Return to Oban

by Ruth Hay

  Chapter Four

  It was not the peaceful night she had hoped for when she turned out the light and snuggled down in the big bed. Hours had gone by when she found herself awake again.

  Moonlight had managed to filter through the closed drapes and send a beam over to the painting above the fireplace. It appeared even more magical in the subtle blue light than even in its usual daylight appearance.

  Anna’s mind was drawn back to the day it was first hung in place; the day and the hour when she realized how special the younger artist was. She had to acknowledge, in that moment, any person who could see into her heart’s desire, as he had, was worthy of the utmost trust. It was the beginning of the release of her tightly-controlled feelings; the beginning of their love affair.

  A flush passed over her body from the top of her head to the end of her toes. Could the very thought of Lawren Drake in this room and in this bed have such an effect on her even after all these years?

  She threw off the covers in an attempt to cool down, but her body was on fire.

  Now fully awake, she moved over to the window and opened the curtains. She felt as if leaning her forehead on the cold window pane would start the process of calming the heat raging in her body.

  Looking out to the garden lit by moonlight she saw a shadowy figure advancing to the gate that led to Helen’s Hill.

  At first her mind could not grasp the sight. Why would Ashley be out at such an hour? Who else could it be? Bev and Alan were not at home. There were no other near neighbours. She watched as intently as her drifting thoughts would allow. The figure seemed to bypass the metal gate and start on the uphill climb then it disappeared. Trying to scan the area for the dim figure was giving her a headache. She thought of returning to the bedside to collect her eyeglasses but she was far too tired and dizzy to contemplate the move.

  Perhaps if she just sat down on the velvet chair for a moment, she would feel stronger and then she could go back to sleep once the headache had eased.

  Ashley found Anna slumped in the chair, by a dying fire, the next morning.

  She saw at once that all was not well and she berated herself for not checking sooner. She had not wished to disturb the sleeper too soon and now she could see what a mistake that was.

  Her Aunt Anna was a woman of unusual good health and stamina. She had endured much in her life and triumphed over it all, but this pajama–clad figure hardly resembled the person who had gone to bed the night before. Ashley could see a flush on her cheeks and she was decidedly groggy when she heard Ashley’s shocked voice.

  “Let’s get you back into bed for now. I have a tray ready downstairs and I’ll bring it right up here in just a moment.” She frantically straightened the bedcovers, noting dampness on the pillow and quickly turning it to the other side, then hauled the limp figure of Anna onto her feet, practically lifting her into the bed. The whole time this was happening the older woman was mumbling something about a stranger in the back garden.

  Ashley was appalled. She needed to get help.

  She rushed downstairs and fetched the teapot, pouring out a hot cup and adding it to the tray set with a milk jug. She found a sugar bowl and dropped two spoonsful into the tea thinking it was needed. She jogged up the stairs to the master bedroom and through the opened door and found Anna dozing in an upright position. Fearing to disturb her, she set down the tray and stepped outside into the hallway where she could hear without being overheard.

  In a moment her cell phone was in her hand and she was phoning her mother, Donna. She could hear the dialling tone before she realized it would be very early in the morning in Canada but she needed to hear her mother’s voice and hoped she would not mind being disturbed so early.

  “Who’s calling?” The voice was sleepy. Her mother could not see without her glasses.

  “Mom, it’s me!”

  “Ashley! What time is this to be calling? Where are you?”

  “I’m sorry, Mom. I’m in Scotland with Aunt Anna and I need your advice.”

  “My advice is to call later. Ricky has to get up for work when it’s light and he won’t appreciate being wakened so early.”

  “Listen, Mom, this is important! Aunt Anna is ill and I am here alone. I don’t know what to do.”

  At once Donna sat up in bed. Her daughter was a self-sufficient young woman. This panic in her voice indicated a real problem. She spoke into the phone in a whisper but she was listening.

  “What seems to be the trouble?”

  “I don’t know. She is very hot and disoriented. I found her on a chair instead of in her bed. What should I do?”

  “Isn’t her friend Bev, nearby? You could call or even walk over.”

  “That’s the trouble. There’s no one around to help. I feel so useless.”

  “Pull yourself together, Ashley! You will have to find the name of the local doctor’s office and call them. I think they still do house visits in Scotland. It doesn’t sound as if Anna should be moved. Do you suspect a heart attack or a stroke?”

  “God! I hope not. Too much time has passed already to get treatment for those.”

  “Right, then, Ash! Go get on the phone at once. Call me later when you know what’s happening. I have to go now, Ricky’s stirring.”

  She ran down the stairs to the kitchen after a quick glance to see if there was any change in Anna’s position. Frantically opening all the kitchen drawers looking for a notebook, she suddenly remembered a sheet of paper on the wall of the pantry with local numbers for anyone renting the house.

  With trembling fingers she dialled the number for the doctor’s surgery in Oban and danced from foot to foot waiting impatiently for an answer.

