Reunited by Their Baby

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘They can indeed. It’s very different these days from when your father had his stroke,’ Beth explained. ‘There’s a range of medication that can and does work wonders.’

  ‘Thank heavens.’ Penny closed her eyes in sheer relief at hearing that. Michael used his good hand to reach for hers.

  ‘You’re not getting rid of me that easily,’ he declared, smiling at his wife with such love in his eyes that Beth felt a lump come to her throat. Once upon a time she had thought that she and Callum had the kind of relationship that would last a lifetime but she’d been wrong. He’d got bored after only a few years of being married to her.

  It was a painful thought so it was a relief when Marie knocked on the door and ushered in the paramedics. Michael and Penny went in the ambulance, with their son following on in his car. The emergency had set her back so it was way past the time she should have finished before Beth had seen everyone.

  She hurried out to her car, not wanting to be late collecting Beatrix. The little girl had been very unsettled recently, crying when Beth left her each morning. Although she knew that a lot of children went through a clingy stage, Beatrix seemed very unsettled at home too and she could only put it down to one thing: her baby was missing Callum.

  Beth’s mouth compressed as she drove out of the surgery. Callum had been gone for three weeks now and she’d had no contact with him since he had left. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. After all, he was doing what he loved best and he didn’t have time to worry about his daughter or anyone else. However, if he thought he could get away with such behaviour, he was mistaken. When he came back then she intended to make it clear that there was no place for him in Beatrix’s life.

  * * *

  Callum had never felt so frustrated in his life. So far the agency had failed to find a replacement for him so he’d been forced to stay on far longer than he had expected. Add to that the fact that they were working in one of the remotest areas of the planet, which made communications virtually impossible, and he was consumed with impatience.

  He could just imagine what Beth must be thinking. Not only had he gone haring off to the other side of the globe, but he hadn’t even bothered to get in touch with her and he hadn’t returned when he’d said he would. If she’d had doubts about his suitability as a parent before this, they must have multiplied a hundredfold!

  When word finally came that a replacement had been found, he was overjoyed. He packed up and made the long journey back to the capital where he wasted another couple of precious days hanging around the airport after his flight was cancelled. Eventually, he was on his way and arrived back at Heathrow in the early hours of the morning. He collected his car from the car park and set off. Although it was a long drive up to Yorkshire, all he wanted was to get home.

  His heart lurched as the word slid into his head. He had never really considered anywhere as home before. Being sent away to school at such a young age had made it difficult to put down roots. Even after he and Beth had married and he had moved to the Dales, he had found it hard.

  However, somewhere in the past couple of months Beesdale had laid claim to him, although maybe it wasn’t the town so much as the people who lived there, he realised suddenly. He had missed Beth and Beatrix so much while he had been away and he knew how empty his life would be without them. Even if Beth still had doubts about him, he had to find a way to convince her that all he wanted was to be with her and their daughter for the rest of his days.

  Callum could feel his heart racing as he joined the motorway. He knew it was going to be extremely hard to make Beth trust him but he was determined to do so, determined that he would speak to her that very day. After all, she had trusted him enough to sleep with him, even though she had claimed later that it hadn’t meant anything. He frowned. All of a sudden he didn’t believe it. It was completely out of character for her to do such a thing. Beth would never have slept with him if she hadn’t felt something for him!

  The thought buoyed him up so that he barely noticed the miles passing. It was early morning when he reached Beesdale and there was a lot of traffic about. He slowed down as he approached the school. As well as parents dropping off their children, there was a truck delivering building materials for the new extension and he waited while it backed into the playground. Although the area around the site of the extension had been fenced off, children were entering the school through the main doors a few yards away.

  Callum frowned when he saw the truck suddenly lurch backwards. To his mind, the driver was going far too fast and needed to slow down. The thought had barely crossed his mind when there was an almighty crash as the rear of the truck struck the building. Metal supports flew in all directions as they were ripped away and he gasped in horror when he saw the gable end of the old Victorian building start to give way. Huge blocks of stone began to rain down onto the playground as he leapt out of his car and ran across the road.

