by Lucy Clark
Stacey watched him for a moment, wondering if he still had feelings for Catherine. It was clear from the way he spoke of her that he admired her. Could she ask? They were being quite open with each other so why not?
‘Do you…?’ She hesitated for a moment, then took a breath and plunged right in. ‘Do you still have feelings for Catherine?’
‘Friendship feelings? Yes. Romantic feelings? No. But I wish her every success and happiness.’
‘And yet you sound so forlorn.’
‘I do?’ He sat up straighter and chuckled. ‘Sorry. I’m supposed to be the one cheering you up.’
‘Then consider me cheered. You have performed your friendship duties well.’
‘Friendship?’ he queried.
‘Isn’t that why we’re having dinner tonight? To build friendships not only for Nell but for each other?’
Pierce angled his head to the side. ‘I guess I hadn’t thought of it like that.’
‘Perhaps because you’re always so busy considering Nell’s needs first and your own second.’
‘I’m sure you know all about that, what with having so many siblings. But I think we could definitely be friends.’ He spread his arms wide. ‘We’re off to a good start. We’re swinging together.’ He winked, implying a cheeky double entendre.
She laughed. ‘Literally.’
‘Yes. So, friend, tell me something about you that a lot of people—sans siblings—wouldn’t know.’
Stacey sighed thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded. ‘I love cheesy music videos.’
‘Huh? That is surprising.’
‘They’re just so funny. The over-acting, the bad colour saturation, the strange vision of the film-maker. Sometimes the videos have absolutely nothing to do with the lyrics, and that just makes it even more ridiculous and funny. Some of the ones from the eighties are classics—especially with special effects which were considered so cutting edge at the time but nowadays are completely woeful.’
Pierce nodded, as though seriously considering her words. ‘Cheesy music videos? I’m beginning to understand the appeal.’
‘OK. Now it’s your turn. Tell me something not many people know about you.’
Pierce opened his mouth, hesitated, then closed it again.
‘Come on,’ Stacey urged. ‘Friends share.’
He nodded, but exhaled and closed his eyes before confessing, ‘I like…to sew.’
‘Sew?’
‘If I hadn’t had a passion for medicine and helping people I would have been a fashion designer.’
‘Really?’ Stacey couldn’t help but chuckle at this news. ‘Are you being serious or are you pulling my leg?’
He kept a straight face for a whole five seconds before grinning. ‘Pulling your leg. I like to garden.’
‘Well, that’s hardly a secret. Your whole neighbourhood can tell you like to garden simply by the way you attend to those flowerbeds.’ She swung back and forth a little. ‘I liked the sewing story better, but if you ever feel like bringing your gardening skills over to my house then please feel free. I do not have a green thumb whatsoever.’
‘Perhaps I can give you some pointers. We could do some potting and planting and then head inside and watch cheesy music videos.’
Stacey laughed, unable to believe just how light and happy she felt. How was it that Pierce had not only been able to shift her bad mood but make her feel optimistic?
‘Gardening lessons?’ She nodded. ‘I might actually look forward to them.’
He stood from the swing and held out his hand to her. ‘I hope you do.’
Stacey accepted his hand, but as she stood from the swing she overbalanced slightly and fell towards him. Pierce moved quickly and caught her, with one strong arm about her waist.
‘Uh…sorry.’ Stacey placed her other hand on his arm to steady herself, trying to ignore the instant warmth which flooded her body, her senses shifting into overdrive as she breathed in his spicy scent.
‘You all right?’
His words were soft, his breath fanning her cheek, and when she lifted her head and looked at him she realised just how close her face was to his. Her gaze dipped to look at his mouth, lingering for a second before returning to meet his eyes.
‘Uh…’ She sent commands to her limbs, telling them to move, her legs to support her, but the sluggish signals took a few seconds to be received. ‘Yeah. Yeah, I should be fine.’
As she shifted her weight, Pierce continued to hold her hand. ‘Did you twist your ankle? Hurt yourself?’
‘No. I just stepped wrong. The ground’s a little uneven.’
