Nurse Bride, Bayside Wedding

by Gill Sanderson

  And then he eased them apart. She whimpered softly, she didn’t want him to go. His reluctance was obvious, too. So why was he doing this?

  They stood facing each other, heads down, linked only by their still clasped hands. Her voice trembling, she said, ‘Remember, this is not serious. It’s a time apart, we’re both weary, we needed respite. It was so good—but it stops here.’

  ‘As you wish,’ he agreed. ‘We’ll forget it happened—or try to. Now, we have patients to look at.’

  She was confused, saddened a little. Did he have to agree so readily?

  An hour before dawn Ed told her to go to bed. ‘You’re flagging,’ he said gently. ‘You’ve worked hard and now you need a break. Maddy, don’t argue, go to bed and sleep. I can cope.’

  ‘But you need—’

  ‘I need you refreshed and alert, so go to bed. I can spare you for three hours.’

  She couldn’t help it, she yawned. ‘All right. I will go,’ she said, ‘providing you promise to wake me after exactly three hours.’

  ‘I promise. I need you.’

  She saw that he meant it and it made her feel good.

  She went to her cabin, decided to do as he had and have a quick shower. Then she heard movements from next door, wrapped a towel round herself and peered into the corridor. There was Kate, coming out of the little ward. ‘Everything all right?’ Maddy asked.

  ‘Everything is fine. Though I’d like to get off this ship. It’s not the right place for a newborn. But mother’s doing well, the baby’s going to be called Marina and I’ve spent a fair amount of time reassuring the husband. It’s a good thing that men don’t have to have babies!’

  ‘You’re not the first midwife I’ve heard say that.’ Maddy yawned again. ‘Ed’s sent me to bed. Just for three hours.’

  ‘That man is a good doctor. Sometimes he reminds me of his dad, some times not.’

  ‘So you and Nick are good friends?’

  ‘We’ve known each other for years.’

  Maddy thought there was a peculiar inflection in Kate’s voice, but perhaps she was tired. ‘So, bed for me,’ she said. ‘Goodnight.’

  ‘Good morning.’ Kate grinned.

  The minute Kate got into her bunk she realised that she was sleeping in the same sheets that Ed had slept in. Mind you, he had slept in the sheets that she had… What did it matter? These weren’t easy times. But she thought she could detect just the faintest smell…as if his warm body were still in the bed. The thought excited her.

  Ed Tremayne. Eighteen hours ago she had never met him. Now they were colleagues, friends even. He had kissed her twice and she had enjoyed it, much to her surprise. She had to stop thinking! Ed Tremayne was just…

  She had only just shut her eyes—she thought. But there was a gentle hand on her shoulder and an enticing smell of coffee. Eyes still closed, she asked, ‘Three hours?’

  ‘To the minute,’ came Ed’s voice. ‘There’s coffee by your bed and…oh, there’s a message for you sent down from the radio office. Now I’ll leave you to get dressed.’

  She opened her eyes then stared at him. He seemed entirely undisturbed by his night awake. Perhaps the lines around his eyes were a little deeper, but he still looked confident, in charge of the situation.

  She sat up. Then she remembered that when she had gone to bed she hadn’t bothered with a nightie. Hastily, she scrambled under the sheets again. But not before she had seen the gleam of appreciation in his eyes.

  ‘I’ll go and talk to Kate until you’re ready,’ he said. ‘Or, more likely, I’ll shout down the corridor at her so as to keep things sterile. See you when you’re ready.’

  She drank half her coffee and then reached for the message. Who could it be from? She’d never had a cable before.

  Her morning was spoiled at once—the message was from ex-boy friend Brian. Why couldn’t he leave her alone? She skimmed the contents, though she knew what they’d be. I can’t believe what you said to me… Remember what we had? Remember you telling me you loved me? This will go on for ever…I love you and that is all that matters… Need to get together so we can sort things out… You know you’ll have to see me… I’ll get a job and then… Madeleine, I am serious…

  The message was timed—how could he have sent a message at three that morning? Then she remembered that one of the things he did was to sleep during the day and contact her in the middle of the night. Just because he felt like it.

