Second Chance with Her Guarded GP

by Kate Hardy

  ‘OK. We’ll put a date in the diary, have a nice afternoon together—with tea and scones—and then I’ll buy you a rose bush. Or another plant, if you don’t want to be bothered with roses,’ she said.

  Even though she didn’t manage to pin them down to an actual date, they hadn’t rejected her out of hand. This was progress, of sorts.

  Better still, she had Oliver to go back to at the end of the day. Instead of feeling lonely and hopeless, the way she usually did after seeing her parents, she’d be spending the evening with someone who did want to spend time with her.

  ‘How was your visit?’ he asked.

  ‘They actually looked at the photographs of Alnwick,’ she said. ‘And I got a smile.’

  * * *

  Ollie’s heart ached for her. If he’d been in her shoes, he knew his parents would’ve wanted to spend as much time as they could with him, rather than push him away. ‘A smile is good,’ he said. But he rather thought she needed a hug, and held her close.

  Taking her out for dinner would be the easy option; he wanted to make her feel special and cherished. So he’d do something for her instead of paying someone else to do it. ‘How about I make us dinner? We could sit in the garden in the sun, with a glass of wine, and just chill.’

  ‘That would be lovely. Can I help make dinner?’

  He was about to say no, he wanted to spoil her, but then he realised: she’d said before that her parents stonewalled her. Right now, she needed to feel included. ‘Sure. But I’ll fine you a kiss for every time you get under my feet in my little galley kitchen,’ he said, keeping it light.

  ‘Challenge accepted. And I’ll fine you two kisses for getting under my feet.’ Her smile reached her eyes, this time, and he knew he’d said the right thing.

  * * *

  On Monday, they had a meeting with Caroline, the head of the practice, about the strength and balance classes for the elderly.

  ‘It was Gemma’s idea,’ Oliver said. ‘But I have friends whose practices have trialled something like this and they shared their stats with me. The cost-benefit analysis shows it’d be a good investment; the amount spent on the classes will be more than offset by the amount saved by not having to treat so many falls.’

  ‘Plus there’s the soft side of things: the effect it’ll have on the community. I’ve spoken to Melanie at the gym,’ Gemma said. ‘She thinks it’s a great idea and she’s prepared to do the training to make sure she gets the right balance of exercises—um, I didn’t actually intend that pun,’ she said, when Oliver pulled a face at her. ‘She has morning weekday slots available. She suggested a nominal fee for the first six weeks; and then reduced-price classes for people who wanted to continue.’

  ‘You’ve really worked it out between you, haven’t you?’ Caroline asked. ‘Much as I’d like to go with my heart rather than my head, we do need to look at it in the context of all our patients, because we have to allocate costs fairly. Let me read what you’ve put together, and I’ll come back to you by Friday.’

  On Friday, Caroline agreed to the plan.

  Celebratory dinner tonight? Oliver suggested by text.

  Gemma had been going to Claire’s. She texted her best friend, asking if she could invite Oliver.

  So I get to meet him properly? YES!

  That was the immediate reply.

  She texted Oliver.

  I’m at Claire’s for dinner. Come with me?

  Would he think this was taking things too fast, meeting her best friend so soon?

  Fortunately she had work to distract her—including a call with Mrs Brown, whose itchy rash had disappeared before the dermatology department could do a biopsy.

  And then Oliver texted her back.

  I’d love to. What are C’s favourite flowers?

  She almost sagged in relief.

  You really don’t have to take flowers, but gerberas.

  Good. Let me know what time.

  * * *

  Meeting Gemma’s best friend. That was a sign she was letting him a lot closer, Ollie thought. Which was a good thing.

  At the same time, he felt faintly intimidated. He knew that Claire would assess him—just as Rob would assess Gemma, if Ollie let them meet each other. And he was pretty sure that the uppermost question in Claire’s mind would be whether he’d be good for Gemma or if he’d hurt her.

  He hoped he knew the answer, but all he could do was be himself.

  After work, he bought a large bunch of zingy orange gerberas and a bottle of good red wine. He didn’t have a clue what kind of gift to take a three-year-old, but Gemma had mentioned reading stories to her goddaughter, so he asked for a recommendation in the village bookshop and came out with a book he hoped Scarlett didn’t already have.

