The GP’s Meant-To-Be Bride

by Jennifer Taylor

  He smiled at the receptionist so she wouldn’t think she was being reprimanded. Dianne wasn’t to blame. It had been so busy recently that staff training time had been pared to the bone. Picking up a scrap of paper, he jotted down a couple of questions he needed answering and handed it to her. ‘This should help. OK?’

  ‘Yes. Thank you, Dr Mackenzie.’ She sighed. ‘I should have thought to ask her what was wrong with her husband. I feel so stupid now.’

  ‘You’re doing fine, Dianne. It’s early days and you can’t be expected to know everything.’

  Dianne seemed reassured by the comment. She was already reaching for the phone as Ross headed to his room. He booted up the computer then looked round when someone tapped on the door and felt his heart lurch when he saw Gemma standing in the doorway.

  Since the morning when she had accompanied Sarah Roberts to his room, he had done his best to get himself in hand. He’d succeeded too because there’d been no more fantasising, no lusting, nothing at all untoward. He’d told himself it had been a temporary blip, but he couldn’t pretend that his heart wasn’t kicking up a storm all of a sudden and it worried him. Why was he reacting this way after being virtually oblivious to Gemma’s charms for the past three years?

  ‘Dianne’s just spoken to Edith Naylor,’ she explained, obviously assuming that she had his attention, which she did, although probably not the kind of attention she expected, and that merely proved his point. He’d had no problem separating his personal and his private life in the past. Even when Heather had called into the surgery to see him, he’d been able to function perfectly well. However, it was much harder with Gemma. Not only was she a colleague but someone he fancied like mad!

  The thought turned his tongue to a lump of lead. Fortunately, Gemma didn’t seem aware of his dilemma as she continued in the same even tone that could have placed her happily on either side of the fence. She would speak to him like that as merely a colleague, and she would do exactly the same if she fancied him too. Now, that was an idea to conjure with!

  ‘Edith told her that Jim had pains in his chest during the night. He claimed it was indigestion, but Edith decided to ring us anyway. Jim did complain of chest pains in the summer, but the treadmill test we persuaded him to take didn’t show up anything unusual.’

  ‘I remember,’ Ross said, forcing the thought from his mind as he brought up Jim’s file on the computer. He skimmed through the results of the treadmill test and nodded. ‘You’re right. His symptoms pointed towards it being angina, but there was nothing in the test results to indicate that Jim was suffering from it.’

  He glanced up, willing himself not to betray how on edge he felt. Gemma didn’t find him attractive and he had to get that idea right out of his head. ‘These things aren’t infallible, though. Angina can come on rapidly or it can develop over a period of time due to other factors like anaemia, for instance.’

  He checked the screen again, relieved to see that Gemma’s expression reflected only concern for their patient. ‘I can’t see anything in Jim’s file about a blood test being done. Who saw him when he came into the surgery? It isn’t clear from this who signed his notes.’

  ‘That locum we had for a few weeks, the one Matt got rid of.’ Gemma grimaced. ‘He kept bragging about how quickly he got through his list every day, but it was only because he cut so many corners.’

  ‘Well, it appears he cut several corners here,’ Ross said bluntly. ‘No blood tests were ordered, no thyroid test—thyrotoxicosis is another possible cause of angina pectoris because the excessive production of thyroid hormones makes the heart work harder and faster—not even a cholesterol test. And they’re just the basics.’

  ‘Heaven only knows how many other people slipped through the net after he saw them,’ Gemma said worriedly.

  ‘It’s something that needs checking into.’ Ross sighed. ‘Apart from the fact that lives may have been put at risk by such slipshod work, the surgery could be sued for negligence if anything happens to one of the patients he saw.’

  ‘Seriously?’ Gemma exclaimed.

  ‘Oh, yes. We were responsible for hiring him so we were responsible for the quality of his work while he was here.’

  ‘Matt will have a fit when he finds out.’ She groaned. ‘He doesn’t need this on top of everything else.’

  ‘He certainly doesn’t,’ Ross said grimly because he couldn’t help feeling more than partly to blame for the distress the head of the practice was suffering. Maybe Heather had been the one to cancel the wedding, but he knew in his heart that he’d forced her into taking the decision. The thought galvanised him into action.

