Sydney Harbour Hospital: Lexi's Secret Read Online Free Page B

quiet when there’s a handsome man in the room,’ she said.
    Lexi felt her face heating and tried to counter it with an uppity toss of her head. ‘He’s not that handsome.’
    Bella raised her brows. ‘You don’t think? I thought you had a thing for tall muscular men with dark brown eyes.’
    Lexi gave a dismissive shrug. ‘His hair is too short.’
    ‘Maybe he keeps it short for convenience,’ Bella said. ‘He’s in Theatre a lot. Any longer and it would get sweaty under the scrub hat during long transplant operations.’
    Lexi made a business of folding each sheet of the tissue paper into a neat square, lining them up side by side on the bed.
    ‘He’s got nice eyes, don’t you think?’ Bella said.
    ‘I didn’t notice.’
    ‘Liar, sure you did,’ Bella said. ‘I saw you blush. I’venever seen you blush before. That’s my specialty, not yours.’
    ‘It’s hot in here,’ Lexi said, fanning her face for emphasis. ‘How do you stand it?’
    ‘Did you notice his hands?’ Bella asked.
    ‘Not really …’ Lexi remembered how those hands had felt on her body. How they had lit fires under her flesh until she had been burning with a need so strong it had totally consumed her. Those hands had wreaked havoc on her senses from the first moment he had touched her. She opened and closed the hand he had taken in his just minutes ago. The tingling pins and needles feeling was still there …
    ‘He wasn’t wearing a wedding ring,’ Bella said.
    ‘Doesn’t mean he’s not involved with someone,’ Lexi said, feeling a tight ache in her chest as she pictured his partner. Would she be blonde, like her, or brunette? Or maybe a redhead like Bella. Would she be a doctor or nurse? Or a teacher perhaps? A lawyer? ‘Dad’s got a new girlfriend,’ she said, to change the subject.
    ‘Yes, Evie told me.’
    ‘I haven’t met her yet.’
    ‘I don’t know why he bothers introducing them,’ Bella said with an air of resentment. ‘None of them stay around long enough for us to get to know them.’
    ‘Dad’s entitled to have a life,’ Lexi said. ‘It’s not like Mum’s ever going to come back and play happy families.’
    ‘You always defend him,’ Bella said irritably. ‘You never let anyone say a bad word about him.’
    ‘Look,’ Lexi said, hoping to avoid the well-worn bone of contention between them. ‘I know he’s not perfect but he’s the only father we have. The only parent when it comes down to it. Mum’s not much use.’
    ‘Maybe Mum couldn’t handle Dad’s philandering,’ Bella said. ‘Maybe it wasn’t just because I was sick. Maybe she was left on her own too much and couldn’t cope. Maybe she wouldn’t have left if he had offered her more emotional support.’
    Lexi knew Bella felt terribly guilty about the breakdown of their parents’ marriage. Her illness had taken its toll on everyone, but their mother had been the first to abandon ship, taking the contents of the drinks cabinet with her. Miranda Lockheart flitted in and out of their lives, not staying long enough to offer any stability or support but just long enough to remind them of what they had missed out on.
    But blaming their father was not something Lexi had ever felt comfortable doing. He had always been there for her. He was her stronghold, the person she looked up to, the person she craved approval from more than any other.
    ‘Dad has always tried to do his best,’ she said. ‘He was meant to be a father, not a mother. He couldn’t do both.’
    Bella gave a weary sigh. ‘One day you’re going to find out that Dad has clay feet. I just hope I’m around to see it.’
    Lexi shrugged and then tried another subject change. ‘Have you had any other visitors?’
    ‘Phone calls or texts mostly,’ Bella said with a despondent look on her face. ‘People get sick of visiting after the first week. It happens every time. Maybe it’ll be different once I’ve had the transplant …’
    Guilt struck at Lexi like a closed