Australian Affairs: Tempted: Tempted by Dr. Morales. Carol Marinelli

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       CHAPTER SIX

      JUAN DRAINED HIS mug and as they headed back, the paramedics arrived.

      ‘So we’re not competent enough for you, Juan?’ Louise, half of the team that would be transferring Jason, teased as she walked into Resus with the stretcher.

      ‘Jason has a very special airway, don’t you, Jason?’ Juan said.

      Jason had, in fact, picked up considerably but he was on strong drugs that meant he needed very careful monitoring. All joking aside, it was good to have Matthew and Louise as the paramedics—they were an excellent team and Juan went through all the history and the equipment with them and told Louise the medications Jason was on.

      ‘I want to get there quickly,’ Juan said, ‘with as little upset to him as possible.’

      ‘Do you want one of his parents to come?’ Louise checked, but Juan shook his head.

      ‘I’ve already told them no. We’re going to play chase.’

      ‘Sorry?’ Louise frowned but Juan just smiled.

      There really wasn’t room for either of Jason’s parents to come in the ambulance, especially as there was the potential for an emergency on the way. Even with the anti-emetic he had been given, Juan was worried that Jason might vomit and that could prove urgent in itself with his poor breathing and difficult airway.

      Fortunately, though, Jason was so taken with Juan and so delighted to have escaped the helicopter that he didn’t protest in the least and neither did his parents. They headed off as soon as the paramedics arrived in the hope of beating the ambulance to the hospital. There was a good chance they might, as Juan took his time making sure everything was ready for the transfer, and ensured that Jason was as stable as he could be.

      ‘Come on, then,’ Juan said a good twenty minutes after Louise and Matthew had arrived. ‘We’ve given your parents a good start, shall we see if we can catch them up? We might have to put the sirens on if we’re going to have a chance.’

      He winked to Louise, who smiled because she understood the game.

      It was so much better with him than without, Cate thought as they sped with sirens and lights blazing to the city, trying to beat Jason’s parents! The stars really had aligned for Jason today and they pulled up at the children’s hospital without incident. Just knowing that Juan could deal with whatever presented had made a difficult transfer so much more straightforward. Juan was more than highly skilled—clearly his career had, at one time, been his major focus and yet here he was drifting around the world.

      Cate wanted to know why.

      She wanted to know more.

      But soon he’d be gone.

      ‘We got here first!’ Juan said as the ambulance doors opened and there was no sign of his parents. An exhausted Jason even managed a quick high five.

      Jason was a direct admission to ICU and a very pretty nurse looked up and turned purple before smiling when she saw Juan walking in. From the general reaction to his entrance, Cate knew he was just as popular here as he was at Bayside.

      ‘Juan!’ A huge bear of a man came over and shook Juan’s hand. ‘I thought you were in New Zealand by now.’

      ‘Soon! How are you, Paddy?’ Juan said, and proceeded to hand over the young patient as, just a little behind them, Jason’s parents arrived.

      ‘You beat us!’ Lisa kissed her son. She was looking a lot more relaxed in more familiar surroundings with staff that she was more used to. ‘How was the journey?’

      ‘It went really well.’ Cate smiled. ‘Juan will come and speak with you soon, he’s just handing everything over.’

      ‘He’s good, isn’t he?’ Lisa said to Cate, glancing over to where Juan was chatting with Paddy.

      ‘Very good,’ Cate said, as Juan made his way over to them.

      ‘Okay, the journey was without incident,’ Juan said to Lisa. ‘I’ve spoken with Paddy about all that has been done for Jason and you are safely in the right place.’

      ‘Thank you so much.’

      ‘No problem,’ Juan said. ‘I am just glad he is here without any more drama for you.’

      ‘Well, we won’t be going far again,’ Lisa said, but Juan shook his head.

      ‘Did you have a good week?’

      Lisa nodded.

      ‘Would he have got the asthma anyway?’

      Lisa was nearly in tears as she nodded again.

      ‘So he is here, where he would have been anyway, but also he has had a week at the beach, and that is a good thing.’

      He gave Lisa a cuddle, just a brief one, told her what an amazing mother she was, and Cate felt a sting of tears at the back of her eyes as Juan peeled another strip off her heart and nailed it to the Juan wall in her mind.

      Don’t go!

      She stood there and looked at him, hating that very soon there would be no more Juan. She didn’t even try to fathom her strong feelings towards a man she didn’t really know, because everyone was crazy about him, everyone wanted more Juan in their life.

      He shook Jason’s father’s hand and, oh, what the hell, Juan gave him a hug too and then went to say farewell to Jason. Cate was more confused than she had ever been, because she didn’t want, ten days from now, to have Juan gone from her life and to have done not a single thing about it.

      Then he spoiled it by going missing as they were about to head back to Bayside.

      ‘I’ll go and find him,’ Cate offered.

      She soon did!

      Talking to Nurse Purple Face and making her laugh.

      ‘You’re quiet,’ Juan said as they rode back in the back of the ambulance with Louise.

      ‘I’m just tired,’ Cate lied, not sure if she was jealous or just cross with herself. Or was it regret that she simply couldn’t push aside her usual rules, wave her knickers over her head and give in to him?

      ‘Well, that was worth the trip for me,’ Juan said, ‘I have my shifts for next week all sorted I am working Friday through to Saturday on ICU there.’

      Cate glanced up.

      He only did one or two shifts a week, she knew that, preferably one long one, and he’d just been given that.

      Today really could be the last time she saw him.

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