Undercover Doctor Read online

  UNDERCOVER DOCTOR

  Lucy Clark

  Doctor - lover - spy!

  The attraction between senior surgeon Harry Buchanan and registrar Dr. Kimberlie Mason is instant, mutual, and unstoppable! They’re perfect for each other…

  Except that Kimberlie is living a lie. She’s not just pretty Dr. Mason; she’s highly trained Agent Mason, investigating the possible murder of a foreign politician. Harry is a prime suspect - and the last man she should fall in love with!

  Kimberlie is sure Harry is innocent. But she can’t reveal the truth about herself till the investigation is over - and then will he ever forgive her deception?

  CHAPTER ONE

  'Clamp,' Dr Harry Buchanan ordered as Kimberlie Mason continued to watch the operation in awe. She knew all about Dr Buchanan, MB, BS, Ph.D, Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. He was one of Australia's leading general surgeons and now here she was, in the same theatre as him, watching him operate on the Foreign Minister from the small Pacific island country of Tarparnii.

  'Swab,' he ordered, and Kim was once more delighted at the deep, rich resonance of his voice. She glanced up from her position on the opposite side of the operating table to look at him. Every part of his face was protected from infection but the clear shield that covered his eyes didn't hide the dark blue pigment that surrounded his pupils.

  Kim saw a movement in her peripheral vision and turned her head slightly. John McPhee, the anaesthetist, was changing over the saline bag. It had been a long and involved operation, one which she could tell by a quick glance around the room most personnel were beginning to feel.

  'Suction, Dr Mason,' Jerry Mayberry, Harry's registrar, instructed. Kim brought her attention back to the task at hand and did as she was told. It had been a long time since she'd been in an operating theatre as spick and span as this one, though not so long since she'd operated. Nothing of the calibre of Harry Buchanan, but Kim had medical experience these people would never know about.

  'Right. Everything looks fine here. Give me a check X-ray.' Harry stood back from the table, his hands held up. Jerry and Kim followed suit and once more Kim's gaze was drawn to the man who was the Master of Ceremonies in this operating room.

  Her heart flipped in surprise, finding Harry's gaze on her. She tried hard to read his expression while at the same time trying to quash the emotions he was able to stir with one simple look. During the five days she'd been working at Sydney General Hospital, this was about the closest she'd been to the man who commanded respect from all his staff.

  Rising to the challenge she saw in his eyes, she didn't break the contact but forced herself to concentrate harder. Keep your objectivity. The words echoed around in her mind. It was what she'd been trained to do.

  The radiographer had everything in position when an ear-piercing alarm echoed around the room.

  'John?' Harry glanced at the anaesthetist, waiting for the answer.

  'V-tach,' John called.

  The theatre was a hive of activity as every member of the team rallied together to save the patient. The sickening feeling in the pit of Kim's stomach intensified. It was just as she'd been warned. The Foreign Minister of the Tarparnii government was at risk of assassination while he was in Australia. Did that include having a heart attack on the operating table? A planned heart attack?

  She ripped the drapes off the patient as one of the theatre nurses handed Harry the defibrillator paddles.

  'Clear!' Harry called, and everyone stood back as he placed the paddles on the patient's chest and sent an electric surge through the supine body.

  'Still in V-tach,' John called, after checking the monitor.

  They increased the voltage.

  'Clear!' Harry commanded, and again sent a pulse through the man's body.

  'No change,' John replied.

  'Again,' Harry called, and waited for the change in voltage to be made. 'Clear!'

  Kim held her breath, praying the Minister's heart would start beating again.

  'Asystole.' John's tone was almost as flat as the line now showing on the screen.

  'Again,' Harry instructed.

  'Harry,' John said. 'It's no good. He's gone. Call it.'

  'Clear!' Harry sent one final pulse coursing through the patient.

  'He's gone, Harry.' John's tone was final and firm. 'Call it,' the anaesthetist urged.

  Harry handed the paddles back to the theatre nurse and glared at John. 'Time of death—sixteen twenty-five. What happened?'

