by Anne Fraser
This time, the ringing was answered after just a short time.
‘Hello, James Ashleigh speaking.’ The tone was concise, the voice a deep, masculine timbre that was easy on the ear.
‘Hello. I’m so glad that I managed to reach you at last,’ she began. ‘I’m Louise Bridgford. I have your grandfather here with me, and I’m afraid he’s not feeling too well. I wonder if you would care to come and fetch him?’
There was a pause on the other end of the line. ‘What’s wrong with him?’
‘He’s struggling for breath and he needed to sit down for a while.’
‘Where are you?’
James was obviously a man of few words, and Louise decided to be equally succinct. ‘We’re in Castle Park, just about a quarter of a mile from the entrance.’
‘I’ll come and find you. Will you be able to stay with him until I get there?’
‘I won’t leave him on his own,’ she said in a clipped voice. She was tempted to add, unlike some, but she managed to restrain herself. No doubt her sharp manner would have been enough to convey the message.
He cut the call, and for a moment she stared down at the blank screen. So much for James Ashleigh, grandson extraordinaire… How long was it going to take for him to get here? she wondered. Would he manage to avoid any detours or distractions along the way?
She turned her attention back to the man beside her. ‘He’s coming over,’ she said.
He smiled broadly, his features relaxing properly for the first time since she had met him. ‘That’s good.’ He glanced around. ‘I don’t think he’s set foot in this park since he was a child,’ he said on a musing note. ‘We used to bring him here, his grandmother and me. Those were good times.’
Louise’s mouth curved. ‘I can imagine.’ They talked for a while about those visits and the way the riverside had always been an attractive spot for picnics. Louise did most of the talking, afraid that the elderly man might relapse with the effort. ‘I love to be out in the open air,’ she said. ‘Even this close to the centre of town, this place is a lovely haven for wildlife.’
‘Yes. I wanted to see if they still have the aviary here.’ He coughed and stopped to gather air into his lungs. ‘I don’t get out much these days. It’s been so long, I’ve forgotten the exact layout of the place.’
She felt a rush of sympathy for him. Had it been so many years since he had a chance to visit the park?
‘I remember some years ago they used to have one. I think nowadays it’s more of a pets corner for the children—rabbits and guinea pigs and the occasional quail scrabbling about.’
‘Ah…’ He nodded. ‘Things change, don’t they?’ He looked at her, a gentle, indulgent smile on his face. ‘But I can see that you’re a girl after my own heart, Louise. May I call you Louise?’
‘Of course.’
‘Thank you. I’m Joseph. You’ve been very kind to me and I want to thank you for all that you’ve done. I feel guilty about this. I’m sure you must be busy and I’m taking up so much of your time.’
‘That’s all right, and you don’t need to feel guilty at all. I’m happy to be here with you. As things stand, I’m able to take a slightly longer lunch break today. But, whatever happens, I won’t leave you until you’re safely on your way home.’
He patted her hand once more in acceptance of that, and itwas as shewas returning the gesture that she became aware of a man striding purposefully towards them.
She looked up, casting a thoughtful glance over him as he approached. Like his grandfather, he was well-dressed, wearing a grey suit, though the jacket hung open to reveal a crisply laundered shirt with a pale, faintly striped design. She wondered if he was a businessman of some sort.
He was tall, long-legged, and his demeanour was resolute, the jut of his strong jaw signalling a man who was used to being in charge.
His gaze flicked over her. ‘Are you the lady who called me? Louise Bridgford?’
She nodded. ‘That’s right. I am.’
‘Thank you for calling me, and for staying here with my grandfather. I appreciate it.’ Then he turned his attention to Joseph, and his matter-of-fact manner changed to one of concern. ‘How are you feeling?’ he asked, hunkering down, his knees bent so that he could be at eye level with him.
Louise let her glance wander over the beautiful cut of his black hair, noting its springy texture. The hair seemed to reflect the man. It shimmered faintly in the sunlight, with not a strand out of place, and she judged that each fibre was thick and strong.
