‘This is the man who saved you from a watery death! I want a bit of enthusiasm. And he’s good-looking!’
‘Nothing at all to do with anything,’ Lyn said insincerely. ‘If I can’t watch it, I’ll record it.’
But as she closed the door she knew that she’d both watch and record it. She was looking forward to it.
It was time for her tea but she wasn’t hungry. She felt vaguely uneasy. She didn’t want to read, watch TV, listen to music. There was some washing to do, a bit of ironing, she could clean out the kitchen and check the oven. But as she performed these little domestic duties she knew they weren’t helping. She didn’t know what she wanted. Finally she made herself a sandwich and forced herself to relax.
Why was she so restless in her own home?
She had moved in here with her husband eight years ago, and they’d intended to buy their own place in time. But somehow it had never happened. And after Michael’s death Cal had said that she wasn’t even to think about having to move. Now she had her home just as she liked it. There was comfort in the rooms she had decorated, the furniture she had bought, the garden she had cultivated. She was happy here. But was it getting just a little constricting?
Lyn laughed. This mood would soon pass. She’d switch on the TV.
All it was was that she had quite liked Adam. Well, you had to feel something for a man who had fished you out of a lake and then undressed you. Now she was going to enjoy seeing him on TV and feel happy that he was getting an award.
No, she had to be honest with herself. She had felt more attracted to Adam than she had to any man since … since … All right, she would think it. Since her husband had died. But these things happened. The feeling would quietly die away.
There was a set of awards for a variety of programmes. But soon enough came the award for the best new medical documentary of the year. First there was an extract. It gave her an odd feeling to see on the screen the man she had been so close to the day before. He was talking about Alzheimer’s disease and how it affected families and careers, and she thought he was good. More than good.
Lyn herself felt like clapping when Adam walked up to get his award. The black and white of his evening dress suited him very well.
When the awards were over there was a party in the studio, and a roving reporter and cameraman wandered round, picking out people to question further. Lyn wasn’t surprised when they swooped on Adam. He was the best-looking man to win anything.
But then Lyn frowned. Who was that clinging to Adam’s arm? The woman was tall and blonde, with a dress that showed what Lyn thought was an unnecessary amount of cleavage. She seemed to have a lot of teeth. Lyn didn’t like her.
‘Will you be making a further series of medical programmes, Dr Fletcher?’
‘Possibly, but not for a while. I’m a doctor before I’m anything else.’
‘I’ll persuade him,’ the blonde said, with an even more toothy smile. ‘I’m sure I can.’
‘I hope you succeed.’ And the interviewer was on her way.
The programme finished shortly afterwards and Lyn switched off in some dissatisfaction. If the blonde was the kind of woman that Adam liked, then she didn’t see the two of them having much in common. Irritated, she went to bed.
It was the Monday morning Adam was due to start work, and as many of the staff as possible gathered in the coffee room to meet him. Cal thought these little get-togethers were very important and there was a lot of curiosity over the new arrival.
But Adam didn’t arrive.
Cal looked round, then moved onto some other business they all had to discuss. After twenty minutes he frowned and checked his watch. Lyn knew he didn’t like his staff to be late unless there was a very good reason. And she didn’t think that this was like the Adam she had met.
Cal excused himself and went to speak to the receptionist. When he came back into the meeting he said, ‘There has been no message from Dr Fletcher. I’m sure there’s a very good reason for his non-appearance so we’ll postpone the introductions until another time.’
His voice was calm and reasonable, but everyone there knew he was angry. He went on, ‘There’s another problem that we all have to face and that is…’ The coffee room door opened and Adam walked in.
Lyn was unprepared for the glow of excitement she felt when she saw him. For a moment her life seemed more interesting, she was really looking forward to working with this man. Then she decided that reaction was foolish.
Looking more closely, she decided there was something wrong with his appearance. He was wearing a conventional dark suit, light shirt and sober tie – the usual garb of a senior GP, but it all looked rumpled, as if he had been running or lifting something heavy. And what was that yellow stuff in his blond hair?
