Hey Mace, go out with me tonight,' Alec came bouncing into Macy's surgery.
'What?' Macy exclaimed, looking up confused, from the list of medication she was ordering for the pediatric ward.
'You know, you, me ___ on a date.'
'No thank you,' she brushed him off, none too kindly.
Alec groaned loudly. 'Macy, is there a possibility, you're going to hook up with him?'
'Excuse me?'
'The loser you're pining for Macy. You know ___ Parker's father. You've never been with a man since ___.'
'Get out Alec!' Macy stood up. She was incensed at his impertinence.
'Fine, just dump on me, like I'm the trash can,' Alec gave her the wounded look.
'Stop trying to look like the victim here Alec,' she sliced an accusing finger in his direction. 'You know Twain was right about you!
'Whoa! "Twain!" 'So you're on first name basis with the boss man?'
Macy coloured. Her palm brushed at the heated flesh at her neck.
'Well, what do you call him?'
'Dr. Crawford, like every other staff member does!' Alec wagged a finger at her. 'You've got the hots for him, haven't you?' he sneered.
She'd stopped calling him "Dr. Crawford," now that they'd had rather an intimate liaison, besides it seemed ludicrous when Twain was the father of her child and he was badgering her to marry him.
Macy silently cringed. 'More psycho‑analysis,' she rolled her eyes, defectively.
'Mmm, perhaps not,' Alec was contemplative. 'I mean if a virile, sexy stud like myself does not turn you on, how can Crawford, who just arrived on our doorstep?'
'I want you to leave my surgery Alec,' Macy was getting bored.
Alec laughed. 'So what did Crawford say about me?' he quizzed.
'Something along the lines of you being a consummate flirt,' she smiled, raising her eyebrows as she held the door open for him to leave.
'Don't know what you missing, saying no to me, Mace,' he grinned.
'I'll take my chances,' she smiled sarcastically.
'Dr. Skye,' Nurse Julia burst into Macy's surgery as Alec left. 'Little baby Alex is not responding to his medication.'
Macy listened, though she understood Alex's dilemma. 'Acute otitis media would cause extreme pain, Nurse Julia. 'Coupled to that baby Alex's hearing is affected and the earache has brought on a fever.'
'Can't we increase the dosage of his painkillers, please?'
'No! Absolutely not,' Macy disallowed. 'Baby Alex is already receiving the maximum dosage for toddlers under three. A higher dosage will be fatal.'
'But we've all failed to pacify him,' a look of resignation covered her face. 'Myself, Nurse Abbey, even the intern. 'He refused his breakfast, now he refuses to eat his lunch. We've tried everything.'
Macy stood up. 'I cannot increase his medication,' she shook her head, determinedly. She began walking when her mobile rang.
'Dr. Skye,' she answered absently.
'Did I tell you, you're the sexiest doctor I know?' Twain's racy voice flirted in her ear.
Heat flamed her face. 'You don't know many doctors then,' she murmured uncomfortably, Her eyes shifted away from the nosey Nurse Julia who was straining her ear to catch who Macy was on call with. Macy picked up her stethoscope and walked out of her surgery.
'I'm working. What do you want?' She spoke softly into the phone.
Twain had called her at six thirty the previous morning. That was a sacrilege as far as Macy was concerned. She only got out of bed after nine on a Sunday. She'd thought there was an emergency and when Twain had said he'd just called to say "good morning," Macy had groaned loudly and when she'd heard Twain's rip roaring chuckle, it thawed out her hormones, dousing her anger. They'd chatted for a few minutes before Twain had rung off saying he'd call again in the evening.
She'd thought it was just passing words, that he probably would not call, but she was surprised when she'd come out of the shower in the evening and Twain's number had reflected on her screen. Macy could not deny, her heart had skipped a beat, the adrenalin had made her heart pump so wildly, she thought Twain would hear it on the other end of the line. He'd wanted to know how she'd spent her Sunday. Macy had told him she'd taken her mum and Parker to the movies and they'd gone to Debonnairs for pizza. Parker's idea.
Twain had flirted with Macy nonstop on the phone. Every time she wanted to say goodnight, he'd have her in stitches laughing about something naughty, but she wisely perceived he was turning on the charm, hoping she would agree to marrying him. Macy decided not to be confrontational, instead, she devised her own secret strategy on how to deal with Dr. Twain Crawford.
'Have lunch with me,' Twain requested, breaking into her thoughts.
'I'm busy with a patient, Twain,' she murmured into the phone and cut the call. She walked to baby Alex's bed and lifted the howling baby. He was red in the face from his incessant crying. Her heart went out to him, he must be in so much pain, but she could not give him more pain killers, not for another two hours, her concerned eye scanned his chart.
