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'I'm not suggesting that you do, lovey. You have your own responsibilities and that is as it should be.'

'So what are you saying?'

Pip's hand squeezed his. 'Try to understand how difficult this is for her. Ginger's scared, Cameron. She's always put her work before herself, she has never been interested in anyone before, has never needed to consider that a balance may be possible. Her heart is torn between her very real duty, her need to do her job, and her fear that all this is ultimately going to hurt you both if you get more involved. Give her some time—but don't give up on her.'

It might not be what he had wanted to hear, but it was good advice. Sighing, he managed a smile and bent to kiss Pip's cheek. 'Thanks.'

'No problem. Now, I must get back to work.'

Cameron watched her go, his thoughts in turmoil, undecided what he should do next about Ginger. Once again his attention was distracted by a new commotion in the waiting area. One of the young boys was running in and out of the chairs. He skidded round a corner, crashing in to the large girl who had tried to cower in a corner out of the way.

'Fat cow, you take up too much room,' the boy said loudly and abusively.

Angry, seeing the embarrassment and dismay on the girl's face, Cameron walked across, catching hold of the hood of the boy's top and gently bringing him to a halt. 'This is a hospital, not a playroom, and there's no excuse to be rude,' he rebuked quietly but firmly, leading the boy back to his stressed mother.

'I'm so sorry.' She looked up at him and he noted the dark circles under her lifeless brown eyes. 'It won't happen again.'

He smiled with sympathy. 'They must be a handful.'

'That's one way of putting it,' she agreed, managing a ghost of a smile in return.

Concerned, Cameron walked across to where the young woman sat. He guessed she was in her early twenties, and she had platinum-blonde hair and a pale complexion. She was also visibly shaking. 'Hi,' he greeted her, waiting a few steps away so as not to crowd her. Finally, she looked up at him with dove-grey eyes bruised with fear and hurt.

'H-hi,' she stammered in response, looking stunned that he had spoken to her.

'Do you mind if I sit down?' Renewed surprise and wariness flared in her eyes before she gave a hesitant nod. Aching for her, Cameron seated himself beside her. 'Are you all right?'

'Yes. Fine.'

The response was polite but he didn't believe her. She seemed almost paralysed with fear. 'I'm Cameron Kincaid. What's your name?'

'L-Louise. Louise K-Kerr.'

'Good to meet you, Louise.' He glanced at her and saw the way she stared down at the floor, a flush stripping the paleness from her cheeks. 'Are you waiting to see someone?'

'I'm m-meant to be. B-But I think I'd b-better go h-home.'

'That would be a shame.. .now you've taken the big step and come here.' He praised her sincerely, knowing how intimidating hospitals could be and how frightened some people were of facing the unknown. Louise's case was extreme, though. 'Who is your appointment with?'

'Dr O'Neill.'

His heart lurched at the mention of the name but he didn't know why he was so surprised that Louise should be one of Ginger's patients. He was also relieved. There would be no one better than Ginger to tread softly and be gentle with Louise's feelings. 'I think you should stay.'

'Do you kn-know her?' Louise asked after a moment, her voice soft and uncertain.

'I do.' And how! He forced away X-rated memories of their amazing night together. 'Have you not met her before?'

Louise shook her head. 'This is my first time here. I—I don't like doctors. Except my new GP. She's been wonderful. I'm only here because she persuaded me it would help.'

'I'm sure it will,' Cameron reassured her. 'Ginger's lovely, Louise. I can promise you that you won't be sorry if you see her.'

Wide, anxious eyes looked at him. 'Really?'

'Really. There's no one better.'

Cameron thought of Jules, the young woman he'd met at the Italian restaurant on Friday night, and the transformation that had clearly occurred in her life. Louise's self-esteem appeared nonexistent. He had no idea what her story was, but he would bet that a few months of Ginger's care would find her brimming with new-found confidence. It made him proud, knowing what a special doctor Ginger was, but it also made him mad that her patients were to be denied her care with the funding cut, and uneasy what would happen once the news came through about the Ackerman money.

He snapped off his thoughts, a rush of desire sending heat searing through him as Ginger came through the swing doors from the direction of the consulting rooms and led a teenage boy across to a worried-looking couple who rose to greet them.

