The Rebel and the Baby Doctor

by Joanna Neil

  ‘How was I to know that I needed to be?’ His expression was one of bewilderment. ‘I thought the water was about two feet deep. It was only when they brought in a clean-up team a few months later that I learned the river was some eight or nine feet deep.’

  She shuddered at the memory. ‘No wonder my parents told me to keep away from you. You were a liability, to yourself and others.’

  He laughed. ‘Maybe, but it was exciting, wasn’t it?’

  ‘For you, perhaps.’ To this day, she remembered the anxiety in the pit of her stomach as she’d watched him tip over into the frothing waters of the weir and come up seconds later, thrashing about and gasping for air. It had only been because he’d managed to grab hold of the canoe and cling on until it washed up against the riverbank that he was here to tell the tale. And yet it hadn’t served to daunt him, had it? Just weeks later he’d been wading out further downstream, trying to catch fish with his bare hands.

  ‘You never did learn a lesson from that, did you?’ she said. ‘You were back there the next day, bold as brass, showing off to all the youngsters from the village.’

  ‘You were there, too, weren’t you? I remember waving to you and you shook your head and turned your back on me.’ He frowned. ‘I was devastated.’

  ‘No, you weren’t. I heard you laughing and fooling about with your friends. You acted like you were the king of the river.’

  He chuckled. ‘Maybe. I was an idiot. I craved excitement. I wanted to prove that I could do anything I wanted. Even knowing that I was going to get it in the neck from my father didn’t stop me from testing the boundaries.’ He walked with her over to the lifts.

  Phoebe pressed the button on the wall panel. ‘I used to wonder how your poor mother coped. You have a sister, too, don’t you, but at least she was never in any kind of trouble. She had far more sense than to follow in your footsteps.’

  ‘Olivia was always going to turn out all right. She set her sights on family and children and that’s exactly what she has now. She’s a homemaker. It suits her to let the world pass her by.’

  ‘But that wouldn’t do for you, would it?’ She studied him briefly as she heard the lift start to make its descent towards the ground floor. ‘You were always a restless spirit, forever on the move. I wasn’t the least bit surprised when you headed off for London. It was only later, when I heard that you had decided to go to medical school, that you did something unexpected with your life.’

  His glance trailed over her. ‘You have no faith in me at all, do you? I can see that we have a lot of catching up to do.’ He smiled. ‘Are you free for lunch today? It might be pleasant to take a walk in the woodland close by here. It starts just at the back of the hospital, and we could enjoy the spring sunshine for a while.’

  She shook her head. ‘I’m afraid I’m not. I said I would meet up with Alex in the cafeteria at lunchtime, but you’d be welcome to join us if you wanted. My break starts at 1.30. Alex isn’t having too great a time, by all accounts, and I want to give him some moral support. Jessica saw him earlier and said he was a bit down in the mouth.’

  Connor made a wry face. ‘That’s a shame—for Alex, and for us. It would have been good to have the chance to talk for longer, just you and me.’ He tilted his head a little to one side. ‘You’re very fond of Alex still, aren’t you? I wasn’t really surprised to find that you two are living together.’

  Her mouth flattened. ‘We’re not living together, as you so bluntly put it. We just happen to share the same house. Jessica lives there, too, remember?’

  ‘I do. But you and Alex go way back, don’t you? I still catch you looking at him with those moon eyes, as though he’s sugar candy wrapped up in exotic packaging.’

  She laughed. ‘Jealous, are you? Poor Connor. That must be a very odd experience for you.’ She lightly patted his hand. ‘You’ll get over it, I’m sure. You were never one to worry over lost opportunities. There’s always another one just around the corner.’

  ‘You’re a cruel woman, and you have me all wrong, you know.’ He made a good attempt at a crestfallen face, but Phoebe was wise to his antics.

  The lift doors swished open. ‘I have to go,’ she said, stepping inside. ‘There are several babies who need me much more than you do. Perhaps I’ll see you later, back at the house.’

