Читать книгу The Consultant's Adopted Son - Jennifer Taylor, Jennifer Taylor - Страница 6

HE KNEW who she was as soon as she came through the door. Even though they’d never met before, he recognised her. Her hair was the exact same honey-gold colour as Daniel’s was, and the way she tilted her head to the side as she looked around the bar was exactly what his son would have done, too.

Owen Gallagher’s hand clenched around his glass. He’d tried to prepare himself for this meeting, but seeing the resemblance between this woman and Daniel made him realise how dangerous the situation really was. If he wasn’t careful he could end up losing his son, and the thought was more than he could bear. He loved Daniel more than anything in the world and he wouldn’t allow anyone to take him away from him!

A crowd of people suddenly came into the pub and the woman disappeared from view. Owen cursed as he stood up and tried to see where she had gone. He should have made himself known to her as soon as she’d arrived instead of sitting here, worrying about what might or might not happen.

Normally, he wasn’t someone who hesitated. He couldn’t afford to be in his job, when he needed to make life-and-death decisions. He was used to trusting his instincts, yet he was afraid to trust them now. He was too closely involved in this situation and it would be foolish to hope that instinct alone would guide him down the right path. He needed to follow his head, not his heart, although it wasn’t going to be easy to detach himself emotionally when Daniel’s whole future depended on him making the right decisions.

The crowd suddenly parted and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the woman walking to the bar. He made his way towards her, using the few seconds it took to take stock. She was taller than he’d imagined, and slimmer, too. She was wearing a black trouser suit with a white blouse and a pair of low-heeled black shoes. Although her clothes were very neat and tidy, he could tell they weren’t expensive from the cut of the jacket—it was a little too loose around her waist and the sleeves were an inch too long. She stopped at the bar and he paused, too, needing another few seconds before he introduced himself.

Her face was in profile now, and his heart lurched as he studied the smooth curve of her brow, the straight line of her nose and the fullness of her lips. She was even more like Daniel in profile, and it was unsettling to see the familiar features on her face. It wasn’t easy to control the feeling of panic that was creeping up on him, but he’d never been a coward and he refused to behave like one now. This woman had the power to disrupt Daniel’s life. If he had to conquer his own fears to ensure that wouldn’t happen, that was what he would do.

Owen’s gaze moved on as he made himself take stock of the glossy fall of honey-gold hair that swung around her shoulders. Her hair was very thick and straight, like a golden waterfall as it shimmered in the lights above the bar. When she bent over to take her purse out of her bag, he half reached towards her, curious to see if her hair felt as cool and as smooth as it looked, before he realised what he was doing.

His hand fell to his side and he breathed in sharply to clear his head. It didn’t matter how her hair felt. It only mattered how it looked, and it looked exactly the same as Daniel’s did, apart from its length. The sooner he accepted these similarities, the easier it would be to discount them. He couldn’t afford to focus on the resemblance between them otherwise he wouldn’t be able to separate himself emotionally from what needed to be done. He might not know anything about her, but he did know one thing: she was a threat.

She suddenly turned, and Owen felt a rush of panic assail him when her eyes locked with his. He wasn’t mentally prepared yet to speak to her and wasn’t sure what he should do. Should he introduce himself now, or should he wait a while longer?

‘Excuse me.’

Her voice was low, husky, and the hair on the back of his neck lifted when he heard it for the very first time. So far, they’d only communicated by letter—a terse little note from him suggesting they should meet, an even shorter reply from her, agreeing to the idea. He hadn’t thought about how she would sound, so it came as a shock to realise that he found the husky tones very appealing.

He stepped aside to let her pass, feeling goose-bumps break out all over his skin when she murmured her thanks. All of a sudden it felt as though there wasn’t enough air in the pub and he couldn’t breathe. He hurried to the door. His only thought was to escape from a situation that was turning out to be far more stressful than he’d anticipated it would be. But even as he reached for the handle he knew he couldn’t leave. Not yet. Not until he’d made her understand what was going to happen.

