âHey,â she said softly
Angus raised an eyebrow. âWhat?â
What, indeed? Words rushed to the tip of her tongue. Fliss was so close to confessing how badly she had missed having Angus in her life in the last few months. How much she missed hearing his voice. Feeling the touch of his handsâ¦and lips. Just being with him. The words tangled together as they reached the warning sign flashing from the back of her mind.
âIâm justâ¦glad youâre here,â Fliss whispered.
He didnât smile, but there was a softening around his eyes as though any tension from their recent conversation had evaporated. âSo am I,â he whispered back. âAnd try not to worry too much. Weâll get through this.â
Fliss nodded and bit her lip to stop it from trembling. âYeah. We will. Weâre working on the same side, arenât we?â
A quick smile now. A wry one. âWe always were,â Angus murmured. âYou just couldnât see it.â
Have you ever set yourself a challenge and then wondered whether youâd bitten off a bit more than you could chew?
My SPECIALIST EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM series has given me the opportunity to try new areas in the realm of rescue drama and emergency medicine, and I wanted something really dramatic, yet emotional, for this second book in the series. A setting that was so tense it would be enough to break down the barriers keeping my hero and heroine apart. I needed a cast of supporting characters and I needed a very short time frame and a confined environment to create the tension I wanted, but I couldnât let those factors overwhelm the central romance.
One Night To Wed certainly wasnât the easiest book to write, but when my lovely editor said she put the book down feeling like sheâd been up all night with the characters, I knew Iâd achieved at least some of what I set out to do. Challenges are great, arenât they? I came across a quote recently that said, âWe donât know who we are until we know what we can do.â
I guess Iâm still learningâand looking forward to finding out what else I can do. Happy reading and all the best for your next challenges.
With love,
Alison
IT WAS a most unpleasant sensation.
The hairs on the back of Felicity Sladeâs neck rose slowly and the nasty prickle was enough to make her lose concentration on the pulse she could feel beneath her fingertips.
A reflection of her sudden disquiet showed in the faded blue eyes of her elderly patient.
âSomething wrong, Fliss?â
There were no words that could convey such a formless fear and for a split second Fliss simply stared blankly, still caught by that primeval and totally unexpected physical reaction to a sense of danger.
Her patient patted her hand. âDonât look so worried, love. Iâve been expecting bad news. This old ticker of mineâs been on its last legs for years.â
Fliss was mortified. How unprofessional was she being here? Not only had she allowed herself to be totally distracted from her examination, she had made one of her favourite patients fear the worst.
âYour pulse feels fine, Jack. Just a little bit faster than normal. I need to have a good listen to the back of your chest now. Can you lean forward a little, please?â Fliss pulled her stethoscope from where it was hanging around her neck. âIâm so sorry about that,â she added. âI just got distracted by the weirdest feeling. Like something was wrong.â
âSomething is wrong. Why do you think I called you out when you should be having your dinner? My shoes feel too tight and Iâm short of puff as soon as I try doing anything.â
âHmm.â Fliss was happy to concentrate on her consultation again. âTake some deep breaths for me, Jack.â She could hear some crackles at the base of both lungs. âHave a good, hard cough for me.â
The fruity sound Jack produced made her shake her head ruefully. âYou havenât cut down on the smoking much, have you?â
Jackâs grunt was amused. âAs you well know, my dear, Iâve been on the fags for more than seventy years. Trying to stop would kill me quicker than anything else is going to.â There was a distinct twinkle in the gaze that caught hers as Jack twisted his head and the faint Scottish brogue in his voice, which had never quite vanished despite being in a foreign country for a large proportion of those seventy years, grew stronger. âAnd youâre not going to tell me to get lost just because I still have the odd wee puff, are you?â
âThe odd puff?â Fliss had to laugh. âI reckon you manage twenty a day.â She placed the disk of her stethoscope halfway down Jackâs skinny back. âLet me have another listen now that youâve shifted a bit of that muck.â
The crackles were still there, which wasnât unexpected. It fitted with the swelling Jack had in his ankles and his breathlessness on exertion or lying flat.