His Intern: A Billionaire and Virgin Romance Page 32

  “Miss Hartley, Eleanor, are you there?”

  The vague sound of the nurse could be heard but my body had frozen. All I could see was my daddy’s face, smiling, happy, memories flashing before my eyes - teaching me how to ride my bike, buying my first car, my graduation, how proud he was of me being out here, always wanting the best for me. This had to be a mistake. Somewhere in the distance, I could hear Julien’s voice talking, something about making flight arrangements, but it felt like I was underwater because the sounds were muffled and I couldn’t really hear.

  Then everything around me began to spin. First my mum…now my dad. Not my dad, too. Please God, please don’t take my daddy from me. The spinning got faster and my eyelids flew back into my head.

  And then darkness.

  Ellie

  Gripping my father’s hand, I sat by his bedside, watching him intently. My eyes kept flicking over to his monitoring machines, the reassuring sounds of the beeping telling me that he was okay. That he was alive.

  The past few days seemed to have flown past in a blur. Thank God, Julien was there to take over, get our flights booked, organise my absence of leave, speak with the UK doctors. I merely retreated into the safety of his strength, overcome with shock and fearing the worst.

  He had returned back to LA early yesterday morning and I immediately felt his absence. Pushing my feelings to the side, I had to concentrate on getting my dad better. Having pulled through his bypass operation, dad was conscious but extremely weak - I had barely left his side, only eating, or rather picking at my food upon Julien’s insistence.

  Looking out of the window into the grey overcast sky of London, I thought of the past few days, the way Julien had handled everything. He was my rock but with the distance that now separated us, I felt like my LA bubble had burst. Like Cinderella, my time at the ball had ceased.

  “Ellie, you can take a walk or something if you like? We’re all here, so you needn’t worry.” Nurse Jackie popped her head into the room, smiling kindly at me. “You haven’t moved for hours. Why don’t you take a break? We’ll phone you immediately if there are any changes.”

  I glanced at my dad, at the monitors. He seemed comfortable enough, in a deep sleep. Maybe I could slip away for an hour, take a quick shower and perhaps buy some groceries for home. Home. I hadn’t been back home for six months. Julien and I were staying in a local hotel which was walking distance to the hospital, but I had checked out this morning.

  “Okay, Jackie, thank you. I think I’ll do just that.” I gently replaced his hand back onto the bed and stretched my arms over my head. I probably looked awful but that was the least of my concerns.

  Standing up, I gave my dad a soft kiss on his cheeks, promising him I’d be back soon, and then made my way out of his room.

  “He’s going to be okay, Ellie. He’s a real fighter.”

  I smiled gratefully at Jackie. She kind of reminded me of Penny in a way with her kind and twinkling eyes.

  “I hope so, Jackie. I couldn’t bear to think otherwise.”

  We made small talk for a few minutes and then I headed to the lift. A few moments later, I was outside, back in the cool autumn air. A stark contrast to the weather in LA. Shivering, I pulled my light jacket around me and then set of for the nearest supermarket.

  Wandering aimlessly through the aisles, my thoughts were a jumbled mess. Looking at the food, the layout of the supermarket, hearing the shop announcement come through the speakers - it suddenly felt like I’d never been away. Beverly Hills almost seemed like another world.

  Suddenly my phone began to ring and quickly shuffling through my bag, I glanced at the caller display, checking if it was the hospital.

  Julien.

  My eyes filled with tears. For whatever reason, I couldn’t bring myself to answer his call, my finger frozen and hovering above the answer button. Choking back a sob, I replaced the phone back into my bag. I wanted him so much, wanted him to be by my side, yet at the same time, I was constantly plagued with doubts about the sustainability of our relationship. I quickly ducked my head as I appeared to be drawing attention from some of the other shoppers who were eyeing me quizzically. Brushing my tears away, I concentrated on my list. I had a list, I just needed to get these items and then I could get out of here. As I walked around the store, a little voice in the back of my head told me that it was over, that the past six months were nothing better than make-believe. I flung the packet of dried pasta in my trolley, wishing I could take out my frustration and swipe clean the entire shelf housing the pasta and bottled sauces!

