Dr. Dark and Far-Too Delicious (13 page)

‘Jasmine,’ Jed asked. ‘What do you want?’

‘Meaning?’

‘What do you want?’

She thought for a moment, about Simon safe and warm and sleeping in his cot and her job that she loved and her little home right on the beach and a relationship that looked like it might be working.

‘What I’ve got,’ Jasmine said.

‘And you’ve worked for it,’ Jed pointed out. ‘You could have listened to your mum and sister and been some high-powered lawyer or doctor and hating every minute of it, or you could be working in the fracture clinic because the hours are better, but instead you’ve stood your ground and you do a job you love... And,’ Jed added, ‘despite a lousy relationship you’ve got an amazing son and your heart’s back out there. I’d say you’re pretty strong.’

And he was right. She had everything she wanted, even if wasn’t what her mother or sister might choose. She did, even if it was misguided at times, follow her heart.

‘I do want a little bit more,’ Jasmine said.

‘What?’ He moved in for a kiss.

‘White walls,’ Jasmine whispered. ‘I’m on my fourth coat.’

And he looked at walls that were still green tinged and he started to laugh. ‘Did you put on an undercoat?’

He saw her frown.

‘Jasmine,’ he groaned. ‘I’ll do it at the weekend. But for now...’

It was bliss to be kissed by him again, bliss to be back in his arms and to know there were no secrets between them now, nothing more to know.

Except...

‘How did your interview go?’ She wriggled out of his kiss—there was so much she had missed out on.

‘Don’t worry about that now.’

‘But how did it go?’

‘Very well,’ Jed said. ‘I should know tomorrow.’

‘How did Penny go?’

‘Just leave it, huh? Suffice it to say I’m quietly confident but I’ll be fine if it doesn’t come off.’

‘Sure?’

‘Sure.’

And then he got back to kissing her and this time she didn’t halt him with questions. This time it was just about them, at least until Simon woke up. This time she didn’t hesitate, and brought him straight through.

‘Jed!’ Simon smiled when he saw him.

‘You outed us to Penny!’ Jed grinned and then he looked at Jasmine. ‘We need to go out.’

‘I know,’ she said. ‘I’ll speak to Ruby. I can’t just...’

‘I didn’t mean it like that,’ Jed said. ‘I mean that we need to announce ourselves to the world before Simon does.’

‘I think he already has,’ Jasmine said. ‘Can’t you feel them all watching us?’

He just grinned and then he said what he was thinking and it was far nicer than having to censor every word and thought, so much better than having to hold back. ‘Do you want to come to the A and E ball?’

‘It’s too soon.’

‘Not for me,’ Jed said. ‘Though I will probably only be able to stay till ten, so you might be deposited home early, but I want people to know about us. It isn’t too soon for me.’

‘I meant...’ Jasmine laughed ‘...that it’s too soon for me to organise anything. The ball’s tomorrow—and I’m working till four and I haven’t got anything to wear.’

‘You’ll look lovely whatever you wear.’

‘That’s the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard...’ Did he have not a clue as to how much went into getting ready for this sort of thing? Everyone who was going had the afternoon off and had been talking about dresses and shoes for weeks.

‘I’m not going to argue with you.’ Jed smiled. ‘After all, I know how much you hate it. So I’m just going to tell you instead that we’re going to the ball tomorrow and I expect you to be ready when I get here.’

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

A
BIT
MORE
notice would have been nice.

Lisa and Penny were bright orange, thanks to their spray tans, which they would shower off before their hairdresser appointments, Jasmine thought darkly, or after they’d picked up their thousand-dollar dresses from the dry cleaner’s.

They were working on a head injury—their newly extended and painted nails hidden under plastic gloves. Penny wanted him admitted to ICU, except there weren’t any beds at Peninsula, though they had been told there
might
be one available later on in the afternoon.

‘Nope.’ Penny shook her head. ‘He’ll have to be transferred.’