He took a deep breath, filled his lungs with the heavy, turgid air, then turned around. If ever there was a time when he needed to be in control of himself, it was now.

Rose found an empty table and sat down. Taking a cardboard coaster out of the ashtray, she carefully placed her glass on it. She really hadn’t wanted a drink. She’d bought it simply because it had been expected of her. When you went into a pub you bought a drink. That was it, all nice and tidy—unlike her life, which was turning into such a mess.

A spasm of dread shot through her and she picked up the glass and sipped a little of the wine, hoping it would steady her. Ever since she had agreed to this meeting she’d worried about what was going to happen. She’d gone over it in her head, time and time again, but it had been pure guesswork, of course.

She had no real idea what Owen Gallagher wanted to see her about, except that it had something to do with Daniel—the child she’d given up for adoption eighteen years ago. Not a day had gone by since then when she hadn’t thought about him, worried about him, wondered where he was and if he was happy. Was that what Owen Gallagher wanted to know—if she ever thought about the child she’d given away?

She hoped so, because it would be the easiest thing in the world to tell him the truth. She’d never stopped thinking about Daniel, had never stopped regretting the circumstances that had forced her to give him up. Even though she was sure that she’d made the right decision, she had many regrets, but was that really what Owen Gallagher wanted to hear? Or was there another reason why he’d contacted her?

Rose put the glass back on the coaster as her hand began to tremble. She’d refused to allow herself to go beyond this point before, refused to consider the idea that Daniel might be ill and that was why Gallagher had tracked her down. One read about such things all the time—mothers and the children they’d given away reunited through illness—but she couldn’t accept that was the reason for this meeting. She simply couldn’t bear to imagine that her precious child might be desperately ill…

She shot to her feet, unable to sit there while thoughts like that tormented her. Gallagher had asked her to meet him at seven o’clock and it was ten minutes past the hour now. Maybe he’d decided not to come? In that case, there was no point her sitting here in this noisy pub…

‘Ms Tremayne? I’m Owen Gallagher. Thank you for agreeing to meet me.’

All of a sudden he was standing in front of her and Rose gasped. ‘But I just bumped into you at the bar!’

‘Yes. Please, sit down.’

He gestured towards the chair she’d vacated. Rose sat, simply because she couldn’t think what else to do. Why hadn’t he introduced himself before? she wondered. Why had he stood there, staring at her that way?

Oh, she’d noticed him, of course. Who wouldn’t? Even in this crowd he stood out. Tall and dark, with the kind of cleanly hewn good looks that would have appealed to any woman, Owen Gallagher wasn’t a man one could ignore. She shot him a careful look as he sat down, taking note of the beautifully tailored grey suit, the crisp white shirt, the silk tie and aura of affluence that surrounded him, and shivered. He wasn’t a man to be ignored—or crossed, for that matter—and it wasn’t pleasant to wonder what he wanted with her.

‘I may as well get straight to the point, Ms Tremayne. Eighteen years ago my late wife and I adopted your son.’

‘Your late wife?’ Rose put in hurriedly. ‘You mean she’s dead?’

‘Yes. Laura died two years ago, after a long illness.’ He didn’t appear unduly upset about having to relay the news, but Rose had dealt with too many people who’d suffered a loss to take that at face value.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said quietly. ‘It must have been a difficult time—for you and for Daniel.’

‘It was.’ Something flashed in his pewter-coloured eyes, a hint of surprise, possibly, because she’d realised that he was still grieving. Nevertheless, his tone was just as brisk when he continued.

‘Daniel was very close to his mother and Laura’s death was a massive blow to him. I think that’s what set him on his present course, in fact.’ He shrugged, his broad shoulders moving lightly under the expensive fabric. ‘If Laura had still been alive then I’m sure that things would have been very different today. Daniel certainly wouldn’t have got this ridiculous idea into his head about getting in touch with you.’

