Lindsay didn’t know whether the moment had lasted but as she drove out of the campsite she found herself fervently hoping that it had. A drive in the countryside on a sparkling summer’s day such as this would surely only do Megan good.
So far she was managing her day on call very well. Already she’d coped with a child in the village suffering from severe stomach pains. She’d diagnosed appendicitis and had had the child transferred to hospital. She’d visited a couple of elderly patients, one with terminal cancer who was awaiting the community nurse to give him his morphine injection and another who needed oxygen for a chronic respiratory condition.
On the way back to the village from the campsite, on a sudden impulse Lindsay decided to call in on Douglas and Milly.
After parking the Jeep in front of the cottage, she opened the gate and walked up the path. The flower-beds on either side were packed with summer flowers, from polyanthus and pansies in the front of the border to delphiniums and hollyhocks against the wooden fence that divided the garden from the next-door cottage. Lindsay stood at the front door, after ringing the bell, and watched as a bee hovered over a pot of marigolds on the doorstep. To the right of the door on the crazy-paving pathway leading to the rear of the cottage a thrush was trying to crack a snail shell.
Lindsay was so taken by the bird’s perseverance that it was some while before she realised that not only had no one come to answer the door but that there was no sound from within the cottage. She rang the bell again, and when faced with the same silence she made her way round to the back garden.
There was a lean-to beside the back door and as Lindsay rounded the side of the house she could see that the door was open. Probably Milly was in the back garden and simply hadn’t heard the bell.
There was no sign of her, however, and in the end Lindsay tapped on the open door and called out. Still there was no reply, and then from within the cottage she heard a thumping noise. Uneasy now, she pushed the door fully open.
‘Hello,’ she called. ‘Milly, are you there?’
When the thumping grew louder and somehow more persistent Lindsay entered the cottage and made her way through the tiny, neat kitchen.
Something was wrong, she knew there was, and as she left the kitchen her fears were confirmed as she tried to open the living-room door and found she could only open it a couple of inches because something was wedged behind it. With a muttered exclamation she tried to push the door, and when she found it was impossible she ran back through the cottage into the garden and round to the living-room window. With her hands around her eyes to block the light of the sun, she peered through the window.
Milly was lying on the floor against the door and Doug was sitting in his usual chair. He was holding his Zimmer frame which he was banging on the floor. That had been the thumping noise Lindsay had heard and which he was obviously doing to try to attract attention.
She knocked loudly on the window but it was with extreme difficulty that Doug slowly turned and saw her. Lindsay immediately realised that this must be one of his bad days and that there was no way that he could get up to open the window. For a split second her reaction was to call Aidan on her mobile phone then she dismissed it. This was her problem. She was the doctor on call—she must be the one to assess the situation and to cope with it.
Taking her mobile from her pocket, she dialled for an ambulance, giving brief details of the situation. Afterwards she looked around for something with which to break the window. The border of the crazy-paving pathway had an edging of broken tiles and, kneeling down, she prised one of these out of the ground. She hesitated for only a moment before breaking the glass, but luckily the panes were quite small and she could see that if she broke the one nearest to the window-catch she should be able to put her hand inside and open the window.
The sound of breaking glass shattered the peace of the quiet Sunday morning and Lindsay barely had time to put her hand through the opening when there came a shout from the other side of the fence that divided the back gardens.
‘Oi! Who’s that?’
Lindsay turned and to her amazement saw Hew Griffiths peering over the top of the fence, his face red with indignation.
‘Oh, Hew,’ Lindsay gasped. ‘Mr Griffiths—I’m so glad it’s you. Do you live there?’
‘Of course I do, and I want to know what the hell you think you’re doing.’
‘What?’ By this time Lindsay had succeeded in opening the window. All that was required now was to hoist herself up and climb through. She glanced wildly over her shoulder at Hew. ‘Milly has collapsed,’ she said breathlessly.
‘Well, wouldn’t it be better to go through the door?’ Quite obviously, from where he was standing Hew could see that the back door was open.
‘Oh, no,’ said Lindsay, thankful that she was wearing trousers and not one of her Kensington suits as she hoisted herself up onto the window-sill. ‘You don’t understand. Milly is on the floor behind the living-room door. I couldn’t open it.’
