Page 20 of Broken Heart Syndrome
‘Don’t overwhelm me with gratitude,’ he grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets. I narrowed my eyes.
‘I didn’t ask for you to turn off my alarm and steal my bleep,’ I retorted, feeling embarrassed, tired, and inexplicably angry.
‘I didn’t ask to find you asleep in my office.’ Okay, maybe he had a point there, but I was in no mood to concede anything.
He sighed. ‘Look, just drink your tea and eat one of your cakes,’ he said impatiently. ‘You look dead on your feet.’ I glanced at the plate he was holding out with my millionaires’ shortbread in the centre.
‘Iknewyou were stealing my shortbread.’ Visions of him and Cassie eating my shortbread floated through my mind and I was suddenly furious. Tom looked down at my waist, and I realized my hands were on my hips and I was leaning forward slightly. He looked like he was going to burst out laughing again.
‘You’re cross because I took some shortbread?’
‘No. You can take my shortbread and eat it. Just don’t think you can stockpile it in your office,’ I clarified.
‘I’m not sure that a couple of pieces qualifies as stockpiling exactly.’ He looked like he was fighting to contain his laughter, and I had a sneaking suspicion that I sounded more than a little insane. Why I was throwing attitude at him over blinking millionaires’ shortbread, when I never threw attitude at anyone, ever, I did not know. I just knew that I needed to get out of there pronto; not only for my peace of mind, but because I had things to do that couldn’t wait.
‘I’ve got to go,’ I said, dropping my hands from my hips and starting forward to go around him to the door. He moved to block my path.
‘Not until you tell me why you look so exhausted. What’s happened? What’s bothering you?’ One thing was for sure, there was no way I was telling him anything about the last couple of days. I still had my pride and I didn’t want to see any contempt – or, worse, pity – in his beautiful eyes.
‘I don’t know what you mean,’ I evaded, and stepped to the side to get round him. He moved with me and took a step towards me until we were only inches apart. My mind blanked, and crazy thoughts took over, like how if I leaned forward and went up on my tiptoes I could nearly meet his mouth with mine. I shook my head to clear it.
‘Every day you come in with your list and your glitter pen, and you’re so on the ball it’s scary. You may have fallen out of love with cardiology but you’re still the most efficient trainee I’ve ever worked with. You’re like a meerkat or a sparrow or something, always alert, noticing everything. The last few days it’s like you’ve checked out. Blank expression, dark circles under your eyes, hunted look about you. I want to know why.’
Well, I wasn’t sure that being described as a meerkat or a sparrow was entirely complimentary, but that was no surprise. What did surprise me was that he thought I was efficient, and why he thought I had ever been in love with cardiology was beyond me.
‘Look, I’m sorry I’ve not been on my game. I’ll pull it together, I promise.’
His brows drew together. ‘Frankie I’m not trying to haul you across the coals for anything. I’m just concerned. Maybe I can help.’
No no no no no. No way no how was I telling him anything. I didn’t know what had brought on this sudden concern for my welfare, but I was shutting this conversation down now.
‘Look, I’m fine. I –’
‘You’re not fine, just tell me.’
‘I am, I –’
‘Tell me.’
‘Leave it, okay?’ I clipped, losing patience.
‘Frankie –’
I leaned into him and put my hand on his chest to make my point. ‘Leave it, please,’ I said softly, pleading with my eyes for him to understand.
His eyes had dropped to my hand on his chest, and when he looked back up at me he had an almost savagely intense expression on his face. I felt my breath hitch and he masked it quickly, making me think that I might have imagined it.
‘Okay,’ he said, equally softly, and I felt my body relax. I was about to withdraw my hand when I felt his clamp over it, holding it in place. My breath hitched again and then I stopped breathing altogether. His eyes were roaming my face and he almost looked like he was in pain.
‘You play your cards pretty close to your chest, don’t you?’ he said out of the blue.
I bit my lip and his gaze dropped to my mouth. I could have sworn that he leaned into me for a second like he might have been going to kiss me.
Suddenly he swore, his hand left mine and he stepped back. What on earth? Deciding that his behaviour was so out of character that he was probably in the grip of a fever and had become delirious, I thought my best option was to make a hasty exit. It was rude, but then he was scaring me.
I really did have to get going, but on the way out I made a side trip to CCU to find Ash.
‘Habibi. You okay?’ he asked when I had made it to him, slightly out of breath. Jeepers, I seriously must have looked like crap.
