‘That holiday did you good,’ her mother said. ‘I knew it would. Who’s the man?’
Amy knew she’d have to say something eventually. ‘His name’s Adam Ross and his daughter is Johanne. Adam has just...joined the practice as a locum for six months.’
‘Ah,’ said her mother.
Amy searched for something to say to avoid further questions. She noticed her mother was ironing a new dress. ‘Where are you going tonight? Out with the Third Age club again?’
Her mother looked a bit flushed. She said, almost defiantly, ‘Not really—in fact not at all. I’m going to the opera house at Buxton, having dinner first. I’m going with a man I met at the Third Age club.’
Amy remembered the new hairstyle, the definite sparkle in her mother’s eyes. ‘Ma! You’ve got a date!’
Amy’s father had died fifteen years ago after a tragically short illness, perhaps the tragedy had pulled the two women together. Now Amy looked at her mother with new eyes, seeing her as a woman, not just her mother and Elizabeth’s grandmother.
Sylvia Harrison was attractive. She was slim, through attendance at the gym and weekend walking. Her dark hair was well styled and she always dressed well.
‘We’re just going out together,’ said her mother. ‘You have to move on.’
‘He’s a lucky man, taking you out. Is it...are you... serious?’
Her mother thought. ‘I’m interested,’ she said. ‘I like him a lot. And he’s interested too.’
‘So who is he and when do I get to meet him?’
‘His name’s Noel Carson, he’s a solicitor who’s just moved into the area. That big firm on the main road. Now, I’m not saying anything more at all. Off you go, I’ll have to get ready.’
‘I’ll want to know all about it tomorrow,’ Amy threatened.
Her mother smiled sweetly. ‘I’ll tell you all about it. When you tell me all about you and this Dr Adam Ross.’
Amy was shocked at this. Would she never stop being transparent to her mother?
Next evening Amy was back at her old school, Lissom Allgates. Dr Wright knew the headmistress and had arranged for Amy to give a series of talks on first aid after the end of the official school day. Amy enjoyed the work. The children were boisterous at times but seemed interested in what she had to say.
It was getting dark as Amy drove away from the school as she had stopped behind to have a cup of tea with the headmistress. But there were still a few pupils walking home. She was approaching a park entrance, saw a couple come out of the park and stand in the shadow of a tree, kissing. Kissing passionately. They were in uniform, from Lissom Allgates school. And as Amy drove past them she saw that the girl was Johanne.
Amy pulled up after a few yards, waited as Johanne walked past her. She had her arm around the boy, his was around her. The two looked happy, contented with each other. Amy felt a pang—of what? She remembered being a schoolgirl herself, she had had a boyfriend, Patrick Sheldon. Just being with him had made her happy, when they’d been apart she’d dreamed about him for hours. Now sometimes she saw Peter. He had taken over his father’s outdoor equipment shop, he was going bald and had a wife and two children. They still smiled at each other when they met.
Reluctantly, and with a smile to herself, Amy had to acknowledge her feelings. She felt envious. It had been so nice to be young, in love and free from troubles—though, as she remembered, they had thought they had troubles.
But that had been then. She drove on a little, stopped again just ahead of the couple, and as they came up to her she wound down her window and said, ‘Hello, Johanne.’
She tried to be friendly, but she suspected that her voice was rather cool.
Johanne was shocked. ‘Amy! What are you doing here?’
‘I’ve been giving a talk at the school.’ She peered at the boy, a tall blond lad. ‘You were in my class, weren’t you?’
The boy was nervous. ‘Yes, Miss Harrison. I’m Jack Collis. I enjoyed your talk.’
‘So you’ll be sixteen or seventeen. A bit old for Johanne?’
Defiantly, Johanne said, ‘He’s seventeen. So what? Jack and I have just met and we like each other a lot.’
Amy decided to get out of the car. They couldn’t have any kind of a conversation through a window and she still wasn’t sure what she wanted to say. Perhaps it just wasn’t her business. But to think that was just avoiding things.
She walked round the car, offered her hand. ‘Nice to meet you Jack,’ she said.