  ‘Someone call the emergency services,’ he shouted, running over to the truck. The cab had been partly crushed by the falling masonry and he could just make out the driver, slumped over the wheel. He climbed up to the cab and felt for the man’s pulse but he couldn’t find one. There was nothing he could do for him so he climbed back down and ran over to a woman who had a deep cut on her cheek. Taking a clean handkerchief out of his pocket, he pressed it against the cut to stem the bleeding then called over a man who was standing nearby.

  ‘Keep putting pressure on it until the bleeding stops. It’ll need stitching so make sure the paramedics see her when the ambulances get here.’

  Callum moved on, checking the rest of the casualties who had been in the playground. Thankfully, nobody appeared to be badly injured, although one elderly man had a broken arm. He used a borrowed scarf to stabilise it then turned his attention to those inside the school. Some of the workmen from the site had started to clear a path to the main entrance, which had been blocked by falling stones. There was a young man directing operations and Callum hurried over to him.

  ‘I need to get inside to see if anyone’s been injured,’ he explained.

  ‘I’m not sure if that’s possible,’ the younger man replied. ‘Some of those blocks of stone are barely holding in place and they could shift at any moment. I’m Alistair Halthorpe. It’s my family’s firm that is doing the building work.’ He shot a worried glance at the truck. ‘What about Ken, the truck driver? He and my dad have been friends for years...’ He tailed off when Callum shook his head.

  ‘Sorry. I’m afraid he didn’t make it.’ He waited a beat then continued, knowing that they didn’t have time to grieve for the driver if they were to help the people trapped inside the building. ‘Is there another way in?’

  ‘There is, but it’s in an even worse state than this.’ Alistair made an obvious effort to collect himself as he led Callum around the building and pointed to what had been the back entrance. Callum’s heart sank when he discovered that it had been completely blocked when part of the roof had caved in.

  ‘There’s no way you can get in that way—we won’t be able to shift those beams for a start,’ Alistair told him. ‘We’ll have to wait for the fire and rescue teams to get here. They’ll have heavy lifting gear with them.’

  ‘But how long will that take?’ Callum shook his head. ‘We can’t afford to wait. If anyone’s been seriously injured then they need help now. If we could manage to clear a passageway through the rubble then maybe I can get inside.’

  They went back to the front of the building. News of what had happened had spread and there was a large crowd milling about now. More men had joined the team shifting the stones away from the entrance and Callum went to help them. It was hard going but in a fairly short time a narrow passage had been opened up. Callum ran over to his car for his bag then hurried back and knelt down. There was just enough room for him to crawl through if he was careful.

  ‘Try not to knock against any o
f those stones,’ Alistair instructed, handing Callum a hard hat. ‘One wrong move and the whole lot could fall on top of you.’

  ‘That’s reassuring to know,’ Callum replied, drolly. He eased himself forward, taking his time so that he wouldn’t inadvertently set off a landslide. It was highly uncomfortable crawling over the rough surface but he kept going until he reached the end of the passageway. There was a woman there, her face grey with worry, and she helped him to his feet.

  ‘Thank heavens!’ she exclaimed. ‘I didn’t know how long it would be before the emergency services arrived.’

  ‘I’m afraid they aren’t here yet,’ Callum told her. ‘It’s just me for now. I’m Dr O’Neill from the surgery. Is anyone badly injured?’

  ‘I’m Mrs Goulding, the head teacher,’ the woman informed him, leading the way along the corridor. ‘A couple of the children were hit by stones but, thankfully, they’re more shocked than anything else. Mr Benson is my main concern. Nick was knocked out when a lump of stone fell on him. He’s regained consciousness now but he seems rather confused.’

  ‘I’ll take a look at him first,’ Callum said, his heart sinking. If the man had suffered a head injury then he would need immediate treatment at the hospital.