‘Getting in touch with me?’ Rose felt the room tilt and grasped hold of the table. Owen Gallagher had asked her to meet him not because their son was ill but because Daniel wanted to see her?

Her heart ricocheted around her chest as the thought sank in, although it wasn’t just the fact that Daniel had decided to contact her that shocked her. It was the way she had linked herself and Owen Gallagher together with that phrase: their son. It made her feel very odd, but she didn’t dwell on it because he was speaking again.

‘That’s right, and before we go any further, Ms Tremayne, I may as well tell you that I am totally opposed to the idea. You have played no part in Daniel’s life to this point and I cannot see any reason why you should play a part in it in the future. That’s why I wanted to see you tonight—so there would be no mistake about this.’

‘What do you mean by that?’ Rose sat up straighter. Maybe she was overreacting, but there’d been something in his voice that had turned that statement into a threat.

‘I don’t want you interfering in Daniel’s life. He’s been through a rough couple of years and he’s still very vulnerable. At the present time he’s studying for his A-level exams and I don’t intend to allow you to disrupt his life when it’s essential that he remains focused.’

‘You won’t allow it?’ she said incredulously. ‘I’m sorry, but you seem to think that you have some kind of divine right over what Daniel does. If he wants to contact me, that’s his choice. It has nothing to do with you.’

‘Which proves how little you know about being a parent.’

His deep voice was harsh, the words biting into her and causing maximum pain, but Rose knew that he didn’t care if he was hurting her. He only cared about his son, or rather what he thought was right for Daniel. He didn’t accept that Daniel had to make his own decision regarding this issue. He wanted to dictate what would happen. However, there was no way that she was letting him dictate to her!

‘I might not know very much about what it takes to be a good parent, Mr Gallagher, but I do know that if you prevent Daniel from contacting me, it could backfire on you. He will resent you interfering and that could cause a rift between you.’

‘I think I know Daniel rather better than you do, Ms Tremayne. He’s been through a very harrowing time, and what he needs more than anything else is stability in his life. Meeting you—his birth mother—for the first time would be far too stressful for him.’

‘But can’t you see that it might help him if he got to know me? He’d be able to get some sense of who he is and where he came from. That could only be a good thing.’

‘Or it could unsettle him even more. The fact is that Daniel is in no fit state to make major decisions like this at the moment. It’s taken months of hard work to get him to this stage, and I don’t intend to stand aside and watch you ruin everything.’

‘That’s a ridiculous thing to say! Why would I want to ruin anything? I want what is best for Daniel, too. How do you think he’s going to feel if I refuse to meet him? Surely that will cause him far more distress?’

‘He might be upset at first, but he’ll get over it. After all, he doesn’t know anything about you apart from the fact that you gave him up for adoption. You are a stranger to him, and that’s how I intend the situation to continue.’

‘But it isn’t up to you, is it? It’s Daniel’s decision.’ She stared him straight in the eyes. There was no way that he was going to browbeat her into submission when her son’s happiness was at stake. ‘I’m sorry, Mr Gallagher, but I have no intention of turning my back on Daniel. If he contacts me then I shall arrange to see him.’

‘Even though I’ve explained the damage it could cause?’

‘Yes, because I don’t agree with your assessment. I think that meeting me might help Daniel come to terms with what has happened.’

‘I don’t think that meeting you will make up for losing his mother. Daniel adored Laura, so if you’re harbouring any hopes that he will see you as a substitute you can forget them. It’s far more likely that he will be bitterly disappointed when you don’t live up to his expectations.’

‘That’s a risk I shall have to take,’ she said quietly, not wanting him to know how much the comment had hurt.

‘But it’s a risk I am not prepared to take, Ms Tremayne.’

He leant across the table, looking big and intimidating as he stared at her. Rose felt a flurry of fear unfurl in the pit of her stomach. She knew she would regret making an enemy of him but she refused to back down. She’d not been able to do anything for her son apart from making sure that he was well cared for, but she could do this for him now. She could find the courage to fight this man and give Daniel the freedom to choose what he wanted.

