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‘I … I’m sure we can both act in a professional manner towards one another,’ she said. ‘Perhaps I was wrong in extending your father’s actions to you, but I can’t simply forget what happened, as you suggested. My parents’ marriage fell apart because of it. My mother blamed my father for losing his job and making us all homeless.’
‘Your mother felt that way, and yet you still put the blame on my father for letting him go?’ His gaze was quizzical, those dark eyes studying her and taking in the slightest hint of vulnerability.
Her chin lifted in defiance. ‘I think there were reasons why my father acted the way he did. He’s a good man, and he always took a lot of pride in doing his job well. When things started to go wrong, your father should have talked to him a bit more and tried to get to the bottom of what was going on with him.’
James was sceptical. ‘It doesn’t seem as if your mother had much faith in her husband, so why should my father have been any different?’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘My mother suffered from depression. She was always a difficult person to live with. She was so wrapped up in her woes that she left me and my brother to fend for ourselves. We took care of one another, and did pretty much as we pleased, but through all that my father was the cement that kept us all together. That is, until he …’
‘Until he lost the plot.’ He stood up. ‘I’m sorry, Ellie. I know how much you must love him, but you’re making excuses for his behaviour and taking your resentment out on my family. You need to get things straightened out in your head.’
‘Do I?’ Her gaze was frosty. ‘I believe my father was ill. That’s why he appeared to change and became lax in his work where before he had been a perfectionist. But nobody seemed to care enough about him to find out what was going on.’
She stood up as her pager bleeped. ‘I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse me. I have a patient coming in.’
She was annoyed with herself as she walked away. How could she have lost her temper that way? Surely she could have handled things better? And now, instead of smoothing the way towards a better working relationship, she’d probably set them off on a course of downright antagonism.
She had to force that to the back of her mind, though, and concentrate on answering her pager. She couldn’t let her personal life interfere with her work.
Her patient was a pregnant woman who was bleeding heavily. ‘She was out shopping when she collapsed,’ the nurse told her. ‘She’s very shaken up. She’s thirty-three weeks. Her heart rate is very fast and her blood pressure’s dropping way too low.’
‘Thanks, Olivia. Let’s get a couple of intravenous lines in before she goes into shock—and we need to set up foetal monitoring.’
‘I’ll do that right away.’ The nurse hurried to fetch the equipment while Ellie did an ultrasound scan to find out what was causing the problem. ‘I know this is upsetting for you, Phoebe,’ she said gently, ‘but try not to worry.’
Phoebe nodded faintly. Small pearls of perspiration had broken out on her brow, dampening her dark hair, and Ellie gave her a reassuring smile. ‘We’ll take good care of you and your baby.’
A short time later, she turned to the nurse once more. ‘I’m going to call Dr Reynolds for a consultation,’ she said in a low voice. ‘The placenta’s covering the birth canal. It’s come away slightly, and that’s what’s causing the bleeding. We need to admit her and make sure that she rests—that way the bleeding might stop on its own.’
She began to take blood for testing and quickly labelled up the samples for the lab. She was handing them to a porter a few minutes later when Lewis came to join her.
He smiled. ‘Hi, Ellie. It’s good to see you. You have a patient for me?’
‘Yes.’ She returned his smile. ‘I’m glad you’re here, Lewis. It’s reassuring to know you’re around to look after our pregnant ladies.’ She handed him the patient’s file. ‘Phoebe has placenta praevia. I’ve arranged for her to be admitted.’
He glanced at the woman’s notes. ‘Okay, I’ll go and have a look at her.’
He came back to Ellie a few minutes later as she stood by the central desk glancing through reports.
‘We might have to do a Caesarean,’ he said, ‘but I’d prefer to leave it until it’s absolutely necessary to give the baby the very best chance. In the meantime, we’ll put her on steroids to help the foetus’s lungs to mature.’
‘I’ll organise it,’ she said. Remembering her neighbour, she said quietly, ‘Have you admitted a new patient this morning—Lily Harcourt? She’s my neighbour. She would have come in by ambulance, suffering from pre-eclampsia? I wondered how she was doing. With any luck I’ll be able to look in on her some time today, but I’m a bit concerned about her. She didn’t look too good this morning.’
‘She’s your friend?’ Lewis’s dark eyes clouded. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know. Yes, she came to my ward. We have her on oxygen, and we’re monitoring her heart and blood pressure. Unfortunately, she had a seizure when she first arrived, but we’re giving her medication to control her blood pressure and also to try to prevent any more convulsions. It’s too early for her to deliver this baby at the moment, so we need to get her condition stabilised.’
Ellie frowned, disturbed by his account. ‘It doesn’t sound good, does it?’
He laid an arm lightly about her shoulders. ‘You shouldn’t worry, Ellie. We’re doing everything we can for her.’
‘I know, I’m sure you are. Thanks, Lewis. Will you keep me updated?’
‘Of course.’ He gave her a quick hug and then headed back to the maternity ward. Ellie watched him go and then glanced across the room and saw James standing by the doorway, his eyes narrowed as he watched her.
