Wild Week with the Island Doc - Chapter 3

After the excitement of the first Stewart Island baby to be born in two years, Cam wanted to treat Meg to a celebratory picnic.

‘I can’t believe you organised all this,’ Meg said, casting Cam an adoration-tinged look that made him feel like the luckiest man on earth.

‘Well I happen to know the owners of the Halfmoon Bay Lodge.’ He winked, spreading the picnic blanket on the sand of Meg’s local beach and beginning to unpack their dinner from the basket he’d brought. ‘They jumped at the chance to help me surprise the island’s hardest-working nurse, a woman who would clearly do anything for anyone.’

Meg smiled as she sat on the blanket at his side. ‘How are you still single? Man, women are stupid sometimes,’ she said. ‘If I was Scottish or you were a Kiwi, you’d be in real danger Dr McKenzie.’

Her voice was playful, and Cam smiled, but a new tension crackled between them. Ever since that kiss on the beach, they’d skirted forming a deeper connection with jokey chats, a whole lot of flirtation and the odd far too fleeting touch. That didn’t mean she hadn’t constantly been on his mind, his attraction to her building hour by hour. And now, maybe because delivering a baby together was kind of special and awesome, Cam felt the uncharacteristic need to open up and let Meg in, closer than he’d let anyone since splitting from his ex.

‘Men can be stupid too,’ he said quietly. ‘I had no idea that my ex had doubts. I was so caught up in my grief for my parents, and working long hours so I didn’t have to feel that grief, that I didn’t see what happened coming. I’m supposed to be smart.’ Heat travelled up his neck, humiliation a rock in his chest as he kept his stare averted and continued to unpack the picnic.

When he looked up, Meg’s expression softened with compassion. ‘You’re not stupid for loving the wrong person, Cam. We’ve all done that. And you were entitled to time to grieve. You’re human. Besides, when we love someone we’re supposed to take the good with the bad. To support them, no matter what, not bail at the first hiccup.’

She could have been talking about her past relationship or his, and it struck him anew how much they had in common.

‘Maybe she didn’t really love me then,’ he said. ‘Or maybe I was too wrapped up in my issues to give the relationship the attention it deserved.’

‘I see why you would think that, because you’re a decent and caring guy. But your ex could have been honest with you instead of hurting you that way when you were at your lowest ebb,’ Meg went on, passionately.

‘That’s true, I guess. But you were hurt, too.’ Why was it easier to empathise with what this amazing woman had been through than it was to cut himself the same slack? ‘Do you think you’ll ever be tempted to love again?’ he asked, his curiosity for Meg easier to voice than his own reservations that he could ever again trust in love.

‘I don’t know,’ Meg said, glancing out at the ocean. ‘I’m thirty-three. Far too young to give up on relationships.’

Cam nodded, passed her a bowl of strawberries and uncorked the bottle of bubbly he’d brought, pouring her a glass.

‘But I’d need to find someone really special next time,’ she said, her eyes lingering on his as she took a sip. ‘Someone who understands my life. Someone willing to compromise, to give and take. It’s not that I’d never leave here again… It’s just that it would have to be for someone willing to put in as much effort as me. Does that make sense?’

‘Perfect sense. You know what you want, Meg. That’s an attractive quality.’ He touched his glass to hers. ‘You deserve a man like that. We all want to be seen, respected and truly understood. Relationships are all about compromise.’

Blinking, Meg leaned close and pressed her lips to his, leaving behind the taste of strawberries. Cam’s pulse leapt, the kiss over too soon. ‘You deserve it too, Cam.’ Meg said staring intently. ‘Do you see yourself settling down again, sometime in the future?’

‘I don’t know…’ Cam swallowed, trying to be as open as Meg. ‘I’ve spent so many years wandering and staying detached, it’s become a habit.’

Meg’s shoulder leaned against his, the scent of her shampoo filling his head. ‘That’s understandable. I can’t imagine what it must be like to lose your entire family in one go like that.’ Her stare filled with her signature compassion and she took his hand. ‘You must feel as if you don’t know where home is. Perhaps that’s what you’re looking for with all your travelling.’

A lump settled in Cam’s chest that she understood him so clearly. ‘I guess, but home is people, more than a place, don’t you think?’

She nodded and he continued. ‘I guess I just haven’t found my person…yet.’

‘Well, keep looking.’ Meg smiled sadly and rested her head on his shoulder. ‘Channel your inner yellow-eyed penguin and find her, because I’m certain she’s out there, waiting for you, and she’ll be one lucky lady.’