  ‘I’m not going to tell Matt just yet. I’ll wait until I’ve gone through the files and have a clearer idea of the situation. There’s no point worrying him unnecessarily,’ he added when Gemma frowned.

  ‘I suppose not, but it’s a massive task. That locum was here for almost two months. He saw an awful lot of patients in that time.’

  ‘I realise that, but it has to be done. Carol saves the daily appointment lists on CD, so I’ll use them to check back.’ He glanced at the screen again. ‘The sooner the better from the look of this file. In fact, I’ll make a start on it today, after I’ve been out to see Jim Naylor.’

  ‘Do you want a hand?’ Gemma offered immediately. She shrugged when he looked at her in surprise. There was a hint of colour in her cheeks that made him wonder if she might be regretting her impulsive offer. ‘I don’t mind helping.’

  ‘Thanks. I appreciate the offer, but it’s not fair to expect you to give up your afternoon.’

  ‘Two heads are better than one,’ she said firmly. ‘I can pull out the files while you check them to make sure everything’s been done properly—that should halve the time it takes.’

  Ross couldn’t fault her logic. ‘Well, if you’re sure,’ he said, still keen to let her off the hook if she wanted an excuse.

  ‘I am.’ She checked her watch. ‘I’ll make a start now, in fact. There’s nobody booked in to see me this morning. I’m only here in case someone turns up, so I may as well make good use of my time. We can’t afford to hang around from the look of it, can we?’

  ‘No, indeed.’

  Ross watched her hurry away then forced his attention back to the job while he read through Jim Naylor’s notes again to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. There was no sense compounding the locum’s errors with some of his own. And no point making any errors when it came to Gemma either.

  The thought brought him up short and Ross sighed. He had to face the facts: he was deeply attracted to Gemma but it would be wrong to act on these feelings. For one thing, he couldn’t be sure how genuine they were. Even though he was relieved the wedding had been cancelled, it had still been a shock and he probably wasn’t thinking as clearly as he usually did. The one thing he was absolutely certain of, though, was that he would never do anything to hurt Gemma. He cared too much about her to risk that happening.

  Gemma made a start on the files as soon as she got back to her room. Using the disks Carol had made, she checked the daily appointment diary for the period in question. Fortunately, the locum’s lists were shorter than those of the permanent members of staff, but there were still an awful lot of files to go through. She was only part-way through the first week of appointments when Chelsea Jones was brought in to have a badly cut knee dressed.

  The four-year-old had fallen over and cut herself on some broken glass. Gemma got the poor little mite onto the couch then pulled on a pair of gloves. Taking a spare glove out of the box, she blew into it and knotted the wrist, then handed the makeshift balloon to Chelsea. Hopefully, it would distract her while she attended to her knee.

  ‘Thanks.’ Rosemary, Chelsea’s mother, smiled gratefully at Gemma. ‘She wouldn’t let me look at it. That’s why it’s still full of grit.’

  ‘Most kids hate it when their mums try to apply a bit of first aid,’ Gemma assured her, filling a bowl with warm water. She wet a cotton-wool b
all and gently mopped away the dirt and congealed blood. Chelsea was happily banging the balloon on the edge of the couch, so once the cut was clean, Gemma fetched a magnifying glass and checked it for any splinters of glass.

  ‘That seems to be fine. There’s no bits of glass in it and that’s the main thing. I’ll put a couple of butterfly stitches on it to hold it together and a nice big dressing to keep it clean.’

  She bathed the child’s knee with antiseptic then applied the thin strips of plaster that would hold the edges of the wound together while it healed. Chelsea whimpered a bit but otherwise she was extremely good. Once Gemma had placed a large dressing over the whole knee, she gave the child a hug.

  ‘You are a star patient! I think you deserve a lollipop for being such a brave little girl.’ She opened the cupboard where she kept a jar of lollipops and offered it to Chelsea. ‘Which colour do you want, sweetheart?’

  ‘Red.’

  ‘Please,’ Rosemary reminded her and Chelsea obediently repeated it.

  ‘Please.’

  ‘Here you are.’

