Price of love

by Rachel Lindsay

  'Hold on,' she urged. 'An injection's coming.'

  'To her relief the nurse appeared with the hypodermic on a tray, but as Paula reached out to take it, Jason Scott opened his eyes again.

  ' Hold off a minute,' be gasped. 'I want to talk to you first.'

  ' You've already talked too much.'

  ' No. I've some questions ... I must know . . .'

  He paled visibly and then made a tremendous effort to ignore the pain. ' Please, doctor. Hold off a moment.'

  Paula hesitated and then nodded to the nurse. ' All right, nurse, you can go.'

  Jason Scott watched the retreating back. ' Sorry to be so insistent,' he whispered, ' but I won't be able to rest till I know the truth.'

  'About what?'

  ' Me.' He moistened his lips with his tongue. ' How bad am I?' ' ' Nothing that won't heal.'

  ' Could you be—' His hands clenched as the pain hit him again. He allowed it to wash over him, surfacing to ask with exaggerated politeness: ' Do you think you could be a little more specific about my injuries? I'm perfectly able to stand the truth.'

  ' Three broken ribs, a fractured leg and some internal damage that Mr. Edgar dealt with last night. Satisfied?' '

  Yes, thanks.' The ghost of a smile touched his lips and then faded. This time when the pain came Paula sensed he was isolating it, relating it to the injuries she had listed. As she watched him he began to pluck at the coverlet.

  'My leg! What have they done to it? You were lying!'

  Quickly she drew down the bedclothes, knowing it was the only way to convince him, He looked at the plaster cast, doubtingly, as if not sure that his leg was enclosed in it.

  'It's numb. I can't feel it'

  ' But it's there. Now stop worrying.' She tucked the sheets in again.

  'Are you telling me the truth?'

  'Certainly. You'll walk again and you'll drive cars too, unless the police step in and prevent you.' Try as she might, she was unable to keep the acerbity from her voice, and he chuckled.

  ' You don't approve of me, do you, doctor?'

  'I don't know you, Mr. Scott.'

  ' That's something I'd like to remedy.'

  'I'm afraid you won't be able to do so.'

  'I'm not afraid—you are!'

  The weak, mocking voice aroused her to anger. ' You're still hallucinatory, Mr. Scott I suggest you let me give you your injection. If not, I'll leave it with the nurse.'

  'I'd rather you did it,' he pleaded, and half moved his arm. Silently she gave it to him and was withdrawing the needle when Sister Bright came up behind her.

  'I've just been speaking to Mr. Scott's father'

  ' Father's here?' Jason Scott's eyes opened and he struggled to raise himself from the pillows.

  'I'm afraid not,' Sister said reluctantly. ' He sent a message saying'

  'That he's unavoidably detained on business.' The eagerness left the deep blue eyes. 'I guessed as much.'

  ' He hopes to be here later this evening' Sister finished.

  'Naturally. But only after the office has closed' There was bitterness behind the mockery, 'Could you call him for me and tell him not to tell my mother?

  She'll worry . . . and. ' he struggled to fight off the effects of the injection and Sister lightly touched his arm.

  ' Your mother already knows. She's flying here tomorrow. Mr. Edgar spoke to her on the telephone and advised her not to come and see you today'

  "That'll make her think the worst,' he muttered. ' She flaps over everything'

  ' Then your motor racing can't do her much good,' Paula remarked.

  'She'd worry about me if I rode a tricycle I' He chuckled sleepily and tugged at his pyjama jacket. 'If she sees me in these it'll put ten years on her. Could you get'

  ' Do be quiet and let the injection take effect' Paula interrupted.

  ' Dr MacKinnon's right' Sister added. ' Be quiet, there's a good lad. You need all the rest you can get.'

  ' MacKinnon' he said drowsily, 'I, . .I don't like it. What's your first name?'

  Conscious of Sister Bright's amusement, Paula said: '

  That's none of your business, Mr. Scott'

  'I'll make it my business . . . when I'm better.' Then his eyes closed and he was asleep.

  'I can see I'll have my work cut out once he's on the mend'

  Sister Bright said wryly as she accompanied Paula to the corridor. ' He'll be more trouble than a pack of monkeys'

  'I endorse that remark completely' Paula grinned.

