The Spanish Consultant Read online

  Jago was looking at her blankly. ‘Sorry?’

  She swallowed. ‘I can’t marry you, Jago.’

  He tensed. ‘If this is about Freddie—’

  ‘It’s nothing to do with Freddie. It just wouldn’t work between us.’

  There was a pulsing silence and when he finally spoke his tone was icy. ‘This is about your father, isn’t it? Did he say something?’

  Tears stung her eyes. There was no point in telling him. He was bound to deny it even if it was the truth. She just had to face the fact that it could never work between them.

  ‘It isn’t about my father,’ she lied. ‘It’s about us. I can’t marry you.’

  He stared at her for a long moment, those incredible dark eyes veiled so that she was totally unable to read his response.

  Then he turned without another word and walked out of the door.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  KATY arrived at work feeling gritty-eyed from lack of sleep and too much crying.

  The department was already in chaos with people standing in the waiting room and the corridors full of trolleys.

  She dumped her bag in the staffroom and then found Charlotte. ‘What on earth is going on here?’

  ‘Don’t ask me,’ Charlotte muttered, sorting through a pile of notes and handing her a set. ‘Can you start by seeing this guy for me? He’s been waiting for four hours so he’s bound to be in a good humour. Good luck.’

  Relieved that no one had noticed that she’d been crying her heart out for most of the night, Katy made her way to one of the cubicles and used the intercom to call the patient through.

  He was remarkably cheerful for someone who’d waited so long and she examined his injured ankle and sent him along for an X-ray.

  ‘You couldn’t weight bear after the accident, so we need to check it,’ she told him, glancing up as Charlotte popped her head round the curtain, her face white.

  ‘I need you in Resus.’

  ‘On my way.’ Katy stood up and gave her patient an apologetic smile. ‘I’m so sorry. We’re very busy today. Follow the red line to X-ray and then I’ll see you when you come back.’

  Wondering what was responsible for the tension she’d read in Charlotte’s face, she made her way to Resus and stopped dead with shock when she saw her mother standing in the doorway.

  ‘Mum? What are you doing here?’

  Jago and Charlotte were already in action, and her eyes swivelled to the patient on the trolley who was being attached to a heart monitor.

  ‘Dad?’ Her voice was a croak and she felt a chill run through her body.

  Jago’s eyes collided with hers briefly and then he turned his attention back to her father as he put a line in and started an infusion. ‘You don’t have to be here, Katy,’ he said roughly. ‘Take your mother to the relatives’ room.’

  Her mother straightened her shoulders. ‘I’m not leaving him,’ she said stiffly, and Katy walked into the room, letting the door swing closed behind her.

  She hurried up to the trolley, her brain working in slow motion. ‘What happened?’

  Her father was pale and sweaty, gasping for breath as he lay on the trolley.

  ‘We were at home and he suddenly clutched his chest and complained of pains,’ her mother said shakily, her eyes on Jago. ‘I—I think another doctor should see him!’

  ‘Mum!’ Katy was aghast and she looked at Jago with mortification, but Jago didn’t react, all his attention concentrated on her father.

  ‘I’m fully aware that Mr Rodriguez hates your father,’ her mother said dully, ‘and I have to admit he has reason. Why would he want to help him?’

  Intercepting Charlotte’s startled glance, Katy slipped an arm round her mother. ‘Jago’s a brilliant doctor, Mum,’ she said quietly. ‘The best. Who Dad is, or what he’s done, doesn’t matter at the moment.’

  There wasn’t anyone else she’d want caring for a member of her family.

  Feeling strangely disconnected, Katy watched as Jago examined her father, checking his peripheral pulses to exclude aortic dissection and checking his legs for any evidence of clots in the veins.

  ‘Katy, either help me out here or get me another doctor,’ Jago growled suddenly, and Katy leapt into action.

  ‘What do you want me to do?’ She wasn’t capable of thinking straight but she could follow orders.

