LITMIR.BIZ

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was only so much she could stand! Maggie tossed her magazine onto the table and stood up. She saw the other two look at her and shook her head in despair.

      ‘You two need your heads examined!’ she declared, her dark brown eyes flashing. ‘I can’t believe that you are so…so naïve that you’ve been taken in like this!’

      Doreen grinned, not at all perturbed by the outburst. She and Maggie had worked together for some time and she was used to the younger woman’s sometimes fiery temperament. ‘Do I take it that you aren’t a member of Luke Fabrizzi’s flourishing fan club? Funny. I would have thought he’d be right up your street, Maggie. You two must have a lot in common with your family backgrounds.’

      ‘I have nothing whatsoever in common with that man!’

      Maggie strode to the sink and emptied the dregs of her coffee down the drain. Renovations to the hospital’s canteen had begun the previous week so they were taking their morning break in the ward kitchen. Temporary canteen facilities had been set up in the basement, but it was such a trek from the surgical ward that they went there only at lunchtime. The work was being carried out on the floor above them and she raised her voice as the whine from some kind of high-powered machinery filtered down through the ceiling.

      ‘Maybe his parents and my mother are Italian but that’s as far as it goes. I don’t want you putting me in the same category as Luke Fabrizzi, thank you very much!’

      ‘Maggie,’ Doreen said warningly, but Maggie didn’t hear her. The noise from above was getting louder so she raised her voice even more to make sure that the other two heard her.

      ‘As for that so-called honesty of his, well, it’s simply proof of his arrogance. The wretched man seems to believe that every woman he meets is trying to lure him to the altar!’ She gave an unladylike snort as she swung round. ‘The reason Luke Fabrizzi isn’t looking for a long-term relationship is because he knows that he’ll never find anyone he could love as much as himsel…’

      She didn’t finish the sentence. Maybe it was the expression on her friend’s face which warned her something was wrong or maybe it was the frisson that raced down her spine which stopped the words on her lips. However, she knew before she glanced towards the door who she would see.

      Luke Fabrizzi treated her to a dazzling smile as he leant indolently against the doorjamb. ‘Don’t let me put you off, Staff. Finish what you were saying.’ He raised an elegant black brow as he looked at the other two women. ‘We’re dying to hear the rest of your words of wisdom, aren’t we, ladies?’

      Maggie felt another tremor run through her. This one was compounded from a smidgen of embarrassment and a large dollop of annoyance. She’d had no idea that Luke had come into the room while she’d been speaking, but that wasn’t her fault. He should have said something to let her know that he was there. Anyone with an ounce of good manners would have done that!

      It was another black mark against him and she used it to salve her conscience. She treated him to a smile that would have stopped a charging elephant in its tracks. ‘Oh, I don’t think there’s any need for me to labour the point. I believe I’ve made my feelings clear, Dr Fabrizzi.’

      ‘Perfectly clear, Staff. I’m sure none of us are in any doubt how you feel.’

      There was a trace of amusement in his deep voice which brought a tide of angry colour to Maggie’s cheeks when she heard it. If he was at all upset by what he had overheard then it certainly didn’t show. Why should it, though? The wretched man’s ego was far too huge to be dented by anything she said!

      It was another strike against him in her opinion but she decided that it would be better not to remark on it, hard though that was. It was unprofessional enough to have been caught discussing him, without making matters worse by starting an argument.

      She pasted a polite smile to her mouth instead. ‘Did you want to speak to me about a patient, Dr Fabrizzi?’

      ‘I needed a word with you about Mrs Bradshaw, if you could spare me a moment,’ he replied equally formally. He moved aside as Angela and Doreen hurriedly made their exit. It was obvious that they were deeply embarrassed by what had happened, but Maggie refused to let it upset her. Every word she’d said had been true. She and Luke Fabrizzi both knew that.

      ‘Certainly. Is there a problem?’ she asked, leading the way to the office. Sister Clarke was away on holiday for the next three weeks and Maggie was in charge of the ward in her absence. It was a big responsibility but she was enjoying the challenge of ensuring that everything ran smoothly.

      Luke followed her into the room and closed the door. His face was set as he focused on the patient rather than their differences. ‘Unfortunately, yes. I’ve just seen her X-rays and I’m not at all happy with what they show. The damage to the head of the femur is far more extensive than we thought it was.’

      Maggie sighed. Alice Bradshaw had been admitted to the ward that morning after tripping over a loose flagstone in her garden. Fortunately a neighbour had heard her shouts and called an ambulance. She’d been taken to Casualty before being transferred to the ward prior to her operation. She must have been in a great deal of pain but she hadn’t complained once. Maggie had spent some time with her and was full of admiration for the old lady’s bravery.

      ‘Will you be able to repair it?’ she asked worriedly.

      ‘To an extent. However, the bone is so fragile that the joint is never going to be as good as I would have liked it to be. Like so many elderly women, Mrs Bradshaw is suffering from osteoporosis, which simply increases the problems when you’re performing this type of surgery.’

      Luke’s handsome face drew into a frown as he thought about the difficulties involved. There was no doubting his commitment to his work, Maggie thought. He genuinely cared about the people he treated and the quality of life they would have after their surgery.

      She felt a small flicker of admiration and quickly snuffed it out. His professionalism had never been part of the equation. It was his attitude that irritated her, that belief he seemed to have that every woman he met found him irresistible!

      He suddenly looked up and she quickly averted her eyes in case her feelings showed. Luke Fabrizzi was undoubtedly the most handsome man she had ever met, with those classically perfect features, that lustrous black hair, that superbly proportioned six-foot frame. However, she wasn’t the least bit interested in him that way.

      ‘I thought I had better explain to Mrs Bradshaw what I’ve found before she goes to Theatre, but I wanted some idea of how she would take the news,’ Luke stated evenly. But there was a speculative light in his deep blue eyes when Maggie glanced at him that warned her his attention wasn’t solely on their patient now.

      Had he picked up on her thoughts somehow? she found herself wondering, then quickly dismissed the idea. She and Luke Fabrizzi weren’t even on the same wavelength and she would have considered it an insult if anyone had suggested that they were.

      ‘I’m sure that Alice will accept whatever you tell her.’ Maggie resolutely returned her thoughts to their patient. Her voice warmed as she recalled what she had learned about the old lady. ‘I was talking to her this morning and discovered that she brought up five children on her own after her husband died. She had to do two jobs to support them, so it can’t have been easy for her. However, it’s a good indication of her strength of character so I don’t think that she’ll take the news too badly.’

      ‘Well, that’s a relief. It’s always good to have an idea how a patient will react. She sounds like a really plucky old lady, from what you’ve said. Thanks. It’s been a great help.’

      Luke smiled and Maggie felt her heart perform the most peculiar manoeuvre, something that felt midway between a hiccup and a somersault…

      She chased away that fanciful idea before it had a chance to take root. Luke Fabrizzi had no effect on her whatsoever other than to irritate the socks off her. So if he’d been hoping to charm her then he was in for a big disappointment.

      ‘Oh,

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