  Gemma handed her the lolly then checked Chelsea’s file to make sure that she’d had her tetanus booster when she’d started school that autumn. ‘That’s great,’ she said, glancing at Rosemary. ‘She’s had a tetanus booster so everything’s covered. Just keep the dressing dry for a day or so while the cut heals.’

  ‘Will do.’ Rosemary lifted her daughter off the couch. ‘Thanks, Gemma. I was dreading bringing her in case she screamed the place down, but you certainly know how to keep the kids happy. You’ll make a brilliant mum one day.’

  Gemma laughed off the remark as she saw them out but it was hard not to let it get to her. She loved children and had dreamed of having a family of her own one day. After what had happened with Mike, though, she’d realised it was unlikely to happen. It needed a mother and a father to create a baby, and she couldn’t imagine any man wanting her to bear his child. One look at her scars and it would put him off for good, as it had done to Mike.

  Ross suddenly appeared, showing out an elderly woman who had been brought in by her daughter, and Gemma’s heart contracted in pain. She could guarantee that she was never going to be a wife or a mother.

  Despite Ross’s expectations, the morning turned out to be extremely busy. By the time his final patient left, he had a stack of folders on his desk. He took them to the office, shaking his head when Dianne offered to file them.

  ‘They’re not urgent. They can be done on Monday so you get off home now.’

  ‘Thanks. Oh, here’s Mr Naylor’s notes.’ Dianne handed him a buff-coloured folder. ‘Gemma said you’d need them for the home visit.’

  ‘I shall. Thank you, Dianne.’

  Ross took the notes back to his room, smiling to himself. It was typical of Gemma to be one step ahead of him. She was an excellent nurse as well as a good friend. Deliberately, he placed that thought at the forefront of his mind. Thinking of Gemma as someone he desired really wasn’t on.

  He tucked the folder into his case then took his coat off the hook. It was a good thirty minutes’ drive to Naylor’s Farm so he may as well get straight off and have lunch when he got back. He was heading out to the corridor when Gemma appeared, putting on her own coat.

  ‘I’m off to see Jim Naylor,’ he informed her as they both paused.

  ‘Oh, right. I was just popping out for a sandwich. D’you want me to get you one while I’m at it? If we’re going to make a start on those files, there’s no point going home for lunch, is there?’

  ‘No.’ Ross hesitated as an idea occurred to him. Should he ask her to go with him to see Jim Naylor and that way they could stop off at a pub on the way back and have lunch there? It seemed a bit rich that she should give up her free afternoon when all she would get in return was a sandwich. On the other hand, was it wise to spend more time with her when he was determined to keep a check on this attraction he felt?

  Ross sighed wryly. He was making it appear as though he couldn’t trust himself to be with Gemma, and that certainly wasn’t true. ‘How do you fancy coming with me? That way we can stop off at a pub on the way back and have something to eat.’ He hurried on when she didn’t reply, keen to reassure her about his motives. ‘It’s my way of saying thanks for working this afternoon.’

  ‘You don’t need to take me out to lunch to thank me, Ross. I don’t expect it.’

  ‘I know you don’t.’ He smiled at her, feeling his heart lift as he looked into her beautiful grey eyes and saw the warmth they held. Maybe Gemma didn’t fancy him, but she liked him, he could tell.

  His smile widened as a rush of pleasure filled him. He hadn’t felt this happy in a very long time, oddly enough. ‘The fact is that I’d enjoy your company, so will you say yes, Gemma? Please.’

  CHAPTER TEN

  JIM NAYLOR

  looked more than a little put out when they drew up in the farmyard. He greeted them with a scowl as they got out of the car. ‘Edith had no business phoning you. I’m perfectly all right, or I would be if folk would stop all this fussing.’

  Gemma hid her smile. Jim was typical of a lot of the older men who farmed the land around Dalverston. They viewed seeing the doctor as a sign of weakness. It had taken her a while to understand their attitude when she’d joined the practice, but now she admired their determination even though she may not agree with it.

  ‘It’s not fussing, Mr Naylor. If one of your ewes was sick, you’d call in the vet.’ Ross looked the other man in the eyes. ‘You should be glad your wife thinks as much of you as you do about your sheep.’

