Melting the Argentine Doctor's Heart / Small Town Marriage Miracle

by Meredith Webber / Jennifer Taylor

  ‘I hope somebody can.’ Alistair stood up to shake hands. He sat down heavily again as though he didn’t have the strength to remain on his feet for very long. Propping himself against the edge of the desk, Daniel regarded him thoughtfully.

  ‘You seem to have been through the mill recently, Alistair. I’ve read your notes and you’ve had a lot of distressing symptoms in the last few months, it appears.’

  Emma took her seat behind the desk, leaving it up to Daniel to take the lead. She had to admit that the case had her stumped and she would value his help. She listened attentively while he asked Alistair how his health had been in general over the past year.

  ‘I was fine right up until a few months ago,’ Alistair assured them. ‘I never had anything wrong with me before that apart from the odd cold.’

  ‘Dr Roberts told me that you’ve been working abroad. Were you ill while you were there or did it all kick off when you came back to England?’

  ‘When I moved to Avondale, actually. I’d only been here a couple of weeks when I started feeling really rough—tired and as though I had no energy. Then I started with all these aches and pains, the headaches, etcetera.’

  He sounded really despondent and Emma frowned. If he was making it up then he was extremely convincing. By the time Daniel finished talking to him, she could tell that he was as perplexed as she was.

  ‘I have to admit that it’s got me baffled, Alistair. I know you’ve had a whole range of tests done, but I’d like to send you for more blood tests and see what they show up. Where were you working when you were abroad, by the way?’

  ‘South Africa was the last place but I’ve been all over in the past few years—India, China, various parts of Africa. I’m a civil engineer so I go wherever the job takes me.’

  ‘Are you working here at the moment?’ Emma put in.

  ‘Yes. I’m overseeing the building of a new wind farm. We’re due to start in a couple of weeks’ time so I’ve been doing a lot of the ground work beforehand.’

  ‘I imagine there was opposition to building a wind farm around here,’ Daniel suggested.

  Alistair sighed. ‘There was. It’s taken years to get the go-ahead and there’s a lot of folk who still aren’t happy about it. One of the local farmers in particular has caused us a great deal of trouble—dumping loads of manure and old oil drums in the middle of the track to block our access, that sort of thing. Last week he even warned some of the men off with a shotgun. When we called the police, he claimed it was all a misunderstanding and that he was out shooting rabbits.’

  ‘It can’t be easy, dealing with that kind of behaviour!’ Emma exclaimed.

  ‘It isn’t, although it wouldn’t be so bad if I felt a bit more up to it,’ Alistair stated ruefully.

  ‘Well, let’s hope we can get to the bottom of this as soon as possible,’ Daniel said encouragingly. ‘Bearing in mind where you’ve been working recently, I’d like you screened for some of the more obscure tropical diseases as well. It could be that you’ve picked something up overseas and that’s what’s causing the problem. We’ll arrange for a blood sample to be sent to the School of Tropical Medicine in Liverpool and see if they can come up with any answers.’

  Emma printed out a form for bloods to be taken at the hospital, adding a request for samples to be sent straight to Liverpool. She handed the form to Alistair who thanked her rather wearily and left. She frowned as the door closed behind him. ‘I don’t think he’s making it up, do you?’

  ‘No. It didn’t seem like it to me either,’ Daniel agreed. ‘Let’s hope something shows up in the next lot of tests because it’s very puzzling.’

  ‘Fingers crossed.’ She reached for the button to buzz through her next patient, not wanting to appear as though she was keen to detain him. However, he was way ahead of her.

  ‘Let me know when the test results come back, will you?’ he asked as he strode to the door.

  ‘Of course.’

  Emma summoned a smile but it was galling to know how eager he was to avoid spending any time with her. He had stayed away from the house all day on Sunday, only returning when he’d been sure that she would be in bed. She had heard his car turn into the drive well after midnight and had hurriedly switched off her lamp, afraid that he would think she was waiting up for him.

