Saving Dr. Cooper

by Jennifer Taylor

  Ross swallowed his groan of dismay but now that he’d set off down this route it was impossible to stop. Heather’s beautiful face swam before his eyes, that cool little smile curling her generous mouth. It hadn’t appeared to warm up by even half a degree when she’d looked at her junior colleague, but maybe she preferred to be discreet about their relationship?

  The fire brigade certainly frowned on liaisons between the sexes and took immediate steps to transfer the people involved to different stations. Maybe Heather was afraid that young Dr Carlisle might be given his marching orders if their affair became public knowledge so preferred to keep things low-key?

  Ross sighed as he realised that he might very well be right, although Heather hadn’t given the impression of a woman enjoying a heady love affair when she’d left Resus. His heart ached as he recalled the suffering on her face. It made him wonder once again what kind of a tragedy had befallen her in the past and what he could do to help her get over it.

  He sucked in another lungful of air but the facts had to be faced. Why should he imagine that Heather Cooper needed his help?

  ‘And the little puppy snuggled up in his basket and fell fast asleep.’

  Heather closed the book and quietly placed it on the bedside cabinet. Standing up, she tucked the quilt around her small daughter, feeling a wave of love wash over her as she looked at the sleeping child.

  Grace had just turned two and each day she grew more like Stewart to look at. She had Stewart’s mop of dark brown curls, the same deep blue eyes and wonderful smile. Grace was living proof of their love for one another, the child they had both longed for. How proud Stewart would have been of his tiny daughter.

  Tears stung Heather’s eyes and she quickly blinked them away as she bent to turn off the lamp. She hadn’t allowed herself to cry since Grace had been born and she had no intention of breaking her rule now. She didn’t want Grace to grow up surrounded by sadness. Far better to keep her emotions in check rather than let them affect her precious daughter, even though today it was proving unusually difficult. Had it anything to do with meeting Ross Tanner, perhaps?

  ‘Supper’s ready, Heather.’

  Heather jumped as her mother, Sandra, popped her head round the bedroom door. She tried to dismiss the idea as she followed the older woman to the kitchen but the thought that Ross Tanner might have had an effect on how she had behaved alarmed her. She didn’t even know the man so how could he be responsible for her loss of self-control?

  ‘It’s only shepherd’s pie, I’m afraid. I didn’t get a chance to go to the supermarket.’

  ‘It’s fine, Mum.’ Heather sat at the table and took the plate Sandra handed her with a grateful smile. ‘I’m only glad that I don’t have to set to and start making a meal for myself when I get home from work. You spoil me, you know that, don’t you?’

  ‘If I can’t spoil my own daughter then who can I spoil?’ Sandra said lightly, taking her own seat.

  ‘Your granddaughter?’ Heather laughed when her mother grimaced. ‘Grace told me that you’d taken her to see the ducks after nursery school. And then she did just happen to mention something about going on the swings as well.’

  ‘I enjoy playing with her. Anyway, the playground is on our way home and you meet a lot of nice people there, too.’

  Heather frowned when she saw a little colour run up her mother’s cheeks. If she wasn’t mistaken, Sandra was blushing. She put down her knife and fork and stared at her.

  ‘These nice people you meet—is there anyone in particular you’re referring to?’

  ‘Well, yes, actually.’ Sandra stared at her plate for a moment then seemed to make up her mind. ‘There’s this very nice man who I’ve met at the playground a number of times. He’s a widower and he has a little grandson. He…well, he asked me if I’d like to go out for a drink with him one night.’

  ‘Did he indeed? And what did you say?’ Heather hid her surprise because it was the first time that her mother had shown any interest in socialising since she’d moved to London to help her look after Grace.

  Heather’s parents had divorced when she’d been in her teens and her father had remarried shortly afterwards and moved to California with his new wife. Apart from a yearly Christmas card, Heather had very little contact with him.