  She felt resentment and fear welling up in her. This was what happened when you put your trust in men. In love. One sad thing was that she did remember what they’d had. It had been so good and it had turned out so bad.

  So, back to her resolve. No more contact with men. Then she thought about Ed. Like Brian, he was determined, too. But Ed was different. He could see another person’s point of view. Couldn’t he?

  She screwed up the message, slid it into her bedside cabinet. Then she finished her coffee, though it didn’t seem so good now. She dressed and then felt the beginnings of a slight headache. Strange, she hadn’t had one before. Still, there was work to be done.

  She found Ed in the corridor. He turned to her and smiled but she couldn’t work up any enthusiasm to greet him. ‘What do you want me to do now?’ she asked.

  She might have guessed—he detected her change in mood at once. ‘Are you sure you’re all right?’ he asked. ‘You seem a little out of sorts.’

  ‘There’s nothing wrong with me,’ she snapped. ‘I’ve just got a job to do.’

  ‘Not bad news from your message?’

  ‘I told you, Ed, I’m fine, really. The message was from…an old friend. He wants to get in touch. Perhaps I’m just a bit tired still.’

  But she knew he didn’t believe her.

  They worked steadily for the next four hours and after a while she thought she saw some progress. Just a little, not much. Fewer people were now falling sick. One or two of the first to fall ill now appeared to be recovering. It was encouraging—just.

  They were still a good team but the old camaderie with Ed had gone. The message from Brian had scared her. She knew that no one could be less like Brian than Ed. But she had decided to abandon all hopes of an emotional relationship with a man and Brian’s call had reawakened this decision. So she and Ed worked well together, but there was no longer the old feeling of joy in their joint work.

  They ate when they could, apparently surviving on a diet of coffee and chocolate. And then, mid morning, Ed said, ‘I think we can take a fifteen-minute break. Things are easing up. We’ve been spending too much time in sick rooms and air-conditioned corridors. We need real air. We’ll go on deck for a while.’

  So they went on deck and it was exhilarating. The waves were breaking against the ship’s hull and the wind was as strong as ever. A gust made her stagger, and he put his arm around her back to steady her. It was just a friendly gesture, but his arm felt warm and strong and she liked it. And it seemed to stay there a little longer than was strictly necessary.

  ‘Look,’ he said, pointing to where there was a little gathering of white buildings on the coastline. ‘That’s Penhally Bay.’ Then he pointed to a little boat being bounced about in an alarming fashion by the waves. ‘See that fishing boat? Well, I’ll bet my father’s on it. It’ll be Jerry Buchan bringing him out, the man who brought Kate last night.’

  ‘Is it a good idea, coming out in this weather?’

  Ed grinned ruefully. ‘Probably not a good idea. And he could have done everything necessary by phone. But being Nick Tremayne, he has to come out in person. Especially as Kate is here.’

  ‘And you respect him for it, don’t you?’

  ‘I suppose I do. And I also suppose that in his shoes I’d have done the same thing. Look, he won’t be long getting here. Let’s go down to the landing platform and meet him.’

  As before, they were told by the crew to wait safely on deck, while crewmen helped Nick out of the wildly pitching fishing boat and up the steps towards them. Then
Maddy witnessed the apparently emotionless meeting between the two men.

  ‘How’s the job going, Ed?’

  ‘We’re coping. We’ve had two deaths, one unrelated.’

  ‘Right. You’re tired?’

  ‘I’m still on top of things.’

  A curt nod from his father. ‘What I would have expected. Now, I’ve got to see the captain. Want to come with me?’

  ‘Maddy comes, too,’ said Ed. ‘This has been a joint effort.’

  ‘Of course she comes, too. Now, let’s go.’

  Maddy wondered if the two knew just how much they were alike. She also wondered if they ever showed the deep love that she suspected was between them. For the Tremayne family, it seemed that emotions were to be kept strictly under control. But she was sure they were there.

