Indulge Yourself

Books from G.A. Hauser > Blind Ambition


Blind Ambition

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Book: Blind Ambition


EXCERPT FROM BOOK
Chapter 1

"Let me see your hand!" Janis cornered Kelly against the hospital corridor.

"Why?!" Kelly giggled as she peered over Janis' starched white shoulder to make sure none of the doctors were witnessing their silliness.

When Janis grabbed Kelly's left hand, her excitement deflated. "Where's your ring?"

"Ring?" It was Kelly's turn to blush in humiliation. Suddenly she knew the motive for the interest in her left hand, and it didn't make her happy.

"Someone said Doctor Phillips popped the question." Twisting Kelly's hand around, it was as if Janis expected the ring to appear from under her open palm.

Mortified, Kelly tugged her hand back, inspecting the busy corridor for anyone who had overheard in what was fast becoming complete and devastating embarrassment. "No- who told you that? He didn't."

"Bloody hell, girl! Three years and he still hasn't asked you to marry or live with ‘im?" Janis laughed.

"Don't remind me, Jan. I'm sick of debating it with him."

"Nothing better to do, ladies?"

Grabbing the chart from out of Janis' hand, Kelly pretended to look busy. The moment the doctor passed, Janis dragged Kelly into a vacant patient's room.

"You're not getting any younger, Kel-" Janis hissed, "What's he waiting for? A bloody invitation?"

"Shhhh!" Kelly peered nervously around Janis to the hallway. "I don't know! He complains he's too stressed to consider us living together. That he needs his alone time. Then he goes on about being able to move away. You know he hates it here in Carlisle. He's only lingering because of his posh aunt. She's got some nasty hold over his life. He's greedy. He wants her money when she dies."

Taking her time to ponder the information, Janis visualized Dr. Jason Phillips in her mind. All right, the man was strikingly handsome, but, a bit too consumed with the sterling pound to have to contend with. She wouldn't do it herself and pitied Kelly for having to put up with it.

"Time to quit, love. You're wasting your time on ‘im. If after all this he still hasn't stuck a ring on your finger, well..." Knowing they had to get busy again, Janis looked over the patient sheet.

Was she insane for waiting for him? Kelly just didn't know. Jason had so much to offer a woman. He was incredibly good looking, fit, and one hell of a good doctor. Any woman's dream husband.

Biting her lip as she grew more upset at the idea of a relationship that would never reach marriage, she finally came back to the present as Janis left to attend her patients.

When Kelly stepped out into the corridor, he was there.

Standing at the reception desk, Dr. Jason Phillips was inspecting his list of patient appointments. When he sensed someone behind him, he spied over his shoulder casually. "Hello, Nurse Jones."

"Doctor," Kelly said coolly.

"Anything urgent? Or just what's on my list?"

"Nothing urgent." For some reason, she didn't meet his eyes. If she did then that lush green gaze of his would turn her insides into putty. It was that face that made her give in. That and his incredible touch.

Jason paused, staring at his girlfriend curiously as she treated him like a simple co-worker. Yes, he had asked that she not bring their relationship to work, but, he did expect a warm smile at the very least. "You all right?"

"Fine." Checking her watch, she knew she had a busy schedule and had intentions of getting right on it.

Before she slipped away, he caught her elbow. "We'll talk later, after shift."

"Oh? I didn't know we were getting together."

Quickly checking behind him, he found all the staff eavesdropping as they pretended to attend to paperwork and files. He escorted Kelly away from them to where he could whisper quietly without being overheard. "We can...if you'd like....Why won't you look at me?"

At the accusation, she had no choice. She forced herself to meet his gaze. And as predicted, she lit on fire. Eyes so green they should be frozen and set into gold, like emeralds, long dark eyelashes, high arched eyebrows, thick wonderful brown hair, just a tad too long for such an upstanding profession, high cheek bones, a bold square jaw, clean shaven, yet dark with shadow, and that height- tall and perfectly proportioned, right down to his size eleven shoes.

