Tempting Dr. Templeton

by Judy Campbell

  Of course, one day she’d hoped, in the right circumstances, to have a brother or sister for Amy—she had always regretted being an only child herself—but now, when she’d just started a new job in a new location, and without the security of knowing that she and Andy would be together for ever? She could hardly believe the evidence of the numerous pregnancy tests she’d done over the past two days, and as her cycle tended to be chaotic normally, she hadn’t worried when she’d missed two periods. She shook her head despairingly—it was too complicated to think about. She had to apply herself to the problems the day would bring.

  ‘So, you see, I’m not asking Dave’s mum and dad—they can go whistle in the wind. Don’t you think I’m right?’

  Through her fog of worried thoughts, Rosie suddenly became aware that Maria was waiting for some reaction from her.

  ‘What?…Yes, yes, of course you’re right, Maria. Better to leave them well alone.’

  Satisfied, Maria went to answer the phone, and Rosie looked numbly at the posters on the surgery wall—so many of them to do with babies, their immunisations, when they should go for check-ups and when the antenatal clinics were held. She bit her lip. Soon she would have to plunge herself into that life again. And just how was she going to manage and, more dauntingly, just how was she going to tell Andy that he was about to be a father again? That afternoon he was taking Amy, Lily and herself to the beach—hardly the time to blurt out that she was having his child, yet it was something she couldn’t keep a secret for long.

  Easier said than done, she thought ruefully as she sat down at her desk. She just couldn’t block out the mixture of emotions that were whirling round in her head—part fear, part incredulity but mostly a feeling of excited anticipation!

  It was ironic that her first patient should be a very new baby. Rosie looked at little Lucy Bradwell with special interest, thinking that in seven months’ time she, too, would have a baby like Lucy—with all the demands a tiny child made. Lucy had arrived almost four weeks early and was only three weeks old now, with a mop of black hair and a complexion like a rose petal. Rosie took her in her arms and cradled her tenderly.

  ‘She’s so beautiful,’ she remarked softly. ‘She looks as if she’s doing very well. Is she keeping you up at night?’

  Karen, Lucy’s mother, was very young and looked pale and exhausted. She gave a watery smile and then two tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘I didn’t know it would be like this.’ She sniffed miserably. ‘I’m so tired, and the baby just seems to scream all the time. Even when I feed her, she’s still not satisfied. She draws her little legs up as if she’s in pain. I don’t think I’m very good at looking after babies!’

  Rosie gave Karen a reassuring smile. ‘Of course you are! I see from the midwife’s notes that her weight’s very good—remember, her system’s less mature than that of a full-term baby. She may be slightly constipated and colicky but, honestly, she looks very well to me. You’re doing so well, feeding her yourself. I promise you in a week or two she’ll be that much bigger, able to take more milk and will probably sleep a little longer.’

  Karen groaned. ‘Seems a long time to wait!’

  Rosie laid the baby on a blanket on the examination couch, felt her tummy and listened to her bowel sounds.

  ‘I can’t hear anything untoward, and I think it’s just the slight immaturity of her bowel that’s causing her discomfort. Normally breastfed babies don’t suffer from constipation. I’d like you to try her with some cool boiled water between feeds—that may just help a little. Can anyone take her for an hour or two in the day so you can have a nap?’

  ‘Mum says she’ll come over. The trouble is that Dave’s on night shift and he sleeps during the day, so I don’t want him to hear Lucy.’ She sighed. ‘She seems to take up every minute of the day—I don’t get anything else done at all. I do love her, but it makes you wonder why people have babies—it’s never-ending, isn’t it?’

  Karen’s words hung in the air as she departed with her baby daughter, and Rosie bit her lip. The days after she’d had Amy came back to her with clarity. It had been a bitter-sweet time—her joy at having her beautiful little daughter had been so clouded by her thoughts of Tony and the fact that when other fathers had come to the hospital to visit their babies there had been no one for her. Of course darling Lily and her uncle had come up to help her—but it hadn’t been quite the same.