  Focus, Ellie. Get your head together and focus on dad. Leave LA be for the meantime.

  Finally making it through the shopping, I hailed a cab, giving directions to my dad’s home. My home. A short while later, we pulled up outside the small three bedroom semi-detached house that I had grown up in. It seemed so different to how I remembered it. Glancing around, I saw the front lawn hadn’t been cut in a while, making its appearance semi-feral. The front of the house, although white a long time ago, had faded considerably and with big cracks across the top, it looked in a sorry state.

  Sighing, I paid the driver and dragged the shopping bags to the front door. I still had my key so I fished it out of my purse and entered the house. I took a deep breath. Entering the small kitchen, I noticed the unwashed dinner dishes still left over in the sink but apart from that, it was clean and tidy. Opening the fridge however, was a different matter. I frowned as I saw it was mostly filled with microwaveable meals. There was no fresh fruit or vegetables in sight, something that I’d always kept stocked when I was here. Frowning, I put away the shopping in their rightful homes. Things were going to change around here.

  After inspecting the downstairs, which was largely the same as when I left, I made my way upstairs to my old bedroom. It was amazing how quickly spoilt one could be, becoming accustomed to living in a six-thousand-plus square foot mansion. Comparatively, my own eighteen hundred square foot house felt tiny. And dated. I took a quick shower, freshened up and then departed the house to go sit by my dad’s side once again. Hopefully he would be awake now.

  Stepping out of the lift, back at the hospital, I almost ran into Jackie.

  “Oh! Sorry, Jackie!”

  “No problem, Ellie! You look like you’re a million miles away.”

  “Is my dad awake?”

  She began to walk with me back to his room. “Yes, he’s up. Just finished a light lunch. He’s very cheery!”

  My face lit up. “Oh great! I’ll talk to you later, Jackie.”

  Pushing open the door, I spotted him, propped up slightly against the pillows. The television was on in the background.

  “Hi dad, you’re awake!” I kissed him on the cheeks and gave him a gentle hug.

  “Hello, sweetheart. Jackie told me you were popping out for a bit. How’s my favourite girl?”

  My eyes pricked with tears. A few days ago, I thought I was losing him…and now we were having a normal conversation. I’d never stop being grateful.

  “I’m fine, dad! Don’t you worry about me.” I pulled the armchair over to his side and took his hand, not liking how frail and weak it felt. I blinked rapidly.

  “Has Julien gone back?”

  My voice caught and I swallowed the lump in my throat, still painfully aware that I’d ignored his call earlier.

  “Yes,” I managed to get out, “he flew back yesterday morning. He’s got a lot of patients waiting for him.”

  Dad was silent as he looked at me, then spoke after a moments.

  “He’s a good chap, Ellie. I’m really grateful for how he got involved with the doctors here on my behalf.”

  I looked away, anywhere but at his intent gaze.

  “Ellie?”

  “Sorry. Yes, I agree, he was great. Very professional.”

  I spoke softly, recalling how Julien had taken over, the nurses fawning over him, in awe of meeting the dashing and brilliant surgeon, Julien Berthou. The doctors were al
so incredibly accommodating to him, showing him nothing but courtesy and professional respect. In fact, some of the junior doctors, having heard that he was in this wing, had even especially came over to shake this hand, a couple even pushy and bold enough to even slip him their resume.

  I was so proud of him.

  And now he was gone.

  “Nurse Jackie said she was joking with him - telling him not to check in on the older ladies in the ward for he stood a chance of giving them a secondary heart attack.”

  I snapped my eyes to dad, suddenly giggling. It felt good to laugh - I could picture Julien’s face, how charming he could be to the older patients. My heart began to race.

  I missed him so much.

  “She’s lovely, isn’t she? I really like Jackie, dad, I’m so pleased that she is overseeing your recovery. Of course, now I’m here, I’ll take over as much as they’ll allow me to.”

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m in good hands here. But tell me something.”

