The Australian's Proposal (Mills & Boon By Request): The Doctor's Marriage Wish / The Playboy Doctor's Proposal / The Nurse He's Been Waiting For (20 page)

‘Roll on Friday more like. Isn’t that when you leave for a few days’ R & R in the sun?’

‘Sure is.’ Hannah’s spirits finally lifted—a lot more than Ryan’s joke had achieved. ‘You know, I’m finally really looking forward to this trip.’

‘I could do with some time away from this place myself. Could be just what the doctor ordered. For both of us.’

‘Mmm.’ Hannah’s agreement was wholehearted. But it wasn’t the place she needed the break from. A few days away from Ryan Fisher was definitely what this doctor was ordering.

Hannah Jackson could go to hell in a hand basket.

The glimpse of a woman with sleek blonde hair disappearing into the melee of economy class was enough of a reminder to sink Ryan Fisher’s spirits with a nasty jolt.

He slid his cabin baggage into the overhead locker with the same ease he slid his long body into the comfortable window seat at the rear of the business class section of the plane. Seconds later, he returned the smile of a very pretty young air hostess.

‘Orange juice would be lovely,’ he agreed. ‘Exactly what I need.’

The frosted glass was presented while economy-class passengers were still filing past, but Ryan killed the faintly embarrassed reaction to the envious glances. Why shouldn’t he travel in comfort? He had to do it often enough to make it a boring inconvenience and he’d decided he may as well make the travel as enjoyable as possible when the destination usually wasn’t.

At least this time he could look forward to what lay at the other end of his journey.

‘Is there anything else you need, sir?’

Ryan suppressed a wry smile along with the temptation to ask the crew member for a thousand things. How about
a miraculous cure for a little girl in Brisbane that he had far more than just a bond of family with? Or perhaps freedom from the ridiculously powerful attraction he had felt for Hannah Jackson ever since he’d first laid eyes on her three months ago?

No. He was over that. As of last Monday night when she’d told him exactly what she thought of him. She hated him. He was shallow—telling jokes when he should be taking on board the misery of others. Lazy—taking time off to flit back to Australia to have fun at regular intervals. Out to win the job she felt was rightfully hers.

Ironic that he’d actually set out to catch Hannah’s attention by demonstrating his clinical ability. He hadn’t expected the head of department to twist his arm and put his name forward for the upcoming consultancy position but then he’d thought, Why not? The anchor of a permanent job could be just what he needed to sort out his life. And at least that way Hannah would see him as an equal.

Would really
see
him.

How idiotic would it be to waste any more time or emotional energy hankering after someone who didn’t even have any respect, let alone liking, for him?

‘No, thanks.’ He smiled. ‘I’m fine.’

Ryan sipped his chilled juice, stretching his legs into the generous space in front of him and enjoying the fact that the seat beside him was empty. So were both the seats on the opposite side of the aisle. There was, in fact, only one other occupant of business class and Ryan found himself listening to the well-dressed man with an American accent telling the air hostess that all he wanted was to go to sleep and could he have one of those eye covers? Apparently he hadn’t expected a diversion to Auckland or a night in an airport hotel and he’d had more than enough of travelling for now.

‘It should have been a straightforward trip to Sydney and then Cairns,’ he was saying. ‘Instead, I’m bunny-hopping through the south Pacific. Inefficient, that’s what it is.’

‘There’s been a few disruptions due to some bad weather,’ the hostess responded. ‘Hopefully we’ll be able to bypass it on this trip.’

Ryan didn’t care if they hit a few bumps. Despite what Hannah thought of him, he didn’t often get a smooth ride through life. OK, so maybe he didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve and go around telling everyone his problems, but it was just as well, wasn’t it? Imagine how low he’d be feeling right now if he’d made it obvious just how attracted he’d been to Hannah and had been squashed like the bug she clearly thought he was?

Well, she wouldn’t get the opportunity now. No way. He wouldn’t have her if she threw herself at him. Wrapped up in a ribbon and nothing else.

A soft sound like a strangled groan escaped. That short flight into fantasy wasn’t likely to help anything. He drained his glass and handed it back as part of the preparation for take-off. Then he closed his eyes as the big jet rolled towards the end of the runway. Maybe he should follow the example of the other occupant of business class and escape into a few hours of peaceful oblivion.