  And now she had another baby on the way, unplanned and by a father who might be devastated by the news. Rosie picked up a pencil and began doodling absently on her pad. Some would say she’d been an irresponsible fool. But, she thought fiercely, she would never forget that night of passion and rapture with Andy. In some way it had released her from the chains of grief she’d felt so long for Tony. She didn’t regret it, not even now when she was reaping the consequences. A dart of excitement and determination flickered through her. This baby would be loved and adored, just as Amy was!

  For the next hour Rosie pushed her personal circumstances to the back of her mind and concentrated on the usual diversity of patients who wended their way through her surgery. The last patient had been fitted in as an emergency, and Rosie was interested to see that it was Arabelle Carter’s husband—she remembered Andy had said they lived near his house and that Mr Carter seemed a rather bombastic individual.

  Arabelle came in, supporting her husband. He was a well set-up older man with thick white hair, distinguished-looking and with an air of authority. As he entered the room he looked pale and was evidently having trouble even walking to the chair that Rosie pushed towards him.

  ‘This isn’t my idea,’ he said aggressively as he sat down with a grimace. ‘I can’t stand all this fuss, fuss, fuss! I’ve obviously got a strained muscle or something…’

  ‘But he seems in agony at night,’ said Arabelle anxiously. ‘And his leg looks very strange to me—huge and puffy.’ She made an attempt at a weak joke. ‘You’d think when you’d just had a holiday you’d be raring to go!’

  ‘Ah, yes, you’ve just been to Florida, haven’t you?’ said Rosie, remembering the conversation she’d had with Arabelle at the fashion show. ‘I think I’d better take a look at your leg. Do you remember twisting or injuring it in any way in the last week?’

  Justin Carter lay on the examination couch and scowled. ‘I felt as fit as a fiddle until the day after we landed. Meant to go to that fashion show but my leg really began to give me trouble so Arabelle wouldn’t let me go. First time she’s got her own way,’ he commented dryly.

  Rosie looked at her patient’s leg silently. The whole leg was severely swollen and red. Compared to his other leg, it looked elephantine. She felt it gently and the man winced with a sharp intake of breath. Alarm bells rang in her head.

  ‘This doesn’t look too good,’ she said gravely. ‘To be on the safe side, I think you ought to go to hospital. I’d like you to see a consultant.’

  Justin shook his head irritably. ‘And what could he do that you can’t? I’m a busy man, Doctor. Surely a few painkillers would do the trick?’

  Rosie shook her head. ‘I suspect you might have a deep vein thrombosis which, with that amount of swelling, going right up the thigh, is likely to be in the iliac vein. It’s the kind of thing that can occur on a long flight when you’re relatively immobile.’

  ‘Is that bad, Rosie?’ asked Arabella, looking rather dazed.

  ‘Your husband needs anticoagulant drugs which could be injected into the vein to break up the clot. If he doesn’t have them, the clot could impede the blood flow in the leg—as you can see, I think it’s already restricted.’

  ‘I can’t possibly go to hospital,’ growled Justin, struggling to sit up on the couch. ‘I have hundreds of orders to process, and I’m due in London in two days’ time. I can’t believe it’s so serious I’ve got to be hospitalised.’

  Rosie was already lifting the phone. ‘I’m ringing for an ambulance, Mr Carter. I don’t want to be alarmist, but I don’t want to risk you having
a pulmonary embolism. You’re to move that leg as little as possible.’

  ‘This is ridiculous,’ muttered the man. ‘I’ve never had anything like this before—are you sure?’

  ‘Ninety-nine per cent sure. You’ve just been immobile for quite a few hours, and I see from your notes that you’re a smoker. Did you walk around during the flight?’

  ‘No,’ he admitted. ‘I was asleep for most of the journey.’

  ‘Then let’s not take any chances. There are a number of tests they’ll do to check the diagnosis.’

  For the first time Justin started to look a little uneasy. ‘What kind of tests?’ he muttered.

  ‘A thrombosis can be diagnosed by venography, in which a dye is introduced into the vein and an X-ray taken. Or they may use Doppler ultrasound scanning.’

  Husband and wife stared at each other as Rosie ordered the ambulance, then suddenly Justin heaved himself upright and said churlishly. ‘For God’s sake, can’t you give me aspirin or something—doesn’t that disperse clots?’

  ‘I think you’re going to need something stronger than that.’

