The Taming of Dr. Alex Draycott (14 page)

Alex chose seared breast of chicken wrapped in bacon and served with a tangy sauce, creamed potatoes and vegetables, while Callum opted for the lasagne.

‘They make the sauce for the lasagne with red wine, tomato and Italian seasoning, as well as onion and mushrooms,’ he told her. ‘It’s delicious.’ He dipped a fork into the lasagne and offered it to her. ‘Here, have a taste. Tell me what you think.’

He slid the food into her mouth and she savoured it for a moment or two, conscious all the while of his gaze centred on the ripe curve of her mouth before it moved along the slender column of her throat.

‘Mmm…you’re right, it’s lovely.’ She sent him a quick, mischievous glance. ‘You just did that to make me doubt my choice, didn’t you?’ She made a weighing action with her hands. ‘Chicken and bacon on the one hand…lasagne on the other… What to do…what to do?’

‘You’ve changed your mind?’ He smiled. ‘That’s all right, I’ll swap you, if you like. It really doesn’t matter to me.’ He began to push his plate towards her.

‘No…no, really, I was just kidding.’ She held up a hand to stop him. ‘Keep it, please. I’m perfectly happy with what I’ve chosen.’ She sent him a quizzical glance. ‘Trouble is, you’re not used to seeing me in a teasing mood, are you? You see me as straightforward, always concentrating on work. I expect you think I’m not capable of letting my hair down.’

He shook his head. ‘I don’t know about that. I think you could be absolutely fabulous at letting your hair down, given half a chance.’ His eyes glinted, his gaze moving slowly over her, taking in the smooth line of her dress that clung where it touched. His glance lingered. ‘That’s definitely something I’d love to see…but unfortunately I get the feeling it’s highly unlikely.’

Alex felt her cheeks flush with heat. She could imagine spending time with Callum, getting close to him, experiencing the thrill of being in his arms, knowing the touch of his hands on her body…but she was coming to realise that she wanted much more from him than just a passionate fling.

It had never happened to her before. There had never been anyone who had made her feel this way, but now she knew she wanted a relationship that would last.

But where Callum was concerned, wasn’t that just a flight of fancy? She couldn’t help feeling that in the long term she simply wasn’t his kind of woman. He would never choose to spend his life with a career woman. His soul mate would be someone who was relaxed and tranquil, someone who could share his philosophy on life, instead of a woman who caused him problems on a daily basis.

‘The trouble is,’ he said, bringing her back to the present with a jolt, ‘you never have time to simply be yourself.’ He tasted the lasagne and was thoughtful for a moment. ‘There are always too many demands on you…like this morning, for instance. You were plunged into that press conference out of the blue, and that’s probably why you—’

He broke off, and Alex finished for him. ‘That’s probably why I reacted the way I did this morning.’ She gave an awkward smile. ‘I’m sorry about that. You were just doing what you felt to be right.’

‘Still, it’s perhaps just as well that we showed Dr Langton we wouldn’t let him get his own way without a fight. He’ll keep pushing it.’ Callum paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. ‘Anyway, what did you say to him? Did you ask him about the circular?’

She nodded. ‘I told him that I had some proposals of my own to put before the board.’

‘Good.’ He frowned. ‘In fact, just before we came away, I heard he’s organising a meeting with the board for tomorrow to bring it to a vote. That could turn out to be a turning point for all of us…but with you there to back our cause, I imagine we stand a better chance.’

‘Maybe. Though, going on what we talked about the other day—renting out services, and so on—I’ve already put forward some money-spinning suggestions to the board in the emails I sent out. They won’t be popular with everyone, but I’m hoping they’ll at least have time to think about them.’ She took a sip of her iced drink, a pure fruit juice topped up with lemonade. ‘It all depends whether they agree with my way of thinking…but either way, I don’t see how we can do any more.’

He curled some creamy strands of cheese around his fork. ‘We could try to get a licence to run a lottery. That should bring in quite a bit of money for the department, and there are always raffles to be run every now and again. I’m on the fundraising committee and we have some good people who are willing to put in a lot of time and effort for the cause.’

‘They get results, too, judging by the new portable X-ray machine we’ve just acquired.’ Her mouth curved.

‘You’re not at all what you seem, are you? You appear to be quiet and unassuming and altogether laid-back, but one way and another you achieve an awful lot behind the scenes, don’t you? I’m thinking about the way the doctors and nurses look up to you and respect your decisions…and then there are those seriously ill patients you manage to edge higher up the waiting lists, not to mention the way you handle the press.’