‘Okay,’ Lisa said. ‘Do you want me to do a ring around?’ She looked at Jasmine. ‘You go and have your break.’ As Jasmine opened her mouth to argue, Lisa overrode her. ‘You might have to transfer him,’ she pointed out, ‘so go and have a break now.’

Jasmine didn’t have time for a break.

Instead, she raced up to CCU. She was incredibly nervous about tonight and terribly aware of the lack of anything suitable in her wardrobe and she was determined to dash to the shops at lunchtime. She knew it might be her only chance to visit her mum but as she swept in to see her, Jasmine halted when she saw Jed standing there beside her bed.

‘Hi, there.’ Jasmine smiled, but it was a wary one, because Jed wasn’t her mother’s doctor. He hadn’t even been involved in her admission. ‘Is everything okay?’

‘Everything’s fine.’ Louise smiled, but Jasmine was still cautious.

‘Your mum’s temperature was up a bit up this morning,’ Jed explained. ‘And Penny’s stuck in with that head injury and insisted that I check things out...’ He rolled his eyes. ‘She’s got a slight chest infection but they’re onto it with antibiotics and your mum’s physio has been increased.’ He gave Louise a smile. ‘Now that I’ve seen for myself that you’ll live and have spoken to your doctor, I’d better get back down there and reassure your elder daughter.’

She hardly waited till he was out of the door and had she looked over her shoulder she would have seen Jed shake his head as Jasmine anxiously picked up her mother’s charts and saw that her temperature had indeed been rather high but was on its way down.

‘Jasmine.’ Her mum was stern. ‘I’ve got a chest infection.’

‘I know.’

‘It’s not a big deal,’ her mum said, and saw Jasmine’s anxious eyes. ‘Okay, it could be, but they’re straight onto it. They’ve taken loads of bloods and they’ve got me up and walking and coughing on the hour. It’s my own stupid fault,’ Louise admitted. ‘It hurt to take a deep breath and to cough and I didn’t really listen when they said to increase my painkillers. I thought I was doing better by having less.’

‘Mum.’ Jasmine let out a frustrated sigh. ‘You’re so...’

‘Stubborn.’

‘I could think of a few other words,’ Jasmine said. ‘Why wouldn’t you take the medication?’

‘I just wanted to go home and I thought the sooner I got off the strong stuff the sooner they’d release me.’

‘And because of that you’ll probably be stuck here for another couple of days.’

‘Well, we don’t always do what’s right for us, do we?’ Louise admitted. ‘But I am learning.’ And to prove it she pushed her pain medication button and the little pump whirred into life. ‘See?’

‘I spoke with the insurance and the travel agent,’ Jasmine said, ‘and you shall have your cruise, but not for a few months.’ She saw her mum rest back on the pillow. ‘I brought in some brochures—you get to choose all over again.’

‘That’s such a relief,’ Louise said. ‘That means that I can help you out a bit more.’

‘Mum, the only person you need to be concentrating on right now is you. I’m getting in the swing of things now. Vanessa and I are going to work out our nights and our late shifts, and we’ve got Ruby. I just needed you for the first few weeks.’

‘And I made it hard to ask,’ Louise said. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be sorry.’

‘I am.’

‘You gave me a push,’ Jasmine said. ‘I knew what I was going to get when I decided to come home—and you have helped. I couldn’t have started back on shifts without you. But...’ Jasmine took a deep breath, ‘...I’m not going to apply to work in the fracture clinic, I’m going to stay in Emergency. It’s what I’m good at. And it might be a juggle, but...’

‘You’ll sort it.’

‘I will,’ Jasmine said, feeling far more positive.

‘I don’t remember much of my time in there, but...’ she took her daughter’s hand, ‘...I do know what was done for me and I’ve seen the nurses hard at it on ICU and in here. I’m proud of what you do, Jasmine, and I’m sorry I haven’t been more supportive. I get it now.’

‘Good.’