  ‘Take blood for U and Es, glucose, CK, FBC, and we may as well check his cholesterol as well.’ He glanced up. ‘Charlotte, get him attached to a pulse oximeter. I want to monitor his oxygen saturation. And get a radiographer up here. I want a portable chest X-ray.’

  ‘I’ve done an ECG trace.’ Charlotte handed him the strip of paper and Jago ran it through his fingers, studying it carefully.

  ‘He’s got ST elevation and inverted T waves,’ he said finally, interpreting what looked like a wavy line to the uninitiated.

  But Katy knew that what he was describing were changes to the pattern of electrical activity in the heart.

  ‘He’s had an MI?’

  Her mother glanced between them in confusion. ‘What’s an MI?’

  ‘Myocardial infarction. It means that Dad’s had a heart attack,’ Katy explained gently, and Jago looked at her.

  ‘What are his risk factors? Does he smoke? What’s his blood pressure like normally?’

  Katy opened her mouth but it was her mother who answered, her voice amazingly calm.

  ‘He hasn’t smoked for thirty years but his blood pressure has been worryingly high for months now and his GP has been warning him to slow down and take some exercise.’

  Katy stared at her mother. It was the first she’d heard of it. ‘Mum?’

  ‘You know your father—he never likes to show weakness,’ her mother explained wearily. ‘He’s also had a very high cholesterol and I’ve had him on a strict diet. Unfortunately, I don’t think he sticks to it when I’m not watching him.’

  For the first time Katy realised just how much her mother must love her father. Maybe their marriage wasn’t just a business arrangement after all.

  She stood still, barely aware of the arrival of the radiographer who bustled around the room preparing to take the X-ray Jago had requested.

  ‘Charlotte, call the coronary care team,’ Jago ordered once the X-ray had been taken, adjusting the flow of oxygen through her father’s mask. ‘I’ve given him morphine for the pain and aspirin, and we’ve started thrombolytic therapy. He needs to be transferred to the unit.’

  Charles gave a groan and Katy tiptoed to his side.

  ‘It’s all right, Dad,’ she said quietly, aware that her mother was standing next to her, tears in her eyes.

  ‘Do you hear that, Charles? Despite everything you’ve done, your daughter is prepared to offer you comfort. I hope you’re ashamed of yourself.’

  Katy blinked. ‘Mum, this isn’t the right time.’

  ‘This is exactly the right time,’ Caroline said calmly, her eyes fixed on her husband’s face. ‘If you want to apologise to Katy, then now would be a good time.’

  Katy thought she must have misheard. She’d never heard her mother use that tone with her father before, and he was ill.

  What was going on?

  ‘Charles…’ Her mother leaned forward and moved the oxygen mask slightly, her hand trembling. ‘I know you can hear me. You know there’s something that you want to say to your daughter.’

  At that moment the doors to Resus swung open and Libby flew into the room, her blonde ponytail swinging wildly as she hurried across to them.

  Aware that a family drama was unfolding, she stopped dead, glancing quizzically at Jago who shrugged his broad shoulders.

  Charles opened his eyes and suddenly all the fight seemed to leave him.

  ‘Come here, Katy.’ He spoke with considerable difficulty and Jago frowned.

  ‘He needs the oxygen, I don’t think he should—’

  His patient waved a hand feebly. ‘I need to speak,’ he said hoarsely, and Katy stepped c
loser, feeling her heart pounding. What was it that her father wanted to say?

  ‘I haven’t been…’ He broke off and licked his lips. ‘I owe you…’

  Her mother’s mouth tightened. ‘Just say it, Charles!’

  ‘What your mother means is that I’m sorry,’ he croaked finally, closing his eyes and sinking against the back of the trolley which had been raised to allow him to be upright and thus improve his breathing. ‘I didn’t know just how much you loved Jago. I thought it was just a fling.’

  Aware of Charlotte’s round-eyed curiosity, Katy felt her face colour. The one time her father came near to an apology for his behaviour, it had to be in front of an audience.

  And she didn’t really want Jago reminded of how much she’d loved him.

  Her father cleared his throat and fiddled with the mask. ‘I thought you’d get over him, but you never did.’

