Photo Opportunity (15 page)

Daniel had the grace to squirm before he shrugged and said, “It twinges every now and again, but it feels fine. No thanks to my sister.”

“And your shoulder?”

“A bit tender still.”

Amy resisted the urge to shake her head and laugh. She could attach a microscope to his knee and shoulder, study them intensely for three solid days and still not see any sign of bruising. Daniel was just a big baby.

With a very adult body.

Oh God. Don’t go there.

Leona pushed open a pair of swinging doors and they walked inside. “I have patients to see.” She nodded curtly at Amy and gave Daniel a slow once over before walking off.

They shared a little smile as they watched the doctor stalk away.

“You could have warned me.” Amy laughed, both relieved and disappointed that Daniel’s kisses had been nothing more than a ruse. “I didn’t know what the hell you were doing.”

“There wasn’t time to explain. I had to act. I was on my way to the ward when Leona blindsided me. I didn’t want to be rude, so I agreed to have a drink with her. I can’t begin to tell you how
extremely
happy I was to see you. You saved me from another grueling invitation over to her place.”

“Glad I could help.” Was she? In essence, Daniel had kissed her. Again. And once again she was left aroused and hungry for more.

“Me too.” He grinned. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see a client.”

“Everything okay there?”

“Better than okay. She just had a baby.”

“Congratulations. Must be nice to reap the rewards of your work, I’m sure.”

“As it must be for you.” She stared over his shoulder. “The ward is charming.”

Daniel looked around, his face absorbed and curious. He shook his head and a huge grin spread over his face. “This place looks incredible.”

She could only agree. Although she’d never been in the ward before, Daniel’s exhibition had given her a good idea of how it had been. Run down with old wallpaper peeling off the walls, its designs faded and dull.

Now the passages gleamed with fresh paint and bright wallpaper. If one had to be in a children’s hospital, this was a good one to be in.

“Look in there.” Daniel headed to an alcove filled with toys and books. “They’ve replaced all the old junk. Everything’s new and unused.” He was like a small kid and she suspected more excited about the changes than most of the children.

He should be. He was the one responsible for them.

They stopped at the nurses’ station. New filing cabinets lined the walls while boxes from recently unpacked computers lay on the floor, waiting to be discarded. Not only was the ward more presentable, it also had a lot more modern technology, making administration easier.

Amy recognized a few of the nursing staff from Lexi’s party and from the exhibition, and she and Daniel chatted with them a while, until Daniel asked for Vicky’s room number. She sensed a little apprehension in his gait as they made their way to her room.

“Maybe I should stay outside while you go in.” She was reluctant to invade the little girl’s privacy.

“No. I’ve told Vicky all about you. I’m sure she’ll want to meet you.”

Why would he have told Vicky about her? There wasn’t time to ask. Daniel had stepped up to a closed door and knocked softly before sticking his head inside.

“Hi there. Feeling up to visitors?” She didn’t hear a response but Daniel opened the door wider and motioned for her to walk inside with him.

A quick glance revealed a cozy, inviting room, the walls done in the same colors as the corridors. The bed was made up with crisp linen in soft pastel shades of orange, lime and lemon. There were two armchairs covered in matching fabric and a bookshelf sat against the far wall, overflowing with books and toys. A TV and DVD player hung suspended from the ceiling.

The only difficult thing to take in was the slip of a girl lying in the bed. She was so tiny that at first look, Amy would have estimated her age to be around seven or eight had she not known Vicky was ten. Her hair looked as though it had been shaved off and was only just beginning to grow back. The wonders of chemotherapy.

“Hey, slugger,” Daniel said affectionately. “I thought they sent you home weeks ago.”

“They did,” a small voice responded. “But then they brought me back.” Vicky laughed weakly. “I guess they like me too much to let me go.”

Amy’s chest tightened and she blinked back her tears.

“Nah,” Daniel said, “I think they just wanted a professional opinion on the wallpaper.”

“It’s nice.” She looked at Amy. “Who’s your friend?”

Amy walked forward. “My name’s Amy.” She held her hand out.

Vicky took it in hers and gave it a firm shake, firmer than Amy expected. “You don’t have to be scared, you know,” she told Amy. “I’m sick, but I won’t break.” Wise eyes, so out of place on the face of a girl so young, seemed to probe and then she said, “You’re Daniel’s girlfriend.”

Amy smiled. She couldn’t help but like the girl. “I’m Daniel’s best friend. I’ve known him since high school.”

“I have a best friend too, but he doesn’t come visit me here. His mum won’t let him.”

“That must upset you.”

“Kind of. But I understand. It’s frightening for him to come into a hospital where there are very sick children.” She looked solemnly at Amy.

“You understand a lot for someone so young.”

Vicky shrugged. “It’s taken a while to get it. At first I was hurt coz I thought he didn’t like me anymore. But now I understand it’s just the cancer he doesn’t like. He doesn’t know how to deal with it. Neither does his mum. That’s why she won’t let him come see me.”

“You must miss him.”

“I did. We speak a lot on the phone now and he tells me what’s going on at school. He promised to come visit as soon as I get out of hospital this time. And,” she turned to Daniel, “he’s going to bring all the Harry Potter DVDs so we can watch them together.”

“Cool!” Daniel said with enthusiasm. “Did you finish the fourth book?”

“Yep.” Vicky looked at Amy to explain. “Daniel gave me the first five Harry Potter books. I started reading them in hospital and when I felt too sick to read myself, Daniel read to me.”

“So, what did you think?”

“I
loved
number four. And number five.”

“You read that one too?” Daniel was clearly impressed.

Vicky nodded. “When I got home. Theodore and I read it together. Theodore’s my little brother,” she told Amy.

