The Baby Issue

‘I don’t know what to do when he gets like this,’ she admitted helplessly. ‘Sometimes he screams so hard that he makes himself sick and I don’t know how to stop him.’

‘It isn’t easy, dealing with a toddler,’ Anna consoled her. ‘A lot of parents have trouble coping.’

‘It must be easier if there are two of you, though,’ Lucy said, struggling to hold onto Sam as he arched his back in an attempt to free himself. ‘I keep worrying in case I’m doing everything wrong. It would be lovely to have someone to share all the problems,’ she added wistfully.

Anna bit back a sigh because she understood exactly how the girl felt. ‘I’m sure that it must be difficult at times but you’re doing a great job. Sam is obviously loved and that’s the most important thing. Now, do you think it would help if I took him for a moment? If we can calm him down we can give him some of this analgesic.’

Lucy gratefully relinquished the screaming toddler into her care. Anna took firm hold of the squirming little body and stood up. ‘Now, Sam, I know that you don’t feel well but you’ll feel a lot better if you stop crying.’

The child stared at her with huge, tear-soaked eyes, obviously shocked at being parted so summarily from his mother. Anna smiled reassuringly at him. ‘Shall we see what we can find to play with? I don’t know if there are any toys in these cupboards but we can have a look.’

She set him down on the floor and started opening the cupboards. ‘Oh, look what I’ve found!’

She hauled out a big plastic tub of building blocks and tipped them onto the carpet. Sam immediately crouched down, his tears momentarily forgotten as he picked up two of the blocks and tried to fit them together.

‘Like this. See?’ Anna showed him how to slot the blocks together, smiling when he immediately copied her. She glanced over her shoulder as he picked up two more. ‘He’s very bright, isn’t he? I only needed to show him once and he knew what to do.’

Lucy smiled. ‘He does seem to be quick on the uptake,’ she agreed proudly. ‘I bought a big box of toys from the charity shop in town and it was amazing how quickly he learned how to use them. And he just loves it when I read to him. He knows some of the stories off by heart now.’

‘Story?’ Sam said hopefully, looking up.

Anna laughed as she ruffled his blond curls. ‘Later, poppet. I’m sure Mummy will read to you when you get home.’

He gave her a beaming smile then went back to his building work. He seemed quite content so she decided that it might be a good moment to see if he would take the analgesic. She snipped the top off the sachet then measured out the recommended dosage and crouched beside him.

‘Are you going to be a good boy and take this for me, Sam?’ she asked, offering him the spoon.

He stared at the bright pink liquid for a moment then obediently opened his mouth. Anna smiled as he swallowed the whole spoonful without a murmur.

‘That’s a good boy. Well done!’ she exclaimed, giving him a hug.

‘I hope he takes it from me as easily,’ Lucy said worriedly. ‘And Dr Cole said that he’s going to need ear drops as well. I don’t know if I’ll be able to make him sit still long enough to get them in his ears.’

‘Do it while you’re reading to him,’ Anna advised her. ‘I used to work with children and I always found that it was best to choose a quiet moment if you wanted to give them any medication. But if he does get upset, don’t make a big issue out of it. Just wait until he calms down then have another go.’

‘I’ll do that.’ Lucy sighed. ‘I wish there was someone to ask about things like that. I do my best but there are all sorts of things that crop up and I’m not sure how to deal with them.’

‘Don’t you have any family?’ Anna asked, handing a bright green block to the little boy.

‘No. I was brought up in care. There’s just Sam and me, but we muddle through as best we can.’

‘Well, you seem to be doing a fine job to me. Sam is a lovely little boy.’ Anna smiled at the girl but she couldn’t deny that her heart had started aching when she’d heard that. It had struck a bit too close to home. It was a relief when Ben appeared and informed them that he had finished seeing all his patients now.

He checked Sam over one more time, crouching down on the floor beside the child rather than making him get up. Anna couldn’t help noticing how good he was with the little boy and how Sam responded immediately to his firm but patient approach. Ben Cole would make a wonderful father, she found herself thinking wistfully, then realised how dangerous a thought that was.