  ‘Aye, well, that’s as may be,’ Jim conceded, grudgingly. He stepped aside. ‘You may as well come in seeing as you’re here, although I don’t know why it needs two of you. More fuss, that’s what it is.’

  ‘Oh, I’m just along for the ride,’ Gemma assured him as she went into the kitchen. ‘Dr Mackenzie offered to buy me lunch on the way back if I came with him. It was too good an offer to miss.’

  ‘Worth having to listen to this old goat moaning on about nothing,’ Edith said pithily. She winked at Gemma. ‘It’s me who should be seeing the doctor after what I have to put up with. No wonder my hearing isn’t what it was.’

  ‘We could arrange for you to have a hearing test,’ Gemma suggested with a smile as she undid her coat.

  ‘What, and have to hear every single word he says?’ Edith shook her head, her lined face filled with laughter. ‘The only reason I’m still sane is because I can’t hear half his moans and groans so I think I’ll pass on the offer. Right, then, how about a cup of tea for you both?’

  ‘That would be lovely. Thank you.’

  Gemma sat down as Ross started asking Jim some questions. She’d been surprised when he had suggested they should have lunch together. However, once he had explained his reasoning, she had understood why. It was his way of thanking her and as long as she didn’t get carried away by the idea that he enjoyed her company, there wouldn’t be a problem.

  ‘How bad were these pains, Jim?’ Ross asked, taking his sphygmomanometer out of his case.

  ‘No worse than a bit of indigestion,’ Jim said brusquely. ‘They certainly weren’t bad enough to call you out here.’

  He cast a belligerent look at his wife, who ignored him. Gemma knew the elderly couple thrived on their daily spats, and would be lost without each other.

  ‘Let’s not go down that route again,’ Ross said firmly as he checked Jim’s BP. ‘Well, your blood pressure is fine so there’s no worries on that score. Can you describe the pain for me? Where exactly was it and how long did it last?’

  ‘It was more like a feeling of pressure than pain,’ Jim admitted. ‘It was right here, in the centre of my chest, and it must have lasted about five minutes.’

  ‘It kept on for twenty-five minutes,’ Edith corrected him. She shook her head when Jim opened his mouth. ‘Don’t bother telling me I’m wrong because I timed it, from the moment you started complaining to when you told me to
stop fussing, and it was twenty-five minutes all told.’

  ‘Good. I’m glad we’ve established that. So apart from the feeling of pressure were there any other symptoms? Nausea, dizziness, sweating, breathlessness, for instance?’ Ross continued, ignoring the couple’s bickering.

  Gemma had always admired the way he could remain so focussed. It was what made him so good at his job, this ability he possessed to keep his mind centred on the task he was performing. She frowned when she saw him suddenly fumble with his pen because he definitely didn’t appear as focussed as he usually did that day. What was bothering him? The thought of the problems they might uncover when they checked those files, or something else, something to do with her, perhaps?

  Gemma bit her lip as a feeling of excitement swirled inside her. To imagine even for a second that she might feature in Ross’s thoughts made her feel incredibly energised. Maybe they could only be friends, but it was good to know that he wasn’t indifferent to her.

  Ross picked up his pen and put it back in his pocket. He was all fingers and thumbs today, and it was all down to Gemma. He couldn’t believe how aware of her he felt as he continued asking Jim a series of routine questions. Gemma must have sat in on dozens of examinations over the time they’d worked together, but he’d never been so conscious of her presence before.

  ‘How many times have you experienced this before, Jim?’

  ‘I don’t have time to write down each time I get a twinge,’ Jim grumbled. ‘There’s too much to do around this place.’

  ‘So I’ll take it that it wasn’t a one-off,’ Ross said equably, refusing to let the old man’s stubbornness throw him off course. When it came to recalcitrant patients, he could hold his own—it was only with Gemma that he seemed to have this problem.

  The thought triggered another rush of unease. Taking out his pen again, he made a note on Jim’s file to the effect that it wasn’t the first time the farmer had experienced chest pains since his last visit to the surgery. Glancing up, he happened to catch Gemma’s eye and felt heat run along his veins when she looked away. Was Gemma as aware of him as he was of her? he wondered.