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She hurried over to the emergency department. She wasn’t at all sure how she was going to cope with seeing Nick again—his scorching kisses had seared a memory into her brain that would last for all time. It made her feel hot and bothered even now, just thinking about it. And she had also been mulling over his words of advice… ‘Sometimes you have to go with your instinct and trust in people.’ Could she do that? Was she ready to put the past behind her and accept that she might be able to find happiness in his arms?
She went along the corridor in search of his room.
‘Katie, I’m glad you could make it.’ Nick’s voice was deep and warm, smooth like honey drizzled over caramelised pears. He gave her a quick smile and invited her into his office. ‘I thought you might like to be in on this one. The lab results are back, and this is the last appointment of the day so there will be time to break the news to the boy and his mother without having to rush things.’
‘Break the news—it’s what we thought, then?’
He nodded. ‘Gaucher’s disease. Fortunately, even though it’s rare, there are treatments for it, so it isn’t as bad as it might have been some years ago. And Matt has the mildest form of the disease, so that’s another point in his favour.’
He accessed the boy’s notes on his computer, and they both took time to sift through the various test results and read the letter from the consultant. When the clerk paged them a few minutes later, they were both ready to receive mother and son with smiles of greeting.
‘I know you’re anxious to hear the results of the tests,’ Nick told them after he had made some general enquiries about the boy’s state of health. ‘As you know, I was concerned because Matt’s spleen appeared to be enlarged and because he’s been having pain in his joints. We discovered there was also some slight enlargement of the liver.’
Mrs Goren nodded. ‘You took some blood for testing, and he had an MRI scan.’
‘That’s right.’ Nick brought up the film of the scan on his computer monitor and turned to Katie. ‘Do you want to explain the results?’ he asked.
Katie nodded, and looked at the boy. He was a thin child, slightly underweight, with cropped brown hair that gave him an elfin look. He was looking at her now with large eyes and a faintly worried expression.
‘What we discovered,’ she said, ‘was that you have a fatty substance in your liver and spleen. It shouldn’t be there, and so we needed to find out what was going on inside you that would have caused it.’
Matt nodded, but looked puzzled and, picking up on that Katie said quickly, ‘I want you to feel free to ask me questions at any time, Matt. If there’s anything you don’t understand, or anything you’d like to say, just go ahead.’
He frowned. ‘Have you found out what caused it? Is it something I’ve done? The boys at school tease me.’
Katie gave him a sympathetic smile. ‘No, it’s nothing that you’ve done, and I’m sorry that you’re being teased. Perhaps when you explain to the boys what’s wrong, they’ll understand a bit better and stop making fun of you.’
She glanced at his mother. ‘Matt has a condition called Gaucher’s disease. Basically, it means that he was born without an enzyme that breaks down a substance called glucocerebroside.’ She turned to Matt. ‘Because you don’t have this enzyme in your body, the fatty substance isn’t broken down and has to find somewhere to go. Unfortunately, when it finds a home in places like your liver, your spleen or even your bones, for example, it stops those parts of you from working properly. That’s why you’ve been having pain in your thigh, and it’s the reason for you being tired all the while.’
‘You’re saying he was born with it?’ His mother was frowning. ‘Does that mean it’s a hereditary disease?’
Mrs Goren’s gaze flew in alarm from Katie to Nick, and Nick answered quietly, ‘That’s right. You and your husband may not suffer from the disease, but it’s possible that either one or both of you may be a carrier. It can go back through generations, although there may not be anyone in the family that you know of directly who has the disease.’
All at once Mrs Goren looked close to tears and Katie hurried on to say, ‘The good news is that we do have treatment for it.’ She smiled at Matt. ‘There’s something called enzyme replacement therapy, which helps to break down this fatty substance and should soon start to improve things for you.’
Matt’s brow cleared, and his mother dabbed at her eyes with a tissue and did her best to pull herself together. She looked at Nick. ‘Can we start him on this treatment straight away?’
