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Today was a big day.

Huge!

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked in.

'Good morning, Elizabeth,' Imogen greeted her. 'Feeling refreshed?'

'For a Saturday, yes, I am. Thank you.'

'Glad you got a good sleep, girl. You needed it.' Imogen gestured to the ward. 'Go and see Marcus. He's been asking for you.'

'All right. Uh...where's Mitch?'

'I sent him home to shower and change. He'll be back directly.'

Elizabeth nodded and went through to see Marcus. 'Good morning,' she said, and was pleased to see him sitting up in bed. 'How was breakfast?'

'I couldn't face much.'

'That's quite common.' She reached for his chart at the end of the bed and read the notes. 'Good. Everything looks good.' She replaced the chart and went to pull back the bedcovers.

'What are you doing?' he asked in alarm, clutching the sheets to him.

Elizabeth was surprised. 'I'm checking your leg.'

'It's fine.'

'You're embarrassed? I'm a doctor, Marcus. I operated on you.'

'I know.' He winced. 'As if that wasn't bad enough.'

'What do you mean?' she asked defensively, but tried to keep her tone as light as possible.

'You saw me naked.'

'Oh.' Elizabeth relaxed. 'Is that all? Well, yes, Marcus, but then again the majority of my patients are naked when I operate on them. You were draped with sterile cloths if that's any consolation.'

'You've done this before?'

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking at him again. 'I'm a
doctor,
Marcus. This is what I do. What did you think I was doing when I went to work each day?'

'I don't know. Giving out prescriptions and taking temperatures.'

Elizabeth tried hard not to smile. 'Well, I wasn't.'

'I realise that now.'

She pulled a chair over and sat down. 'I'm sorry if it bothers you that I operated on you, but there was no alternative. Not out here.'

'What about your colleague? Dr...um... What is his name, Elizabeth? I don't think I've heard anyone say it.'

'Good afternoon,' Mitch said from the doorway as he walked towards them. 'So glad you finally woke up, Lizzie.'

She stood and smiled at his teasing.

'Her name is Elizabeth,' Marcus corrected him.

Mitch merely shrugged.

'We were just talking about you,' Elizabeth ventured. 'Poor Marcus here has totally missed your name.'

'That's right. We've never been formally introduced.'

Mitch's gaze met Elizabeth's and she nodded encouragingly.

'I think you owe me that courtesy at least,' Marcus continued. 'Especially as it seems you've stolen my fiancé.'

Elizabeth opened her mouth to correct him but Mitch held up his hand.

'You're right, mate. Absolutely right. My name is Mitch O'Neill...' He paused, waiting for a look of recognition to cross his brother's face. Nothing. 'And, er...well, Lizzie said the two of you were never engaged and, er...' He stopped. Marcus was frowning.

'Mitch O'Neill.' He said the name out loud. 'That sounds familiar.'

Elizabeth and Mitch looked at each other in amazement.

'It should,' Elizabeth said. 'He's your brother!'

Marcus's mouth hung open in shock. He closed his eyes, then opened them again. 'My...' He cleared his throat, Elizabeth completely forgotten as he stared at Mitch. 'My brother?' The words were whispered as he looked Mitch over. 'Mitchell?'

'Yes.' The word was choked out and Elizabeth felt for Mitch—for both of them. This was an important moment and although she knew Mitch was more than happy to have a reunion, she couldn't assess Marcus's mood too well.

'So this is where you ended up. In the middle of nowhere.' His words were derogatory, as well as bitter. 'I might have known.'

'Marcus!' Elizabeth was horrified. 'You haven't seen him since you were six years old and this is the best you can do?'

'Elizabeth?' Marcus turned to face her, obviously stunned.

'Coober Pedy is
not
the middle of nowhere. It's an amazing place, rich in culture and history. There are special qualities needed to be an outback doctor and Mitch has them all in abundance. You have no idea what's gone on in his life just as he has no idea what's happened in yours, but that is no reason to be snobbish and judgmental in a situation you know
nothing
about.'

'Elizabeth, how dare you speak to me like that?' Marcus was outraged.

'I dare...because I care.'

'Care for
him?'