Giving Louise a friendly nudge, he pointed across the waiting area. 'There's Ginger now.'

'That's Dr O'Neill?'

Cameron smiled at the surprise in Louise's voice, hoping Ginger's lush curves and sexy femininity would give the young woman confidence she wouldn't be judged but would be treated with respect and understanding. Dressed in a floaty, colourful skirt and loose shirt, her sunshine-blonde hair left loose, Ginger didn't look like a stereotypical doctor. When Ginger shook hands with the couple and waved them goodbye, she turned to survey the room and called Louise's name. He knew the moment Ginger saw him, registered her awareness, the mix of alarm and desire in her turquoise eyes, the hesitation in her step as she crossed to join them.

'Hello, Ginger.' It was a struggle, but he kept everything professional and resisted the urgent temptation to touch her, kiss her, carry her off to his cave. 'This is Louise. We were just having a chat.'

Her smile warm and genuine, she shook the young woman's hand. 'Great. Hi, Louise, it's lovely to meet you. I'm so sorry I've kept you waiting.'

'Th-That's OK.'

Cameron met Ginger's gaze as Louise nervously gathered up her coat and bag. He saw the question in her eyes as she mouthed, 'Problem?'

With an imperceptible nod, he glanced at Louise, making sure she was otherwise occupied before silently mouthing back, 'She's scared.'

Ginger seemed unsurprised at the information and he smiled, having complete confidence that Louise would be cared for and was now in the best of hands with Ginger on her side.

Louise rose to her feet and looked at him with a shaky smile, a shy blush on her face. 'Thank you for sitting with me.'

'No problem. Trust me, you'll be fine with Dr O'Neill.'

He watched as Ginger slid a reassuring arm around Louise and guided her through the door and along the corridor to her room. It was clear to him that he wasn't going to have any opportunity to talk to Ginger now. Restless and frustrated, he headed to the canteen for a hasty lunch before his afternoon appointments caught up with him, wondering when he was going to next get her alone...and how they were going to reconcile the conflict that was still keeping them apart.

* * *

'Dr Kate Anderson.'

'Hello, Kate, it's Ginger O'Neill from Strathlochan. I'm sorry I didn't phone you sooner but yesterday was manic,' she explained to the GP from Glentown-on-Firth, who had referred Louise Kerr to her.

It was early on Tuesday morning and Ginger fought down waves of tiredness. She had been at her desk for a while, ploughing through her pile of paperwork to try to catch up before she went downstairs to begin the day's appointments.

'I confess I've been in suspense,' Kate admitted with a wry laugh. 'Tell me, did Louise keep her appointment?'

Talking about the young woman she had met for the first time the day before made Ginger think of Cameron, too. 'She did. But I gather it was a close thing. Louise was very scared and on the point of bolting when one of my colleagues from a different specialty took her under his wing and persuaded her to stay. He waited with her until I was free.'

'Goodness. Louise doesn't give her trust easily.' Kate's surprise was obvious. 'Please, thank him for me.'

'I will.'

Ginger grimaced at her promise. Cameron had been wonderful with Louise. She knew she had to thank him, too, for his insightful compassion— a difficult task when she had been trying to avoid him since her cowardly exit from his home on Sunday morning.

'And thank you, Ginger. As I told you when we first spoke when I referred her, Louise has had such a rotten time of it with the medical profession in the past and it has taken eighteen months for her to feel comfortable with me,' the caring GP explained. 'We've slowly begun to sort out some of her health problems but it's been a struggle for me to encourage her to tackle her emotional issues. Do you think you can help her?'

'It will take a while for her to feel at ease here, but we had a good talk yesterday, and if she keeps coming to see me, I'm confident we can work well together.'

'That's excellent news!'

Ginger glanced down at the file and her own initial notes. 'Louise is clearly very shy and lacking in self-worth. We only touched on some of her issues yesterday, but she appears to have coped with her bad experiences and emotional problems by turning to food. That's not uncommon. She told me she's yo-yo'd wildly with her weight for many years and has spells where she binges or eats compulsively. In my experience it can be a way of self-comfort or self-punishment—sometimes both.'

'That makes sense,' Kate agreed thoughtfully.

'I know she has had problems at home, school and work. There was a lot of bullying, a lot of verbal and emotional abuse. Now she finds it hard to make friends, to let people close to her, because she's been let down and hurt so many times.'

