The Army Doctor's Wedding (5 page)

Cameron dropped his gaze on a
sigh. "I wish I could. The trouble is I've already told him you aren't
married. The only way he'll believe us now is if we can show him a marriage
certificate."

***

Cameron stood on top of the hill behind the field hospital
and stared across Rejerrah. The ubiquitous dust hung over the city like a pall
of smoke, but he could still make out the tall buildings in the business
district where he and Alice had visited the government office the previous day.

He swiveled to gaze over the
desert, to the shamble of tents and huts that marked the refugee camp. About
five miles farther out was the wrecked rebel jeep that had been chasing Alice
down, and the place on the rocky ground where she'd fallen holding Sami, just
before he got to them.

And here he was in the middle
with a huge conundrum. He wanted to do his best for Sami. Even if someone else
had brought the baby to the hospital, he would still have gone out of his way
to help the tiny boy. But because it was Alice, he wanted to help even more.
Yet to marry her just to get the child out of the country felt like going way
above and beyond the call of duty.

He sat on a rock and rubbed a
hand over his sweaty face. The sun beat down relentlessly, burning the tops of
his ears. He should cover them up. He should go back inside. Yet he didn't
move. Alice was inside fretting over Sami's fate. Cameron couldn't bear to see
her worrying when he had the power to do something about it.

Perhaps God was giving him this
chance to help Sami so he could make up for not being a father to George? Or
perhaps he was trying to find hidden depths in a straightforward situation.
When it came down to basics, it was a simple decision—he could either marry
Alice and take Sami back to the UK for surgery, or let the baby sink without
trace in a lousy orphanage.

The sound of a helicopter drew
his attention and he shaded his eyes to watch as it approached the airfield on
his left. The Apache raised a hurricane of dust, obscuring itself as it neared
the ground. Cameron pressed his sleeve over his nose and narrowed his eyes as
the edge of the dust cloud hit him.

"Cam, there you are."

Cameron turned to find Kelly
Grace trudging up the hill behind him. She reached the top and rested a hand on
his shoulder. "Move over so I can sit down."

Cameron shuffled along with a
sigh; so much for getting away from everyone to think in peace.

She rubbed his arm. "I'm
worried about you."

Kelly knew him better than most
people and he trusted her. She was the only person he had confided in about
this problem. Perhaps talking the situation over with her was a good idea.

"You don't have to marry
Alice," she said. "Nobody will stop her taking the baby out on a
military flight now she has a UK entry visa for the boy."

"Yeah, I know. But how's it
going to look to the authorities at home if she takes the baby out of this
country without proper authorization? That will nix any chance she has of
adopting him. Sure, Sami will get his surgery and be allowed to stay in the UK,
but not with Alice. Even with my father's influence, I doubt Social Services
would let her keep him."

"I can understand why she
wants to keep him." Kelly's gaze drifted into the distance. "I'd feel
the same way."

Cameron wiped his sweaty palms on
his knees. Alice hadn't asked him to marry her, but they both knew it was the
only way to take Sami out of the country legally. Well, almost legally. He
supposed a marriage on paper just to con the system wasn't strictly legal.

Kelly fell uncharacteristically
quiet for a while.

"So, what do you
think?" Cameron prompted. "If you've got any other suggestions, I'm
all ears."

"Do you have feelings for
her?" She cast him a quick sideways glance.

Suddenly this conversation felt
awkward. They had stopped dating years ago, but there was an edge to Kelly's
voice that made him uncomfortable.

"I admire her, and I don't
want to see her hurt." He rubbed a hand across his mouth, trying to think
how to explain what he felt. That was difficult when he didn't know himself.
But he was certain about some things. "I want to make sure Sami gets his
operation, and that Alice has the chance to adopt him in the UK."

"There's your answer, then.
You marry her."

Emotion shot through Cameron, hot
and uncomfortable, although quite what emotion it was he couldn't say. If
marrying Alice was the only way to help her keep Sami, he would have to do it.
"I'd better call the padre and arrange things quickly. It makes sense for
us to travel to the UK together next week when I go home for George's
birthday."

