Do Opposites Attract? (19 page)

For as long as she lived, Brianna would never forget her first sight of Mitch as he lay unconscious in the back of the makeshift ambulance at the airport. To see such a strong man so helpless, cut her in two. His usually tanned, rugged face was pale and lifeless. Though his body was covered with a sheet, she could see nasty bruising on his shoulder. Tessa was kneeling next to him, holding the drip, checking his vital signs. She looked as ragged as Brianna felt.

‘Apart from the head injury, he’s broken some ribs and fractured his lower right leg, right arm, collarbone and pelvis.’ Stuart was taking her through his injuries but all Brianna could think was how battered he looked, how beaten. For the first time since she’d set out on her rescue mission, she really started to believe she might lose him.

‘But it’s just the head injury you’re worried about, yes? Everything else is easily fixed?’

Stuart gave her a tired smile. ‘That’s probably an accurate summary. We can’t be sure, without proper X-rays, how bad the injury is to his pelvis. We don’t think it’s affected any other organs, but they’ll be able to sort that out back in England.’

‘Okay then. Let’s get him there as fast as we can.’

The unconscious Mitch was lifted carefully onto the plane. When he was secured, Tessa turned to her. ‘Take care of him, please.’

Though they’d clashed in South America, both competing for the same man, now that man was a common bond between them. Brianna knew Tessa loved Mitch, just as she did. It was etched across the nurse’s tired face and evident in her worried eyes. ‘I will, Tessa, I will.’ Briefly they hugged each other, each acknowledging the other’s pain.

‘He shouldn’t even have been in the building,’ Tessa whispered as they moved apart. ‘But he’s so damn stubborn. A man was crying out in pain and the rescue team couldn’t move him because his feet were trapped. They told Mitch the building was too dangerous to operate in, that it could collapse any moment. But Mitch went in anyway. Bloody stubborn fool.’

Brianna looked over at Mitch. ‘Let’s hope he doesn’t pay for that stubbornness with his life.’

‘When he pulls through this, I’m going to give him such a bollocking,’ Tessa muttered.

For the first time in twenty-four hours, Brianna smiled. ‘You’ll have to stand in line.’

They exchanged a look of complete understanding. ‘You’ll keep me updated, won’t you?’ Tessa asked. ‘I know the phone signal is sketchy here, but we’ve got the satellite phones and the office have the numbers.’

Brianna squeezed her hand. ‘You have my promise. I’ll let you know the moment anything changes.’

Tessa reached into her pocket. ‘Oh and I found this next to his bed.’ She handed over a small toy giraffe. ‘It seemed an unlikely find. Was it your doing?’

Brianna’s heart flip-flopped in her chest. Big gruff Mitch had kept the giraffe? ‘Err, yes. I gave it to him.’

‘Then it should go with him now. It’s obviously important to him.’ Brianna stared down at the toy, chosen because its big brown eyes had reminded her of Mitch’s. She was too overcome to speak. ‘I didn’t think I’d ever say this,’ Tessa continued, ‘but I’m glad he’s got you, Brianna. Mitch and I are obviously not meant to be but I’m glad he’s got somebody looking after him, fighting for him.’ With tears in her eyes, she gave a final wave and walked back to the truck.

Brianna climbed into the plane beside Mitch and tucked the giraffe next to his face. When the doors closed, she took hold of his hand and held it close to her heart. ‘We’ll soon have you back in England, my darling. They’ll put you back together again, I promise.’

As the plane thundered down the runway, Brianna kissed his stubble-roughened cheek and prayed.

Once Mitch was in the hands of the hospital, Brianna found herself sitting alone and feeling helpless. They were doing tests and would operate as soon as they had the results. She was reassured several times, in the placatory voice healthcare professionals use with people they really want to throttle, that Mitch was in good hands and that she needed to go and rest. But how could she possibly go home, when he was still here, fighting for his life?

‘My darling daughter.’ Brianna turned to find her parents and Melanie striding up the hospital corridor. ‘You look absolutely shattered.’ They all huddled around her, hugging and kissing her. ‘How is he?’

Brianna focused on trying not to cry. ‘He’s still unconscious. They’ve taken him off for tests and then they’ll operate.’

Her mother took her by the shoulders. ‘Right then, there’s nothing more you can do for him for the moment. It’s time you started looking after yourself for a while. Your father’s going to take you home, where you’re going to have a shower and rest. Melanie and I will stay here. We’ll let you know as soon as there is anything to report.’

