Saving Dr. Cooper

by Jennifer Taylor

  She tapped on the door and went in, pinning a smile to her mouth when all three looked up. ‘Hi. How are you doing?’

  ‘Heather!’ Josh scrambled off the sofa and came running to her.

  Heather laughed as she bent and hugged him. ‘What a lovely welcome!’

  ‘We missed you, didn’t we, Uncle Ross?’ Josh said guilelessly, turning to the man sitting on the sofa. Heather’s smile slipped when Ross didn’t answer. It was obvious that he, at least, wasn’t pleased to see her.

  ‘I thought I’d pop in and see if you needed anything before I went home,’ she explained hurriedly.

  ‘No, thank you. We’re fine,’ Ross replied politely.

  Heather’s heart sank when she heard the chilly note in his voice. Maybe it was silly to let it upset her but she couldn’t bear to think that they would part on such bad terms.

  ‘Are you sure?’ She felt a little colour wash up her face when he raised a sardonic brow. Ross obviously didn’t believe her concern was genuine but she knew it was. The thought spurred her on. ‘What’s going to happen about the boys?’

  ‘They’ll have to stay here with me for the time being.’ He shrugged. ‘Once Mike arrives then we can sort something out.’

  Heather looked uncertainly at the twins, who were now kneeling by the coffee-table and listlessly playing a board game. Their faces were grey from lack of sleep and her heart went out to them.

  ‘Do you think it’s a good idea to keep them here?’ she said quietly so the children couldn’t hear. ‘They really need to go home to bed.’

  ‘I’m sure you’re right, and as soon as Mike gets here, I’ll take them home,’ Ross said shortly.

  ‘But it could be hours before he arrives!’

  ‘So what do you suggest, Heather? There’s no way I can leave here until I know that Kate is going to be all right.’

  His tone was curt to the point of rudeness but she guessed that was because he was worried rather than angry about what had happened between them. Ross was trying to do his best for everyone concerned, but it wasn’t easy to balance the needs of his sister against those of his young nephews. Heather came to a swift decision, even though she wasn’t sure if it was wise to get involved. She couldn’t just walk away and leave him to cope on his own. Her heart wouldn’t let her.

  ‘What I suggest is that I take Josh and Luke home with me and you collect them later. It makes far more sense than keeping them here, don’t you think, Ross?’

  CHAPTER NINE

  ROSS was so stunned by Heather’s offer that several seconds must have elapsed before he could speak. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea…’

  ‘Of course it is!’ Heather didn’t give him a chance to finish. Ross saw her eyes flash with impatience as she pushed back her cuff and checked her watch. ‘It’s just gone seven already so what time does your brother-in-law expect to get here?’

  ‘I’m not sure,’ he admitted. ‘It all depends when Mike can get on a flight to London. Most of the seats will have been booked months ago so he may have to wait for a cancellation.’

  He shook his head when she went to say something else. Standing up, he gestured towards the door. He preferred to discuss this out of earshot of the children rather than run the risk of upsetting them if the conversation became too heated. Frankly, the last thing he would have expected Heather to do was to offer to look after the twins after what had happened earlier.

  His heart hiccuped as the memory of those magical few minutes he’d spent kissing her came rushing back. It was an effort to put it out of his mind as he explained to the boys that he would just be outside. He followed Heather into the corridor, wondering why it was so important to her that she should be allowed to help him. Exactly what did she hope to achieve by it? He had no idea, but he’d made one mistake that day and he wasn’t about to make a second and suffer the consequences.

  ‘Look, Heather, I’m grateful to you for offering to look after the boys but I wouldn’t dream of putting on you like that,’ he said firmly, determined that he was going to take control of the situation. ‘It wouldn’t be fair.’

  ‘It isn’t fair to the twins to keep them here either,’ she retorted. ‘They’re completely worn out and they need some sleep. I can take them home with me and you can collect them whenever you want to. I really can’t see what the problem is…. Unless you don’t trust me to look after them,’ she added uncertainly.

