East of Barryvale

by Yvonne Whittal

  A short while later, dressed in a pale blue dress that en­hanced her fairness, she sat down in front of the dressing table and hastily powdered her nose and applied some lipstick before running a comb through her hair. She was one of the lucky few who could claim to have a natural, healthy skin that could do without the aid of make-up. Her golden-brown eyes sparkled as she pulled a face at herself in the mirror. She was suddenly alive again, and hungry.

  She hastily left the apartment, locking the door with a key from the bunch Meldon Powers had left.

  "Hello there!"

  She turned to face a young man with red hair, an abun­dance of freckles on his face, and laughing green eyes.

  "I'm Martin Richter," he introduced himself, and Jacqueline found her hand grasped firmly and shaken vigorously. "You must be Dr. Thornton. The hospital has been absolutely buzzing with the news of your ar­rival."

  She looked at him in surprise. "Why should the hospi­tal be so interested in me?"

  "Don't know." He shrugged his shoulders and looked at her closely. "Are you someone important?"

  He looked so comically serious that Jacqueline could not help but burst out laughing.

  "I'm about as important as any junior resident doctor could be," she replied eventually.

  "Thank goodness," he sighed dramatically. "Then allow someone who's as junior as yourself to show you around."

  He took hold of her hand and pulled her arm through his own. They walked down the steps together, Jacqueline joining in with his tomfoolery, and laughing more than she had done for a long time.

  Martin Richter stopped abruptly and frowned down at her. "By the way, you know my name. What's yours?"

  "Jacqueline," she told him.

  "Jacqueline—hm." He seemed to savour the name, un­able to decide whether he liked it or not.

  "My friends call me Jacky," she told him helpfully.

  "Ah, Jacky!" His face brightened. "That's a much more companionable name. To my regret I was christened Marthinus, but my family thankfully shortened it to Martin. So much better, don't you think?”

  "Much better," she agreed.

  "Were you on your way somewhere when I monopo­lised you so suddenly?"

  "I was going out to a cafe somewhere for something to eat," she confessed.

  "But, my dear girl," he waved his arms theatrically, "why do that when we have such a marvellous cuisine served right here?”

  "But it's already seven o'clock," Jacqueline protested weakly.

  "So what?" Martin demanded. "They serve dinner here from six-thirty until eight in the evening. So come on, Jacky, and let's go get us some sustenance."

  Martin Richter was obviously a very talkative person, and for this Jacqueline was thankful as she did not have to contribute much towards the conversation. Martin's talk was not all nonsensical, but largely informative as he chatted amicably while leading her to where the delightful aroma of tastefully prepared food originated from.

  "You'll see, in due course, that the residents' quarters and the nurses' quarters are joined together by a low-slung building which comprises the kitchen and two din­ing-rooms."

  "Two dining-rooms?" Jacqueline interrupted.

  "Two dining-rooms," he confirmed, nodding his red head seriously. "One for the nurses—a gorgeous bunch they are too—and another more plushly furnished din­ing-room for the lordly resident doctors."

  Jacqueline cast him a glance of disbelief, but when they entered the dining-room she saw to her dismay that he had spoken the truth. The leather-bound chairs were pad­ded for extra comfort, while the tables were laid with glit­tering silverware on crackling white tablecloths. The wall-to-wall carpeting matched the olive-green curtaining at the windows, and Jacqueline had the feeling that she was walking into an expensive hotel rather than the staff mess.

  Martin ushered her to a table in the corner and after seeing her seated he sat down opposite her.

  "From here you can get a good look at everyone," he winked, and smiled broadly at her.

  A waitress came and took their order and while they waited Jacqueline looked about her with interest.

  "Naturally, you won't be seeing any of the big knobs," Martin continued with his running commentary. "They all live in mansions on Snob Hill. Take our Chief, for in­stance. He lives in that grandiose place he calls Bergvliet, and very rarely condescends to enter this lowly abode of us poor residents."

  Their food arrived and while they ate Martin kept

  Jacqueline amused with his small talk. A truly easy man to get on with, she thought.

  "Take the chap this place was named after. He died leaving that fabulous mansion behind for his daughter, but does she live in it? Oh, no! She obviously prefers hob­nobbing in the cities to living in this peaceful little town." Jacqueline almost choked on a piece of fish. "Oh, gosh! Were you related to him or something?"

  Jacqueline's lips twitched as she tried to suppress a smile. "He was my father," she answered, laughing good-humouredly at the stricken look on his face.

  "Why didn't you stop me?" he begged, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand.

  "I couldn't resist letting you go on," Jacqueline admit­ted. "You have a most enjoyable way of telling some­thing and it was pleasant listening to you."

  Martin was silent for the remainder of their meal and seemed genuinely hurt by the fact that Jacqueline had withheld her true identity. However, it took her only a short time to coax him back to his earlier mood.

  "Why didn't you go and live in your family home?" he asked, pouring himself another cup of coffee. "You could live there more comfortably than here."