The trip promised to be anything but restful. Hannah had an aisle seat, for which she was becoming increasingly grateful. It meant she could lean outwards.

She had to lean outwards because the man beside her was one of the fattest people Hannah had ever seen. He could easily have used up two seats all by himself but somehow he had squeezed in. Apart from the parts of his body that oozed through the gaps above and below the
armrests and encroached considerably on Hannah’s space. Any sympathy for his obvious discomfort had been replaced by a more selfish concern about her own when the personality of her travelling companion began to reveal itself.

‘Name’s Blair,’ he boomed at her. ‘How’s it going?’ He certainly wasn’t shy. ‘They make these seats a bit bloody small these days, eh? Just want to pack us in like sardines so they make a profit.’

‘Mmm.’ And they were allocated the same amount of baggage weight, Hannah thought crossly. What would happen if every passenger was Blair’s size? Could the plane flip over because the baggage compartment was too light? Use twice as much fuel? Drop out of the sky?

Hannah wasn’t a great fan of flying. She leaned further into the aisle and gripped the armrest on that side as the plane gathered speed.

‘Not keen on flying, huh?’ Blair was leaning, too. ‘Wanna hold my hand?’

‘Ah … no, thanks.’ Hannah screwed her eyes shut. ‘I’m just fine.’

‘It’s OK. ‘Blair was laughing as the wheels left the tarmac. ‘I’m single.’

There was no point pretending to be asleep because Blair didn’t seem to notice. He obviously liked to think aloud and kept himself amused by a running commentary on the choice of movies available, the tourist attractions of Cairns showcased in the airline magazine and the length of time it was taking for the cabin crew to start serving refreshments.

The reason for any delay was revealed when the captain’s voice sounded in the cabin.

‘G’day, folks. Welcome aboard this Air New Zealand flight to Cairns. We’re expecting a bit of turbulence due
to strong westerly winds courtesy of a tropical cyclone in the Coral Sea region going by the name of Willie. I’m going to keep the crew seated until we get through this next layer of cloud.’

Blair made a grumbling sound.

‘Once we’re cruising at around thirty-five thousand feet, things should get a bit smoother,’ the captain continued. ‘You’ll be free to move around the cabin at that point but I would suggest that while you’re in your seats you do keep your seat belts firmly fastened.’

Sure enough, the flight became smoother and the cabin crew began to serve drinks and meals. The steward that stopped beside Hannah cast a second glance at her companion, listened to him patiently while he complained about the delay in being fed and then winked at Hannah.

‘I’ll be back in a tick,’ he said.

When he returned, he bent down and whispered in Hannah’s ear. Then he opened the overhead locker and removed the bag she specified. Hannah unclipped her seat belt and stood up with a sigh of relief.

‘Hey!’ Blair was watching the removal of the bag with concern. ‘Where’re you going, darling?’

‘We’ve got a bit of room up front,’ the steward informed him. ‘I’m just juggling passengers a bit. If you lift the armrest there, Sir, I’m sure you’ll find the journey a lot more comfortable.’

Much to Hannah’s astonishment, ‘up front’ turned out to be an upgrade to business class. Her eyes widened as she realised she was going to have a window seat—no, both the seats—all to herself.

‘You’re an angel of mercy,’ she told the steward. ‘Wow! I’ve never flown business class before.’

‘Enjoy!’ The steward grinned. ‘I’ll make sure they bring
you something to drink while you settle in and have a look at the breakfast menu.’

Hannah sank into the soft seat, unable to contain her smile. She stretched out her legs and wiggled her toes. Not much chance of developing a DVT here. There was any amount of elbow room, as well. She tested it, sticking her arms out like wings. She even flapped them up and down a little. Just as well there was no one to see her doing a duck impression.

Or was there? Hannah hadn’t yet considered the possibility of a passenger on the other side of the aisle. She turned her head swiftly, aware of a blush starting. And then she recognised the solitary figure by the window and she actually gasped aloud.

Glaring was probably the only description she could have used for the way Ryan Fisher was looking at her.

‘Oh, my God!’ Hannah said. ‘What are
you
doing here?’

‘I
WAS
about to ask you the same thing.’

‘I got upgraded.’ Hannah hadn’t intended to sound defensive. Why did this man always bring out the worst in her? ‘Things were a bit crowded down the back.’