'Yes.' She straightened her shoulders. 'And as for you, you great...' She searched for a word, one which fitted perfectly, and finally she found it. 'You great
drongo!'

'Great what?'

'It means idiot,' Mitch supplied, touched by the way Elizabeth had championed him.

'You are
brothers.
You've found each other again. Don't let the past control your future, Marcus,' she implored earnestly. 'Let this experience be a life-changing one. Mitch may have saved your life yesterday because that's what he's trained to do, but he's also realised that bygones need to be bygones. Don't waste this opportunity.'

'You've changed a lot, Elizabeth.'

'No.' She shook her head emphatically. 'I haven't changed, Marcus, I've merely discovered who I am deep down inside.'

'But what about your father? He's not well. He's going to have a lot to deal with. He needs you.'

'And that is between me and my father.' She shook her head. 'Not you.'

'But we were a couple. We dated.'

'Yes, and that's where it ends. You never loved me, Marcus. Not
real
love.' She couldn't bring herself to meet Mitch's gaze as she spoke. 'You wanted a wife for corporate functions, a wife who looked good and who came with the right social standing.' She shook her head sadly. 'That's not me.'

'We can discuss this when you get back to England.'

Elizabeth took a deep breath. 'I'm not going back.'

'Not now, I can see that you're needed here, but once your contract expires.'

Elizabeth nodded. 'I know what you meant. I'm still not going back to England.'

'You're not?' Mitch was astonished and the ray of hope that had started to grow in his heart yesterday now sprouted new shoots.

Elizabeth shifted to look at him. 'No.'

'Well, where will you go?' Marcus asked. 'What will you do?'

'She's hardly unemployable,' Mitch added, his gaze never leaving hers. 'And, besides, we have a vacancy here.'

'You do?' she whispered.

'Yes.'

'Great.' Marcus's tone was sardonic. 'So you'll stay and marry my brother.'

'Well, I
have
asked her,' Mitch added with a smile.

'You didn't
ask,
' Elizabeth corrected him.

'I knew it. I knew it. I'll bet the instant you discovered she was dating me, you decided to get even and take her away from me.'

Mitch looked at his brother in confusion. 'Get even for
what?
What is it, Marcus? What is it about me that you dislike so much?'

Marcus turned away. 'Get out. Both of you. You've harassed me enough. I want to be transferred to a different hospital as soon as possible.'

Elizabeth felt awful. She certainly hadn't expected things to turn out this way but she could see Marcus was resolute in his decision. She glanced at Mitch and could see the pain in his eyes.

'OK.' Elizabeth heard the sadness in Mitch's tone. 'I'll have Imogen begin the paperwork.'

'Thank you,' Marcus replied grudgingly, before closing his eyes.

Elizabeth and Mitch turned and headed out of the ward. 'I guess he doesn't want me to smuggle in any choc-pops,' Mitch said, and she knew he was desperately trying to cover his emotions with humour—and failing.

Mitch shook his head and gave instructions to Imogen in a brisk and efficient manner which fooled no one.

'We'll be in the clinic if we're needed,' he told Imogen, and reached for Elizabeth's hand. 'We need to talk.'

Neither of them spoke as they walked through to the deserted clinic. Mitch unlocked one of the doors and waited for her to go in before closing it behind him. 'Not the most comfortable place to talk but at least it's private.' He shifted some things off the desk and sat down, drawing Elizabeth into his embrace. 'Just let me hold you, Lizzie.'

She welcomed the touch, needing it as much as he did. 'I feel so guilty,' she said after a while and pulled back to look at him. 'Poor Marcus has had an operation and now finds his brother and loses his girlfriend all in one hit.'

He nodded. 'Talk about kicking a man when he's down.'

'I didn't plan for it to turn out like this.'

'What
did
you plan, Lizzie? You've said you want to stay here but what else?'

'I don't just want to stay here, Mitch. I've finally figured it out. I've figured out that I...I belong here.'

'Finally!'

Elizabeth looked at him. 'Can't you see it? Can't you feel it?' She took a deep breath and met his gaze. 'I love you, Mitchell O'Neill, and although you've tried to hide your heart away, I know you love me, too. Don't you?'