  It was obvious that Daniel was keen to avoid a repeat of what had happened on Saturday night. She was too but for a different reason. She was afraid of getting emotionally involved but that wasn’t something he would worry about. Daniel simply didn’t want any complications in his life. Maybe he had told her that she was more beautiful than any woman he had ever known but talk was cheap: actions said far more. And he had proved beyond any doubt that he didn’t care a jot about her.

  CHAPTER TEN

  THE week wore on and Daniel found to his dismay that he couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened between him and Emma. It wasn’t so bad while he was working, he could focus on his patients then. However, when he was on his own, that was when the real problem started.

  It was as though Emma had invaded his mind and every time he relaxed his guard, thoughts of her popped into his head. He kept remembering in glorious detail how it had felt when they’d made love and it was driving him mad. He longed to tell her how he felt yet he knew he couldn’t do it. How could he confess that making love to her had touched his heart and his soul when it was clear that she didn’t feel the same way?

  In an effort to retain his sanity he spent an increasing amount of time away from the house. Fortunately the weather had improved and with the nights getting lighter, he was able to go walking after evening surgery ended. He became quite familiar with the various footpaths surrounding the town, although he was careful not to stray too far afield. It was while he was out one evening that he came across the search and rescue team tending an injured walker. When Mike Harding asked him if he would take a look at the woman’s ankle, Daniel readily agreed.

  ‘It looks to me very much like a Pott’s fracture,’ he declared after he’d examined her. He glanced at Mike and grimaced. ‘When she fell, she broke her fibula and either broke the tibia as well or tore the ligaments, resulting in a dislocation of the ankle. It’s a nasty injury.’

  ‘Can you help us put a splint on it, Doc?’ Mike asked. ‘We certainly don’t want to cause any more damage.’

  ‘Of course.’ Daniel gave the woman some Entonox™ to help with the pain then helped Mike fit an inflatable splint to support her ankle. He accompanied the team back to their Land Rover, shaking his head when Mike thanked him profusely. ‘I was happy to help.’

  ‘I still appreciate what you did, Doc. That’s twice in a very short time that we’ve been glad of your services. How’s that young lad doing, by the way? Have you heard?’

  ‘Do you mean Jack? He’s been moved from Intensive Care and by all accounts is making an excellent recovery.’

  ‘Which he probably wouldn’t be doing if you hadn’t been on hand to help him.’ Mike shook his head when Daniel demurred. ‘No, credit where it’s due, Doc. You saved that kid’s life and that’s a fact. It’s just a shame that you aren’t going to be here long term. We could do with someone like you to call on, especially as we’re coming up to our busiest time of the year. I don’t suppose you’d consider moving here permanently, would you?’

  ‘Nice idea, although I’m not sure my colleagues in London would appreciate me jumping ship,’ Daniel told him with a laugh to disguise how touched he felt by the request.

  ‘Pity. You’ve fitted in really well around here. Everyone’s said so. And they don’t always take kindly to outsiders, believe me.’

  Mike sketched him a wave and drove off. Daniel made his way back to the house, thinking about what the other man had said. Despite the problems with Emma, he had enjoyed working in the town far more than he had expected. Not only had he enjoyed being part of such a close-knit community, he had dealt with a far wider variety of cases than he normally would have seen. Wit
h the nearest hospital being so far away, the surgery was the first port of call in an emergency and it had been good to test his skills.

  He knew that if circumstances had been different, he would have been tempted to ask Jim Haynes if he was still interested in taking on a partner. There was certainly sufficient work for a second doctor; in fact, he couldn’t imagine how Jim was going to cope on his own when he returned to work. However, he also knew how Emma would feel about the idea. He would be the last person she would want working here.

  It was a dispiriting thought. Knowing how Emma felt about him hurt, even though he refused to examine the reasons why it was so painful. He knew that she would take care to ensure their paths never crossed in the future and it was hard to accept that once she left, he would never see her again. Even though he knew it was for the best, he was going to miss her.

  Emma found it difficult to put what had happened between her and Daniel behind her. The fact that he never once alluded to it should have helped but it didn’t. She found it deeply hurtful that he’d been able to dismiss the fact that they had slept together.

