, Guy… for everything. I’ll keep in touch.’

Guy didn’t open his eyes. ‘Sure. Me, too.’

But they wouldn’t. Jennifer knew that with absolute certainty as the wheels of her plane lifted from the tarmac and the aircraft pulled up into a sharp ascent to gain the height needed to leave the mountainous terrain.

Maybe she would never forget but if she didn’t distance herself, the memories would haunt her far too deeply. Staying in touch with Guy would only prolong trying to move on from a shattering experience, to put it into a perspective that wouldn’t interfere with her future.

Guy would feel exactly the same way. He was, no doubt, breathing a deep sigh of relief right now as he heard the plane circle above the hospital. Maybe he was even watching from a veranda, his relief evident in a wry smile.

She was an alien and she was returning to her own planet.

7

The man looked far too fit to be sitting in an emergency department.

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