‘Maybe.’ Cam laughed, guiding the conversation to lighter topics, but the restless feeling he’d experienced this week while getting to know Meg built. Was it time to stop running away from his pain? Was he ready to trust again and let someone close? With Meg, it seemed so effortless.

‘That was the best picnic I’ve ever had,’ Meg said as they packed away the leftovers and scoured their corner of the beach for any rubbish. ‘Thanks, Cam.’

‘You’re welcome. I owed you one after that trip to see the penguins. I was so moved by those little guys that I went online and adopted a couple in our names. I’ve been meaning to tell you.’

Meg slipped her arm through his, her touch sending his pulse into overdrive. ‘That’s so thoughtful.’

She smiled up at him, her lovely lips parted and her stare shifting over his face as if she saw him every bit as clearly as he saw her. He stopped walking. Pulled her into his arms, cupped her chin and brought her lips up to his, unable to hold off a second longer. Unlike their earlier peck, this was the long, slow kiss he’d wanted to give her since their first. She slid her fingers through his hair, the kiss growing quickly heated, her body shifting restlessly against his as she moaned softly.

When he pulled back, they were both panting, their eyes locked, desire easily readable in her stare. Wordlessly, she snagged his hand. They crossed the road, smiling goofily at each other and headed towards the lodge and Meg’s cottage. When they paused at her front door, the sun setting at their backs, the last thing Cam wanted was to say goodbye.

‘Do you want to come in?’ Her teeth scraped at her bottom lip in a very distracting way, a flicker of doubt in her eyes.

‘I’d love to come in,’ Cam said, his heart thudding wildly behind his ribs as he squeezed her hand. ‘I’m sure it shows, but I can’t get enough of your company.’

Meg smiled, smugly. She unlocked the door, leading him inside where Cam put down the picnic basket. There was a moment’s hesitation where they stared, still holding each other’s hand. Then, because he couldn’t wait any longer to kiss her again, Cam pulled her into his arms, cupping her face and brushing his lips seductively over hers.

‘Don’t ever change, Meg. You’re perfect,’ he said, his pulse buzzing in his ears at how in sync they were, at the attraction burning out of his control.

‘You either,’ she said, curling her arms around his neck and pressing her gorgeous body flush against his from shoulders to thighs. ‘I want you, Cam.’ Before he could say another word, her lips traced his jaw and the side of his neck and his focus honed on Meg and only Meg.

Cam groaned and crushed her close. ‘It’s been so long since I clicked with someone like this.’

She nodded, slipping her hands inside his T-shirt to caress his back. ‘I know what you mean.’

Then her lips returned to his and he forgot about the past, slipping deeper and deeper under her spell. Meg’s perfume filled his head, her soft skin calling to his lips and his fingertips. He was an addict for her breathy kisses and dazzling smiles.

‘Meg…?’

At his unspoken question, she looked up. ‘I’m sure,’ she said. ‘We don’t have to overthink it, Cam. I like you. I fancy you. I know it’s not leading anywhere.’

Cam swallowed, his throat dry. ‘I want you, too.’ Right then, that was his one and only certainty.

‘See,’ she said, reaching for his hand and heading down the hall towards her bedroom he presumed, ‘it’s a penguin thing.’

Cam couldn’t argue with that.

***

‘How are we doing in here?’ Meg asked the next morning as she breezed into Cam’s clinic room as casually as she could, given they’d spent most of the night rolling around in her bed. She forced her eyes away from the gorgeous sight of him and focussed on his patient, eight-year-old Ruby, a tourist who’d fallen from the monkey bars at the local playground and hurt her arm.

‘We’re good,’ Cam said, smiling at his young patient. ‘Ruby here has been very brave while I’ve looked at her sore arm.’

Meg’s heart galloped. After their passionate night together, she wasn’t sure she was ready to see Cam being good with children. As it was, she was scared that if he didn’t leave the island soon, she might fall head over heels for him, he was that wonderful. Listing all the reasons why she and Cam could never be more than casual seemed the only way to switch off her sappy daydreams: they’d both been burned by love, neither of them was ready for another relationship and most importantly, Cam was only in New Zealand temporarily.

‘I was just telling Ruby’s mum,’ Cam went on, ‘that this wee lassie will need an X-ray on the mainland, just to make sure she hasn’t broken that arm. Because she’s going to need it.’ He looked up at Meg. ‘She’s a gymnast. Going to win an Olympic gold medal for New Zealand one day.’