‘I’m fine now. This young lady here, Louise, has been a great help to me.’
James subjected her to another quick scrutiny before turning back to his grandfather. He nodded. ‘I’m glad to hear it, but what happened to you? Was it just that you felt short of breath, or did you actually collapse?’
‘I just felt a bit peculiar,’ Joseph told him. ‘I’m feeling much better now.’
James appeared to be giving that some thought. ‘The car isn’t too far away. I’ve brought it as far into the park as I could. I’m just wondering if you’re going to be able to manage the walk.’
‘Yes… I think I can do that, if you just give me another minute or two.’
‘Hmm.’ James was doubtful. ‘Perhaps it would be better if I called for the paramedics. You should probably have someone look you over at the hospital.’
‘No. I don’t want that.’ Joseph’s voice was firm. ‘I wouldn’t like that at all. I’ll walk back to the car.’ He made to get up and, seeing how the colour immediately drained from him, both James and Louise gently pressured him back down into his seat.
‘I think I might have a solution,’ Louise murmured, getting to her feet.
James stood up and came alongside her, both of them moving a short distance from where his grandfather was sitting. ‘And what might that be?’ he asked.
‘I work at the hospital just across the way. I could go over there and borrow a wheelchair. It shouldn’t take me more than a few minutes to go and organise that.’
‘That seems like a good idea. Would there be any objection to you doing that?’
She shook her head. ‘I think they trust me enough to know that I’ll bring it back. There’s just the question of whether you could sit and wait with your grandfather that long.’
James gave her an odd look. ‘I’m not sure that I know what you mean.’
‘As far as I understand it,’ she said, giving him a direct stare, ‘you were with your grandfather when you suddenly went off and started to deal with your phone calls. Do I have that right?’
‘Partly.’ He frowned. ‘We were at the café, and I received a phone call that was quite urgent. The signal wasn’t too good, so I left my grandfather enjoying a cup of tea and a bun and went to deal with it outside.’
She guessed that he had been so taken up with dealing with his call that afterwards he had forgotten all about his grandfather. Of course he wasn’t going to admit that to her, was he?
‘Well, I sincerely hope that isn’t going to happen again, because it’s very important that you stay with him. You can’t be sure that his condition won’t worsen—in fact, if I were you, I would be on the alert to call out the emergency services.’
She glanced down at the watch on her wrist. ‘I shall have to get a move on. Will you be here when I get back? Can I rely on you?’
He gave her a narrowed stare and she had the impression that he didn’t like being questioned that way. He made as if to say something, but then he must have thought better of it because he simply waved a hand in a gesture of acceptance, urging her to go ahead.
‘I’ll be here,’ he said.
Louise set off at a brisk pace and within a few short minutes she was back at the hospital. ‘Is it all right if I take one of these wheelchairs?’ she asked the senior registrar in charge of the adult A&E unit. ‘I’ll bring it back in less than half an hour.’
‘Go ahead,’ the registrar told her. ‘Are you okay? Is there a problem
?’
‘Nothing I can’t handle,’ she told him. ‘Thanks, Taylor.’
When she arrived back at the park, James was pacing across the grass in front of the oak tree. Joseph was sitting where she had left him, and he looked more weary than ever, as though his fighting spirit had gone. She wondered if he was even aware of them being around.
‘Has something happened?’ she asked.
Perhaps itwas more of an accusing stare than a questioning glance that she directed towards James, because he stopped pacing long enough to give her a startled look.
‘No, nothing. What did you think might have gone on? I’m not exactly sure what opinion you have of me, but I do care for my grandfather, very much so.’
She didn’t respond, and he tacked on, ‘I think he must have some kind of chest infection, and I’ll probably have to call the doctor out to him once we get home. The trouble is, he can be quite determined once he’s made up his mind about something, and I don’t think it would have been worth the stress that would have followed if I had tried to take him to the hospital.’