  ‘Of course I trust you!’ He sighed when he saw her jump but he couldn’t bear to see her looking so hurt. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap but you’re crazy to suggest such a thing. I know the twins would be perfectly safe with you, Heather. It just seems too much to expect you to take care of them after you’ve been working all night.’

  ‘It isn’t a problem. Really. I can put the boys to bed then have a sleep myself. Mum is going shopping with Grace so it will be nice and peaceful in the flat.’

  ‘But why do you want to do this?’ he countered. ‘I don’t mean to appear ungrateful but I don’t understand why you’re so keen to help when you made it clear before that you weren’t interested in me or my problems.’

  ‘That isn’t true. It isn’t that I don’t care, Ross. It’s just that I’m…well, wary about getting too involved.’

  ‘Taking Josh and Luke home with you entails a certain degree of involvement,’ he pointed out.

  ‘I suppose it does, but it’s what a friend would do if he or she wanted to help.’

  ‘So what you’re saying is that you want us to be friends? Have I got that right?’ he asked, wanting to be sure that he wasn’t making another mistake.

  ‘Yes, I suppose I am. I…I can’t bear to think that you hate me for what I said before, Ross.’

  ‘I could never hate you, Heather,’ he admitted huskily. He cleared his throat, realising that he was in danger of saying too much if he didn’t get a grip of himself. Now certainly wasn’t the time to confess how he really felt about her.

  ‘And you’re quite sure you don’t mind looking after the boys? Obviously, I’ll collect them as soon as I can, but I don’t know how long it will be before I can leave here. I want to stay until Kate has come round from the anaesthetic at the very least.’

  ‘It isn’t a problem. You can leave them with me for as long as you want to.’ She looked at him and smiled. ‘I want to help any way I can, Ross, and I mean that.’

  Ross felt his heart race when he saw the warmth in her eyes. It was obvious that she was telling him the truth and the knot of pain that had been lodged in his chest for the past hour suddenly began to ease.

  ‘Then all I can say is thank you. I really appreciate this, Heather, especially after…’

  He stopped, not wanting to spoil their new-found harmony by harking back to what had happened. It had felt like such a complete and total rejection when Heather had stated that she didn’t owe him anything that it had cut him to the quick. But maybe he’d been at fault for expecting too much? Heather had tried to comfort him and he should never have overstepped the boundaries by kissing her.

  Only she didn’t try to stop you, did she? a small voice whispered. It was only after they’d been interrupted that she’d had second thoughts. Maybe she’d realised how deep her feelings really were for him and she’d been scared at the thought of breaking her rule about not getting involved.

  Ross’s head whirled as he tried to absorb that tantalising thought but it was too much to cope with when he had so many other issues to deal with. He put it to the back of his mind as they went to tell the twins that Heather was going to take them home with her. They seemed perfectly happy with the arrangement, he was relieved to see.

  ‘I’ll collect you both later.’ Ross bent down and hugged them. ‘Just make sure that you’re good for Heather, won’t you?’

  ‘We will, Uncle Ross,’ Luke promised solemnly. He ran to Heather and took hold of her hand and Josh quickly followed suit.

  Ross stood up, trying to ignore the tugging on his heart strings as he
looked at the three of them standing there. He could just imagine how wonderful it would be to see Heather with their children.

  ‘How are you getting home?’ he said gruffly, shocked by the speed with which that idea had surfaced. ‘You can’t take the boys on the tube in their pyjamas.’

  ‘It might cause a bit of a sensation.’ Heather laughed as she looked at the twins. ‘I suppose we’d better take a taxi, hadn’t we, guys?’

  ‘I’ve a better idea. Do you drive?’ Ross quickly hunted his car keys out of his pocket when she nodded. ‘Then you can take my car. It will be quicker than trying to find a cab at this time of the morning. Taxis are scarcer than gold dust during the rush-hour.’

  ‘But what about you?’ she protested.

  ‘The rush will be over by the time I leave here so I can take a cab.’ He offered her the keys and after a slight hesitation she took them. ‘Right, I’d better show you where I’ve parked, hadn’t I?’

