The Surgeon and the Princess by Karin Baine (ebook reader with android os .TXT) 📕

‘I know... I’m sorry.’ She hiccupped, fighting the sobs trying to burst out of her throat.

‘All you had to do was ask, Georgiana, and I would’ve come with you.’ The words came out on a sigh, so it sounded less of a scolding and more like disappointment in her. That made it so much worse.

‘I know... I’m sorry,’ she repeated. Really, what more could she say? This was her fault, not his. All because of her stubborn pride.

She tried to sit up but Edward was having none of it.

‘Stay still until I’ve checked you over.’

‘I’m sure I’ll be fine,’ she insisted as he gently felt her head for signs of injury.

‘There’s no sign of any blood and I don’t see any abrasions. Did you lose consciousness at any time?’

‘No. I don’t feel sick or have any problems with my vision either. I’m pretty sure I don’t have a concussion.’ She was able to diagnose herself even if he wouldn’t take her word for it.

‘It doesn’t mean you couldn’t develop symptoms later. I’ll get you an ice pack to stop any swelling developing and you can rest up in my office for a while where I can keep an eye on you.’

‘I don’t need looking after. I can manage on my own.’ She struggled to sit up to prove her point but Ed didn’t budge from her side.

‘What is your problem? Why are you so against anyone helping you? Or is it just me?’

With his piercing eyes locked onto her, Georgiana had nowhere to hide from his questions. He had every right to be annoyed with her. She’d kept him up all night, ignored his warning about coming here alone and now he was the one left picking up the pieces. That was how she saw herself now—broken pieces of the woman she used to be and someone who could never be repaired. Not that she could voice any of that to him when it sounded so pathetic.

Unfortunately, those emotions she’d been supressing for so long bubbled to the surface because of this one act of kindness. Instead of giving him an answer or a snappy comeback to cover her embarrassment, she burst into messy, ugly tears.

‘Georgiana? I didn’t mean to upset you. Sorry. Please don’t cry.’ Ed thought he couldn’t feel any worse than he had when he’d seen her lying on the floor in pain. Now he’d made this strong, seemingly fearless Amazon sob into his chest by shouting at her.

She seemed so fragile and vulnerable in his arms and, though he liked having her there, he hated the idea of her being so upset. Georgiana wasn’t a woman who showed her emotions easily. Unless it was to express her dislike towards him. Although now he was beginning to wonder if he’d got that wrong about her too.

He should’ve been keeping a closer eye on her. Instead he’d had his head buried in paperwork for a cause he was having difficulty getting off the ground. If Georgiana had been anyone else here he would’ve insisted on being involved in their training regime but there was something about her that made him go against all his instincts. He could tell she needed to do things on her own but he shouldn’t have let that compromise her safety.

Now she was hurt and embarrassed, desperately trying to cover her leg as though he hadn’t already seen it. Naturally it bothered him to see it but from a personal point of view, not for any aesthetic reason. It was an indication of the amount of suffering she’d gone through. Something he’d probably never be able to understand. She was such a strong individual but one slip on a wet tile seemed to have broken her and he knew she’d hate for him to witness it. He had a strong-minded younger brother who was just as determined to manage his disability on his own. Jamie’s spina bifida was something he and the family had lived with for his entire life, so Ed knew that sometimes the smallest upset could cause a setback. He was always there to make sure that didn’t happen.

‘Shh. It’s all right,’ he soothed, his arm around her, holding her tight to him. ‘Everything’s going to be all right.’

Georgiana continued to weep into his chest, silently now but with no less sorrow.

In different circumstances he was sure she’d jump on that, demanding to know how things could possibly be all right when she wasn’t about to grow her leg back, but for now she seemed content to let him placate her.

Eventually her shoulders stopped heaving with the effort of crying and she withdrew from him.

‘I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. Shame probably.’ She wiped away the tears and offered up a heartbreaking half-smile, trying to dismiss everything he’d just seen.

‘There is absolutely no need to be ashamed about anything. Nor do you have to keep pushing me away, Georgiana. I know what your injuries are. I deal with similar every day.’ He saw her flinch at the acknowledgement but if that was holding her back from accepting help, they had to address it.

‘It—it’s something I’m still struggling to accept myself,’ she admitted through stuttering gulps of breath.

‘I know we haven’t got off to the best start, but I’m being honest when I say I want to help speed your recovery as much as I can.’

It was true. This mission might have started as a favour to her mother but Ed genuinely wanted to help Georgiana. He knew the hardship involved for those with mobility issues. His brother Jamie’s fight had affected the whole family. That was why he did what he did here. To give every patient, every family, the chance to reach their full potential.

The clinic could give her a boost physically and, given tonight’s outburst, she needed a friend to get her through this. Though he was sure she’d never say as much. Her pride and obstinacy had got her this far but there