She left him to it, taking Brett to see his mother and waiting with him until his father arrived, leaving shortly after. She was surprised to see Marcus lounging at the nurse’s desk, waiting for her, but was unsurprised to hear the tinkle of laughter as two more nurses fell under the skater boy’s charm.
‘I’ll give you a lift home,’ he said, straightening as she approached.
‘I’ll get an Uber,’ she threw over her shoulder as she walked past him.
‘Don’t be silly, Maddy,’ he said, in a voice that made her feel like a disobedient child. ‘You look exhausted. Do you know how long it’s going to take to get an Uber on a Saturday evening?’
She stopped walking and sighed. He was right and she was tired, so very tired. What could it hurt? She nodded her assent. He raised his eyebrows at her, obviously not expecting such easy capitulation, but she was just too exhausted to care.
A few minutes later Madeline eyed the fire-engine red MG convertible doubtfully. ‘This is yours?’
‘Yes,’ he smiled lazily.
‘Hocus-pocus pays, huh?’
‘What did you expect me to drive?’
She looked him up and down. He was still in the same clothes — buttoned this time. She could see the paint in his hair and remembered him flying up off the concrete wall, his skate-board attached to his feet. ‘Something old and beat up.’
He threw back his head and laughed — a rich, throaty noise that weakened her knees. ‘You are a shrew,’ he stated. ‘Get in, Maddy.’
She obeyed, fearing that her knees wouldn’t support her for much longer, sinking into the well-worn soft leather of the bucket seat.
‘Not much room for a child seat in here, Dr Hunt.’
He laughed again. ‘The name is Marcus.’
‘Maybe...but I’m going to call you Dr Hunt,’ she mimicked his earlier words and he laughed again.
‘Touché, Maddy. Touché.’
They rode with the top down and, apart from Madeline giving him directions to her house, they drove in silence. The steady purr of the engine and the caress of the warm night air against her skin lulled Madeline to sleep.
Marcus took the opportunity to study her and felt a stupid little flutter somewhere in the vicinity of his heart. She was utterly gorgeous. Completely intriguing. The diamond on her finger mocked him and he almost sighed out loud.
Pity.
He pulled the car up outside her apartment block in the Valley and switched off the engine. He didn’t want to wake her but felt compelled to touch her at the same time.
‘Maddy,’ he said quietly, lightly stroking her cheek. She wiggled and murmured something unintelligible.
‘Maddy,’ he said, louder this time, and watched with regret as she opened her eyes, pulling abruptly away from his touch.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, embarrassed. ‘I didn’t mean to fall asleep.’
He shrugged. ‘You were tired.’
They were close in the compact car, Marcus dominating the small space, his blatant sexuality too big for such close confines. And despite her wishes to the contrary, Madeline knew something was happening within her that had never happened with Simon.
Oh, God - that wouldn’t do at all.
He rode a skateboard. He had a child. Okay, maybe he wasn’t married but he had responsibilities.
And she clearly needed sleep.
Clearing her throat, Madeline said, ‘Anyway...thank you...for before. I was rude to you but you came when I called.’
He shrugged. ‘I would never ignore a medical emergency. Some things are bigger than petty differences.’
‘Still, I think I owe you an apology.’
‘Accepted.’ He gave a slight half bow. ‘Does this mean my imminent eviction is not on the cards?’
‘It means seeing that you are a real doctor and you came to my aid and gave me a lift home, I guess I can tolerate you. But I’m a sceptic through and through, Dr Hunt. It’ll take more than good CPR technique to convince me.’
He laughed. ‘Ah, a challenge. I do so like a challenge.’
She shivered at the intimate promise in his words. This was crazy — he had a child and she was still wearing her engagement ring. She needed to put this conversation back onto even ground. ‘I’d better go, I’m keeping you from your family.’
‘Well, that would be difficult given I don’t have any.’
Her heart gave a crazy leap. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I saw you earlier today in the skate park with a little boy. I thought...’
‘He was my child? No. He’s my nephew. My sister lives here in Brisbane and Connor’s a mad keen skater. I promised I’d take him to the park on the weekend. Not married. Not in a relationship. No kids.’
He smiled at her like he was laying down his cards. He was a free agent. No wife or girlfriend. And no child. ‘I’m sorry. You seemed really close, I just assumed.’
‘Yeah, I guess we’re pretty close. He’s a great kid.’
‘How old is he?’
‘Six. When Nell, my sister, moved to Brisbane for her work I decided to follow. Connor’s father took off when he was a baby and I know what it’s like to grow up without a father.’
‘What happened to your dad?’ she asked, curious despite not wanting to be.
‘He and my mum divorced when I was five. He was kind of absent really. He married again and sort of forgot about us for large periods of time.’
‘So now you’re Connor’s father figure?’
He laughed. ‘Let’s just say stable male role model.’
She wrinkled her nose. ‘Ah, a man afraid of the F word. How unusual.’
He grinned. ‘I’m not afraid. I just prefer being an uncle. I like being fun Uncle Marcus. But Connor’s full on. I’m glad when I can hand him back. I like my life a little too much to tie myself down to something like that permanently.’
‘You make it sound like a death sentence.’
‘Let’s just say — once bitten, twice shy.’
So there was something in his past. ‘Sounds painful.’
‘It was.’
Madeline yawned despite her interest being piqued. The weariness had returned with gusto. ‘I’d better go. Thanks for the ride.’
‘Any time, Maddy,’ he said, his voice brimming with amusement.
Her hand stilled on the handle. She hadn’t meant that kind of ride...Or was she just imagining the innuendo? She opened the door, exited the car and turned, ducking down a little to face him. ‘Goodbye, Dr Hunt,’
And she shut the door and walked away, his laughter following her all the way inside.
Madeline arrived at the hospital the next day just before lunch. She entered the main foyer sighing at the blessed relief from the cool blast of air. She inhaled deeply, re-familiarising herself with the sterile smell found in hospitals the world over. She loved that smell and regretted briefly she was no longer a part of the hospital system.
Making her way to the ICU, Madeline discovered her patient had been moved to the coronary care unit. She spoke briefly to the registrar who had been caring for Mrs Sanders, and was told she had suffered a large inferior wall MI, evidenced not only on her ECG but by a massive rise in her cardiac enzymes.