Cal smiled, not a pleasant smile. ‘Dr Fletcher, we’ve been expecting you for a while.’
Adam was equally calm. ‘I must apologise for my lateness. I would have phoned but I’m afraid my mobile is now at the bottom of Lassiter’s grain silo.’ He paused and gave a wry smile. ‘For a while I thought I might be there, too.’
Lyn squeezed her eyes in horror. Silos were great metal tubes, thirty or forty feet high, used to store free-flowing grain and other drystuffs. If a man fell in – as quite often happened – in certain circumstances he could be sucked down and suffocated. It was quite a common cause of death in rural areas.
She looked round. Everyone was as shocked as she was. Cal looked very disturbed. ‘I’ve warned Lassiter about that silo!’ he said darkly. ‘And this time I’ll make sure that the health and safety inspector does something. What happened?’
Adam shrugged. ‘I was just lucky. I was driving past the farmyard when I saw three men running toward the silo. It was obvious that something had happened. I stopped in case they needed a doctor. When we got to the top of the silo, a man’s head was nearly under the grain. The three men held my legs and I managed to grab him, pull him out a bit and then hold him till we could get a rope down to him and hoist him out. I managed to get most of the grain out of him and gave him mouth-to-mouth. Then the ambulance arrived.’
‘Welcome to medicine in the countryside,’ Cal said with a smile and shook Adam’s hand.
After that, the introductions were largely an anticlimax. There were a couple of other things that Cal wanted to discuss, and then the staff left for the morning’s work, Cal having a last word with Adam.
Lyn collected her messages from the receptionist and was walking down the corridor when she heard a voice behind her. ‘Lyn! How’s the head?’
She stopped to speak to Adam. He moved towards her a moment to let a nurse pass behind him and she found being so close to him was unsettling. And did he wait rather a long time before easing back?
‘My head’s fine, thank you. As you said, I had Cal to check it. But how are you? That story about being upside down in the silo – it terrified me.’
‘Just gymnastics, anyone could have done it. I didn’t hurt my head, like you.’ His concern for her seemed to be more than the usual concern of a doctor for his patient. He went on, ‘No other ill effects?’
‘None at all.’ She didn’t want to be reminded of how vulnerable she had been, and decided to move onto the offensive. ‘I saw you on TV last Monday, but only by accident. Why didn’t you tell me you were going to get an award?’
Adam shrugged. ‘It’s all in the past now.’
‘We would have been interested.’ Lyn knew that she shouldn’t, but couldn’t resist the next remark. ‘Your blonde companion certainly made an impact. A good friend of yours?’
It had been a mistake. His expression told her that he had guessed what she was thinking and she flushed.
‘My blonde companion? Alice? I borrowed her for the evening. She’s the wife of a doctor friend of mine, who for once in her life wanted to appear on television. Perhaps she got carried away a little.’
‘The wife of a friend? But I thought that she was your … that is, you were
…’
Now she was certain that he was laughing at her. ‘Certainly not. I’m godfather to their first child but that’s all. At the moment there is no lady in my life that I’m close to. I thought I told you that.’
‘I must have forgotten. Now, I’d better get on with my work. I hope you’ll be happy here, Adam.’
As she walked down the corridor she felt annoyed with herself. Why had she felt a little thrill of pleasure when she’d heard that the woman was only a friend? Adam Fletcher was nothing to her. In six months he would be gone.
As it was Monday, relaxation classes first and then antenatal clinic time. There were the usual observations to be taken, blood pressure, pulse and so on, palpation of the abdomen, urine specimens and the very necessary chat afterwards. Lyn tried to reserve a minimum of twenty-five minutes for each patient, but it wasn’t always possible.
It all went well, all was as usual, but Lyn thought that one of her patients seemed a little subdued. Marion Parsons was already the mother of two lovely children and her obs were fine, but at thirty-two weeks her uterus seemed a little small to Lyn. She palpated the abdomen, felt the distance from the fundus – not quite enough.
