‘Give me the easy job, why don’t you?’ A slight smile hovered on Rita’s lips.
Tori did better with her smile. ‘You like your food, then, John?’
Rita didn’t give him a chance to answer. ‘Oh, yes. You’d think with his job he’d live on lettuce but, no, not a chance. Until now. He is going to be living so healthily it will be embarrassing.’ Tears slid down her face. ‘Everyone’s been absolutely wonderful, but I just want to go home, take John back to where everything’s familiar.’
Tori nodded. ‘Unfortunately he should probably rest a few days at least before making that long haul back to Sydney.’
Ben had the answer. ‘As soon as the doctors say John can move, you’re going to London and my apartment. You’ll be comfortable there, and there’ll be less stress with no language issues.’
‘Phew, that’s a load off my mind.’ Rita looked infinitesimally happier. ‘Can I bring the kids over to join us? They won’t be a problem in the apartment, I promise.’
‘Those scallywags will have a blast. I’ll book the flights later today.’
John raised a thumb. ‘Good.’
‘You’ll have to go by train to London. There’s no flying for John for a little while.’
Again John nodded, but, then, he’d already know that. ‘Rita.’ He spoke softly. ‘She needs a break.’
‘On her way. You’re going to have to put up with Tori and me for the next few hours. We’re the official babysitters.’ Ben pulled a chair up to the bed and sat down to prove he wasn’t going anywhere. ‘Want me to read you a bedtime story?’
‘The only ones I can think of aren’t appropriate in the current company.’ John gave him a feeble smile.
‘Go to sleep, buddy. You need it.’
‘You don’t need to hang around, watching over me. There are more than enough nurses doing that already.’
John’s voice faded in and out, like he was half-asleep already.
‘That’s why I’m staying. To share the nurses,’ he quipped, his gaze already drifting across to Tori, who was talking with Rita. There wasn’t a nurse in the hospital, or any other woman anywhere, who could snag his attention. There was only one woman he was interested in, had ever been in love with, and she was only a few feet away. Might as well be on the other side of the world for all the good that was doing him.
But Tori had agreed to spend time with him, to see how they got on.
‘She’s the one, isn’t she?’
And he’d thought John was falling asleep. ‘The only one,’ he admitted quietly.
Just admitting it to his friend showed how out of control his emotions had become. Tori did that to him. Had done it right from that first glimpse of her in the department all those years back. From that moment he’d been hooked. Nothing that had happened later on had changed a thing. He’d never stopped loving her, no matter how hard he’d tried. He’d been fooling himself all along so that life was easier to cope with. Sure, he’d thought he’d made progress, could go along for months without thinking about her, then she’d be there in the front of his mind, beckoning, refusing to go away. Despite what he’d told her, he’d never fallen out of love with her.
He hadn’t trusted her love as much as he should’ve, but he’d always believed he’d been doing the right thing by Tori when he’d left her.
He shoved the fingers of one hand through his hair. ‘Was I right? Or was I wrong?’ he whispered to himself.
‘I don’t know the details, but from what I’ve seen these past few days I’m thinking wrong.’
No problem with John’s hearing, then. ‘You and me both.’
Tori was hugging Rita. They’d bonded so quickly and easily. Tori had always had a big heart, and yet she’d never had many close friends. Just Diane and Lynley, the two girls she’d grown up with.
I want her back. So I can’t stuff it up this time. Slowly, slowly.
‘You’ve got a few days so make them count.’
‘John, you’re meant to be going to sleep, not sorting out my life.’
‘I’ve just learned how quickly life can change. Don’t let Tori get away—not without giving your absolute best shot.’
Ben swallowed hard. So said the man who’d nearly left them for ever last night. What would he have done if John had died? He’d have been beyond devastated. Just as he’d been when he’d pushed Tori out of his life. ‘I’ll make you a deal, buddy. You get some sleep and I’ll start with being up-front with Tori about a few things.’ When she got back from accompanying Rita to the room the hospital staff had found for her.
The gleam in John’s eyes almost made Ben feel guilty for not mentioning he’d already made a move with Tori, that he’d kissed her and they’d agreed to spend time together. But even as his best friend, John wasn’t going to be privy to everything going on in his head—make that in his heart. Not when getting closer to Tori was still most likely to turn belly-up. How could they have a relationship when living at opposite ends of the world? He felt John’s hand on his.
Then his buddy was saying, ‘I haven’t said it yet, but thank you. I wouldn’t be...’ John couldn’t get the rest of his sentence out.
‘Don’t go there. Anyway, Tori had as much input.’ They’d worked together, each doing their job without hesitation. The only focus had been to save John, and they’d succeeded.
He and Tori working together. Surely that had to be a sign. A good one.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘THIS IS LA DAME DE LA COEUR,’ Marc Dupont told a tiny girl made to look even smaller by the big bed she lay in.
Marc had heard about her talk at the conference, and after checking John’s obs had invited Tori to visit the children’s ward with him. Since she’d canned the idea of sightseeing, she was happy to oblige.
‘Maelee, say hello to the doctor.’
The pale child glanced back and forth between Tori and her specialist. Her laboured breathing spoke of heart disease. ‘Bonjour,’ she finally wheezed.
‘Bonjour, Maelee.’ Tori shifted closer to the bed and crouched down so she wasn’t towering over the girl. ‘I am from another country far away, New Zealand.’
From Maelee’s bewildered expression her pronunciation wasn’t even close.
Tori tried again. ‘I look after sick girls and boys back at my home.’
Thankfully Marc interpreted her diabolical accent and Maelee’s eyes lit up. ‘You want to see me?’
With Marc’s help Tori chatted to the little girl and gained her confidence. ‘How old are you, Maelee?’
‘Six.’
Six. Too young to be dealing with this. ‘What do you like doing when you’re at home?’ What would her child have liked to do at this age? She or he would’ve been six now, too. Would they have pestered me for a horse, like I did my mum?
‘Computer games.’ She paused to get her breathing under control. ‘But I want to ride my bike, like my friends can.’
You poor wee pet. Pulling out her phone, Tori showed Maelee a picture of Dean Cox. ‘This boy has a sore heart, too.’
‘But he’s laughing and waving.’
‘That’s because we’ve made him better. He was going home when that photo was taken.’
Maelee stared at Dean. ‘I like him. I want to go home.’
Tori knew the child was having surgery for a faulty aortic valve in the morning. ‘You need to get better first. That’s what Dean had to do.’ Then she asked, ‘Can I listen to your heart, Maelee?’
‘Oui.’ Maelee instantly hauled up her pyjama top and exposed her skinny chest. ‘It’s going bang-bang-bang.’
Taking the stethoscope Marc handed her, Tori listened to the erratic beating of the girl’s heart. Meeting the specialist’s eyes, she nodded. This was a very sick child, and after surgery tomorrow she’d be spen
ding the next few days in the intensive care unit where John was currently laid up.
Gently pulling Maelee’s top down, Tori asked, ‘Can I tell Dean about you? I’m sure he’d like to send you a message.’
Maelee nodded, and Tori typed a quick message to Dean about the little French girl.
The brief message had hardly gone and Dean was answering.