A Doctor to Remember (6 page)

‘And the heart rate? Has that improved?’

‘It’s getting better. She’s had atropine, two milligrams so far.’

‘Good. That’s something, at least. Now, these X-ray films—’

‘Coming up.’ Jake brought up the pictures on the screen and Matt sucked his breath through his teeth.

‘That’s a C7 fracture. She’ll need to go for surgery to get that stabilised. See if Andrew Simmons is available to come and look at her.’

‘I will. I think I saw him earlier in his office.’

‘Okay. She’ll need her pain medication topped up and steroids to bring down the inflammation.’

‘I’ll write it up. Gina Raines is her specialist nurse. I’ll let her know.’

Matt’s head went back. ‘Gina?’

Saffi frowned. It was clear he was startled by this information for some reason.

‘Yes, she generally works at the community hospital, but she transferred over here a couple of days ago on a temporary contract. She’s pretty good at the job, from what I’ve seen.’

‘Oh, yes,’ Matt said. ‘She’s certainly well qualified. She was always keen to get on.’ His expression was guarded and Saffi wondered what had brought about this sudden change in him. Had he worked with Gina before this? From the sound of things, he knew her fairly well.

‘It’s all right, Jake,’ he said briskly, getting himself back on track. ‘I’ll go and speak to her myself. Perhaps you could concentrate on chasing up Andrew Simmons.’

‘I’ll do that.’

Matt turned to Saffi, laying a hand lightly on her elbow. ‘Are you okay to go home with the paramedics? They have to go through the village on the way to the ambulance station.’

‘Yes, that’s fine, as long as they don’t mind helping me transfer my groceries from your car.’

‘I’m sure they’ll be okay with that.’

He seemed concerned about her and Saffi smiled at him. ‘Don’t worry about me. I know you want to see to your patient and I understand that you’re busy.’

He relaxed a little. ‘They’ll be in the restaurant, getting coffee, I imagine, but I asked them to page me when they’re ready to go.’

She walked with him to the treatment bay where Katie was being looked after by a team of doctors and nurses. The girl was still wearing the rigid collar that protected her cervical spine, and she looked frightened, overwhelmed by everything that was happening. A nurse was doing her best to reassure her. Was this Gina?

The nurse’s glance lifted as Matt entered the room and there was an immediate tension in the air as they looked at one another.

‘Well, this is a surprise,’ she said. There was a soft lilt to her voice. She was an attractive woman with green eyes and a beautifully shaped mouth, and dark brown hair that was pinned up at the back in a silky braid. ‘It’s been quite a while, Matt.’

‘It has. I—uh—wasn’t expecting to see you here.’

‘No. I’m standing in for the girl who went off on maternity leave.’

‘Ah.’ He cleared his throat, and Saffi guessed he was more than a little disturbed by this meeting. ‘So, how’s our patient doing?’

‘She’s very scared.’

‘That’s only natural.’ He walked over to the bedside and squeezed Katie’s hand gently. ‘Your parents are on their way, Katie. They should be here soon.’

He spoke in a calm, soothing voice, comforting her as best he could and answering her questions in a positive manner. After a while, the girl seemed a little less tense.

Gina looked at him in quiet satisfaction as they walked away from the bedside. ‘You were always good with the patients,’ she murmured. ‘You seem to have the magic touch.’

‘Let’s hope her faith in me isn’t misplaced,’ he said, his mouth making a taut line.

Gina glanced at Saffi, and her eyes widened a fraction. ‘Saffi. I thought you were based in Hampshire? Are you working here now?’

‘Um. No. I’m just visiting.’ She was flummoxed for a while after Gina spoke to her. It seemed that the nurse knew her, as well as Matt, and that made her feel more confused than ever. How many more people would she come across that she didn’t recognise?

‘Saffi’s been in an accident,’ Matt said, giving the nurse a strangely intent look. His pager bleeped and he quickly checked it, before adding, ‘She has amnesia and she’s here to recover.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry.’

‘It’s all right.’ Saffi was suddenly anxious to get away, her mind reeling with unanswered questions. Just how well did Matt and Gina know one another? Quite closely, she suspected, from the way Gina looked at him. Would they be getting back together again?

Her mind shied away from the thought. She realised she didn’t want to think of Matt being with another woman, and that thought disturbed her and threw her off balance.