  In an effort to make the remainder of her stay in Avondale bearable, she made a point of keeping out of his way outside working hours. It wasn’t difficult. Daniel had taken to going for a walk after evening surgery finished, which meant he was rarely at home. She did wonder if he was avoiding her too but decided she was being fanciful. Daniel had demonstrated very clearly that he had very few feelings for her, so why would he feel that he needed to keep out of her way?

  Another week passed and the surgery was busier than ever. There was a steady influx of tourists arriving in the area and they added to the number of people wanting to be seen. Emma couldn’t help wondering how her uncle was going to cope when he returned to work. Although he was making excellent progress, according to her aunt, running a busy practice with all that it entailed was very different from convalescing. She couldn’t bear to think that Uncle Jim might put his health at risk out of a sense of duty and decided to speak to Daniel about it. She managed to catch him on his way out to some house calls on Friday lunchtime.

  ‘Have you got a minute?’

  ‘Yes, of course. What’s up? Problems?’

  He put his case on the desk and turned to face her. Emma felt her heart give a little jolt and swallowed. The weather had been exceptionally warm that day and he’d shed his jacket and rolled up his shirtsleeves. The pale blue cotton set off his olive-toned skin and provided the perfect foil for his dark brown hair. He looked big and vital and so gloriously male that she was suddenly aware of her own femininity in a way she hadn’t been since the night they had made love.

  The thought wasn’t the least bit welcome. She hurriedly drove it from her mind and concentrated on what she’d come to say. ‘I’ve been thinking about what’s going to happen when Uncle Jim comes back to work.’

  ‘You mean how he’s going to manage on his own?’ Daniel said immediately, and she looked at him in surprise.

  ‘Yes. How did you know that’s what I meant?’

  ‘Because I’ve been thinking about it too.’ He gave her a tight smile. ‘It doesn’t take a genius to see that he’s going to be pushed to keep up with the workload here. Quite frankly, it’s way too much for one person.’

  ‘It is. He needs someone to help him, ideally another partner, but I can’t see that happening, can you?’

  ‘It could take time to find the right person,’ Daniel said slowly. ‘And it isn’t something we can organise without your uncle’s consent.’

  ‘No, it isn’t. And if Uncle Jim is as choosy this time round as he was the last time he advertised, it could take for ever.’ She sighed. ‘It’s hard to know what to do, isn’t it?’

  ‘How about a locum?’ Daniel suggested.

  ‘Do you think we’d find anyone willing to work here, though?’

  ‘I can’t see why not. Oh, I know Avondale isn’t exactly a mecca for bright lights and a wild social life, but neither is it the back of beyond. And at this time of the year—when the weather is fine—it might be an attractive proposition for someone.’

  ‘It’s worth a try,’ she said slowly. ‘I don’t suppose you know any reliable agencies who provide locum cover? It’s not something I’ve had to deal with.’

  ‘I’ll get onto our practice manager and ask her for some phone numbers,’ Daniel assured her. ‘We often need locum cover so she keeps a list of agencies.’

  ‘That would be great. Thank you. Should we tell Uncle Jim what we’re planning when he phones?’

  ‘Oh, yes, I think so, don’t you?’ He shrugged. ‘If I were in his shoes, I’d expect to be kept up to date with what was going on here.’

  ‘I only hope he doesn’t object,’ Emma said anxiously. ‘You know how touchy he can be about his patients, wants to be sure they receive first-class care, et cetera.’

  ‘Leave it to me. I’m sure I can convince him it will be in everyone’s best interests if he has help, if only during the summer months.’

  ‘That’s probably the best way to sell the idea to him,’ Emma agreed. ‘Even Uncle Jim will have to admit that it’s hard to cope when there are so many visitors in the area.’

  ‘And once he’s admitted that, it should be easier to make him see that he needs help at other times of the year as well.’

  ‘Take it one step at a time, you mean?’ she said, frowning as she considered the idea and realised that it had a lot of merit.

  ‘Yes.’ Daniel sighed. ‘Trying to push your uncle into admitting that he isn’t up to running the practice on his own any longer will only make him dig in his heels, so we’ll take things slowly, let him discover for himself that he needs help.’

  ‘It makes sense. I’d hate it to look as though we doubt his capabilities.’