‘But I can’t leave him …’

Her protestations were drowned out. ‘Nonsense. When he regains consciousness, the last thing he’ll want to see is you looking like something the cat’s dragged in.’

Melanie tried, and failed, to hide a smile. ‘You do look a bit of a state, Miss Worthington.’ She stared, pointedly, at Brianna’s scruffy khaki trousers and creased T-shirt. ‘Not exactly an ambassador for the Worthington name.’

Brianna held her hands up in surrender. ‘I give in. I’ll go. But if there is any news …’

‘We’ll let you know,’ Melanie and her mother chorused.

Reassured, Brianna allowed her father to take her home. Once there, before she did anything else, she made the phone call she’d been dreading.

‘Catherine? I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news about Mitch.’

She heard the sharp intake of breath at the other end. ‘Oh no, don’t tell me he’s—’

‘No, he’s alive,’ she reassured quickly. ‘In a serious condition, but still alive. He’s back in England and they’re operating on him shortly. He’s in good hands, Catherine.’

When she’d given Catherine all the details, Brianna went to get a much needed shower. As she let the hot spray pummel her exhausted body, she hoped Mitch was somehow aware that there were at least three ladies who were praying desperately for him to pull through.

She arrived back at the hospital several hours later, feeling slightly better for a short nap and a change of clothes.

She met Melanie at the hospital entrance where she’d obviously been trying to have a sneaky cigarette. ‘I know,’ her friend acknowledged shamefaced, ‘a really bad place to light up, but crikey these places give me the heebie-jeebies.’

‘Me too.’ Brianna glanced longingly at the cigarette Melanie was now stubbing out. ‘Is Mitch still in surgery?’

‘Yes, but we’re expecting to hear from the surgeon any time now.’ She studied Brianna’s pale face. ‘How are you holding up?’

‘I’ve felt better. But if the surgeon comes out with a smile on his face, I’ll perk up no end.’

They walked arm in arm to the private lounge they had been given, one reserved for families of patients in intensive care. It was rather soulless, but the sofas were a lot more comfortable than the usual plastic chairs and at least they had some privacy.

‘Miss Worthington?’ Brianna looked round with a start and nodded at the man in the green surgical gown.

‘I’ve just finished operating on Mr McBride. Are you the next of kin?’ The surgeon wore a neutral expression on his face, giving nothing away.

‘I, well, not really. He doesn’t have any family. I’m the one who brought him here.’

Seemingly satisfied with that, the surgeon sat himself down next to her. ‘Then I guess you’ll be the one who wants to hear that the operation went well. I don’t think there will be any long-term damage but the next few hours will be the key, as we see how he comes round from the anaesthetic. So far, so good.’

Brianna slumped against the back of the chair. ‘Thank God.’ She turned to look at the surgeon. ‘And thank you.’

He smiled. ‘He managed to get himself pretty beaten up. We’ve put casts on his leg and arm, and we’ve had to put a metal plate in his pelvis. It’ll be a while before he’s up and about. I hear he was out in Indonesia, as part of a medical rescue team?’

‘He’s a doctor with Medic SOS, a charity that gives immediate medical support in crisis struck areas.’ She felt almost drunk with relief. ‘I could give you the whole blurb, when you’ve got time. We’re always looking for funding.’

The surgeon laughed. ‘I suspect I’ll see you around this hospital for a while to come, so I’ll look forward to having my arm twisted.’

‘Can I see him?’

‘He’s in the recovery room at the moment. When we’re sure he’s out of immediate danger, we’ll let you know and you can sit with him.’ He eyed Brianna with undisguised appreciation. ‘I’m sure having a beautiful woman like you by his bedside will speed his recovery no end.’

‘That is so typical of you,’ Melanie muttered as soon as the surgeon had left the room. ‘Even in a flipping hospital you manage to attract the male talent.’

‘Talent?’

Melanie shook her head in amazement. ‘Yes, Brie. The surgeon was quite a dish.’ She took in her friend’s strained face and put a sympathetic arm around her. ‘But I guess you’ve only got eyes for one man, haven’t you?’

A short while later the medical team came in to tell Brianna she could go and sit with Mitch. Her parents and Melanie offered to stay but she sent them all away. She had Mitch. That was all she needed.

