'You've just about covered it,' the cardiothoracic surgeon drawled, lifting an eyebrow. 'Are you after my job?'
'Most definitely not.' Zach stripped off his gloves and gave a wry smile. 'I can't stand the sight of blood.'
The immediate crisis over, Keely treated herself to a long look at Zach. His short hair was slightly dishevelled, his jaw was already showing signs of stubble and his eyes were beginning to show the strain of the past few hours. But she'd never loved him more in her life. Not just because he was so handsome that he made her knees weak, but because he was the cleverest, most impressive man she'd ever met.
Her siblings were clever, but somehow they always managed to make her feel inferior. Zach never did that. He made everyone feel that their contribution was important. And no matter what came through the doors, Zach never lost his cool. Even when he was operating under pressure, he still found time to involve and praise the staff who worked with him. He'd thanked them as a team for saving the young man's life, but in reality the skill had been his.
'Snap out of it.' Nicky's soft voice brought her back to earth sharply and Keely gave a weak smile.
'Sorry. I was dreaming.'
'And no prizes for guessing who you were dreaming about.' Nicky adjusted the IV and put the notes on the trolley, ready for transfer to ITU. 'Mind you, I don't blame you. That was some performance. Impressive, isn't he?'
Keely nodded and glanced across the room to where Zach was standing with the cardiothoracic surgeon. 'How does he do it?' She kept her voice low so that he couldn't hear her. 'How can he stay so calm? All I could see was blood. Why didn't he panic?'
'Zach? Zach never panics,' Nicky said simply. 'Nothing ever throws him. Certainly not blood. But, then, he was a surgeon, of course. I suppose that helps.'
And he'd been a very skilled surgeon if her father's reports were correct.
'Well, that man was jolly lucky he was on duty,' Keely said gruffly, and Nicky gave her a sympathetic smile.
'Oh, dear, you really have got him badly, haven't you?'
Keely opened her mouth to deny it but then decided not to bother. 'Very badly. I can't sleep without dreaming of him and I lose concentration at work if I'm not very, very careful. I'm afraid I'm going to do myself serious internal damage hiding it from him.'
'Never mind that,' Nicky muttered hastily. 'Just make sure you do hide it or you'll find that he also has a reputation for biting impatience with women who drool over him.'
Keely bit her lip and then gave a start as she realised that he'd walked over to her, his blue eyes quizzical.
'Is something wrong?' His voice was quiet.
'Yes. I'm feeling totally incompetent,' she confessed, sliding her fingers through her blonde hair and giving a helpless shrug. 'I was useless back there and I'm really sorry.'
'Useless?' He looked genuinely puzzled. 'When were you useless?'
'With that patient. I didn't have a clue what to do, and I couldn't keep up with you—'
'Keely, the man was stabbed through the heart. I wouldn't have expected you to know what to do.' He frowned and shook his head slightly. 'That sort of emergency happens about once every year or even less in A and E. It's almost impossible to gain experience in that sort of technique.'
'But you knew what to do, Zach.'
And from what she'd seen, he always knew what to do.
'I'm a consultant, Keely,' he reminded her gently. 'I'm supposed to know what to do. In another seven years you'll know what to do as well if you choose to stay in this discipline. Don't lose confidence. You're an excellent doctor.'
'Oh.' She blushed slightly, warmed by his praise. 'Had you done that before?'
'Several times.' He gave a wry smile. 'I worked in South Africa for a while and there's no shortage of trauma experience there, I can assure you.'
He stepped to one side to have a final word with the cardiothoracic surgeon, and Keely dragged her eyes away from him with a huge effort.
'Keely, you're doing it again,' Nicky muttered in an undertone. 'Get a grip.'
'Sorry.'
She couldn't help the way she felt about him. She loved him more every day and she loved Phoebe, too. And the more she loved them, the more she wanted to make everything better for them.
Arriving at work the next morning, Keely wondered how much longer she was going to be able to carry on working with Zach without giving herself away. Every time he walked into the room her knees wobbled alarmingly and her pulse rate soared.