Best Practice

by Penny Parkes

  Jamie’s brow furrowed. ‘I suppose not. But one man’s idea of funny and entertaining is another’s idea of shrill and boring.’ He sighed, already seemingly preparing himself for an evening of stultifying conversation.

  Alice nodded, a little taken aback that it was possible boredom that concerned him, rather than what his blind date might actually look like.

  ‘At least we know she likes dogs and she works in the countryside. I could never go for one of those women whose idea of a great weekend is schlepping round the shops! How shallow is that?’ Jamie said with feeling.

  ‘Quite,’ breathed Alice quietly. His dismissive tone had told her everything she needed to know about Jamie’s ideal woman. And it didn’t take a genius to point out that Alice needn’t worry her head about applying. Not that she ever would, she told herself firmly, even as she fondly watched him being conned out of doggy treats every twenty paces and stopping to scruff Coco’s tummy with affection.

  ‘What are you up to this evening?’ he asked, as they stopped in a patch of sunlight to lob Coco’s tennis ball across the parkland.

  ‘Just catching up with a few friends,’ Alice parried, seeing no need to spell out that she’d be chatting with Tilly online and not in person. And that guy from Norfolk was sweet and funny and charming, even if he did keep sending her pictures of him shirtless on his narrow boat. Maybe she’d even consider his request to meet in person – not in Larkford, obviously, the very thought made her feel claustrophobic – but somewhere in between, like Tilly had suggested. And there was always Ollie Turner in Sydney, as the night wore on.

  ‘And is that a euphemism for getting ratted in Bath and dancing on tables?’ Jamie teased her, as though she were still a student who partied the night away. ‘Don’t tell me there isn’t a hot date on your horizon?’

  Alice turned her head away and called Coco back out of the shrubbery she’d been exploring. Just because he had a date lined up for once, did he really need to put her on the spot and make her feel so inadequate?

  Alice swallowed down her angry retort and forced an easy smile. ‘Not tonight; I’m saving myself for a weekend in Oxford.’ She let the innuendo dangle and would normally have taken pleasure in the flash of pique in his eyes. Two could play at that game, she thought in annoyance.

  ‘Hey,’ he said, catching her arm, even as she was tempted to pull away. ‘What’s going on, Al? I don’t hear from you for days and now this. What’s got you so grumpy?’ He paused, waiting for her to fill in the gaps.

  She shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’

  She did though.

  She knew that the very thought of him on a date – a blind date, any date really – was enough to make her want to cry.

  He lifted her chin gently with his finger, concern etched all over his face. How had she never noticed before how one of his eyebrows bore the faintest trace of a scar, or that his deep blue eyes had flecks of yellow around the pupil? She was aware that she was staring, but somehow couldn’t bring herself to break contact. The warmth of his hand on her face was addictive.

  ‘I’m glad you called,’ he said. ‘I’ve been thinking about you since we spoke the other day.’

  Alice swallowed hard. ‘Me too. About you, I mean.’

  He smiled and let go of her face. ‘You see? We’re in sync.’ He guided her to a sunlit bench and sat down. ‘And I think I’ve found the perfect way to keep Coco with you and still allow some scope to explore the cancer side of things.’ His gaze was intense and his energy was focused exclusively on her, on her reaction to this news.

  Alice blinked hard, trying to change gear.

  They were talking about Coco – of course they were. He’d been thinking about her – and Coco. Because that was his job. She felt a hot flush of embarrassment prickle the roots of her hair and she swallowed hard. ‘Well, that’s just fantastic. Tell me everything.’

  He leaned forward and clasped her hand with excitement, much as he had a hundred times before. And on none of those occasions had Alice been aware of every single touch and movement on an almost visceral level. He grinned. ‘So, I was thinking about what we said at The Deli the other day, about how you were the only one making a sacrifice, and I realised that isn’t strictly true. For Coco to have the confidence and continuity to explore her new skills, she needs you too – you guys have a symbiotic relationship, you see,’ he explained.

  Alice blinked, willing herself to listen to his every word; this was no time for distraction. ‘So, I go with her?’ Alice queried.