  He stared mulishly at her. ‘Look, I want to see another doctor—get another opinion! I’ve got a million-pound order on my books that I’ve got to oversee. If I lose it, my business may go down the tube!’

  Rosie sighed. Sometimes patients who made a fuss about not having treatment were more of a nuisance than those who constantly demanded attention! She spoke over the intercom to Maria.

  ‘Could you send either Dr Cummings or Dr Templeton in for a second when they can, Maria? I’d like another opinion on a patient I have here.’

  Two minutes later Andy walked in and looked enquiringly at Rosie. ‘You wanted to see me?’

  ‘I want another opinion,’ growled Justin Carter. ‘I like to be sure about things when I take advice. I’ve nothing against Dr Loveday, but I’m not going to hospital if it’s not necessary!’

  Andy didn’t comment but listened to what Rosie told him then examined the leg carefully. He had an air of quiet authority, reflected Rosie, that seemed to subdue Justin’s aggressive attitude—or perhaps, she thought cynically, it was because he had more confidence in male doctors!

  Andy looked at the patient. ‘I completely agree with Dr Loveday,’ he said quietly. ‘It’s very possible that you have a DVT—deep vein thrombosis. For an accurate diagnosis you should be in hospital.’

  Justin gave a long-suffering sigh. ‘You doctors, you all stick together. Who’s going to run my business for me?’

  Andy folded his arms and looked down at the man kindly. Perhaps he realised that part of the patient’s bluster was born of fear and a need to feel in control of the situation.

  ‘Mr Carter,’ he said gently, ‘I don’t think you really feel up to running your business anyway at the moment, if you’re honest. Surely you have someone who can carry on for you?’ He looked up at Arabelle enquiringly.

  ‘Of course he has,’ exclaimed Arabelle. ‘I know all about the business. After all, that’s how I met him—I was his PA!’

  ‘Problem solved, then,’ said Andy, smiling. ‘I’m sure you’d rather be safe than sorry!’

  Justin turned to Rosie and muttered reluctantly, ‘Very well, then—I’ll go if I have to.’

  ‘Thanks a lot,’ said Rosie to Andy when her patient had been carried out by the paramedics. ‘He was hard to persuade. He must be hell to live with—more stubborn than an ox! You worked wonders!’

  Andy grinned. ‘My natural charm,’ he said modestly. He started to leave the room, then turned at the door. ‘I’ll pick you up at two o’clock to go to the beach—I’m looking forward to it. Looks like it’s going to be a perfect afternoon for us all to relax and enjoy ourselves.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Rosie hollowly. She glanced at his smiling face and her throat constricted. It was going to be a strange afternoon, that was for sure. She doubted if she’d be able to relax, trying to decide just if or when she should reveal her pregnancy to Andy!

  It was a perfect afternoon, reflected Rosie as she looked at her little daughter energetically digging a hole in the sand and watching the waves run into it. The sun was dazzling and, although they were in a secluded little cove, the tide had gone out enough for them to see plenty of other families enjoying the summer afternoon. Shrieks of laughter and the click of bat on ball wafted over to them.

  Lily, who’d come in her own car from the shop, wore a large straw hat and smart white trousers and was lying back in a sunchair with a glass of wine in her hand. She and Amy kept up a running dialogue as Amy ran backwards and forwards from the sea’s edge with little presents for her of shells, stones and even a pail of sea water.

  ‘Amy, darling, you’re spoiling me—all these lovely things from the seashore! I shall put them in the sandwich box when we’ve eaten our tea!’

  Amy looked pleased. ‘Tea and cakes!’ she said with great satisfaction, then added hopefully, ‘Now?’

  ‘Uh, not yet, sweetheart. Before tea we have to go for a swim,’ said Andy firmly, squatting down on the sand beside the little girl. He held his hand out to her. ‘Don’t you want to feel what it’s like to splash in the sea with me?’

  Rosie watched the two figures running off towards the water, Amy’s chubby little figure a sweet contrast to Andy’s tall, muscular body, set off to advantage by his swimming trunks. He looked a perfect father as he held the giggling child his arms and swung her up and down in the waves. Just how would he react if she was to reveal she was to have his child? Would he be pleased, horrified, stunned? Worse, she thought gloomily, would he feel she was trying to trap him into a permanent relationship?