He smiled at her. ‘OK.’
They took a few steps away from the swings before he released her, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans as they headed back down the path. Stacey racked her mind for something to say, trying to get her brain back into gear rather than fixating on the way being so close to Pierce had made her feel.
They’d been doing so well, chatting and sharing as friends. She didn’t want to be aware of him. She wanted their relationship to be one of easygoing colleagues and friends. She didn’t want to dream of him, to wonder what it might be like to have his arms holding her securely, to have him gazing down into her eyes, to have his lips pressed against hers.
‘Uh…’ She stopped and quickly cleared her throat, astonished that her voice had broken with that one brief sound. ‘Um…will Nell be all right with you leaving her like this? I mean, she doesn’t know any of my family and—’
‘Nell will be fine. Part of her preparation for living independently has involved developing a sort of script, I guess you’d call it, for when a visitor comes round. But with two rabbits there for her to play with I doubt she’s given anyone else a second thought.’
‘Well, that’s good.’
‘Plus, I’m sure your sister Molly will have everything under control.’
‘Probably better than I ever could.’ She sighed, thinking of the way Jasmine responded so positively to Molly.
‘I doubt that’s true. One day soon Jasmine will realise everything you’ve done for her, she’ll see you in a different light, and she’ll appreciate you much more.’
They were almost back at the house by now and Pierce started to slow his pace. He wasn’t sure he was ready to go inside to the noise and bustle just yet. Chatting quietly, intimately with Stacey had been relaxing, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d allowed himself to relax.
‘Oh, I hope so.’
Stacey, too, didn’t seem in any great hurry to re-enter the house, and they stopped just outside Edna and Mike’s place.
Stacey looked up at the fading light of the balmy September day. ‘Hopefully Jasmine’s been able to engage Nell in conversation.’ Stacey looked across at the house. ‘I hate to see her hurting.’
‘Of course you do. She’s your little sister and she’s been through some fairly intense life changes.’
‘But George and Lydia seemed to have coped.’
‘Because they’re younger. Child-like comprehension is sometimes a godsend, and at other times, it’s an enviable reality.’ He leaned up against the fence between the two properties.
Stacey watched him in the late-afternoon light. ‘Did Nell understand about your parents’ death?’
‘It took her a while, and sometimes she was quite confused when she couldn’t find them, or when she’d find me quietly crying because I missed them so much.’
Stacey pulled her lightweight cardigan around her and crossed her arms in front in an effort to stop herself from touching him. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and place a reassuring hand on his arm or, worse, to throw her arms around his waist and hug him close, desperate to let him know that she really did understand exactly where he was coming from and what he felt. Just because they were adults, it didn’t stop them from wanting to see their parents again.
‘It can get rather wretched sometimes,’ she agreed, surprised to find her voice catching on the word
s. ‘I often wonder where I’d be now if my parents hadn’t died…if I didn’t have the children to constantly consider. No doubt I’d be stuck in a loveless marriage with Robert who, as it turned out, only wanted to marry me because I fitted all his criteria. He might have professed undying love for me, but it was only another lie to secure what he wanted.’
Pierce looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. ‘Yep. He was an idiot. What I mean is—and if I may be so bold, given I don’t know the circumstances—your ex-fiancé sounds quite thick.’
Stacey’s smile was instant. ‘Thank you.’
Pierce held out an open hand towards her. ‘I mean you’re intelligent, caring, thoughtful and incredibly beautiful. What sane man wouldn’t want you?’
Stacey wasn’t sure what to say. His warm, sweet words washed over her, making her feel cherished…and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt cherished—if ever. They stood there, simply looking at each other, drinking their fill. Butterflies started to churn again in her stomach as the atmosphere between them began to intensify. The need to draw closer to him, to touch him, was starting to become overwhelming, and when she edged a little closer to where he stood she found that he was doing the same.
His gaze flicked down to encompass her mouth before returning to her eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say another word Edna’s front door opened and she came running out, all in a frantic tizzy.
‘Edna?’ Stacey called, and the other woman yelped with fright, clearly not expecting to find two people chatting near the bottom of her driveway. ‘Is something wrong?’