He responded cautiously. ‘I can arrange an appointment for him at the hospital. The answer isn’t as simple as taking a tablet, I’m afraid, but what happens is that Matt will be given an infusion—it takes about an hour to administer, and the treatment is given once a fortnight. He’ll need to stay with the treatment for life, until such time as science comes up with a better answer. It’s a rare disease. Of course, he’ll be carefully monitored on a regular basis, so that we can check how he’s responding.’
Katie was silent, watching as mother and son tried to absorb what he had just told them. Nick waited, too, before gently asking if they had any questions for him. He was unfailingly patient and kind, and her respect for him grew. In fact, every time she saw him at work, she marvelled at his caring, conscientious manner.
Mrs Goren and Matt both remained quiet for a moment or two longer. Perhaps they had all the information they could handle for the time being. It was a lot to take in, but the consolation was that from now on they would receive masses of help from the clinic at the hospital… along with ongoing input from Nick and herself, of course.
‘Will the treatment cause the swelling to go down?’ Mrs Goren asked, and Nick nodded.
‘You should see a great improvement.’ He looked at Matt. ‘And the pain will go away.’
After answering a few more questions, and doing what he could to put the mother’s mind at ease, he said, ‘Let me leave you with some reading material that I’ve printed out for you. I’m sure there will be things that you think of once you leave here, but I’m hoping that these papers will help answer any immediate queries… and, of course, you can always come and see me again if you want to talk.’
Katie glanced at Nick. That was a thoughtful touch—he had gone that one step further to give his patient everything he could, and she could see that Mrs Goren was pleased.
Nick gave his attention to Matt, and said, ‘The nurses and doctors at the clinic will look after you and explain anything you want to know. Next time you come to the hospital for an outpatient appointment, I’m sure you’ll be feeling a whole lot better. In the meantime, keep taking the painkillers if you have any more trouble with your thigh, and get plenty of rest. Once you get started on the treatment, I’m certain you’ll begin to feel much more energetic.’
Matt nodded. ‘Thanks,’ he said, and gave a shuddery sigh. ‘I thought I had some horrible illness that was going to make me die, but it’s not as bad as that, is it?’
‘No, it isn’t,’ Nick told him with a reassuring smile, and Katie’s heart went out to this child who had suffered in silence all this time. ‘And if you ever have worries of any kind,’ Nick added, ‘please speak up. Don’t keep it to yourself. Often things aren’t nearly as bad as you think, and we’re here to help you in any way we can.’
After they left, Nick invited Katie to stay awhile and made coffee for both of them. ‘I need to write up my notes while they’re fresh in my mind—but perhaps we can talk after that?’
‘Okay.’ She sipped her coffee and leaned back in her chair, thinking about the day’s events. From a medical standpoint at work, things had gone well, but she felt uneasy somehow. There was still that niggling worry over her father’s health.
She gave a faint sigh, and then stretched. What she needed right now was a complete change of scene, a trip to the beach, perhaps or maybe even a walk through the cobbled streets of the town. But that wasn’t likely to happen for a while… Perhaps she ought to go and see her father, see how he was bearing up. There might be something she could do for him.
‘Are you okay?’ Nick asked.
Caught off guard, Katie quickly tried to collect her thoughts. She hadn’t realised he’d been watching her. ‘I’m fine, thanks.’
His gaze flicked over her. ‘You seem… pensive. If there’s something wrong, perhaps I can help?’
She shook her head. ‘I was just thinking about my father—I feel that I should go over to his place to see if he’s all right. I rang this morning and he was having a bad day, according to the nurse, Steve. It’s a bit worrying—apparently he was talking but not making much sense.’
Nick winced. ‘That happens sometimes when the blood oxygen levels are low.’
