Читать книгу Snowbound With The Surgeon - Annie Claydon, Annie Claydon - Страница 11

‘HOW ARE WE going with the list?’

The list had been the overarching purpose of their lives for the last three days. How many people were on it and where they lived. It was a challenge and a reason for Neve to spend her days with him. Joe was getting to love the list.

However much he loved it, he didn’t get to spend a lot of quality time with it. While she let him get on with his side of things, assessing their route, driving and the odd spell of snow clearing, the list was Neve’s responsibility, and she seemed to function best when it was under her control.

‘Not bad. Just four more. We need to go up to Holcombe Crag, and there are three more between there and Leminster.’

‘Where first?’ Joe had no inclination to involve himself in the decisions about who needed her most urgently, and was always careful to let Neve set their priorities.

‘What do you think? I guess it would be better to go up to Holcombe Crag while it’s still light.’ She reached for the bag of toffees on the dashboard, offering him one, and when he shook his head she unwrapped one for herself.

‘Probably, but don’t worry about that. If the others need to be seen first…’

‘No, they’re all routine visits. They could wait until tomorrow morning if we don’t get time today, but Nancy Olsen’s got a young baby so I’d like to see her this afternoon.’

Joe nodded, and started the car. ‘Holcombe Crag it is, then.’

Neve had been watching the clouds draw across the sky as they approached the crag. ‘Are we going to make this? It looks as if the weather’s closing in.’

‘We’ll make it. There’s plenty of time to get up there and back before it gets dark— Is that your phone, or mine?’

‘Mine, I think.’ Neve unzipped her jacket and pulled her phone from the inside pocket, studying the small screen. ‘It’s a text from Maisie.’

‘Another house call?’

Neve shook her head and read from the screen. ‘“Local radio news. Car carrying father and young son found abandoned in your area this morning. Search under way. Keep your eyes open.”’

Neve texted a short acknowledgement back to Maisie and put her phone back into her pocket. ‘Anyone walking in this weather is going to be freezing.’

Joe nodded, his brow creased. ‘Hopefully they’ve been able to find some shelter. Shame they didn’t stay with the car.’

‘I hope they find them soon.’

‘Yeah. When we get to Holcombe Crag I’ll take a look around. Might get lucky.’

He turned off and took the track that climbed towards Holcombe Crag. At the best of times it was a steep hill to climb, but now the ice and snow seemed an impossible barrier. But Joe took it calmly and steadily, confident of what the vehicle could do and not asking the impossible from it. He drew up outside the single-storey, stone-built house, which clung to the slope three-quarters of the way up the crag.

‘If I walk up to the top, I’ll get a much better view.’ He’d extracted a pair of field glasses from the boot of his car, which seemed increasingly to Neve like an Aladdin’s cave of useful items. ‘How long will you be?’

‘I think Nancy would appreciate some a little extra time.’ Neve looked at her watch. ‘Shall we meet back here in half an hour?’

He nodded, dropping his car keys into her hand. Joe always carried her bags from the car, and this sudden break with what had become a small, comfortable ritual between them unsettled her. He must be worried.

She watched as he strode away from her. Strong, steadfast. However much she tried not to depend on him, however misguided it felt to allow any man to shape her fate, he was still becoming an indispensable support to her in this hostile landscape. She dismissed the thought and turned towards the house.

When Nancy opened the door, beckoning her inside, the smell of baking bread assailed her, and Neve’s mouth began to water. ‘Thanks for coming, Doctor. I’m so sorry to bring you all this way, but I’m worried about Daniel…’

Neve laid a reassuring hand on her arm. ‘I’d rather you called if you have any concerns at all. Let’s take a look at him.’

Neve was taking her time with each patient, aware that asking someone to pop back to the surgery if things got any worse wasn’t a viable option for most people at the moment. But after a careful examination, she found baby Daniel was suffering from no more than a slight cold. Neve reassured Nancy and allowed herself to be tempted into the kitchen for fresh-baked bread and strawberry jam.

‘Will you hold him while I put the kettle on?’ Nancy smiled down at her son, and he stretched his arms up towards her face, mimicking her expression.

‘I’ll make the tea.’ The bond between them was so precious, too beautiful to break, even for a moment. Neve couldn’t help feeling a little stab of envy.

‘That’s okay.’ Daniel gurgled with joy as Nancy planted a kiss on his forehead, before delivering him into Neve’s arms. ‘See you later, my sunshine…’

Daniel’s tiny fingers curled around hers when she tickled his palm and he looked up at her solemnly. Neve no longer had to steel herself to be around babies. The pain of her own loss had slowly given way to gnawing regret for what might have been, and when she smiled at Daniel and he rewarded her with one of his own, everything was suddenly right with the world.