  Her mother had never remarried although she’d had a wide circle of friends of both sexes back home in Manchester. It suddenly struck Heather how much Sandra had given up when she’d moved to London, and how lonely she must have been without her friends. How selfish of her not to have thought about that before.

  ‘I hope you said yes, Mum.’ She reached over the table and squeezed Sandra’s hand. ‘It’s about time you went out and had some fun!’

  ‘So you think it’s all right for me to accept, then?’ Sandra sounded worried. ‘I told David—that’s his name, David Harper—that I would need to think about it first, you see.’

  ‘What on earth is there to think about?’ Heather regarded her mother sternly. ‘Tell him that you’ll go, Mum. That’s an order!’

  ‘All right, I will.’ Sandra squared her shoulders then looked steadily at Heather. ‘But what you just said, about it being time I had some fun, applies to you, too, darling. Stewart wouldn’t want you to grieve for ever. He’d want you to get on with your life and make the most of it.’

  ‘That’s exactly what I’m doing.’ Heather picked up her fork. She swallowed a mouthful of mashed potato but it tasted like sawdust all of a sudden.

  ‘There’s more to life than working and looking after Grace,’ Sandra said quietly, then changed the subject to what Grace had done after they had arrived home that afternoon.

  Heather made appropriate responses but she couldn’t seem to give her small daughter’s antics her undivided attention as she usually did. Was her mother right? Was it time that she looked for more out of life than just her work and caring for Grace?

  Her mind veered off towards what that more might entail and she felt her heart spasm in panic. She wouldn’t risk falling in love again! Even if she found a man who could match Stewart in her estimation—which was highly unlikely—she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t face the heartache if anything happened to him, too. What she’d said to that fireman today about the unexpected happening had been true. He, more than anyone, must know that.

  In Ross Tanner’s world life and death were too closely linked to be discounted. It made her wonder how any woman could bear to fall in love with a man who put himself in constant danger like that. How did a woman cope with the thought that the man she loved might not come home one day? She certainly couldn’t, which made it all the more imperative that she steer clear of Tanner.

  The thought brought her up short. She wouldn’t see Ross Tanner again so what was she worrying about? They had fleetingly crossed paths that day and that was the end of the matter.

  Heather shivered as the cool finger of premonition suddenly slid down her spine. Or had it been merely the beginning and not the end?

  ‘Thanks, Jane. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.’

  Ross kissed the ward sister’s cheek. It was Monday morning and, after a lot of persuasion on his behalf, he’d finally been discharged. The consultant had been inclined to keep him in another day but in the end he’d relented after Ross had promised to come straight back if he experienced any problems. To his mind, it was a lot of fuss about nothing, but he did appreciate the excellent care he’d received.

  He left the ward and headed for the lift. He knew that he could have asked any one of the crew from Red Watch to collect him but he’d decided to take a taxi back to his flat. Maybe he was making a big mistake but there was something he needed to do before he left.

  Sign boards directed him to the accident and emergency unit when he reached the ground floor so he had no difficulty finding his way. The waiting area was packed with people and Ross hesitated. Maybe this wasn’t a good time to talk to Heather when she was so busy.

  The thou
ght had barely crossed his mind when he spotted her leaving a cubicle and, without pausing to reconsider, he hurried after her. ‘Heather!’

  It seemed the most natural thing in the world to call out her first name, natural and right. Dr Cooper was too formal, Ms Cooper impolite, so how else would he address her? And yet Ross wasn’t prepared for the way it made him feel as her name rolled off his tongue. Heather.

  He repeated it in his head and felt the heat that flowed through him as he savoured it once more. In that moment Ross knew that it might have been the first time he’d said it but it wouldn’t be the last. Definitely not!

  He saw her turn, saw the alarm that lit her soft grey eyes when she recognised him, and knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to convince her of that. Given an inch, Heather was going to run a mile in the opposite direction both physically and metaphorically speaking. He had to find a way to stop her, had to make her run towards him instead of away. Only then could either of them be truly happy.

  ‘I’m busy.’