  Jamie sat back and smiled. ‘Kind of. Coco lives with you and goes to work with you, okay? That’s Step One. Then comes the magic: we apply for funding from the centre – and maybe a little fundraising ourselves – and then for one day a week, we run a clinic out of The Practice, or from the Oncology Department if they prefer. But you get to double up as doctor on duty and Coco’s handler.’ He paused for a moment, his brow furrowing. ‘The only thing I don’t know is how she would react if you were having a hypo and a patient presented as a positive. But these are hurdles we need to hop over – none of this is going to happen overnight. And my feeling is that the more low-key we keep everything, the more successful it could actually be.’

  Alice nodded, completely engaged with the notion, any bruised feelings pushed into the background where they belonged. ‘So if I just blocked out one day a week at The Practice to do nothing but see potential cancer patients with Coco, then we’d be working as a team? I’d get the tests ordered and the medical history, while Coco here was sniffing around.’

  ‘Exactly. Low-key, low-tech—’

  ‘No drama,’ finished Alice for him. She smiled, daring to allow herself to hope that this might possibly work. ‘What about Judith?’

  He shrugged. ‘How do you think I got lumbered with a blind date? I’m doing everything I can to keep her sweet.’ He paused. ‘She scares me a little bit, to be honest. But this whole business is new, right? We’re all learning as we go. Ten years ago, we didn’t really know that dogs could smell cancer. Five years ago, it seemed like a pipe dream. Even last year, we didn’t think that dogs could just spontaneously acquire the skill without extensive training. Why not try this? Worst-case scenario, you get to keep your spaniel and your sanity, and there’s too much conflict for her – but at least we tried. Best-case scenario? Well, if you ask me, you and Coco are stronger as a team and, if this is going to work, it will work better with you two together.’ He paused, suddenly uncomfortable at the emotion in his voice as he spoke. He cleared his throat and looked down at the sleeping dog between them. ‘At least, that’s what I told Judith.’

  Alice leaned forward and kissed him gently on the cheek. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘You have no idea what it’s like to have lost all faith in yourself, only to find that someone else has your back.’ It was possibly the first truly honest thing she had ever said to him.

  He blushed. ‘Oh Alice Walker,’ he said. ‘If only you could see what we all see, when we look at you . . .’ He stood up, tugging uncomfortably at the cuffs of his smart shirt. ‘Right, now I’ve got you sorted, I hope you realise the sacrifice I’m making on your behalf, madam. I’m off for an hour of awkward conversation with a total stranger.’

  He walked away towards the pub, leaving her sitting on the bench staring after him, the whole dynamic of their relationship suddenly in flux. Alice leaned down and kissed Coco on the top of her head. ‘What do you think then, Coco? Are we feeling brave and a little bit bonkers?’

  Chapter 29

  ‘I swear to God, if they don’t let me pee soon, I’m going to lose my rag!’ Holly said through gritted teeth that evening. It was all very well asking her to drink two whole litres of water before her scan, but the pressure on her bladder was now excruciating and bringing her to the verge of tears.

  Taffy quietly and discreetly put down his cup of coffee for fear of making any sloshing noise that would tip Holly over the edge. ‘I could go and ask how long the wait might be?’ he suggested,
also clearly out of his comfort zone but for different reasons.

  Holly shook her head, attempting a smile that looked more like a grimace, trying to put Taffy at ease. After all, this was a happy day and she may have done the whole pregnancy fandango before, but she had to remind herself that this was an entirely new experience for him, sitting in a roomful of pregnant women, the air thick with pheromones and emotion.

  ‘They don’t make you wait with a full bladder on purpose,’ Holly reassured him. ‘If they had to rush somebody in ahead of us with an emergency, then we simply have to wait. And a full bladder gives us a much better view, so—’ She squirmed in her seat and pulled at the ever-tightening waistband of her jeans. Well, not technically her jeans, but the pair she’d given in and bought on the cheap in a larger size, when she couldn’t quite bring herself to buy maternity clothes just yet. She saw it with her patients all the time: the first pregnancy, they were into the jersey-panelled jeans almost as soon as the stick turned blue, excited and full of anticipation; the second time around, they clung to their ‘normal’ clothes, their hard-won denim jeans, as long as it was feasible to sit down. By the third pregnancy, she’d noticed without judgement, their ‘normal’ clothes were still maternity clothes. She wondered where she fell on this spectrum, having popped out two bouncing baby boys in one go.