How long had he been standing there? He must have seen Lewis put his arm around her, and for some reason he didn’t look at all pleased. Was he bothered in some way about her friendship with his cousin?
She turned away. Why should she be concerned about what he was thinking? He may not have the same temperament as his father, but he obviously had the Birchenalls’ way of taking control and keeping a check on everyone. He’d only been in the job five minutes and he was making sure he knew everything there was to know about the staff. She’d seen him looking at others in that calm, assessing way that seemed natural to him.
She looked in on Lily before she finished her shift, and reassured her that she would take care of her little boy. Her friend still looked slightly flushed and seemed a bit restless, but that was probably because she was worried about her son.
‘We’ll come and see you as soon as the doctor says it’s okay,’ Ellie promised. ‘In fact, I could get him to talk to you on the phone if that will make you feel better?’
‘Oh, it would. Thanks, Ellie.’
‘You’re welcome.’
Ellie drove home, soothed by the beautiful Cheshire countryside, with its wooded hillsides and rolling plains. It helped put her in a relaxed frame of mind, so that for a little while she could forget that James Birchenall was a thorn in her side.
She stopped to pick up Jayden from his friend’s house, and from then on any illusion of peace was shattered.
‘Can we make play dough?’ the four-year-old asked. ‘I liked it when we did that before when I comed to your house.’ He looked at her with shining grey eyes, full of eagerness and expectation.
‘Okay. That sounds like a good idea.’ Ellie remembered the last time, when loose bits of brightly coloured dough had escaped and gone off in all directions. She’d kept on finding bits of it all over the place for a couple of hours afterwards, mainly thanks to it being trampled underfoot by eager young feet. He’d even managed to get it tangled up among the curls in his dark hair.
‘I thought we’d have spaghetti for tea. That’s your favourite, isn’t it?’
‘Mmm. Yes. I always have s’ghetti. Every day.’ He gave her a big-eyed look and she hid a smile.
‘Do you? Really?’
‘Yes.’ He looked away uncertainly, as though he thought she might stop believing him if he held her gaze for too long.
‘Well, we’ll see what we can do. Let’s go and collect your things from your house first and get you settled in.’
‘All right.’
Some time later Ellie helped him to get ready for bed. They’d had a busy time, having fun with play dough, followed by a baking session, and by now she was worn out even if he wasn’t.
‘Mummy always tucks me in,’ he said with a quiver in his voice, as he climbed into bed and looked around the strange room.
‘I know, sweetheart, and I know she wishes she could be here with you now, but you talked to her on the phone, didn’t you? Remember, she said she’ll see you when we go to the hospital?’
He nodded solemnly, his eyes overbright.
‘How about I read you a bedtime story?’ Ellie said. ‘Give teddy a cuddle and slide down under the duvet, and we’ll see what Noddy’s getting up to in his little red car.’
‘Yeah.’
He’d fallen asleep before she finished the story, and Ellie switched off the bedside lamp and crept out of the room.
Downstairs, she cleared away Jayden’s toys and tidied the kitchen, and just as she was thinking about making herself a well-earned cup of coffee, the doorbell rang. She frowned. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Could it be Noah, in more trouble? Feeling apprehensive, she went to the door and found James standing there.
‘Oh … I … um …’
He’d changed out of his suit, into casual, stylish clothes, stone-coloured chinos and a navy long-sleeved shirt, but there was still that air of authority about him. Somehow she sensed he wasn’t there for a social visit. ‘Is something wrong?’
‘In a manner of speaking. Would it be all right if I come in? I don’t mean to disturb you, but I need to talk to you about something and I’d prefer not to do it at the hospital.’
‘Yes, of course.’ He seemed serious, and she was troubled now, wondering what was so important that he’d come to see her at home. ‘We’ll go through to the kitchen and I’ll put the coffee on.’
She led the way and waved him to a chair by the oak and granite topped table. ‘It sounds as though I should be worried,’ she said as she prepared the coffee. ‘What’s happened?’ She put some freshly made fruit scones on a plate and passed it to him. ‘Help yourself. There’s butter and some strawberry jam.’
He looked at the golden-topped scones and smiled. ‘A sample of your home baking? I thought there was a wonderful smell in the kitchen.’ He sent her a quick, appreciative glance. ‘How could I resist? Thanks. I haven’t eaten yet this evening, so these will fill a hole.’
She raised her brows. ‘You’ve not eaten? How did that come about?’
He shrugged. ‘I was busy. I had a difficult case to deal with—a perforated appendix—and there were a couple of meetings I had to attend—one of them straight after my shift finished. It happens like that sometimes.’ He cut a scone in half, spreading butter on each portion, and then added a spoonful of jam.
‘Hmm. Perhaps you could introduce a snacks trolley so staff can grab a bite to eat if they can’t make time to go to the restaurant. It shouldn’t cost much and we could all chip in to fund it.’ She poured coffee and slid a cup towards him. She wasn’t going to sit down. That would be too much like supping with the enemy.
‘That’s a good idea … a very good idea.’ He bit into the scone and for a moment, as he chewed, a look of absorbed bliss came over his face. Ellie’s breath caught in her throat. There was a boyish look about him that tugged at her heart and for a moment or two she floundered. ‘These are delicious,’ he said, smiling his satisfaction.