He shook her hand. ‘You, too, Miss Harrison,’ he said. Obviously he, too, didn’t know what to make of the situation. After a moment he said, ‘I really do like Johanne a lot, you know.’
Amy sighed. This had to be said. ‘How much older than her are you?’ she asked.
‘Two years seven months and four days,’ Johanne said quickly, ‘and it doesn’t matter one little bit. Amy, I thought you were my friend. Can’t you accept that I know what I’m doing? Can’t you let me make up my own mind about something without interfering?’
‘I’m not interfering, Johanne, and I hope I’m still your friend. I’m also a friend of your father.’
There was silence for a moment and then, in a dead voice, Johanne said, ‘So you’re going to tell him. He’ll stop me seeing Jack just because you saw us—’
‘Kissing,’ said Amy. ‘And kissing quite passionately. No, I’m not going to tell him I’ve seen you together. But I think you should.’
‘You know what’ll happen if I do!’
Amy sighed again and turned to Jack. ‘You know she’s a child still and the law thinks that you’re a responsible adult? You know what I’m talking about?’
She was rather pleased with the touch of anger in Jack’s voice. ‘Yes, I do know what you’re talking about. I care about Johanne and I am responsible.’
‘I hope so,’ said Amy. Then she got in the car and drove off.
She wasn’t happy. She knew how important trust was to Adam, knew that he would expect her to tell him about Johanne. She felt that she was betraying him by promising Johanne not to tell him. But she would, be betraying Johanne if she did tell.
Amy sighed. She had enough trouble with her own love life. Why should she have to worry about someone else’s?
Chapter Six
It was an unusual telephone call, from Nancy Brooks. Amy had been to see her once since she’d been to give Nancy her vaccination after Peter’s disease had been diagnosed. Nancy had been angry and bitter. She didn’t sleep at night, she wept most of the day. And there was nothing Amy could say to calm her. In the end she had cautiously offered to ask if Nancy could be prescribed something for depression, or just sleeping pills. Nancy had turned down the offer. .
Now Nancy was calmer. ‘Got a favour to ask you, Amy,’ she said. ‘Not really part of your job, but it might help things along.’
‘Whatever I can do, Nancy, I will.’
Now Nancy seemed a little awkward. ‘This is difficult. It’s not only you that’s involved, it’s that Dr Ross as well.’
‘I’m sure Dr Ross will be only too pleased to help,’ Amy said, being quite certain that this was true.
Nancy spoke in a rush. ‘Well, it’s Peter. He’s recovering now and we are at least talking. He’s been really ill and I think it might have taught him something.’
‘People often seem a bit different when they’re recovering,’ Amy said cautiously.
‘Yes, I thought that. But... any way, Peter says he’s learned his lesson. He knows he’s been thoughtless and stupid and he’s going to try to be better. But he wants to see you and Dr Ross in hospital. He thinks talking to you both might...might help him. Amy, it’s worth a try. Can you manage to go and see him? It’d mean such a lot to me.’
‘But what does he want us to do? He’s in hospital now, we can’t interfere.’
‘I don’t know! But it seems to be important to him.’
‘I’ll see what I can do,’ said Amy.
She caught Adam
later that day and told him about the phone call. ‘It’ll mean an evening visit,’ she said. ‘It’s not really our job and I don’t know what he wants but...’
Adam shrugged. ‘The little I saw of Nancy, I liked. I must say, patient or not, I didn’t have much time for Peter. But if Nancy thinks it might help—well, it’s only a couple of hours, isn’t it? Tonight OK?’
‘Sure. I’ll leave Elizabeth with my mother. It’d be silly to take two cars; do you want me to pick you up?’
‘Let me drive,’ he said.
Peter Brooks was in the infectious diseases ward in a Sheffield hospital. Amy had phoned ahead, said that they were coming. Peter was in a side-ward on his own.
‘It’s very good of you to come,’ he said.
‘Nancy asked us to,’ said Amy. ‘She said that you wanted to see us both. We’re still not sure why, you know that the hospital is looking after you now.’