  'I'm checking.' John took notes from the dials in front of him. 'Everything was fine—and then the flat-line.'

  'Myocardial infarction?' Harry queried in disbelief. Kim was watching the two men intently. The atmosphere in theatre was one of incredulity at what had just transpired and uncertainty at the chief surgeon's reaction.

  'People have been known to suffer heart attacks on the operating table before, Harry,' John responded.

  'Not on my operating table.' Every word was said with complete clarity. 'And not a foreign diplomat.'

  'First time for everything,' Jerry Mayberry said softly into the silence that ensued. Unfortunately for the registrar, Harry heard and spun around to face him. Kim held her breath, wondering what would happen next.

  'Leave everything exactly the way it is,' Harry directed, his piercing blue gaze sweeping the people before him. 'Don't move, touch or remove anything from this theatre. You should all know the hospital's protocol for a death in surgery. Follow it to the letter. Get changed and report to my office immediately.' With that, Harry stripped off his gloves and theatre garb before waiting for everyone to follow suit.

  He stood by the door, glaring at each and every member who walked past him out of the room. Kim was the last one and as she passed by he said, 'One moment, Dr Mason.'

  Kim stopped and looked at him.

  'Tell me again how you managed to be in my theatre this afternoon?'

  'I swapped this operation with Dr Edington as his wife's car broke down and he had to pick up his children from school.'

  'So you volunteered to help him out. Very...convenient for you.'

  'Actually, he came to me and asked me to swap.'

  'Yet you jumped at the chance.'

  'Yes.' Kim raised her chin, a hint of defiance in her eyes. 'Despite what I think about you personally, you are a brilliant surgeon. As I've only been at this hospital for a week, I took the opportunity to see the great Harry Buchanan in theatre.'

  'Your resume said you haven't had much experience.'

  'I'm a service registrar. The bottom of the ladder. Most service registrars when they first start a surgical rotation haven't had much experience in Theatre.'

  'Then I must say you coped rather well today.'

  'I pay attention. Now, if you'll excuse me?'

  Kim took a few steps away from him but stopped again when he continued. 'I find it...coincidental that the first time you're in my operating theatre, my patient dies.'

  Kim turned to face him. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

  'I've worked with every other member of that team before.'

  'So because I'm new and there's a death, you're going to blame me for it? The man had a heart attack.' Kim spread her arms wide, palms facing upwards.

  'You believe that, do you, Dr Mason?'

  'I was there. You were there.' Kim narrowed her gaze. 'What are you trying to imply? That he didn't die of a heart attack?'

  'I've never lost a patient on the operating table before,' Harry retorted, his words strong.

  'Well, you just did. Stop trying to blame someone for it, Harry—especially me.' Ignoring his raised eyebrow at her familiarity, she turned and walked away, heading for the female changing rooms. She shook her head and grimaced, unable to believe she'd actually called him by his first name. How unprofessional!

  She went into the changing rooms, then stopped just inside and opened the door a little, watching the corridor. Where was Harry? She'd half expected him to be right behind her yet it was a good forty-five seconds later when he appeared in the corridor. She shut the door. Why had he stayed behind? Was he trying to conceal or remove evidence? Was the great Harry Buchanan involved in what had just happened with the minister?

  Kim pondered these thoughts as she started to change. Because of her talk with Harry, the other female members of the theatre staff were almost all ready so she dressed with greater speed than usual.

  'You'd better hurry up, Kimberlie,' the theatre sister said. 'If there's one thing Harry Buchanan dislikes, it's tardiness.'

  'That and a few other hundred things,' Kim mumbled.

  The other woman chuckled. 'You've been here, what, one week? I think you have a fair idea of how the boss works. He doesn't forgive or forget.'

  'Yeah. Look at Elaine—after what happened with her, I doubt he'll ever date another woman from the hospital again,' another nurse chimed in.

  'Who's Elaine?'

  'Oh, you'll meet her in a minute. But poor Harry, he doesn't seem to have much luck with women,' the theatre sister whispered. 'Rumour has it he was married about ten years ago but his wife was a bigamist!'