"Your parents are going to
be surprised."

"That's got to be the
understatement of the century."

Chapter Five

Alice stood in front of the army padre in her shorts,
borrowed T-shirt, and boots, with ugly yellow and purple bruising around her
eyes and a nose that was still somewhat swollen.

The room was small, with flaking
cement walls and holes for windows. A makeshift place of worship in this
hostile environment. The only thing identifying its purpose was a metal cross
on a wooden stand set on a table behind Father Dudley.

Cameron stood at Alice's side
wearing his desert camouflage trousers, dusty boots, and a sandy-colored
T-shirt. Lieutenant Grace and Major Braithwaite sat on wooden chairs behind
them, both there to witness the marriage.

Marriage!

Alice swallowed down the massive
lump in her throat as memories from the past rushed back. She had sworn never
to marry. She had believed she would never trust a man enough to commit like
that. If someone had told her she would marry a soldier in a makeshift chapel
in a war zone, she would have thought they were crazy.

Yet here she was, and far from being
nervous with Cameron she was deeply grateful to him. She cast a quick sideways
glance at the gorgeous army doctor with his warm brown eyes and easy smile. She
might be developing feelings for him, but Alice had no illusions he was
interested in her. When he'd suggested they marry, he had made it clear it was
only so they could help Sami.

His lack of interest didn't
surprise her. She looked a mess. She was definitely not much of a catch. What
did surprise her was that a man like Cameron didn't have a wife or girlfriend
at home already.

The pleasant tenor of the padre's
voice repeated the familiar words of the marriage ceremony. Alice responded
appropriately where needed, her voice faint with nerves, her senses reeling at
the strangeness of the situation.

"I now pronounce you man and
wife. You may kiss the bride," Father Dudley said.

Alice's gaze shot to Cameron in
alarm. Considering the circumstances, she had assumed they would skip this part
of the ceremony.

He turned to face her. As if in a
dream, her feet stepped around too. She met his gaze, and he smiled intimately,
as if the two of them shared a secret. The smile confused her, set her mind
racing to understand what he was thinking.

"Alice," he said
softly, raising a hand to rest on her good shoulder. Then he leaned down,
hesitated a moment, and pressed his lips to hers.

The kiss lasted only a few
seconds, a chaste touch of his lips to hers. Yet the warm grip of his fingers
on her shoulder and the firm touch of his lips on hers rocked her foundations
as surely as if a shell had dropped on the chapel.

She had been certain he was only
being kind, trying to help her adopt Sami, certain he wasn't attracted to her.
After the kiss, she wondered if she were wrong. Then he turned back to the
padre, all business again.

They each signed the marriage
certificate and had it witnessed, then Cameron folded the piece of paper
carefully and put it in his pocket. He ushered her outside into the jeep that
had brought them across the airfield to the main area of the NATO base.

Alice sat in the back with
Lieutenant Grace and Major Braithwaite while Cameron took the front seat beside
the driver. The others chatted and joked but Alice stayed silent, her thoughts
spinning with confusion over how she felt and what would happen next.

She was married to Maj. Cameron
Knight.

For the first time it occurred to
her that she knew next to nothing about this man apart from his profession. He
was obviously bright and well educated, otherwise he wouldn't be a doctor. He'd
mentioned his father worked at the Ministry of Defense, and he had a brother
who was also an army doctor.

What would his military family
think of her? Would she even meet them? After all, she and Cameron were married
in name only.

Alice felt light-headed with
unreality as the jeep pulled up outside the field hospital. Cameron jumped out
and his colleagues followed. Alice slid along the seat to reach the open door,
awkward because of her broken arm. Suddenly Cameron was there, his hand
outstretched to support her and help her climb out.

"Thank you," she said,
self-conscious in a way she hadn't been before the wedding.

"You're welcome." He
dropped his steadying grip the moment she found her feet and joined his
colleagues again, resuming their conversation.