  ‘Dad, let’s forget it now.’ Mortified by the disclosure of such personal details, Katy wanted to fall through the floor.

  ‘And he never got over you,’ her father continued, turning his head with difficulty so that he could see Jago. ‘When you told me that you loved her and wanted to marry her, I was furious. And worried. She was only eighteen and I thought you were wrong for her.’

  Katy froze, wondering if her father was rambling. As a doctor she was well aware that a heart attack could cause confusion. Why else would he be saying that Jago loved her? Jago had never loved her. And he’d certainly never wanted to marry her.

  ‘He’s trying to apologise,’ her mother said, ‘but unfortunately he hasn’t had much practice. I have to confess that it’s probably my fault that he’s had a heart attack. He came roaring back from your flat last night, told me what had happened and we had a blazing row.’

  Katy stared.

  They’d had a row?

  To the best of her knowledge her mother had never answered her father back in the entire thirty-six years of their marriage.

  Her father struggled to speak. ‘I couldn’t believe that you and Jago had found each other again and were planning to get married.’

  ‘We’re not.’ Finally Jago intervened, his tone flat and emotionless. ‘You can relax, Mr Westerling. You’ll be relieved to hear that your daughter has refused to marry me.’

  For some reason this seemed to agitate Charles, and Jago frowned. ‘I think that’s enough talk now. You need to relax. Everything can be sorted out later.’

  Charles ignored him, gulping in air and staring at his daughter. ‘I shouldn’t have said it. Any of it. None of it was true. He loves you and he always did. And you love him. I suppose that’s all that matters.’

  Jago’s eyes rested on Katy and his firm mouth tightened ominously.

  ‘He said something to you?’ His voice was soft. ‘I should have guessed. What did he say to you, Katy? What was I supposed to have done?’

  She licked dry lips, no longer caring that they had an audience. ‘Revenge. He said that you only wanted to marry me because that would be the ultimate revenge.’

  There was a long silence. ‘And you believed him?’

  ‘I couldn’t think of any other reason you’d be marrying me.’

  Jago inhaled deeply. ‘Could you not?’

  He looked at her thoughtfully, but before he could speak the cardiologist arrived with his team and the attention turned back to her father.

  Katy stood next to her father, feeling totally numb as Jago talked quietly to his colleague, explaining the history and discussing the ECG trace while the rest of the team listened.

  She was only half-aware of what was going on as they examined her father again and made arrangements to transfer him to Coronary Care.

  Satisfied that the cardiologists now had the situation well in hand, Jago strode over to the trolley.

  ‘They’re going to take you to Coronary Care now, Mr Westerling.’ His gaze rested on the older man’s face for a moment, his expression totally inscrutable, and Caroline sighed, indicating that she was completely aware of his conflicting emotions.

  ‘Jago, we owe you so much. How can we ever thank you for what you’ve done? And how can we ever make amends for keeping the two of you apart for so long?’

  Galvanised into action by those words, Jago wrenched off his gloves and tossed them into the bin. ‘I don’t care about that. All I care about at the moment is having a conversation with Katy without an audience.’ He lifted his eyes to hers. ‘In my office. Now.’

  ‘I’ll sort out the transfer,’ Charlotte muttered, and Libby smiled weakly.

  ‘Exciting, isn’t it? Life with my family. I bet you can’t wait for the next episode.’ But her eyes were worried as they rested on her father and she stepped closer to the trolley.

  Katy stood in Jago’s office waiting for him, her legs trembling.

  The door clicked shut and she turned on him, her voice shaking with passion. ‘Eleven years ago did you really tell my father you wanted to marry me?’

  He tensed, obviously surprised by the directness of her approach. ‘Yes.’

  She gave a groan and sank onto the chair as all the pieces of the jigsaw fell into place.

  ‘So that’s why my father was so determined to break us up. I could never understand why he was so worried that it was serious. You never seemed serious to me. You kept telling me that you didn’t do commitment.’