‘I’m happy that what happened was simply the result of his ear infection,’ Ben explained after he had finished. ‘I’m going to give you a prescription for antibiotics to fight the infection and drops to soothe the inflammation in his ears. But I want you to promise me that you’ll call the surgery immediately if you are at all concerned about Sam.’

‘I’ll do that, Doctor,’ Lucy agreed, getting up. ‘You don’t think that he’ll have another of those convulsions, do you?’

‘I’m ninety-nine per cent certain that he won’t as long as you keep his temperature down. But, as I said, if you’re at all worried, don’t hesitate to phone us.’

‘I shall. Thank you.’ The girl turned to Anna. ‘And I’ll try doing as you said and putting the drops in Sam’s ears while he’s sitting quietly.’

‘It usually works,’ Anna assured her. ‘But don’t worry if you have to give it a couple of goes. The more agitated you get, the more Sam will play you up.’

Sam was reluctant to leave his exciting new toys at first but he was finally persuaded that he could play with them another day. Anna followed as Ben saw them out. The waiting room was empty and Eileen had started switching off the lights now that everyone had left. The receptionist sighed ruefully when she saw Anna.

‘Talk about being thrown in at the deep end! I bet you’re sorry that you took this job.’

Anna laughed. ‘Oh, it will take more than that to put me off. I’m far tougher than I look.’

‘You’ll need to be, working here,’ Eileen retorted, winking at her. She pretended not to have noticed that Ben had come back into the room. ‘It’s not just the general public who lead you a merry dance, I’m afraid. Some members of the staff here would try the patience of a saint at times.’

‘I wonder why my ears are burning? You weren’t alluding to me, by any chance, were you, Eileen?’ he asked wryly.

‘Now, why should you think that?’ the receptionist retorted. ‘It wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that you told three people to make appointments for Monday morning when I’d already warned you that your list was full?’

‘Sorry.’ Ben tried to look contrite but his eyes were full of laughter when he turned to Anna. ‘Eileen is a real termagant when it comes to her appointment system. It’s a big mistake to fall foul of her, believe me. You end up having to make your own coffee for the next week!’

‘I’m only trying to safeguard your interests, Dr Cole,’ the receptionist said with a sniff, although Anna could tell that she wasn’t really offended. It was obvious that Ben had a good relationship with the older woman.

‘I know you are. And I am grateful. Honestly.’ Ben gave Eileen a warm smile. ‘We wouldn’t be able to run this place half as efficiently without you here to keep order, Eileen.’

‘Well, I don’t know about that,’ she said. However, it was obvious that she was pleased by the compliment. They exchanged a few more pleasantries then Eileen fetched her coat and left.

Ben sighed as the door closed. ‘That’s it, then. End of another busy morning. Thanks again for all your help, Anna. I really appreciate it.’

‘It was nothing,’ she assured him. She glanced at her watch as he went behind the desk to turn off the rest of the lights. ‘Anyway, I’d better get a move on. I want to get to the shops before they close,’ she explained when he turned to look at her. ‘I need to stock up on groceries.’

‘You didn’t bring any with you?’

‘I never gave it a thought, to be honest. I had too many other things on my mind.’ Her face clouded as she thought about what had happened that morning. She still felt sick when she recalled what had been said…

‘Are you OK?’

She jumped, feeling the colour rush to her cheeks when she saw the concern in Ben’s eyes. She had a sudden urge to pour out the whole miserable story before it struck her what a mistake that would be.

She couldn’t afford to tell anyone the truth just yet. Although Ben Cole had come across as both kind and sympathetic, there was no knowing how he might react. Did she really want to run the risk of losing this job?

‘I’m fine. Just a bit worn out after all the rushing around,’ she replied evasively.

‘No wonder. As Eileen said, you were rather pushed in at the deep end.’

He smiled at her and Anna felt a flurry ripple through her when she saw the appreciation in his eyes. It was obvious that Ben found her attractive, and whilst part of her rejoiced in the fact another part knew that it would be a mistake to encourage him.

‘How about if I gave you a lift into town?’ he continued. ‘You can get your shopping then I’ll drive you back here so that you don’t need to lug a lot of heavy bags. In fact, we could have some lunch first—’

‘No!’ She saw his start of surprise but she had to make her position clear once and for all. ‘There’s no easy way to say this, Dr Cole, so I may as well be blunt. I prefer to keep my private life and my professional one strictly separate.’