Amy nodded. Daniel had told her about Theodore. “Did he like the books?”

“Very much, although he was a little young to understand it all. I had to explain a lot of it to him.” Amy imagined Vicky had explained a lot of things to her little brother, and not just about Harry Potter.

“Well then,” Daniel said, “I guess I’m just in time.”

“For what?” Vicky’s eyes grew large.

“To give you this.” He handed her a wrapped parcel.

She pushed herself up slowly. Amy saw how much effort it cost her. But the child’s smile was enormous. A touch of pink shaded her pale cheeks.

“I know what it is,” she exclaimed before she’d even opened the present. “And it’s perfect. Thank you.”

Little fingers worked at the sticky tape until she had the paper off. She held it up and grinned in delight. “It’s the sixth book.”

“Let me know when you’re done with it. There’s the seventh one too. The last in the series.” Daniel’s smile was just as large.

Amy stared at her friend, her heart filled with silly warm fuzzies. Daniel honestly was a sweetheart. Without a doubt the nicest man she knew.

Vicky nodded. “You’ve got a deal. I just know Theo will love this too.” She changed the subject. “Last time I saw you, you told me I encouraged you to do something. Have you done it?” She smiled at him and winked, scrunching up the right side of her face.

Daniel smiled back. “I’m in the middle of it.”

Amy listened with interest.

“Is it working?”

“Too early to tell. I’ve made some progress though.”

Vicky looked at Amy then back at Daniel. “You won’t give up, will you?”

“And let you down? Not a chance.”

“Well, let me know how it works out, okay?”

“Okay,” Daniel agreed. “Now we’d better let you get some rest.”

The dark circles under Vicky’s eyes stood out on her abnormally white skin. “I think I need it,” she admitted.

“I’ll be in soon to see you again.”

And no doubt drop off another gift.
Amy smiled at the thought. “Nice meeting you, Vicky. Hope you feel better.”

“See you soon, slugger. Bye.”

“Bye Amy. Bye Daniel, and remember…don’t give up.”

He winked at her and then they left the room.

Daniel led her to the doctors’ room, where he sagged into a chair with a heavy sigh. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Damn, she looks awful. Worse than she did in the middle of her chemotherapy.”

“She adores you. Her face lit up when she saw you.”

“Yeah, well I’m pretty crazy about her too. It’s amazing how much she taught me about life.”

“She’s learned a lot in her short one.” Amy regarded Daniel thoughtfully. “What was that whole conversation about? What did Vicky inspire you to do?”

He looked at her, his eyebrow arched. “You don’t know?”

“How could I? You were both so cryptic in there I didn’t know what you were talking about.” Nevertheless, her heart began to pound.

Daniel stared at her, his blue eyes bright with intensity. “It’s all about you.”

“Me?” She swallowed. “You discussed me with Vicky?”

He smiled a mysterious, sexy smile. “We both spoke about the important things in our lives.”

“So what are they?” A memory intruded just then, of the two of them sitting at Tamarama the day after he finished his shoot. What were the words he had used then?

Vicky forced me to look at my life and my behavior quite thoroughly. I’m just not happy with where I am right now.

It was all connected. Whatever he was about to tell her, it was exactly the thing he felt he wasn’t ready to discuss back then. And it was about her. What on earth could it be?

“Danny? What did you say about me?” Her heart drummed unsteadily.

The door opened and Leona walked into the office. She looked at them in surprise. “You’re still here? I thought you’d be gone by now.”

Amy nearly moaned out loud. Leona’s timing couldn’t have been worse.

“I’m glad you haven’t left yet.” She looked coquettishly at Daniel, oblivious to Amy’s turmoil. “I wanted to discuss tonight with you. I thought we could get together.”

Amy shook her head in disbelief. Was the woman stupid? Leona had seen Daniel kissing her at least twice now and still she could not take a hint. Apart from that, Daniel looked harassed. He’d just seen Vicky and was upset by her appearance. The last thing he needed was Leona bugging him.

To top it all, the good doctor had interrupted a very private, very pivotal, moment.

She checked her watch. Time was running out. She had an appointment with a client in less than half an hour. Daniel wasn’t going to get a chance to tell her his big secret.

Damn the woman.

Enough was enough. “Look Leona,” she interjected before Daniel could say anything. “Daniel has plans tonight—with me.” Actually, he didn’t, but Leona didn’t need to know that. “So no, I don’t think you’ll be getting together with him. Not tonight, nor any night soon. Get it?” She turned to Daniel and softened her tone. “My place, around seven?”

Daniel nodded. His dimples flashed as he tried to hide a grin. “Don’t forget, I’m cooking tonight.”

Aware of a glowering Leona standing beside her, Amy gave him a slow smile. “You sure were last night.” After giving it a second thought, she planted a sultry kiss on his lips.

His eyes closed and he murmured a low, “Mmm…”

The sound reverberated from her breasts down to her belly and lower. She had to clear her throat before she could speak. “I have to go back to work. See you later.” With a casual wave at Leona, she walked out the room.

Daniel watched Amy leave with a barely repressed smile. His misery over seeing Vicky in such a bad state was temporarily masked. What a stroke of luck running into Amy like that. God, if he’d have thought about it before, he’d have choreographed the whole damn thing himself. He laughed out loud, grabbed Leona and twirled her around.

“Put me down, you stupid lug.” She was chuckling by the time Daniel set her back on her feet.

“Thank you,” he said. “You were fantastic. I can’t believe how quickly you fell into character. I hadn’t even introduced you to Amy and already you were playing the hard-nosed bitch.”

“Beside the fact that I recognized her from the party, the look of undisguised adulation on your face was a dead giveaway. There was no question about who she was.”

Daniel shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a man possessed.”