‘What about Douglas?’ called Hew.
‘He’s here. Look, could you come round? I’ll try and move Milly and open the door.’
Muttering to himself, Hew disappeared from sight while Lindsay jumped to the floor of the living room.
‘It’s…M-Milly,’ Douglas managed to stutter.
‘I know.’ Lindsay reassuringly touched him on the shoulder as she hurried past his chair.
Milly was barely conscious, mumbling incoherently, her face contorted, a trail of saliva on her chin and her left arm hanging limply. ‘Milly, it’s Lindsay—Dr Henderson,’ she said as she crouched beside the elderly woman and checked her pulse. ‘I’m going to try and move you and make you more comfortable,’ she went on, grabbing a couple of cushions from the settee. Carefully she eased Milly away from the door and put the cushions beneath her head. Milly had obviously been in the process of preparing Sunday lunch when she’d collapsed, because she was wearing a flowered pinafore over her skirt and cardigan. It also looked as if she’d brought Douglas his morning coffee, for beside him was a plate of oatcakes and a cup and saucer, its contents gone cold.
Milly began mumbling again and appeared to be getting agitated, and Lindsay knelt beside her. ‘It’s all right, Milly. Really it is,’ she said. ‘You’re going to be fine. And Douglas. He’s all right, too.’
At that moment there came a rattle at the handle of the living-room door. ‘Is that you, Hew? Come in.’ Lindsay looked up as Hew’s head appeared round the door.
‘What’s happened?’ Hew stood in the doorway, looking in disbelief from Milly to Douglas.
‘Milly’s had a stroke, Hew. I’ve called an ambulance. They’re on their way. Now, would you go to the bedroom, please, and bring me a blanket from the bed.’
Still muttering to himself, Hew took himself off upstairs. Lindsay opened her case and took out her stethoscope and sphygmomanometer. Carefully she applied the stethoscope and listened to Milly’s heartbeat. She was about to secure the cuff on her arm to check her blood pressure when Hew returned with a pink blanket.
‘Thanks, Hew.’ Lindsay took the blanket from him and tucked it around Milly. ‘We must keep her warm. Now, would you go and talk to Douglas? See if there’s anything he wants.’
‘What are you doing?’ Hew frowned.
‘I’m just checking Milly’s blood pressure,’ Lindsay replied.
‘You say the ambulance is coming?’ said Hew after a moment.
‘Yes.’ Lindsay nodded. ‘Milly will have to go to hospital.’
‘What about Douglas? He can’t stay on his own. She does everything for him.’
‘Yes, I know. Do any of their family live nearby, Hew?’
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘Their son lives near Oxford and their daughter’s abroad. Canada, I think, or is it New Zealand? One or the other.’
‘In that case, I think I’ll have a word with Sister on the medical ward and see what she suggests,’ said Lindsay. Picking up her mobile again, she dialle
d the number of the hospital which was on intake that weekend. Once she was through to the ward she explained the situation to the sister, who said she thought the best thing would be for Douglas to be admitted as well as Milly then an assessment could be done by Social Services to decide what course of action would be best for them both.
As she switched off her phone Lindsay moved across the room to Douglas and crouched down before him.
‘Douglas,’ she said gently, and when she was reasonably certain she had his attention, she went on, ‘I’ve arranged for Milly to go to hospital.’ Douglas began shaking uncontrollably. ‘And you are going with her,’ she added.
‘It’s all right, Doug, my old boyo,’ said Hew. ‘You’ll be all right. And Milly’s going to be just fine.’
At the mention of his wife’s name Douglas moved his head and looked at her where she lay on the floor. Both Lindsay and Hew followed his gaze. Milly looked anything but fine and they all knew it.
Taking Douglas’s hand Lindsay squeezed it reassuringly. ‘I’ll go and put a few things together for you both before the ambulance arrives,’ she said. Turning to Hew, she added, ‘Will you sit with them for a moment, Hew? I won’t be long.’
