It had been a busy afternoon, she thought, taking a prescription pad from the drawer. First the house calls then the trip to school to collect Hannah. The least said about her disaster in the kitchen the better but it had given her an insight into what Matt had to contend with each day. His life must be a constant battle to balance home and work. Still, she’d really rather enjoyed it. It had felt good to be useful. In fact, she wouldn’t mind helping him again if he was ever stuck.
A frown pleated her brow because the last thing she should be doing was planning on getting more deeply involved with Matt’s family.
Evening surgery was extremely busy and Catherine was glad that she’d managed to get an early start. She worked her way through her list then added on another couple of patients who had turned up without an appointment. One was a young woman who was threatening to miscarry. Sadly there was very little she could to for her patient so she phoned for an ambulance to take the woman to hospital. It was six-thirty by the time the ambulance left and Matt had just finished. He joined Catherine at the front door as she watched the paramedics driving away.
‘Problems?’
‘A young woman threatening to miscarry,’ she explained, turning to go back inside.
‘Oh? What’s her name?’
‘Deborah Hale.’
‘What rotten luck!’ he exclaimed as she closed the door. ‘Debbie was over the moon when I confirmed that she was pregnant. She must be—what—nine or ten weeks by now?’
‘Nine,’ she confirmed, heading back to her room. ‘She said she’d been feeling fine until about an hour ago when she suddenly started having stomach cramps and realised she was bleeding. She got her husband to bring her straight here but there wasn’t a lot I could do.’
‘There’s not much anyone can do in that situation. It’s a case of letting nature take its course, although it’s hard for any woman to accept that. Ruth had a miscarriage and she was dreadfully upset. I think that’s why she was so determined to go through with her pregnancy when she found out she was expecting Hannah.’
He paused when the phone rang. Catherine was glad of the interruption because she had no idea what to say. How different Matt’s life might have been if his wife hadn’t been taken from him, she thought.
It was a sobering thought and she was happy not to dwell on it when Sharon popped her head round the door. ‘It’s Ann Talbot, Dr Fielding. She says that she needs to speak to you urgently. It sounds as though she’s in a real panic, too.’
‘I wonder what’s happened,’ Matt exclaimed as he hurried to the office.
Catherine quickly followed. It was obvious that it was something serious because she could tell how concerned he was when he came off the phone.
‘David Marshall’s having trouble breathing. Ann thinks he needs to go to hospital but he won’t let her phone for an ambulance. She wants me to go round there and try to persuade him to see sense.’
He hurried to his room to fetch his bag and Catherine went after him. ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’
‘I can’t think of anything…Oh, I know. Will you go through to the house and tell Becky and Hannah to put their coats on?’
‘Of course.’ She turned to leave then paused. ‘Surely you aren’t going to take the girls with you?’
‘I don’t have a choice. I can’t leave them here on their own. They’ll be perfectly all right in the car. There’s no need to worry, Catherine.’
Maybe there wasn’t but she couldn’t help it. It seemed wrong to take the children out at that time of the night and wrong to expect Matt to do his job and look after them as well. She came to a swift decision.
‘I’ll stay here with the girls while you go to see David. If you do manage to talk him into going to hospital, Ann will probably need your support.’
‘I really don’t expect you to keep covering for me, Catherine.’
‘I know you don’t.’ She smiled when she saw the doubt on his face. ‘I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to do this, Matt. That’s the truth!’
‘Then thank you very much because I accept.’ He picked up his bag and hurried to the door then paused when he drew level with her. ‘Tell the kids I’ll be as quick as I can, will you?’
‘I will. Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.’ She made a cross over her heart and grinned up at him. ‘I promise on my honour that I shall stay out of your kitchen, too, so you don’t need to worry about that!’
‘That’s the very least of my worries,’ he growled, bending to drop a kiss on her lips before he left.
Catherine’s head was reeling as she watched him striding along the hall. He opened the front door then glanced back. ‘I’ll see you later, Catherine.’
‘I…I’ll be here.’
She heard the husky note in her voice and knew that he’d heard it, too. She took a small breath as the front door closed then another just to prove to herself that she could still do something as simple as breathing. Sharon wished her goodnight as she left, and Catherine answered, or she assumed she did. It was as though all her sensory perceptions had switched themselves off—all except one.
Heat raced through her veins when she recalled the fleeting pressure of Matt’s mouth on hers. The kiss had been all too brief but she’d felt the passion it had held. She had promised him that she would stay and there was no way that she could go back on her word. When he got home she would be there in his house, with his children, waiting for him.
She had no idea what would happen then but she wasn’t going to pretend that the kiss wouldn’t have repercussions. No man could have kissed a woman like Matt had kissed her if he didn’t feel something for her.
CHAPTER TEN
IT WAS after nine by the time Matt got back. Catherine switched off the television as soon as she heard the front door opening. She had tried her best to stay calm while she’d been waiting for him to return but it wasn’t easy to ignore the way her heart was thudding all of a sudden.
‘Sorry I was so long.’ He dropped his case by the door and came into the room. Catherine frowned when she saw the weariness on his face. He looked worn out although it was hardly surprising after the day he’d had.
