The Doctor's Christmas Gift

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘She did.’ Catherine summoned a smile, hoping the comment hadn’t upset the little girl. Did Hannah miss not having a mother? she found herself wondering.

  ‘I wish you were my mummy, Catherine. Then you’d be able to come out with us all the time and read me bedtime stories every night.’ Hannah smiled trustingly up at her. ‘Wouldn’t you like to be my mummy? ’Cos if you want to, we can ask Daddy if he’d mind.’

  ‘I…um…’ Catherine was at a loss to know what to say. She didn’t have enough experience of children to know how to explain that it wasn’t quite that simple. She heaved a sigh of relief when she spotted Matt and Becky coming back with their tea. ‘Oh, look, here’s Becky and your daddy and they’ve bought some lovely cakes for our tea.’

  Hannah was successfully distracted. Catherine helped Matt unload the tray and joined in the conversation as best she could, but the idea kept niggling away at her. Would Matt have objected if Hannah had put the suggestion to him?

  It was the craziest idea in the world but she couldn’t get it out of her head. What made it worse was the fact that she was pretty sure that Matt wouldn’t have minded one little bit.

  They did their shopping after they’d finished their tea. Catherine bought some wrapping paper and Christmas cards from Becky’s stall. The cards had been designed by the children in Becky’s year and printed on the school’s computers. She was impressed by the high standard of the artwork and especially by Becky’s contribution.

  ‘It’s absolutely lovely,’ she said sincerely, studying the beautifully drawn pattern of bells and garlands. Becky had used true Christmas colours and the card was a feast of rich reds and greens. ‘You really are clever, Becky. I wish I could draw like that.’

  ‘Becky has always been artistic. She gets it from her mother. Ruth was a commercial artist,’ Matt explained, ruffling his daughter’s hair in a show of fatherly pride.

  ‘Well, she has real talent. Are you thinking of becoming an artist, Becky?’ she began, but before the child could answer there was a sudden commotion by the door. They all turned to watch what was happening and, as the crowd parted, Catherine saw a figure slumped on the floor.

  ‘That doesn’t look too good,’ Matt said worriedly, turning to her. ‘Shall we see if we can help?’

  ‘Yes, of course.’

  ‘You two stay here,’ he ordered the children. ‘Becky, you’re in charge and you’re to keep hold of Hannah’s hand until we get back.’

  He hurried across the room when Becky nodded, and Catherine followed him. The man was slumped against the wall and clutching his chest. He seemed to be having problems breathing so Catherine knelt down and quickly undid his shirt collar.

  ‘Can you hear me?’ Matt had knelt beside the man. ‘I’m a doctor—can you tell me your name?’ He glanced at her when he got no reply. ‘See if anyone knows who he is and if he’s got a medical history, can you?’

  Catherine didn’t waste any time as she stood up and turned to address the crowd. ‘Does anyone know who this gentleman is?’

  ‘It’s Mr Sykes.’ One of the teachers who had been supervising the day’s proceedings pushed her way to the front of the crowd. ‘He’s our caretaker.’

  ‘I see. And do you know if he’s been ill recently or receiving any medical treatment?’ Catherine asked her.

  ‘I’ve no idea.’ The young woman shrugged. ‘I only started here this term. Maybe one of the other teachers would know.’

  ‘See if you can find out, will you?’ Catherine instructed. ‘And will you call an ambulance, please?’

  Matt looked round as she knelt beside him. ‘Probable heart attack. Classic signs—severe chest pain, cyanosis…’

  ‘And a very rapid and weak pulse,’ she added, checking the man’s pulse.

  ‘I don’t like the look of him at all. His breathing is getting worse.’ Matt was oblivious to the crowd that had gathered around them, his whole concentration focused on the patient. There was no doubt that he was a first-rate doctor, Catherine thought admiringly, and suddenly realised that she was glad she’d taken the job at Brookdale Surgery despite her initial reservations.

  ‘He’s arrested. Help me lay him down.’ There wasn’t a trace of panic in Matt’s voice as he took charge of the situation. They quickly laid Mr Sykes flat on the floor and Matt checked that the man’s heart had stopped beating by placing his fingers against the carotid artery.