‘Yes. Even so, I asked Steve to send for the doctor to see if he would prescribe a different medication. He hasn’t called me yet to let me know what happened. I suppose he’s been too busy, with one thing and another, or perhaps he didn’t want to tie up the phone line if the doctor was likely to call.’
‘That’s probably the case.’ He studied her thoughtfully. ‘Would you like me to go with you to see him? It’s never easy when someone in the family is ill, is it?’
‘No, it isn’t.’ She might have known Nick would understand. He had been through difficult times with his mother in the past, and it said a lot about his compassion and perception that he was offering to be by her side. ‘Thank you,’ she said softly. ‘I’d really like it if you would be there with me.’
‘We’ll go as soon as I’ve finished up here,’ he said, becoming brisk and ready for action. ‘Give me five minutes.’
A feeling of relief swept over her. She didn’t know why she had involved Nick in any of this, there was no accounting for her actions, and she was working purely on instinct. All at once, though, she felt that with him by her side, she could handle anything.
They went out to his car a short time later, which was in a leafy, private space in the car park. She glanced at him. Even after a day’s work, he looked cool and fresh, dressed in dark trousers and crisp linen shirt that perfectly outlined his long, lean figure. His black hair glinted with iridescent lights as they walked in the sunlight, and she gazed at him for a moment or two, wondering what it was about him that stirred her blood and made her want to be with him.
He touched her hand, clasping it within his, and suddenly she felt safe, cherished, as though all was right with the world. ‘I’m here for you, Katie,’ he said softly. ‘Any time you need me.’
Her heart swelled with joy. The truth was, he had never been anything but good towards her. He had treated her with warmth and respect, with care and attention, and he was here now, ready to be by her side at a moment’s notice and support her through what promised to be a difficult time. What more could she ask?
She stood in the shade of a cypress tree, watching him as he paused to unlock the car, and it finally hit her that she was bedazzled by him. He made her heart thump and her thoughts go haywire, and there was no knowing why it was happening. Why was she holding back? She might just as well cast her fears to one side and start living again, mightn’t she?
Okay, so she had been hurt once before. Her ex had had a child by another woman and had shocked her to the core with his infidelity, but that didn’t have to mean all men were of a similar nature, did it? Was she going to let that experience ruin her life for evermore?
Nick came to stand beside her, his lips curving in a faint smile, and he said softly, ‘Are you feeling all right? You look different somehow.’
A faint bubble of laughter rose in her throat. ‘I’m fine. I’m just so glad that you’re here with me. Whatever happens, I feel as though I’ll be able to cope with it, just as long as we’re together.’
‘That’s good to know.’ His voice faded on a shuddery sigh. ‘I’ve waited a long while for you to learn to trust me, Katie. I won’t let you down, I promise.’
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently on the mouth. His touch was light as the drift of silk, but it sent fiery signals to every nerve ending in her body, and she wanted to cling to him, to savour that moment and make it last for ever.
Her fingers lightly stroked his arms and then moved up to tangle with the silky hair at his nape. She belonged in his arms, it felt right, as though it was the only place to be at that moment.
He kissed her again, trailing kisses over her cheek, her throat, and then with a soft, ragged sound he reluctantly dragged himself away from her.
‘Wrong place,’ he said in a roughened tone, as though that explained things. ‘I can think of better places where I can show you how much I care.’
Katie stared at him, blankly, her lips parting, a tingle of delicious sensation still running through her from head to toe.
He sent her an oblique glance in return, his mouth twisting a little. ‘Did I go too far again?’ he asked. ‘I hope not, because I really wanted to do that. In fact, it’s on my mind every time I see you—and even sometimes when we’re apart.’
She didn’t answer, still lost in that haze of delirious excitement. He’d kissed her…he cared about her… All at once the world was bright and new. Was this love?
Nick pulled in a deep breath, as though to steady himself. He held open the passenger door for her and she slid dazedly into the air-conditioned comfort of his car. Then he went around to the driver’s side, coming to sit beside her.