  From what Gemma had said, they’d arrive at just about bedtime for Scarlett, so she’d get a cuddle and a story.

  Claire greeted them both with a hug. ‘Nice to meet you properly, Oliver,’ she said.

  ‘And you,’ he replied. ‘Thank you for inviting me.’ He handed over the gifts he’d brought.

  ‘That’s so sweet of you.’ She beamed at him. ‘And to think of Scarlett, too? Thank you so much. Come through and I’ll get you a drink.’

  In the living room, Gemma scooped up her goddaughter, who flung her arms round Gemma’s neck, squealing, ‘Aunty Gemma!’

  ‘Oliver, this is Andy and Scarlett,’ Gemma introduced him quickly. ‘This is my friend Oliver.’

  Andy nodded and smiled.

  ‘Hello,’ Scarlett said shyly.

  ‘Oliver brought you something nice,’ Claire said, and gave Scarlett the book.

  ‘It’s a story about a mermaid!’ Scarlett said with a gasp of delight, looking at the front cover. ‘Can we read it now, Aunty Gemma?’

  Claire coughed. ‘Words missing, Scarlett. What do you say to Oliver?’

  ‘Thank you, Oliver,’ the little girl said solemnly.

  ‘My pleasure,’ Oliver said.

  ‘Come and read it with us,’ Gemma said.

  And somehow he found himself doing the voice of the shark, who became best friends with the mermaid.

  It gave Ollie a jolt.

  Sitting here with Gemma, a little girl cuddled between them, reading a story... It was lovely. Sweet, domesticated, and exactly what he’d hoped for when he’d been engaged to Tabby. He wanted to settle down. Have a family. Read stories, build sandcastles, maybe have a cat or dog.

  Except he didn’t know what Gemma wanted. Did she want to settle down and have a family? She’d spoken about offering a home for a troubled teen; what about babies?

  It was too soon to discuss that. He’d known Gemma for a few weeks, and they’d barely started dating. What did she want from a partner? Would he be enough for her? He’d always thought of himself as grounded and sensible, but since Tabby had told him he wasn’t enough for her it had made him doubt himself, wonder if instead he was staid and boring. And Gemma herself had said that her relationships tended to fizzle out. They’d agreed to see how things went between them. He really should stop thinking about the future and concentrate on the here and now.

  But Ollie still felt as if he fitted here. Once Scarlett was in bed, asleep, and Claire had served the best lasagne he’d ever eaten, he found it easy to chat to Gemma’s best friend and her husband, as if he’d known them for years.

  Even when he insisted on helping clear up in the kitchen and Claire grilled him, he still felt comfortable.

  ‘Just be careful with her,’ Claire said quietly. ‘She’s not had a great time, the last few years.’

  ‘You and your family made a difference, though,’ he said, equally quietly.

  ‘She told you?’ Claire looked surprised.

  He nodded. ‘About Sarah, about her difficult year and about moving in with your family. I’m glad she had you all looking o
ut for her.’

  ‘I don’t want to see her hurt again,’ Claire said.

  ‘I won’t hurt her,’ Ollie promised. ‘I know she’s special.’

  Claire gave him a long, assessing gaze. ‘I believe you. The question is, will she?’

  It gave Ollie pause for thought, but he still found himself becoming closer to Gemma as the next week ticked past. And closer to Ashermouth Bay, too; in London, neighbours could pass you in the street without having a clue that you lived next door. Here, everyone knew everyone. When he went for his morning run, people would wave or call a greeting across the street. If he popped out to the shops, he’d bump into patients who’d stop for a chat, and not just about their health.

  Ollie really liked being part of the community here. Being on the surgery’s pub quiz team, joining in with all the jokes and good-natured teasing, being right in the middle of things. He was beginning to think that this was exactly where he belonged. And maybe he should think about staying here instead of going back to London.

  * * *

  On Tuesday morning, Ollie had a nervous patient. ‘How can I help, Mrs Parker?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s my little boy,’ she said. ‘Yesterday, nursery said James was a bit grumpy. This morning, he’s covered in spots. I think he’s got chickenpox.’