Lyn thought for a minute. ‘Marion, I’d like you to go to hospital,’ she said gently. ‘Just for a check-up. I’ll arrange it at once.’
But Marion had quite a way to come. It was hard for her to get to the surgery, never mind the hospital. ‘Is it really necessary?’ she pleaded. ‘The other babies have all been fine. Can’t we wait a while and see?’
‘I really think you should go to the hospital,’ Lyn said, ‘but I’ll see if we can get a second opinion. Perhaps we can squeeze you in with one of the doctors.’
She walked along to the reception desk.
‘Dr Fletcher,’ the receptionist said. ‘He spent some time with Cal first, but Cal said it was pointless and he could see his own patients.’ She reached for her pad and scanned it. ‘In twenty minutes?’
‘Great,’ Lyn said. She dropped the bundle of notes on the desk. ‘Patient is Marion Parsons.’
It would be the first time she’d worked with Adam and she was wondering what it would be like.
Lyn remembered how thoughtful Adam had been when she’d been injured, and he was exactly the same way with Marion. There were a few friendly words first to make Marion feel at home, then Lyn took her behind the screen to get undressed while Adam checked her notes.
After he’d finished examining Marion, he said, ‘Fine. Just get dressed and we’ll have a talk.
‘I don’t think there’s any real cause for alarm, Marion,’ he said when they were sitting by his desk again. ‘However, the baby’s growth seems to be a little retarded so we’re going to refer you for a couple of tests in hospital. As well to be certain, isn’t it? You should get an appointment very soon. Come back and see us next Monday and we should have the results. But don’t worry. These things do happen.’
Marion looked worried. ‘But it’s hard for me to get to the hospital, Doctor – it’ll take three bus rides and there’s the other kids to think of. Do I have to go?’
‘We have to be certain, Mrs Parsons. I’ll see if we can organize an ambulance for you.’ He looked questioningly at Lyn. ‘That should be possible, shouldn’t it?’
‘We can manage that.’ Lyn nodded.
Mrs Parsons sighed. ‘Well, that’s a help, I must say, I feel better now. Thank you, Doctor, you’ve been very kind.’
It was Adam’s last appointment so Lyn came back to see him after she’d seen Marion out. ‘She was your patient,’ he pointed out. ‘You could have referred her yourself. You probably know more about this kind of thing than I do.’
Lyn was pleased that he could acknowledge this. ‘Just calming Marion down a bit,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry if you feel that I was wasting your …’
‘Good Lord, no! You were wasting nothing. Patients are entitled to reassurance, no matter where it comes from. There’s much more to medicine than diagnosing and prescribing.’
She liked this idea. She found that she didn’t want to leave the room; she wanted to stay to chat a while. He was an easy man to chat to. ‘How have you enjoyed your first half day here?’
‘I’ve enjoyed it no end. It’s different, having a practice that’s scattered all over the local hills instead of one that’s confined to a few city streets. Perhaps I’ll look for a permanent job here, never go back to London. I like the weather, the scenery.’ He paused a moment and then said, ‘I very much like the people, too.’
She didn’t want to think too much about this. Hastily, she said, ‘Wait till winter time. You might change your mind.’
‘I doubt it.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘That seems to be the end of my morning session. Shall we go and have a coffee together?’
But Lyn decided that she needed a breathing space before she met him again. ‘I do my rounds this afternoon. I think I’d better get off at once. See you around, Adam.’ And she fled.
When she’d gone, Adam went to the window of his consulting room and looked out. There was a view across the lawn to a grove of great trees, and beyond he could see a line of hills, with distant white-painted farmhouses. Very different from the noisy streets outside his old London rooms. He was going to like working here.
Apart from his experience in the silo, he’d had a typical GP’s morning. A patient with persistent backache – he’d decided it was muscular rather than anything affecting the kidneys. An embarrassed older woman for whom he’d prescribed medication for cystitis. An eighty-year-old man who’d really dropped in for a chat, but had been happy to be reassured and given a prescription for his chest complaint. A mother whose child could not shake off a cold.