He made a dismissive movement with his hands. ‘What’s the point of being in high places if you can’t manipulate the odds from time to time?’

She chuckled and finished off her chicken and bacon, laying down her knife and fork.

‘Would you like dessert and coffee?’ he asked, and she nodded.

‘Oh, yes, please. I’ve had my eye on the toffee pudding they have in the glass-fronted display case over there. And coffee would be great, thanks.’ She toyed with her serviette while he called the waitress over to take their order.

‘I’ll have the apple pie,’ he said, handing the girl the menus. She nodded, giving him a dimpled smile, and he responded with a gentle curve of his lips.

Watching them, Alex felt an immediate, involuntary stab of jealousy. The force of it shocked her to the core. What was wrong with her? Why did it matter that he smiled at a girl in a restaurant? She frowned. The truth was, she was beginning to care for him deeply, but how could she ever compete with all those pretty girls who knew how to take life as it came and simply enjoy being around a good-looking, easygoing man?

She didn’t know how to be his type of woman. She was here with him now, enjoying a wonderful meal in a romantic country inn, and hadn’t she spent most of the time talking about work?

Callum glanced at her, a small line indenting his brow. ‘Is everything all right? You look anxious all at once.’

‘I’m fine.’ She tried to get a grip on herself. He was too perceptive by half and it wouldn’t do to have him know what she was thinking. ‘I’m glad you brought me here,’ she said. ‘It’s good to be able to relax and enjoy the comfort, and the great food, as well as to look out over the hills. It just makes me wish I could do it more often. Of course, it’s difficult with the children.’

He nodded. ‘You could always bring them with you…except I don’t suppose you’d be able to relax too much, knowing how those two get into everything.’ He sent her a crooked grin. ‘They certainly keep you on your toes.’

‘True.’

He shot her a quick look. ‘You must be really pleased with the way things are shaping up at home. The trees in the orchard look healthy and strong, and it looks as though it will be a good crop. But I still can’t imagine how you settled on such a place. I could see you in a small, executive-type home, with all the mod-cons, something easy to manage, with no fripperies, but I’ve never picked out a rambling farmhouse with acres of land, in a month of Sundays.’

‘You see me living a very orderly life, don’t you?’ She smiled. ‘I must say, nothing’s been straightforward these last few months. Far from it. I’ve had to come to terms with a whole new way of life, but I’ve found that I’m actually enjoying the farmhouse side of it. It’s the one place where I feel contented. I think the children are happier for being there, too.’

‘Where will they live when your brother and his wife come home from hospital? Didn’t you say they used to rent a place before the accident?’

‘That’s right. Ross had relocated because of his job, and was renting while he looked around for something suitable. I expect they’ll do the same again.’

She studied him. ‘But what about you? I haven’t seen your house, but I imagine you living in something like a barn conversion, with lots of books and a plasma TV and music centre.’

He laughed. ‘Completely wrong, I’m afraid. I have what they call a studio apartment not too far from the hospital. I don’t need anything grand, because it’s just me living there. It’s basically open plan, with a mezzanine floor where I have my bed…and my books. There are definitely lots of books.’

‘And the building work you mentioned a while back?’

‘I had the garage extended, and a wall built around the back of the garden. It’s only small piece of land, but it goes with the apartment, and I wanted to keep it secluded.’

She shook her head, trying to imagine how he lived. ‘That’s not at all what I expected,’ she said. ‘You drive a fantastic car, you wear expensive, beautifully tailored clothes, and I expected your house would be equally grand.’

He shrugged. ‘When I bought it, some years back, I didn’t see the point in owning anything more than a bachelor pad. Not that it’s under par in any way… I’ve been told it has the wow factor that everyone goes on about these days. But the fact is, I was young and I didn’t see any reason to settle down, start a family and so on. I suppose I looked at the way my parents lived their lives and decided that maybe marriage and commitment weren’t for me. My parents were never in one place for long and, no matter how they tried, they weren’t able to look after me properly.’

‘Not all families are like that.’

‘No.’ He winced. ‘But you see those like the Dunbars, where everything is supposedly normal and yet beneath the surface there are all those tensions bubbling away…a father who thinks more of his own agenda, rather than caring for his son. I wonder sometimes if they’re representative of a good many families. I don’t know. I just see so many broken relationships, children left without steady parenting, and it makes me think that’s not the sort of thing I would want for myself.’