  They were running back to her again, and Amy flung her wet little body on Rosie.

  ‘You come, too, Mummy!’ She tugged at Rosie’s arm. ‘Andy push you in the waves!’

  ‘Good idea!’ Andy looked down at Rosie, his eyes sweeping over her slender, bikini-clad body lying back on the rug. ‘Work up an appetite!’

  He bent down and pulled her up by her hand and she groaned, ‘Have I got to?’

  ‘Yes!’ shouted Amy enthusiastically.

  Then they each took Amy by the hand and ran with her to the water’s edge. Lily watched them through narrowed eyes, and a little knowing smile played round her lips as she had another sip of wine.

  The afternoon was a huge success—especially from Amy’s point of view. She loved everything—jumping in and out of the waves, running with Boggle along the sands and standing watching the cricketers on the next beach. Eventually she sat on Lily’s knee whilst Lily read her a story, and her eyes began to droop. Lily stood up with Amy in her arms.

  ‘I’m going to pop home with this little girl now,’ she said. ‘I’ve got some paperwork on the shop to do. It’s been absolutely lovely here, but I think we’re both tired now, aren’t we, poppet?’

  Rosie looked at her, startled, and her stomach took a swift dive. She couldn’t be left alone with Andy now! She wasn’t ready to tell him her news—she wasn’t even sure she could tell him.

  ‘I’ll come with you, Auntie,’ she said quickly. ‘It’s time we all made a move anyway.’

  Lily looked at her imperiously. ‘You stay and get the afternoon sun,’ she said firmly, ‘And you can bring all the picnic stuff and chairs with you later. Amy and I want to go off together, don’t we, my lamb?’

  Rosie watched them disappear up Andy’s garden and back to the road, then turned slowly back to where Andy was sitting, throwing sticks for the dog. He looked up and smiled at her, that lazy familiar smile that made her heart turn over. He patted the rug beside him.

  ‘Come and sit here,’ he said. ‘I think Amy and your aunt would give the afternoon ten out of ten, don’t you?’

  ‘You were very good with Amy.’ She nearly added, You’re like the father she never had, but bit the words back.

  ‘The feeling was mutual.’

  Rosie looked at him under her lashes. ‘You…you like children, don’t you?’
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br />   ‘Of course—especially children like Amy. She’s full of life.’

  ‘I expect your son is lively, too.’ She started to rub suntan lotion onto her arms. ‘Did you ever wish you’d had more than one child?’ she asked casually.

  Andy laughed. ‘He’s a cheeky handful—one of him is more than enough for me. He would have loved it here this afternoon, enjoyed showing Amy all his favourite haunts.’

  Rosie let handfuls of sand sift through her fingers into a little pile on the ground. ‘It…it seems unfair that he should be so far away from you. Surely you could have got a court order for him to stay in this country while he was growing up?’

  Andy was silent for a second, then he sighed. ‘When I was a little boy, Rosie, my parents split up. My mother ran away with her lover and my father refused to let me see her. There were numerous court cases, and I felt like a little pawn in the middle. It was as if I were an instrument by which my parents could hurt each other.’

  ‘So who did you live with in the end?’

  There was a trace of bitterness in his voice. ‘My father and stepmother. I very rarely saw my mother, and there were terrible rows between my parents when I was taken to see her. The atmosphere was very nasty.’

  Rosie looked at him in horror. ‘What a cruel thing to do to a child,’ she whispered. ‘You must have been very unhappy.’

  He nodded. ‘I believed that I was unloved, unwanted, a little parcel of humanity with no feelings—to be shoved around.’ His wonderful clear blue eyes held hers for a moment. ‘That’s why, you see, I’d rather Keiron saw his parents as friends, even if Sonia and I are no longer married. I’m determined to do what’s best for my son, to let him feel he’s loved very much by both of us. I never thought I was anyone’s priority—and it hurt.’

  Rosie was silent and her heart ached for the man. He had been so hurt and bruised by his childhood, no wonder he was determined not to let history repeat itself. But where does it leave me and my baby? she thought sadly. It was obvious that another child would upset his already complicated life, and fragments of conversation they’d had floated back to her when he’d given the impression that one child was enough for him. There was never going to be an easy way or time to tell Andy.