Home > Prognosis Incompatible(7)

Prognosis Incompatible(7)
Author: Amy Andrews

Fortunately, with the swift administration of a thrombolytic agent they had managed to halt any further damage. Mrs Sanders’s condition had stabilised overnight and they’d been able to extubate her in the early hours of the morning.

Madeline was relieved as she made her way next door to the coronary care unit. Mrs Sanders had five kids who needed her. Hopefully now she would start following medical advice and do something about her diet and exercise. It was a drastic wake-up call but unfortunately her patient had been a heart attack waiting to happen for a long time — overweight, hypertensive, high cholesterol and a family history of heart disease.

Madeline smiled at Mrs Sanders, who was looking much better. She took her patient’s hand as her eyes sought the cardiac monitor. A regular sinus rhythm blipped on the screen. The last blood pressure taken had been good and the oxygen saturation was excellent. No doubt this was helped by the prongs sitting inside Mrs Sanders’s nose, blowing a steady supply of oxygen.

Mrs Sanders greeted Madeline warmly, thanking her profusely for saving her life.

‘Nonsense,’ Madeline said dismissively. ‘I just did what anyone who had that knowledge would have done. Besides, I didn’t do it all by myself.’

‘Yes, Brett said that a nice male doctor helped, too. A Dr. Hunt?’

Madeline grimaced. That wasn’t exactly how she would have described Marcus Hunt. Smug, yes. Sexy, yes. But nice...?

‘Did I hear my name?’

Marcus’s deep voice stiffened Madeline’s spine as he sauntered into the room carrying a bunch of flowers. Introducing himself, he proceeded to charm the socks off the middle-aged woman while Madeline stood rooted to the spot, unable to move and only vaguely aware of their conversation.

Her eyes were irresistibly drawn to his powerful denim-clad legs. He was wearing one of those trendy T-shirts that looked like a toddler had been let loose with several Nikko pens. It clung to his biceps and chest wall perfectly and, when he laughed, it drew her gaze higher, to his mouth.

Marcus chose that moment to look at her with his strong, direct gaze. It broke her trance-like state and she looked away hastily, heat suffusing her face. She had to get out.

She’d couldn’t think straight around the damned man.

‘Well, I think I’ll be off now.’ Madeline broke into the conversation with an unsteady voice and made a great show of gathering her things.

Mrs Sanders protested but Madeline could see how even the short visit had taken it out of her patient.

‘Yes,’ said Marcus, rising from where he’d sprawled himself in the chair beside the bed. ‘I’d better be off, too.’

‘Oh, please,’ said Madeline, panicking slightly, not wanting to spend any longer in his company than was necessary. ‘Don’t leave on my account. I’m sure Mrs Sanders would love the company.’ And one person would be less taxing.

‘No, no,’ Marcus assured her. ‘I don’t think we should tire her out.’

‘Yes, I am a little weary.’ Mrs Sanders admitted.

‘Righto, we’ll be off, then.’ Marcus covered the older woman’s hands with his own. ‘If there is ever anything I can do for you, Mrs Sanders, please, don’t hesitate.’ He pulled a business card out of his back pocket and placed it on her bedside table.

Madeline stared at him, gobsmacked! She fumed silently as she stalked out of the unit. OK, she’d made up her mind to tolerate him but how dared he try and poach her patient? Once they had pushed through the swinging doors and were out in the corridor, Madeline let fly.

‘What the hell was that?’ she demanded.

‘Shh, Maddy...it’s a hospital.’ He wagged his finger at her playfully.

He looked so fresh and vital and she still felt tired and irritable. She wasn’t in the mood for his teasing. ‘I don’t give a damn,’ she hissed.

‘Maddy!’ He feigned a shocked expression.

‘How dare you try and steal one of my patients? How...how...unethical!’ she snapped. ‘You’re not doing a very good job of convincing me of your professionalism.’

Annoyed, she strode off. Unfortunately, he caught her up.

‘Conventional medicine doesn’t seem to have done her much good.’

Madeline halted and whipped around, cheeks flushed and eyes glittering. ‘Don’t you dare preach to me, Doctor. You know nothing about this case. It just so happens that conventional methods only work if you follow your doctor’s advice! Mrs Sanders is notoriously uncompliant.’

And she stormed ahead again.

The final straw was discovering some idiot had parked her in. Her dismay grew to anger when she realised it was Marcus’s MG. She gritted her teeth. She was going to need thousands of dollars’ worth of dental work done in the not too distant future if this kept up!

She kicked one of his car’s tyres out of pure pique and leant impatiently against her boot, foot tapping. When he finally swaggered toward her, she was ropable.

‘I hope you’re better at your hocus-pocus than you are at parking.’

He laughed and she shivered despite the thirty-degree day. ‘Someone got out of bed on the wrong side.’

‘Just shift your car, Dr Hunt.’ She just wanted to go. Get out of his radius. His presence was too unsettling.

He halted in front of her. ‘Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot this morning which is a shame because I thought we’d called a truce last night? I’m really a great guy when you get to know me.’

Maybe. But he was too close for Madeline’s sanity. He made her want things. Things she didn’t understand.

‘Your car,’ she repeated.

Marcus gave a frustrated sigh at her stonewalling. He’d never had to work this hard in his life. And it made him more intrigued. More sorry about the diamond on Maddy Harrington’s left hand.

He gave her a long, hard look then moved away, unlocking his car door. ‘Why don’t we go and have a coffee or something?’

‘Are you still here?’

He laughed. ‘Okay, Okay. I guess I’ll see you later.’

‘Don’t hold your breath,’ Madeline replied, and was pleased with just the right amounts of indifference and ice she’d injected into her voice as Marcus slid into his car seat.

Gunning the engine he shot her a confident grin. ‘It may be sooner than you think.’

Then he reversed, waving at her as he drove away.

As previously arranged, Madeline drove out to George and Mary’s acreage property for lunch. Mary handed her a nice cold Chardonnay as soon as she arrived and they sat out on the back deck in squatters’ chairs, looking out over the gorgeous mountain view. George joined them and she filled them in on London and the events of the previous day.

‘So you’ve met Marcus,’ George said.

Madeline rolled her eyes. ‘Yes, I have. Did you know he was a homeopath when you leased the premises to him?’

‘Of course,’ he said.

‘What were you thinking, George?’

He looked at her calmly. ‘I thought you might have a problem with it.’

‘I threatened to have him evicted,’ she said bluntly.

Mary gasped and held her hand to her mouth. ‘Oh, no, dear! I’ve invited him to lunch.’

‘What?’ demanded Madeline, staring at Mary like she’d just grown another head.

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