‘Go, Ruby,’ Meg said, mentally groaning at Cam’s effortless way with the youngster as she busied herself by digging around in the cupboard for a sling.

‘I’m going to give you some medicine for the pain,’ Cam continued, ‘so you can head back home on the ferry?’ Cam printed out a script and handed it over to Mum.

‘Thank you Dr McKenzie,’ Ruby’s mother said with a grateful and adoring smile that Meg could relate to. ‘I love your accent. How long have you lived in New Zealand?’

Meg froze in her search for a sling, wondering how Cam would answer the burning question at the front of her mind: his future plans.

‘Oh, I’m not a permanent resident,’ he said. ‘Just a locum.’

‘What part of Scotland are you from?’ Ruby’s mother asked.

‘Inverness, but I haven’t lived there for years. I have itchy feet, so I’ve lived all over the place.’

This information wasn’t new to Meg, but to hear him say it again after their intense night together made her feel foolish somehow, as if she expected Cam to stick around, just because she started to imagine they could have a real relationship. That was irrational And she’d expected too much before, with her ex, and look how that had turned out.

‘Can I put your arm in this sling?’ Meg asked the little girl, shoving away her irrational thoughts about her and Cam. ‘It will make it feel more comfortable and I promise won’t hurt at all.’

Ruby nodded, big eyes wary and Meg set about immobilising the arm for the ferry trip back to Bluff. Then she unlocked the drug cupboard and measured out a dose of liquid paracetamol.

‘Here you go, Ruby. It’s strawberry flavoured,’ she passed the cup to the girl, her eyes meeting Cam’s as she was reminded of the strawberries they’d eaten at the picnic the evening before.

Oh, how quickly life could change. Twenty-four hours ago they were just colleagues who’d kissed. Now she was dangerously addicted to his laugh, his rich accent, even his bird nerdiness.

Ruby and her mother left his room, and Meg followed them out to Reception, grateful to get away from Cam for a moment. There was no need to panic. Just because Cam was wonderful and sexy and top-notch boyfriend material, didn’t mean she wanted a relationship with him or had feelings. Because falling for a man like Cam, a wanderer from the other side of the world who’d been so hurt he didn’t even believe in love, would take compromise to a whole other level and make her past mistake with her ex seem like a minor mishap.

***

Later that day, Cam was still at his desk when Meg came in. His heart kicked at his ribs, she was so gorgeous. Last night had been…incredible and left him looking forward to the next time he’d visit the island. Casual worked for them both, but he definitely wanted to see Meg again.

‘I’m heading home soon,’ she said, ‘and you should get out of here, too. It’s been a long day and you look tired.’

Cam glanced at the clock and winced. ‘I’m just going through these blood test results. I’m okay—I’m used to working long hours.’

Meg nodded, watching him as if she understood how he sometimes compensated for his loneliness by keeping busy at work.

‘I wondered if you wanted to join me for dinner with my parents,’ she asked hesitantly. ‘It’s very casual, but you’d be more than welcome.’

Something shifted in Cam’s chest, his habitual need for distance returning. On one hand, he’d like nothing more than to share dinner with Meg and her family, but something held him back as it always did. He didn’t want to get too comfortable there and then miss Meg and her hospitality when he was gone. ‘That’s a kind offer, Meg. Can I see how I go here and let you know?’

‘Of course.’ She blushed. ‘No pressure.’ She began to turn for the door as if she intended to leave it there. Then she changed her mind. ‘You know, you don’t always have to be alone.’

‘I know.’ Cam nodded, a lump in his throat.

Her stare turned sympathetic and Cam wished he’d just kissed her and agreed to come for dinner. ‘You don’t have to put down roots here, Cam, but always running from the pain means it’s always chasing you.’

‘Maybe…,’ he said looking away, because he knew she was right.

‘Sorry…’ Meg stood and held up her hands, her posture a little stiffer. ‘Ignore me. I can’t stop myself from helping people. Occupational hazard.’ At the door, she turned back. ‘If you change your mind about dinner, we’ll be at the lodge.’

After she left, Cam sat for a long time, wondering exactly how right Meg was. Was he running scared, afraid to put down roots and once more lose what he loved? Could he commit and risk being hurt again? Just like Meg had stated—it would need to be for the right person. How could he be sure he’d found his penguin?