‘Can you see Joe?’

Nancy leaned across the sink to get a better view out of the window. ‘No. He was at the top a few minutes ago, but he must be on his way back here now.’ Nancy turned, seeming to need the reassurance of checking once again that her own child was safe. ‘I can’t stop thinking about them out there. I hope someone finds them soon.’

‘Have you heard any search helicopters?’

‘Yes, I heard one go over about half an hour before you got here. I called Daryl when I heard about it on the radio and asked him to keep his eyes open.’

Word of mouth. Passed from wife to husband, friend to friend. Everyone in the area would be on the alert. ‘They’ll find them.’

Nancy grimaced. ‘I hope so. It’s snowing again and it’ll be dark soon.’

Neve’s phone rang, and she fished it out of her pocket one handed. ‘Yes?’

‘I see them. The man’s on his feet, and walking. I’m on my way to them now.’ Joe was breathing heavily, as if he was running.

‘Where are you? I’ll come out and meet you…’

‘No… Neve, listen. I need you to stay there…’

It wasn’t a matter of what Joe needed. ‘I’m a doctor. I can help these people…’

‘Which is why you need to organise things there. You can’t get to them before I do, and our first priority is to get them into the warmth. I’ll bring them to you…’

He was right. Neve didn’t like it very much, but this wasn’t the time to be squabbling over who did what. ‘Okay. We’ll get things ready to receive them here. Call me when you reach them and let me know what condition they’re in.’

A grunt of assent came down the line and then it cut off. Joe must be putting all his energy into getting to the man and his son.

‘What can I do?’ Nancy took little Daniel from Neve’s arms and put him into his baby bouncer.

‘We need somewhere warm to bring them.’

‘Okay, the sitting room’s best. I’ve got a fire going in there.’

‘That’s great. Have you got some spare blankets or a duvet we can use?’

‘Yes, of course. What about a hot bath?’

‘No, not until we see what condition they’re in.’ If the man and his son had been out for any length of time in these conditions, the boy could well be hypothermic, his smaller body less able to resist the freezing conditions than an adult’s. Warming him too quickly could cause shock or heart problems.

The smile on Nancy’s face told Neve that she knew nothing about that, just that the man and his son had been found. Neve hoped that her bright optimism turned out to be justified, and set about helping to warm blankets and fill hot-water bottles.

Just as the wait for Joe’s call was becoming intolerable, her phone rang again.

‘Joe…’

‘I’m with them. The boy’s shivering and drowsy but conscious. The man’s able to walk.’

Joe wasn’t wasting any words, but that was all she needed to know. If the boy was still shivering, then his small body hadn’t given up its fight to stay warm yet. ‘Okay, that’s good. Can you get back here with them?’

‘That’s the plan…’

‘Right. I want you to carry the boy. Be sure to do it carefully, Joe. You must avoid bumping him around any more than absolutely necessary. That’s important.’ Hopefully the boy wasn’t cold enough yet to make him susceptible to internal injuries, but without seeing him Neve couldn’t be sure.

‘Gotcha. I understand that precaution. I want you to do something for me.’

‘Yes…’ Anything.

‘We’re about a mile from you, in a westerly direction. I want you to turn my car and put the headlights on, full beam. Stay on the line, I can hear you through the earpiece. Do it now.’

‘Okay, on my way.’ Why did he want her to do that? It didn’t matter. Neve slung on her coat, grabbed the car keys and signalled to Nancy that she’d be five minutes.

She heaved a sigh of relief when the car started first time. Carefully she manoeuvred it until it was at right angles to the house, hoping that this was in approximately the right direction.

‘Joe… Joe…?’

‘I see you. Move about ten degrees to your right…’

She rolled the car forward and then back again, turning in the direction he’d told her, frantic tears forming in her eyes. She could see the reasoning behind this now. The storm that had been threatening was now right overhead, the light was beginning to fail and it was snowing heavily. Neve couldn’t see Joe, and it followed that he probably couldn’t see the house. The lights were a beacon for him.

‘How’s that?’

‘Good…’ His breath was coming fast now, and he must already be walking. Every step brought him nearer. ‘One more thing…’

‘Yes, Joe. I hear you.’ Neve wanted to stretch out and pull him back to her. If willpower alone could have done it, then he was already home and dry.

‘If we don’t make it back, I want you to stay where you are. You can’t find us in these conditions. All that will happen is you’ll get lost as well. Have you called the emergency services?’

‘Yes, I got on to Maisie. She’s liaising with them.’

‘Great. Sit tight and wait for them… We’re on our way, a mile out in the direction of the beam of the headlights. Have you got all that?’

She couldn’t answer. Couldn’t tell him that she’d just leave him out there if he didn’t return.

