Autumn Dreams at Mermaids Point, page 10
‘Can I, Dad?’ Max bounced in front of them, as eager as a puppy himself.
‘If Nerissa says it’s okay, then why not?’ They reached the bottom of the steps, and Tom paused to let her go ahead of them. ‘What time tonight?’
She shrugged. ‘Whatever suits you? Doc doesn’t like to eat too late, so shall we say six for six-thirty?’
‘Will that give you time to do everything?’ Tom asked, conscious she’d offered to cook dinner for five on top of a full afternoon’s work. ‘Is there anything we can do to help?’
‘Why don’t you pick something up for dessert? Other than that, I’ll be fine,’ she said with an assured wave of her hand. ‘One of the joys of living and working in the same place is I can pop between the two anytime.’ She started up the steps with a wave, got halfway and turned to smile down at them. ‘Make sure you bring a list of questions, I’ll be happy to answer them all.’
As Tom watched her trim figure negotiate the rest of the steps, he decided he had one serious question that he’d need to answer above all the others. Would living and working under the same roof as attractive Nerissa Morgan really be a good idea?
He was still pondering the question when he ushered the children up the front steps of the surgery at six o’clock on the dot. He hated being late for anything, to the point he was almost always too early, and they’d taken a very slow walk along the row of shops on the seafront to make sure they didn’t spoil their welcome by catching Nerissa unprepared.
It was several minutes before she pulled open the door, looking flustered and distracted, and Tom feared he’d screwed up. Her hair was pushed back from her face with some kind of thick cloth band and something didn’t look quite right about her. It took him a moment or two to register she’d only got make-up on one eye – as though she’d been in the middle of the task when they’d rung the bell and caught her off guard. Maybe she’d said six-thirty for seven and he’d got it wrong.
He was about to reach for the children and steer them away from the door with an apology, but Max stepped forward a fraction too quickly for Tom to grab his shoulder. ‘We got you these!’ Max thrust the bunch of flowers they’d picked up on a whim as they’d been hanging around outside the grocer’s watching him pack up the crates of fruit and vegetables that covered the table beneath the shop’s awning. Tom had spotted a couple of buckets holding pretty bunches of mixed stems beside the table and the grocer had been only too pleased to sell him one. He’d offered a discount, but Tom had declined – taking cut-price flowers as a gift seemed a bit cheap, and besides they’d looked fresh and bright enough they’d have a good few days in them.
‘Oh.’ Nerissa seemed to gather herself and force a smile to her lips. ‘They’re beautiful, thank you.’
‘We’re too early,’ Tom said, quickly. ‘Come on, guys, let’s go for a walk and leave Nerissa to get ready.’
‘No! No, please don’t go, I need your help. It’s Doc.’
Tom took one look at the fear in her eyes and thrust the cake box he’d been holding into Emily’s hands. ‘Wait here and keep your brother out the way.’ Not stopping, because he knew Em was responsible enough to do as she was told, Tom brushed past Nerissa and was three strides down the corridor. ‘Where is he?’
‘In the kitchen, the open door,’ she said, already on his heels by the time he turned off the corridor.
The delicious scent of roast chicken hit him the moment he walked into the room. Somewhere in the back of his brain he registered the familiar strains of Aurora Storm’s summer hit song blaring from a digital radio on the windowsill, but Tom’s focus was all on the man slumped at the table. There was a grey sweatiness to Malcolm’s skin, and his body heaved as he struggled for breath. Toby sat vigil beside the man, whining his concern.
‘It’s all right, Malcolm, I’m here,’ Tom said, keeping his voice calm as he knelt before the older man. The retriever nudged Tom’s arm with his nose and whined again. ‘Shh, Toby.’ He eased the big dog aside as gently as he could with his shoulder and was relieved when he settled on the floor beside Tom, nose buried between his two paws. Tom placed a hand on Malcolm’s knee. ‘Can you speak? Where’s your bag?’
Malcolm nodded. ‘Spray,’ he gasped between shuddering attempts to breathe. ‘Bedside drawer.’
‘I’ll get it.’