  He shook his head. ‘Nothing. We need to start CPR if he’s to have a chance of surviving. You handle the breathing and I’ll do the compressions.’

  Catherine didn’t waste any time. Tipping back the man’s head, she opened his airway with four sharp inflations then checked to see if his heart had started beating. There was still no sign of a pulse so Matt performed five chest compressions by pressing down on the lower half of the man’s breastbone. As soon as he’d finished, Catherine breathed into Mr Sykes’s mouth once more, using just a single inflation this time. She and Matt quickly slipped into the familiar rhythm of five compressions followed by one breath. The crowd fell silent as they watched the drama unfolding. Catherine had seen this reaction before and understood. It came as a shock to realise one’s own mortality, although hopefully they would be able to keep the caretaker alive long enough for the ambulance to get there.

  Fifteen minutes later, they handed over their patient to the paramedics. Catherine sighed as she watched the stretcher being wheeled out of the school hall. It was always a strain having to deal with this type of a situation, but at least the caretaker had a chance of pulling through now that he was on his way to the coronary care centre.

  ‘Fingers crossed he makes it,’ Matt said, echoing her thoughts.

  The headmaster came over to thank them for their help so it was another few minutes before they could go back to the children. Becky was fine but Hannah seemed to be a bit upset by what had happened.

  ‘Is that man going to go to heaven, Daddy?’ she asked, her lower lip wobbling.

  Matt swung her up into his arms and hugged her. ‘I don’t think so, sweetheart. He’ll be fine once he gets to the hospital and the doctors and nurses are all there to look after him.’

  ‘My mummy went to hospital, didn’t she? And she didn’t get better.’

  ‘That’s right, but Mummy was very, very sick and the doctors and nurses didn’t have any medicine that could make her better.’

  Matt’s tone was gentle and Catherine felt a lump come to her throat. She could imagine how hard it must be for him to have to deal with the child’s questions. He must have loved his wife an awful lot, she thought, then wondered why it hurt so much to think about him loving another woman.

  ‘I wish she wasn’t in heaven ’cos I’d like a mummy.’ Hannah suddenly turned and smiled at her. ‘You said that you’d be my mummy if Daddy didn’t mind. Shall we ask him now, Catherine?’

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ‘MAYBE we should talk about this later, poppet. It’s getting late and Granny will be wondering where we’ve got to.’

  It was Matt who smoothly changed the subject. Catherine’s cheeks were flaming as she followed him and the girls out of the hall. She had no idea what he was thinking but she knew how she felt. Mortified was the word that best summed it up—completely and utterly mortified!

  He ushered the children into the car then opened the passenger door for her but she hung back. The thought of having to sit beside him and make polite conversation on the drive home was more than she could bear. ‘I can make my own way home from here. It’s not far and there’s no point taking you out of your way,’ she said stiffly, avoiding his eyes.

  ‘It isn’t a problem,’ he said smoothly.

  Catherine bit her lip. She desperately didn’t want him driving her home but she couldn’t think of a way to get out of it without causing a scene.

  ‘Look, Catherine, I can see that you’re embarrassed about what just happened but there really isn’t any need.’ Matt smiled when she looked warily at him. ‘I know what Hannah
is like. Once she gets something into her head then there’s no stopping her.’

  ‘I didn’t say anything to…well, to make her think that I wanted to…to….’ She tailed off, wishing that she hadn’t tried to explain because she was only making matters worse.

  ‘I know.’ Matt rested his arm on the roof of the car as he regarded her sombrely. ‘I couldn’t imagine in my wildest dreams that I’d be lucky enough to have you offer to become Hannah and Becky’s mother. Let’s just put it down to a child’s overly fertile imagination and leave it at that, shall we?’

  Catherine’s heart bounced against her ribs. Had Matt really meant that he would have welcomed her making such an offer, or had it been just a polite way to spare her any further embarrassment?

  All of a sudden she couldn’t bear to stand there any longer debating the point. Whether or not Matt would consider himself lucky to have her as part of his family wasn’t the issue. She should be more concerned about sticking to her decision to not get involved.