'I'm sorry sweetheart,' she cooed softly. 'I know it hurts, but you have to have some lunch.'
'He's stopped crying,' Julia whispered.
'Lift up the lid of his lunch tray,' Macy whispered back.
Julia opened the tray and held it out so Macy could feed little Alex. She scoped a little stewed pumpkin into the spoon and gently held it to his mouth.
'Come on Alex,' Macy murmured softly. 'Just have a little please.' As if heeding her call, Alex sucked on the spoon and emptied it.
'That's it,' Macy smiled. 'She tried some of the baked fish. He ate that as well. 'Oh. You're such a good boy,' Macy praised Alex, as he finished the last of his lunch. She was feeding him, some grape juice, when she saw Twain in her line of vision.
He raised his authoritative eyebrows questioningly.
She was the doctor. Why was she doing a nurse's duty? Why was the nurse lazily sitting there with her hands folded and her legs crossed whilst Macy was doing what the nurse was paid to do?
Out of professional habit he scanned the patient file.
'Dr. Crawford___ good day,' Nurse Julia jumped up and nervously fiddled with Alex's chart.
'Dr. Skye,' Twain ignored the nurse. 'May I have a word with you?' His question intimated he was asking, but his eyes were warning her it was an instruction.
Macy carefully handed the little boy to Nurse Julia. 'Record his meal into the cart,' Macy instructed, as she scrubbed her hands, before she walked out with Twain.
'What did you want to talk about?' She questioned, though her mind already knew the only topic on his brain.
'Let's walk, shall we?' He smiled, guiding her by the small of her back towards the hospital's scenic gardens.
'I told you on the phone I was busy.'
'Why are you doing the nurse's job? 'Twain interrogated. 'That's what she gets paid for.'
'She was not coping with little Alex,' Macy informed him. 'She asked me to increase his dosage of pain medication.'
'I hope you overrode that request. His current medication is extremely strong, for one so young.' Twain's hand at the small of her back guided her out the balcony.
'Yes, I declined,' she sighed, 'but he's in so much pain. I'm also worried that he may lose his hearing if he does not respond to the antibiotics.'
'Are you administering the antibiotics orally?'
'Yes.'
'Add it to the eardrops, it will work faster,' Twain advised.
Why didn't I think of that?
'Hello, Dr. Crawford,' a theatre nursed flirted with Twain, giving him the bedroom eye.
What an audacity!
Macy felt her heart constricting by a green monster.
Twain returned the greeting, but in a voice that was civil. Macy could feel all the curious pairs of eyes on her. She wished Twain would keep his distance from her at work. She really did not need the rumour mill, spreading stories about her. She'd heard in the corridors, that in the last week, her name was being bandied as Twain's current lover.
When they were in the privacy of the garden, Twain spoke. 'I have to attend a conference in Port Elizabeth,' he announced.
'Excuse me!' Macy was more shocked that he was reporting to her, than that he was going off somewhere.
'It's only for two days, Macy,' he lifted her hands between his. 'The organizers want me to stand in for an international cardiologist who has an emergency he can't get away from.'
'Twain, you don't have to inform me of your schedule,' she tried to remove her hands.
'But I want to,' he smiled into her eyes. 'You're going to be my wife.'
His wife!
It sounded nice...pity it would be for the wrong reason. 'Are we back to that?'
'No,' he murmured, lifting her hand to his mouth, pressing his lips to it,
She looked away, trying to block out the sensations rippling through her from what his lips were doing to her palm. It didn't help, she inhaled heavily because her mind was focused on his thumb, arousingly running up and down the sensitive pulse on the inside of her wrist.
'I'm leaving right now,' he murmured.
Her head swung up to his face.
Okay Port Elizabeth was still inside the country, an hour and half's flight. Why was she feeling this way? She'd managed without him this past ten years. Yet ... she already felt his absence.
'Goodbye Macy,' he murmured huskily.
His goodbye sounded so ominous. Involuntarily, her arms flung around his neck. She kissed him passionately, clinging to him tightly, until she realized, she was behaving like a love sick teenager. So much for keeping Twain at arm's length and keeping her distance from him.
'Travel safely,' she whispered.
'I'll call you tonight,' he murmured,' releasing her.
She nodded, hoping he would. She really should exercise more restraint where he was concerned.
'Bye Twain,' she inhaled heavily, watching Twain's back as he left.
Macy was sad. Strange how she felt his absence so profoundly. She missed him barging into her office. She missed his arrogant smile. She longed to feel his sensuous lips on hers again. The emptiness stayed with her until she was about to climb into bed and when her mobile rang, she answered on the first ring.
'Twain!' She slid under the covers, curling up comfortably.
'Hi darling,' she heard his warm laugher in her ear.
