Page 3 of The Secrets We Left Behind
She sighed. “You and me both.” She wondered if he would be evacuated before the end of the day, and she selfishly hoped not. “Would you settle for a drink instead?”
Jack’s grin was infectious, and she wondered how on earth he’d remained so upbeat amongst the chaos and devastation around them. But she wasn’t complaining; the day he’d woken from his surgery in Calais had been like a gust of fresh air blowing through the place, keeping her on her toes and somehow lifting the gloomy cloud that had settled over the hospital. Catching his eye, or his smile, was the one thing that seemed to keep her going each day, and she was dreading the morning she walked into the ward and found him gone.
“Water would be great, if it’s no trouble.”
She set down the bandages she was carrying and went to fetch some water, filling his cup and standing beside him. She didn’t let go of the cup until his hand had settled firmly around it, long fingers steady as they brushed hers and clasped it. It was only days ago that he’d been too weak to hold anything, yet today there wasn’t so much as a shake. It had been well worth all the extra hours she’d spent tending to him.
“Has anyone ever told you what beautiful eyes you have, Cate?”
Her cheeks ignited as she met his gaze. She very much doubted her eyes looked beautiful right now, not when she was so exhausted from all the long hours working. “I think you’re hallucinating, Lieutenant.”
“Jack,” he said. “How many times do I have to tell you to call me Jack?” He laughed. “And it’s polite to say thank you when someone pays you a compliment.”
“Thank you,” she said, feeling less exhausted nurse and more blushing girl than she had in a long time. “But that’ll do with the compliments. I don’t want anyone overhearing us and thinking something improper is going on.”
“Heavens no, what ascandalthat would be,” he teased, his smile contagious as he grinned at her and patted the small empty space on the bed beside him.
Cate shook her head, even though she was sorely tempted. “You know I can’t sit with you,” she said, almost giving in and to hell with the consequences. But she was used to following rules, and she wasn’t about to turn rebel now.
“Well youcould,” Jack said, passing her back the water but not letting go. “We’re at war. If we can’t break the odd rule now, when can we?”
She ignored his fingers against hers as she clasped the cup, falling forward when he pulled it back closer against his body. Cate steadied herself, but not before Jack caught hold of her wrist with his other hand. He was so different to Charlie. Charlie would never have broken a rule, would have followed every protocol to the letter, whether it was war related or ensuring that they always had a suitable chaperone with them when they went out together. It had made her feel safe, that he was a decent man who followed the rules. But Jack ... Well, she didn’t expect Jack to do anything by the rule book, especially if it came to them being alone.
“Gotcha,” Jack whispered, his face far too close to hers.
“Let go of me,” she hissed, trying to sound cross with him and glancing up to make sure Lilly hadn’t returned. The last thing she needed was her friend thinking she was disrespecting Charlie’s memory. “You know it’s forbidden for patients to touch the nurses.”
His fingers slowly left her skin and she righted herself, checking to see if anyone had noticed their little exchange. But there was no stern-faced matron or surly over-tired surgeon waiting to give her a telling-off.
“I was only trying to steady myself, ma’am.” His grin was all kinds of trouble.
“That’s not the way to my affections, if that’s what you’re trying to do,” she scolded, crossing her arms over her chest. “You forget that I have brothers, so I’m well versed in dealing with rascals like you.”
“Rascals, huh?” he laughed. “You do realize I’m stuck in this bed with nothing to do other than watch you walk through the room, right? If we’d met elsewhere, I’d be courting you with flowers and showering you with attention, but somehow I have to impress you from this bed, and it’s not exactly easy.”
“Stop it,” she said, her face heating to what she was certain must be a shade of dark pink. Part of her had thought he was only showing interest in her because he was bored, not in a million years that he would actually be interested if they weren’t stuck in the middle of nowhere. “It’s just that you haven’t seen any other women for so long, you suddenly don’t know what to do with yourself. Your affection for me will pass the moment you’re on a ship out of here.”
“Really?” he murmured back, one eyebrow raised in such a comical fashion she couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, to me you’re like a ray of sunshine amongst the grey, Cate. I doubt I’ll ever forget about my pretty little guardian angel until my last breath.”
She shook her head at him, at a loss for words, as one of the doctors called out, summoning everyone to join him. There were only a handful of nurses left with the clearance hospital now, and barely twice as many doctors, but it appeared that they were all being called over for an impromptu meeting. Even the orderlies were being summoned.
“I don’t think you realize how the world sees you, Cate,” Jack said as she started to back away. “You’re so beautiful and capable, and it’s like you don’t even know it.”
“Enough of the flattery, Jack,” she said, dismissing him as she turned. “I’ll come back and see you soon, I promise.” His words echoed in her mind though. Was that truly the way he thought of her? It certainly wasn’t how she’d ever thought about herself.
“Cate,” he called.
She pivoted, the sudden somberness of his voice making her pause. The way he’d said her name, so serious, so deep, wasn’t a tone she was used to from him, especially after him teasing her.
“You’ll tell me if they’re coming, won’t you?” he asked. “I’m not waiting here like a sitting duck if the rumors are true. I won’t die like a coward in this bed.”
“You really think ...” She didn’t want to finish the sentence, didn’t want to admit her fears. But it was clear what Jack suspected: that they were going to be overrun by Germans, which would mean certain death or capture for them all.
“I saw it first-hand, Cate. We’re out of our depth here fighting the Nazis,” he said. “We were unprepared and they know it, and they’ll show us no mercy if they find us here.”
Cate nodded, suddenly as cold as ice, frozen in place as she stared back at Jack.
“You promise you’ll tell me?” he asked.