He turned the key in the ignition, starting up the car. ‘I need to get my head right,’ he said. ‘Perhaps we should talk about everyday kind of things for a while—like work, for instance.’
She blinked and closed her mouth, trying her utmost to bring her thoughts back down to a level plane, and he went on cautiously, ‘I thought you might like to know—I checked up on Darren Mayfield this afternoon.’
‘You did?’ She finally found her voice. ‘Oh, I’m glad of that. I haven’t had time to ring the unit yet today. How’s he doing? I know they were thinking of moving him from Intensive Care.’
He nodded. ‘That’s right. I know you’ve been keeping tabs on his condition over the last week or so. Anyway, he’s on the main ward now and he seems on course to make a full recovery. There’s some weakness in his limbs apparently, but the physiotherapist is going to be working with him and he looks set to be back to normal within a few weeks.’
Her face lit up. ‘Oh, that’s wonderful news… the best.’
He nodded. ‘I knew you’d be pleased.’ He set the car in motion and turned his attention to the road, leaving her to gaze out at the passing landscape.
‘You said you’d been to see your father’s vineyard,’ Nick remarked as he turned the car on to the valley road. ‘Of course, he doesn’t live on the property—his manager is the one who stays on the premises. I expect you’ll have met him when you went over there.’
Katie nodded. ‘Yes, I’ve been introduced to Toby. He seems a very friendly and approachable man. At least he was willing to answer all my naïve questions. Like I said, I’ve been fascinated with the whole process of growing vines and turning the fruit into wine ever since I came over here and learned what my father was doing.’
Nick frowned. ‘You could always ask me anything you want to know… anytime. I’d be only too glad to tell you. We could even combine it with dinner out or supper at one of the ocean view restaurants around here, if you like. Or a stroll along the beach if that takes your fancy more.’
Her mouth curved. ‘I’ll definitely think about it. They all sound good to me.’
He relaxed, a look of satisfaction crossing his face. ‘Wow! I think I’m actually winning for a change! Wake me up, I think I might be dreaming!’
‘I seriously hope not,’ she said with a laugh, ‘or any minute now you’ll be crashing the car into my father’s gatepost.’
They had reached her father’s property, a stone-built house set in a secluded area some short distance from the coastal stretch where Nick had his home. They approached it along a sweeping drive that cut through well-kept lawns, bordered in part by mature trees and flowering shrubs.
The house was a solid, rectangular building on two storeys, with the ground-floor windows placed symmetrically either side of a wide doorway.
Katie frowned as Nick drew the car to a halt. ‘It looks as though my father has a visitor,’ she said. ‘I don’t recognise that four by four, do you?’
‘It’s the doctor’s car. Dr Weissman—I’ve known him for some years now.’
‘Oh, yes.’ Katie collected her thoughts. ‘I think I’ve bumped into him once or twice.’ Her gaze was troubled. ‘I wonder if my father’s taken a turn for the worse?’
Nick was already sliding out of the car, and she hurried to join him on the gravelled forecourt. It was a fresh, warm summer’s day, but the sun went behind a cloud just then and a sudden sense of foreboding rippled through her. She walked quickly towards the oak front door and rang the bell.
Libby, the housekeeper, came to answer it, looking unusually flustered. ‘Oh, Katie, there you are.’ She pulled open the door and ushered them inside. ‘I was just about to call you,’ she said, pulling at a wayward strand of soft brown hair. ‘The doctor and Steve are with your father now. Jack’s been having a bad time of it all day. It’s his heart, I think. At least, that’s what the doctor said.’
‘I need to go and see him,’ Katie said, a thread of unease edging her words. The feeling of dread that clutched at her midriff since she’d arrived at the house was intensifying by the minute.
‘I understand how you must be feeling,’ Libby answered, worry lines creasing her brow, ‘but the doctor said he would come and let us know as soon as there was any news.’
Katie frowned. ‘But I’m his daughter. I want to be with him. I want to know what’s going on.’