Peter looked uncomfortable. Amy had always known him as a big, muscular man, certain of his strength and certain that he was right. There had been no place for self-doubt in his mind. But now things were different. His face was thinner. Peter was in an environment he couldn’t dominate and he didn’t like it.
‘I’ve had time to think while I’ve been in here,’ he said. ‘The nurses and doctors have been great. It looks like I’m going to be all right, eventually I should be as fit as before. But it didn’t have to happen that way. One of the doctors spent half an hour with me telling me just what might have happened, what I could be suffering.’ He swallowed. ‘And what I could have done to Nancy.’
‘Nancy will be all right,’ Adam said. ‘We’ve checked her over, she’ll be fine. That’s one thing you don’t have to worry about.’
‘But I could have...that is, she might have...she could have been infected.’
‘Yes,’ said Adam flatly.
‘Right. Well, you’re my doctor and Amy here is the district nurse who first decided I was really ill. I feel I owe you both something. What I want to say is...it won’t happen again. I’ve been a selfish, drunken lout, but I’m going to change. Being ill has terrified me. Nancy has said she’ll stand by me. I don’t deserve that but I’ll accept it. I just want you two to know. Things will be different. And if I start to slip you can remind me of this conversation. But I won’t slip.’
‘It’s easy to say that now,’ Adam said. ‘How will you feel when you’re well again?’
Peter shook his head. ‘It isn’t easy now. Usually I just don’t admit I’m wrong. It’s something I’ll have to get used to.’
There was silence for a moment, then Amy took his hand and said, ‘You’ve got a lot to come home to, haven’t you? Nancy’s one in ten thousand. You’re lucky.’
‘I know I’m lucky.’ Peter tried to smile. ‘And when I’m completely better—then it’ll be baby time. It’s what she wants and I guess it’s what I need.’
He lay back against the pillow, obviously fatigued by what he had said.
‘I think we’d better go now,’ said Adam. ‘We don’t want to overtire you.’ He held out a hand for Peter to shake. Rather surprised, Peter took it. Adam went on, ‘I think you can do it, Peter. What you’ve just said to us now took some saying, I appreciate that. But people can change for the better, I know. Good luck.’
He took Amy’s arm and led her towards the door. Just before they left Amy turned. Peter’s head was on the pillow again. But there was a smile on his face. He looked content.
Amy had to direct Adam out of Sheffield but soon they were high on the moors, the city only a yellow glow on the horizon behind them. The driving was easy here, they could talk.
‘You’ve known him longer,’ said Adam. ‘D’you think he’ll stick to what he said?’
Amy sighed. ‘Who can tell? Certainly he’s not himself now. Perhaps it’s only finding himself weak and defenceless that has made him like this. When he’s fully recovered, who can tell what he’ll feel?’
‘I think he meant it,’ said Adam. ‘What’s more, I think he’ll stick to it. He’s done something pretty terrible to Nancy—and to himself. I think he hates himself now and the only way he’ll be able to look into a mirror again is if he changes.’
‘You really believe that, don’t you? That it’s possible to change?’
His voice was determined, forceful. ‘You have to believe that people can change. Otherwise there’s no hope of redemption.’
‘And once again we’re not talking about Nancy and Peter. We’re talking of you and me.’
‘That’s right. We’re both carrying some pretty heavy baggage, a great load of doubt and suspicion. But I think we’re moving towards being different people. Perhaps people who can be happy together. Don’t you feel that, Amy?’
‘It’s possible,’ she said.
Three days later Dr Wright called a small unofficial meeting at lunchtime. There was the practice manager, the other practice partner and a couple of the nurses. And there was Adam. Amy hadn’t seen him for a day or two. She missed him but she’d managed. Now they smiled at each other in a friendly manner.
‘Many of our biggest problems aren’t really medical,’ John Wright said. ‘This is one of them. You all know that I’m friendly with the headmistress of Lissom Allgates school and that Amy works there sometimes? Well, the headmistress phoned me. She wants Amy to give practical talks on contraception, to under sixteens as well as over sixteens. We all know what the practice policy is, that we can offer sexual advice to someone under sixteen once we have satisfied ourselves that it is in the child’s best interests to have that advice. And we take considerable care to establish the child’s best interests. But this is offering detailed advice to a whole group. What do you all think?’