Alex didn’t comment on that. She didn’t know what to say. Instead, she dipped her spoon into her toffee pudding and let it rest there for a moment or two. Callum had said he didn’t want marriage or commitment—or at least, that’s how he had felt when he’d first bought the apartment, and yet she’d come to realise that those were the very things she wanted. All these years, she’d been relaxed about how she viewed relationships, but things had changed. She’d met Callum, and she’d discovered that for her, it was all or nothing.

If he was still keen on the bachelor way of life, it seemed that she had been right to be cautious about getting involved. Trouble was, it was way too late for that now.

‘O
H
,
GOOD
, you’re back.’ Katie greeted Alex and Callum as they walked into A and E after spending their lunch break. ‘Your niece and nephew arrived a few minutes ago with your neighbour, Alex—she said her name was Martha. I’m afraid the children are a bit upset—they’ve been asking for you. I suggested they might like to wait in the staff lounge. I thought it would be a bit more comfortable for them in there.’

‘Thanks, Katie. That was thoughtful of you.’ Alex’s heart had started hammering, going into alarm mode at the news, but she tried to stay calm as she asked, ‘Do you happen to know what they’re upset about? Is it my brother?’

Katie nodded. ‘I think so. It sounds as though he’s in a bad way and they weren’t expecting to see him like that. The nurse didn’t realise they’d gone in to see him until it was too late.’

Alex took a steadying breath. ‘I’ll go and see if I can smooth things over. Thanks again, Katie.’

‘You’re welcome. I found them some paper and coloured pencils, and one or two toys to try to keep them occupied for a while, but I don’t think they can settle to anything.’

Alex nodded. ‘I knew I should have stayed here,’ she said under her breath. ‘I just knew something would go wrong.’

Callum laid a restraining hand on her arm. ‘Don’t start blaming yourself,’ he advised her. ‘Take a deep breath and stay calm. You had lunch, nothing more, and they’ve only been here for a few minutes. You can’t be at everyone’s beck and call every minute of the day. They’ll come through this. You’ll all come through it.’

‘I’m all right.’ She was beginning to feel increasingly agitated. ‘I must go.’

‘I’d like to come with you. Is that okay? I might be able to help in some way.’

She nodded, and they hurried along to the staff lounge.

They found Sarah in tears, sitting on one of the sofas, while James was trying to keep a stiff upper lip but was unable to disguise his shaky, ragged intakes of breath. He looked at Alex with bewildered eyes, not really knowing what was going on but sensing the tense, unhappy atmosphere in the room.

‘I feel terrible about this,’ Martha said, coming to meet Alex. She was a sensible woman, middle-aged, with gently waving brown hair and grey eyes that were troubled. ‘I’d no idea Ross was in such a bad way or I’d never have taken them to see him.’

‘What happened?’ Alex tried to suppress her anxiety, wanting to stay calm and composed for the sake of the children. ‘Did the nurse tell you what was going on?’

Martha shook her head. ‘She wouldn’t tell me anything about his condition, because I’m not a relative.’ She lowered her voice. ‘But he looked terrible…pale, with beads of sweat on his face, not breathing properly. He was very weak.’

‘Daddy couldn’t talk to me,’ Sarah said, the tears welling up in her eyes and spilling over. ‘He couldn’t sit up in bed or do anything. And the nurse had to help him lean back against his pillows.’ Her voice began to wobble. ‘I tried to talk to him, but he couldn’t answer me. His mouth moved but nothing came out and then the nurse put a mask on his face.’ She began to sob.

Alex went to sit down on the sofa between the two children. She put her arms around Sarah and held her close. ‘I’m sorry you had to see your dad looking so poorly,’ she said softly. ‘I know the doctors and nurses are doing everything they can to make him better.’

Sarah’s sobs became louder. ‘But it’s not working.’

Alex hugged her, and laid an arm around James’s shoulders, squeezing him gently. He, too, had given way to tears. ‘Have you been to see your mother?’ she asked.

James nodded. ‘We gave her the flower basket.’ He pulled in a shuddery breath. ‘She said she thought it was lovely.’

‘That’s good, isn’t it? You know, she’s doing so well, I expect she’ll be coming home soon. You’ll like that, won’t you?’

‘Yes. She said she’d be home in a few days. She wants to come and live at your house for a bit.’ He looked up at her. ‘Can she?’

‘Yes, of course.’ She glanced at Sarah to see if any of their conversation had managed to divert her, but the little girl was locked into a cycle of misery.