  'Really?' Kim made sure she acted surprised. Of course, she knew the details about his marriage as they had been in his dossier. She had dossiers on several people at the hospital who were connected with the island nation of Tarparnii and it was her job to covertly investigate each one.

  'Ooh. I can't believe you haven't heard this story yet. She was a policewoman, a detective or something like that, and she'd go
on these stake-outs and undercover assignments for weeks at a time. All the time, she was cheating on him.'

  'That's disgusting,' Kim retorted, smoothing her white top down and buttoning her khaki shorts.

  'Since then,' the sister added as she walked towards the door, 'Harry goes ballistic if anyone lies to him. It's better and easier to tell him you've made a mistake or done something wrong than cover it over with deception.'

  'Can't say I blame him.' Kim slipped her feet into her flat shoes and headed out the door with the other women, pulling the pins out of her hair and fluffing her fingers through her shoulder-length red curls. She glanced at the other women who were all chatting away as they walked towards Harry's office and quickly slid a subvocal earpiece/transmitter into her ear.

  'Anyway, I can't believe that Minister Japarlin actually died on the operating table,' she said to her colleagues.

  'What?' came a voice through her earpiece.

  'I don't think Harry's going to get over this. He's never lost a patient on the table before,' one of the nurses muttered. 'He's going to be even more impossible to work with.'

  'He has a temper?' Kim asked.

  'Uh, not really. He just clams up and he's all business and sometimes that makes for a strained atmosphere.' They opened the door to the stairwell and started up the stairs.

  'Kim,' came the male voice through her earpiece. 'I can't get through to Ivan in the morgue. Give him a call to let him know he's on.'

  'Oh, hey, don't say that,' Kim said to the women. 'You're making me nervous about working with him.' She grimaced. 'I think I need to go to the bathroom.'

  'He's not that bad,' the theatre sister said, and eyed her cautiously. 'You're not going to throw up, are you?'

  'Oh, no. No. Nothing like that. Just a weak bladder, that's all.'

  'Don't take too long. The debriefing's going to start very soon. I don't want you getting into trouble with Harry so soon after starting.'

  Kim smiled and went back down the stairs. 'Thanks. I'll be quick.' She headed in the direction of the toilets they'd passed a few seconds ago where she'd seen an internal phone on. the wall.

  She picked it up and dialled the extension for the morgue. 'Hi. This is Dr Mason,' she said when the call was connected. 'Can I speak to Ivan, please?'

  A moment later, Ivan came to the phone.

  'He's dead,' was all she said.

  'Copy that.' Ivan disconnected the call.

  'All done,' Kim said for the benefit of her earpiece, and headed back to the stairwell.

  'Thanks, Kim. Must be something down there that interferes with Ivan's earpiece.'

  There were footsteps behind her and Kim glanced over her shoulder. She veiled her surprise at seeing Harry there but she didn't say a word. At the top of the stairs, she felt his arm brush hers as he reached past to hold the door. Tingles flooded through her body at the minor touch and she baulked at the involuntary attraction.

  'Thank you,' she mumbled. As she breathed in, the scent of his aftershave teased her senses. He smelled good. He was dressed in his usual uniform, a dark suit, crisp white shirt and college tie. He looked good, too. Kim licked her lips as she continued down the drab corridor, acutely aware of his close proximity behind her. Neither of them spoke.

  Kim could feel the way his gaze swept over her figure and her breathing became shallow. She exhaled slowly in an effort to control her emotions, which had temporarily gone haywire. When they finally entered his office, it was crowded with people—some who had been in Theatre and others who hadn't.

  Harry quickly scanned the room before nodding to a tall blonde woman who was wearing an impeccable black suit. She made Kim feel quite dowdy.

  'I think we'll get down to it. There are some new faces here so I'll introduce myself.' She glanced at Kim as she said the words. 'I'm Elaine Parkinson and I'm the hospital's investigation co-ordinator. Any death in this hospital is thoroughly researched, wherever it might have taken place.'