  She gave a slight shudder. ‘Popped out’ didn’t really do justice to the marathon labour and paralysing fear of her first delivery that had ended in an emergency C-section. At least that was one decision off the table, she thought with relief; nobody would be pushing her to have a traditional birth after that fiasco. Frankly they’d been lucky to all escape unscathed.

  ‘Holly? Holly Graham?’

  She looked up expectantly, a surge of relief that this discomfort would soon be over and she’d be allowed to have a wee – oh, and she’d get to see her baby too, she corrected herself. But there was no lovely smiling nurse with a clipboard to appease her pain.

  Jemima Hallow stood in front of her, her ever-expanding bump encased in a tent of striped linen and a look of embarrassment on her face. ‘Oh God, I’m so sorry, I bet you thought you were being called and the purgatory was almost over.’ Jemima fidgeted from one foot to the other. ‘Nobody warns you, do they?’

  Taffy gallantly stood up to offer Jemima his seat in the crowded waiting room. ‘Hi, Mims,’ he said, kissing her on both cheeks. ‘You’re looking well.’

  Jemima snorted at the GP’s tact and diplomacy. ‘If by well you mean a chipmunk that swallowed a beach ball, then thank you.’ She turned to Holly, virtually dancing in excitement, although to be fair she was probably just desperate for a wee. ‘Oh, I’m so thrilled to see you here! Don’t worry, my lips are sealed but ooooh—’ She clapped her hands together. ‘I couldn’t be happier. How far along are you? No wonder you were so supportive of our little protest. And you can join us officially now!’ She breathed for a moment. ‘Although obviously you’re keeping it under wraps, or the whole of Larkford would know already.’ Jemima on full excitement was an unstoppable barrage of enthusiasm.

  Holly laughed – there was something infectious about Jemima’s bouncy zeal for everything in life. In fact, ever since Mims had married Rupert, their local vet, Holly had been struck by what a lovely couple they made. Seeing them through their battles with infertility had only cemented that opinion. ‘It’s early days for us yet,’ Holly confided, truly delighted to share the news; it was killing her not to be shouting it from the rooftops, but nevertheless caution had prevailed, just in case. ‘We haven’t even got a due date confirmed.’

  ‘Well, once you’re through the pukey stage, give me a call and we can have a cuppa and a natter one day.’ Jemima stood up, unable to sit still for long. ‘This GP’s a lovely chap, but he doesn’t have a clue about the mood swings.’ She gave Taffy a twinkly smile and patted his arm. ‘Although I imagine that might change soon.’

  ‘Mood swings?’ Taffy queried, looking sideways at Holly. ‘We’re not going to bother with those, are we, Holls?’

  The two women looked at each other and smiled. ‘No, I thought we’d definitely opt out,’ Holly replied reassuringly.

  ‘We’re ready for you now, Dr Graham,’ the nurse interrupted them, ‘if you’d like to follow me.’

  Holly leapt to her feet, amusing Taffy no end with the undignified walk she needed to adopt, simply to avoid weeing herself. Yup, Holly decided, this whole pregnancy was going to be one steep learning curve for her gorgeous fiancé.

  Taffy held open the door to the sonography suite, solicitously making sure that Holly was settled. He barely perched on the edge of the seat beside her, fidgeting in anticipation. ‘Why do I feel so nervous?’ he asked Holly in a whisper.

  She reached across and squeezed his hand. ‘Because this matters. And it’s exciting. You’re going to be a dad.’ No matter how hard he blinked, Holly could tell that Taffy was already wearing his emotions on his sleeve. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when they heard the heartbeat for the first time. In fact – she shifted slightly on the bed, turning to look at him rather than the screen. She wanted to make sure she was fully in the moment herself – no distractions, no squinting at the screen with her doctor’s hat on. She wanted this moment to be etched in her memory for ever.

  Holly gave a slight shiver; she would never get used to that first chill of the jelly on her tummy no matter how many scans she had.

  ‘You okay?’ Taffy asked, gripping her hand a little tighter and not missing a trick.