‘Here you go, Dr Jackson.’ A pretty, redheaded hostess held out a tray with a fluted glass on it. ‘And here’s the menu. I’ll come back in a minute to see what you’d like for breakfast.’

‘Thank you.’ Hannah took a sip of her juice and pretended to study the menu, which gave a surprisingly wide choice for the first meal of the day. There were hours of this flight left. Was she going to have to make conversation with Ryan the whole way?

It was some sort of divine retribution. Hannah had been feeling guilty ever since Monday night when she’d let fly and been so rude to a colleague. She couldn’t blame him for either the retaliation or the way he’d been avoiding her for the last few days. The personal attack had been unprofessional and probably undeserved. He couldn’t know where the motivation had come from and Hannah certainly couldn’t tell him but … maybe she ought to apologise?

She flicked a quick glance from the menu towards Ryan.
He was still glaring. He wasn’t about to use their first meeting away from work to try building any bridges, was he?

Hannah wished she hadn’t looked. Hadn’t caught those dark eyes. She couldn’t open her mouth to say anything because goodness only knew what might shoot out, given the peculiar situation of being in this man’s company away from a professional setting. Imagine if she started and then couldn’t stop?

If she told him her whole life history? About the man her mother had really fallen in love with—finally happy after years of getting over her husband’s tragic death. Of the way she’d been used and then abandoned. Hannah had known not to trust the next one that had come along. Why hadn’t her mother been able to see through him that easily? Perhaps the attraction to men like that was genetic and too powerful to resist. It might explain why Susie had made the same mistake. Fortunately, Hannah was stronger. She might
want
Ryan Fisher but there was no way she would allow herself to
have
him.

Oddly, the satisfying effect of pushing him firmly out of her emotional orbit the other night was wearing off. Here she was contemplating an apology. An attempt at establishing some kind of friendship even.

Ryan hadn’t blinked.

Hannah realised this in the same instant she realised she could only have noticed because she hadn’t looked away. The eye contact had continued for too long and … Oh,
God!
What if Ryan had seen even a fraction of what she’d been thinking?

Attack was the best form of defence, wasn’t it?

‘Why are you staring at me?’

‘I’m still waiting for you to answer my question.’

‘What question?’

‘What you’re doing here.’

‘I told you, I got upgraded.’

‘You know perfectly well that wasn’t what I meant. What the hell are you doing on this flight?’

‘Going to Cairns.’ Hannah didn’t need the change in Ryan’s expression to remind her how immature it was to be so deliberately obtuse. She gave in. ‘I’ve got a connecting flight at Cairns to go to a small town further north in Queensland. Crocodile Creek.’

Lips that were usually in some kind of motion, either talking or smiling, went curiously slack. The tone of Ryan’s voice was also stunned.

‘You’re going to
Crocodile Creek?
’

‘Yes.’

‘So am I.’

‘Did you decide what you’d like for breakfast, Dr Jackson?’

‘What?’ Hannah hadn’t even noticed the approach of the redheaded stewardess. ‘Oh, sorry. Um … Anything’s fine. I’m starving!’

The stewardess smiled. ‘I’ll see what I can surprise you with.’ She turned to the other side of the aisle. ‘And you, Dr Fisher? Have you decided?’

‘I’ll have the fresh fruit salad and a mushroom omelette, thanks.’

Ryan didn’t want to be surprised by his breakfast. Maybe he’d just had enough of a surprise. As had Hannah. She waited only a heartbeat after the stewardess had moved away.

‘Is there a particular reason why you’re going to Crocodile Creek at this particular time?”

‘Sure is. I’m best man at my best mate’s wedding.’

‘Oh …’ Hannah swallowed carefully. ‘That would be … Mike?’

Ryan actually closed his eyes. ‘And you know that because you’re also invited to the wedding?’

‘Yes.’

Ryan made a sound like a chuckle but it was so unlike the laughter Hannah would have recognised she wasn’t sure it had anything to do with amusement. ‘Don’t tell me you’re lined up to be the bridesmaid.’

‘No, of course I’m not. I don’t know Emily that well.’

‘Thank God for that.’

‘My sister’s the bridesmaid.’

Ryan’s eyes opened smartly. Hannah could have sworn she saw something like a flash of fear. Far more likely to be horror, she decided. He disliked her so much that the prospect of being a partner to her sister was appalling? That hurt. Hannah couldn’t resist retaliating.

