Читать книгу The Family Who Made Him Whole - Jennifer Taylor, Jennifer Taylor - Страница 7

‘PLEASE take a seat, Mrs Granger.’

Hannah waited while the woman made herself comfortable. It was almost lunchtime and Barbara Granger was her last patient. The morning had been surprisingly busy. She’d not had a minute to herself, in fact, and suddenly found herself wondering if she should have accepted Tom Bradbury’s offer to split her list. It would have made far more sense to ease herself in gently, yet she’d felt strangely reluctant to accept his help. Something had warned her that once she did, it might be difficult to stop.

The thought was so ridiculous that she was hard pressed not to show her disgust. Tom Bradbury meant nothing to her. He was just someone she would be working with for a short while, although, if Ros had her way, it might be longer than either of them had anticipated. The idea was disquieting and she had to make a conscious effort not to dwell on it as she smiled at the woman seated across the desk.

‘I’m Hannah Morris, the new doctor.’

‘Nice to meet you, dear.’ Barbara Granger smiled back. ‘I’m sure you’ll be very happy here. Bride’s Bay is such a lovely little town—everyone is very friendly, as you’ll soon discover. Margery worked here for over ten years and we were all very sorry when she decided to leave.’

‘I’m sure she will be missed,’ Hannah agreed. Every patient she had seen had commented on how sad they’d been when Simon’s previous partner had left. It had made her realise what an integral part of the town the practice was. After working in London, where patients rarely formed a close attachment to their doctor, it was good to know that she was now a valued part of the community.

‘Yes, she will. But folk have to do what’s best for them, don’t they.’ Barbara settled her handbag on her knees. ‘I know how much Margery missed her family. Her two sisters live in Edinburgh and it will be lovely for her to be able to spend more time with them.’

‘It will indeed. Now, what was it you wanted to see me about, Mrs Granger?’ Hannah gently steered the conversation back to the reason for the visit. ‘Is something worrying you?’

‘Yes, although it’s not about me. It’s my Peter, you see. He’s going into hospital soon and he’s in a right state about it.’

‘Is Peter your husband?’ Hannah asked gently, wondering about the ethics of discussing the matter. Patient confidentiality was a key issue and she wouldn’t want to cross any boundaries.

‘No, my son.’ Barbara sighed. ‘Peter has Down’s syndrome. I should have explained that to you before I began.’

‘It’s quite all right,’ Hannah assured her. ‘I take it that you are his main carer?’

‘I was until last year when he got a place in an assisted living facility in the centre of town.’ Barbara pulled a face. ‘Such a horrible name. Calling it a facility makes it sound like some sort of institution but it’s nothing like that. The local council converted one of the houses near the post office so it could be used by people with disabilities like my Peter’s, and it’s very homely. He loves it there.’

‘That sounds like a wonderful idea,’ Hannah said enthusiastically. ‘Your son has his independence, yet there are people around who can offer support if he needs it.’

‘Exactly. Oh, I wasn’t sure if he should go when Simon first suggested it. His dad left soon after Peter was born. He couldn’t handle the thought of having a handicapped child, you see, so I’ve looked after Peter by myself. It’s always been just the two of us and I was worried in case it was too much for him, but he’s come on in leaps and bounds, as it turns out.’

‘You must be so relieved,’ Hannah agreed quietly. As the single mother of a child who needed extra care, she understood how difficult it must have been for Barbara. Maybe it was different when both parents were involved; at least they could discuss any issues and reach a decision together. However, it was much harder when you were solely responsible for your child’s welfare, as she’d discovered.

She knew how she’d agonised over Charlie’s treatment, spending many a sleepless night worrying about what it entailed. It would have helped enormously if she’d had someone to talk it over with but, like Barbara Granger, she’d been on her own. It must have taken a lot of courage to allow her son to leave home, Hannah thought admiringly as she smiled at her.

‘So why is Peter going into hospital?’

‘He needs an operation on one of the valves in his heart. As I’m sure you know, dear, a lot of people with Down’s have heart problems, so it isn’t the first time Peter has needed treatment. It was fine while he was a child—I was able to stay in the hospital with him. But now he’s nineteen and classed as an adult that isn’t possible. He’s getting very anxious about it, which is why I thought I’d have a word with you.’

Hannah frowned. ‘I understand your concerns, Mrs Granger, although I’m not sure what I can do to help. Can you leave it with me? I’ll speak to Simon and see what he suggests.’

‘Of course.’ Barbara stood up. ‘Just give me a call when you’ve worked something out or, better still, pop in for a coffee if you’re passing. I live right next door to the nursery and you can always call in after you’ve dropped off your little boy. Lovely little chap. Let’s hope they can sort out that problem with his feet, eh?’