  ‘I had heard there was an outbreak,’ Oliver said. ‘How old is James?’

  ‘Three.’

  ‘Chickenpox is usually pretty mild, at that age,’ Oliver said, clearly trying to reassure her. ‘Were they red spots, practically coming out as you looked at him?’

  ‘Yes,’ Penny said.

  ‘In a day or so, they might start to blister and be itchy. He’ll have a bit of a temperature, he might tell you he has a tummy ache, and he might be off his food,’ Oliver said. ‘Keep him at home until five days after the last spots have crusted over. Give him some paracetamol to bring his temperature down, try not to let him scratch the spots, and use calamine lotion to stop the itching.’

  Penny bit her lip. ‘It’s not just James, though.’ She smoothed a hand over her bump. ‘It’s this little one.’

  ‘Would I be right in guessing that you didn’t have chickenpox when you were young?’ Oliver asked.

  ‘When I was in primary school, there was an outbreak and Mum sent me to play with every single kid who had it,’ Penny said. ‘But I never got it. And the baby’s due in a month. And I read...’ Her voice sounded choked. ‘If I get it, and the baby’s early...’

  ‘First of all, don’t panic,’ Oliver said. ‘We can check your booking-in bloods and see if you’ve got any antibodies for chickenpox. If you have, panic over; if not, then we can give you some antiviral medicine. It might not stop you getting chickenpox, but it’ll be much less severe and it will help to protect the baby as well.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Penny’s smile was less wobbly now. ‘I was so worried.’

  ‘Of course you were,’ Oliver said. ‘But we can do a lot to help. Try not to look on the scary side. And definitely don’t search things on the Internet, because that’s where people like to outdo each other on the horror stories.’

  ‘It’s a bit late for that,’ Penny said wryly. ‘But thank you.’

  When she’d gone, he rang the hospital and got them to run a test on Penny’s booking-in bloods, explaining the situation and that he had a very anxious mum waiting for the results.

  ‘You’re looking twitchy,’ Gemma said later that afternoon in the staff rest room. ‘Too much coffee?’ she teased.

  ‘No. Waiting for test results. I had a worried mum in this morning; her baby’s due in a month and her little one has gone down with chickenpox—which she hasn’t had.’

  ‘Penny Parker?’ Gemma asked.

  ‘Do you know her?’

  ‘We were at school together. She’s an absolute sweetheart,’ Gemma said. ‘So James has chickenpox? Scarlett is in his nursery class, so no doubt she’ll be bringing a letter home to warn parents to look out for spots and a temperature.’

  Thankfully, the results came in half an hour later, and Ollie was able to ring Penny and tell her that she was immune and didn’t need to worry.

  * * *

  On Wednesday evening, Ollie was playing a board game with Gemma when his doorbell rang.

  ‘Are you expecting visitors?’ Gemma asked.

  ‘No,’ Ollie said, and frowned. ‘I hope next door are OK. Jim was saying his knee was giving him a lot of trouble. I’ve been trying to persuade him to come in so I can examine him properly and maybe refer him for an X-ray.’

  When he opened the door, he was surprised to see his twin on the doorstep. ‘Rob! I didn’t know you were coming over this evening.’

  ‘I’m bored,’ Rob said. ‘Bored, bored, bored. And, just in case you didn’t get the message, first time round, I’m—’

  ‘Bored,’ Ollie finished, smiling. ‘Got it. Come in.’

  ‘If Mum wraps any more cotton wool round me, I’m going to start looking like a very out-of-season snowm—Oh. Hello.’ Rob looked at Gemma, then at his twin. ‘Sorry, Olls. I didn’t realise you had company.’

  ‘Rob, this is Gemma. My girlfriend.’

  Gemma’s eyes widened for a moment; but then she smiled, and it felt as if the world was full of sunshine.

  ‘Gemma, this is my—’

  ‘Older, and infinitely more charming twin brother,’ Rob said with a smile. ‘Robert Langley—Rob, to my friends. Lovely to meet you, Gemma.’ He shook her hand, then glanced at the table. ‘So who’s winning?’

  ‘Gemma is,’ Ollie said. ‘Go and make coffee, Rob.’