  He opened the door, waiting while Heather led the twins into the corridor. He followed them to the exit then took the lead as they made their way to the car park. Even at that hour of the day there were a lot of vehicles already parked there and he was glad that he hadn’t left her to find the car on her own.

  Heather unlocked the doors and the twins scrambled into the back. Ross helped Luke with his seat belt while Heather helped Josh fasten his. He opened the door on the driver’s side and waited while she slid behind the wheel. Crouching down beside her, he gave her a quick run-through of the controls, wanting to be sure that she was comfortable driving a strange vehicle.

  ‘You’re quite happy with everything?’ he asked anxiously.

  ‘Fine, although there might be a few kangaroo hops when I set off.’ She grinned at him. ‘I forgot to mention that it’s been some time since I was behind a steering-wheel. I hope you aren’t too worried about your clutch.’

  ‘So long as you feel confident about driving it then I don’t care what you do,’ he declared truthfully.

  ‘Ah, so you’re that rare breed, are you? A man who doesn’t mind the odd scratch or two on his paintwork,’ she teased, her eyes full of laughter.

  ‘At the end of the day, a car is just a lump of metal and it can be replaced,’ he said softly, wondering if she had any idea how adorable she looked. It was rare to see her looking so relaxed and he couldn’t help wishing that she did it more often. ‘It’s people who matter most, Heather. You can’t ever replace them.’

  ‘Maybe you shouldn’t try,’ she whispered with a catch in her voice. Ross felt a searing pain run through him when he saw the shadows in her eyes. He knew immediately that she was thinking about her fiancé. Even after all this time her loss was still so painful that it coloured everything she did.

  He stood up and closed the door because he didn’t want her to see how much that thought had grieved him. He waved to the twins then made his way back to the hospital because there was no point standing there, wishing for something he couldn’t have. If Heather was still in love with the other man then he had to accept that. It didn’t mean he had to like the idea but he had to learn to live with it. The trouble was that it might also mean him learning to live without Heather and he wasn’t sure he could manage that. It would be like asking him to live without sunshine and fresh air. He could exist without them but the world would be a very grey and dreary place.

  Heather woke at two, feeling much better for having had several uninterrupted hours of sleep. She pulled on a comfortable old towelling robe over her pyjamas and went to check on the twins. She’d put them in her room and had slept in Sandra’s bed, and they were still fast asleep when she popped her head round the door.

  She went into the kitchen and made some tea. Her mother had told her that she was going to take Grace to the park after they’d finished their shopping and that it would be mid-afternoon before they got back. Heather decided to take advantage of the extra free time and sat down to enjoy her tea instead of taking it into the bathroom with her as she normally did. She would have plenty of time to shower and dress before they got home.

  The thought had barely crossed her mind when she heard a knock on the front door. Heather rushed to the sitting-room window and groaned when she saw Ross standing on the doorstep. She didn’t need to look in the mirror to know that her hair was hanging in rats’ tails around her shoulders and that the tatty old robe looked as though it should have been pensioned off decades ago. How typical that he should arrive when she looked such a sight!

  ‘Hi. I hope I didn’t wake you.’

  Ross smiled at her when she opened the door. Heather tossed back her hair, knowing that she would just have to brazen it out. Anyway, what difference did it make how she looked? Ross wasn’t here to see her; he’d come to collect the twins.

  ‘I’d just got up, actually.’ She led the way to the kitchen, trying not to feel self-conscious about the fact that several inches of Winnie the Pooh printed pyjama legs were visible beneath the hem of her robe.

  ‘So I can see. Nice pyjamas, by the way. I used to be a Pooh fan, too, in my younger days.’

  The laughter in his voice brought a rush of colour to Heather’s cheeks and she busied herself by plugging in the kettle. ‘My mother bought them for me for Christmas. Grace loves the books and she chose them when Mum took her shopping for my present.’

  ‘Obviously a child with excellent taste.’ Ross pulled out a chair and sank down on it with a sigh. ‘Phew, it’s been a long night.’

  ‘You must be exhausted,’ Heather sympathised, forgetting her embarrassment when she heard the weariness in his voice. ‘How’s Kate?’