  ‘Exactly. This way, any decisions that are made about the future of the practice will be his. He won’t feel as though he’s being pushed into doing something he doesn’t want to do.’

  ‘You’re right,’ Emma agreed, surprised by Daniel’s astute assessment of the situation. She knew that her uncle would hate to feel as though he wasn’t in charge any more, but it surprised her that Daniel had realised that too.

  She turned to leave then stopped when Daniel said suddenly, ‘Oh, by the way, those test results for Alistair Grant have come back. I was in the office when they arrived so I had a look at them. I hope you don’t mind?’

  ‘Of course not. What did they show? Anything?’

  ‘According to the lab at Liverpool there are traces of pesticide in Alistair’s blood.’ Daniel shrugged. ‘It would certainly explain the wide variety of symptoms he’s presented with recently, wouldn’t it?’

  ‘It would. Do you think he’s been in contact with pesticides while he’s been here or did it happen while he was working overseas?’ she queried.

  ‘Liverpool seems to think the problem is recent. I’ve asked Ruth to phone Alistair and get him to make an appointment to see if we can find out how he may have come into contact with the chemicals. If we can’t find an answer, I imagine environmental services will need to be alerted to see if they can sort it out.’

  ‘Of course. If it is a local problem then we don’t want anyone else being taken ill,’ she said worriedly.

  ‘Exactly.’ He smiled at her. ‘I’ll mention it to your uncle when he phones. I’m sure he’d enjoy getting to the bottom of the mystery.’

  ‘I’m sure he would,’ she agreed quietly.

  Emma sighed as she left the room. She couldn’t help wondering how one person could be such a contradiction. On the one hand Daniel genuinely seemed to care about other people’s feelings, but on the other hand he didn’t seem to care a jot about hers. Even though she knew it was stupid, she couldn’t help wishing that he would spare some of that concern for her.

  The house calls had taken far longer than he’d expected so that it was after three p.m. by the time Daniel drew up in front of Niths Farm. He switched off the engine and reached
for the printout that Ruth had prepared for him. According to the patient’s notes, it had been over ten years since Harold Dawson had last visited the surgery. He’d suffered an injury to his left arm following an incident with some kind of farm machinery but had refused to go to the hospital. Jim had stitched his arm, given him a tetanus shot, and that had been it. Harold Dawson hadn’t returned to have the stitches removed and had ignored several telephone messages asking him to contact the surgery. Daniel grimaced as he got out of the car. It didn’t bode well for what was going to greet him today.

  He rapped on the farmhouse door, glancing around while he waited. Although the farm was large, it was very untidy. Bits of rusty old machinery littered the yard and there was a pile of stones heaped up in the corner where one of the barn walls had given way. The whole place had a pervading air of neglect that saddened him. It seemed a shame that what had been once an obviously thriving concern should have been reduced to such a pitiful state as this.

  ‘Aye? And what do you want?’

  Daniel swung round when a gruff voice spoke behind him. He summoned a smile as he greeted the elderly man standing in the doorway. ‘I’m Dr Kennedy. You phoned the surgery and requested a home visit.’

  ‘I asked to see the real doctor, not some stand-in,’ the man replied rudely. He glared at Daniel. ‘Tell them I want to see Dr Haynes, no one else.’

  ‘I’m afraid Dr Haynes is away at the present time,’ Daniel explained quietly.

  ‘Then I’ll wait till he’s back.’

  He went to shut the door but Daniel put out his hand and stopped him. ‘Dr Haynes won’t be back for another month. Are you sure you want to wait that long, Mr Dawson? ‘

  The man hesitated while he considered the idea. He scowled as he wrenched open the door. ‘Suppose you’d better come in, then, seeing as you’re here.’

  Daniel sighed ruefully as he followed the old man into a dingy hallway. Not exactly the warmest welcome he’d ever received. Harold Dawson led him down the hall to the kitchen, which turned out to be equally neglected. Daniel’s heart sank as he took stock of the piles of dirty dishes on the draining board and the inch-thick layer of grease that coated the top of the old-fashioned range. It didn’t appear as though any cleaning had been done in the place for months, if not years. Pushing aside a stack of old newspapers, he placed his case on the table.