Barbara bade her a cheery goodbye, obviously finding nothing unusual about the fact that she knew so much about Hannah’s private life. Hannah shook her head as she gathered up the notes she had used. She had been in the town for just two days and already it seemed that everyone knew all about her!

‘Was that Barbara Granger I saw leaving?’

Hannah jumped when a deep voice addressed her from the doorway. She looked up, trying to quell the racing of her heart when she saw Tom standing there. He had shed his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his pale blue shirt so that his tanned forearms were bare. He looked so big and overwhelmingly male that her mouth went dry. She may not be in the market for another relationship but she would need to be dead from the neck up and down not to be aware of him! It was only when she saw one dark brow lift that she realised he was waiting for her to answer.

‘It was. Apparently, her son is going into hospital soon and he’s getting very stressed about it,’ she said, shuffling the notes into a pile.

‘Something to do with Peter’s heart, I take it?’ Tom came into the room and stopped beside the desk. Hannah continued her shuffling, although for some reason her normally deft fingers seemed to have all turned to thumbs.

‘Mmm. He needs an operation to repair one of the valves.’ The pile of notes suddenly disintegrated into an untidy heap and she clamped her lips together in annoyance. Picking up the top few folders, she tried again then jumped when a large hand appeared in front of her.

‘Here, give me half and I’ll help you carry them through to the office.’

Tom didn’t wait for her to comply with his offer as he scooped up half of the buff envelopes and Hannah had to bite down even harder to stem the retort that was trying to escape. She didn’t need his help, but short of making a scene there was little she could do.

She trailed after him, aware that she was in danger of making a mountain out of the proverbial molehill. Tom was just trying to be helpful and it was stupid to see it as a threat. She knew it was true yet it was difficult to accept it. She really didn’t want to be beholden to him for anything.

He plonked the notes into a tray then stood aside while she deposited hers on top. ‘Lizzie will sort them out when she gets back from lunch,’ he assured her, resting one lean hip against the edge of the desk.

‘It might help if I put them into some kind of order,’ Hannah murmured, taking a couple of folders off the pile.

‘There’s no need. Lizzie is a whiz with the filing. She’ll have them sorted in no time.’ He took the folders off her and dropped them back into the tray, leaving her gasping at his high-handedness. However, he seemed oblivious as he returned the conversation to what they had been discussing.

‘Peter is a lovely fellow. Although he has Down’s, he’s quite a high achiever. He works at The Ship Inn, collecting the empty glasses and, occasionally, waiting on in the dining room if it’s busy.’

‘Really!’ Hannah exclaimed in surprise.

‘Yes. That’s the joy of a place like Bride’s Bay. Folk look out for one another and do all they can to help. Mitch Johnson, who runs the pub, took Peter on last winter and it’s worked out really well for everyone.’

‘That’s wonderful. I had no idea people were so supportive. Where I worked before, there were plans to build a unit for people with disabilities like Peter’s but the local residents objected and it didn’t go ahead.’

‘Sadly, that happens all too often. I’d put it down to ignorance if I didn’t have a nasty suspicion that it was more a fear of it having an impact on property prices than anything else.’ Tom shrugged when she looked at him. ‘If you live next to one of those units, you could find that the value of your home drops.’

‘I’m sure you’re right.’ Hannah was surprised by how disgusted he sounded. She wouldn’t have summed him up as someone with strong altruistic leanings, although why she should have made that assumption it was impossible to say. She hurried on, not wanting to dwell on the thought that she might have been unfair to him. ‘Anyway, I was going to have a word with Simon to see what he could suggest. It sounds as though Peter needs some reassurance.’

‘The hospital has just instigated a scheme whereby vulnerable adults are given a tour of the areas they’ll be using during their stay.’ Tom straightened and went over to the filing cabinet. ‘They sent us a leaflet only last week if I can find it… Ah! Here it is.’

He handed her the leaflet and Hannah sucked in her breath when their hands brushed. She murmured her thanks as she took it over to the window to read, although for a few seconds the words seemed to dance before her eyes. She had to stop this nonsense, had to stop reacting whenever Tom touched her. It was ridiculous to be this responsive to a man she barely knew.

The thought steadied her. She skimmed through the leaflet and nodded. ‘This sounds ideal. I’m sure Peter will feel a lot happier if he knows exactly where he’s going.’

‘Precisely.’ Tom followed her across the room, bending so that he could point out a paragraph that was particularly relevant. ‘They will even introduce him to the members of staff who’ll be looking after him. That’s probably more important than anything else. If Peter knows the nurses and doctors, etcetera, he’ll be less likely to worry.’

‘I’m sure you’re right,’ Hannah agreed tersely, anxious to put a little distance between them. She went to step back then realised that Tom had beaten her to it and already moved away. He smiled at her but she couldn’t fail to see the wariness in his eyes.