‘Have you got that, Neve? Say it…’

‘Got it, Joe.’ It wasn’t going to happen. It was only a mile. He could walk that, even in these conditions.

‘Good.’ Another pause, as Joe caught his breath. ‘See you soon.’

She wanted to tell him to come back to her, but she couldn’t find a way to say it. ‘Yeah. Very soon.’ She almost choked on the words. And then determination took over. ‘Stay on the line, Joe. I’m going to keep talking…’

‘Yeah… Good girl…’

‘Girl?’ She grinned desperately at her phone. ‘I’ll give you girl, Joe Lamont. You get back here now, and I’ll show you…’ Just how much of a woman she was.

‘Yes, ma’am…’

‘Shut up and walk…’

Nancy’s husband Daryl had been summoned from his workshop, which lay thirty feet to the rear of the house, but there was nothing that he could do, other than wait. Neve sent him inside with Nancy, asking them to stay by the phone and keep Maisie updated. She stayed in the car, talking to Joe, straining her eyes into the increasing gloom for any sign of him.

He was beginning to weaken. She could hear it in the few words that he managed to spare for her. His voice was shaking from the cold, and from the effort of walking through the snow. Neve looked at her watch. He must be close by now. Maybe if she went to the edge of the beam of the car headlamps, she’d see him.

Joe had told her to stay here. Ordered her to stay here, actually. And she’d obeyed him. When had that started to happen? The inevitable consequences of that particular slippery slope were suddenly forgotten. She caught her breath, staring into the swirling snow, and slowly the shapes of two men became visible. Joe’s jacket was wrapped around the bundle in his arms, which must be the child. A man stumbled alongside him, relying on him for both support and direction.

‘I see you, Joe…’

He didn’t reply. Just kept walking. Neve wrenched the car door open, stumbling towards Joe, vaguely aware that Daryl had appeared from the house and was running towards the small group. They both reached them at the same time and Daryl took the man’s arm, winding it around his shoulders and supporting him towards the house.

She took Joe’s arm, and he seemed to straighten, relieved of the burden of the man he’d been supporting. Something stopped Neve from taking the bundle from his arms. He’d carried the boy for a long, painful mile, and he deserved to be the one to bring him inside.

When Nancy ushered them into the hallway, Joe gave up his precious cargo, delivering the boy into Neve’s arms. ‘The boy… Charlie. Four years old… F-father… Michael.’

Neve felt Charlie moving fitfully against her. Quickly she looked around, assessing the situation as best she could. Joe’s waterproof trousers and heavy boots had kept his legs dry, but his sweater was wringing wet and he was shivering, from cold and exhaustion. Michael had a heavy coat on and seemed dry, but looked near to collapse.

‘Daryl, take Michael through to the sitting room. Nancy, will you help Joe, please? Get those wet clothes off him.’ Neve followed Daryl through, laying Charlie down on the blankets that were warming by the fire.

Carefully she stripped the boy of his coat and wellingtons. By some miracle, Charlie was dry. It was a hard-won miracle, though. His father must have carried him for miles to keep his legs dry in the snow, and Joe had wrapped his own coat around him to protect him from the snowstorm.

Daryl was helping Michael off with his coat and into a chair by the fireside. ‘Daryl, will you check that none of Michael’s clothes are wet, please? I’ll come and look at him in a minute.’

‘No… See to Charlie. Please…’ Michael’s agonised voice.

‘That’s what I’m doing, Michael. Stay where you are and rest now.’

Neve had already taken the things she’d need from her medical bag and they lay ready for her. Quickly she checked Charlie’s pulse and reactions. Good. Better than she’d hoped. The low-temperature thermometer read 32 degrees. Much better than she’d dared hope.

All the same, she followed the guidelines for a more severe case. Wrapping the baby hot-water bottles that Nancy had prepared, she placed them under his arms and at his groin. Then she wrapped Charlie’s body in the duvet, leaving his arms and legs free.

A tear squeezed from beneath Charlie’s closed eyelids, and Neve bent over him to hold him still and give him some comfort. ‘Okay, Charlie. You’re all right. Lie still for me, sweetheart.’

‘Dad…’ The little boy let out a whimper, which stretched into a moan.

‘Charlie…’ Michael’s voice came from behind her.

‘Your dad’s here, you can see him in a minute.’ Charlie’s eyes opened. Took their time focussing on her, but surely and steadily found her smile. ‘Hello, there, sweetie.’

‘Charlie… do what the doctor tells you, darling. Daddy’s here…’ Michael’s voice broke, as if he was crying.

‘He’s doing well, Michael. You did a good job, keeping him dry. He has mild hypothermia, but I’m warming him now and he should be fine.’ Neve allowed herself to hope that the worst was over.