There were no life-threatening diseases, nothing greatly exciting. But he was meeting people, helping them with their problems, making their lives easier. It was what he enjoyed.
The work was different from his work in the city. There was an expectation that there’d be a little time for a chat, that he was a person as well as a doctor.
A couple of his patients had taken over an hour travelling to see him – the practice was very widespread so people expected a little more than a quick diagnosis and prescription. They had social needs.
So, he liked the surroundings and the work. But it wasn’t just these that attracted him. He’d just had his first professional encounter with Lyn. He knew he was going to work well with her. And he hoped they might become friends. Or even more.
That evening Jane and Cal called on her, bringing Helen with them. They often called round as, being next door neighbours, Jane and Lyn had become very close.
‘We’ve got something to tell you, or ask you,’ Cal said, holding Jane’s hand. ‘I’ve persuaded Jane to move into the house with me. We’ll be getting married soon and it’s silly her running between my house and hers. And Jane says my place needs a woman’s touch.’
‘And how,’ said Jane.
‘Moving in does make more sense,’ Lyn agreed, ‘and I’ll be sorry to see you go. But what did you have to ask me?’
‘How d’you feel about having Adam Fletcher as a neighbour? He’s been renting a cruiser for a few weeks but at present he’s lodging at the Red Lion. He’s happy enough there but I think he’d like a place of his own. It’s just that when you first heard he was coming to the practice you didn’t seem too pleased.’
‘He’s not like I thought he might be,’ Lyn said. ‘In fact, I quite like him. I’m sure we’ll get on well, though not as well as I’ve got on with Jane. But it was good of you to ask me, Cal.’
‘Settled, then.’ Cal grinned and looked down affectionately at Helen. ‘Come on, twinkles, time to go home for supper.’
When they had gone, Lyn wondered about what had been decided. She and Jane had been in and out of each other’s houses, each other’s lives, for the past few months. How would it be with Adam? There were another two houses in the little terrace, and she got on with the inhabitants well enough. But s
omething told her that she’d see more of Adam.
She’d be living next door to a very attractive man, who seemed to have indicated that he found her attractive, too. She was half excited, half afraid. Then it struck her, with a force that was entirely unexpected, that if he asked her out – if he seemed to want to see more of her – she would accept. She swallowed. In half a minute her entire life picture, the way she saw herself, had changed. She was no longer Lyn Pierce, a widow. She was Lyn Pierce, a young, unmarried woman.
She swallowed. This would take some getting used to.
Chapter Three
It was typical of Jane. Once the decision had been made, she had to act at once. Next evening she brought Helen round and asked Lyn to come and help them pack. Lyn went next door and spent an amiable hour wrapping paper round glasses, sorting out clothes, packing trinkets.
‘Almost like old times this is.’ Jane smiled as she folded up shorts and tops. ‘I used to be constantly moving on – I could pack my life into a large rucksack. But I’ve got attached to this house. It’s never happened before. And I know I’m going to love living with Cal. I’ve got plans for his place.’
‘I shall miss you,’ Lyn said.
‘No, you won’t. First of all, I’m only moving a hundred yards down the road. Secondly, there’ll be a very handsome man living next to you.’ Jane raised her eyebrows. ‘Whatever you and I did together, it’ll be more fun doing something else with him.’
‘Jane!’
‘Don’t tell me you haven’t at least thought of it.the Now, it’s time for a rest and a cup of tea.’
Lyn decided not to say anything more. Perhaps she didn’t want to think about what Jane had said.
They were drinking their tea when they heard a car stop outside. ‘That’ll be Cal,’ Jane said. ‘Go and let him in, Helen.’
There was the murmur of voices at the front door. But it wasn’t Cal who appeared in the living room, clutching Helen’s hand. It was Adam. Lyn looked at him blankly.
‘This young lady said I was to come in,’ he said. ‘I hope I’m not disturbing you.’
Midwife's Baby Wish Page 3