The housekeeper’s face seemed to crumple, and she made a helpless, fluttering gesture with her hands, as though this was all getting too much for her, and Katie said quickly, ‘It will be all right, Libby, I promise. We made up our differences a while ago, my father and I… he’ll want me to be there with him. I know he will.’
Libby was still fraught with indecision. ‘I should have rung you earlier, I know I should, but I had to ring for an ambulance and try to contact the others and that took up so much time. It’s been such an awful day, one way and another. And the ambulance still hasn’t arrived.’
Katie frowned. What others? What was Libby talking about? But perhaps she had tried to phone Jack’s friends, the people who knew him best… along with the doctor, of course. Katie might be his daughter, but she had only been in town for a couple of months at most.
Nick took hold of her arm, as though to add a helping hand, and she turned to him in gratitude. ‘Thanks for bringing me here. It looks as though things are much more serious than I thought. Otherwise why would Dr Weissman have wanted an ambulance?’
‘It does sound as though he’s concerned,’ Nick admitted, ‘but let’s wait and hear what he has to say.’
‘I must go to my father,’ she said again. She knew the way to Jack’s room from the first time she had been there, when her father had shown her around, and despite Libby’s distressed expression she made an instant decision and began to head in that direction.
Nick went with her, but as they came to the first floor and walked along the corridor, the door of her father’s room opened and Steve walked out.
He stopped as soon as he saw them and pulled in a deep, calming breath. ‘Katie,’ he greeted her. ‘I don’t think you should go in there just yet. Let me talk to you for a while. Shall we find somewhere to sitdown?’ He glanced at Nick, and an odd look passed between them. Katie didn’t understand it. Hadn’t that same mysterious kind of glance occurred when she and her father had had dinner together and she’d met Nick for the first time?
She allowed Nick to lead her away, following Steve along the corridor and back down the stairs to the sitting room.
‘Please, sit down, Katie.’ Steve indicated a comfortable sofa and then turned to Nick. ‘You, too, Nick,’ he said.
Katie did as he suggested, feeling for the settee with the back of her legs and not once taking her gaze off Steve. Nick sat down beside her, and the nurse took the armchair opposite.
She was more bewildered than ever. Something was going on here and she had no idea what it could be. Right now, though, she wanted more than anything to know what was happening with her father.
‘Katie,’ Steve began quietly, ‘I’m really sorry to be the one to tell you this… but I’m afraid your father passed away a few minutes ago. In the end his heart simply gave out.’
‘No…’ Katie’s mind refused to take it in. ‘That can’t be… I only spoke to him on the phone this morning. How can this be happening?’ For all her training as a doctor, coming face to face with the death of a loved one was turning out to be every bit as difficult for her as it was for her patients. She had no idea it could be so hard to accept.
Nick put his arm around her and held her tight. ‘I’m so sorry, Katie. It’s a shock—in fact, it’s a shock for both of us.’
Steve pressed his lips together in a fleeting moment of sadness. ‘Dr Weissman did everything he could to try to resuscitate him, but in the end it was impossible. There was nothing more he could do.’
Katie was bewildered. ‘I just can’t take it in. I came here thinking he was just having one of those bad days. He always seemed so stoical, so determined to get the best out of life.’
‘And I’m sure he did, Katie.’ Nick leant his cheek against hers. ‘He was over the moon because you had come out here to see him. These last few weeks he was always talking about you, saying how well you’d done for yourself.’
‘Was he?’ Tears began to trickle slowly down her face. ‘It seems such a waste. All these years I’ve waited, wanting to get to know him but always holding back because I was afraid of what I might find. It took me such a long time to forgive him for walking out on my mother and me. It was such a strange sort of life… as if it was somehow off key. And now he’s gone.’
He held her close, letting her weep for what might have been, and all the time he stroked her hair, comforting her just by being there for her when she needed him most.