‘Well, I have the wheelchair and a blanket, so we should be able to get him back to your car easily enough now.’ She started to walk towards Joseph, adding, ‘As to the rest of what you said, I just have a problem with somebody who lets his work take priority over family responsibilities. I can’t fathom what could be so important that it can’t wait until you’re back in the office. No matter what you said, I was actually relieved to come back and find that you were still here.’
James was already starting to help his grandfather into the wheelchair. He settled the blanket around him, his movements gentle and solicitous, but there was a hint of tension in the fixed shape of his mouth.
‘Some calls can’t be ignored,’ he said in a low voice. ‘Perhaps you don’t have anything of importance going on in your life, or you would have some understanding of that.’
Her green eyes flashed a warning. ‘I wouldn’t go there if I were you,’ she said, her voice ominously quiet.
Joseph stirred and looked from one to the other. ‘Have I missed something?’ he asked. ‘You two are not arguing, are you?’
James laid a hand on his shoulder. ‘No, Grandad. Everything’s fine.’
‘Good, good,’ Joseph managed. ‘I’m sorry to be so much trouble to everyone.’
‘You mustn’t think that way,’ James said. ‘Hold tight, now. I’m just going to wheel you over to the car and we’ll get you home where you’ll be more comfortable.’
Joseph nodded, and looked up at Louise as she walked beside the chair. ‘I’ve so enjoyed coming out to the park.’
She gave him a smile. ‘And you should do it more often when you’re feeling better,’ she said.
She directed her attention towards James. ‘You should remember that people like to get out into the fresh air from time to time, especially the elderly, who might be fed up of being cooped up in their little bungalows, or staring at the walls of their tiny flats day after day.’
She might have expected that James would throw her a terse reply. After all, she was having a quiet dig at him, ramming home the impact of his neglect of his grandfather, but she was surprised to see a faintly amused smile playing over his lips.
She was also startled by how just the hint of a curve to his mouth could affect the way he looked. It dawned on her that he was simply breathtaking, totally masculine in a way that would make any girl’s heart begin to flutter. She braced herself, shoring up her defences.
‘I’m sure you’re right,’ he said, his grey glance moving over her in an appraising fashion.
She thought he might enlarge on that statement, but he remained silent after that and it was her turn to be puzzled.
By now, they had reached James’s car. It was a sleek silver Mercedes, gleaming in the light of the sun, and she guessed that the inside was every bit as opulent as it appeared on the outside. His dedication to his work had obviously paid off.
What he lacked in family feeling, he obviously made up for in his business acumen.
James helped his grandfather into the car and settled him in his seat. Then he turned to Louise and asked, ‘Might I give you a lift anywhere? I could always fold up the wheelchair and put it in the boot.’
She shook her head. ‘No, thank you. I have to be getting back to work and it’s only five minutes walk away from here.’
She leaned down to take a last look at Joseph. ‘You take care,’ she told him. ‘And make sure that your grandson looks after you properly.’
‘I will. Thank you for everything, Louise.’
She stepped away from the car, allowing James to close the passenger door.
‘I should add my thanks too,’ he said. ‘It was good of you to stay with my grandfather and take care of him. We’re in your debt.’
‘I was glad to help.’
He inclined his head a fraction towards her and then moved around to the driver’s side and slid in behind the wheel. He raised a hand in acknowledgement before starting the engine.
Louise watched as he drove smoothly away out through the park gates, and it was only when she had lost sight of them that she let out a faint sigh. She hoped that Joseph would be all right.
Then she glanced once more at her watch and realised that her lunch break was over. Her shoulders slumped. She hadn’t even got around to eating her sandwiches.
CHAPTER TWO
‘I WASN’T expecting to find you still here, Louise,’ Alice said, coming over to the central desk and putting packages in the box that was to go to the laboratory for testing. ‘Don’t you have somewhere else to be?’
