Healed by the Single Dad Doc

by Annie Claydon

  * * *

  The VIPER system meant that witnesses were protected from any contact with the person they were being asked to identify, using computer images instead of a traditional identification parade. Ethan had listened carefully to the instructions, as if this were the first time he was hearing them, and was sure of his choice. The young police officer who had been through the process with him left him in the interview room to wait, bringing him a cup of tea and the morning paper.

  He drank the tea and pretended to read the paper. After ten minutes, the door of the interview room opened and Kate appeared, Mags standing behind her in the doorway.

  She just hadn’t been able to resist it. Mags had asked a couple of oblique questions about his love life over the photos of Sam, and Ethan had ignored the suggestion that it might be time to consider dating. Then she’d seen Kate, put two and two together and come up with five.

  It was a perfectly reasonable mistake to make. If things had been different Ethan might well have asked Kate out for a coffee and seen where that led. But, if time had softened his grief over losing Jenna, it hadn’t softened the feeling that he’d let her down. Or the resolve that his first and only priority had to be Sam now.

  ‘They said you were waiting.’ Kate’s smile seemed brittle. And, even though the day was warm, she was wearing a thick sweater and jacket, as if to ward off some nameless chill. Ethan’s heart bumped in his chest. Maybe his worries hadn’t been so illogical after all.

  ‘Yes. I wondered if you’d like a coffee. From somewhere other than the police canteen.’

  Kate shrugged. ‘Don’t you have something to do?’

  Mags’s thoughtful gaze was fixed on Kate. ‘I’m afraid maybe he does. I won’t keep him too long.’

  Ethan swallowed down the impulse to tell Mags that he could think of nothing more important right now than taking Kate by the arm and marching her outside into the fresh air.

  ‘What, Mags?’

  ‘I’m sorry about this, but the duty doctor hasn’t come yet, and I have a man in the cells who was looking a little under the weather when he came in and is getting worse by the minute. He’s just shown the custody sergeant a bite on his leg.’

  ‘Bite?’ Kate turned to her suddenly.

  ‘Yes. It’s not a human bite. We don’t know what it is; it looks a few days old. Ethan, I wouldn’t ask, but...’

  He didn’t have any choice. Ethan opened his mouth to ask whether Kate might wait somewhere for him but she spoke first.

  ‘I’m a vet. I’ve seen practically every kind of bite there is. Had quite a few of them.’

  ‘I’m sure that Ethan can deal with it.’ Mags hadn’t seemed to notice that some of the colour had suddenly returned to Kate’s cheeks and she stood a little straighter.

  ‘I’d appreciate Kate’s opinion.’ He was rewarded by a smile that didn’t seem quite as strained as the last one.

  ‘Fair enough.’ Mags shot Ethan a questioning look but didn’t argue. ‘I’ll get the medical kit brought down.’

  * * *

  This morning had been horrible. Before the taxi had arrived to take her to the police station, Kate had walked around her cottage checking everything. Locks. Dripping taps. She’d pulled all the plugs out of their sockets and then walked around the cottage a second time. She hated herself for doing it, but she couldn’t help it.

  The identification hadn’t been much better. All she’d really wanted to do was to put this behind her, but the gentle voice of the woman police officer who’d showed her a set of short videos on a computer screen had screamed victim. She’d assured Kate that she wouldn’t come face to face with her assailant, and Kate had wanted to scream back that she wasn’t afraid.

  She wasn’t afraid, at least not of the man last night. She was afraid of herself. That she’d allow the bad dreams, the routines repeated over and over again, to take over her life the way they had last time. She’d been able to hide that from everyone but herself, but being unable to step out of her own flat had almost ruined her career and shown her that Mark’s promises about sticking with her had been just empty words.

  But, somehow, seeing Ethan had calmed her. Maybe because his final words to her last night were that he had to go in order to see his son before he went to sleep. A son meant a partner. And a partner meant that Ethan was unavailable. She could count him as a friend without any fear that she’d be tempted to step over the line.