'It will take time, Kate, but I'm confident we can make a difference. Louise is going to come here to see me and my team once a month, but I'm going to keep in touch with her by telephone between appointments, at least initially, so she gets used to me and has the confidence to come back. I'll keep you updated as we go along,' she promised, making a note in her diary.

'I really appreciate it,' Kate responded with relief, and Ginger could tell that the family doctor had taken Louise's case to her heart. 'Conor said you were good.'

Ginger smiled with affection as she thought of Kate's husband and fellow GP. Their marriage just over a year ago had taken one of south-west Scotland's most eligible and popular bachelors out of commission. 'How is the old rogue?'

'He's a totally besotted daddy! At five months old, Rebecca already has him wrapped round her little finger.' Kate laughed.

After her talk with Kate, Ginger reviewed her cases for the day. She was sipping her umpteenth cup of coffee when Pip arrived in her office, patient notes in her hand.

'Morning, Ginger.' She sat down, a concerned frown on her face. 'You're looking tired, lovey.'

'Mmm. We seem to be busier than ever at the moment. I've had several more referrals, but how we are going to fit any more new patients into an already overstretched schedule, I have no idea.'

Pip nodded sympathetically. 'Not that you'll ever turn anyone away.'

'I can't, Pip.' She finished her coffee and sat back with a sigh. 'How the powers that be can think of closing this department when the patient need is so obvious defeats me.'

'I know. It's not right.'

Their conversation was interrupted when her assistant buzzed her from the outer office. 'Yes, Sarah?'

'The dishy Dr Kincaid is on the phone for you.'

Ginger felt a blush heat her face at Pip's knowing smile. 'What does he want?'

'He says it's about a patient,' Sarah replied.

She really didn't want to talk with him, it was too awkward given what had gone between them, and how she still felt every time she so much as thought of him. But... 'OK, Sarah. Put him through.' She cursed her foolish weakness.

'Hi, Ginger. How are you?'

'I'm fine.' If she didn't count the way she nearly melted just at the sound of his voice.

'I can't stop thinking about you.'

She bit her lip as need slammed through her. Uncomfortable talking with him in front of Pip, her manner was stilted. 'I'm in a meeting. Sarah said you wanted to talk about a patient.'

'Yes.' He sighed, his disappointment evident, but he was nothing but professional when he spoke again. 'I was called in urgently to a young woman who is believed to have been cutting and burning herself. Turns out you've seen her before for bulimia. Angela Strachan.'

'Damn. I remember her.'

'I know you're busy but can you come down to Casualty?'

Ginger considered the request. She couldn't allow her awareness of and need to avoid Cameron personally to affect the welfare of a patient, but that didn't mean it was going to be easy having to see or work with him. 'I have a heavy case-load of appointments but I'll look out her notes and come to Casualty first.'

'Thanks, Ginger. See you soon.'

She hung up and filled Pip in on developments, trying to ignore the way her insides churned just at the thought of the man. After printing out a summary on Angela Strachan, she gathered up the files she needed for her morning appointments, then had a quick word with Sarah. Once free, she headed downstairs with Pip, leaving her paperwork in her consulting room and arranging for Pip to make a start on their clinic.

'Don't worry,' her colleague reassured her, ever calm and understanding. 'We'll manage, we always do.'

'I'll be back as soon as I can.'

'Ginger?'

Hearing the edge in Pip's voice, she reluctantly turned at the door. 'Yes?'

'I know you find it difficult to switch off and separate your work from your own needs, but give Cameron a chance,' the older woman advised. 'The sexual chemistry between you is amazing... the windows fog whenever you're together for even five seconds!'

'Pip—'

'I know, it isn't my business, and you're worried what will happen about the patients when the decision comes in about the funding. But things can be worked out, lovey, if you want it badly enough. You deserve your own happiness and Cameron is special. Now, I've said my piece. You get off and I'll set to work,' she said briskly, a smile in her kind hazel eyes.

Ginger tried to put her feelings for Cameron and her confusion about the conflict between them to one side in order to focus on Angela Strachan's needs. As she went into the busy A and E department, the first person she saw was Dr Will Brown, renowned for his blond good looks and irrepressible humour.