‘If I were you, I’d give them a call right away, Hannah. The sooner you get it organised the better.’

‘Of course,’ she murmured, wondering why he appeared so on edge. He’d probably realised that he’d been crowding her, she decided, impinging on her personal space. However, logical though it sounded, she wasn’t convinced it was the answer and it bothered her. ‘I’ll do it now, so long as you don’t think Simon will mind.’

‘Of course he won’t mind. He’s gone out on a call but, believe me, he would never have taken you on if he didn’t have faith in your judgement.’

‘That’s good to know.’

Hannah headed for the door, relieved to make her escape. Being around Tom seemed to confuse her for some reason and she didn’t appreciate feeling this way. She liked order in her life, not uncertainty, although she was trying not to be as rigid in her outlook as she’d used to be. As she had discovered when she’d been expecting Charlie, not everything went according to plan.

The thought still had the power to hurt. She couldn’t help feeling guilty about the way she had tried so hard to structure every aspect of her life. If she’d been more flexible then Andrew might not have been so uncompromising too, she thought for the umpteenth time, then sighed when she realised how unlikely that was.

‘So how do you feel about us holding the fort while Simon and Ros visit their daughter?’

‘I suppose it would make sense,’ Hannah said, pausing reluctantly.

‘But?’ He gave a short laugh. ‘There was a definite “but” in there if I’m not mistaken.’

‘Was there?’ He was far too astute, she realised with a sinking heart. She summoned a smile, keen to convince him that she wasn’t the least bit worried by the thought of them working together. ‘I suppose I’m a little concerned at the thought of being so new to the practice. It takes a while to find your feet and I wouldn’t like to make any major blunders.’

‘I’m sure you’re far too professional to commit any blunders.’

He returned her smile but once again she could see the wariness in his eyes. It struck her all of a sudden that if she had a problem with Tom then he had a problem with her too. The thought was unsettling because she didn’t want there to be any issues between them, nothing to make either of them more aware of the other, and she hurried on. ‘Let’s hope so. Anyway, what about you? Would you be able to delay taking up your new job?’

‘Yes, I expect so.’ He shrugged. ‘Benedict—he’s the director of the clinic I’m going to work at—is a friend from way back. I’m sure he would agree to let me start a few weeks later if I explained the situation to him.’

‘In that case, there doesn’t appear to be a problem.’ She gave a light laugh, determined to nip things in the bud. Maybe she did find him attractive but so what? She was a grown woman, a mother as well, and she wasn’t going to allow herself to get carried away! ‘If Ros and Simon do decide to go, I’m sure we’ll cope.’

‘I’m sure we will too,’ Tom murmured. He glanced round when the phone rang, hating the fact that he felt so relieved to be interrupted. He knew it was ridiculous to be so aware of her, but he couldn’t seem to stop. Even learning that she was a mother—a definite no-no in his book—hadn’t dampened his interest. As soon as he was near her, common sense flew right out of the window.

It was a worrying thought and Tom knew that he needed to take it on board. Normally, he was the one who called the shots, the one who was always in control, but not this time, it seemed. He needed to get himself back on track and there was no time like the present. He smiled coolly at her, hoping that she couldn’t tell how on edge he felt. ‘I’d better get that.’

‘Of course.’

She didn’t say anything else before she left the room so there was no basis for thinking that she was as relieved as he was to put an end to the conversation. Tom lifted the receiver to his ear and listened while the caller explained that the dog had eaten his prescription. It was the sort of anecdote he normally relished, but he found it difficult to concentrate that day. Was Hannah as confused by her feelings as he was by his?

‘Are you still there, Doctor?’

‘I… um… yes.’

Tom dragged his mind back to the missing prescription and told the caller to come into the surgery and collect another one. He printed it out and left it in the tray then headed out to the corridor. He had to stop thinking about Hannah all the time. If it did turn out that they would be working together for longer than expected then he needed to put things into perspective. It shouldn’t be difficult. He just had to remember that he was incapable of being faithful to any woman. He was genetically programmed to play the field like generations of his family had done before him. So long as he remembered that, everything would be fine, but if he ever imagined that he could break the cycle…

He cut off that thought. He couldn’t change who he was, couldn’t erase his heritage, the bad bits or the good. He had tried to do so once before and had failed miserably, and he certainly wasn’t going to try it again. No matter how tempted he was, he wouldn’t get involved with Hannah, especially when there was a child on the scene.

Children needed stability more than anything else. They needed people who would stay around while they were growing up and he couldn’t promise to do that. Oh, he might think he could but, if push came to shove, would he? Could he? Or would the family genes rise to the fore and he’d turn out exactly like the rest of them—incapable of making a commitment and sticking to it?

Tom squared his shoulders. It was a risk he wasn’t prepared to take. No matter how attracted he was to Hannah, she was off limits.