  “Of course…what?”

  “What’s going on with you and Julien?”

  Once again I avoided his eyes, this was not the time. “Nothing, dad, like I said, he’s gone back.” Nonchalantly, I shrugged my shoulders.

  “Look at me, Ellie.”

  Reluctantly, I dragged my eyes to his and immediately saw two things in his stare - love and concern.

  “What aren’t you telling me? I feel terribly enough as it is getting myself into this situation and having you rush back like this.”

  “What? Dad, no! Please don’t say that! I love you so much, dad!” I felt the tears build up once again and then all of a sudden everything came crashing own on me. The reality of the situation - I could have lost my dad - and the fact that I had possibly lost the love of my life. I placed my head on the side of the bed and began to sob, unable to control my emotions. It was like a dam had broken, the stress of everything had fully gotten to me.

  I heard my dad, hushing me as he stroked my hair, telling me that everything was going to be okay. But was it? I didn’t know anymore.

  “Tell me what’s going on with you and Julien.”

  I brushed my tears away with my sleeve and eventually sat up. It was no use trying to keep my fears from him - I knew he wouldn’t actually rest until her heard everything - and he needed his rest. So I took a deep steadying breath and began to unburden myself.

  “I fear we’re over.”

  “Why? Did he say that?”

  “No, he didn’t, dad. But If I really think about us, I don’t even know how we even got together in the first place.” I smiled, bitterly. “I mean, we’re from different worlds, dad. And now…we’re separated by thousands of miles, I don’t know if we have enough substance to last.”

  “I thought you said you loved him. And is he, also in love with you?”

  I nodded silently, lifting my watery eyes to his. “But I don’t know if that, those feelings were just make-believe. He’s so worldly, dad…so much more experienced than I am. I don’t know if I’ll hold enough interest for him.”

  Dad sighed. “Ellie, I really don’t know where you have developed this complex that you’re not good enough anymore. If being in LA has done that to you, than I’m jolly well pleased that you’re back home! I won’t stand to hear this nonsense.”

  I quickly glanced at the heart monitor, noticing his heart rate had slightly picked up. Shit. I was so selfish doing this.

  “I’m sorry dad, please, don’t get so worked up, it’s not good for you. Please, take a sip of water.” I stood up and refilled his cup. He sipped a little and I set the cup back down.

  “Talk to him, Ellie. As I said, from what little I’ve seen of him, I liked him. A lot.”

  I smiled, not wanting to upset him any further. “I will dad, I promise.” I changed the subject. “Now, shall we see what’s on TV? I haven’t watched any English channels in six months!”

  I picked up the remote control and flicked through the programmes until we found something acceptable to watch. I smirked. I hadn’t missed anything whilst away - daytime TV was still rubbish.

  Julien

  I heard their voices in the background, Lawrence and Pieter going over plans for the next quarter, patients and procedures scheduled, financial budgets, this, that and the other, droning on mercilessly. I stared at the report in front of me, not really seeing what it contained. My mind wasn’t here, I wasn’t present in this meeting at all.

  Later that evening, as I sat in my office, staring blankly at my paperwork, my thoughts were drawn to Ellie once again. Fuck, they were with her all day, apart from when I was operating. I hated to leave her but my schedule was fucking crazy and I had no choice but to return here. Worried about her, she hadn’t answered my calls yesterday, when I tried to reach her in-between my operations and with no messages either, I was feeling frustrated with the lack of contact. Either that or my phone was broken. I stared at my cell, willing her to call. It was now after midnight back in London - surely she would be home now. I was contemplating calling her, but a quick knock on my door brought my out of my thoughts. I placed my phone and pen down.

  “Come in.”

  Penny walked into my office, a small smile on her lips.

  “Just checking in, doc. Any more news from Ellie?”

  I blew out a breath and ran my hand through my hair. “Nothing, Penny. I was just thinking about calling her.”

  Penny nodded sympathetically. “Is her father going to be okay? I know how close they are to each other.”