  Jacqueline nodded slowly. "I'm not yet ready to move in and live there in solitary splendour." The dining-room was comparatively deserted as she looked about her again and noted the cleverly concealed lighting that was restful on the eyes. "Tell me about the people I shall be working with?" she asked with interest.

  Martin mentioned a number of names, ticking them off on his fingers and telling her something of interest about each one of them. When he learnt that she was interested in surgery, his eyes widened and he whistled through his teeth.

  "There are three doctors in charge of the surgical side," he told Jacqueline when she looked at him enquiringly.

  "Dr. Sanderson is the Senior Surgical Officer and a bit of a fusspot, in spite of his brilliant techniques. His assistant, Dr. Marais, is quite a different kettle of fish, much more human and goes about his work quietly." He hesitated for a while and looked at Jacqueline speculatively, his green eyes thoughtful as he took in her appearance. He noted the soft fair hair curling gently into her neck and the eagerness lurking behind her soulful brown eyes. Her nose was small and straight above the wide generous mouth with the passionate curl to the upper lip. A very attractive picture she made sitting there waiting for him to continue. "The third member of that team is Dr. Tanya Mason. I would be careful of her if I were you."

  Jacqueline frowned slightly, casting him a troubled look as she asked him to be more explicit-.

  "She's got her eyes on the Chief," Martin warned after a slight hesitation. "So don't go getting any ideas about him or you might find yourself in trouble."

  "Are you talking about Dr. Powers?" Jacqueline asked, her frown deepening.

  Martin nodded.

  "Does Dr. Powers reciprocate her feelings?" she asked with a certain amount of curiosity.

  Martin shrugged his shoulders. "He must care for her, because they're seen everywhere together."

  They prepared to leave the dining-room and while they strolled back to Jacqueline's apartment, she informed Martin that she had been instructed to report to Dr. Power's office at eight the following morning.

  "I'll show you the way," Martin promised as they parted at her door.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Jacqueline did the last of her unpacking and then stored her suitcases away. So much had happened since her ar­rival in Barryvale and it had left her with much to think about.

 
; It was obvious that Meldon Powers was displeased about having her on his staff. The thought had occurred to her that he did not approve of women in the medical profession, but then there was Dr. Tanya Mason in whose company he was often seen, which ruled out that line of thought. He had appeared to be cold and forbidding when she had met him that afternoon, although he almost seemed to regret his earlier attitude when he had mentioned his close friend ship with her father. Jacqueline sighed heavily. Meldon Powers was going to be difficult to understand.

  If it had not been for her meeting with Dr. Martin Richter, then her homecoming would have been rather dismal. He certainly kept up a flow of conversation from the moment they met. She liked him, Jacqueline decided. He was helpful and friendly and she hoped they would become firm friends yet.

  She undressed quickly and slid between the cool sheets. She became aware of how tired she really was after the long journey, and the following day would be trying, for everything would be new and different from that which she had become accustomed to. She switched off the bed­side lamp and turned over. Just then the telephone on the bedside table began to ring, and moaning softly, Jacqueline lifted the receiver.

  "I was wondering whether you'd settled in comfort­ably," Meldon Powers' deep voice came over the line.

  "Quite comfortably," she told him, snuggling deeper beneath the sheets.

  "Did you have dinner?"

  "Yes, thank you, Dr. Powers," Jacqueline replied. "I met Dr. Richter and he very kindly took me along to the staff mess."

  "I see." His voice sounded abrupt. "So you had com­pany after all."

  It was not a question but a statement and Jacqueline knew that he was recalling her refusal to accept his hospi­tality. Her cheeks flamed and she was thankful that he could not see. Before he rang off, he reminded her briefly that she was to report to his office the following morning.

  Jacqueline rolled about restlessly for a time, disturbed by Meldon Powers' obvious concern. Was this the pro­cedure with every new arrival, or was she privileged be­cause of the friendship that had existed between himself and her father? She shuddered slightly at the appalling thought that she might be accepted by everyone because she was Bernard Thornton's daughter.

  Thoroughly agitated and now wide awake, she tugged the sheets aside and padded over to the window without bothering to put on the light. The mountain loomed darkly in the moonlight, curved protectively around the edge of the town. She opened the window and leaned out breathing the cool air deeply into her lungs.

  Car lights approached swiftly and Jacqueline recog­nised Meldon Powers' white Mercedes as it came out of the shadows and was caught in the lights from the en­trance of the building. As she watched, the car stopped and Meldon Powers stepped out. He walked swiftly round to the other side and opened the door. Jacqueline looked on with interest as a tall woman stepped out of the car. This, she was sure, was Dr. Tanya Mason of whom Martin had spoken. She was slender with a superb figure clothed in an expensive-looking outfit that seemed to glit­ter in the light. Her dark hair was done up in curls on top of her head and her scarlet lips were now raised, poutingly, to her companion's.

  "Thank you for the delightful dinner, darling," her husky voice drifted upwards to where Jacqueline stood at the window. "Just such a pity you were so distracted this evening."

  She reached up and kissed him full on the lips. Jacqueline saw Meldon Powers raise his hands to her shoulders, holding her close while he kissed her back with meaning.