He smiled at her. 'You're so sure of yourself. It's nice to see. Yes, Lizzie, I love you—so much it tears me up inside every moment you're not with me.'

'So you'll marry me?'

Mitch grinned. 'Are you asking or telling me?'

'Asking.' She laughed, amazed at how wonderful she felt after feeling totally devastated only minutes before. 'I guess I'd better show you men how it's supposed to be done.' Elizabeth stepped from his embrace, took his hand in hers and went down on one knee. 'Mitchell O'Neill, will you marry me?'

Mitch laughed and tugged her to her feet. 'Can I still be head of the "help Lizzie to become more spontaneous" club?'

'I wouldn't have anyone else.'

'Then just you try and stop me from marrying you.' He pressed his mouth to hers and they sealed their future with one humdinger of a kiss.

Elizabeth couldn't believe how wonderful she felt. It was as though all her Christmases had come at once and they were all wrapped up in the package that was Mitch. 'You are so important to me,' she whispered when they finally came up for air. 'You encourage me to dig deep to discover who I really am. You are proud of me when I do something silly.' She laughed, her voice filled with emotion, tears starting to gather in her eyes. 'You might urge me or disagree with me but not in a dictatorial way. You'd never organise my life without my consent and you have no idea just how much that means to me.' She sniffed and kissed him once more. Mitch didn't respond. Elizabeth pulled back and looked at him. He was frowning a little and his previous happiness had now dulled. 'What's the matter?'

'I've done something, Lizzie, and it's one of the things we need to talk about.'

'You're scaring me, Mitch.'

'I called your father,' he said quickly.

She relaxed. 'I know. Mum mentioned you asked for the number. I guess you told him about Marcus.'

'Yes, but I also told him a few other things.'

A prickle of apprehension washed over her but she squashed it, knowing she needed to trust him. Knowing that if her love was pure, so must her trust be. 'Well, whatever you said, I'm sure it was necessary. He's by no means the easiest man to get along with.'

'You're not worried?'

'I'm curious but I trust you, Mitch.'

He pulled back and gazed deeply into her eyes. 'Wow,' he whispered. 'What did I do to deserve you?' Mitch pressed his mouth to hers in a possessive way that only enhanced her own feelings. 'Just like that. You're happy with whatever I said to your father.'

'Yes.'

'Even if he never speaks to you again?'

Elizabeth grimaced and then shrugged. 'I'm sure he'll get over things in time...just as Marcus will.'

'Do you think he'll get over the fact that I told him you were staying here in Coober Pedy? That you wouldn't be returning to England at all and that I was planning to marry you before the end of the month?'

'Oh, you didn't!'

'I did.'

'You were pretty sure of yourself.'

Mitch gazed down into her eyes. 'I realised when we were in that mine-shaft with Marcus that I could never let you go. I knew I wanted you around and I was prepared to marry you, but when I mentioned it to you the other week I was still firmly in control of my heart—well, at least, that's what I told myself.' He shook his head, a bemused smile on his lips. 'Who was I kidding?' He pressed his lips to hers. 'When I realised that the
real
reason I wanted you around was because I was madly in love with you...I had no idea what to do.'

'So you avoided me.' It all made perfect sense...now!

'I...I honestly didn't know how to handle the situation. I didn't want to confuse you, to influence your decisions. You were just beginning to discover who you were and were also becoming comfortable within yourself. To have me blurt out that I loved you would have added more fuel to the fire. Then Marcus showed up yesterday and...' He trailed off and gathered her close. 'But I love you, Lizzie, and I knew there was no way I could cope with life without you. I only
hoped
you'd want to stay here, but if you'd wanted to return to England, believe me, I was formulating a plan to follow you to the ends of the earth if necessary.' He paused, took a deep breath and shifted back once more to look at her. 'I
need
you, Lizzie, and I told your father that.'

'What did he say?'

'He blustered on for a while but in the end I told him that if he didn't accept that you were old enough to live your own life he may end up losing you.'

'Harsh.' She nodded, not for one minute holding it against him. 'I wouldn't have had the gumption to say anything so blunt to him.'

'I know. That's why I did it for you. It's better for me to take the heat on this, rather than you.'