  “Yes, he will be fine, Penny. Just obviously needs to take his recovery slowly but I can’t see any reason why he won’t be going home within the next couple of days.”

  “That’s great, Julien. Must have been such a scare for Ellie. Poor thing. She must be all over the place.”

  “Yeah…she was in pieces when she got the news, but seems to have pulled herself together now. James will be in good hands with his daughter caring for him.”

  Penny moved forward, slipping into the chair.

  “And what happens to you guys?”

  The million dollar question.

  “Sorry, Julien, I didn’t mean to overstep the mark.”

  “It’s fine. We just have to work some things out…I love her, Penny.”

  Penny’s eyes shined as she looked at me, grinning. “And she loves you too, Julien. Give her time… this is such a huge shock for her. For everyone, I’m sure.”

  I nodded in agreement as she stood up, glancing at my paperwork.

  “Oh, and Julien?”

  I looked at her expectantly.

  “You may want to check that date on the paperwork there…you’re a day behind.”

  Shit. So I was.

  “Look after yourself too, okay? If there’s anything you need, just shout.”

  I made a mental note to give her a raise - she was an excellent nurse. “Thanks, Penny. I’ll keep you updated on Ellie.”

  “That’d be great. Okay, better get back to it.”

  Penny left my office and I sat there with my head in my hands. I hated the feeling of not being invested, but at the same time, I couldn’t help questioning the point of the job - of being here in LA - when she was in London.

  I didn’t want to be here anymore.

  Sure, I’d been questioning my work for some time now, but once the realisation dawned on me, a huge sense of relief overpowered me. I didn’t want to be here anymore.

  I rolled the words around on my tongue, testing to see what feelings my epiphany invoked. This place had been my whole life, for my entire life, since my father opened it with Lawrence. What would become of his legacy if I left? Could I really leave all this behind?

  I ran my hands over my face, the unshaven stubble lightly tickling my palm.

  Suddenly, it felt like a veil was being lifted from my vision, as a clear solution formed in my mind. My father made the world more beautiful in his own way - maybe this wasn’t my way, anymore.

  Screwing u
p the incorrect paperwork, I tossed it in the waste basket and grabbed my jacket. I had to get out of here, needed to think this through more carefully - this was a potentially huge turning point in my life.

  I drove fast, as I headed home, the speed thrilling, allowing all my other thoughts and voices in my head to be blocked - for now. Just me, the road and my pedals.

  Arriving home, I cut the engine and walked up to my front door, surprised to see the lone figure waiting outside. I stopped short.

  “Pieter, what are you doing here?”

  “I figured you had a lot on your mind. I swung by your office but you had already left.”

  I smirked, opening the door as he followed me in. “How’d you get here so fast?”

  “The bike. I can’t stand the traffic in LA to bother with a car.”

  I knew he rode a motorcycle, but hadn’t seen it before. One of my passions that I hadn’t indulged in. Somehow the doctor in me resisted the temptation to ride. I felt a sting of envy, as I heard the pride in his voice.

  “Is it parked outside?”

  “Just ‘round the side - you wanna see?” He grinned, seeing my obvious excitement.

  “Let’s go.”

  We walked back outside and round to the side of the house, where Pieter proudly stood next to his motorcycle.

  Despite myself, I was impressed. It was a beautifully built machine, powerful, slick curves and he clearly took good care of it.

  I whistled. “Figures. That’s an Ecosse Titanium, right?”

  Pieter raised an eyebrow, smirking. “You know your bikes.”

  I scowled slightly. “Just because I don’t ride, doesn’t mean I don’t know my shit.”

  “Fair enough. This here’s Beauty. She rides like a dream.”

  We both laughed and I took my time examining her, feeling a serious case of wanting to burn a hole in wallet, like right now.

  “Riding them, or working on them, you can connect with your soul on a bike. Nothing beats the wind in your hair and an open road before you.”

  I nodded, appreciating the power and freedom represented in the machine before me.

  We walked back to the house and I tossed him a beer as we took a seat outside in the evening air, enjoying the companionable silence and the view.