  ‘That sounds like the best idea.’ She summoned a smile, trying to ignore the painful ache that had settled in her heart. She didn’t want to be Hannah’s or any other child’s mother so there was no point suddenly thinking about what she might be missing.

  ‘Anyway, thanks for bringing me here today, Matt. I really enjoyed it but it’s time I was off.’ She quickly bent and said goodbye to the girls then stepped away from the car. ‘I’ll see you in work on Monday. Have a nice weekend.’

  ‘You, too. And thanks for coming with us, Catherine. We enjoyed your company.’

  Matt didn’t press her again to accept a lift. He closed the passenger door and walked around the car to get into the driver’s side. Catherine made her way towards the gates, turning to wave when he beeped his horn as he drove past. Tears suddenly pricked her eyes but she blinked them away. There was no point wishing that she’d gone with him, and certainly no point wishing that she didn’t have to go home to an empty flat. She’d made her decision and that was the end of the matter. Love, marriage and a family might be what a lot of women dreamed of having but they weren’t for her.

  The next few weeks flew past in a blur. Sometimes Catherine felt as though she had only to blink and another day had rushed by. The surgery was so busy that she and Matt were hard pressed to keep on top of all the work. An outbreak of flu meant that the number of home visits they were called to doubled almost overnight. Most days they ran over time and finished well after the hour they should have done.

  In all honesty Catherine was glad of the increased workload because it meant they were both too busy to think about anything other than necessities. There certainly wasn’t time to talk about personal matters, which was a relief. After their visit to the Christmas fair, she had made up her mind that she would stop letting herself get drawn into Matt’s family life, although it had proved harder than she’d expected. Many times she found herself wondering what Hannah and Becky were doing, or she would find herself picturing them and Matt at home together. She wasn’t sure why it was happening but it was very frustrating.

  December was already into its first week when Catherine arrived at the surgery one Thursday morning to find the place in a state of chaos. The phone was ringing and nobody seemed to be making any attempt to answer it. She went straight into the office and found Sharon there on the verge of tears.

  ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘Yes. No. Oh, I don’t know!’ Sharon wailed.

  ‘Come along now. It can’t be that bad.’ Catherine put a comforting hand on the young receptionist’s shoulder. ‘Tell me what’s happened.’

  ‘Margaret’s got flu and she won’t be coming into work. And Matt has had to go out and I don’t know when he’ll be back. Then, if that wasn’t bad enough, Ann just called in to tell me she’s going to be late and now the phone just won’t stop ringing!’

  ‘What a mess!’ Catherine gave the young woman’s shoulder a squeeze. ‘It’s no wonder you’re upset but we’ll sort things out, Sharon. Why don’t you make us both a cup of coffee while I answer the phone? We can deal with the rest when you come back.’

  By the time Sharon came back with two mugs of instant coffee, Catherine had dealt with half a dozen phone calls. She switched the phone over to the answering-machine and turned off the ringer. ‘Right, let’s take five, shall we? We can’t talk if we keep getting interrupted all the time.’

  Sharon looked uncertainly at the phone then shrugged. ‘Margaret would have a fit but, seeing as she’s not here, I don’t suppose it matters.’

  ‘You said she’s caught this wretched flu that’s been going around, so I assume she must have phoned in sick this morning,’ Catherine prompted, pleased to see that the young receptionist had rallied.

  ‘Yes. I’d no sooner got here than her husband rang to say that she wouldn’t be in. She must feel really bad because she hates being off work.’

  Sharon took a fortifying swallow of coffee before continuing her tale of woe. ‘Then, before I’d had a chance to sort myself out, Matt came through from the house to tell me that he’d be late for surgery because he had to take his mother to the airport. Apparently, his sister has gone into labour and her husband is away so she’s all by herself. Mrs Lewis managed to get a cancellation and is flying out to Toronto this morning.’

  ‘I see.’ Catherine frowned. ‘It’s going to make things very awkward for Matt, having his mother fly over there earlier than expected.’

  ‘S’pose so.’ Sharon shrugged, more concerned about her own problems than anyone else’s. ‘Anyway the next thing was that Ann arrived all in a panic. David Marshall had phoned her because his carer hadn’t turned up. She’s gone over there to see if he’s all right but it means she’s going to be late as well and, as luck would have it, she has an early clinic today. I’m just dreading everyone turning up and having to tell them that they’ll have to wait. You know how people complain!’