She shrugged, feeling a shiver working its way down her spine when she saw how he was looking at her now. There was no warmth in his gaze any longer, just a remoteness that made her heart ache in the strangest way. ‘Whilst I intend to give one hundred per cent commitment during surgery hours, I’m not interested in fostering any kind of relationship with colleagues outside those times. Have I made myself clear?’

‘As crystal, Miss Clemence. I apologise if I was overstepping the mark.’

His tone crackled with ice, leaving her in little doubt that he wouldn’t make the same mistake again. He switched off the last remaining lights then strode around the desk, pausing when he realised that she was still standing there. Anna had to steel herself when she caught the full force of his icy stare.

‘Was there something else, Miss Clemence? If not, I’d like to set the alarm and lock up.’

‘I don’t appear to have a key to the back door of the flat,’ she explained woodenly. ‘I’ll need it to get in and out over the weekend.’

‘I’ll see if it’s in Adam’s desk,’ he told her curtly. He swung round, leaving Anna to follow. She was miserably aware that he was annoyed with her. Not that she blamed him, of course. She’d been rude as she’d laid down the ground rules. Her only excuse was that she’d had no choice.

‘Here it is.’ He offered her the key then looked steadily at her. ‘Is that all now?’

‘Yes.’ She cleared her throat but it was an effort to force the words past the lump in it when she saw the chill in his eyes. ‘Thank you.’

He inclined his head, although he didn’t say anything as he strode past her. Anna watched him go into the office then turned and quickly made her way to the stairs. She was halfway up them when she heard the alarm beeping, followed a few seconds later by the sound of the front door closing. And it seemed to her that she had never felt more alone than she did at that moment.

Ben had offered her the hand of friendship and she had rejected it. Maybe she’d had no choice but it hurt to know that he wouldn’t offer it to her again. It struck her all of a sudden that she would have liked to have had him for a friend, to have been able to turn to him when times became really tough.

She sighed sadly.

Would Ben Cole still want to be her friend when he found out what she had taken such care to keep secret? He would probably thank his lucky stars that he hadn’t got involved!

Her hand went to the gentle swell of her stomach concealed beneath her loose fitting T-shirt and her eyes were suddenly sad.

How many men would be interested in befriending a woman who was having someone else’s baby?

CHAPTER TWO

‘I WONDER if you could do me a favour?’

Anna was in the treatment room when Ben Cole tapped on the door. It was Friday morning and surgery was coming to an end. It had been a busy morning as usual, but she had thoroughly enjoyed her first week in Winton. Any qualms she’d had about her ability to do the job had soon disappeared. The work might be rather different to what she was used to but the basic procedures were the same, and she really liked the people she was working with.

All in all, Anna had decided that things were working out rather better than she had feared they would. The only cloud on the horizon was the fact that Ben Cole continued to treat her with a distant courtesy that stung. Now as she saw the chilly expression on his face she had to bite back a sigh.

‘Of course. What would you like me to do?’ she asked politely.

‘I’ve a patient with me who needs a blood test and I’d like to get it done as soon as possible. Would you have time to see her now, by any chance?’ he asked, equally politely.

‘Yes, there’s no problem. I’ve only got one more patient to see and he hasn’t arrived yet.’ Anna glanced at her watch. ‘In fact, if you send her straight in to see me then I should be able to catch the courier. He’s due in about ten minutes to collect today’s samples.’

‘Fine. The lab won’t have any excuse for not getting the results back to us early next week, then.’ Ben sounded relieved and she frowned.

‘Is it that urgent?’

‘Yes and no.’ He sighed when he saw that she didn’t understand. ‘I’ve been trying to get this woman to have a blood test for months but each time I suggest it she finds some sort of excuse. I’m not sure what the problem is, to be honest.’

‘I see. Why did she come to see you in the first place?’ Anna asked curiously, thinking that it was a strange situation.

‘She’s been suffering from night sweats and hot flushes,’ he explained. ‘She’s in her mid-forties so I did suggest that it was probably the first sign of the menopause, but she got really upset by the idea. I’m hoping that she will accept it once we get the results of the blood test, then I can start her on HRT.’

