“Will yoghurt and a banana be enough to make you happy?” Steph asked Jon.
“Anything, as long as you eat it,” he said as he strode off back to the counter and returned a couple of minutes later with a banana and a strawberry yoghurt. “Do you think I bully you?” he asked seriously as he lay the food in front of her.
“No. You are a bossy git, but not a bully and I know you only do what you think is right for me,” she told him.
“Good because I do want to take care of you, not bully you.” He studied her expression as if gauging whether her words and the sentiment of them were genuine. “Right, you eat and I will talk and I believe we agreed to a summary of my family. I have a mum and a dad, a brother and a sister, my sister, Alexandra is older by two years and my brother Craig is younger by two. My dad is an oncologist and Mum is a GP and they met and fell in love at uni but divorced about eight years ago when Dad started an affair with an anaesthetist at the hospital where he works. Mum realised what was going on and threw him out and his affair ended soon afterwards, but he then met a younger, beautiful woman who worked for one of the big cancer charities and he married her just over a year ago. My mum remarried two years ago, another GP, and they both seem very happy. Mysister is married to a vicar and they have three kids, Craig is unmarried, but lives with an artist, Zelda who you’d like, she is a free spirit and usually says completely the wrong thing at the wrong moment, although we’re unsure if she really is called Zelda or whether it’s just a nickname.”
“So how come you didn’t become a doctor?” She smiled at the thought of him wafting around a hospital with every nurse in the building hanging off his every word, much as she was.
“It was what my parents wanted, but I hate the sight of blood for one thing, but Craig is a physio so one of us went into medicine at least.”
“You would have made a very dashing doctor,” mused Steph.
“You need to stop flirting with me because I have missed you a great deal,” he told her, grinning.
“And you love me.” They both paused briefly as she made the first reference either of them had to love since he’d said it the previous day.
“Yes, and you love me too as I recall.” Jon did nothing to fight his smile as he watched Steph eating the last of her yoghurt.
“Yes,” she agreed and then changed the subject. “So, why did you feel the need to wake my dad’s consultant up this morning?”
“Because his registrar was unable to commit to a meeting, so I called my dad and asked if he knew Mr Wright the neurosurgeon and he did, although I was just checking his credentials, but when Dad said he knew Angus and he offered to call him, I went with it. Although I think my dad thought he could wait until daylight to call him.”
“But you had other ideas?” She smiled across at the beautiful man opposite her, the control freak, never take no for an answer force of nature that she loved with every fibre of her body.
“Too right, now eat your banana,” he said, suddenly bossy again.
She peeled the banana and as she held the tip of the fruit against her lips seductively, he shook his head at her and squinted his eyes. “You, Miss Pryor are very naughty.”
“I thought that’s the way you liked me?” she asked feigning innocence.
“It does have a certain attraction, but not here and not now. Come on, I am sure Angus won’t wait around for us.” He was already getting to his feet and taking her hand as she followed his lead.
They arrived backon the fifth floor and found Jason and Eddie standing together and almost immediately Mr Wright appeared with Chris.
“Very prompt, I like that,” said Angus Wright holding the door to the ward open and gestured for Steph to walk through it first.
“Yes, Miss Pryor and I both share your distaste for lateness,” Jon told him as he followed them through to the small office on the ward where they’d sat with Dr Patterson earlier that morning.
They all sat around a small coffee table as Mr Wright began discussing Roger’s condition.
“I think Chris explained earlier this morning that ideally we would like to monitor Roger for a while longer rather than jumping in surgically and he is stable so that is still our intention. The brain is a strange thing and can endure horrific injuries and just bounce back, however there are times when the injury seems relatively minor and the effects are huge. All things considered, it is incredibly hard for us to be precise in terms of a prognosis, so, I personally err on the side of caution and frustratingly for you I tend to be quite guarded.” He smiled at Steph and then gazed across at Eddie and Jason.
Mr Wright continued to answer questions and where he could, reassured everyone. He discussed possible and probable treatments that might be necessary but remained as guarded as he’d warned them he would be. After the questions and answers appeared to have finished, a silence hung in the air as everyone absorbed the details. Steph bowed her head and rested it in her hands as she sighed loudly.
“Should we stay here?” asked Eddie confused by all of the information they now had, much of it contradictory.
“You would be unable to remain on the ward until visiting time, but you could wait outside if you want to. I am sorry that I can’t be more specific, but everyone is different and although your father is stable, you can’t underestimate the injuries he incurred, the most concerning for us would be the skull fracture and the swelling.”
Steph looked up and sighed louder as she slumped back in her seat. Jon reached towards her but was both bewildered and irritated when Chris leaned forward and placed a hand on her knee.
He rubbed her leg gently. “You have to do what is best for you and if staying here is going to offer you some comfort, that’s great, but if that will create problems with your boss you may prefer to go to work and I will call you if there are any changes.” He smiled at her and as his hand stilled on her knee, Jon glared in disbelief whereas Mr Wright stared on with a combination of confusion and disapproval.
“You might want to consider unhanding my sister before her boyfriend has no choice but to put one on you, mate,” said Jason with mild amusement.
“Quite,” said Mr Wright, admonishing his junior.
Jon turned and spoke directly to Chris. “For your information, Dr Patterson, I am Steph’s boss, so there are no problems there. Whatever she chooses to do is entirely herchoice.” He then looked across at Steph and took her hand and asked, “Darling, what do you want to do?”