‘I think I should take them home,’ Martha said quietly. ‘They wanted to stay here and see you, or we would have gone earlier.’

‘I know. Thanks, Martha.’

Sarah turned tear-drenched eyes on Alex. ‘I want you to come home with us.’

‘I’ll come in a little while, Sarah.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘I have to finish my shift here, just another couple of hours, and then I’ll be home with you.’

It wasn’t what she wanted to hear, and Sarah started to cry all over again.

Callum went down on his haunches beside her. ‘You know, Sarah,’ he said in a quiet voice, ‘your mother wouldn’t want you to be upset like this. She’d want you to be strong, so that you can take care of your little brother. He doesn’t really understand what’s going on, but if he sees you being all grown up and getting on with things, it will be better for all of you.’ He paused, waiting to see what effect his words were having on her. ‘Maybe you could go home and start preparing a room for your mother. Put some flowers in it, perhaps make up a fruit basket, or make something for her that she’ll enjoy when she comes home.’

‘Like a little box for her rings?’ James’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm. ‘We did some paper curling at school…we could make a lid with some decorations on it.’

‘They call it quilling, I think,’ Martha said. ‘I’ve some coloured paper we can use. Shall we go home and give it a try?’

James nodded, wanting to go right away and get started, but Sarah was still reticent. ‘I don’t want you to stay at work,’ she said, looking earnestly at Alex. ‘I want you to come home with us.’

Callum stood up, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. ‘She won’t be long.’

‘I’ll be there before you know it,’ Alex told her. ‘Go home with Martha now, and I’ll follow in my car. I won’t be long, I promise.’

They left a few minutes later, with James full of ideas about the box he was going to make and Sarah still subdued. Alex watched them go and then, as the strength drained out of her body, she reached for a chair and sank down into it.

‘You know, you could have gone with them,’ Callum murmured. ‘You don’t have to stay here, and it’s obvious they need you. Sarah must have been very shocked by what she saw, and she clearly needs reassurance—perhaps that’s something only you can give her. Martha’s doing her best, but she isn’t a relative. The children have already gone through the distress of knowing their parents were injured in a road accident, and now this is an added stressor.’

‘Do you think I don’t know that?’ She resented his implied criticism. ‘Do you imagine all I ever think about is work? I want to be with them, I want to make all this go away, but I can’t.’

Perhaps she had been too sharp in her retort, because his head went back a fraction, light flaring in his blue eyes, his mouth making a straight line, and she was instantly conscious of the fact that he was only trying to help. The last thing she needed right now was to get into an argument with Callum.

‘I have to go and see my brother and find out what’s gone wrong,’ she said. She felt as though she was caught up in the middle of a whirlwind. These last few months had been a nightmare and she was about at the end of her tether. Her brother was dangerously ill and she needed to go to him. He was her priority right now.

‘Of course you do.’ He frowned. ‘But I don’t think you should be on your own right now. I want to be there with you.’

A feeling of relief shot through her at his understanding. She gave a faint, almost imperceptible nod, and they left the room together.

When they arrived at the intensive care unit Alex found that her brother was every bit as ill as Martha had said.

‘He looks so much worse than he did this morning,’ she said in a whisper, and Callum laid a comforting arm around her shoulders. It was plain to see that Ross was in a bad way. He was deathly pale, and the constant bleeping of the monitors around him warned of a galloping heart rate and a worrying lack of oxygen in his blood.

‘We’ve been doing tests all morning,’ the nurse told her, ‘but Dr Allingham looked at the CT scan a little while ago and said he has a pulmonary embolism. I was just about to page you.’

Alex pulled in a shaky breath. A blood clot on the lung was a dreadful diagnosis. Depending on its severity, it could mean the difference between life and death, and, judging by Ross’s condition, this was the worst news she could have received. A blood clot in one of the main arteries could cause his circulation to fail, and the damage to his lungs would mean he couldn’t get enough oxygen to his tissues.

‘What is Dr Allingham going to do?’

‘He started him straight away on anticoagulants, and he’s prescribed thrombolytic therapy. It will take a while, of course, but he’s hoping that we’ll see initial results within the next twenty-four hours. After all Ross has been through, he wants to reserve surgery as a last option.’

‘I can understand that.’

She looked at Callum, her eyes bright with tears, and he said softly, ‘They’re doing everything they can for him. At least they’ve found out what’s wrong, and now they can do something about it.’