  ‘He’s in here. I know you’re not supposed to move a casualty but I was worried in case the rest of the gable end came down, so we put him in the office. One of the other teachers is with him.’

  Mrs Goulding opened the door and ushered Callum inside. He went straight over to the young man propped up against the desk and knelt down. ‘I’m Dr O’Neill,’ he explained, opening his bag and taking out a small torch. ‘Mrs Goulding tells me that you’ve had a bang on the head.’

  ‘That’s right.’ Nick Benson winced as he touched his temple. ‘Something must have hit me, although I don’t really remember what happened, if I’m honest.’

  Callum’s heart sank that bit more when he realised how slurred the other man’s speech sounded. ‘How long was he unconscious?’ he asked, shining the torch into Nick Benson’s eyes. Although the left pupil reacted normally to the light, the right one was very sluggish, an indication that Nick had concussion.

  ‘About five minutes, although it could have been longer,’ the young woman teacher, who had been delegated to sit with him, replied shakily. ‘We were more concerned about getting the children to safety, you see, so it was a while before anyone realised that Nick had been hurt.’

  ‘I see.’ Callum nodded. ‘I want you to keep a close eye on him. If his condition changes in any way, i.e. he lapses into unconsciousness again or has difficulty speaking, then I want you to come and get me straight away.’

  The young woman nodded, obviously appreciating the seriousness of the situation. Callum followed Mrs Goulding out of the office and along the corridor to the hall where the children were gathered. An area in the corner had been cleared and he could see half a dozen or so children sitting there, along with a couple of mothers who must have been in the school when the accident had occurred. He was surprised when he spotted Polly amongst them.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ he asked, going over to her.

  ‘I was dropping Joseph off,’ she explained, looking equally surprised to see him. ‘How about you? When did you get back?’

  ‘First thing this morning,’ Callum told her, and grimaced. ‘I drove straight up here and was outside when the accident happened.’

  ‘Does Beth know you’re back?’ Polly asked.

  ‘No. I was going to surprise her, although whether it would have been a pleasant surprise is debatable,’ he added wearily.

  ‘Don’t give up.’ Polly smiled at him. ‘No matter what Beth says, I know she cares about you, Callum. More than cares, in fact.’

  Callum didn’t get chance to say anything because Mrs Goulding interrupted them just then. However, as he followed the head teacher over to where a little girl was sobbing noisily, his heart was racing. Was it true? Did Beth care about him? He had no idea but he intended to find out as soon as he could.

  * * *

  Beth didn’t hear about the accident until she went into work. Everyone was talking about it and she frowned in consternation. ‘Was anyone badly injured?’

  ‘Nobody knows yet,’ Marie told her. ‘Apparently, the children are still inside the school and they’re having to wait for the emergency services to arrive. From what I can gather, it’s too dangerous to try to get them out without the proper equipment.’

  ‘How awful!’ Beth exclaimed. ‘Is there anything we can do?’

  ‘Daniel’s gone down there to find out. He said he’d phone and let us know what’s happening...’ Marie broke off when the telephone rang. She snatched up the receiver, listening intently to what was being said. ‘That was Daniel. The fire and rescue teams have just arrived,’ she explained after she’d hung up. ‘They’re going to shore up the building and make it safe. It appears that both entrances are blocked so they’re going to get the children out through the windows.’

  ‘Thank heavens for that.’ Beth shuddered at the thought of the children being trapped inside. ‘What does Daniel want us to do? Did he say?’

  ‘Carry on as normal. Any minor injuries can be treated here while anything more serious will need to be ferried to the hospital,’ Marie told her.

  ‘Right, that’s what we’ll do then.’

  Beth went to her room, wondering how many people had been injured. At least the emergency services were on site now and that would help. She saw a couple of patients then attended to a little girl who had been cut on the arm when a slate had dropped off the school’s roof and hit her. Thankfully, the cut wasn’t deep and only required butterfly stitches to hold it together.