The monitors by his bedside gave out reassuringly steady bleeps. His face still looked awfully pale against the stark white hospital sheets and his hair had been shaved and a bandage wrapped around his head. She kissed his lips, reassured when they felt warm. ‘Oh, Mitch, you’ve got to pull through. There are people rooting for you. Don’t let us down.’

Brianna was dozing off in her chair when she heard her name being whispered. She jolted awake to find Catherine at the foot of Mitch’s bed.

‘Catherine, what a surprise.’ She leapt out of the chair and went to kiss the older lady’s cheek. ‘Come and sit down here.’ She wagged her finger at her. ‘I told you not to come. He’s asleep. I would have called and let you know if there was any change.’

‘I know, dear, I know.’ Catherine looked down at Mitch. Brianna could see the love shine from her eyes and the fear sweep across her face. ‘But I had to see him for myself. What if he doesn’t pull through? I would have lost my chance to see him as a grown man.’

Brianna nodded, completely understanding. ‘He usually looks a lot better than this.’

Catherine’s eyes travelled over his bruised body and his bandaged head. ‘He’s a fine young man, isn’t he? I can tell, despite the bruises. He looks handsome and strong. He always was a good-looking boy. Had all the young girls after him.’

‘He still does,’ Brianna acknowledged with a wry smile.

‘You must love him an awful lot, Brianna, to go to all this trouble for him.’

‘I do,’ she replied simply.

‘He doesn’t find it easy to let people into his life, as you’ve already discovered. He’s never had anybody who really took care of him, made him feel loved.’ She looked down at the man in the bed. ‘I tried, but the damage had already been done.’ She transferred her gaze to Brianna. ‘I hope you can find a way to get through to him. He needs somebody like you, although he probably doesn’t realise it and certainly won’t thank you for it.’

The lump in her throat was so large Brianna had trouble swallowing. She certainly couldn’t talk, so she settled for trying to smile instead.

‘Well, dear, I’ll go now. I know he’s in good hands.’

With that Catherine vanished, leaving Brianna alone once more with Mitch. She held his hand and, curling up on the chair next to his bed, she dozed.

Mitch was struggling to come out of a huge black hole. He felt the pull of light and heard the soft sound of a female voice. He tried to open his eyes, to see who it was, but as much as he struggled to wake, the blackness kept descending. There it was again, a voice he recognised, a voice that spread warmth throughout his body. Forcing his eyes open this time he could just make out the outline of a woman’s face. Long, brown hair, high cheekbones, beautiful green eyes. They were gazing into his.

‘Brianna?’ He attempted to move, to get up, but the pain shot through him and he fell back with a groan.

The woman he thought must be Brianna was smoothing his brow, pushing his body back against the pillow. ‘Don’t try and move, Mitch,’ she murmured softly. ‘You’ve taken a bit of a beating. Do you remember? You were playing the hero when a building fell on top of you. You’ve broken a few bones, so you need to lie still.’

Mitch relaxed back against the mattress. He had a vague memory of trying to amputate a man’s foot. And then blackness. But he couldn’t work out what Brianna was doing here. ‘Where am I?’ he croaked, his voice unsteady.

‘You’re back in England, in hospital. They’ve operated on your brain, so you’ll be feeling a bit groggy for a while. Now just relax.’

Soothed by her words and her presence, he closed his eyes and allowed the blackness to take over once more.

When he awoke again, it was easier. He moved his head to the side and saw Brianna, asleep on the chair next to him. Memories of earlier came flooding back. He was in hospital, she’d said. He looked down at his body. Saw the plaster casts, the drips and the monitoring equipment. He must have taken quite a hammering. He could remember what had happened more clearly now, right up until the moment the building had started to collapse in on him, but he couldn’t recall anything of how he’d managed to get from there back to England. He glanced at Brianna again and smiled to himself. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. Peaceful and achingly beautiful. He felt his heart lurch, but he quickly looked away. Wasn’t their relationship over? Hadn’t he ended it? He blinked, trying to clear his head. Then why was she by his bedside? From the way she was sleeping, she must have been there for hours. What was the point of sleeping in a chair in a hospital, when she had a perfectly good bed at home?

As if aware that he was staring at her, Brianna stirred and opened her eyes. ‘Mitch, you’re awake again.’ She unfurled her body gracefully from the chair. ‘How are you feeling?’

He grimaced. ‘Like I’ve been run over by a herd of rhinos.’