‘I know.’ It didn’t make it any easier to bear, though. Who could say if the medication would work quickly enough? Anticoagulants would thin his blood and prevent any more clots from forming, while the thrombolytic therapy would begin to dissolve the clot, but this was a race against time.

Callum gently drew her head down into the crook of his shoulder, and she nestled against him for a moment or two, absorbing the comfort he offered. Tears trickled down her cheeks, but she was soothed by his steady support. He was strong and reliable, and by being with her right now he was showing her that he cared about her and her brother.

After a while she managed to gather herself together. She glanced at the nurse. ‘I’d like to stay with him for a while, if that’s all right?’

The girl nodded. ‘Of course.’

She stayed with Ross for a few minutes, talking to him even though she couldn’t be sure that he heard her. She told him how Beth was becoming stronger, day by day, and how the children were looking forward to him coming home. ‘You’ve always been a fighter, Ross,’ she said softly. ‘You can do it. You can get through this.’

When she was ready to go, she walked with Callum to the car park. ‘I could drive you home,’ he said, but she shook her head.

‘I’ll be all right. Thank you for staying with me.’

‘I wanted to be with you.’ He hesitated. ‘Maybe when your brother is better and things are going more smoothly for you, we could spend some time together…maybe take a trip somewhere. I think it will do you a world of good.’

She nodded. ‘Maybe.’

The children were quiet when she picked them up from Martha’s house and took them home. James, being younger, was vaguely aware that something bad was happening, but it wasn’t at the forefront of his mind. He could be distracted fairly easily. Sarah was much more difficult to handle. She was a sensitive, loving child, and intelligent enough to recognise that her father was in great danger. She’d always been Daddy’s girl, and this was hard for her to take in. She knew there was a chance that he might not come through this latest setback.

‘Shall we do some baking?’ Alex suggested when they were back in the farmhouse kitchen. ‘I thought we might make an apple-and-blackberry pie and take it round to Auntie Jane. She’s only just home from hospital, so she’s not up to doing very much for herself yet. I expect she’d be glad of some home cooking.’

Sarah nodded, and James went to fetch the pastry board and rolling pin. ‘I love apple-and-blackberry pie,’ he said. ‘Do you think we’d better make two?’

‘Definitely. That’s a very good idea.’

By keeping them busy, Alex managed to calm them down over the next few hours, but she wasn’t at all sure how she was going to handle things the next day. Instinct told her she should stay home with them, but she was supposed to be on duty at the hospital and Dr Langton had called a crucial meeting for the afternoon.

‘Are you going to work today?’ Sarah asked her at breakfast next morning. Her expression gave nothing away, but she didn’t quite look Alex in the eye, and there was the merest flicker of a glance from under her lashes as she tried to gauge Alex’s response.

Alex hesitated. ‘I thought I’d stay here with you,’ she said. ‘We could go and see Auntie Jane this morning, and perhaps we might plant those dahlias for her—the ones that she bought before she went into hospital. And of course there will be a lot of weeding to do.’

‘Yay! I want to do that,’ James said, cramming a piece of buttered toast into his mouth.

Sarah relaxed visibly, her shoulders sloping as though a great weight had been lifted from her. She came over to Alex and gave her a hug. ‘Can we phone Mummy later today? I want to tell her about the room we’re getting ready for her and Daddy. She said Gran and Grandad were going to visit her this afternoon, so I might be able to talk to them as well.’

‘Okay. That sounds like a good idea. It’s good that your gran and grandad have been able to come to see them, isn’t it?’

Sarah nodded. ‘They said they wanted to see me and James as well. Grandad said his job was all done and they were coming back to stay at their house in Somerset.’

‘That’s good news, isn’t it? I expect they’ll come and see both of you very soon.’

In the meantime, Alex was still in a quandary about work. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do about Dr Langton’s meeting, but the least she could do was to warn Callum that she wouldn’t be there. She called him after she had rung the hospital for an update on her brother.

‘I’m going to stay at home with the children today, and probably tomorrow as well,’ she told him. ‘I think it’s for the best.’

‘I wondered what you would do,’ he said. ‘Is everything all right? Are they okay?’

‘They seem to be,’ she said. It was good to hear his deep voice. It was somehow reassuring, as though he was close to her even though the miles separated them. ‘They’re a lot more settled, having me here with them. Things are probably a lot better all round this way. Dr Langton seems to think so, anyway. That’s the impression I had when I spoke to him on the phone a few minutes ago. I get the feeling he’s pleased I won’t be there to spike his guns.’