He was aware of Nerissa passing close behind him, but Tom kept his attention focused on Malcolm. ‘Angina?’ He hazarded his best guess at the symptoms presenting and Malcolm’s reference to a spray.
Malcolm nodded, pressing a hand to his chest as though that would somehow compel his unruly heart to comply.
‘Is it just the pain and trouble breathing? Do you feel sick at all?’
The older man nodded at the first question, shook his head at the second.
‘All right.’ Tom patted his knee. ‘Hold on and we’ll have you sorted in no time.’ A bit of calm reassurance was often a doctor’s greatest tool during high-stress situations.
Nerissa returned moments later, a bit out of breath herself from dashing up and down the stairs. She handed a small canister to Tom, then hooked a hand in Toby’s collar and led him away to his basket in the corner. Though he continued to whine, the dog stayed put.
Tom checked to make sure she’d grabbed the right thing, and was relieved when he recognised the brand name of the GTN spray he prescribed himself to patients. ‘That’s the one,’ he said, giving her a quick reassuring smile.
He took a few vital moments checking the expiry date and sending a puff of its contents into the air to be sure it was dispensing correctly. Satisfied, he turned back to Malcolm, who already had his mouth stretched wide and his tongue lifted.
‘An old pro, I see.’ Tom pumped the spray once underneath Malcolm’s tongue. ‘Close. Breathe through your nose.’ He ignored the look of disdain in the old man’s eyes and checked the time on his watch before straightening to his full height. Bloody doctors were always the worst patients.
Out of habit, he crossed to the window and began to wash his hands thoroughly with soap and hot water. Hopefully the medicine would do its job, but he wanted to be ready in case Malcolm needed further assistance.
‘That’s it?’ Nerissa murmured to him as she came to stand beside him, her back to the worktop and her eyes locked on Malcolm.
‘Hopefully. We’ll give it five minutes, and if he needs another dose, he can take one. If that doesn’t look like it’s going to do the trick, then we might have to call an ambulance.’ He paused, wondering how long it might take for an emergency response to reach a little village like this. ‘How far is it to the nearest hospital? Do you have a car?’
‘Stop your bloody fussing.’ Malcolm’s grumbled complaint settled the adrenaline still surging in Tom’s veins. ‘I’m not damn well dying – not today, anyway.’
‘I’ll be the judge of that,’ Tom said, voice sharper than he’d intended when he glanced behind him to see Malcolm already trying to get to his feet. ‘Sit still and behave yourself or I will call that ambulance and get you admitted for observations.’
Malcolm snorted, muttering something Tom was sure was less than complimentary under his breath, but he did as he was told.
‘Who’s his usual GP?’ he asked Nerissa. It would be worth having a quick chat with them and getting some background on Malcolm’s condition before he decided on his next actions. When she shook her head at him, Tom thought his brain might pop from the sudden burst of anger. Only an absolute idiot, or a stubborn old coot in this case, thought they could treat themselves. ‘Right then.’ He accepted the towel Nerissa offered and dried his hands more thoroughly than needed, while he forced himself to calm down. He could only address the situation in front of him, not what it should be. ‘Where’s your bag, Malcolm?’
‘I’m right as rain now, don’t fuss, boy.’ Malcolm scowled at him.
Feeling something inside him snap, Tom crouched very low and whispered in the older man’s ear. ‘If you don’t shut up and let me treat you properly, the next call I make will be to the GM-bloody-C about getting your licence reviewed.’ He sat back on his heels so he could meet the other man’s shocked gaze. ‘Are we clear?’
‘Y… yes. My bag is locked away in my office. Nerissa, would you be a dear?’
With a nod, she headed for a set of hooks on the wall and removed a ring of keys. Tom listened to her jangling them all the way down the corridor, a clear sign of her unspoken irritation. Her obvious panic over Malcolm’s condition made Tom suspect she knew nothing about it.
Pulling out the chair next to Malcolm he sat down and folded his arms. ‘How long have you been hiding this?’
Malcolm opened his mouth as though he’d protest, closed it again and shook his head. ‘About six months,’ he admitted at last.