  Ah, so this was Elaine. Kim looked at the other woman. She didn't seem to be Harry's type. Not that she herself was the expert on what type of woman Harry Buchanan liked— far from it. She hardly knew the man. She gave herself a mental shake and focused on what Elaine was saying.

  'As you are all aware, the patient in question was Mr Japarlin, the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the Tarparnii government. The authorities have been informed and the forensic science team has already been called to Theatre. The sooner we can have the theatre sorted out and cleaned, the sooner we can get it back into operation again, pardon the pun.' She laughed mockingly at her own little joke.

  'You will all be required to give statements so, apart from that, as the death appears to be due to natural causes with no suspicious circumstances, the investigation should be completed within the next seventy-two hours.' Elaine's smile was false as she looked around the room at the staff gathered there.

  Kim glanced at Harry. His expression hadn't changed. He was still scowling, obviously peeved that his patient had dared to die on his operating table. Come to think of it, ever since she'd started working at this hospital, in his department, she hadn't seen him do anything other than scowl. A smile tugged at Kim's lips as she wondered whether she should tell him that if he stayed that way too long, his face would stick.

  She realised then that he was scowling at her. The smile and the thoughts which had prompted it vanished as Kim brought her attention back to the drivel still coming out of Elaine's mouth.

  Red tape, red tape, red tape. If there was one thing Kim didn't like about her job, it was the mounds of red tape which always had to be waded through. Everything by the book, as Moss, her real boss, always said. Though Harry Buchanan was her boss as far as the hospital was concerned, Kim had been sent to Sydney General Hospital to investigate medical personnel who were linked with Tarparnii. The Australian Secret Intelligence Service had received information that an attempt was going to be made on the minister's life, as Tarparnii was currently in the midst of political and civil unrest. Her previous assignment had been operating out of an army tent in a war zone, so being in a nice, properly sterilised theatre was quite a step up in the world of medical espionage.

  When the police arrived, Kim gave them her statement, mindful of her ASIS cover. There was no need to tell the police what she was really doing at the hospital. Her investigation for ASIS was on a federal level, but these police were state-based. She knew the forensic science team would do their usual thorough job but she also knew Ivan would do an even better one.

  Thanks to Elaine Parkinson's little speech, it was clear the hospital intended to treat the Foreign Minister's death as having been from 'natural causes'. Yet Kim wasn't convinced. Neither, it seemed, was Harry Buchanan, if their earlier conversation was anything to go by.

  Once the police had finished with her, Kim went to the hospital cafeteria and sipped thankfully at a strong cup of black coffee. The cafeteria was bustling with people as they rushed to eat some dinner before either going home or back to work.

  Taking the cup with her, she crossed to the house phone on the wall, dialled the morgue again, asking for Ivan.

  'Debriefs all done. Official position is natural causes. What's next?' she asked quietly.

  'Come back around eight. I'll let you in.'

  'Okey-dokey.' Kim took another sip of coffee as she replaced the receiver. She turned and walked straight into solid muscle, her coffee spilling everywhere.

  She gasped. 'I'm so sorr—' The words choked in her throat as she looked up into Harry Buchanan's blue eyes. She knew she could drown in those eyes and quickly forced herself to look away.

  Kim looked down at the crisp white shirt he was holding away from his skin so the hot liquid didn't scald his flesh. A hush settled over the cafeteria and most people were looking at them before whispering to one another.

  'Dr Buchanan,' Kim began again, unable to believe that out of all the people in this room, she'd had to dump coffee on him. 'I'm so sorry. It was an accident.' She held her breath, trying to gauge his reaction.

  'Hmm.' His tone was filled with repressed mirth as his gaze swept lightly over her body. 'At least I'm not the only one covered in coffee.'

  Surprised to discover he had a sense of humour, it took a second for his words to sink in. Kim followed his gaze down to just below her breasts where there were a few dark droplets staining her white top. She felt a deep heat begin to rise from within her at the feel of his gaze upon her body. Trying to control the increase in her heart's rhythm, Kim licked her suddenly dry lips. The cup and pool of liquid at their feet was forgotten.