  ‘I’ve got a better idea. You make the coffee, and I’ll take your turn for you on the game,’ Rob said.

  * * *

  Which clearly signalled his intention to grill her, Gemma thought. No doubt this was how Oliver had felt at Claire’s. Well, all she could do was be herself and hope that Rob would like her.

  ‘Olls showed me your skydive video,’ Rob said when Oliver had gone into the kitchen. ‘I’m impressed.’

  ‘Coming from someone who does stuff for humanitarian organisations and is on a mountain rescue team, you shouldn’t be,’ Gemma said. ‘What I did was only for a few minutes. You do it all the time.’

  ‘Sadly, I won’t be able to do the aid stuff in future, because of the kidney—I’m too much of a risk,’ Rob said. ‘So do you do a lot of this sort of thing for fundraising?’

  ‘I’m sure Oliver’s already told you—my little sister had myocarditis and she didn’t get a transplant in time. I’ve been fundraising for the local hospital ever since I qualified and came back here to work. They’re doing research into permanent artificial hearts.’

  ‘Which would be a huge game-changer,’ Rob said. ‘Is it too late to sponsor you for your skydive?’

  ‘Yes, but I do a cake stall at the surgery on Fridays.’

  ‘Cake? Excellent. Make Olls buy some for me. He hates cake, but I don’t,’ Rob said.

  She smiled. ‘I will. Let me know your favourite sort, and I’ll make it for this Friday.’

  ‘Anything with chocolate,’ Rob said. ‘So what else are you planning?’

  ‘I do two big events a year. The skydive had to be postponed so the next one’s a bit close—I’m doing a sixty-mile cycle ride down the coast next month,’ she said, ‘and then after that I’m considering doing a swimming challenge, though I’m planning to swim in the pool at the gym rather than the actual English Channel.’

  ‘Good idea, because then you don’t have to wait a couple of years for a slot and then hope that the weather conditions will work out,’ Rob said. ‘Given the cliffs I’ve seen along here, I assume you’ve done climbing or abseiling?’

  She shook her head. ‘Not for me. Too scary. I’d rather walk along the top of the cliffs and enjoy the view in safety.’

  ‘Or along
the beach and rescue a drowning teenager,’ Rob said.

  Oliver had told his brother about that? She flapped a dismissive hand. ‘Everyone around here does their school lifesaving stuff in the sea. Anyone else would’ve done the same thing.’

  ‘But you’re the one who actually went in to get him,’ Rob said softly.

  ‘Oliver wanted to, but I didn’t want him overexerting himself. I know technically he’s allowed to swim in the sea again, but there’s a big difference between casual swimming and towing someone in. Plus we needed someone to get in touch with the emergency services. It was a team effort.’

  ‘Uh-huh.’ But Rob’s smile held approval. ‘Olls says there are all kinds of things here. Kite-surfing—’

  ‘No, no and no. Be more me,’ Oliver said, coming back into the room. ‘Your consultant would have kittens if he could hear you.’

  ‘I know,’ Rob said mildly. ‘He’s given me the green light to go back to work part time. Mum’s panicking. But I’m going to be sensible. I told her about that bargain we made: I’m going to be more Ollie and you’re going to be more Rob.’

  ‘Me being the sensible one, and Rob being the—’

  ‘Almost sensible one,’ Rob cut in with a grin.

  The bickering, Gemma could see, was purely for show; the way Oliver and Rob looked at each other told her how much they loved each other.

  She thoroughly enjoyed playing the board game with Oliver and his brother; despite the physical distance between them over the last few years, they were clearly very close and talked to each other a lot. The same kind of relationship she would’ve had with Sarah, she thought wistfully. Love and acceptance of each other, flaws and all.

  * * *

  ‘I like her, Olls,’ Rob said when Gemma left at the end of the evening. ‘A lot. She’s the complete opposite of Tabby. And she’s perfect for you.’

  ‘It’s early days,’ Ollie said. ‘And I’m only here temporarily.’

  ‘Don’t overthink things,’ Rob advised. ‘You still haven’t decided whether you’re going back to London or somewhere else. Stick around for a bit. See how it goes.’