  ‘You’ve done this before?’ Ethan seemed to know his way around the police station, walking ahead of the two police officers who were accompanying them.

  ‘Yes, I used to be on the police surgeon’s call roster. I gave it up a couple of years ago, to spend more time with my son.’

  ‘And you worked here?’

  ‘Mostly.’ He looked behind him, smiling at the woman police officer who’d popped her head around the door after Kate had finished her identification. ‘Inspector Graham was so impressed by my abilities that she had me assigned here most of the time.’

  ‘In your dreams. As a police officer, I have a duty to protect the public, and keeping you from bothering anyone else seemed like the way to go.’

  Ethan chuckled. The easy respect between the two was clear. He must be good at his job, and perhaps Kate would get the opportunity to watch and learn a little.

  * * *

  The man was lying on the platform bed in his cell, a couple of blankets covering him, the custody sergeant standing at his side. Ethan glanced at the name on the custody record and leaned over him.

  ‘Gary, I’m Dr Conway. I hear you’re not feeling well.’

  Gary opened his eyes, shading them from the light with his hand. ‘My head’s splitting.’

  Probably a hangover—he stank of alcohol—but it was as well to make sure.

  ‘You were drinking last night?’

  ‘Yeah. It’s what got me in here.’

  He glanced up at Mags and she nodded. It probably wasn’t entirely the drink that had got Gary locked up for the night, but whatever else he’d done wasn’t Ethan’s business. He preferred to be the cog in the system that didn’t have to make judgements about others.

  ‘All right. Have you hit your head at all, or fallen?’

  ‘Dunno. Don’t remember. My leg hurts.’

  ‘I’ll take a look then. Is that okay?’

  ‘Knock yourself out, mate.’ Gary closed his eyes again, and warning bells began to ring at the back of Ethan’s head. He would have preferred it if Gary had been screaming for attention, because this lacklustre disinterest in what was happening around him didn’t bode well.

  A glance over his shoulder told him that the custody sergeant was ready to step in if Gary started to kick. Kate was out of range, standing quietly in the corner of the cell. Taking the blankets from Gary’s legs, Ethan carefully rolled up the leg of his sweat pants.

  Underneath was a haphazardly applied dressing of plaster and a bandage. Ethan cut off the dressings and saw the deep gash on the man’s leg.

  ‘This is a bite?’

  He felt, rather than saw, Kate move closer, looking at the wound carefully. ‘I think that’s from a lizard. Lizard bites sometimes bleed very freely.’

  ‘This is deep.’ Ethan gently felt the skin around the wound. It was swollen and hot to the touch.

  Kate turned her attention to Gary, poking his shoulder. He opened his eyes and kept them open, clearly liking Kate’s smile a little better than he did Ethan’s. Who could blame him?

  ‘Was it a lizard that bit you?’

  ‘Great, big ugly thing with sharp teeth.’

  ‘About this long?’ She held out her hands to indicate something of about three and a half feet in length. ‘Brownish colour with a light belly? Scales?’

  ‘Yeah, scales. Quick on its feet as well. My mate bought it from somewhere.’ The man closed his eyes again.r />
  ‘It could be a monitor lizard. Their bites often don’t hurt much at first, but give it twenty-four hours and they can become infected very quickly. If he’s been drinking he probably didn’t register the pain.’ She turned to Ethan. It was a relief, but no particular surprise, to see that she was calm and collected. Almost welcoming the opportunity to do something which didn’t revolve around last night.

  ‘It’s certainly infected.’ Ethan took a surgical marker pen from the first-aid kit, drawing around the edge of the hard red lump that surrounded the bite, and noting the time so that any increase in the swelling could be monitored.

  ‘You think we should call an ambulance?’ Mags anticipated his next request.

  ‘Yeah, this definitely needs to be looked at. I’ll clean it and dress it to stop the bleeding.’ He looked up as a young man appeared in the doorway, holding a medical bag.

  ‘Sorry I’m late. If I could take a look at the patient now—’

  ‘This is Dr Conway,’ Mags broke in. ‘He’s worked with us before.’

