The Secret Doctor Read Online Free Page B

complication she could do without.
    Next day, she decided to eat her breakfast out on the deck. There was something utterly relaxing about sitting here first thing in the morning, she reflected, sipping freshly squeezed orange juice as she gazed out over the straits. Behind her, the glass doors to the dining room were opened wide to let the fresh, warm air sweep through the house, but here on the deck she had laid a table with a rack of toast, butter and apricot preserve. It was a perfect way to start the day.
    In the far distance, boats dipped on the blue sea, moving gently with the rise and fall of the waves. Closer to home, if she looked carefully, she could make out the sand and sea grass through the clear water.
    It was a view she would always delight in. In fact, with every day that passed she found something new to persuade her that this was where she belonged. She was growing used to the leisurely pace of life out here. It suited her frame of mind and in time might help to restore order out of the confusion that had preoccupied her of late. Of course, going out to work would dampen some of that holiday feeling and leave her little time tomeditate, but it was probably for the best. She needed to keep busy.
    She spread a generous helping of preserve onto a slice of buttered toast and then bit into it, savouring the taste. It was strange that Jake didn’t appear to have to go out to work. He’d mentioned business meetings, but what kind of business was it where he never went to the office?
    She knew he was home based, because from time to time she would hear banging coming from the barn, muffled nowadays because he invariably kept the door shut. How did he stand the tropical heat? It must be like an oven in there, unless he was using a portable air-conditioner.
    On other days she would see him setting out in one of the boats, heading across the bay towards the ocean. That was the life, wasn’t it? Laid-back, lazy days, following whatever whim caught his fancy.
    Straightening up, she sighed and quickly brushed crumbs from her fingers. Enough of thinking about her intriguing neighbour…she didn’t have time to sit around here any longer dwelling on what he might or might not be up to. Her shift was due to start at the Bay View Hospital very shortly, and if she was to make a good impression on her first day, she had better look lively and get herself into gear.
    An hour later she was driving along the main highway that linked the islands to one another and continued on in a long ribbon towards mainland Florida. The hospital was just a twenty-minute drive away from where she lived, and travelling there was a refreshinglysmooth experience after the congested roads she was used to back in the UK.
    â€˜We’re really glad to have you on board, Lacey,’ Mike, the attending physician, greeted her as she walked through the doors of the emergency room. He ran a hand through his thick, dark hair and from the knot in his brow and by his general demeanour Lacey could see that he was harassed. ‘We’re rushed off our feet right now,’ he explained, ‘so after you’ve taken a few minutes to acclimatise yourself, we’d appreciate your help dealing with the walking wounded. Then later on in the day when Dr Mayfield, the intern, goes off duty, perhaps you could take over from him and look at the patients who’ve already been admitted for observation. I’ll show you around properly when the pace settles down a bit.’
    She smiled at his harried welcome. Not much difference there, then. It was much the same story back in London.
    â€˜Just point me in the direction of the locker room and I’ll grab a lab coat,’ she told him. ‘I’m sure I’ll find my way around. If not, I’ll ask.’
    â€˜That’s great,’ he said, a look of relief crossing his face. ‘Welcome to Bay View. You’ll find we’re a friendly bunch here, and we all