Alice followed them inside, her
emotions swinging around like a weather vane in a storm. The marriage was not
real. There was no relationship between them. So why did she now feel shy and
uncertain around Cameron like a schoolgirl with a crush?

She needed to stop thinking about
him and focus on Sami. She strode past Cameron and his two friends and hurried
back to her room where she had left Sami asleep in his bassinet. The nurse on
duty was just leaving the room when she entered.

"How's he been?"

"As good as gold. You'll
probably want to prepare a bottle. I think he's waking up."

Alice leaned over the bassinet
and smiled down at her baby boy. She couldn't pinpoint exactly when she'd
started to think of Sami as
her
baby, but he absolutely was hers. She
would do whatever it took to make sure her little boy was safe, healthy, and
loved. That meant taking him back to the UK with her, arranging for the surgery
on his lip, and officially adopting him in Britain.

Cameron caught her up and came
into the room. "You were anxious to get back here."

"I'm always anxious to see
this little guy." Alice stroked Sami's cheek. He waved his arms and kicked
his legs.

"He recognizes you,"
Cameron said.

Sami turned his head in Cameron's
direction and made his cute huffing sound.

"He recognizes you as well,
or at least your voice."

Cameron pressed his lips together
thoughtfully and stepped up beside the bassinet. He stared down at Sami then
touched his fingertips to the baby's cheek, a smile pulling at his lips. Sami's
little legs kicked like crazy. "I think you're right," Cameron said.
"He does know me."

He ran his fingers over the
baby's chest and arms. "You're growing so fast, you funny little
guy." His gaze lingered on the baby for a few moments longer then he
turned his attention to Alice. "Are you going to feed him now?"

At her nod, he lifted the baby
out of his bassinet and cradled him in an arm. "Let's go and prepare your
bottle then, bud."

Alice headed for the small
kitchen where the bottle warmer and formula were kept, Cameron and Sami at her
side. Her heart raced every time she glanced at the baby, so tiny in Cameron's
tanned, muscular arms. He'd picked up the baby before, but always as a doctor
to examine him. This time was different. Was Cameron growing attached to Sami?

Alice quickly mixed up the bottle
and they went back to the room. She sat on the bed and took Sami from Cameron
then put the nipple in the hungry baby's mouth. Cameron crossed his arms and
observed, an amused smile on his lips, as Sami sucked down his milk.

"Well, I can't stand here
watching him all day. I'm going to join a patrol and return to the government
offices with this." He patted the pocket where he had stowed the marriage
certificate. "Wish me luck with the Child Protective Services
people."

"Of course." She would
do more than wish him luck. She would be praying for success the whole time he
was away.

Cameron flicked up his eyebrows
and grinned. "See you later." He turned and strode out the door.

After Cameron left, it took a
good few minutes for Alice's heart rate to return to normal. When Sami was
burped, she laid him on the bed and stretched out at his side, kissing his
sweet little face. "I'm going to be your mummy soon," she whispered.
Then with a furtive glance at the door to make sure nobody was listening, she
continued. "And Cameron is going to be your daddy."

***

Cameron strode along the walkway down the center of the RAF
C-17 Aeromed aircraft that he, Alice, Sami, and a group of soldiers heading
home for rest and relaxation had boarded to head back to the UK.

The plane had brought in supplies
and then been adapted to carry out wounded. This time there were only four
casualties to take home, all men Cameron had worked on in the field hospital.

This was an RAF operation, with a
full staff of doctors and medical technicians manning the plane. Cameron was
officially off duty, but he couldn't twiddle his thumbs for over five hours
when he might be of help.

"Captain Fellows, can I
assist?" Cameron addressed the nearest doctor, then put his hands on his
hips and scanned the area where the patients were, two of them on life support
machines.

"Thanks for the offer, but I
think we're on top of things." The young captain nodded past Cameron
towards the seats occupied by the other passengers. "Perhaps you should
get back to your bride."