‘Are you threatening me, Mr Gallagher? Because I have to say that it sounded very much like it to me. However, if it was a threat then you should know that I don’t respond to being threatened.’

‘It wasn’t a threat, Ms Tremayne. It was merely a statement of intent. I am not prepared to let you ruin my son’s life.’

‘I see.’ She gave a bitter little laugh. ‘You seem to have made up your mind about me, don’t you? You’ve decided that I’m not a fit person to be in contact with Daniel, yet you have no basis whatsoever for thinking that I will cause him any harm.’

‘Neither do I have any reason to believe that you will help him,’ he said flatly. ‘You gave him away, Ms Tremayne, so surely that proves how little he means to you? Why bother getting involved at this point when it will only cause a lot of heartache for everyone concerned? And if you are willing to co-operate with me over this, I am prepared to be very generous.’

‘Generous…What do you mean?’

Rose’s head was spinning again. She could scarcely believe what she was hearing. Didn’t he realise how hard it had been to give away her precious child, the baby she’d nurtured inside her for all those months? Even now, eighteen years later, she still woke up in tears sometimes, remembering how it had felt in the weeks following her decision to have Daniel adopted. Only women who had been through such an experience could understand the sense of loss that had filled her. Her body had ached for her child, and her mind, too. She had grieved for her baby even though he hadn’t died, and yet this man had the temerity to accuse her of not caring.

‘What do you mean?’ she repeated, her voice rising so that the couple at the next table turned and stared at them.

‘Please, keep your voice down.’ Owen Gallagher’s expression darkened as he leant closer to her. ‘You might enjoy making a scene, but I don’t. I came here tonight to tell you that I don’t want you making contact with my son, not to have an argument. Daniel has already written to you. I managed to persuade him to delay posting his letter for a week while he thinks about what he’s doing, but that was as far as I got. However, maybe I can convince you to take a more reasonable view.’

He felt in his inside pocket and pulled out a thick brown envelope. ‘There is five thousand pounds in here, and it’s yours if you give me your word that you won’t make any attempt to reply to his letter.’

He placed the envelope in the centre of the table. Rose stared at it in horror. He really thought that he could bribe her into complying with his demands?

‘I don’t want your money!’ She shoved the envelope back at him and stood up, feeling the hot sting of tears in her eyes. She blinked them away because she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

‘It might surprise you to learn that I can’t be bought off, so please don’t make the mistake of trying this again, Mr Gallagher. I would hate Daniel to know the lengths to which you will go to get what you want.’

She brushed past him, forcing her way through the crowd that had gathered around the bar. One man tried to grab hold of her as she passed but Rose shrugged him off, ignoring the catcalls that followed her out of the door. She didn’t care what people called her. Foul names couldn’t hurt her; they certainly couldn’t cause the kind of heartache she was currently feeling.

There was a bus coming along the road so she ran to the stop and flagged it down. She paid her fare and sat down. The bus stopped again to let a car out of the pub’s car park and her heart began to thump when she recognised the driver of the expensive vehicle as Owen Gallagher.

He glanced around to check the road was clear and Rose’s heart beat even harder when she saw the expression on his face. She had never seen anyone who looked as tortured as he did at that moment. He looked like a man in extremis, and the thought that she was responsible for all that pain was very difficult to bear.

She sat back in the seat as he drove away. She knew that she’d made herself an enemy that day and it was the last thing she’d wanted to do. She had no idea what would happen now, but one thing was certain: Owen Gallagher would do everything in his power to keep Daniel away from her.

‘Sorry about this. I was all set to give you the grand tour when all hell broke loose. There should be an empty locker in here, so once you’ve put your coat away can you come straight through? I’ll have to fill you in as and when I get the chance.’

Rose sighed as the charge nurse hurried away. Although she was used to the frenetic pace of a busy accident and emergency department, it would have been nice if there’d been time for someone to show her around for a change.