‘How was David? Did you manage to persuade him to go to hospital in the end?’
‘No. He refused point-blank to let us phone for an ambulance or take him there by car.’
He sank down on the sofa and closed his eyes. ‘We couldn’t force him to go but I’d feel a lot happier if he was safely tucked up in a hospital bed at this precise moment.’
‘I’m sure you did everything you could, Matt. What exactly was wrong with him?’
‘Pneumonia. It turns out that he hadn’t been wholly truthful when he’d told Ann that he’d fallen out of his wheelchair yesterday morning. Apparently, he’d fallen during the previous night while he’d been getting himself a drink of water. He must have knocked himself out because when he came to it was morning. There was no sign of his carer so that’s when he phoned Ann.’
‘Oh, no! I wonder if he maybe inhaled some of the water when he fell. That could be what has caused his pneumonia.’
‘Precisely what I thought, although it doesn’t make much difference now how he got it.’ Matt sighed as he opened his eyes. ‘Anyway, after a lot of arguing I told him point-blank that I wasn’t prepared to leave him in the house on his own so he agreed that Ann could spend the night there. I’ve dosed him up with some heavy-duty antibiotics and promised Ann that I’ll go back with some oxygen in case he needs it. I’m just trying to summon up enough energy to set off again.’
‘Do you want me to take it on my way home?’ she offered immediately. ‘It would save you having to go out again.’
‘Would you mind?’
‘Of course I don’t mind! Anyway, don’t forget the girls. You can’t go out and leave them here on their own, can you?’
‘No, of course not. And I can’t expect you to stay here any longer either. I don’t know what I’m thinking about.’ He grimaced. �
�Anyway, I hope they weren’t too much trouble.’
‘They were as good as gold,’ she assured him. ‘They’re both in bed now so you can put your feet up and have a well-earned rest after I’ve left.’
She stood up, hoping he couldn’t tell how disappointed she was at having the evening cut short. However, there was no way she wanted Matt to go out again that night when he looked so exhausted. ‘I’ll take the portable oxygen tank out of the treatment room, shall I?’
‘You may as well. There’s a spare one in the supplies cupboard but I don’t feel like digging around in there at this precise moment to find it.’ He shook his head. ‘I must be getting old. I never used to feel this tired at the end of the day!’
‘Rubbish! You’re not old, just worn out from trying to fit too many things into too few hours.’
‘More, more!’ he encouraged, grinning at her. ‘I don’t care if you’re only saying that to cheer me up—but I much prefer your diagnosis to my own!’
‘It’s always best to get a second opinion if you’re unsure, Dr Fielding.’ She returned his smile, feeling her heart skip a beat when he stood up. There was something about the expression on his face that told he wasn’t just going to escort her out of the house. ‘Th-they drummed that into us at med school, didn’t they?’
‘They did, although I’ve always believed that it depends on who’s giving the opinion.’ He framed her face between his hands and looked into her eyes. ‘It means a lot more coming from you than it would if it came from anyone else.’
‘Oh? And why is that?’ she whispered, her heart almost leaping out of her chest in its excitement.
‘Because your opinion matters, Catherine. Especially when it’s about me.’
She knew he was going to kiss her then and just for a moment she was overwhelmed by fear at the thought of what she was getting into. But then his lips found hers and nothing seemed to matter any more.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down so he could deepen the kiss, sighing when she felt his tongue slip inside her mouth. She had been kissed before by other men but she had never experienced a fraction of the feelings that filled her now. Matt’s lips were so warm and tender, so hungry and yet so satisfying that both her head and her heart reeled. She was trembling when he drew back and rested his forehead against hers but, then, so was he.
‘Wow! As kisses go, that has to be a real mind-blower.’ His lips brushed her forehead and she shivered when she felt the feather-light touch on her hot skin.
‘It wasn’t bad,’ she said shakily, not really aware of what she was saying at that moment.
‘Not bad?’ He drew back and stared at her. ‘Not bad! It was a genuine, mind-blowing experience, and you have the cheek to say it was “not bad”.’
Catherine giggled when she heard the disgust in his voice. ‘All right, then, it was very good. Happy now?’
‘I suppose I shall have to be,’ he grumbled. ‘At least you didn’t say it was nice. Now that would have been a real passion-killer!’
‘Bearing in mind that I’m about to leave, maybe “nice” would have been a better description,’ she pointed out with a logic that was dredged from somewhere deep inside her. She needed to bear that thought in mind every bit as much as Matt did, she warned herself.
‘You could always come back.’
‘Pardon?’ It was her turn to stare at him and she felt her breath catch when she saw the expression in his eyes. There was so much hunger there that it felt as though she had never seen such longing on anyone’s face before. Matt wanted her as only a man could want a woman he cared very deeply for, and the thought almost blew her away.
‘You could come back here after you’ve taken the oxygen to David.’ His voice was as soft and as deep as velvet and she shivered when she felt it caressing her nerves. ‘It won’t take you very long to deliver it and while you’re away I can make us a meal. I don’t suppose you’ve had anything to eat yet, have you?’