Hew nodded. He looked stunned by the events of the morning, not at all like the man who’d taken none too kindly to Lindsay on their previous encounter in the surgery on Lindsay’s first day in Tregadfan.
Lindsay slipped from the room and hurried upstairs, where she found nightclothes and toiletries for both Milly and Douglas and packed them into a holdall which she lifted down from the top of a wardrobe. When she’d finished she looked round the bedroom, which was as neat and immaculate as the rest of the cottage. She doubted whether either husband or wife would return to this place which had been their home for so many years. For a moment the sadness caught in her throat. As she descended the stairs she was thankful that the ambulance had just arrived and she had to hurry forward to let the paramedics in.
‘Dr Henderson?’
‘Yes, come in.’ Lindsay stood back for the two men to enter the cottage. ‘Mrs Morgan has had a CVA. Her pulse is faint but steady—she’s semi-conscious.’ She led the way into the living room. ‘We also have a problem with her husband, who has Parkinson’s. I’ve had a word with the duty sister on the medical ward and she’s happy to admit them both.’
‘Both of them?’ The elder paramedic drew in his breath sharply. ‘Our shout was for one.’ He shook his head.
‘Yes, I know it was originally,’ Lindsay agreed. ‘But I wasn’t too certain about Mr Morgan then. I realise now that there’s no way he can stay here on his own and there are no relatives nearby.’
The paramedic looked at Doug then turned and looked down at Milly. ‘Well,’ he said, scratching his head, ‘we don’t know about that, do we, Mark?’ He glanced at the younger man who also shook his head. ‘If we start doing things like that, they’ll all want to start bringing their other halves in with them.’
For one awful moment Lindsay thought he was going to refuse, then he said, ‘You’re new here, aren’t you, doc? Locum or trainee?’
‘Trainee,’ Lindsay replied. ‘But…’ She was about to explain yet again that she was fully qualified and well within her rights to admit anyone to hospital whom she deemed necessary when the man suddenly grinned. ‘Don’t look so worried, love. Course we’ll take him. Won’t we, Doug?’
‘Oh,’ said Lindsay in relief. ‘Do you know him?’
‘Know him? I should say so. Many’s the time we’ve taken Doug to Outpatients or to the day unit.’ He crouched down beside Milly. ‘Hello, Milly, my love,’ he said. He spoke to her just as he would have at any other time. ‘Now, what do you think you’ve been up to? I know, don’t tell me. You were getting a bit fed up with Doug having all the attention, weren’t you? Well, we’ll soon sort that one out. Me and young Mark here are going to put you onto a stretcher, then we’re going to take you out to the ambulance. After that, we’ll come back and get Doug into a chair, then we’ll take him out.’ He glanced up at Lindsay. ‘Her breathing’s a bit laboured,’ he said.
‘Can you give her some oxygen?’ asked Lindsay.
‘Sure.’ The older paramedic, whose name turned out to be Vincent, soon had an oxygen mask in place over Milly’s face, and in a very short space of time she was being transported out to the waiting ambulance. Lindsay accompanied her, leaving Hew with Doug, then she stayed with Milly in the ambulance while the two paramedics went back for Doug.
At last both husband and wife were on their way to hospital, and with a little sigh Lindsay went back into the cottage.
‘Don’t you worry about nothing here, Doctor,’ said Hew. ‘I’ll get that window boarded up and clear up the glass, then I’ll lock up and take the keys in with me. My wife will be back soon—she’s gone to chapel. She’ll be wanting to go and see Milly.’
‘I should give it a few days, Hew,’ Lindsay replied. ‘Milly won’t be up to visitors for a while.’
‘She was in a bad way, wasn’t she, Doctor?’ Hew frowned.
‘Yes, Hew. I’m afraid she was.’ Lindsay nodded then picked up her case. ‘Well, I must be going. I’m still on call. Thank you for your help here, Hew.’
‘Don’t mention it. I was glad to be of help. We’ve been neighbours for a long time.’
Hew saw her to the door and even raised his hand in a wave as she drove away. Lindsay couldn’t help a smile. This was a far cry from the suspicious character she’d seen before. Maybe at last she was beginning to be accepted by the locals. Whatever, she was just thankful that her impulse had taken her to see the Morgans that morning. She doubted whether Milly would have survived too much longer without medical treatment.
