Twins On Her Doorstep. Alison Roberts

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СКАЧАТЬ Jack pushed his chair back. ‘Now, will you two let me get on with my work?’ He got to his feet but then closed his eyes and raised his hand to rub at his forehead.

      ‘Headache?’ Sophie was watching him intently. ‘Still dizzy?’

      ‘I just need a cup of tea. And a paracetamol. Go away, Soph. You’ve got patients waiting.’

      ‘We’re almost done. Mum, take him home, will you? Give him something to eat and make him rest. I’ll have a good look at him as soon as I get back.’

      It was only a short walk through the car parking space at the back of the clinic to the gate in the fence that led to the house Sophie had grown up in. Hopefully nobody would notice because otherwise the whole village would be alarmed that there was something seriously wrong with their beloved GP. It was probably nothing more than the fact that he’d forgotten to eat, on top of being a bit run down, but the way that her father had agreed to the plan with minimal grouching was enough to make Sophie even more worried.

      Something had to be done about reducing his work load. Soon.

      Her last patient of the day had deliberately been given the final appointment because she’d known she couldn’t put a time limit on this one.

      Shirley needed to talk as much as she needed any review on whether her medication was helping.

      ‘I’m still not sleeping properly. And I still burst into tears all over the place. It’s embarrassing. It happened in the supermarket the other day, when I saw the cans of baked beans.’ Shirley fished in her handbag for her handkerchief. ‘It’s was Bob’s favourite tea…baked beans on toast…with a poached egg on top…’

      Sophie was sitting alongside her patient this time. It meant that she could give the hand she was holding a squeeze.

      ‘I know. It’s hard. So hard…’

      Shirley sniffed and nodded. ‘I know you know, dear. That’s why it’s so good to talk to you. You had such a tough time after your Matthew passed away. We were all so worried about you, what with you losing the baby and all…’

      Even after five years, the pain was still there, wasn’t it? Not crippling now, though. More like a simple sadness, but one that could still squeeze her heart hard enough to be painful sometimes. At least she’d become an expert in pushing it into a place that she rarely chose to visit.

      ‘I’m fine now,’ Sophie said gently. ‘I found the answer was to focus on the good things I did still have in my life. Like my family and friends. My work. Being lucky enough to live in such a beautiful place.’ She gave the older woman’s hand another squeeze. ‘You’ve got both your daughters nice and close. And all those gorgeous grandchildren of yours. Are you spending plenty of time with them?’

      ‘Oh, yes… They’re in and out every day, wanting Granny’s cake, but…but I just haven’t felt up to baking yet.’

      ‘They’ll be missing those cakes.’ Sophie smiled. ‘Everybody knows that no one can make a better chocolate cake than you can, Shirley. And you’ve got a new grandbaby due to arrive in…ooh…about six weeks, isn’t it? I saw Jenny for her check-up just a couple of days ago.’

      ‘Bob was so excited about this new baby.’ Shirley’s smile trembled. ‘He was sure it was going to be a boy, finally. And now he’ll never know…’ She blew her nose again. ‘I haven’t even finished the cardigan I started knitting weeks ago. I just can’t seem to focus.’

      ‘It’s only been a couple of months since you lost Bob,’ Sophie said gently. ‘It takes time to grieve.’ She got up to find her prescription pad. ‘I’m going to give you something to help you sleep. And, if you like, I can refer you to a grief counsellor?’

      Shirley shook her head. ‘I feel better just coming to see you, dear.’ She got up from her chair. ‘You understand…’

      Sophie went to see her out. That way, she could lock the front door to the clinic and there wouldn’t be any last-minute obstacles to getting home to see how her father was. Hopefully, he would be feeling a lot better after some hot food and having put his feet up for an hour or two. If not, she was going to be laying down the law about getting a thorough physical check-up from a specialist in Truro—the largest hospital in Cornwall. And reducing his hours here, which was probably the best she would be able to manage until they could find a locum.

      Her heart sank like a stone when she noticed the unexpected arrival sitting in the waiting area.

      A man who looked to be in his mid-thirties. A man who was good-looking enough for her gaze to snag for an extra heartbeat of time. Probably the father of the two children sitting beside him, she decided. Small girls who were wearing pink, puffy anoraks and little black ankle boots.

      Shirley was fussing with the fastening on her umbrella as she headed to the door so she didn’t even notice the trio in the corner but Sophie gave them a second glance as she passed. There was something compelling about these people.

      The man was definitely not a local, unless he’d just moved here, but the children looked vaguely familiar. No. She shook her head as she closed the door behind Shirley and flicked the lock. There were no identical twins in North Cove, she was quite sure about that. They had to be tourists, but she couldn’t turn around and tell them that an appointment was needed for afternoon surgeries at this clinic unless it was an emergency.

      After all, there were children involved, and even the brief impression she’d already gained suggested that these little girls were subdued enough to be potentially unwell.

      She pasted a smile on her face as she turned back.

      ‘I’m Dr Bradford,’ she said. ‘How can I help you?’

      The man got to his feet. He was tall, Sophie noted, well over six feet, although he looked a little stooped right now. As if he was over-tired. Or sad, maybe. His jaw was shadowed as if he hadn’t shaved for a while and his dark hair looked tousled, as if he’d run his fingers through it more than once recently. In the same instant she had the thought, he raised his hand and rubbed at his forehead, exactly the way her father had done earlier and, yes, he completed the action by shoving his fingers through his hair.

      Then he nodded.

      ‘I’m Finn Connelly,’ he told her. ‘I’m…ah…sorry for turning up like this without an appointment.’

      The Irish accent confirmed her assumption that he was a tourist.

      ‘That’s okay,’ Sophie said. She smiled at him, because he certainly looked like he needed a bit of reassurance, and instinct told her that it wasn’t something he normally needed. For some reason, this man was way out of his comfort zone and part of her job was to provide a safe environment. Besides, he did look sad, and that never failed to tug at her heartstrings, but there was more than sympathy happening here. There was a pull that she didn’t understand and it was putting her slightly out of her own comfort zone.

      ‘We’re always available for emergencies,’ she added.

      Shifting her gaze to the seats behind the stranger, she smiled even more warmly at the children.

      ‘Hi there,’ she said. ‘What are your names?’

      The girls stared at her but said nothing. They looked more СКАЧАТЬ