  'Thank goodness he'll be your problem, not mine!'

  CHAPTER II

  Despite Paula's shelving of Jason Scott's future behaviour, she could not forget his bitterness when he had learned his father had put business before a desire to see him. Frequently during the afternoon—as she wrote up the cases she had seen that morning—she found herself wondering how a man could place any commitment, no matter how important, before a need to see a son who had narrowly escaped death. Or was there so little affection between them that business came first? This might be the case with the father, she decided, but she was certain it did not apply to the son; otherwise he would not have taken Sister s message so much to heart.

  'Is there anybody here who can help me?' A booming voice made Paula look up and she saw a tall, corpulent man with an indefinable air of consequence standing on the threshold of her office.

  ' The porter's desk is down the corridor.'

  ' There's no one there.' His voice was irate. ' My name's Scott and --'

  'I'm sorry, Mr. Scott.' She jumped up. ' We weren't expecting you.'

  Could you take me to see my son at once?' He made no effort to hide his annoyance. 'I spoke to some nurse earlier on and she gave me the impression he was dying.'

  ' Not now' Paula said coldly. ' He almost did last night.'

  ' Why wasn't I called?'

  'The police couldn't find you.'

  He flung out a hand impatiently. ' Take me to him.'

  ' He's sleeping.'

  'Sleeping? Then he's not in pain?'

  'He's had an injection," she explained.

  'I see.' He came further into the room. ' Perhaps you can tell me where I can contact Mr. Edgar? My secretary called his home, but we were told he had gone to London.'

  'He'll be back late tonight, I'll leave word for him to call you tomorrow as soon as he's finished operating.'

  'I can't wait for that I want to know about my son now !'

  'I can help you.' Not giving him a chance to reply, 'he recounted the events of the previous evening. ' Your ton's still very ill' she concluded, 'but he's not dying.'

  ' Will he be crippled?'

  'No. It'll be some time before he'll be able to walk properly, but'

  ' Thank goodness for that I' He reached for his handkerchief and tactfully Paula looked away, keeping her head averted until he spoke again. ' May I see him now?'

  'I'll take you up to the ward'

  'Thank you.' He followed her into the lift 'I'd appreciate it if you'd stay with me. I don't want to have to explain who I am all over again.'

  She acceded to the request and silently led him out of the lift and down to the ward where Jason Scott lay. Only when she saw his expression as it rested on the pale face of his son did she realize that his unfeeling manner was merely a facade to disguise his deep, intense emotion.

  ' Are you sure he'll recover?' he said shakily as he came out of the cubicle. ' He looks so ill.'

  ' He's been in great pain' she reminded him, ' but I assure you he'll get better.'

  'I'll feel happier when I've spoken to Mr. Edgar. What's the best time to reach him in the morning?'

  ' He begins operating at eight.'

  'Then I'll talk to him before he starts' He gave a brief smile. ' Don't worry, doctor, I'm no ten-to-five man. Most days I'm in my office before my staff have clocked in'

  'I gathered as much from something your son said'

  The smile vanished. 'I'm afraid there are many things my son a
nd I don't see eye to eye on. Work and motor racing happen to be two of them.' ' Speeding wasn't responsible for his accident'

  Mr. Scott disregarded the remark. 'In future I intend to make sure he s got no time for that damned hobby of his. He's going to come back into the factory whether he likes it or not. I've had enough of his gallivanting around the world. It's got to stop!'

  He spoke with such vehemence that a couple of nurses popped their beads out of the sluice room to see what was going on. His outburst confirmed all Paula's intuitive feelings about Jason Scott, but he was a patient and she could not forget it

  'I hope you won't say all this to your son when you see him. Excitement is the worst thing for him in his present state.'

  'Don't worry. I'll wait till he's better.' Not till they were in the downstairs lobby did he speak again. 'I'd like him moved to a private room as soon as possible. I take it Marsden has got a private wing?'

  'A small one. I suggest you speak to Matron about it'

  ' What's wrong, doctor, don't you approve of private patients?'

  His shrewdness disconcerted her, ' Not altogether,' she admitted. 'In any case I'm against moving your son for a few days.'

  ' But I want him to have the best medical attention.'