It proved to be a day of sudden impulses because as she drove back towards the village Lindsay decided to call in at Aidan’s cottage. He’d told her he would be around all day should she need any help. Far from needing his help, or even advice, she suddenly felt an urgent need to see him, even if it was only to tell him how well she’d coped in the crisis with Milly and Doug.
She parked the Jeep on the road and approached the cottage by way of the steps at the rear. This time the steps were dry and she was wearing her sensible walking shoes. She smiled to herself as she recalled the previous occasion when it had been raining heavily and she’d been wearing her black patent-leather shoes with the gold trim on the heels. It had been after that that Aidan had advised her to get herself some sensible footwear for country visits. That in turn had led to the argument about her going shopping without consulting him first. She had to admit that things had certainly improved between them since then.
Lindsay could hear a thudding noise as she descended the steps, and for one moment she was reminded of Douglas thumping the floor with his frame to attract attention to Milly’s plight. This noise was louder, more of a thud than a thump, and the last thing she expected it to be was Aidan with a Zimmer frame. It conjured up such an unlikely image that even the thought of it made her smile.
When she reached the foot of the steps and turned into the little courtyard at the side of his cottage she had a clear view of the garden. Aidan was a short distance away and, clad in a thin T-shirt and jeans, was wielding an axe, splitting logs on a block.
Beyond him the two dogs were lying on the ground, their heads on their paws as they watched him. They both saw Lindsay but so used to her were they by now that they didn’t even bother to bark. Skipper merely raised his head in greeting and panted a little louder, while Jess wagged her tail fervently.
Lindsay paused, watching Aidan, not wanting to disturb him or interrupt the rhythm of the axe. With every cycle, from him lifting the axe to a wide arc then bringing it down on one of the large logs he was splitting into smaller pieces, the muscles across his back and shoulders rippled and strained against the thin fabric of his T-shirt. Sweat was seeping from beneath the dark tangle of his hair and trickling down his forehead. There was something raw, almost primeval about the picture he prese
nted, and deep inside Lindsay felt the stirrings of a responding desire.
It wasn’t until he stopped to change the position of the log that he must have sensed that something was different. Maybe it was to do with the attitude of the dogs, maybe not, but, whatever it was, he turned suddenly and saw her watching him.
Their gazes met and it was as if the next moment were suspended in time. The breath caught in Lindsay’s throat and she could have sworn that her heart stopped beating.
Then Aidan spoke and the moment, both sweet and painful, was over. She breathed again and was left with just a dull pain somewhere under her ribs, the memory of which would act as a brief reminder of that moment.
‘I didn’t know you were there,’ he said quietly. Turning to the dogs, he added, ‘Fine watchdogs you turned out to be.’
‘They know me now,’ said Lindsay in the dogs’ defence. ‘Instead of a bark I get panting and tail-wagging these days.’
Suddenly it seemed to dawn on Aidan that she may have had a reason for visiting him. ‘Is there a problem?’ he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
‘No,’ she said quickly. ‘At least, there might have been but I think I’ve solved it. Anyway, I hope I have.’
‘I was about to have a Coke,’ he said, wiping his brow with the back of his arm. ‘Would you care to join me? Then you can tell me all about it.’
‘OK.’ She tried to sound casual but for some reason her heart was still doing unpredictable things. After having apparently stopped during that one incredible moment, when time seemed to have stood still it had now started to pound uncomfortably.
‘You’ve got your mobile with you?’ asked Aidan, and when she nodded in response he disappeared into the cottage. Lindsay sat down on the edge of a large, upturned terracotta flower-tub and looked around her at the glorious wilderness that was his garden. It was very peaceful, the only sounds being the singing of grasshoppers from the undergrowth and the occasional hum of an engine as a car passed the cottage on the road above.
Lindsay rested her head against the wall and lifted her face to the sun as a kind of contentment stole over her. She hadn’t felt this way for a long time, and if anyone had asked her to analyse her feelings she would have said she was happy, which in itself was surprising, given how she’d felt only a short while ago.
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