‘And it breaks my heart what Penny had to go through, and I am so glad you were spared from that, but apart from that, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have looking after me than you. Don’t let your career go.’

‘I’m not going to.’

‘No matter how easy it is to drop down to part time or—’

‘Mum! I’ve got a one-year-old to support so dropping my hours down isn’t even on the agenda. Not for the next seventeen years at least.’

‘He seems nice.’ Louise’s head jerked to the door. ‘Jed.’

‘He is.’

‘Penny said that you two have been seeing each other.’

‘Mum!’ Jasmine was firm. ‘It’s early days. Neither of us wants to rush into anything and there’s Simon to think of. Still—’ she couldn’t help but share the news, ‘—I’m going to the A and E ball with him tonight.’

‘What are you wearing?’

‘I don’t know yet.’ Jasmine ignored her mother’s horrified expression. ‘I’m going to look at lunchtime.’

‘In the village?’

Jasmine closed her eyes. There were about two clothes shops near enough to get to in her lunch break and, no, she didn’t think they would have a massive selection of ballgowns to choose from.

‘I’d lend you something, but...’

‘I’m not borrowing something from my mum!’

‘I’ve got very good taste,’ Louise said, ‘and a black dress is a black dress, but...’ she ran an eye over Jasmine ‘...it wouldn’t fit.’

‘Just keep pushing that pain medication button, Mum.’ Jasmine smiled. ‘You might need it soon.’

‘What about your wedding dress?’

‘Please.’

‘Well, it’s not really a wedding dress, is it?’ Louise pointed out. ‘It would look lovely.’

‘No.’ Jasmine gave her mum a kiss. ‘I have to get back.’

‘Are you getting your hair done?’

‘Yes!’ Jasmine lied. ‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to let the side down.’

‘I know. Can you drop by on your way?’

‘Mum!’ That was too cringy for words.

‘Penny is.’

‘Oh, Mum,’ Jasmine said. ‘I think I preferred the old you.’

‘Tough.’ Louise smiled. ‘You’ve got a new mum now. Right, you have a lovely day and I’ll look forward to seeing you this evening.’

Jasmine headed back down to Emergency and gave a brief nod to Penny, who was sitting at the nursing station writing up notes, and beside her was Jed.

‘Have you seen Mum?’

Jasmine blinked in surprise. ‘I’ve just been,’ Jasmine said. ‘She looks well.’

‘What’s her temp?’

‘Down to thirty-seven point five.’

‘Good.’

‘Well, she’s certainly changed her tune,’ Jasmine said to Jed as Penny was called back into Resus. ‘I’m actually being acknowledged.’ She made sure no one was listening. ‘Have you heard?’

‘What?’

‘Jed!’ He was so annoying sometimes. ‘About the job,’ she mouthed.

‘Not yet!’ he mouthed back. And then she remembered something. ‘This is too embarrassing for words, but on the way to the ball Mum wants me to pop in.’

‘No problem.’

‘For two minutes.’

‘It’s no big deal,’ Jed assured her.

‘For you maybe,’ Jasmine grumbled. ‘I think they bypassed the old mum when they did surgery.’

‘Jasmine.’ She heard a rather familiar call from Greg and, jumping off her seat, she dashed into Resus to see the head injury Penny had been working on looking significantly worse. His arms were extending to painful stimuli and Penny was sedating him and getting ready to intubate.

Penny was marvellous, barking out her orders as always, but she actually called for Jed’s help when the anaesthetist didn’t arrive. Whatever way you looked at it, she was fantastic at her job, just a cow around the staff. That was to say, all the staff, so she didn’t deliberately take it personally when Penny told her none too politely to hurry up as Jasmine loaded a syringe with propofol, an oily drug that was a bit slow to draw up. And she really was confident in her work. Penny’s hands weren’t even shaking as she intubated the patient, Jasmine noticed.

And then Lisa spoke and as Jasmine pulled up some more medication she noticed that her own hands were shaking.