‘It’s Mike. He’s got pains. I was just coming to get Pierce and call the ambulance,’ she said, indicating the cell phone in her hand.
‘I’ve got my big emergency bag in my car,’ Stacey remarked, fishing her car keys from her pocket.
‘Thanks,’ Pierce called over his shoulder as he headed inside with Edna.
By the time Stacey joined him he’d placed Mike in the recovery position. He accepted a stethoscope from Stacey and listened to Mike’s heart.
‘Ambulance is on it’s way,’ he informed her as she wound the blood pressure cuff from the portable sphygmomanometer around Mike’s arm.
‘BP is elevated,’ she responded a moment later. ‘How do his lungs sound? Asthma?’
‘Not asthma. Probably an angina attack.’ Pierce met and held her gaze for a moment, his eyes clearly saying, Let’s hope that’s all it is.
‘I’m not…an…idiot,’ Mike puffed, his eyes shut. ‘Silence…speaks…volumes.’
‘Shush, Mike,’ Edna said, bossing him around. ‘Let the doctors do their work.’
‘You’ve always been very astute, Mike.’ Stacey gently rubbed his arm, wanting to reassure him in any way she could. ‘Try and focus on your breathing for me. Slow, calm breaths. We’re going to set up an IV, just to get some fluids into you, so that by the time the ambulance arrives you’ll be in a better state to receive further treatment.’
‘What’s…wrong?’ he panted, reaching out for his wife’s hand. Edna dutifully held it, but when she looked up at Stacey, there was fear in her eyes.
‘We’re not sure at this stage, Mike,’ Pierce added as he reached into Stacey’s well-stocked emergency bag, which was more like a huge backpack, pulling out the equipment they’d need for inserting an in vitro line into Mike’s left arm. ‘But rest assured Stacey and I will do everything we can to help.’
‘Where is it painful?’ Stacey asked Mike, and he told her the pain was down his right arm and across his chest. ‘You’re doing a good job of controlling your breathing. Well done. Is the pain constricting when you breathe in or out or both?’
‘Both.’
‘Is the pain stabbing or constant?’ Stacey opened the tubing packet while Pierce inserted a cannula into Mike’s arm.
‘Constant.’ He paused. ‘Sometimes stabbing.’
‘Any other pain? Headache? Tingling in your legs?’
‘No.’
‘Good.’
By the time they’d finished inserting the drip, Edna still sitting by her husband’s side, holding his hand as though she was never letting go ever again, they could hear ambulance sirens in the distance.
Pierce looked across at Stacey. ‘Are you OK to hold the fort for a moment? I just want to check on Nell. No doubt the sirens are going to bring the others out to see what’s going on.’
‘Good point.’ Stacey nodded, and wasn’t surprised to find Molly walking into Edna and Mike’s house less than three minutes later.
‘Mike? Mike?’ Molly knelt down by his side. ‘Ah…look at this. Stacey’s got you all ready for the ambulance. Isn’t she great?’
‘She really is,’ Pierce remarked as he re-entered the house. ‘Ambulance is just pulling into the driveway. Time to get you mobile.’ Pierce ran through what would happen, so Mike and Edna were completely aware of the procedure.
‘I can go with him, can’t I?’ Edna asked as Stacey performed Mike’s observations once more, pleased to announce that his BP was starting to level out, thanks to the IV drip.
‘That’s good news,’ Pierce told him as the paramedics came into the house.
Stacey spoke with Molly, making sure her sister was all right to stay with Nell and the children.
‘They’ve spent a lot of time playing with the rabbits and they’re just sitting down to do some puzzles. Jasmine’s been really good with Nell.’
Stacey sighed with relief. ‘I was hoping she would be.’
‘George and Lydia are having a turn with the rabbits in the back yard,’ Molly continued, talking as though she was giving a patient debrief. ‘And I’ve checked the kitchen—Pierce has pre-cooked an amazing meal, so I’ll save you both some and we’ll just get on with our night of getting to know Nell.’