  ' He'll get that wherever he is.'

  Mr. Scott studied her, then nodded. ' Very well, we'll leave it to his doctors to decide when it's safe to move him.' His lips twitched and he emitted a sudden bark of laughter.

  'I'd give a lot to see my wife's face when she finds Jason in a public ward!'

  Paula was to recall his words the next day when, as she passed through the entrance hall on her way to Casualty, a high-pitched voice caused her to glance towards the porter's desk.

  'I don't care what your stupid regulations are,' an elegant, middle-aged woman in a mink coat was insisting. 'I've flown here especially to see my son and I'm not leaving until I have.'

  ' Do stop arguing, Mother. Visiting hours are from seven to eight. We can come back quite easily then.'

  A slim, pale blonde young girl who looked about eighteen was tugging at the fur-clad arm.

  ' Don't pull me, Debbie, I'm not going bll I've seen him.'

  The voice became peevish. ' Sometimes I think you've no more feeling than your father. The least he could have done was to have had Jason moved to the private wing. Then we wouldn't have been bothered with these stupid rules.'

  ' Even in the private wing, visitors aren't allowed to come and go as they please.' Paula spoke impulsively, but her crisp intervention brought a sadden silence.

  The woman glanced at her superciliously. 'I was not aware I'd asked for your opinion.'

  The tone of voice made Paula aware of what she must look like in her serviceable camel coat and casually tied scarf, and had she not known that she was speaking to Jason Scott's mother, she would have walked away.

  'Mother, please!' Unlike the older woman, who appeared to judge solely by appearance, her daughter sensed the presence of authority. ' Do let's go home and come back later.',

  ' Not until I've spoken to someone about Jason.

  ' You can talk to me,' Paula said without expression. 'I'm the doctor in charge of Casualty.'

  'Were you here when my brother was brought in? the girl asked excitedly.

  'I'll handle this, Debbie.' Mrs. Scott's high cheekbones flushed pink as she adjusted her prejudices to Paula's position. ' Are you in charge of my son's case ?'

  'Mr. Edgar is. But I know all about it' Paula forced herself to speak gently. ' Your son is out of danger now, though he's still in pain.'

  ' When will I be allowed to see him?' Tears glittered in eyes which were a pale facsimile of her son's, and Paula felt a faint stirring of sympathy.

  'I'm sure I can arrange for you to see him for a few minutes.'

  ' That's most kind of you.' Regality robbed the answer of graciousness as Mrs. Scott moved imperiously towards toe lift, ' Come along, Debbie. What are you waiting for?'

  The girl stack her hands into the pockets of her coat. 'It isn t normal visiting times. Mother. I'm sure the doctor would rather I waited here.'

  Paula flashed her a smile and was rewarded by an equally warm one in return. It gave life to the pointed triangle of a face, making her realize that the girl was not as young as she had at first assumed. 'If you'd like to come up. Hiss Scott . . .'

  'No, thanks. I'd rather come back later and see Jason on my own.'

  Before Mrs. Scott had a chance to make any comment, Paula shepherded her into the lift, and as it was closing suddenly realized Donald Blake was waiting to see her. '

  Could you ask the porter to give a message to Dr Blake in Casualty,' she called to the girj, ' Tell him I'H be a little late'

  Debbie Scott waved acknowledgement of the message, though her reply was shut off by the closing of the lift door.

  ' She's so difficult,' Mrs. Scott murmured. ' She has everything a young girl could want, yet she's always miserable and rude.'

  ' Perhaps it's because she's got too much,' Paula said.

  'I don't understand you.'

  Looking at the autocratic face, Paula saw the truth of the statement and decided it was wiser not to embark on an explanation. The lift stopped and she led the way out.

  'I suppose you think all women should work,' Mrs. Scott said suddenly. 'I was brought up to believe a woman should take care of her home and children.'

  ' Some women like to have a career as well.'

  Pale eyes glanced at Paula's ringless left hand. ' Do you?"

  'I only have a career,' Paula said gently, and bit back a smile. If the woman were not so obviously naive she could be regarded as insufferably rude.

  Mrs. Scott sniffed delicately. 'I suppose you're one of these modern girls who'd insist on working after marriage?'