  ‘Still unconscious.’ He ran his hands over his face and Heather could hear the dry rasp of stubble beneath his fingers. ‘I had a word with her consultant before I left and he told me that the operation had gone as planned. He also said that Kate would be sedated for a while, although I’m not sure why exactly. I was so tired by then that I didn’t really take it all in.’

  ‘To minimise the effects of shock,’ Heather explained. ‘Both the initial injury to the brain and the operation will have caused a degree of trauma so keeping Kate sedated will help her body deal with it. They will gradually reduce the amount of sedatives she receives over the next day or so.’

  ‘And hopefully she will regain consciousness then? Although there’s no guarantee, I suppose.’

  ‘Don’t think about that now,’ she said quickly when she heard the anxiety in his voice. ‘Kate has come through the operation and that’s the main thing. Now, how about a cup of tea?’

  ‘I don’t know if I can stay awake long enough to drink it.’ He yawned widely. ‘Excuse me! I think I’d better collect the boys and get off home. I need to make arrangements with one of Kate’s friends to look after them while I go back to the hospital.’

  ‘Is there no sign of your brother-in-law yet?’ Heather asked worriedly. It was obvious how exhausted Ross was and she hated to think of him going straight back to the hospital without taking time to rest.

  ‘Mike phoned me about an hour ago. He’s had to make a stop-over in Frankfurt because he couldn’t get on a direct flight to London,’ he explained. ‘Unfortunately, there’s been problems with the new air traffic control system and all flights into the UK have been delayed. Mike has no idea what time he will eventually get here.’

  ‘I see. But is there nobody else who could help? Other members of your family who could visit Kate or look after the twins?’

  ‘I’m afraid not. Our parents died some years ago so there’s just Kate and me, apart from some distant cousins we never see. Mike is from Canada and his family all live over there.’ He shrugged. ‘Basically, it’s all down to me at the moment.’

  ‘Then it’s even more important that you get some rest while you can,’ she said firmly. ‘You can’t keep going without any sleep, Ross.’

  ‘I should be able to snatch half an hour when I get back to the hospital. I can catnap in the visitors’ lounge once I’ve checked o
n Kate.’

  ‘You need more than a catnap in a hard hospital chair,’ she protested. The kettle boiled so she made him a cup of tea and sat down at the table, determined to make him see sense. ‘Anyway, the twins are still fast asleep and it doesn’t seem fair to wake them up.’

  ‘I can’t leave them with you any longer, Heather. You must have things to do. I’ll take them home as soon as I’ve drunk this.’

  He took a thirsty swallow of the tea and shuddered appreciatively. ‘This tastes so much better than the stuff you get out of those wretched machines! Heaven knows what they put in it but it tastes more like stewed sawdust than tea.’

  ‘Tell me about it!’ She laughed softly, thinking how handsome he looked despite the fact that he was obviously worn out. The dark stubble on his jaw gave him a rakish air whilst the shadows under his hazel eyes made them look even more soulful than ever. When he pushed back his hair, Heather found her eyes drawn to the crisp dark strands, loving the way they immediately sprang back into place….

  ‘Penny for them?’

  She jumped when he touched her lightly on the hand, feeling the ready colour wash up her face when she found him watching her. ‘Oh, they’re not worth a penny. My head is a complete muddle until I’ve had a shower and a second cup of tea.’

  ‘Mmm, I know what you mean. I’m fit for nothing until I’ve had my daily dose of caffeine.’ He smiled at her, his tired hazel eyes lingering on her hair. ‘Do you know, it’s the first time I’ve seen you with your hair down? You should wear it like that more often.’

  ‘It’s a mess,’ she protested. ‘I really should get it cut but I just never seem to get round to it.’

  ‘It would be a shame to cut it all off.’ He lifted a strand off her collar and let it slide through his fingers. ‘It feels so wonderfully soft.’

  Heather gulped in air when she felt the gentle tugging on her hair but there didn’t seem to be any oxygen getting to her lungs. A wave of giddiness assailed her and she hastily pushed back her chair, ignoring the startled look Ross gave her.