‘Hmm.’ She pulled herself together and studied him. ‘Does that mean I get to keep my job?’
His brows met in puzzlement and she added, ‘There was something you needed to tell me?’
‘Ah.’ He finished off the scone and swallowed some of the coffee. ‘I wish I didn’t have to tell you this, but …’ He paused. ‘Amelia Holt came into the hospital today and made a formal complaint. She believes her aunt didn’t receive the proper care and attention she needed, resulting in her death.’
‘Oh, no.’ Ellie went pale, and felt for a seat opposite him, sitting down as her legs seemed to give way. ‘I know she was upset, but what does she think I should have done?’
‘She says you should have done a pericardiectomy. She’s obviously been looking things up or talking to someone who knows a bit about medicine.’
‘But that kind of surgery is usually a last resort.’ Her mouth was dry and her heart had suddenly begun to thump heavily against her rib cage. She swallowed hard. ‘Removing the pericardium is a risky procedure, and her aunt’s heart was already weak.’
‘I agree. It wouldn’t have been the first course of action I’d have taken, but we have to acknowledge the complaint, I’m afraid.’
‘So what happens now?’ Ellie’s palms were clammy, and she rubbed them against her jeans. Inside she was shaking.
‘We have to set up a meeting with her to discuss the issue. If she accepts your viewpoint, there won’t be anything more to be said, but if not, we have to take it through an independent review procedure.’
‘All right. I understand. I … I just have to wait and see how … how things …’
He reached for her hand and captured it between his. ‘Ellie, it’s going to be all right. You’ve done nothing wrong.’
‘I know, but …’ The warmth of his caress comforted her, and for a while she lost herself in that gentle, yet firm, grasp. ‘I still …’
‘I’ll go with you to the meeting, if that will help. You don’t need to worry about this. I’m on your side.’
She nodded. ‘Yes. I’d appreciate that. Thank you.’
He held her hand for a while longer, until she seemed to have calmed down. She let out a soft, shuddery sigh.
‘Okay, then,’ he said, gently releasing her. ‘I’ll arrange everything. Don’t think about it again until the meeting.’ His gaze meshed with hers. ‘Promise me you’ll cast it from your mind?’
‘I’ll try.’ In spite of herself, she was already missing that warm embrace. Of course, she should never have let him comfort her—she didn’t want to get close to the man whose father had destroyed her family. And yet …
‘Good. I’m sorry I had to bring bad news.’
She nodded. ‘I suppose we all have troubles to bear.’ She glanced at him. ‘I hear that things aren’t so good for you back home. I know you said your father was unwell, but it’s quite serious, isn’t it?’
‘His heart is failing, so life is difficult for him.’ He braced his shoulders. ‘It’s not as bad as it sounds—as you know, people can live for years with heart failure. It’s more a matter of quality of life that needs to be addressed.’
‘Yes.’ When someone’s heart began to fail, it meant that the heart couldn’t cope with pumping blood around the body, resulting in breathlessness, discomfort and fatigue.
‘Still,’ she said, ‘he must be glad to have you back home. Are you living at the manor house?’
‘I am.’
‘And is that working out all right? You get on well with him, don’t you?’
‘Yes, I do.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘I’m his only son and he’s relying on me to take care of things and secure the family’s heritage.’
She thought about that. ‘I suppose you’ve had your career to keep you busy up till now. Becoming a consultant is a huge step.’
‘It is.’ He might have said something more, except that a small sound alerted them to the fact that they were no longer alone in the kitchen. They turned round.
Jayden stood in the doorway, clutching his teddy bear in the crook of his arm and rubbing his eye sleepily with his free hand. ‘You putted the light out,’ he said accusingly, looking at Ellie. ‘I has to have the light on.’
Ellie hurried over to him and crouched down, bringing herself to his level. ‘Oh, Jayden, sweetheart, I’m sorry.’
She’d turned the lamp out in case the light disturbed him. ‘Let me take you back to bed. I’ll leave your bedroom door open a little and put the hall light on. Will that be all right?’
The little boy nodded, and Ellie took hold of his hand to gently lead him back upstairs. She glanced back at James. ‘I won’t be long.’
‘That’s okay.’ He said it slowly and she saw that he was staring at Jayden in some kind of shock, his eyes wide, and a small frown creased his brow. Then he seemed to get himself together. ‘Actually, uh … no need to rush. I should go. I have to go on to a dinner party.’
‘Oh, I see. Of course … if you must.’
Jayden looked up at him. ‘Who that?’ he asked, holding onto Ellie’s leg for protection as she stood up.
‘I work with him at the hospital,’ she told him quietly.
James made an effort to relax and said with a smile, ‘Hello, Jayden.’
Jayden didn’t answer, but gave him a cautious look from under his lashes.
‘Come on,’ Ellie murmured. ‘Let’s take you back to bed. You have to get up for school in the morning.’ She glanced at James once more. ‘Give me a minute and I’ll see you out.’
‘That’s all right. I can see myself out. You go ahead.’ He walked towards the door. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’