  “Doctors Jansen and Williams’ Surgery. How can I help you?”

  Sending aloft a prayer of thanks that she had found a person rather than an answering service, Ashley launched into an account of where she was and who she was with.

  “Did you say Anna Drake?”

  “Yes, and she is quite ill. I need a doctor to come and see her as soon as possible.”

  “Just a second while I find out if she’s a patient registered here.”

  The second was stretching into a minute while Ashley tried to keep her temper. Didn’t they know this was urgent? What if Anna Drake had never before required medical attention in Oban? What would she do then? The nearest large town was Fort William, several miles away.

  “Hello? I had to check back in our records before I found Mrs. Drake. She once came here for a prescription some years ago. She is a resident of Canada, I believe, but she owns property here.”

  “Yes! Yes! Can the doctor come today? She’s not fit to be moved.”

  “I’ll inform Dr. Jansen. He’s on duty today. There are several patients in the waiting room but I think he should be with you around the noon hour.”

  “Thank you! What should I do in the meantime?”

  “Keep the patient warm and quiet and watch for any signs of distress.”

  Ashley put her phone back in her pocket and rubbed her hands over her face. At least help was on its way. She could breathe again although watching for signs of distress was troublesome. There were plenty of signs already and she had no way of determining which might be significant. Nevertheless she headed back upstairs to check on Anna and watch the clock hands make their plodding way around the dial.

  Dr. Edmund Jansen arrived on the doorstep at 12:30pm to find a very nervous young woman waiting.

  He had trouble locating the house. It was a twenty minute drive from the town and he was somewhat distracted by the lovely scenery on the way. He had been a locum in Oban for only a few months and opportunities to drive around in the surrounding countryside had not been presented until now.

  After he had to reverse back to the laneway leading to the house he drove much faster and left his car at the gate. He could see someone watching out of the large window so he grabbed his bag and stood tall to add presence to his stature. It amazed him how many people were wa
ry of his youth. As if recent medical training would not be superior to that of an aging doctor.

  “I’ll show you upstairs, Doctor. I am a great-niece of Anna Drake. She arrived here from Canada just yesterday and was taken ill overnight. I can’t see any improvement since I called your office this morning.”

  “Where can I wash my hands?”

  “There’s a washroom across the hall from her bedroom.”

  He noticed her use of the word ‘washroom’ and the accent denoting she, also, was from Canada.

  Before he had entered medical training, he had travelled extensively and the east coast of Canada was one of his favourite places. Now was not the time for that conversation, however.

  He asked the young woman to stay nearby while he examined his patient. There was no need of a thermometer to determine she had a high fever. She was flushed and had the glazed look of someone

  in pain.

  “I am Dr. Jansen, Anna. I am going to help make you more comfortable. Tell me how you feel.”

  “I feel awful. I am hot, my head hurts and my throat hurts too.”

  He took a tongue depressor out of his bag and looked at her throat. His brain was processing all the possible adult illnesses related to these symptoms and he was arriving at a somewhat unlikely diagnosis.

  A quick look at her chest soon confirmed his suspicion. There were raised, red lumps on her chest similar to the ones he had seen inside her throat.

  “I think you may have contracted chickenpox, Anna.”

  It was Ashley who responded with alarm. “Is that possible? I thought it was a childhood disease. Will she need to go to hospital? How serious is it?”

  “Well, first of all let’s not worry the patient with suppositions. I would say this is an adult onset of the disease which can happen even if a person had it as a child. The question is; where was your aunt exposed to another virulent dose of the virus? I understand she was recently on an airplane.”

  “Surely no one would go on a flight with a communicable disease?”

  Ashley was hearing her tone of voice become more strident with her concern. Was this young doctor qualified to diagnose? Chickenpox? Really? How likely was that?

  “It can take several days before the symptoms are displayed. Your aunt, or anyone else, would not necessarily know if a person was already infectious.”

  Ashley bit her lip and tried to remember if she had had chickenpox as a child. It did not guarantee immunity in this situation but she was young and presumably more resistant. In any case she was here and she would not leave Anna alone in this state.

  A strained voice entered her thoughts. They had been talking over the patient’s head and the patient had information to convey, despite her difficulty in talking.

  “Doctor, I held a child who might have been sick while I was on the plane. Evie was very hot and restless.”

  He turned at once to Anna. “It could be the answer. If I am right you will be quite uncomfortable for several days. I will give you a prescription to help reduce the fever and ward off some of the itching that will come. As long as you have someone here with you we can keep you at home for now, but I will be checking up on you in a day or so.”

  With that, he jumped up and signalled to Ashley to follow him. When they reached the kitchen he said,

  “She will be inclined to scratch and that must be resisted. Buy some calamine lotion at the chemist. It’s an old remedy but patients find it helpful although it makes a pink mess of clothing. She will need lots to drink but as her throat will become coated in blisters she will find it difficult to drink or eat. If you have straws around, those will make it easier. Call the surgery if you have serious concerns. Just try to wait it out until she feels a bit better.”