  ‘Oh.’ The young doctor looked flustered and more than a little put out. Ethan stood, holding out his hand.

  ‘If I can fill you in on the details, maybe you can take things from here.’

  * * *

  ‘His face... If looks could kill.’ Kate smiled up at him as they walked out of the police station.

  Ethan shrugged. ‘If he’d got to the patient first, I don’t imagine he could have done any better. I personally thought my diagnosis of a lizard bite was quite inspired. And I made it so quickly!’

  The look of smiling outrage that Kate shot at him was exactly what he’d been aiming for. ‘Your diagnosis?’

  ‘Yeah. It was me that said lizard first, wasn’t it?’

  ‘I don’t think so. What kind of lizard was it you had in mind again?’

  Ethan chuckled. ‘Oh, you know. One of the ones with teeth.’

  ‘They’re the ones you really don’t want to bite you.’

  ‘My thoughts exactly. And whoever did say lizard did a very fine job.’

  He hadn’t planned on this. Before he’d seen Kate this morning Ethan had managed to convince himself that Mags was right and that the urge to see Kate, which had escalated into need, was just a result of his having witnessed the attack on her last night. But now laughter was buzzing between them and all he wanted to do was put his arm around her. To try and make her forget the things that had made her so hollow-eyed when he’d first set eyes on her this morning. It was confusing.

  She looked up and down the high street as if she wasn’t quite sure which way to go. Then she smiled up at him. ‘I’m just looking for the bus stop. The police still have my car. Apparently there are some fingerprints and fibres on it.’

  ‘Can I give you a lift home?’ Somehow, making the decision to stay rather than go made him feel better. Sam was occupied and with his grandparents. Why shouldn’t he spend some time with Kate?

  ‘Thanks, but I’m not going home.’

  ‘Where are you going, then?’

  Kate hesitated, as if that wasn’t something she really wanted him to know. Ethan raised his eyebrows in a signal that he wasn’t going to accept silence for an answer.

  ‘Actually, I’m going to the hospital. My arm really hurts, and I thought I’d go to the minor injuries clinic.’

  Ethan rejected the urge to ask her why on earth she hadn’t mentioned this last night. ‘I’ll give you a lift there, then. We can pick up a coffee on the way, if you like.’

  ‘They gave me some tea.’

  ‘Me too. I need something to wash the taste away.’ He grinned at her. ‘And coffee from the vending machine at the hospital isn’t going to do it.’

  She laughed suddenly. ‘Yes, okay then. Thanks, coffee and a lift would be great.’

  * * *

  ‘I can walk from here. It’s only down the road.’ Ethan had gone to fetch the coffee, and that had given Kate some time to think. It felt safe in his car, but that was only a temporary relief, and she had to get used to functioning on her own.

  ‘It’s Saturday, and there are bound to be queues at the minor injuries clinic. If they’re too long I can take a look at your arm myself.’ He settled back into the driver’s seat.

  No. Feeling safe with Ethan was one thing. Relying on him was something very different. And she had the perfect excuse.

  ‘I’m sure your partner won’t thank me for keeping you away for so long. Didn’t you say that you gave up working at weekends to spend more time with your family?’

  ‘With my son. My wife died eighteen months ago and it’s just me and Sam now—’ He broke off as Kate’s hand flew to her mouth.

  ‘Oh. I’m so sorry.’

  He nodded, seeming almost as lost for words as she was. ‘It’s... I didn’t intend to be so blunt. I just can’t think of a more tactful way of saying it.’

  Kate swallowed hard, suddenly wanting to take a large swig of the coffee he still held in his hand. A sugar rush would be good right now.

  ‘It’s up to you to say it however you want. What you and your son are comfortable with is what matters.’

  Ethan smiled suddenly, nodding. ‘Sam’s the one who really matters.’

  ‘Of course. And I’m sure he wants you home on a Saturday morning, doesn’t he?’

  ‘Not this morning. I took him over to my parents when I knew I was coming down to the police station, and they’ve promised him a trip to the adventure park. I doubt he’ll appreciate me coming home too soon.’

