His Summer Bride: Becoming Dr Bellini's Bride / Summer Seaside Wedding / Wedding in Darling Downs. Abigail Gordon
‘It’s Laura,’ Jenny answered. ‘She’s staying here with her husband, but he went out earlier for a walk. We haven’t been able to contact him yet.’
‘Okay, thanks.’
The woman was being tended by one of the hotel staff members, but the girl moved aside as Katie approached. A rug covered the area close by, and it looked as though this had been crumpled when Mrs Wyatt fell.
Katie went to kneel down beside the injured woman. ‘Mrs Wyatt… Laura… I’m Dr Logan. Can you hear me? Are you able to answer me?’
Laura Wyatt mumbled something indistinct and Katie tried again. ‘Do you feel pain anywhere, Laura?’ she asked gently. ‘Can you tell me where it hurts?’
Again there was a muffled reply, and Katie came to the conclusion that Mrs Wyatt was too dazed to answer properly. She began a swift initial examination, checking for any obvious injuries and finishing with a neurological check.
‘Laura,’ she said at last, ‘I think you’ve broken your shoulder—I know that it must be very painful, so I’m going to give you an injection to help with that. Do you understand what I’m saying?’
Laura tried to speak, but whatever she was trying to say didn’t come out right, and Katie went ahead and set up an intravenous line. ‘We’re going to get you to hospital just as soon as possible,’ she told the woman. ‘In the meantime, I’m going to try to make you more comfortable with a sling that will stop you moving your arm.’
It wasn’t clear whether Laura understood or simply couldn’t answer, but Katie went on with her examination, checking her patient’s blood pressure and listening to her heart.
‘What’s happened here?’ A familiar male voice disturbed Katie’s quiet concentration, and she looked up to see with a shock that Nick Bellini had entered the room. ‘Katie?’ He frowned, studying her for a moment, then turned his attention to her patient. Mrs Wyatt was groaning faintly.
His expression became grim, his eyes an intense, troubled blue.
‘Nick?’ Katie queried, removing the stethoscope from her ears. What was he doing here? And why had he thought it would be all right to come barging in that way? ‘You really shouldn’t be in here,’ she told him. ‘I’m examining a patient.’
‘Yes… I see that. I’m sorry for intruding, but you have to understand, I own this hotel... I came as soon as I heard... I’m very concerned that someone has been injured on the premises.’ His glance went to the woman once more. ‘How is she?’
Katie’s eyes widened. He owned this beautiful place? Was there no end to the extent of his empire? She blinked, and then hurriedly dragged her mind back to the business in hand. ‘She has a fractured shoulder. I’m sure you must be very worried,’ she murmured. ‘That’s understandable…s but this lady has a right to privacy. I think you should leave.’
His head went back, a lock of midnight hair falling across his brow. He seemed stunned by her words, as though it hadn’t for an instant occurred to him that anyone would ever try to evict him from where he wanted to be. She waited, bracing herself and expecting an argument, but then he said briefly, ‘You’ll keep me informed?’
Katie nodded, and without another word he turned and strode out of the room.
She went back to treating her patient. Nick’s intrusion had set her emotions in turmoil once more. She had thought she had seen the last of him, and yet here he had turned up when she’d least expected him. His presence had thrown her completely off balance, and now, perhaps because she’d just learned of his association with the hotel, there was a snippet of a newspaper headline running through her head… Something about an heiress… the daughter of a hotel magnate… and Nick Bellini.
She made an effort to push all thoughts of him to one side, and concentrated her attention on her patient, helping the woman to sit up. Then she put the immobiliser sling in place.
‘That should keep you fairly pain free until they can take care of you at the hospital,’ she said.
The paramedics arrived a few minutes later, and Katie went with them to oversee her patient’s transfer to the ambulance. By this time Laura’s husband had arrived, and he went along with her, sitting beside his wife and holding her hand.
Katie turned to go back into the hotel, only to find that Nick was right there by her side. She gave a startled jump. He seemed to tower over her, his body firm as a rock. She took a moment to gather herself together and then she gave him a fleeting once-over. He was turned out as faultlessly as ever, dressed in a perfectly tailored dark suit that made him every inch the businessman, a force to be reckoned with.
He looked at her. ‘A fractured shoulder, you said. Was she able to tell you what caused her to fall? Was it possible that it could have been the rug in her room—might she have tripped?’
She frowned, walking back with him into the foyer of the hotel. ‘Are you worried about liability?’ she asked. ‘Is that why you rushed over here?’
‘First and foremost, I came to see how the lady was doing… but, yes, I have to think about the hotel’s liability in this. We take every precaution, but if someone were to be hurt on the premises, it could lead to some very worrying consequences.’
‘Well, unfortunately I can’t really say what caused the accident. Mrs Wyatt was too dazed to give me any answers, I’m afraid. All I know is that she’ll probably need to have shoulder replacement surgery—she fell heavily and it was a nasty injury.’
His mouth flattened as he absorbed that information. Then he said in an even tone, ‘Do you have to rush on to another call, or would you have time to stay and have a drink with me?’
She hesitated. Part of her wanted to walk away and avoid getting involved with him any further than need be, but another bit of her recognised his concern. He was anxious for the woman’s well-being, and as a hotel proprietor he must be all too conscious of the threat of litigation. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to stay for a while and talk things through with him.
‘I don’t have to be back at work—my surgery hours are finished for the day, but I’m still on call, so perhaps we should make it coffee rather than anything alcoholic?’
He smiled, his face relaxing for the first time, reminding her all too potently of that sizzling allure that had made her go weak at the knees the first time she’d met him. She had to keep a firm hold on herself. This man could annihilate her sense of security with just one look, and that wouldn’t do at all. She’d been down that road, and from her experience it led to heartache… big time. Emotionally, James, her ex, had scarred her for life. She’d been blissfully unaware that he’d been cheating on her, and once his indiscretions had come to light it had torn the heart out of her.
‘We’ll go out on to the sun terrace,’ he said. ‘I’ll have Jenny send us out a tray of coffee. Just give me a moment to catch up with her.’ He lightly cupped Katie’s elbow, as though to keep her close, and she stood still for a moment while he beckoned to Jenny. That light touch was like a searing brand on her soft flesh.
The hotel manager was waiting by the desk, talking to the receptionist, but she turned and came over immediately.
‘Ask chef to make up a lunch tray, will you, Jenny? Dr Logan will be staying for a while. We’ll be out on the terrace by the shrubbery.’
Jenny nodded. ‘I’ll do that.’ She glanced at Katie. ‘Is Mrs Wyatt going to be all right?’
‘I hope so,’ Katie answered. ‘The shoulder will give her some problems for quite a while, but those can be dealt with. I’m more concerned about her lack of response. They’ll have to do tests at the hospital.’
Jenny nodded and hurried away to find the chef. Nick ushered Katie across the foyer and lounge then out through wide glass doors onto a paved area that was set out with white-painted wrought-iron tables and chairs. The scent of roses filled