‘I’d better leave you both to your work,’ she murmured. ‘I should be going now, anyway.’ She turned to Matt. ‘Was that the paramedics paging you a moment ago?’

He nodded. ‘They’re waiting by the desk. I’ll take you over to them.’

‘No, don’t bother. You stay here and look after your patient.’

He frowned. ‘If you’re sure?’

‘I am.’

‘Okay, then. Bye, Saffi.’

‘Bye.’ She nodded to Gina and hurried away. More than ever she felt as though she needed to escape. How was it that Matt had crept into her heart and managed to steal it away?

The paramedics were a friendly pair, making up for the stress of the job they were doing with light-hearted humour. Word of the exchange between Matt and Gina must have travelled fast, because they were chatting about it on the journey home.

‘Is she another conquest in the making, do you think?’ the driver said with a smile.

His partner nodded. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised. I don’t know how he does it. I could do with a bit of his charisma rubbing off on me.’

They both chuckled, and Saffi kept quiet. Heaven forbid they should see her as yet another woman who had managed to fall for the good-looking emergency doctor. Just how many girls had fallen by the wayside where Matt was concerned?

The paramedics dropped her off at the house and then left, giving her a cheerful wave.

She started on some chores, desperate to take her mind off the image of Matt and Gina being together. It bothered her much more than she liked to admit. She’d wanted to stay free from entanglements, but somehow Matt had managed to slide beneath her defences and now she was suffering the consequences.

Some time later, she glanced through the local newspaper, studying the advertisements for cars. One way or another, she had to steer clear of Matt before she became too deeply involved with him. She could finish up being badly hurt, and she’d been through enough already, without adding that to her troubles. Having her own transport would be a start. But was she ready to get back behind the wheel? That one time she’d driven Matt’s car was still seared on her brain.

Around teatime, she went out into the garden to feed the hens. She filled up a bucket with grain from the wooden shed but as she was locking the door a huge clamour started up, coming from the chicken run. Filled with alarm, she hurried over there. Had a fox managed to get in? But hadn’t Matt told her there was wire mesh under and around the base of the pen to keep scavengers out? Besides, there were solid walls and fences all around the property.

The hens were squawking, making a huge din, scurrying about, flapping their wings in distress, and she was startled to see that, instead of a fox, it was Ben who was behind the disturbance.

He was running around, shouting, waving his arms and shooing the hens from one end of the compound to the other. How had he managed to get in there? She looked around and saw an upturned plastic flower tub by the side of the gate. He must have climbed on it to reach the door catch.

‘Ben! Stop that right now.’ Matt strode towards the enclosure as though he meant business.

Ben stood stock-still, his face registering dismay at being caught doing something wrong, swiftly followed by a hint of rebellion in the backward tilt of his head and in the peevish set of his mouth.

Matt opened the door to the run and he and Saffi both went inside.

‘I know you think it’s fun to get the hens running about like this,’ Matt said, ‘but they’re not like you and me…they could die from fright. You have to be careful around them.’

Ben’s brow knotted as he tried to work things out in his head, and Saffi wondered if he actually knew what it meant to die from fright. He certainly knew from Matt’s tone of voice that it wasn’t a good thing. In the meantime, the hens went on squawking, still panicked.

‘I’m sorry about this, Saffi,’ Matt said. ‘He’s been fractious ever since I fetched him from the childminder.’

‘It’s not your fault.’ She frowned. ‘I thought he was supposed to be with his father this afternoon?’

‘He was, for a while, but apparently James was called away again.’

‘Oh, I see.’ She made a face. ‘That can’t have helped.’

‘No. Anyway, I’ll take him away and leave you to get on.’ He turned to Ben and said firmly, ‘Come on, young man, we’re going back to the house.’

The boy went to him as he was told, but there were tears of frustration in his eyes and Saffi’s heart melted. He was obviously upset about his father and over whelmed at being in trouble, and maybe all he needed was some kind of distraction therapy.

She cut in quietly, ‘Perhaps it would help him to learn how to look after the hens instead of scaring them. I could show him how to feed them, if you like.’

Ben looked at him with an anxious expression and Matt smiled, relenting. ‘That’s a good idea. Thanks, Saffi.’ He looked at Ben. ‘You know, it’s kind of Saffi to do this, so make sure you behave yourself.’