  Before Ashley could ask any questions, he took a look around the kitchen then crossed the entrance hall into the lounge next door. She followed, wondering what he was doing. This was no time for a house tour.

  “Is there sleeping accommodation in this large room? It would be easier for you if your patient could be downstairs. I passed a small toilet on my way in. She won’t want a bath for a few days so that will be handy for now. Don’t rush her until she feels up to walking downstairs.”

  There was a lot of information for Ashley to process but she summoned up the necessary response while the doctor’s dark gaze was upon her.

  “Um, yes, this couch is a pull-out bed. It’s quite comfy. I’ve slept in it myself and there’s a fireplace here for additional warmth. Thank you, Dr. Jansen.”

  She felt guilty for being so abrupt earlier but he had not seemed to notice. His head was down as he scribbled a prescription and put it in her hand.

  “I’ll be back in a day or two, Miss… ? I take it you are staying here?”

  “Oh, call me Ashley. Ashley Stanton. I am staying here with my great-aunt for several weeks.”

  “Good. She’ll be glad of your help. You are somewhat isolated here.”

  With that he was gone, marching down the gravel path as if he had an urgent appointment somewhere.

  Fast and efficient. He doesn’t waste any time.

  Ashley sighed, closed the door, and ran over in her mind all the necessary requirements to keep Anna comfortable. The immediate thing that arose was the need to call on Cameron to take her into Oban to fetch supplies and get the prescription filled. But first she would check on the invalid. It looked as if she was about to get a crash course in nursing for elderly patients. Just as well she loved the patient as she did. It was not going to be easy.

  Chapter Five

  It took two more days before Anna Drake was steady enough on her feet to walk downstairs, leaning on Ashley’s arm. The fever had persisted and it was increasingly difficult for her to get a comfortable place to lie on the bed. The red blisters had now emerged on her waistline and on her chest. Ashley had dug around in the storage closet and found two long, cotton nightshirts that could slip over Anna’s head without the elastic from pajamas irritating her spots. The calamine lotion was cooling and soothing but between sweat and pink stains, Ashley had to wash a nightgown each day and iron it dry. The bedding went into the small washing machine in the larder a sheet at a time, then hung outside to dry in the breeze that had replaced the wet weather.

  There was a great deal of running up and down and taking drinks upstairs while trying to coax her aunt to eat something. The doctor had been right about the lounge bed being an easier location.

  However, there was something the doctor did not know. While Anna was drifting in and out of consciousness, she was talking in a very low voice.

  Ashley heard the murmur from across the hall where her own bedroom door had been left open.

  She tiptoed in to make sure all was well and was struck immediately by the rambling story that filled the quiet, dark room with dramatic events. It sounded like an incident from Anna’s life in the house.

  She was faced with a moral dilemma. Should be listening? It could be very private memories unlocked by the fever.

  On the other hand, she was beginning to notice a cohesive line of thought. This might well be vital material for the book or article she was here to write. Could she afford to ignore the opportunity?

  The decision was made quickly. Ashley returned to her bedroom, fetched a notebook and pen, grabbed a dressing gown from the wardrobe, and settled quietly on the velvet chair by the fireside.

  She stifled her conscience by fervently promising to ask permission of Anna Mason Drake before using any part of what she was hearing.

  By the glow of the fire she began to write.

  Are you there?

  Always.

  I was sick once before in this house. I thought my mother had come to nurse me but that was long, long ago. I feel bad now. It’s better when you are near.

  Always.

  Do you remember, my darling?

  I remember everything.

  The Rings? Do you remember when you gave me the ring?

  You wore it every da
y after that.

  I wear it still. It is a symbol of our love.

  You wouldn’t let me buy you a wedding ring.

  Of course not. What could surpass a soulmate pledge? Our wedding was perfect. Just we two and a parson in a sacred Abbey overlooking the sea.

  Perfect.

  We danced.

  I don’t remember the music.

  You hummed a tune in my ear.

  You kissed my hand.

  We lay in bed listening to the waves break on the shore. We talked all night.

  Most of the night.

  Most of the night.

  I think I will sleep now.

  Sleep well, my darling.

  Will you be there?

  Always.

  Ashley Stanton was an accomplished journalist. She took the fevered ramblings and devised the missing parts of the conversation Anna Drake was clearly having with her late husband. Some words were very clear. She had enough perception to realize she was quite possibly inventing responses but the situation seemed to warrant it.

  The room was darkened; lit only by the dying embers of the fire. It was the strangest experience she had ever encountered. The hair on the back of Ashley’s neck stood up when Anna began to speak.

  Her aunt’s voice was feeble but, even so, the emotions came through. Ashley could tell when there was humour or sadness. Overall, the feeling was as if two dear friends were talking over old times together in the dark.