The Surgeon and the Princess Karin Baine (websites to read books for free .TXT) 📖

‘Not my patients, just family who take me for granted.’

‘This was your idea, remember? I was going to take lessons and you said I’d save money if I let you teach me. Don’t take out your bad mood on me.’ He grabbed his jacket and his usual cheery expression had been replaced by a scowl.

‘Sorry.’ None of this was Jamie’s fault. It was entirely his for not making space in his life for Georgiana sooner.

When they’d been together he’d had a life, an equal with a lot of things in common. He’d lost everything worthwhile now that she was gone.

‘Why don’t you go and talk to Georgiana, sort out whatever is keeping you two apart?’ Jamie ruffled his hair, enjoying Ed’s moment of discomfort too much.

Ed raked his hair back into place with a rough hand. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘Uh-huh. That’s why you haven’t been yourself lately.’

Ed couldn’t deny it, so he said nothing. Jamie didn’t need to know he was having trouble even building the motivation to get out of bed in the morning.

His little brother slapped him on the back. ‘Oh, you’ve got it bad, haven’t you?’

Losing Georgiana had been the wake-up call he’d needed to put things into perspective. To see that he was allowed to make a life for himself. He didn’t love his family any less now, they simply didn’t need him twenty-four hours a day. Arrangements had been made for help and he was always on the end of the phone if they really needed him. It was ironic that after making all this extra time for a relationship, he had no one to share it with. He’d waited too long to make the changes.

‘See? It’s this bad mood, the dejected look on your face, that I can’t bear to put up with for another second. Sort yourself out.’

Jamie was right, he couldn’t go on like this for ever. Georgiana had left him, and he was supposed to accept it. However painful.

The problem was, he didn’t want to accept it.

He loved her.

Not that he’d told her so. He hadn’t been clear about his feelings at all or honest with himself about what he wanted. His determination not to make room in his life for a new relationship meant that he’d let her slip away. She hadn’t known how important she was to him. He only had himself to blame for that.

And only he could make things right...

Georgiana’s eyes were as heavy as the rest of her body and she struggled to open them.

‘What’s happening?’ she slurred, her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth because it was so dry.

‘Do you need some water?’

There was a shuffling beside her as she tried to focus; she could see someone was at the side of her bed. ‘Yes, please.’

‘Just take enough to wet your lips for now,’ instructed a familiar male voice.

Once she’d taken a sip and the effort of lifting her head proved impossible to sustain, she lay down again. It was difficult to think with the fog in her head but she eventually remembered where she was and what she was doing. ‘I had an operation...’

‘Yes, you did. Everything went well. You need to rest now.’

The voice comforted her. She didn’t have anything to worry about. ‘Sleep is good...’ she mumbled and drifted happily back to oblivion.

When she awoke again, everything seemed less fuzzy and she had a vague recollection of her last foray back to consciousness.

‘Ed?’ She was sure it was him she’d heard in her hospital room. Unless it was wishful thinking during her delirium. The room was empty of visitors when she glanced around, although there was a chair pulled up by her bed. There was no reason Ed, or anyone else, would be here. She hadn’t told him about the operation and she’d asked her parents not to visit for the simple reason she saw no need to upset them. When she was recovered enough she’d go home and recover there with their support. It didn’t mean she wasn’t feeling sorry for herself now, groggy, in pain and alone. Missing her mother, father and Ed.

‘You’re awake.’ As Ed walked into the room carrying what looked and smelled like vending-machine coffee she wondered if she was still half asleep.

‘I thought I dreamed you,’ she told him as he resumed his place by her bed.

‘I was here. Waiting for you to come around. How are you feeling?’

‘Tired and sore. How did you know I was here?’ After their last encounter and ghosting him since, she’d never expected to see him again. Much less at her side when she came around post-op. Whatever his reason for being here, she was glad to see him. Ed was the boost she needed when she was in the doldrums.

He took a sip of his coffee and grimaced before setting it down on her nightstand. ‘Will you kill her if I tell you your mother called me?’

‘Yes.’ She was even more curious now about the background to this visit if he’d spoken to her family.

His laugh was like medicine after these weeks spent without him. ‘At least you’re being honest. For once. I suspect you might have fibbed during our last conversation.’

She squirmed on the rustling hospital sheets, under his knowing gaze. ‘What do you mean?’

He leaned closer to the bed. ‘I hear you and my brother spoke too.’

‘So? People are allowed to be concerned about you even if you don’t listen to them.’

‘Am I supposed to believe it’s a coincidence that you’re told you need further surgery and you decide being with me is the wrong thing to do?’

She wanted to say yes and front out the lie but couldn’t. A change of subject would have to suffice. ‘Why did you come, Ed?’

‘In case you had some stupid idea in your head that you didn’t want me to think I had to take care of you. That you would steal time from my family if I wanted to