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'Oh no, Rafe,' she shuddered in his arms, 'I don't want that.'
'You're going,' he told her firmly, turning to the woman who stood at his side. He handed her his car keys. 'Get the car open for me, Janine,' he said grimly. 'We have to get some medical treatment for this silly child.'
Hazel stiffened in his arms at his impatient tone, trying to pull away from him. 'Let me go, Rafe!' she snapped as he kept a firm hold of her.
'Certainly not.' He swung her up into his arms and walked purposefully out of the club towards the car park. 'Stop struggling,’ he ordered.
‘If you would just put me down I can walk,’ she protested.
He looked down at her. ‘You aren't walking anywhere. Now behave yourself!'
Her mouth set mutinously, and she ignored the throbbing in her head. 'I can walk.'
'Maybe you can and maybe you can't,' he humoured her. 'But you aren't even going to try. Stop being so difficult—a moment ago you wanted to be in my arms.' His deep blue eyes mocked her.
She looked away. Td been badly frightened. But I'm all fight now,' she declared in a stronger voice.
Rafe smiled gratefully at Janine as she held the car door open, settling Hazel into the back seat. 'I think we'll let the doctor decide that,' he said tolerantly. 'Now just lie still and be quiet, there's a good girl.'
He held the passenger door open for Janine, turning to face Trisha as she ran over to them.
‘Is she going to be okay?' she queried breathlessly.
Rafe grinned as he got into the car. 'Judging by the way she's answering back I would say yes. I'll let you know more when I get back from the hospital.'
'Thanks.' She waved to Hazel in the back seat as Rafe accelerated the Mercedes out of the driveway.
Hazel struggled into a sitting position. 'I don't know why you're making all this fuss—I'm perfectly all right.' Except for the pain in her head that made her continually want to close her eyes!
Janine turned in her seat to look at her. 'I think you should just let the doctor take a look at you, just to be on the safe side,' she explained gently.
'There's no think about: it,’ Rafe said harshly, his eyes fixed firmly on the road ahead of them. 'After a fall like that it's only common sense to let a doctor check you over.'
Hazel put up a hand to her aching temple. 'At the moment I don't feel much like being sensible.'
Janine squeezed her hand sympathetically, giving her an encouraging smile. 'Of course you don't. Don't be so hard on her, Rafe,' she scolded him.
'She's a stubborn little devil who ought to be spanked—thoroughly,' he added with some satisfaction, as if the idea greatly pleased him.
'Rafe!' Janine sounded scandalised. 'Have a little sympathy with her!'
He gave a throaty laugh. 'Save your sympathy, Janine. She doesn't need it.'
At the moment Hazel felt as if she needed something, possibly a shoulder to cry on. Rafe was so hard on her, and it was humiliating that any sympathy she was receiving was coming from the woman he was probably going to marry. How galling that was!
Her humiliation wasn't lessened when they reached the hospital as once again Rafe insisted on carrying her. His face was rigid as he walked into the casualty department, his hands burning her skin as she was only wearing her bikini,
'I'll get you back for this,' she muttered into his throat, her arms thrown around his neck. They had left Janine to park the car and lock up.
His blue eyes gleamed down at her. 'And how do you propose to do that?' he asked humorously. 'Another frog in my bed?'
Hazel blushed as she remembered her childish revenge when she was eleven and Rafe had annoyed her. She had found it very amusing to put a frog in the
bottom of his bed. Unfortunately Rafe hadn't felt the same way about it, and had administered a few sharp slaps to her bottom.
'Not a frog, no,' she denied. 'But I'll think of a way.' He shook his head. 'You still haven't grown up. Hazel. You could be suffering from shock, anything, and all you're worried about is getting back at me for insisting I bring you here. You're ridiculous.' 'And you're arrogant!' He laughed 'Haven't I always been?' 'Yes,’ she said through gritted teeth. 'That's just one of the things I hate about you.’
'I'd love to hear the rest,' he taunted. 'But right now I don't have the time.'
'I'll make a list out and tell you another time,’ she promised tautly.
'I'll look forward to it.' He straightened after putting her into one of the chairs. 'Wait here while I find someone to come and look at you.' She grimaced. 'Well, I'm not likely to go anywhere.' His eyes mocked her. 'One never knows with you. I could come back here and find you gone.'
'I'm sure your girl-friend will be a suitable watchdog,' she retorted. ‘She seems to do everything else you tell her.'
Rafe bent down, a slight smile on his face. But his eyes were rock-hard, his anger plain for her to see. 'That's right, little one, she does. She's not like you at all, perhaps that's why I like her so much.’ She glared her dislike of him. 'Only like?' He tapped her on the nose. 'Mind your own business.'