‘My twin sister,’ she said. She smiled at Ryan. ‘We’re identical.’

Ryan shook his head. ‘I don’t believe this.’

‘It is a bit of a coincidence,’ Hannah agreed, more cheerfully. Ryan was so disconcerted that she actually felt like she had control of this situation—an emotional upper hand—and that had to be a first for any time she had spent in Ryan’s company, with the exception of Monday night. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. ‘So, how come you know Mike so well?’

But Ryan didn’t appear to be listening. ‘There are two of you,’ he muttered. ‘Unbelievable!’

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their food. Hannah was hungry enough to get stuck into the delicious hot croissants and jam she was served. Ryan was only halfway through his fruit salad by the time she had cleaned her plate and he didn’t look as though he was particularly enjoying the start of his meal.

Hannah had to feel sorry for him but she couldn’t resist teasing just a little. She adopted the same, slightly aggrieved tone he had been using only a short time ago.

‘You didn’t answer my question.’

‘What question?’ Ryan wasn’t being deliberately obtuse. He looked genuinely bewildered.

‘How do you know Mike? The groom at this wedding we’re both going to.’

‘Oh … I was involved in training paramedics in the armed forces for a while, years ago. Mike was keen to add medical training to his qualifications as a helicopter pilot, having been in a few dodgy situations. We hit it off and have stayed in touch ever since.’ Ryan stirred the contents of his bowl with the spoon. ‘I was really looking forward to seeing him again,’ he added sadly. ‘The last real time we had together was a surfing holiday in Bali nearly three years ago. After he got out of the army but before he took himself off to the back of beyond.’

‘Crocodile Creek does seem a bit out of the way,’ Hannah had to agree. Besides, thinking about geography was a good way to distract herself from feeling offended that Ryan seemed to think all the pleasure might have been sucked from the upcoming weekend. ‘It was easy enough to hop on a plane to Brisbane to spend a day or two with Susie.’

‘I got the impression you never took time off.’

‘I don’t take rostered time off.’

‘Unlike me.’ Ryan said it for her. ‘‘Cos you’re not lazy.’

Hannah wasn’t going to let this conversation degenerate into a personality clash. Here was the opportunity she had needed. ‘I never said you were lazy, Ryan. You work as hard as I do. You’re just more inclined to take time off.’

‘For the purposes of having fun.’

‘Well … yes …’ Hannah shrugged. ‘And why not?’
Would this count as an apology, perhaps? ‘All work and no play, etcetera.’

‘Makes Jack a dull boy,’ Ryan finished. ‘And Jill a very dull girl.’

Was he telling Hannah she was dull? Just a more pointed comment than Jennifer telling her she was an ED geek? If he saw her as being more
fun
—say at a wedding reception—would he find her more attractive?

Hannah stomped on the wayward thought. She didn’t want Ryan to find her attractive. She didn’t want to find
him
attractive, for heaven’s sake! It was something that had just happened. Like a lightning bolt. A bit of freak weather—like the cyclone currently brewing in the Coral Sea, which was again causing a bit of turbulence for the jet heading for Cairns.

The two cabin-crew members pushing a meal trolley through to economy class exchanged a doubtful glance.

‘Should we wait a bit before serving the back section?’

‘No.’ The steward who had been responsible for Hannah’s upgrade shook his head. ‘Let’s get it done, then we can clear up. If we’re going to hit any really rough stuff, it’ll be when we’re north of Brisbane.’

Hannah tightened her seat belt a little.

‘Nervous?’ Ryan must have been watching her quite closely to observe the action.

‘I’m not that keen on turbulence.’

‘Doesn’t bother me.’ Ryan smiled at Hannah. Or had that smile been intended for the approaching stewardess? ‘I quite like a bumpy ride.’

Hannah and Ryan both chose coffee rather than tea. Of course the smile had been for the pretty redhead. Likewise the comment that could easily have been taken as blatant flirting.

‘I don’t know Emily,’ Ryan said. ‘Maybe you can fill me in. She’s a doctor, yes?’

‘Yes. She’s Susie’s best friend.’

‘Susie?’

‘My sister.’

‘The clone. Right. So how long has she been in Crocodile Creek?’