  "Good-night, darling," she purred huskily when he had released her. "See you in the morning."

  He stood and watched her enter the building. Then, with a last wave, he walked back to the driver's side and, without warning, looked directly up at Jacqueline. She gave a startled gasp and stepped back, her heart hammer­ing wildly against her ribs. Too afraid to move, she stood there until she heard him drive away. She wondered, guiltily, whether he had been able to see her standing there at the window of her darkened room.

  "Hey! Wait for me!" Running footsteps crunched on the gravel path behind Jacqueline as she walked through the hospital gardens. Martin Richter caught up with her. "I told you I'd show you the way. Why didn't you wait for me?" he asked, quite out of breath.

  "When you didn't show up for breakfast I took it for granted that you'd forgotten."

  "I never have breakfast," he told her, taking her arm and matching his long strides to her shorter ones. "Are you nervous at meeting the Chief?"

  "A little," she admitted, withholding the fact that she had already met Meldon Powers the previous day.

  "I believe he was a close friend of your father’s?”

  "Yes."

  "You've met him previously, then?" Martin persisted, his green eyes glinting in the sunlight.

  "I met him briefly at my father's funeral seven years ago. I was only nineteen at the time and far too shocked to take notice of anyone, least of all someone twelve years my senior," Jacqueline finished.

  The hospital building stood before them. It was a big, several-storied building, painted white and with "Bernard Thornton Memorial Hospital" in large letters above the entrance. Jacqueline hovered on the bottom step for a while and stared up at the name. 'May I never disgrace you, Daddy,' she thought to herself before walking briskly with Martin through the entrance and along a passage to where Meldon Powers had his office.

  The clock on the wall said eight o'clock exactly as Martin stopped outside a door with "Superintendent" printed on it.

  "I'll see you later in the wards," he patted her arm and smiled. "Good luck!"

  She watched him walk away, his white coat flapping about his legs, and felt suddenly terribly alone. Knocking hesitantly, she entered to find herself confronted by Meldon Powers' elderly receptionist.

  "You must be Dr. Thornton," she smiled. "Dr. Powers said you were to go straight through, he's expecting you."

  Jacqueline entered Meldon Powers' office and found him standing with his back to the door staring out the window at the gardens below. He gestured to her to sit down and she did so while he remained standing with his broad, formidable-looking back towards her.

  "You're late."

  Jacqueline tensed and glanced at her watch. "By two minutes, yes," she acknowledged.

  "Those two minutes could have meant the difference between life and death."

  "I wasn't aware that we had a crisis on our hands?”

  He swivelled round to face her, and once again she be­came aware of that pantherlike quality about him as she suffered Ms cold, penetrating glance. "If I can't rely on you to arrive on time for an appointment, then how can I rely on you to be punctual for an emergency?"

  "I fail to see the reason for this outburst, Dr. Powers."

  He came and stood in front of her and she had to crane her neck to look up at him.

  "I expect a lot from my staff, Dr. Thornton. I demand punctuality and diligence. I also demand that the patients get one hundred per cent of your attention, and if you should ever be in doubt as to your diagnostic abilities, you are to consult with one of the senior doctors immediately." He looked hard at Jacqueline, and then his lips twitched slightly as if he found something amusing. "I have as­signed you to the men's surgical ward where Dr. Tanya Mason will be your immediate senior. The Senior Surgical Officer is Dr. Sanderson and his assistant is Dr. Marais. You will assist with operations and do ward duty. Every alternate week you are to take the outside calls alongside Dr. Richter. There is a roster in the staff room from which you can confirm your duties. Is this clear to you?”

  "Perfectly clear," Jacqueline replied, looking up at him and wondering how she could ever have thought this stern-looking man to be kind and considerate.

  He returned her glance for a moment longer before he walked briskly round behind his desk and seated himself. He discussed certain matters concerning salary and ben­efits before selecting a few forms which he handed to her for her signature.

  Jacqueline listened attentively while he told her about t
he hospital routine and several other duties she would be called upon to perform. She became increasingly aware of the fact that Meldon Powers was not just a figurehead, but that he took a very active part in the hospital activities. His hands were broad and strong with well-shaped, flat-tipped fingers, and his voice held undisguised enthusiasm when he spoke.

  "If you'll come with me, then I'll take you along to Men's Surgical," he offered, bringing her thoughts back sharply.

  He took his stethoscope off the desk and pushed it un­ceremoniously into the pocket of his white coat. At the door he waited for her to pass, then closed it quietly be­hind them.

  "I'm taking Dr. Thornton along to Men's Surgical and after that I'll be in Orthopaedics should anyone want me," he informed his secretary as they passed through the office, their footsteps making no sound on the thickly carpeted floor.

  They threaded their way along the corridors in silence and as they reached the Ward Sister's office he stopped unexpectedly and turned to Jacqueline.

  "If you should ever have any problems, don't hesitate in coming to me, Jacqueline."

  She looked up at him in surprise and wondered ex-asperatedly what had caused this sudden change in his at­titude, but before she could reply he turned and walked ahead of her into the Sister's office.