'I hate you.'’
‘I don't think so,' his tone was grim. 'But I wish you did. I'm sick and tired of you being in this girl-woman stage, still loving me as your guardian and hating what I make you feel as a woman.'
Hazel gasped. 'How can you say------'
'Ah, Rafe,' Janine came to stand at his side. 'Sorry I was so long, I had trouble parking the car.'
He smiled at her. 'Everything okay now?'
'Fine. Have you found anyone to help yet?’
'Not yet.' He glanced at Hazel. 'But I'm working on it.'
As it was Sunday there was only a skeleton staff working, but a doctor came through the swing doors just as Rafe was about to ring for attention.
'Rafe!' The young doctor slapped him on the back. 'Good to see you again. Nothing wrong with you, I hope?’
'No, I'm fine.' Rafe seemed pleased to see the younger man too. 'I've brought my ward in, she's had a slight accident.'
The young man walked over to Hazel. 'That's rather a nasty bruise you have there. I'm Doctor Byne, by the way. Would you like to come through to a cubicle and we'll have a look at you-'
Hazel gave him an engaging smile. 'Thank you.'
She sighed impatiently as once again Rafe carried her, feeling really self-conscious in her bikini as Dr Byne examined her. It was made even worse by the fact that Rafe stood in the room watching their every move, Janine having opted to stay in the waiting-room.
'I should have thought to pick up your robe,' Rafe muttered tersely.
Hazel lay back on the couch having the delicate skin of her temple probed. 'You were much too busy playing the hero,' she snapped in return.
Rafe ignored her rudeness. 'You'll have to forgive her sharpness, David. Hazel didn't think it necessary
that I bring her here and she's a little annoyed about it.'
'You did the right thing,' said David Byne. 'You'll have to be X-rayed, I'm afraid, Miss Stanford, and then we'll have to keep you in for a couple of days under observation.'
‘Oh no I,’ Her dismay showed on her face. 'Rafe,' she looked at him appealingly, 'please, Rafe, don't make me stay in hospital!'
'Is it really necessary, David? I can assure you she'll be well looked after at home, and I'll make sure she's kept quiet.'
'Well------' David Byne hesitated. 'It is the usual practice to take: people in.'
'Make an exception in Hazel's case,' Rafe encouraged. 'I can tell you now that she'll make a lousy patient, she's much too fond of having her own way. On second thoughts, perhaps it would be as well if you did admit her,' he grinned at the other man. 'At least that way we would get some peace and quiet at home.'
'Rafe!' she cried reproachfully.
The doctor laughed. 'As long as the X-ray shows no fracture I suppose I could allow Miss Stanford home. But I must insist on day and night observation,’ he warned,
'I'll see to it personally,' Rafe said dryly.
Hazel blushed. 'In that case I think I would prefer to stay here.’ This wasn't true but said for the benefit of the doctor. She would love to spend the next two days and nights under Rafe's care. And by the taunting look in his eyes he knew exactly what she was thinking.
'I see what you mean,' David Byne agreed with Rafe teasingly. ‘I don't think there's much wrong with you, young lady.' He wheeled a chair in from another room. 'In you get,' he ordered.
She did so under the watchful eye of Rafe. 'Do you have a robe or something I can put on? I feel slightly ridiculous in this bikini.’
Deep brown eyes glowed down at her, ‘I can assure you you don't look it.'
'Do you have a robe, David?' Rafe asked tautly.
The doctor looked at him as if surprised by his tone. 'I'll see if I can find one.'
'Do you have to flaunt yourself like that?' Rafe demanded once the doctor had left the room. 'David can't take his eyes off you.'
Her mouth set in a firm line. 'It isn't my fault you forgot my robe.'
'Meaning?' his eyes narrowed.
'Meaning you were so busy playing the he-man that you------'
'Why, you little------' he took a threatening step towards her.
'Here we are,' David Byne came in carrying a striped bath-robe. He smiled as he saw Hazel grimace. 'Sorry, it's the best I can do.'
Rafe snatched it out of his hands and threw it about Hazel's shoulders. 'As long as it covers her up I don't care what it looks like.'
David shrugged. 'Let's get this X-ray over with and then perhaps you can get Miss Stanford home to bed.'
'That sounds like a good idea,’ Rafe drawled.
The doctor's brown eyes flirted with her. 'I thought so too.'
'Can we get this over with, David?' Rafe snapped. 'It's getting late.'
The X-ray was quickly dealt with, the result coming through in less than ten minutes. Rafe had stood glowering over them the whole of that time, making it obvious that he didn't intend going anywhere.