"Kelly?"

She focused on his lips. They were full and soft, with perfectly straight white teeth behind them. Why did he have to be so glamorous? At times she thought he was an overwhelming presence. Though she knew she was attractive, there was something about Jason Phillips' good looks that made you feel completely insecure. And he did nothing to prevent that feeling.

When it seemed to take too long for her to answer, or at least look at him with some sort of intelligence, he grew concerned. "Is there something wrong?"

Like she had expected, she melted into mush and began the mechanical nodding of her head, "Yes, we'll see each other later." Yes, give me more crumbs, please.

"Good." One last check of her blue eyes and he left her standing there.

It was late. His head ached and he was exhausted from being on his feet for fourteen hours. As he gave the paperwork one last read through before he handed it over to his replacement, he rubbed his forehead, trying to focus.

A warm hand caressed his back.

"Jason, you seem as if you're trying to decipher the meaning of life!"

Waking up to see his co-worker there smiling in affection, Jason laughed softly and handed him the charts. "Nothing that dire. Only Mrs. McFiery in room 304A needs another blood pressure check within the hour."

"I've got it. Go home, Dr. Phillips."

"Thanks, Barry, you're a love." He handed the chart to him and smiled. A wink returned to him as Barry walked away, studying the patient list. Checking the time, then running his hand through his hair, Jason walked tiredly to the doctor's lounge to get ready to go home.

The staff going off shift was busy changing or just hanging up their stethoscopes and jackets to head out. As he did the same, his mind wandered off as it usually did. But, never more than when he was weary.

Visions of sunshine and sandy beaches, of hot summers and mild winters splashed over him like a warm Pacific tide. He was sick of England's soaking wet weather. There was something horribly confining about Carlisle, almost choking to him in its location. He may as well have been on one of the islands off the west coast it was so isolated. Having had his internship in Cambridge, he had a taste of what he thought was the big city. Art. Culture. When he returned to Carlisle General Hospital, he thought he would shrivel up and decay. It was as if he were shipped away for some penitence, doing his time before he could be set free. This small city was like a ball and chain. He wished he could feel satisfied here. Here, where his parents lived, where his Aunt Margerie lived.

Aunt Margerie.

Pausing, his jacket half on, he thought about that woman. Margerie Witcomb. That cantankerous, manipulating, wicked old bird. But- that wicked old bird was very fond of him. And her estate, were she to pass, would inevitably go to him. She had no heir, never married, (who would have her?), and on more than one occasion told him it would be his. He estimated it at almost two million pounds. That was only her estate and art collection. Who knew what the woman had up her sleeve? Well, quite possibly it could be almost three million.

The ball and chain around his ankle became almost a noose around his neck. Margerie was seventy-five. In reality, she could live to see one hundred. Did that mean he had to spend another twenty-five years in purgatory waiting?

As he slammed his locker shut, he hung his head. He'd go mad. Completely mad.

Tapping her foot, checking her watch, Kelly waited for him outside the doctor's lounge. He was late. He was always late. If she had to count up the hours she had spent waiting for him, she could tack another year onto her life. Why did she put up with it?

Deep in thought, he materialized from around a bend in the stark white hall.

In his civilian clothing he appeared to be some model off the pages of the Ralph Lauren catalogue. Why did she put up with him? She laughed to herself, take a look at that! Shaking her head as he approached, not even acknowledging she existed, she admired that strut, the self-confidence, and the air of someone better than who he was made out to be. Was he just passing through her life? It always appeared that way to her.

It wasn't until he was almost on top of her that he noticed her. "Oh. Hello." He smiled sweetly.

"A million miles away, as usual, or-" she paused and hooked his arm as they strolled. "Should I say, a million ‘pounds' away?"

"Cheeky." He squinted at her, smiling sheepishly.