  The clipped tone of her voice cut through his thoughts like a hot knife slicing through butter, and he flinched. He wasn’t a man given to fanciful notions normally and it stunned him to find himself indulging in them now. However, he didn’t have the time to worry about it when he had more important matters to deal with, like making Heather listen to him for starters. From the look on her face, listening to anything he had to say was about as attractive an idea as plunging her hand into a nest of vipers!

  ‘I realise that so I won’t detain you. I just wanted to thank you for what you did the other day, Heather. For me and the kid. I believe he’s on the mend.’

  ‘Yes, so I believe.’

  Her expression softened so that Ross had a glimpse of the real woman beneath the ice-cool exterior. He sent up a silent vote of thanks that he was no longer attached to any monitors when he felt his heart kick up a storm. Did she have any idea how drop-dead gorgeous she was? he wondered giddily.

  He cleared his throat but he could hear how rough his voice sounded even if Heather seemed blissfully unaware of the strain he was under. Keeping his hands by his sides and well away from her took an awful lot of will-power.

  ‘You did a great job on him, and on me, too. I just wanted to find a way to thank you properly and wondered if you’d consider having dinner with me one night.’

  Ross was almost as shocked as Heather so obviously was when the invitation sprang from his lips. He certainly hadn’t planned on asking her out and would have set about it with a bit more finesse if he had. He saw her face close up and cursed his wayward tongue because it had just cost him an awful lot of ground he might never be able to make up.

  ‘Thank you, but that isn’t necessary, Mr Tanner. I was only doing my job. Now, if you’ll excuse me.’

  She didn’t wait for him to reply before she hurried away. Ross didn’t try to stop her because there was no point. He had wasted the one and only opportunity he was likely to get and that was it. Finito.

  There was a taxi dropping off a fare outside the main entrance. Ross got in and told the driver to take him home. He sank back in the seat as the cab headed down the drive, feeling so bad that he seriously wondered if he should have stayed in hospital after all. There was an ache in his chest which alarmed him until he realised it was disappointment at ruining his chance to get to know Heather and not the prelude to a heart attack. He wouldn’t get another opportunity…unless he came up with some sort of a plan to engineer another meeting with her.

  A brilliant smile suddenly lit his face and a middle-aged woman, who had stopped on the kerb to let the taxi pass, blushed with pleasure as she received the full benefit of it. Ross didn’t notice her smiling back at him because he was too concerned about devising the perfect plan to see Heather again. It wouldn’t be easy but he’d find a way. There was too much at stake to fail!

  CHAPTER THREE

  ‘WE’LL need to X-ray your wrist, Mrs Montgomery. I’m fairly certain that it’s broken and not just badly sprained, as you hoped.’

  Heather smiled reassuringly at the elderly woman. Alice Montgomery had tripped over a paving stone whilst out shopping with her husband. The couple were obviously shocked by the accident so she decided to arrange for a porter to take the old lady to the radiography unit rather than ask her husband to take her. There was a small unit attached to the accident and emergency department so Alice shouldn’t have to wait too long to be seen.

  ‘I’ll get a porter to take you through to X-Ray. You can go with your wife, Mr Montgomery, or you can wait in Reception. I could ask one of the nurses to fetch you a cup of tea,’ she suggested, noticing how grey the old man looked.

  ‘It’s very kind of you, Doctor, but I’d prefer to go with Alice. We do everything together, you see.’

  ‘Of course. Why don’t you sit there and keep your wife company until the porter gets here? It could take a few minutes to find one who’s free.’

  Heather left the cubicle but instead of going directly to the phone to summon a porter she went to the staffroom instead. Melanie was in there, making herself a cup of tea, and Heather smiled beseechingly at her.

  ‘Any chance that you’d make a cup of tea for the old man in cubicle six? He’s really shaken up and it might help to steady him. I’d make it myself only I’m a bit pushed this morning with Ben being off sick.’