Christ. ‘And it’s too much to hope you’ve spoken to a specialist about it?’
‘It’s just a touch of angina. I’m not as young as I used to be.’
‘And the prescription for the GTN? How are you getting around that?’
Malcolm winced. ‘It’s from the stock I allocate to my emergency bag.’
Of course it was. Tom rubbed at the sudden ache between his eyes. The angina might not kill the stubborn old fool today, but Tom couldn’t say the same about himself. ‘Who’s your locum service?’ When Malcolm bristled, Tom leaned forward. ‘I’m going to check you over, and only if I am satisfied will I let you stay here rather than going to the hospital tonight. Tomorrow you are going to take a rest, and you and I are going to sort out an appointment with a cardiac specialist. Are we clear on this?’
Malcolm hesitated, then nodded. ‘Perhaps I have been overdoing it a bit.’
When Nerissa returned and placed a large brown leather bag on the table, Tom smiled at her in thanks. ‘I’ll see Malcolm upstairs and get him settled, could you call whoever you use as an emergency cover and see if you can get someone in for tomorrow – maybe see if they’ll do until the end of the week so Malcolm can split the load a bit?’
‘Yes, of course.’ With a horrified look, she clapped a hand over her mouth. ‘The children! We left them outside.’
Tom hadn’t forgotten about them, but he trusted them both to say with confidence, ‘I’m sure they’re fine.’
She pursed her lips as though not sure she agreed. ‘I’ll check on them first, then I’ll make that call.’
‘Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.’
He only realised what he’d said when she laughed, the sound a combination of relief and black humour. ‘That’s you, not me, Dr Nelson.’
Tom grinned. ‘We make a great team.’
12
We make a great team. Those words came back to Nerissa time and again over the next couple of days as she handled the fallout of Doc’s angina attack.
Angina! Every time she so much as thought the word, it sent her temper spiralling. How on earth had Doc kept something that important hidden from her? But even in the depths of her anger, she knew. He had already been finding it hard to acknowledge the reality of things, how much more difficult must it have been for a man as proud as Doc to come face-to-face with the frailties of his body?
It didn’t excuse it, any more than she was ready to excuse him for putting that ad in the journal without talking to her about it first, but she understood. Imagine if Michael had got wind of Doc’s health condition? The nasty little creep would’ve swooped down on them like a vulture spying juicy carrion. They couldn’t keep it hidden from him forever, though. Secrets never lasted long in the Point, but she hoped they’d at least be able to get Doc properly assessed and a treatment plan in place before he descended on them again.
After a day in bed, he’d been itching to get back to work, and though she’d kept a close eye on him, he didn’t seem to be suffering any after-effects from his angina attack. Dr May from the locum service had offered to take a couple of half-day shifts until the end of the month. She was also covering their out-of-hours and weekend emergency callouts so Doc had the weekend to put his feet up.
Nerissa paused in her task of washing up the pans she’d used to make breakfast, and glanced over her shoulder to where Doc was relaxing with a stack of Saturday’s newspapers and a fresh pot of tea. Would it be too much to hope he had also resolved the issue of his successor?
Though he’d not said anything either way, Nerissa had the impression Tom was leaning towards the idea. The children certainly seemed enamoured with the place. Emily had popped in the day before with a tape measure and asked if she could look again at the room she’d earmarked for herself as a possible bedroom, and Max had asked her what times she normally walked Toby. The fact he’d shown up on the beach at 6 a.m. the past couple of mornings showed his adoration for his new best friend. Which reminded her, she and Doc still hadn’t talked about his plans for where he intended to live.
Setting the last pan on the draining rack, she dried her hands on a tea towel, then resumed her usual seat. ‘Doc?’
‘Hmm?’ He half-lowered the paper and peered at her over the rims of his glasses. ‘Everything all right, my dear?’
She smiled. ‘Yes, fine, I was just wondering about something…’ She hesitated, considering whether she was as bad as Michael for trying to control Doc’s future. She shook the thought away, though Doc’s plans would have a big impact on her life, she needed to be sure he would have someone looking out for him if it wasn’t going to be her every day. ‘I was wondering what your plans are for after you retire – where you intend to live, that sort of thing.’