  But was it her business? Did she want to know more about Ed’s emotions?

  CHAPTER SIX

  NICK knew that probably it shouldn’t have been, but his first thought was for his son. Nick was one of the few men who could guess what Ed had just been through. Who could guess what hurt he must have felt. A gastroenteritis outbreak. The sights, the smell, the sounds, all must have come crashing back on him. Not a lot of men could have stood that.

  A small smile of paternal pride touched Nick’s lips as he looked at his obviously weary son. Ed might be weary but he was confident and he was in charge of the situation. He was a Tremayne. Of course, Nick was not going to say anything. But he was proud of his son.

  They were now sitting in the captain’s cabin. They were handed coffee and then the captain said, ‘I’ve been in touch with our head office and with Dr Tremayne here. Dr Tremayne, I’d like you to review the situation.’

  Nick said, ‘I’ve been phoned by the relevant port authorities, and the ship must remain in quarantine for another forty-eight hours at least. Yesterday, last night and this morning I worked on trying to identify the cause of the disease. Ed was right. It is bacterial in origin, not a virus. But it’s a completely new strain, a very powerful one, there’ll be a lot of people taking an interest in it. Still, this makes no difference to the treatment. Now, I’ve come here in person to look around, help if possible and then accompany my midwife back to shore. The midwife I didn’t know had come out here.’

  He looked severely at Ed, who looked serenely back.

  Nick went on, ‘The Met Office has said that the gale has almost blown itself out and conditions should rapidly improve. The navy has offered to help. They’ve liaised with the cruise line and later this afternoon one of the navy’s smaller boats will come and take off the new baby and her parents. At the same time they’ll bring out a small team of nurses and another doctor.’

  ‘Who’s the other doctor?’ asked Ed.

  ‘A Dr Wyatt. Apparently she’s not long out of medical school, but she gained an excellent pass.’

  ‘What is her experience of dealing with an epidemic?’

  ‘As far as I know, none at all,’ Nick said flatly. ‘I didn’t procure the doctor. The cruise line did.’

  ‘This isn’t work for a new doctor.’ Ed said. ‘I think I should stay in charge for a while longer.’

  There was a silence and then the captain said, ‘I would like you to stay. It’d be foolish to change responsibilities in the middle of the situation. As head of the practice, do you agree, Dr Tremayne?’

  ‘I do,’ Nick said after a short pause. ‘Ed should stay a while longer. You can arrange this with the line?’

  ‘The line left me without a doctor—and look what happened. They’ll do whatever I say.’

  ‘Right. In that case, Captain, I’ll go down to see how I can help in the medical centre. I’d really like to take a good look at this new baby.’

  ‘Keep me informed of everything,’ the captain warned.

  As soon as they reached the centre Maddy was called away. Kate was asleep, and Nick decided not to wake her up. For the first time since he’d boarded the ship he was alone with his son. And there were things he wanted to say to him.

  ‘You should have consulted me before bringing Kate out here in the storm,’ he said reproachfully. ‘Surely you know about her husband being drowned? How do you think she felt?’

  ‘I thought she might have been terrified but, in fact, I don’t think she was. But terrified or not, I would have wanted her here. She was the best available person for the job so I asked her to come. You’d have made exactly the same decision, wouldn’t you?’

  ‘I still would have liked to have been consulted,’ Nick said, avoiding the answer he knew he’d have had to give. ‘Couldn’t you have managed without her?’

  ‘Possibly. Probably. But she made a better job of it than either Maddy or I could have done. It was safer to have her there. Why don’t you ask her what she felt about being called out in a storm?’

  ‘I don’t need to.’ Nick scowled. ‘I know exactly what she’d say.’ Then he smiled. ‘I like to have good people working for me. Now, how’re you getting on with Maddy?’

  ‘She’s a brilliant nurse,’ Ed said, turning away for the moment and rummaging through a pile of forms. ‘We’ve worked well together.’

  ‘Just a brilliant nurse? I thought I saw some attraction there between you.’