  ‘No problem,’ Melanie replied cheerfully, dropping a tea-bag into a second mug and topping it up with boiling water from the kettle. ‘What’s up with Ben, by the way? Any idea?’

  ‘He’s suffering from a nasty case of diarrhoea apparently. Trish took the message.’ Heather grimaced. ‘Let’s hope it isn’t catching. The last thing we need is the rest of the staff going down with some bug or other.’

  ‘I doubt that will happen. Ben doesn’t get close enough to pass on his germs,’ Melanie observed ruefully.

  Heather laughed. ‘I take it that you’ve had no luck with him?’

  ‘Nope! Not even a flicker of interest. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Maybe you could give me a few tips?’

  ‘Tips?’ Heather stared at the younger woman in surprise. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘That if I had the same kind of effect on our dishy Dr Carlisle that you had on that fireman, I’d be a happy woman.’

  Melanie picked up the mug of tea and headed for the door. She grinned as she eased past Heather. ‘I saw him talking to you, Heather. He’d obviously made a special detour down here to see you.’

  ‘I…um…Yes.’

  Heather blushed. She’d tried to forget about Ross Tanner’s visit by concentrating on work, but Melanie’s teasing comment brought it all flooding back. She had been so shocked when he’d asked her out to dinner that she’d not even stopped to think. Her refusal had been instinctive yet all of a sudden she found herself wondering why Ross had invited her out. Had it been simply his way of thanking her, as he’d claimed, or because he was attracted to her, as Melanie believed?

  The thought made Heather blush all the more and she heard Melanie laugh. ‘There’s nothing like a hero to make a woman go weak at the knees, is there, Heather?’

  Fortunately Melanie didn’t wait for her to reply as she hurried away with the tea. Heather followed more slowly, taking several calming breaths to get herself under control. Maybe some women were attracted to the heroic type of man but she wasn’t one of them. If…and it was a very big if…she ever formed another relationship with a man then she would make sure he was someone who spent his working life safely ensconced behind a desk.

  She had reached for the phone to ring for a porter when it struck her that a few days ago she wouldn’t even have considered another relationship. She’d had her work and Grace and they had been more than enough. Her throat constricted with a sudden attack of nerves. Although she hated to admit it, she couldn’t deny that meeting Ross Tanner seemed to have affected her thinking. What a good job it was that she’d refused his invitation to dinner.

  It was Frida
y before Ross came up with a plan to see Heather again. It had been a busy week and Red Watch had been called out a number of times while they’d been on duty. They were off duty that weekend and Ross was looking forward to spending some time with his sister, Kate, and his nephews. It made a nice change, being part of a family, even if it was only for a couple of days.

  The plan occurred to him while he was catching up with some of the never-ending paperwork. A memo from divisional HQ, reminding station officers about the need to keep on top of issuing fire certificates, had the same effect as a light being switched on. When was St Gertrude’s due for an inspection?

  A quick check of the files told him that the hospital was scheduled for a visit that very month. Ross closed the filing cabinet drawer with a satisfied smile. If he could time his visit to coincide with when Heather was on duty, that would be the perfect opportunity to speak to her again. She couldn’t refuse to co-operate because all public buildings required an up-to-date fire certificate. And whilst he was dealing with the essentials he would try to draw her out. If he could just get past her defences then he might be able to get to know her better.

  He sighed because there was no reason to imagine that Heather would want to get to know him.

  Saturday was cool and blustery, a brisk May breeze sending the clouds scudding across the sky. Heather was off for the whole weekend but she was up before seven and had time to shower and dress in jeans and a long-sleeved navy T-shirt before Grace woke.

  She took the little girl into the kitchen and popped her in her high chair then gave her some cereal. It was always a treat to be able to have breakfast with her daughter because most days she was in such a rush to get to work that she had to leave it to her mother to feed and dress Grace. It worried Heather that she was unable to spend very much time with the little girl but Grace seemed happy and well adjusted and there was little else she could do when she needed to earn a living.