‘About three years. She went to Brisbane to get some post-grad training after she finished her physiotherapy degree and she liked it so much she decided to stay.’

‘I thought she was a doctor.’

‘No. She started medical school with me but it wasn’t what she wanted.’

‘How come she lives in that doctors’ house that used to be the old hospital, then?’

‘She doesn’t.’

‘That’s not what Mike told me.’

‘Why would Mike be telling you about my sister?’

‘He wasn’t. He was telling me about his fiancée. Emily.’ Ryan groaned. ‘We’re not on the same page here, are we?’

‘No.’ And they never would be. ‘Sorry. I don’t know much about Emily either, except that she’s a really nice person and totally in love with Mike and his parents are thrilled and hoping for lots of grandchildren.’

Ryan was still frowning. ‘If you don’t know Emily and you don’t know Mike, why have you been invited to their wedding?’

‘As Susie’s partner, kind of. We haven’t seen each other since Christmas.’

‘That’s not so long ago.’

Hannah shrugged. ‘It seems a long time. We’re close, I guess.’

‘Hmm.’

Ryan’s thoughts may as well have been in a bubble over his head. As best man, he would have to partner Hannah’s clone. Another woman who wouldn’t be on the same page. Someone else who would think he was shallow and lazy and a liability.

Hannah opened her mouth to offer some reassurance. To finally apologise for losing it on Monday night in such an unprofessional manner. To suggest that they would both be able to have a good time at the wedding despite having each other’s company enforced.

She didn’t get the chance.

Her mouth opened far more widely than needed for speech as the plane hit an air pocket and seemed to drop like a rock. The fall continued long enough for someone further down the plane in economy to scream, and then they got to the bottom with a crunch and all hell broke loose.

The big jet slewed sideways into severe turbulence. The pitch of its engine roar increased. The water glass and cutlery on Hannah’s tray slithered sideways to clatter to the floor. The seat-belt sign on the overhead panel flashed on and off repeatedly with a loud dinging noise. Oxygen masks were deployed and swung like bizarre, short pendulums. Children were shrieking and someone was calling for help. The stewardess who had been pushing the meal trolley staggered through the curtain dividing business class from the rest of the cabin, her face covered in blood. She fell into the seat beside Hannah.

‘I can’t see anything!’

Hannah was still clutching her linen napkin in her hand. She pushed the tray table up and latched it, giving her space to turn to the woman beside her, who was trying to wipe the blood from her eyes.

‘Hold still!’ Hannah instructed. She folded the napkin
into a rough pad. If her years of training and practice in emergency departments had done nothing else, Hannah would always bless the ability to focus on an emergency without going to pieces herself. ‘You’ve got a nasty cut on your forehead.’ She pressed the pad against the wound as best she could, with the plane continuing to pitch and roll.

‘I came down on the corner of the trolley.’

‘What’s happening?’ Ryan was out of his seat, hanging onto an armrest for support.

By way of answer, calmly overriding the noise of the engines and distressed passengers, came the voice from the flight deck.

‘Sorry about this, folks. Bit of unexpected rough stuff. We should be through this pretty fast. Please, return to your seats and keep your belts firmly fastened for the moment.’

Ryan ignored the direction. ‘Anyone else hurt back there?’

‘I don’t know.’ The stewardess was leaning back in the seat, her face pale beneath smeared blood. ‘We were still serving breakfast. It’ll be a mess. I should go and help.’

Ryan held back the curtain to look into the main body of the cabin. Clearly, he was trying to see where he might be needed most urgently. Forgetting one’s own fear and helping someone who’d happened to land in the seat beside her was nothing compared to the courage it would need to take command of the kind of chaos Hannah could imagine Ryan assessing.

Mixed in with her admiration of his intention was a desire to prove she could also rise to the occasion. Ryan’s courage was contagious.

‘Hold this.’ Hannah took the hand of the stewardess and placed it over the pad. ‘Keep firm pressure on it and the bleeding will stop soon. I’ll come back and check on you in a bit.’ She unclipped her seat belt and stood up. The oxygen
mask bumped her head but Hannah ignored it. The jolt from the air pocket must have caused their deployment because she wasn’t at all short of breath so the oxygen level had to be OK. Lurching sideways to get past the knees of the stewardess, Hannah found her arm firmly gripped by Ryan.