  ‘I like her. But I don’t do attraction. I’ve been married once and that’s enough for me. I doubt I’ll ever see her again when I leave the ship.’

  ‘I see,’ said Nick.

  ‘I’ve got a patient I want to look at now,’ Ed went on. ‘Kate’s in the second cabin down the corridor. Why don’t you go and give her a shake? She’ll take you to see Sarah and Marina Flynn. You know she’ll be mad at you if she finds out you’ve been here for a while and not woken her.’

  ‘Good idea,’ Nick said.

  He waited until his son had left and then went into the corridor. There was Maddy taking something from a store cupboard. ‘You need something, Nick?’ she asked. He thought she looked flushed. Tired? Or upset?

  ‘Ed’s gone to see to a patient,’ Nick said. ‘We were having a chat when I saw you pass outside. He didn’t see or hear you. It just struck me that you might have heard something of our conversation.’

  ‘Nick, I do not eaves drop! I heard a mumble, that was all.’

  He lifted his hands placatingly. ‘Of course not.’ But he was an experienced doctor and he knew when people weren’t telling the entire truth.

  ‘In fact, I was telling him that I thought I’d seen an attraction between the two of you. He said he didn’t do attraction, that he’d been married once. He doubts he’ll ever see you again after he leaves this ship.’

  ‘I’m sure that’s true,’ Maddy said, turning away. ‘As for attraction, well, we work well together, that’s all. Like I worked well with you.’

  Whatever feelings she had seemed to be under control, Nick thought. And he had always tried to make it a rule never to interfere with the personal lives of his children. Whenever he had broken that rule and interfered, it had never worked out. But… ‘Ed and I have been apart a lot,’ he said. ‘We’ve never been really close, which is a pity. But he is my son. Perhaps I know how he feels, and I think you mean a bit more to him than he realises.’

  There, that was it, he had said it. He could do no more.

  ‘I doubt that’s true,’ Maddy said in an offhand voice. ‘He’s off relationships and I certainly am.’

  But Nick could tell that she was pleased—or at least intrigued.

  Nick was alone in the medical centre now. He wandered around, admiring the fittings, peering into the ward where the mother and new baby were peacefully sleeping. He wanted a closer look at them—but not until he was with Kate. And then he went into the cabin where he had been told Kate was asleep.

  There was a low light left on by the head of the bed, partly illuminating Kate’s face, making it a thing of planes and shadows. She was a handsome woman. He had known her since his youth, so many years ago. And now he was having difficulty in reconciling the mature wo
man he was looking at with the teenager he had once known.

  It wasn’t like him. Usually he was certain, knew what to do, what to think. But now he wasn’t sure. Possibly it was the storm outside but it brought back memories of that evil night when the Penhally lifeboat had been launched and Kate’s husband, James, and Nick’s own brother and father had all died during the rescue of a party of school children. So much had happened that night, so many emotions, of grief and fear and despair. Intense emotions that had over whelmed Kate and himself that fateful night. Leading to something that had never been acknowledged by either of them since.

  Kate and he went back a long time. They had been teenagers together, with that fizzing off-on relationship that was so common in the young. But then life had come between them. He went to university and married Annabel, she had married James. Both Annabel and James were now dead.

  Was Kate happy? he wondered. She seemed serene enough as she went about her work. Was he happy? That was a question he, a busy GP, shouldn’t even try to answer. In fact, he shouldn’t even ask it.

  He and Kate were colleagues—friends, he supposed. But they were wary of each other. Sometimes he caught her looking at him and he wondered what she thought.

  He slipped into the cabin, sat on a chair and looked at her. It had been years since the storm. He had fought against thinking of that night, had tried to push it out of his mind, certainly never mentioned it. But now he did think of it. And the memory was as vivid as if it had all happened yesterday.

  For a while he didn’t want to do anything. He was content just to sit there, to gaze at her sleeping face. But it didn’t last long. Perhaps the very intensity of his gaze was felt by her. He saw her eyes twitch open and then focus.

  ‘Nick! What are you doing here?’