‘No.’ She wet her lips because all of a sudden they felt so dry that it was difficult to speak. Her heart jerked when she saw the hungry way his eyes followed the movement of her tongue.
‘Good. I’ll open a bottle of wine and after we’ve eaten we can finish it off while we listen to some music. I find it helps me unwind after a busy day to sit here by the fire with the stereo playing in the background.’
His voice had deepened as he set the scene for her. Catherine closed her eyes so she could picture it in her mind—the meal, the wine, the two of them sitting together in front of the fire…
‘And after we’ve finished the wine, we can decide what we want to do next.’
‘Next?’
Her breath caught as the next scene began to unwind inside her head. A shudder ran through her as she imagined him bending over her, kissing her and stroking her skin before he picked her up in his arms and carried her up the stairs to his bed. The pictures were so vivid, so real that it was hard to believe that it was happening only in her imagination.
‘Mmm. I know what I want to happen, Catherine, but I won’t press you into doing something you might regret.’ He took a deep breath but his voice was hoarse when he continued, filled with a passion and need that made her whole body tingle.
‘I want you to stay the night here with me, but if it’s not what you want then I’ll understand. Don’t let me talk you into doing something that you feel in your heart isn’t right.’
Would it be right to stay?
Or would she regret it later?
The questions seemed to fill her mind to the exclusion of everything else and she shook her head. ‘I don’t know what I want, Matt. Part of me wants to stay but the other part is afraid of what it could mean.’
‘Then only you can make the choice, sweetheart. It’s your decision and I would never try to persuade you. You have to be sure it’s what you want as well.’
He let her go and her heart ached when she saw the sadness in his eyes. ‘Let’s go and find that oxygen, shall we? You can make up your mind what you intend to do after you’ve delivered it.’
‘And what if I…I decide not to come back?’ she whispered, hating herself for hurting him like this. Matt had done everything he could to reassure her and it wasn’t his fault that she had these doubts, yet he was paying a high price for them.
‘Then I’ll understand.’
He smiled at her and her eyes welled with tears when she saw the tenderness on his face. Even though he was hurt, he still put her first. She turned away because it wasn’t fair to let him see that she was upset when it would only upset him more. They went down to the surgery and found the oxygen tank. Catherine added a few more bits and bobs she thought Ann might need then Matt insisted on carrying everything outside and stowing it in the boot of her car.
He closed the boot lid then handed her back the keys. ‘Drive carefully, won’t you?’
‘I will.’ Catherine slid behind the wheel and started the engine. She wound down the window, feeling her heart fill with a wealth of emotions at she looked at him standing beside the car.
Was this love? she wondered suddenly. Was this how it felt, this stomach-churning tension, this feeling of anticipation and tenderness all rolled into one? She’d never allowed herself to think about falling in love before so had no way of judging. All she knew was that when she looked at Matt she felt things for him that she had never felt before.
‘No pressure, Catherine.’ He bent and kissed her gently on the lips and she clung to him, needing his strength to help her reach a decision. It was such a huge step and she was so afraid of making a mistake.
He drew back and there was a shimmer of tears in his eyes as he brushed his knuckles over her mouth in a heart-breakingly gentle caress. ‘Take care, sweetheart.’
‘And you.’
She left the surgery and drove the short distance to David’s house, grateful that the traffic was light at that time of the night. Her thoughts were in complete turmoil so that it was an eff
ort to concentrate as she made her way along the city streets. Ann must have heard her car coming up the drive because she had the front door open by the time Catherine drew up.
Catherine briefly explained that she had offered to deliver the oxygen to save Matt a journey and between them they carried everything inside. Evidently, David was neither better nor worse so she didn’t linger once Ann had assured her there was nothing she could do to help.
She drove back down the drive and stopped when she reached the main road. If she turned right then she could be home in ten minutes. She could go into her flat, shut the door and carry on exactly the way she’d planned on doing. However, if she turned left then she would be heading back to the surgery and Matt, to a future that was filled with uncertainties.
What should she do? Should she follow her head or her heart? Matt had said it was her decision, but whatever she decided would affect the rest of her life.
She took a deep breath and flipped on the indicator.
‘So if you would take the antenatal clinic this afternoon, that would be a real help. I don’t want to disappoint Hannah by not watching her perform at her carol concert, but are you sure you don’t mind covering for me, Catherine?’
‘Of course I don’t mind. I’m happy to do it. Anyway, it’s all part of my job, isn’t it?’
It was Friday morning, one full week since Matt had asked her to go back to his house, and even now Catherine wasn’t sure if she had made the right decision by going home. She might have safeguarded her future plans but there was no denying that the cost had been extremely high.
‘Maybe so, but I certainly don’t want you to feel that you have to agree out of a sense of duty.’
‘I’m not!’
She swallowed the rest of her angry retort because she knew that Matt’s prickliness stemmed from his desire to be scrupulously fair. He didn’t want her to think that he was behaving any differently towards her than he had before last Friday night. He hadn’t mentioned it again or given her the opportunity to do so. Their conversation had centred solely on work throughout the week. Catherine guessed that he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable, but it wasn’t easy for either of them to behave as though nothing had happened.
The Doctor's Christmas Gift Page 14