‘A lot of women find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that they are reaching that stage in their lives,’ she observed softly.

‘I know, and I’m sympathetic to how they feel, believe me. However, this patient seems unusually loath to accept the idea. She’s so adamant, in fact, that I’m starting to wonder if I’m simply opting for the easy answer.’ Ben frowned thoughtfully.

‘What?’ Anna asked impulsively. She gave a little shrug when he looked at her. ‘I can tell that you’re trying to make up your mind about something.’

He laughed and she felt a shiver run down her spine when she heard the unaccustomed warmth in his voice. ‘You’re far too perceptive, Anna. It wouldn’t be easy to pull the wool over your eyes.’

‘Oh, I’m as gullible as the next person, believe me,’ she replied, feeling the tiny stab of pain that speared her heart. She couldn’t help wishing that she hadn’t been quite so trusting in the past year. If she’d realised what would happen, would she have decided on the course she’d taken?

It was impossible to answer a question like that so she didn’t try. She looked up, feeling a ripple of apprehension run through her when she saw how Ben was looking at her.

‘That sounded as though it was spoken from the heart,’ he said quietly.

‘Probably.’ She summoned a smile, wishing that she had hidden her feelings better. The last thing she wanted was to incite his curiosity. ‘Anyway, what’s the patient’s name and what tests do you want done?’

‘Janice Robertson. Here are her notes.’ He handed her the patient’s record card. ‘I want the full works—cell count, proteins, gases, antibodies, micro-organisms, and so on. I don’t want to overlook anything just in case I’m on the wrong track. I want to get this sorted out while I have the chance.’

‘Fine. I’ll get straight onto it.’

Anna turned away, making a great production out of finding everything she needed. She breathed a little sigh of relief when she heard the door closing. She really must be more careful about what she said! Ben had obviously been suspicious just now and she didn’t want him wondering what she had to hide.

She sighed again as she took a couple of fresh vials out of a drawer for the blood samples. She was going to have to tell people about the baby at some point. Although she had managed to disguise her pregnancy so far, the time was fast approaching when she wouldn’t be able to hide it any longer. She couldn’t help worrying how the staff at the surgery were going to react when they found out. Would they be angry that she hadn’t told them before? She really couldn’t blame them if they were.

It was a sobering thought but she tried not to dwell on it as she got ready. When Janice Robertson tapped on the door a few minutes later she had everything set up.

‘Come in,’ she called, smiling reassuringly as the woman hesitantly entered the room. ‘Hello, there. I’m Anna Clemence, the new practice nurse. Dr Cole wants you to have a blood test, I believe?’

‘That’s right.’

Anna frowned when she heard the reluctance in the other woman’s voice. She couldn’t help noticing how dejected the woman looked as she ushered her to a chair. It was obvious that Janice wasn’t keen to have the test done, although, like Ben, Anna wasn’t sure what the problem was.

‘I’ve got everything ready so you just make yourself comfortable. Have you ever had a blood test before?’ she asked soothingly, picking up the webbing strap that she would use as a tourniquet while she took the sample. Maybe Janice was frightened of needles and that was why she looked so upset. She’d seen enough grown men keel over to know how the sight of a syringe could affect some people!

‘Only when I was pregnant.’ Janice suddenly smiled so that her whole face lit up. ‘They were always taking blood from me then!’

‘I can imagine!’ Anna laughed, although it was hard to hide her amazement at the transformation in the woman. ‘There’s all sorts of things that need to be checked when you’re having a baby. I bet you got fed up with all the tests.’

‘Oh, I didn’t mind,’ Janice assured her. ‘I mean, you don’t, do you? Not when it’s to make sure that your baby’s going to be healthy.’

‘No, of course not. That’s the most important thing, isn’t it?’ Anna replied, thinking how very true that was. She tightened the tourniquet around Janice’s arm then picked up the syringe. ‘Now, all you’ll feel is a little scratch. It won’t really hurt so don’t worry.’

She deftly inserted the needle into the vein then started to draw off a small amount of blood. ‘How many children do you have, by the way?’ she asked to distract her. Although Janice didn’t appear to be worried about what was happening, it seemed safer to keep her talking.

