Hockey Holidays Read online

  “Ward eight?” That was the pediatric ward.

  “I’ll hang out with the kids for a bit, sign some pictures, hand out a few Viper shirts and that.”

  “Oh, okay.” I glanced at his empty hands. “Have you got any pictures or Viper shirts?”

  “I keep a stash up there. Cassandra, the senior nurse, doesn’t mind. In fact, she says it’s good for the kids, brightens their day when all they have to look forward to is being stuck in bed.”

  So he goes there often.

  Nathan ‘The Flash’ Walker had just surprised the heck out of me.

  “Two hours,” he said. “And then I’ll be thirsty.”

  Chapter Four

  The pediatric ward was brightly lit and strung with Christmas decorations. Every bit of wall had something festive on it, and a Christmas movie was playing in the recreation room.

  I’d changed into jeans and a soft white sweater, added a slick of pale pink lipstick, earrings, and brushed my hair. As I’d sprayed myself with perfume, I wondered what the hell I was doing. I could easily have been firmer with Nathan, told him no and ordered him to leave. But something inside me hadn’t really wanted to.

  What he’d said about being determined and persistent to be at the top of his profession had intrigued me. I understood that passion, that unwavering determination to succeed. It was the way I lived my life, too. And it wasn’t often I met someone else who had the same mind-set.

  He’s a hockey player and one Ben has warned me off and Nicola describes as red-hot trouble.

  It was okay. I was in control, as always. One drink, just to stick to my word. Then he could get on with his life and I mine.

  I paused in the doorway of the games room.

  Nathan sat on a sofa facing half away from me. Around him were about ten children, including one with an intravenous infusion who was sitting on his knee. It seemed they all wore Viper shirts with his name on the back. A wild hockey X-Box game was being played on a large screen. The digital players were being controlled by a boy and a girl who sat either side of Nathan.

  A nurse I recognized was checking a teenage boy’s temperature, and she looked up at me and smiled.

  “Yeah, go Carly, great shot,” Nathan called. “Come on, Joe, get around that defense and shoot.”

  “I’m trying, Flash.”

  “You’re doing great,” he said. “Watch out.”

  The on-screen player fell and slid over the ice as the score flashed up.

  “Ah, bad luck.” Nathan ruffled the hair of the boy to his right. Joe, I presumed.

  “My turn now.” Another child took the controller.

  “Yeah, see if you can beat that score,” Nathan said. “Carly has set a high standard.”

  “You reckon I could join a hockey team?” the girl, Carly, asked.

  “Don’t see why not. As soon as you get fixed up here.”

  “In six months then.” Carly shrugged.

  “It’ll fly by, you wait and see.”

  The nurse walked over to me and paused. “He’s great with them, isn’t he?” she said quietly.

  “Does he come often?”

  “At least once a month. Up here we’ve got kids in for long stretches. A visit from The Flash is always a big deal. Not that he likes it looked at that way, he just wants to hang out and hopes he makes a difference.”

  I nodded, and something inside me melted. The big tough player who’d stolen the show at the rink last night was clearly a hit with the kids and a bit of a softie, too. His ego wasn’t as big as I’d first thought.

  I cleared my throat.

  Nathan twisted around. “Ah, here she is, my hot date I was telling you about. I’m a lucky guy, right?”

  All gazes turned to me. Two of the boys giggled.

  “She’s really a doctor?” the boy on Nathan’s lap asked, twisting and stretching his IV line.

  “Yeah, and she’s pretty, ain’t she?” Nathan held the line so it didn’t tug out.

  “Sure is,” the teenager who’d been having his temperature taken said. He had dark rings under his eyes, and his cheeks were hollow, but he was smiling.

  I shifted from one foot to the other, feeling strangely self-conscious.

  “I have to go now, you guys.” Nathan carefully lifted the child on his knee and set him on the sofa. He pinched his chin gently. “But I’ll be back in a week or so, okay, so you keep on getting better, Sammy.”

  “I will. Is it my go on the X-Box next?”

  “Yes, after Gabe it’s your turn.”

  “Okay.”

  A chorus of goodbyes started up as Nathan headed my way.

  I tried to beat down a wave of something strangely like excitement, or maybe it was the anticipation of being in his company that had sparked a thrill in me, but I couldn’t. Nathan Walker looked as hot as the trouble he was, and his attention was very much set on me.

  Fifteen minutes later, as Nathan had promised, I was sitting in a quiet corner of the bar opposite the hospital. It was frequented by medical staff, though right now, there wasn’t anyone I knew. But I tended to keep to myself, and relationships with other medics were purely professional.

  “Yum, cola” Nathan said, sipping from his pint glass.

  “You could’ve had a beer.”

  “Nah, I’m driving.” He nodded at my drink. “You ever partake in a glass of wine?”

  “Occasionally, but mostly I’m on call, even if I’m not actually on call.”

  “How so?”

  “I guess it’s a constant sense of responsibility to my patients.”

  “But you’re not the only doctor in the hospital.”

  “True, but if I’ve earned my patients’ trust, and they’re having a major problem, they like to see me, day or night. It’s why I live only ten minutes away.”

  “You really should try and relax more.”

  “I relax plenty. This evening I was planning a long bubble bath and losing myself in a good book.”

  “Wow, you live the high life, sweetpea.”

  “I had a late night, if you remember.” I frowned. Being reminded that I didn’t have much on my social calendar stung. And there was even less on it with Ben and Lisa out of the country. “You know my brother quite well then?”

  “Yeah, he’s been around for as long as I have on their team. He’s a mate as well as our medic. We started as newbies together.”

  “He loves his job.”

  “So do I.”

  “I can tell.”

  “What did you think of the game last night?” He folded his arms, his knuckles pressing on his biceps, and sat back

  “Loud, fast, violent.”

  “True, it’s all of those things. The Vipers are a great team to play for, not least because Rick Lewis is such an awesome captain.”

  I nodded. “Strong leadership is essential in any team.”

  “I’d like to be captain one day, but he’s got a few years left in him yet. I’ll make a bid for it then, though I’ll have to fight Phoenix for the top spot.”

  “What happens to hockey players when they quit being pro?”

  He shrugged. “Coaching, commentating, kicking back and enjoying the break.”

  “And you? What will you do?”

  “That’s a few years away, but most likely coaching, kids, you know.”

  “Yes, you’re good with kids.”

  “Thanks, that means a lot coming from you.”

  “Why me?”

  He tipped his head and studied me. “Because I respect you, Sophie, and what you do for people.”

  I glanced away. It was the first time he’d said my name with his deep voice, and I liked the way it had rolled softly from his mouth. “They’ve gone over the top in here with the decorations.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, it’s a Christmas overdose, even for Christmas.”

  “Where are you from originally?”

  “Toronto. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to a hot Christmas. It’s weird.”

&nbs