Cameron had hoped to keep the
wedding quiet but the news had spread around the base like wildfire. His
commanding officer had appeared to be at a loss for words, which suited Cameron
fine. He glanced over his shoulder to where Alice had her attention firmly
fixed on Sami in his traveling crib on the ground in front of her. Her braided
hair hung forward, gleaming in the lights like gold.

"If I were you, I'd have
other things on my mind besides work," the young captain said.

That was the problem. Cameron did
have other things on his mind. Inappropriate things considering the marriage
was in name only. Ever since the wedding ceremony two days ago, he'd started to
notice Alice in a way he hadn't before. Maybe he had a mental block that
labeled female patients as off limits, and that had been lifted. He gave the
man a weak smile. "Okay. Well, you know where I am if you need me."

He turned and wandered to a
storage unit and grabbed an armful of ration packs. The last thing he felt like
was food, but it might distract him. "Anyone for some lunch?"

Most of the soldiers answered in
the affirmative and he tossed the ration packs to them, before grabbing a
couple for Alice and himself.

"They don't need you
then?" she asked as he sat at her side. The bruising around her eyes had
finally faded. Her blue eyes looked bigger and her previously swollen nose was
now small and very cute.

To make matters worse, he had
realized there was no way he could simply file for an annulment of the marriage
on the grounds of non-consummation. He was the one who'd signed the adoption
papers. If they dissolved the marriage, it would mess up any likelihood that
the British courts would ratify the existing adoption. Alice would then have to
start again from scratch.

Until the adoption was finalized
in the UK, the marriage must appear to be real. He had no idea how she would
feel about that. They needed to talk the issue over soon.

"Are you sure you're happy
to come to my brother's?" In this situation, it seemed sensible that he
and Alice should stay together with Sami. His relatives would be only too happy
to meet Alice and the baby. They might not be quite so overjoyed when they
discovered the circumstances of the marriage.

"That would be great, if
they don't mind."

"Did you want to go and see
your parents over the weekend?"

Alice ducked her head and sorted
through her ration pack.

"Is there a problem,
Alice?" He'd noticed she avoided talking about her parents.

She flashed him an oblique look
that he couldn't decipher. "Dad's busy. I don't want to trouble him. I'll
call my mum sometime."

Alice had been out of the country
in a war zone for months, yet she thought her father wouldn't have time for
her?

Normally he wouldn't pry into
someone's personal life, but this was different. Alice was his wife. "You
don't get along with your father?"

She shrank down in her seat and
hugged her ration pack. "I don't want him to know about Sami."

"Okay." Warning bells
sounded in Cameron's head. Her expression closed off at the mention of her
father. He wanted to know why. It occurred to him that he had no idea what sort
of a background Alice came from. He knew nothing about her except her
nationality and that she hailed from the London area like him.

"I'll need to notify Social
Services about Sami when we arrive back," she said, obviously aiming to
deflect any further questions about her father.

"My sister-in-law is a
lawyer. She specializes in family law. I expect she can help us."

Cameron had a nasty suspicion the
Social Services people weren't going to like the fact they had brought a
foreign orphan into the country without being vetted as adoptive parents first.
He hoped it didn't count against them too much.

It was a good thing he had a
close, well-connected family. Cameron was no social worker, but he guessed
Social Services were a lot more likely to let Alice keep the baby if she stayed
in a supportive family environment.

Alice leaned down and rested her
hand on Sami's chest as if drawing strength from her connection with the boy.
"Are you sure your family won't mind putting me and Sami up?"

Cameron wanted to keep them with
him, and it wasn't just because of the adoption. He wanted to make sure Sami
was all right, and monitor Alice's arm. That's what he told himself, anyway.

"Heck, no." Cameron
laughed. "My mother will be over the moon to meet him. You should have
seen her with her first grandchild. She wouldn't put George down."

"Is George your brother's
son?"

"Yes." Cameron clamped
his lips together. Why had he mentioned George? He didn't want to discuss him.
He'd only end up revealing how he'd given up his own son to his brother. He
didn't need to be a mind reader to know Alice wouldn't approve.