‘Yes, a management meeting.’ Louise grimaced before adding her signature to her own set of laboratory forms. ‘I just wanted to finish off a few things before I go—tidy up the loose ends, so to speak.’
Alice laughed. ‘I’ll translate that to mean that you’re playing for time and trying to avoid the issue.’
Louise wrinkled her nose. ‘I have to admit, I’m not actually looking forward to a confrontation with the executives. This whole business of possible closure has messed everything up and made me feel as though we’re in limbo. It’s difficult to plan for the future when you don’t know if there’s going to be one.’
Alice nodded in sympathy. ‘I know what you mean. There are staffing problems to contend with, and you were thinking about doing something to brighten the place up a bit, weren’t you? I suppose that will have to be put on hold now.’ She frowned. ‘Actually, I meant to ask you how the interviews for the Senior House Officer went last week, but it slipped my mind when we were talking about the old gentleman you met in the park. You were worried about him, as I recall.’
‘Yes, I was. In fact, even now, some days later, I still find myself thinking about him. I only met him for a short time, but he was such a lovely man. I can’t help wondering if his grandson is taking proper care of him, but it seemed to me that he must have been more concerned about his business interests than looking after his grandfather’s welfare.’
‘To be fair, he did come as soon as you called him.’
‘Yes, I suppose that’s true.’ Louise picked up a file from the table and glanced through it. ‘As to the interviews, things didn’t go all that well, as it happens.’ Her mouth made a brief downward turn. ‘There weren’t any candidates who had sufficient paediatric experience, as it turned out, and those who were well qualified made an excuse and dropped out. I expect they heard about the threat of A&E being closed down and thought better of their applications.’
‘That’s going to make life difficult for you, isn’t it?’ Alice was frowning.
‘It will be hard on all of us,’ Louise murmured. ‘We all have to take on the extra workload, and yet there could be months of uncertainty ahead of us. We won’t know for some time whether the closure will go ahead, because today’s meeting is just the first stage of proceedings. The proposal has to go through the review process, and all the options for change have
to be considered by various committees before a final decision can be made.’ She pulled a face. ‘Though, the way people in charge have been talking, it sounds as though it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion. How do you fight a steamroller when it’s bearing down on you?’
She studied the file, analysing the notes made by the triage nurse, and then went over to the light box to check the X-ray film that accompanied the notes. ‘I think I just about have time to go and look at this next patient,’ she told Alice. ‘She’s a twenty-two-month-old infant who’s been vomiting for the last few days, poor thing. After that, I’ll be off upstairs.’
She sent a quick smile in Alice’s direction. ‘It’s good to have you working with me here in the A&E unit, Alice. I always feel that I can rely on you. Things seem to run that much more smoothly when you’re around.’
Alice’s mouth curved. ‘I’m glad to be here, although I must say I do like the variety of alternating between the children’s ward and A&E.’ As an afterthought, she added, ‘Though whether the children’s ward will survive without A&E is another matter. It seems to me that we’re all going to be looking for new jobs.’ She made a face. ‘It looks as though we’re counting on you to defend the territory.’
‘I’ll do my best.’ Louise left her to organise the transfer of samples to the laboratory and went along to the treatment room, where her patient was waiting with her mother. The child was lying on a bed, looking frail, and her mother was sitting beside her, holding the little girl’s hand.
‘Hello, Mrs Watson,’ Louise said in a friendly fashion, going over to the bedside. ‘I’m Dr Bridgford. I understand Millie has been unwell for a few days, is that right?’
The child’s mother nodded. ‘I think she’s getting worse. Apart from being sick, she keeps crying, and she just isn’t herself. I think she must be in pain.’
‘I’ll take a look at her.’ Louise gently checked the infant over, speaking to her all the while in a soft voice, trying to put her at ease. The little girl was lethargic, though, and her eyes had a sunken appearance. She was fretful and when Louise examined her tummy there appeared to be some tenderness there. ‘Does that hurt? I’m sorry, baby. We’re all done now.’