‘Two, a boy and a girl. Susan and Richard.’ Janice sighed heavily. ‘They’re both grown up now, of course. Richard works in London and Susan is taking a gap year between finishing university and finding a job. She’s in Australia at the moment.’

Anna snapped the end off the vial and quickly filled in the label with the patient’s name, address, date of birth and the address code for the surgery. She picked up a second vial, knowing that the lab would require two samples to complete all the tests Ben had requested.

‘You must miss them,’ she observed, drawing off the second vial of blood.

‘I do. The house seems so empty without them. I don’t know what to do with myself most days. Alan—that’s my husband—is always at work, you see. He’s a builder and he has his own business. He’s been so busy recently that he’s gone from early morning until late at night. I’m on my own most of the time and it gets very lonely.’

Janice tried to smile but Anna could see the tears that had welled into her eyes. She frowned as she pressed a small adhesive dressing over the puncture mark in the crook of the woman’s elbow.

Could it be that some of Janice’s problems stemmed from loneliness? she wondered. Ben had seemed to think that it was more than just the physical signs of the menopause that were troubling her so it just seemed to fit. Although loneliness wasn’t an illness in itself, it often led to depression and that could cause a variety of symptoms ranging from mild anxiety to hallucinations in extreme cases.

‘It must do,’ Anna said sympathetically, making a note to mention it to him. ‘When you’ve been used to rushing around, looking after a family, it must be strange to have all that free time on your hands. Do you go out to work?’

‘No. I always stayed at home to look after the children. Alan’s business has done very well so we didn’t need the extra money, and he’s never liked the idea of me working. Anyway, I can’t see anyone wanting to employ me now, not at my age and with no real experience to offer.’

‘How about voluntary work?’ Anna suggested thoughtfully. It was obvious that staying in the house on her own all day wasn’t doing Janice any good, and there had to be a solution. ‘A lot of charities are crying out for people to help them. Or what about helping out at the local playgroup? I’m sure they’d be thrilled to have someone with your experience.’

‘Do you think so?’ Janice said eagerly. ‘I’d never given it a thought, to be honest, but it would be lovely to be around small children again. I loved it when my two were toddlers. It was the happiest time of my life.’

‘I’m almost certain there’s a notice on the board in the foyer for the local playgroup,’ Anna told her, delighted to see the woman looking so much more animated. ‘Why don’t we take a look? There might be a phone number you could call. You could have a chat with whoever runs the group and see how they would feel about you helping.’

She led the way through the waiting room, holding open the door while Janice followed her into the foyer. The notice-board was covered with posters advertising various events that were due to take place in the town but she soon spotted the one she wanted.

‘There it is. And they’ve given the name and the telephone number of the lady who runs the playgroup. I’ll just fetch a pen and some paper then you can jot down the details.’

Anna hurried back inside and went straight to the reception desk. Eileen had just finished taking a phone call and she looked up when Anna approached her. ‘Problems?’

‘Not really. I just need a pen and a scrap of paper if you’ve got one handy.’

Eileen found them for her. ‘Anything else?’

‘No, that’s fine. Thanks,’ Anna assured her. She went back to the foyer and quickly noted down the details for Janice then handed her the slip of paper. ‘Now, promise me that you’ll give them a call. There’s no point letting your talents go to waste.’

Janice laughed delightedly. ‘Oh, wouldn’t it be wonderful if they said I could help out? I’ll phone them as soon as I get home.’

‘You do that,’ Anna agreed, smiling to herself as she watched her leave. The difference in Janice’s demeanour was simply amazing, she thought.

‘What have you been doing to make Janice Robertson look so cheerful all of a sudden?’

She swung round when she heard Ben’s voice, feeling a little flurry run through her when she found him standing in the doorway. ‘I just suggested that she should contact the local playgroup and see if they need any volunteers to help them.’ She quickly repeated what the woman had told her. ‘I got the impression that she was lonely and thought that this might be just what she needed.’

‘I see.’ He suddenly smiled at her. ‘Maybe I should ask you for help more often.’

Anna laughed but she couldn’t deny how good it felt to have him looking at her without that awful chill in his eyes for once. It struck her how much it had hurt to have him treat her so distantly all week.