  ‘I didn’t until I met you. When I saw you that day you fell off your horse, it took every ounce of willpower at my disposal not to roll you on your back in the grass and follow my baser instincts,’ he confessed rawly, dragging his gaze away from her and pacing across the room to stare out of the window. ‘You were so unlike the women I usually dated that I told myself that I had to back off.’

  ‘I was so in love with you,’ Katy muttered, ‘but I never for one moment thought that you loved me, too. You showed absolutely no signs of it.’

  He gave a groan and raked his fingers through his glossy dark hair. ‘Of course I did, but you were just too inexperienced to see it. And I was afraid that what you were feeling for me was no more than a childish crush because I was your first lover.’

  ‘My only lover, Jago,’ she said quietly, and he stilled, every muscle in his powerful body suddenly tense as he absorbed what she’d just said.

  ‘That can’t be true.’

  ‘After what I shared with you, I just couldn’t bring myself to sleep with anyone else,’ she confessed. ‘I had several boyfriends, but when it came to it I just couldn’t do it. Part of me always felt that I was yours.’

  Jago was across the room in three long strides. ‘Freddie?’

  She shook her head. ‘We were only ever friends. It was very much a marriage of convenience. He didn’t even seem to mind when I ended it.’

  A smile of pure male satisfaction suddenly transformed his handsome face. ‘He never knew the real you. Only I know how hot you can be.’

  ‘Only when I’m with you.’ She lifted her flushed face to his. ‘I never, ever would have slept with another man, Jago.’

  He groaned and dragged her to her feet, wrapping her in his arms. ‘And I should never have even thought that of you. Have you any idea how bad I felt that day when you told me what your father had done? I can’t believe I didn’t see through it, but I was so blindly jealous at seeing you entwined with another man that I ceased to be capable of rational behaviour. And I can’t believe that I left you pregnant. I’m so, so sorry about the baby, querida. Can you forgive me?’

  ‘There’s nothing to forgive,’ she said, hugging him back. ‘The baby wasn’t your fault, and as for the rest of it…’ She sighed and gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. ‘I should have known that it was my father.’

  ‘And I should have seen what he was doing,’ he admitted ruefully, ‘but it was only because I was so crazily in love with you and I’d never felt like that about anyone before. It clouded my judgement.’

  Katy looked up at him, wobbly with love. ‘That’s what Libby said when I told
her.’

  ‘Well, your sister has more insight than either of us,’ Jago groaned, running lean fingers through her silky hair with deep appreciation. ‘Why do you think I kept those photographs? Looking at them caused me agony, but they were the only link I had with you. When I realised how badly I’d treated you I just didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to make you love me again.’

  ‘I always loved you,’ Katy said simply, lifting a finger to touch his rough jaw. ‘Always. I never stopped loving you.’

  He froze to the spot, obviously not daring to believe what he was hearing. ‘You still love me?’

  ‘So much that it terrifies me,’ she confessed shakily, and he gave a disbelieving laugh.

  ‘I can’t believe I can be that lucky,’ he said hoarsely, ‘or that your father nearly ruined it again by making you believe that I was only marrying you out of revenge.’

  ‘I couldn’t see any other reason.’ She coloured slightly. ‘You hadn’t thought to mention that you were in love with me.’

  He groaned and dragged her against him. ‘I thought it was obvious from the way we were together in Spain.’

  ‘Not to me,’ she said simply, and he stroked her hair away from her face with his free hand.

  ‘I was working so hard at getting back into your good books that I didn’t know what to do. I thought that even if I did tell you that I loved you, you were unlikely to believe me.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘And I have to admit that I’ve never been very good with the emotional stuff.’

  ‘That’s not true.’ She wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily. ‘I’ve seen you with relatives, Jago, and I remember how you were with me at eighteen. I know you have a sensitive side.’

  He gave a reluctant grin that turned her heart upside down. ‘Just don’t tell anyone. Not that I’ll have any credibility left once Charlotte starts talking.’ His smile faded and he looked down into her eyes. ‘I have never stopped loving you, querida. But I thought that you had stopped loving me, and proud Spaniards are not the best at putting their hearts on the line.’