‘Sounds like a good plan,’ Pierce remarked. ‘Once Mike’s all settled we’ll head back.’
‘Agreed.’ With a brisk, formal nod that would serve her well in the surgical world, Molly kissed both Edna and Mike on the cheek before heading next door.
After they’d assisted the paramedics in settling Mike in the ambulance, Edna rode along with him and Stacey and Pierce followed in Stacey’s car. Stacey couldn’t help but be impressed with Pierce’s cool, calm and collected bedside manner. Mike hated fuss at the best of times, and to work alongside a doctor who could communicate with her via looks, nods or a brief well-chosen word was excellent.
It made her think about her long-term plans for Shortfield Family Medical Practice. At the moment there was enough work for one full-time doctor and one part-time doctor, but patients who had been fed up with seeing locums were now returning to the family-oriented practice, and that meant longer waiting lists. That wasn’t what Stacey wanted. Even though Cora was due to return at the end of the year, chances were they would soon be requiring more than two doctors to work at the clinic—especially as she already had plans for Winifred, their nurse-receptionist, to start conducting immunisation clinics.
Pierce seemed the obvious choice to approach with regard to a partnership. He would be close to Nell and could keep an eye on her, he was amazing with the patients and he worked exceptionally well with her. Good doctors were hard to find, so she accepted the silent challenge to persuade Pierce to stay permanently at Shortfield Family Medical Practice.
Of course there was the added advantage that he was dreamy to look at, that he made her laugh and that he could ignite an instant fire deep within her. But that was completely beside the point…wasn’t it?
CHAPTER FIVE
THANKFULLY, DUE TO their prompt action, Mike was only in hospital for six days, admitted for a mild myocardial infarction.
‘You were lucky this time,’ stated Brian, the cardiac specialist at Newcastle General. ‘But it means big changes, Mike.’
Mike groaned. ‘I don’t have to eat those fat-free bran muffins Edna keeps wanting to force down my throat, do I?’
Stacey chuckled at he
r friend’s resigned tone. Pierce joined in and she looked across at him. They’d both known Mike was going to be discharged that morning, so had come to listen to what the specialist had to say and also to offer moral support to both Edna and Mike. Going to hospital could be scary enough, but sometimes being discharged could be equally unsettling.
‘See? Even Brian’s telling you to listen to me and to stop sneaking foods which are bad for you,’ Edna chastised, before staring at Mike. ‘I love you, Mikey. I need you.’ She took his hand in hers. ‘And if eating fat-free bran whatever means that I get to be with you longer, then that’s what we’ll eat. Both of us.’
Mike raised his wife’s hand to his lips and kissed it, glistening tears in his eyes. ‘That’s what we’ll do, love,’ he finished.
Stacey couldn’t believe how blessed she was to be witnessing such an intimate connection between her two friends. After over forty years together they were still deeply in love, and she immediately missed her own parents. When she glanced across at Pierce, who was on the opposite side of Mike’s bed, she could almost sense that he felt the same as her, except about his own parents.
‘Good to hear,’ Brian continued. ‘Besides, the only reason you’re going home now is because Pierce lives next door to you and Stacey’s going to check on you every day.’
‘What about district nurses?’ Edna queried. The consultant stared at Edna, then shook his head.
‘Mike? Listen to a district nurse? I’d feel sorry for the nurse.’ Brian chuckled. ‘From all those years of playing hockey and football with Mike, I know, Edna, that it’s best if someone he loves comes and bosses him around—especially with regard to anything medical.’ Brian placed a hand on Mike’s shoulder. ‘You’re a cantankerous old man now, Mike. We both are. And it’s best we take steps to protect others from ourselves.’
Mike grinned at his old friend. ‘Too true.’
Stacey laughed and walked across to Mike’s bedside and kissed his cheek. ‘I love you, Mike,’ she said. Then she whispered in his ear, ‘And you’re the closest thing I have to a father. Please take care of yourself. I need you.’
When she straightened her eyes were glistening with tears. She’d only meant to encourage him, and yet here she was, standing before the head of cardiology, blubbering.