Opening the staffroom door, she went in and looked around. It was a typical hospital staffroom, from the pile of mugs stacked up on the draining board to the row of metal lockers lined up against the wall. She’d seen hundreds of similar staffrooms since she’d been working for the nursing agency, so she wasn’t sure why the sight depressed her so much that day. Maybe it was because she’d felt so downhearted ever since the night she’d met Owen Gallagher in the pub?

Rose grimaced as she took off her coat and hung it up in one of the empty lockers. Over a week had passed since that night, yet the memory still weighed heavily on her. Granted, she’d been angry at the way Gallagher had tried to bribe her, but it had been that glimpse of his face as he’d driven away that had bothered her most, surprisingly enough. She didn’t enjoy hurting people even though he had treated her so shabbily. She’d thought about writing to him yet what could she have said? That she hadn’t wanted to upset him? Oh, please!

Rose’s pretty mouth compressed as she made her way to the treatment area. The charge nurse was on the telephone and she held up her hand when Rose approached her. It was another couple of seconds before she hung up, and Rose could tell immediately that something major was about to happen.

‘RTA on its way,’ the charge nurse explained, bustling past her. ‘Multiple casualties, with an ETA of four minutes, so we need to get everything set up. You’ve worked in Resus before, I hope?’

‘Many times,’ Rose replied, following the other woman across the foyer. It was just gone seven a.m. and already the waiting room was filling up. Swingeing cuts to health-care budgets had resulted in many of the smaller emergency departments closing their doors. Casualties were brought to central points and St Anne’s was one of the biggest in this part of London. That it was reputed to be one of the best was the reason why she had been so keen to work there.

‘I’ve worked in just about every A and E in central London. I’ve also done the extra training required for trauma care,’ she explained as the charge nurse led the way into the resuscitation room, which was where the most critically injured patients were treated.

‘Really?’ The other woman looked relieved. ‘Looks like we’ve struck gold for once. I can’t count the number of times we’ve ended up with agency staff who don’t know the first thing about A and E work. At least we’ll be spared our revered boss having an apoplectic fit today…’

She broke off when a nurse popped her head round the door to warn them the first ambulance had arrived. Turning back to Rose, she said hurriedly, ‘Find out where everything is, can you? Once the patients start arriving, there won’t be time to direct you.’

Rose took a deep breath as the other nurse hurried away. It wasn’t the first time she’d been dropped in at the deep end, neither would it be the last. Every time she worked at a new hospital she had to acquaint herself with the layout of the department. Just for a second she thought wistfully how wonderful it would be if she had a permanent post to go to each day, before she dismissed the idea. Agency work paid double the salary she could earn in a permanent job, and that had to be the major consideration at the moment.

She did a quick tour of the room, taking note of where all the supplies were kept. It was obviously a new facility because the equipment was the most modern she’d seen. She cast an admiring glance at the state-of-the-art radiography equipment, which was linked to a sophisticated computer system—there’d be no waiting around for X-ray films to be developed here!

‘Male, aged seventeen, with extensive leg injuries.’

The doors crashed open as the paramedics wheeled in the first patient and Rose ran to help. She listened attentively as they rattled out details about the young man’s BP and oxygen saturation levels, the amount of saline fluid he’d received as well as the drugs that had been administered. Even the smallest detail could turn out to be important, so she made sure that she didn’t miss anything as she positioned herself at the top right corner of the specially adapted trauma bed.

‘On my count…one, two…!’

Rose grabbed a corner of the spinal board when one of the crew started to count and helped to lift the young man off the trolley. The charge nurse was standing at the foot of the bed and she glanced at her.

‘Get rid of his clothes, will you? The consultant’s on his way…Ah, speak of the devil. Here he is.’

Rose looked round as the doors burst open again. She heard the other nurse say something to her but the words seemed to be coming from a distance. All she could see was the man striding towards her: tall and dark, with the kind of cleanly hewn good looks which would appeal to any woman…

Blood rushed to her head and she swayed. What was Owen Gallagher doing here?