Doc closed his paper and removed his glasses, laying them both aside. ‘Want to be sure you’re rid of me, is that it?’
Nerissa’s stomach lurched. ‘What? No, of course not!’ A hot flush of guilt crept up her neck, because she had indeed voiced that very thought to Sylvia and Laurie on more than one occasion over the past few months. ‘I just wanted to know if there’s anything I can do to help you, that’s all.’
Doc reached across the table to pat her hand. ‘There, there, I’m only teasing. I know what a pain in the backside I can be, my dear. You’ve been a saint to put up with me all these years.’ He withdrew his hand and folded his arms across his chest with a sigh. ‘And I can see now that I’ve gone about all this in the wrong way. I thought I was being so clever, that I could handle everything without having you worry about your future.’ He shook his head. ‘Barbara told me I was being foolish, but I was so sure I could handle it on my own.’
The only Barbara either of them knew was Mrs Mitchell who was part of the local knitting circle. Her husband had suffered terrible injuries in a trawling accident a few years ago and Doc had spent a lot of time helping Will to be as comfortable as possible before he’d finally passed away about eighteen months ago. ‘What’s Barbara got to do with any of this?’
Doc’s face turned a shade of red she’d only ever seen on him when he’d fallen asleep in the garden and caught too much sun. ‘Well…’ He picked up his glasses, unfolded the arms as though he meant to put them on, folded them again and set them back on top of the paper. ‘She and I are friends.’
Oh. Nerissa bit her lip to stop a smile at his obvious discomfort. ‘That’s nice. She’s been very lonely since Will passed.’
‘Yes, yes she has.’ He stared down at his hands. ‘We’ve been friends for a long time, and I’ve always held her in great affection.’ The way he said it made Nerissa wonder if there was more to this than a recent connection, but she held her peace and waited for him to continue. ‘She invited me to move in with her, and, well, I’ve accepted.’
‘That’s lovely,’ Nerissa said, because it really was. For all his foibles, Doc was a kind-hearted soul and Barbara deserved a second chance at happiness after everything she’d been through. If they’d found comfort in each other’s company, then she wished them both nothing but joy. ‘I won’t say anything until the two of you are ready to share your news, of course.’
‘Thank you, my dear.’ Doc sounded relieved. ‘I’ve been wanting to say something for ages, but Barbara preferred to keep things between the two of us until we were both sure. You know how tongues wag around here!’
She certainly did, and given that much of the gossip spread outwards from the knitting circle, it was close on a miracle that Barbara had been able to keep her and Doc’s little romance hidden from her pals.
‘You’ll be moving into her place, then?’ Barbara lived in one of the old fishermen’s cottages in the heart of the village, just a few doors along from the one Linda was renting. It was one of the few remaining in original hands and had been in Will’s family since the community had formed a mutual society and built homes for each other. Nerissa pictured the postcard-sized yard behind Linda’s cottage where there wasn’t room for much more than a table, a couple of chairs and a washing line. ‘There won’t be much space for Toby.’
‘That’s true,’ Doc said, like it had occurred to him for the first time. ‘And I’m not sure how well he and Carlotta will get along.’ Carlotta was Barbara’s enormous tabby cat who spent the day lounging on the front windowsill and hissing at passers-by. ‘I don’t suppose there’s any chance of him staying on here? He is rather more your dog than mine, these days.’
And whose fault was that? Nerissa shook her head. ‘If it was down to me, then of course he could stay – but it’s not, is it?’
‘Tom’s boy seems very keen on him.’
‘Doc!’ Nerissa scolded. ‘You can’t expect Tom to solve all your problems.’
He laughed, not sounding the least bit repentant. ‘Why not, when he’s so good at it?’
‘Honestly, what am I going to do with you?’ Nerissa couldn’t help but laugh as well. ‘He still hasn’t made up his mind, you know.’
‘Ah, but I heard he’s having lunch with a very pretty, very charming woman today. I’m sure that’ll tip the balance.’