The practice manager said, ‘I’m in favour of anything that might keep the teenage pregnancy rate down. Go for it.’
The other practice partner said, ‘I go with the practice policy. We offer advice when it’s in the best interests of our patients. We do not go round offering it without being asked.’
Now it was Adam’s turn. So far Amy had looked anywhere but at him directly, now she stared at him. She didn’t like what she saw. He had the expression she recognised—that he thought he was right and that no one would deflect him.
He said, ‘I’m against these talks. I have a teenage daughter at that school and I shall expect to be asked if I want her to receive detailed practical contraceptive advice. And I shall say no. I’m very happy for her to have sex education and for contraception to be dealt with in a general way. But if you show, specific contraceptives you are bound to make students think that it is OK to use them.’
He turned to her. ‘What do you think, Amy?’
It was an awful moment. She realised that he expected her to agree with him. She muttered, ‘That is a point of view. There is no good answer. But I suspect most young teenagers have the sense not to experiment. And if just one girl is prevented from getting pregnant, that is something good,’
His voice was silky. ‘And what if, because of your expert advice, a child decides she has nothing to worry about? It was taught in school so it must be all right?’
She had to fight back. ‘If—and I’m not very keen— I give these talks, I shall emphasise that it is dangerous to experiment, and that sex should only take place in the context of a loving relationship.’
‘Exactly! These children have no sense. They think they’re in love when all that is happening is that their adolescent glands are working overtime. I thought you’d know better, Amy.’
She looked at him and snarled, ‘I know only too well the effects of glands working overtime.’
‘It appears that we can’t agree,’ Dr Wright said smoothly. ‘We’ve had a frank exchange of views, now I shall think about it myself and canvass other points of view. Nothing will be decided for a while. Now I guess it’s back to work.’
As they walked out, Adam moved to Amy’s side. He said, ‘You know, I am surprised at you. You know Johanne, wo
uld you give her this talk?’
She stood a moment, trying to order her whirling thoughts. Then she said, ‘This tends to be an area for nurses and midwives rather than doctors. And do you know what? The young girls most likely to get pregnant are usually the uninformed children of repressive parents. Parents who don’t trust them. Think of that, Dr Ross.’
Then she hurried to get away from him. She hated the expression of horror on his face.
They had to work together a couple of days later. Bert and Doris Machin had lived together in their house for fifty-five years. Bert had been born there. It was an old house and now it just wasn’t suitable for them. Doris had incipient Alzheimer’s disease, Bert had arthritis. They would have to move.
Both of them accepted this, were even looking forward to it. Amy had worked hard with both of them, had involved her friend in Social Services. But now there were forms to be filled in, decisions to be made, Social Services informed officially.
Adam came with Amy. She had been visiting the couple for three years now, and they were friends. But the report they were asked for would have to be signed by a doctor. So Adam came, had a cup of tea, chatted amiably and looked around the house. Bert and Doris liked him. They agreed that what had been decided was best. And then Adam and Amy left.
He said nothing as they drove back towards Lissom. She couldn’t help comparing his present silence with the kindness he had showed to the couple they had just left behind. And she decided she was not going to put up with it. This was an area she knew well, so she turned off the main road in the valley and drove upwards along a narrow winding lane that led to the top of the fell.
‘This isn’t the quickest way back,’ he said after a minute.
‘No, it’s not. But for the moment it’s the way I want.’
They reached the top of the fell, she turned off the road onto a grassy area, wrenched on the handbrake and said to him, ‘You need to get out now.’
So he got out. She walked for twenty yards, hoping he would follow her. And then she stopped, and he came to stand by her side. They were standing on the edge of the valley, and in front of them was a vista of fields, woods and crags. There were villages, a corner of Lissom itself.
A Doctor to Come Home to Page 9