  It would be wiser to turn his offer down nicely and get out of the car. But Kate couldn’t do it, not now. She reached for the cardboard beaker in his hand.

  ‘Thank you. It’s very kind of you.’

  He grinned, reaching for the ignition, and then thinking better of it and leaning back in his seat, taking a sip from his own drink. ‘My pleasure. Anyway, I’m intrigued to know whether you’re actually going to drink that.’

  Kate peeled the plastic top from her beaker, squinting at her drink. ‘Why, what have you put in it?’

  ‘Only what you asked for—an extra shot of espresso, whipped cream and caramel. Just one sugar, this time. It sounds...interesting.’

  ‘Ah. So you’re a “don’t put flavours in my coffee” type, are you?’ His medium-sized cup, alongside her large one, indicated that he probably was. Kate took a sip from her beaker and rolled her eyes in an expression of defiant bliss.

  Ethan chuckled and started the car.

  * * *

  It had been a relief to tell Kate where he stood. Letting her know that Sam was the single most important thing in his life now and hearing her obvious acceptance of that had cleared away his doubts and allowed him to concentrate on the matter at hand.

  A and E was crowded and so was the minor injuries clinic. Kate seemed to be sticking close by his side, nursing her arm against her chest, and Ethan reckoned it must be really hurting her. He decided on a quieter place, away from the noise and activity, and steered her towards the lift.

  ‘This is your office?’ She looked around as he opened the door and ushered her inside. ‘It’s very tidy.’

  ‘I don’t spend much time in here. Not much chance to make a mess.’ Ethan wondered what Kate thought of the straight lines and utilitarian order. Her own surgery was neat and comfortable but one wall broke the pattern, an exuberant mass of photographs, obviously added piecemeal as and when people provided pictures of the animals she’d treated.

  It was a sobering thought. Last night, her free spirit seemed to have been crushed under the weight of shock and distress. This morning, it was as if she was undergoing some internal struggle. He’d seen flashes of that delicious exuberance, but she was still frightened and bemused, still trying to cope by putting everything back in its proper place.

  ‘Is this your son Sam?’ S
he was looking at the framed photograph on his desk, tucked neatly behind the phone.

  ‘Yes, that’s him. He’s five now.’ The framed photograph was just over a year and a half old, the last one that Jenna had taken of him, and Ethan had stuck a more recent one of Sam in the corner of the frame.

  ‘He’s a beautiful little boy.’ She was studying both photographs carefully. ‘You must be very proud of him.’

  ‘Yes, I am. He’s got a great sense of humour, and he’s kind.’ Sam’s dark hair and eyes were like Jenna’s.

  ‘Does he want to be a doctor when he grows up? Like his Dad?’

  ‘No, he has bigger fish to fry. He wants to be a superhero and save the world.’

  She gave a little laugh, putting the photograph back down again, tilting it carefully so that it was in the exact same place she’d found it. ‘That’s close enough to being a doctor, don’t you think?’

  Saving the world wasn’t exactly Ethan’s thing; he confined himself to doing the best he could. The photo on his desk was a reminder of that. Sam was smiling at his mother. They’d been a happy family. Two weeks later, Ethan had left for work, too hurried to do anything other than take Jenna’s assurances that the urinary infection she had was a little better. That night he’d stayed at work and the following day Jenna had been taken into hospital. By that time, the sepsis had too tight a hold on her.

  ‘Let’s have a look at your arm, then.’ He turned his mind to things that were still possible to change, watching as Kate pulled her jacket off painfully.

  She got tangled in the sweater as she pulled it over her head, and he leaned forward to help. As he pulled it off her arm, she caught her breath in pain.

  ‘That’s really hurting you.’

  She nodded, as if making a shameful admission. ‘It does hurt a bit.’

  ‘Let me see, then.’ He gently rolled up the sleeve of her shirt. The arm was swollen from wrist to elbow, the skin bruised and inflamed.

  ‘And you didn’t notice this last night?’ Ethan couldn’t help the gentle reproach.