For once the endearment sounded like a symphony in her ear.
'So ___ how's the conference?'
'Exhausting,' he sighed. 'I had three sessions today and I've got four tomorrow, and there's a gala dinner. I have to wear a tux,' she heard his soft groan.'
'So you won't be back tomorrow evening? Disappointment engulfed her.
'Missing me?' He teased, mockingly'
'No ___. Just making conversation,' her fingers twirled around her hair. She hoped he could not hear the longing in her voice.
'I wish you and Parker could be here with me.'
Macy cooed silently. He didn't just want her for her body. He wanted their son there as well. She could kiss him, if he was in front of her. Twain chatted for a lengthy period before he ended the call. Reluctantly, Macy said good night.
The next morning, at work, Macy was in the toilet, when she heard the familiar voices of two nurses as they walked into the ladies' restroom.
"What has she got" We're younger than her!" The one grumbling voice questioned.
Well Twain... maybe you can answer these gossipmongers!
'Okay, granted, she's very beautiful,' the other grudgingly conceded.
'And' the first reluctantly added, 'Alec apparently thinks she a brilliant doctor, very intelligent,' I believe,' she gritted her teeth.
'I still don't get why Dr. Crawford is into her, I mean, doesn't she have a kid and all that? Surely he would date women who were single, readily available, like moi.'
Macy heard the cynical laugh. She could just picture the theatrics. She stood frozen on the spot, inside the cubicle she was in.
Hello! What am I eighty years old?
'What I would give to have wild, exhilarating sex with him,' the other groaned.
You're so not getting into Twain's bed!
'I mean have you ever seen a sex god on wheels?'
Yeah. Dr. Crawford,' the other laughed.
'Did you hear? Julia said she was kissing Dr. Crawford in the gardens yesterday. She can't even restrain herself around him, even in the hospital!'
Macy groaned silently with embarrassment.
'Let's get back to work,' one of them moaned protestingly.
'I wish she would back off and give us a chance with him, 'Macy heard one of them murmur as they exited the ladies' bathroom. Macy shut her eyes and came out of the cubicle she was in. How much more was being said about her, which she was not privy to?
As if that bathroom incident was not bad enough, Macy was accosted by one of the theatre nurses at the cafeteria at lunch. Clearly diplomacy and politeness were not in her vocabulary. She had demanded to know if Macy was having a relationship with Twain, because she was in love with him!
Macy had rolled her eyes in astonishment, and had just brushed past the theatre nurse.
That evening, Macy was totally frustrated about all the harassment at the hospital and about her feelings for Twain, and mostly about his conspicuous absence; so when Alec knocked on her door with puppy dog eyes, pleading with her to go to the movies with him, she relented. She needed to get out. She needed some kind of diversion, besides it was torture waiting for Twain's call, not that she was counting, but if Twain called, she had another three hours and fourteen minutes to wait.
'Good evening Claudia,' Twain smiled broadly holding a bouquet of long-stemmed roses in one hand and his other hand hiding, behind his back.
'Twain? ___ good evening' Claudia looked surprised, to see him, all dressed up in a tuxedo. 'Is Macy expecting you?'
'No,' he gave her a dazzling smile. 'I thought I'd surprise her.'
'Sorry, but she's out with Alec. They're catching a movie,' Claudia smiled uncomfortably.
Twain's face didn't reflect the cataclysmic rage surging inside him. He took a moment to right his breathing and nodded. 'Guess, I should have called first.'
'Hi ___ Twain,' Parker greeting, coming down the stairs.
'Good evening Parker,' Twain smiled. 'How you doing?'
'Is ___ that for mum?' Parker's eyes were on the box in Twain's hand.
Twain looked down, at some moment, when he was having his silent rage, his hand had left the spot behind his back.
Twain laughed. 'No, the roses are for mum. This is for you,' Twain handed Parker the box of chocolates.
'For me? Twain grabbed the box. 'Thank you ___ but mum will freak out if I eat all,' his tongue drooled as he licked his lips.
Twain ruffled his hair. 'How about you have one or two, tonight.'
'Thank you Twain,' Parker beamed, looking up at his grandmother with delight.
'Oh, this is for you, Claudia,' Twain removed a slim box from the inside pocket of his jacket. 'Turkish delight,' he smiled. 'I hope you like it.'
'Thank you Twain,' she answered gently. 'May I put the roses in water?'
'Yes please. I ___ guess, I'll say goodnight,' he nodded.
'Good night,' Claudia smiled warmly.
'Night Parker.'
'Night Twain,' Parker answered with chocolate in his mouth.
Twain laughed as he left the Skye residence, but the second he closed the door, his face contorted into an angry scowl and a murderous look emblazoned his face.
-end chapter sixteen-