Ben nodded, the tears miraculously gone, and Saffi showed him how to grab a handful of corn and scatter it about. He watched as the hens started to peck amongst the sand and gravel and giggled when they nudged his feet to get at the grain.

‘You’re doing really well,’ Saffi told him. ‘Your dad would be proud if he could see you now.’

‘Would he?’ He looked at her doubtfully, and then at Matt.

‘Oh, yes,’ Matt agreed. ‘He would. Shall I take your picture? Then you can show him next time you see him.’

‘Yeah.’ Ben threw down some more grain, showing off and smiling widely at the camera, and Matt snapped him on his mobile phone. He showed him the photo and the little boy grinned in delight.

‘I want to show Mummy.’ Ben’s expression sobered instantly and tears glistened in his eyes once more. ‘I want Mummy.’ His bottom lip began to tremble.

Matt put an arm around him and gave him a hug. ‘I know you do. We’ll go and see her at the hospital after tea.’

‘We could pick some flowers for her,’ Saffi said. ‘I think she’d like that, don’t you?’

‘Yeah.’ Ben rubbed the tears from his eyes and looked at her expectantly. ‘Can we do it now?’

‘Okay. Let me finish up here and we’ll find some for you.’

They made sure the hens were contented once more and then Matt locked up and removed the flower tub from the gate while Saffi went with Ben into the walled garden, carrying a trug and scissors.

‘I wonder what your mummy would like?’ Saffi said, looking around. ‘What do you think, Ben?’

‘Those ones.’ He pointed to a trellis that was covered with delicate sweet-pea blooms, and Saffi nodded.

‘That’s a good choice, Ben. I think she’ll love those.’ She started to cut the flowers, frilly pink-edged blooms along with pale violet and soft blues, placing them carefully in the trug on the ground. The four-year-old went down on his knees and put his nose against them, breathing in the scent.

She smiled. ‘These were Aunt Annie’s favourites. She planted them every year.’ She put down the scissors and handed him the basket. ‘I think that’s enough now. Why don’t you take them into the kitchen and I’ll find a ribbon to tie round the stems?’

‘Okay.’ Ben hurried away, taking extra care with his treasure trove.

‘You remembered…’ Matt was looking at her in wonder, and Saffi stared at him, not knowing what he was talking about. ‘Your Aunt Annie,’ he prompted, ‘planting sweet peas.’ She gasped, stunned by the revelation.

She laughed then, a joyful, happy laugh, full of the excitement of new discovery. ‘I remember her showing me how to grow them when I was a small child,’ she said, suddenly breathless with delight. ‘And then we picked them together and made up little wedding baskets for some children who were going to be bridesmaids.’ She laughed again, thrilled by the memory and the unlocking of part of her mind that she had thought was gone for ever.

Matt put his arms around her. ‘I’m really glad for you, Saffi.’ He hesitated, then asked on a cautious note, ‘Has it all come back to you?’

She shook her head. ‘No, but I do remember living here when I was a child. She was a wonderful woman. She always had time for me and I loved her to bits.’ There was sadness with the memory, and as he heard the slight shake in her voice, Matt held her close, knowing what she was going through.

‘I think you’ve absorbed a lot of her qualities,’ he said softly. ‘You were so good with Ben just now. I’m not sure I would have handled the situation as well as you did. But now you’ve given him something to look forward to.’

She smiled up at him. ‘He’s not a bad boy, just overwhelmed with what’s going on in his life right now. He’s bewildered by what’s happening to him. I feel the same way sometimes, so I think I understand something of what he’s going through. His world has turned upside down.’

He sighed, gently stroking her, his hand gliding over her back. ‘I know. I wish I could make things right for him…and for you. It was great just now to see you laugh. It lights up your face when you do that,’ he said huskily, ‘and when you smile, I’m helpless…I tell myself I must keep away, and not go down that road but, no matter how much I try to hold back, I just want to kiss you…I’m lost…’

Inevitably, the thought led to the action, and slowly he bent his head and brushed her lips with his. It was a gentle, heart-stopping kiss that coaxed a warm, achingly sweet response from her. As her lips parted beneath his, he gave a ragged groan as though he couldn’t stop himself, and he held her tight, drawing her up against him so that her soft curves meshed with his long, hard body and her legs tangled with his muscular thighs.