  'I wouldn't marry if I had to give up medicine.'

  Mrs. Scott sighed nostalgically. 'I might have had a great singing career once, but I ve never regretted giving up the concert platform for my husband and children. Somehow Paula could not see Mrs. Scott as a thwarted Maria Callas. 'I'm not surprised your daughter finds ber life pointless. I expect she can't wait to get married.'

  ' That's exactly where you're wrong! Debbie knows a great number of eligible young men, but she isn't Interested in any of them. And most of them aren't interested in her after a few weeks. It's her sulky manner, of course. If she were more like Jason . . .'

  The complaining voice faltered suddenly. 'If anything bad happened to him I wouldn't have wanted to go on living.'

  She clutched at Paula's hand. ' He will get better, won't he? You were telling me the truth downstairs?'

  ' Of course.' Thankfully Paula saw Men's Surgical ahead, sunk in its afternoon somnolence. Jason Scott had already irritated her more than any other patient without her having to feel responsible tor his mother. 'I'll go in and see him first, if you don't mind. Please wait here.'

  The rustle of the curtain as she stepped into his cubicle caused one eye to open drowsily. ' Hello there, beautiful.'

  His face sprang to life as he struggled to raise himself.

  ' That's enough nonsense, Mr Scott.' She evaded the hand that groped for hers. ' How are you feeling?'

  ' Fine, now you're here. I thought you'd deserted me.' His hand sought hers again and she countered it by taking his pulse.

  ' There's a special visitor to see yon.'

  ' You're the only visitor I want.'

  'It's your mother,' she said briskly, and felt the pulse race under her finger. The beat steadied and the tension left his body. ' Poor Mother,' he said softly. 'I suppose she's in a flap?'

  ' That's an understatement.'

  He looked at her without replying and she was startled at the unspoken communication that passed fleetingly between them, making words unnecessary. Jason Scott might love his mother, but whether he liked her was more doubtful. 'If I let you see her,' she said, ' do try not to get excited.'

  'How's my pulse?'

 
; ' Steady.'

  ' Then there's your answer. My temperature's more likely to shoot up for you.' She turned to go, but he still held her hand. ' Will you come and see me later on?'

  'I can't. I'm on duty.'

  'Tomorrow, then?'

  'I'm not making any promises.'

  He relaxed his hold so suddenly that she swung round to look at him. His face was ashen and she realized that his gaiety was an effort of will-power rather than the return of strength. He smiled weakly, the light gone from bis eyes.

  ' Better send Mother in. She hates being kept waiting.'

  All the way back to Casualty Paula was angry with herself for feeling guilty. Jason Scott had no right to demand her time. He was so spoiled by the adoration of the women he knew that he could not understand why one particular woman was not bowled over by his charm. There was no sign of Donald Blake, but as she changed into her white linen coat she could hear his voice coming from one of the examination rooms. Thinking he was with a patient, she put her head round the door and found turn deep in conversation with Debbie Scott.

  ' Caring isn't enough,' he was saying. ' People must do something about it.'

  Paula was not surprised to hear him riding his hobbyhorse ; the care of old people. What did surprise her was that Debbie Scott had stayed to listen to it. The sulky expression had gone from her face and her eyes were aglow with interest. Seeing Paula, she stood up hurriedly.

  'I'd better be getting back to Mother.'

  'It's all right, she's still upstairs.'

  The girl fidgeted with her bag. ' Dr Blake told me Jason nearly died. It must be wonderful to be able to help people the way you do.'

  'It's our job.'

  'But such a worthwhile one.' She looked at her hands with their long, polished nails and tucked them out of sight, as though the sight of them displeased her. ' May I come back this evening to see Jason, or should I leave it until tomorrow?'

  'I'm sure it will be all right if you come back.'

  Still Debbie Scott hesitated, this time looking at Donald.

  'Well, thanks awfully, you've been very kmd.'

  'I don't often get such a good listener.'

  ' And I don't often hear such a good talker. Most of the boys I know talk absolute drivel.' She flushed with sudden embarrassment and turned hastily to the door. As she did so, Donald came to life. Tearing off his white coat, he hurried after her. 'I'm just going off duty. Would you like a cup of tea?'