gars, please.’
He nodded. ‘You feel dizzy?’
‘No, I always take three sugars in my tea.’ Kate looked up at him half-apologetically, and he nodded.
She waited until he’d closed the door to the surgery behind him and then carefully slipped her arm out of her jacket, rolling up the sleeve of her shirt. Her forearm was beginning to swell, and although the skin wasn’t broken it was an angry red. Kate turned on the cold tap, wincing as she let the cool water pour over her arm.
She could move all of her fingers and her thumb. Kate might be more conversant with animal physiology but a fractured bone didn’t look much different however many legs you had. This didn’t look like a fracture, and the swelling would probably go down by morning.
‘Don’t tell anyone, right?’ She whispered the words to Jeff as she carefully dabbed her arm dry with a tissue and rolled her sleeve back down. Sitting down next to him, she wriggled painfully into her jacket, and Jeff stretched, putting his head in her lap and drooling onto her trousers.
‘Yes, I know. I just don’t want any fuss.’ She’d bet that Ethan would make a fuss, and she didn’t want to feel how good it was to have him look after her.
He reappeared in the doorway, holding a cup of tea. Setting it down on her desk, he pulled the high-backed chair out. ‘Sit here. Jeff will be all right for a moment.’
Kate stared at him. No doubt Jeff would be all right. It was her own reaction to Ethan’s stubborn determination to look after her that she was worried about.
‘I’m a doctor. You took a nasty fall just now, and when the guy ran he caught you in the ribs with his boot. I’d like to make sure you’re okay.’
Damn it! When did doctors get to be blue-eyed, blond-haired handsome-hero material? Kate supposed that his profession must be in the notes that had been left on her desk somewhere, but at the moment she could barely think straight enough to remember her middle name.
‘If you’re thinking about telling me you’re all right again, then you should consider the possibility that adrenaline has a way of keeping the body going while you fight or fly.’
He had a point. Maybe she should have shown him her arm, to divert his attention from her ribs. But it was too late for that now, and mentioning any new aches and pains would only draw this out even further. Kate walked over to her desk, sitting down with a bump and wincing as pain shot up her back.
Ethan’s expression softened, and she tried to ignore the fact that the smile on his face was inspiring both confidence and an inappropriate wish to touch him. He pulled up a chair, sitting down opposite her.
‘What hurt you just then?’
‘My side. Where he kicked me.’ She brushed her hand across the spot, trying not to react to the pain that shot up her arm.
‘Okay. May I take a look?’
‘What kind of doctor are you?’ She made one last attempt at resistance.
‘The kind that knows the difference between a bruise and a cracked rib.’ He grinned at her. ‘Actually, I’m a trauma surgeon, so I’ve seen a fair number of both.’
‘Oh. Sorry.’ Kate felt herself redden.
‘That’s okay. Actually, everything’s okay, just in case you were thinking of apologising about anything else.’
This guy was a bloody dream. Relaxed, good-humoured, handsome. Her hero...
She had to get a grip. If she just did what needed to be done, one thing at a time, she’d be okay. Just draw the lines and stay within them. Forget about everything else. She slipped off her jacket and Ethan reached around to the spot she’d indicated, pulling her shirt up a little so he could see.
‘Lean forward a little more... That’s right.’
She felt the brush of his hands against her side. It had been a while since she’d shivered at a man’s touch against her skin and now wasn’t a good time to get reacquainted with the feeling. She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to imagine herself somewhere else.
‘Take a deep breath. In...’ She felt his fingers around her ribs. Kate filled her lungs with air and her head began to swim.
‘Out...’ His fingers moved higher. ‘Just relax.’
Relax? Really?
‘Favourite place?’
‘What?’ Kate was dimly aware that his gentle examination had stopped.