‘Since you’re the expert, it would be very bad manners to even think there was anyone else.’
She laughed and Ethan began to wish that he could touch her. Just to hold her for a moment and celebrate the warmth of life.
‘You took a chance on me. When you asked me to help.’ Her voice took on a note of tension, as if this was something that she’d been waiting to say.
‘No, I didn’t. You were as steady as a rock. I had no worries on that score. You know, don’t you, that if I’d had any doubts I would have had no choice but to ask someone else to help.’
‘Yes, I know. The patient’s needs come first.’ Her voice lightened a little, as if she half-believed what he’d just said.
‘You’re stronger than you think, Kate.’
‘And how strong do you think I think I am? Or do you think that I think that you think—?’
Ethan’s laugh cut her short. ‘Stop. You lost me on the second “think”. I’m going to go now, before you reduce my brain to mush.’
‘Yes, you’d better. Give Sam a hug from me.’
Maybe he would. Just maybe...
* * *
Ethan went to check on the young man on Monday morning before he started work and then visited him every day after that. For the first three days he was in the intensive care ward. His mother had told Ethan that he was only nineteen, and that his name was Christopher but that his friends called him CK, because those were his initials.
On the fourth day, CK opened his eyes and focussed blearily on Ethan’s face. Then, on day six, he told him that he’d climbed up on the roof for a bet, but that he’d learned his lesson. He remembered nothing of the incident or the minutes before it.
It would be a long journey for CK. He had significant internal injuries, and he would have to learn to walk again, after his leg had been shattered by the fence paling. But against all the odds he’d survived and was making a recovery. Ethan always tried to follow up on his patients and often the outcome wasn’t such a good one. But somehow CK’s hold on life seemed like a miracle.
CHAPTER TEN
THE PART OF the week that Kate had occupied wasn’t all that significant time-wise. Short phone calls to update her on CK’s progress, and an hour one evening with Sam, taking him to see his puppy. But for all that, when his mind wasn’t concentrated on work, Kate had occupied the greater part of Ethan’s attention.
He had little enough to offer her—a scarred heart that still didn’t know whether it was strong enough to love any more than it already had. Limited time and a schedule of early mornings that didn’t fit in all that well with Kate’s schedule at the veterinary surgery. He should keep in contact, try to be there for her if she needed him, but leave it at that.
Then, on Friday afternoon, he got a call. His father put Sam on the line, who explained that he had an important project on hand with Grandpa, and that he wanted to stay the night there. As soon as Ethan put his phone back down on his desk, he changed his mind and picked it up again, dialling Kate’s number.
‘I’ve got a free evening, as Sam’s staying at my parents. I thought I might catch a film and wondered if you’d like to keep me company?’ In other words, this wasn’t a date.
‘Yes, that sounds great. Do you know what’s on?’
He’d forgotten to look. ‘No.’
‘Hang on a minute, let me get to my desk.’ He heard the sound of Kate’s footsteps, and then the chime as a computer was nudged into life. ‘Here we are. There’s a romance, but it’s only got one star on the reviews. Gritty story of cops on the beat... Superheroes... Um...oh, and there’s one in Chinese, with subtitles.’
None of that sounded particularly promising, but that wasn’t really the point. ‘What do you fancy?’
‘I don’t really know. What do you think?’
There was a short silence and they both laughed together. ‘All right. I’ll go first. I’m quite partial to superheroes, actually.’
Ethan chuckled. Why did that not sur
prise him? ‘Me too. I heard that one was pretty good.’
‘Yes it’s got four-and-a-half stars. Unless you want to go and see it with Sam?’
‘I think the one that’s currently out is a bit grown up for Sam.’
‘Oh, yes, so it is. What do you think, then? There are showings at eight, nine and half-past nine.’