  ‘Well, they’ll just have to complain, I’m afraid. We aren’t miracle-workers and there’s only so much we can do,’ Catherine said firmly. ‘I suggest that you try to reschedule appointments for any of Matt’s patients who are willing to come later in the week and I’ll just have to fit the rest into my list somehow or other.’

  ‘I’ll try. But what about Ann? What am I going to do about her patients?’ Sharon asked worriedly. ‘A couple of them are down for cholesterol tests, which means they’ve had to fast overnight.’

  ‘Simple. Cross your fingers and hope she isn’t too long!’

  Catherine left the office as Sharon laughed. At least the receptionist seemed to have got over her panic. Frankly, there wasn’t much they could do except deal with the situation the best way they could. Still, they would manage—one way or another.

  She went to her room to get ready for the rush and discovered that Matt had left her a note, briefly explaining what Sharon had already told her. She frowned when she got to the end of the message. He hadn’t mentioned anything about the children and she couldn’t help worrying about how they were coping. Had Matt had time to make arrangements for them?

  She knew that she wouldn’t rest until she had found out if they were all right. Sharon was busy with the phone so she didn’t disturb her. She hurried through to the house and ran up the stairs. Becky was in the sitting room, gathering together her school books, and she smiled when Catherine appeared.

  ‘Oh, hi, Catherine! Did Dad tell you about Gran having to go and see Auntie Cheryl?’

  ‘He left me a note,’ Catherine explained. ‘I just wanted to see if you and Hannah were all right.’

  ‘Oh, we’re fine. Aunt Bet is here.’ Becky grimaced and lowered her voice. ‘She’s really nice but she does fuss. She even wanted to walk me to school!’

  Catherine hid her smile. ‘Well, so long as everything is under control…’

  She broke off when Hannah came racing into the room. ‘Catherine! Have you come to take me to school? Aunt Bet won’t mind.’ The little girl turned to the elde
rly woman who had followed her into the room. ‘You don’t mind if Catherine takes me to school, do you, Aunt Bet?’

  ‘Well, no, not so long as your daddy wouldn’t mind, dear.’ The old lady smiled ruefully at Catherine. ‘In fact, I’d be grateful not to have to walk all that way with my knee being so bad. Bursitis is so very painful, as I’m sure you know.’

  The old lady genteelly raised her skirt a couple of inches. Catherine frowned when she saw how swollen her left knee was. ‘You really shouldn’t be walking around when it’s so swollen. Rest is the only thing that will cure it.’

  ‘I know.’ Aunt Bet sighed. She was an older version of Matt’s mother, although her hair was more silver than blonde. She had the same wonderful smile as her sister and nephew, although Catherine couldn’t help noticing how strained it looked that day.

  ‘Matt told me the last time it flared up that I must stay off my feet until the swelling went down, but I just couldn’t leave him to cope on his own when Rosemary phoned to tell me she was having to go to Canada.’ Aunt Bet sighed. ‘Mind you, I don’t know how much help I’m going to be because it’s such agony trying to walk.’

  Catherine came to a swift decision. ‘It would be silly to make your knee any worse than it is. Why don’t I take Hannah to school and collect her this afternoon? It’s my half-day off so it won’t be a problem.’

  ‘Yes! Goody, goody, goody!’ Hannah cried in delight. She put her arms round Catherine’s waist and hugged her then turned to her aunt. ‘And you don’t have to worry, Aunt Bet, ’cos Daddy won’t mind a bit. He likes Catherine an awful lot, you see. He told me so.’

  Talk about out of the mouths of babes! Catherine thought, feeling her face suffuse with colour.

  ‘In that case, I shall happily accept your offer, my dear.’ Bet’s smile was distinctly coy. ‘I feel a lot better knowing that you have Matt’s full approval.’

  ‘Er…yes.’ Catherine managed to smile back but she couldn’t ignore the speculative look the older woman gave her, although it wasn’t surprising after what Hannah had said.