  By midday she had seen and treated at least a dozen more minor injuries. The children and their teachers had all been safely evacuated from the building now but she decided not to go for lunch in case she was needed. She was just making herself a cup of coffee when Polly appeared.

  ‘Have you heard about the accident?’ she asked, over her shoulder.

  ‘Yes. I was there when it happened, in fact,’ Polly replied.

  ‘Really?’ Beth swung round and stared at her friend in dismay. ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘I’m fine, so’s Joseph. He thought it was great fun when the fireman carried him down the ladder to get him out.’

  ‘Where is he now?’ Beth asked, frowning.

  ‘Waiting in the car.’ Polly took a deep breath then hurried on. ‘I’m about to take him home but I wanted to let you know something first. Callum’s still inside the school. Apparently, one of the staff has been quite badly injured and he’s stayed with him.’

  ‘Callum? But he’s in Africa,’ Beth protested, unable to take it in.

  ‘He got back in the early hours of this morning and drove straight up here,’ Polly explained, then shrugged. ‘I got the distinct impression that he was keen to see you, Beth.’

  ‘I doubt it,’ Beth said shortly.

  ‘Why won’t you give him a chance?’ Polly held up her hand when Beth opened her mouth. ‘I know what you’re going to say, that he let you down and you can’t trust him not to do it again. But it’s obvious that he cares about you otherwise he wouldn’t have come haring back here as fast as he could.’

  ‘So he cares, does he? Well, he has a funny way of showing it, that’s all I can say.’ Beth bit her lip when she felt tears well to her eyes. Even though she knew it was ridiculous, it had hurt to be ignored again. ‘He never even bothered to contact me while he was away, not even to ask about Beatrix.’

  ‘There could be a very good reason for that,’ Polly pointed out. ‘I mean, we have enough problems getting a signal at times, and we live in Yorkshire, not the depths of Africa!’ She sighed. ‘All I’m saying, Beth, is don’t cut off your nose to spite your face. You’ll only regret it.’

  Beth pick
ed up her mug of coffee after Polly left and took it back to her room. Was Polly right? Should she give Callum the benefit of the doubt? She took a sip of the hot liquid, thinking back over what had happened since he had first returned to Beesdale.

  He had done everything he possibly could to convince her that he was serious about wanting to be a proper father to Beatrix, hadn’t he? It was obvious that he loved Beatrix and that Beatrix loved him too, so why couldn’t she accept that? Why wouldn’t she trust him? Because it wasn’t enough to know that he loved their daughter when she wanted him to love her too? Love her as much as she loved him?

  All of sudden, she could see the situation clearly. She had never stopped loving him. Even when he had told her that he’d wanted a divorce, it hadn’t changed how she felt about him. Oh, she had been hurt and angry but she had still loved him. That was why she had made love with him the night Beatrix was conceived. It was also why she had made love with him a few weeks ago. She loved him with every fibre of her being and knowing how she felt terrified her.

  But Callum had never set out to upset her. What he had told her was true. He had left because he had been afraid for her. He had only asked her for a divorce because he had honestly thought it was the best thing he could do to protect her. How blind she had been not to understand all that before!

  Beth stood up, her legs shaking as she hurried from the room. She didn’t bother with her car but ran out of the surgery and along the road. All she could think about was Callum trapped inside the school. From what she could gather, there was every likelihood that it would collapse, and if that happened then she might never get the chance to tell him how she felt, how much she loved him.

  The thought lent wings to her feet so that it took only minutes to reach the school. Barriers had been set up to keep people away and her heart raced when she saw the grim expressions on the faces of the firemen who were attempting to stabilise the building. All of a sudden there was a warning shout and she gasped in horror when she saw the front wall of the building start to bow out. Then with a tremendous roar, it collapsed. Beth pressed her hand to her mouth. Somewhere beneath all that rubble was Callum.