  He nodded and waved a hand in acknowledgement as the lift doors closed on her, and once the lift started to move and he was out of her field of vision she relaxed a little, letting out a long, slow sigh and allowing her shoulders to slump a fraction. Somehow, she hadn’t realised how much the tension had been building up inside her as she had spoken to Connor, or how much she had relied on her senses to help her to stay on alert. He was a threat to her in every way imaginable, and it was sheer relief to be moving out of range.

  Alex, on the other hand, was a much easier person to get along with. There were no worries with him. She knew what to expect, and he was always there for her, just as she was there for him.

  ‘Is the consultant giving you a hard time?’ she asked Alex as they collected their lunch trays in the hospital restaurant a couple of hours later. ‘I was hoping that things would be going smoothly for you.’

  ‘He’s watching me like a hawk. I think he remembers me from a year or so back. He thinks I have promise, but need a push to live up to it.’

  ‘So he’s going in hard, right from the beginning? It seems a bit strange to be doing that this early on.’

  His mouth twisted. ‘I was supposed to have done some groundwork on a few of the case notes before starting ward rounds with him today. Usually I wouldn’t have had too many problems with that, but someone dropped the files and it was all a bit of a scramble to put things together again in time. I had to think on my feet and hope that everything would be all right. I don’t think the consultant was too impressed.’

  Phoebe carried her tray to a table by the window. ‘I can’t help thinking that it’s a bit unfair really, to come down so hard on you right from the outset, but I’m sure you’ll manage to sort things out. You’ve a good, clear head on your shoulders, and you’re brilliant with the patients. Your boss is bound to see that, given time.’

  He grimaced. ‘I hope so. I suppose he’s only doing his job, keeping me on my toes. I started off on the wrong foot, wanting to do A and E instead, but things don’t always go according to plan…like you with the neonatal. I wish we could have been working together, Phoebe. I always seem to get along so much better when you’re around. It’s as though everything magically falls into place around you.’

  She chuckled at that, and started to eat her lunch, twirling spaghetti around her fork with a deft hand. ‘If only…I could do with a magic touch, up on Neonatal.’

  Alex ate a mouthful of steak pie. ‘I think Connor was there when they handed out the pixie dust,’ he said after a moment or two. ‘Everything he touches seems to go his way. Did you see the car he’s driving around in?’

  Phoebe shook her head. ‘I came in with Jessica this morning. We set out some fifteen minutes after Connor left, and I guessed he must have parked in the garage block last night.’ She flicked a glance at him. ‘Is it something special?’

  ‘A midnight-blue convertible. I can’t believe he landed on his feet so well…I know his family have money, but he always reckoned he’d make his own way in the world.’

  ‘Perhaps he changed his mind.’

  ‘Yeah, maybe.’ Alex finished off his food and glanced across the room. ‘Talk of the devil.’

  Phoebe blinked. ‘He’s here?’

  Alex nodded. Her glance followed his, and met with Connor’s piercing gaze.

  ‘Pity he left it so late to put in an appearance, or we might have had a chat.’ Alex glanced at the watch on his wrist. ‘I have to be getting back to Orthopaedics. I want to get on the good side of my boss, and if I show him I can put in extra time, it might help things along.’

  He pushed his chair back and stood up, coming around the table to give Phoe
be a swift embrace. ‘It was good being able to have lunch together,’ he said. ‘You’ve helped me to put a bright face on things.’

  She smiled up at him. ‘You’ll be fine,’ she murmured. She laid a hand lightly on his arm. ‘Just remember what it was that made you decide to become a doctor in the first place. You were so good at helping people when you volunteered with the rescue services that they all thought it was something you should follow up on. That still stands, to this day.’

  He brushed the back of his hand gently over her cheek. ‘And you’re a treasure. Remind me to pay you back some day.’

  Phoebe flashed him a mischievous grin. ‘You can do that by remembering to get the groceries in. If you don’t, you’ll have Jessica to reckon with.’

  ‘Oh, no. Save me from that.’ Alex started to walk away from the table, raising a hand in greeting to Connor as he went.

  Phoebe looked across the room at Connor. He wasn’t alone. He was with a senior house officer from A and E, a pretty girl who Phoebe had chatted with from time to time. The woman’s cheeks were faintly flushed, and Phoebe guessed she was finding it all too easy to fall for Connor’s charm.