  Holly nodded. ‘I’m nervous now too.’ She turned to smile at the sonographer, who was routinely clicking away at the screen, seemingly oblivious to the momentousness of the occasion for them, as indeed it must be for every couple through her door.

  ‘And when did you say your last period was?’ the sonographer asked, frowning as she angled the screen slightly away from them, so they couldn’t see the images even if they wanted to.

  Holly felt a tiny flicker of alarm, but nevertheless duly ran through the dates yet again in her head, convinced that their treehouse escape had been their only real opportunity for conception.

  ‘Okay, then just bear with me one moment.’ The sonographer stood up and walked to the door.

  ‘Quick,’ whispered Holly, a sudden wave of anxiety roiling in her stomach, ‘look at the screen.’ She was lying on her back, with paper sheets tucked into her pants and the conductive jelly glistening on her tummy; she herself was going nowhere fast.

  Taffy, though unencumbered, stared at her blankly. Frozen to the spot, he looked from Holly to the machine to the door swinging closed. ‘But I—’ he began, worry darkening his eyes as the possible ramifications of this sudden scuffle sank in.

  The door swung open again and Holly’s ob/gyn walked into the room with an easy smile. ‘Well, you two obviously have more restraint than I do. I had a tenner on the table you’d have grabbed a sneaky peek.’ His smooth banter and Irish charm always put Holly at ease and the tiny, protective part of her brain that had switched to high-alert paused for a moment. Would Cormack O’Brien really be this upbeat if there was actually something on that screen to worry about? Nevertheless her grip on Taffy’s hand tightened imperceptibly.

  Cormack flipped the tails of his jacket backwards like a concert pianist as he settled on the sonographer’s stool as she herself remained standing, murmuring in a low voice and pointing at the screen. Cormack looked up and gave them both a reassuring smile. ‘Don’t go getting worried, there’s no cause for alarm – we just need to double-check a few measurements. There’s a chance your dates are a little off.’

  ‘Jesus,’ muttered Taffy, breathing out in a rush and scowling at the sonographer, ‘is that all?’ He stood up and hovered awkwardly.

  Cormack clicked so many times on the screen that Holly began to wonder if he was playing Solitaire on there. ‘Cormack?’ she prompted, after a few minutes had passed in silence.

  ‘Right, yes. Sorry about that. Just wanted to
make sure we’d got all the information we needed.’ He swivelled around on his stool and smiled. ‘Grab yourself a seat there, Taffy, and I can talk you through.’ He cleared his throat. ‘Well, firstly, you’re quite a bit further along than we’d originally thought. Not that unusual to have a little breakthrough bleeding and mistake it for your period. Your measurements suggest you’re actually at sixteen weeks already, so no wonder you’ve been feeling so tired and emotional. Obviously that means it’s a bit too late to do some of the pre-natal testing we’d normally do, nuchal folds and suchlike, but from what I can see on the screen there is nothing to worry about unduly.’

  Taffy leaned in to kiss Holly lovingly on the forehead as they both exhaled in relief. ‘Not so long to wait after all.’ He swallowed hard. ‘And we can tell people now too, Doc, yes? How great is that, Holls? It’s official – we’re having a baby!’ He batted away the tears that were threatening to spill over onto his cheeks and sniffed. ‘Can we hear the heartbeat, Doc?’ They were both poised for the main event but Cormack hesitated.

  ‘There is just one other thing I should probably mention . . .’ Cormack said, a nervous smile on his face as he turned the monitor slowly towards them. ‘You’re having twins.’

  ‘Oh my God!’ gasped Taffy, giving up all pretence of calm. He leapt to his feet and pulled Holly into his arms. ‘You beauty—’

  Holly laughed, partly from relief that all was well, partly in shock at this latest bombshell. Hearing those words out loud made her well up, not in fear, or trepidation, or even just excitement, but with a deep-seated feeling that this was all meant to be. Her and Taffy and their four children. Her family would at last feel complete.

  ‘Taffs—’ she managed, laughter trembling behind her words. ‘We’re having two babies—’ She kissed him gently on the lips, tasting the salt of their tears mingling together.

  Cormack chortled happily beside them, swinging from side to side on the sonographer’s stool. ‘Well that does tend to be the definition of twins. But this can’t have come as a complete surprise?’