‘There’s an ICU bed at Melbourne Central. The chopper is already out so I’ve called for MICA and a police escort.’ She told the anaesthetist the same when he arrived and then she told Jasmine to prepare the patient and get herself ready.

‘It will be fine,’ Jed said just a little while later when Mark and his colleague arrived and transferred the patient to the stretcher. ‘Jasmine, it will be.’

‘I know.’

‘No one’s going to say anything.’

‘And if they do?’

‘They won’t,’ Jed said. ‘But if they do, just tell them to mind their own business.’

He gave her shoulder a squeeze. ‘If I don’t see you before, I’ll pick you up about six-thirty.’

Oh, God... Jasmine would have closed her eyes, except she had to move now, had to follow the stretcher into the ambulance. No, she wasn’t going to be buying a dress this lunchtime, neither would she be sorting out her hair.

Instead she was going back to Melbourne Central.

* * *

With a police escort they practically flew down the freeway. The patient was stable throughout and Craig, the anaesthetist, was very calm, as were the paramedics. It was Jasmine whose heart was hammering as they approached the hospital she had loved and the place it had hurt so much to leave.

‘Are you okay, Jasmine?’ Mark asked, before they climbed out.

‘Sure.’

‘No one’s going to eat you.’

‘I know.’

Of course, it was a bit of an anticlimax. The hospital didn’t suddenly stop just because she was back. In fact, she didn’t recognise any of the staff on ICU as she handed the patient over.

The paramedics were going to be taking Jasmine and Craig back to Peninsula, but Mark wanted to take a break before the return journey.

‘We’ll just grab some lunch at the canteen,’ Mark told her.

‘I’ll meet you back at the ambulance,’ Jasmine told him. Tempting as it was to hide out in the canteen, Jasmine decided that she was tired of running away from things, tired of feeling guilty over mistakes that weren’t even hers, so feeling nervous but brave she walked into Emergency.

‘Hi.’ She smiled at a face she didn’t recognise. ‘I was wondering—’

‘Jasmine!’ She never got to finish her sentence as Hannah, the charge nurse, came rushing over. ‘Where have you been?’

‘I moved back home.’

‘You never even let us know you’d had your baby. Martha said that she heard it was a boy.’

And she was back and her friends were crowding around her, looking at pictures of Simon on her phone. Hearing their enthusiasm, she realised just how badly she had misjudged her friendships and she started crying.

‘He was a bastard,’ Hannah said when Jasmine told her why. ‘Of course nobody thought you were involved.’

‘Everybody was so weird around me.’

‘We were embarrassed,’ Martha said. ‘Upset for you.’ She gave Jasmine a hug. ‘You’re better off without him, you know.’

‘Oh, God, do I know.’

‘Does that mean you’re coming back?’ Hannah asked.

She thought for a moment, because she could come back and part of her wanted to come back except, Jasmine realised then, just as she had told Jed, she was very happy with what she had now.

‘Maybe one day.’ Jasmine smiled and then of course they asked if she was seeing anyone and she was through with covering things up and so she said yes.

‘His name’s Jed,’ Jasmine said. ‘Jed Devlin.’

‘I know that name.’ Hannah frowned. ‘Where do I know that name from?’

‘He came for an interview here,’ Jasmine said.

‘That’s right.’ Hannah nodded and then waved in direction of the door. ‘I think your transport’s ready.’ Jasmine turned and there were the paramedics. ‘Don’t be a stranger,’ Hannah warned. Then she laughed. ‘Well, I guess you won’t be now.’

Jasmine had no idea what Hannah meant, but she was on too much of a high to think about it, and then when she realised she still had nothing to wear tonight and she wasn’t going to get to the shops, she was far too panicked to dwell on Hannah’s words, especially when they hit traffic on the way home.

‘Can’t you put on the sirens?’ Jasmine grumbled, but the paramedics just laughed. ‘Some of us are going out tonight.’