  Phoebe’s mouth took on a wry slant. It hadn’t taken him long to find someone willing to take her place by his side this lunchtime, had it? Were the two of them coming in here to grab a sandwich after a pleasant stroll along the leafy paths that threaded through the woods nearby? Why did that thought needle her so much?

  It was the supreme confidence of the man…that must be it. As Alex had said, Connor managed to land on his feet every time.

  CHAPTER THREE

  ‘YOU’RE very quiet. Is everything all right?’ Phoebe glanced at Jessica as they tended to the flowerbeds in the garden at the back of the house. She pulled up a handful of chickweed and tossed it into a bucket.

  ‘It’s fine.’ Jessica stood up and placed her hands on the back of her hips, stretching her spine as though she was aching a little.

  ‘You don’t have to do this with me, you know.’ Phoebe shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked up at her friend. ‘I like being out here, and I find that I can think things through more easily if I spend some time tidying up the garden, but I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.’

  ‘It isn’t that…I think plants brighten the place up, and this is such a small area that it doesn’t take much to look after it. It’s more of a courtyard, really, isn’t it, but it’s great to sit out here and enjoy the lovely summer weather.’ Jessica flopped down into a wrought-iron chair by the round table and helped herself to a glass of fruit juice. ‘Shall I pour one for you?’ She lifted the glass jug and raised a brow in query.

  ‘Yes, please. I’m parched.’ Phoebe pulled off her cotton gardening gloves and went to sit down opposite her.

  She took a moment to look around. The walls of the house were white-painted, reflecting the warmth of the sun, so that it was pleasant to sit out here and while away an hour or so. At intervals, the walls were covered with rectangles of wooden trellis, where jasmine scrambled and filled the air with delicate perfume. Stone planters were placed at strategic points on the terrace, filled with bright pansies, adding colour here and there.

  Phoebe looked again at her friend. She was faintly concerned. Despite Jessica’s light-hearted chatter, she couldn’t help thinking that something was bothering her, and the garden talk was a cover-up. ‘How are things going with Mr Kirk and his team? Is it all turning out as you hoped it might?’

  Jessica pulled a face. ‘Not exactly.’ She might have said more, but Connor emerged from the house just then and came to join them.

  ‘So there you are. I wondered where you had all gone. I just came back from the garage and the house was empty.’ He looked from one to the other. ‘You’ve a smudge on your face, Phoebe…leaf green. It’s quite fetching, but it doesn’t quite go with the peaches-and-cream look. Want me to rub it off for you?’

  He moved towards her, his hands at the ready, and Phoebe inched herself back in her seat, avoiding his seeking fingers. ‘I’ll do it myself, thanks.’ It was a plague on her nervous system that he was here at all, without him attempting to lay his hands on her. She pulled a tissue from her pocket and rubbed vigorously at her cheek.

  His mouth curved, and he turned his attention to Jessica. ‘What’s up, Jess? You don’t look too happy. It’s because you’d rather be down the pub, isn’t it?’

  Jessica threw an ice cube at him. ‘At this time of day? Are you mad?’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘Well, yes, actually…maybe I would.’ She let out a short laugh. ‘But it wouldn’t do when I’m supposed to go on duty in a couple of hours. Late shift…ugh.’

  ‘Same here.’ Connor frowned. ‘So what’s with Mr Kirk and his team? I heard what you were saying just now. Is he giving you a hard time?’

  ‘Not really.’ Jessica was thoughtful for a moment. ‘It’s just that there’s something about his manner that bothers me a bit. I do my best, but he can be a bit aloof sometimes. It’s hard to know what he’s thinking because he has this way of keeping his distance…He’s like it with the patients, too. A sort of I-know-best, paternal kind of attitude that really ought to have died out long ago. Still, he’s rated very highly. I’ve heard he’s a top-rate surgeon and he’s known for getting results and working on new procedures. I expect I’ll learn a lot from him.’

  Connor put his feet up on one of the empty chairs, crossing his legs at the ankles. ‘You shouldn’t let him get to you. It doesn’t do for doctors to get above themselves. These days they’re open to scrutiny.’ The fabric of his trousers pulled tautly across his thighs and Phoebe averted her gaze.

  She still didn’t know why he was actually living here with them. His parents had a big house that wasn’t too far away from here, and surely it would have been better for him to stay with them?

  She said softly, ‘I expect Mr Kirk knows that, but doesn’t much care.’ She sent Connor a quick glance. ‘He’s very confident in his abilities—in fact, in some respects he reminds me of you. You never seem to falter or question what you do. It appears to me that you look over a situation, decide what to do about it and move on…like choosing to come here when you had opportunities waiting for you in London. Better ones than you were offered here, according to Alex.’

  His gaze narrowed on her. Did he suspect that she was wishing he were elsewhere? If he did, he made no comment. Instead, he answered cautiously, ‘It’s all a bit subjective, isn’t it? I could have stayed to do a six-month stint in trauma surgery, but this rotation in A and E was more tempting. Besides, I thought it would be pleasant to spend the spring and summer months by the sea in my home county.’

  ‘I suppose I can see the logic in that.’ She reached for the jug and poured out more juice, adding ice from an insulated pot. ‘What do your parents think about you coming back here to Devon? They must be pleased to have you on their doorstep once more.’

  He nodded. ‘My mother was glad to have me close by. My father is busy with the business as usual, but even he manages to take a break at the weekends, so it’s all worked out fairly well.’

  ‘You didn’t ever think of going to live at home? I would have thought that would be the cheaper option.’

  His mouth tilted, and she knew then that he had picked up on her train of thought. ‘Maybe,’ he said, a glitter of amusement starting up in his eyes, ‘but, as I said, I was quite taken with the option of living by the coast, and since Alex and I are related to one another it seemed like a good option to stay here. My parents’ house is further inland…just like your family home. Did you not think of going to stay there?’

  She leaned back in her chair. ‘It crossed my mind, but I wanted to be independent. Besides, my sister and her children often stay over at the house, and it would have been a bit of a squeeze if I’d been living there, too. My parents only have a three-bedroomed place, unlike your country mansion.’

  He blinked, sending her a wry smile. ‘I wouldn’t exactly call it that. It’s bigger th
an average, I guess, but mansion? Never.’

  ‘Anyway,’ Phoebe murmured, ‘our old house doesn’t come anywhere near what you enjoyed, but my mother loves it when the family are around. She likes to fuss over her grandchildren, especially with little Emily being so poorly as a baby. The children bring out all her maternal instincts.’ She swallowed her ice-cold drink. ‘It suits me to visit on a regular basis.’

  ‘I can imagine. I remember what a lovely atmosphere there was when I first used to visit,’ Connor said, nodding. ‘Your parents made a wonderful, welcoming home and I could see how happy you were as a family…on the instances when I was allowed to call in and see you, that is. Things changed after I grew older. I became the wild boy from over the hill, and they had me down as a bad influence, didn’t they?’ He made a rueful grimace. ‘I can’t say that I blame them.’

  Phoebe stared down at the liquid in her glass. She had been resentful of the ban at first. For all he had landed in trouble on a regular basis, Connor had always managed to tug at her heartstrings. Maybe that was why she had gone looking for him that day when he’d gone missing at the end of her fifteenth summer. It had been as though there was an almost telepathic bond between them, and she had sensed that something was seriously wrong.

  Jessica’s face lit up with curiosity. ‘You were wild? Oh, I can just imagine it. You still have that look about you as though the devil’s lurking in there somewhere.’ She grinned impishly. ‘I’m intrigued. Tell me more.’

  ‘Nope. Will not.’ Connor sent her a teasing glance. ‘I shall keep my murky past to myself, and leave you in suspense. All I will say is that Phoebe’s parents were probably right to warn her off me, and Phoebe showed a lot more common sense than you might have expected for a girl of her tender years. She always followed her instincts, and I expect that’s why she and Alex bond together so well. He’s protective of her, and in return she gives him the stability he needs.’