Best Practice

by Penny Parkes

  Her eyes shining with unshed tears, this time from happiness, Grace looked at Patsy for understanding. ‘I couldn’t possibly separate them,’ she said, nodding towards the little note on the wall.

  Twin brothers. Eight months old and already abandoned.

  Patsy managed a smile, choking back her own obvious emotion at Grace’s reaction. ‘That’s exactly what we’ve been hoping for for them.’

  Grace sat cross-legged on the floor as Patsy opened the little gate and the two boys tumbled excitedly out. They barely gave Alice or Coco a passing glance, before burrowing onto Grace’s lap and making the most of Dan’s vast sweatshirt for comfort.

  Patsy turned to Alice. ‘And as far as safety goes, these little chaps won’t let anyone within ten feet unless you want them to. Their bark can be quite off-putting, but with the right training your friend will have the most wonderfully affectionate companions.’

  Alice watched Grace’s shoulders relax and her eyes widen with joy as one of the puppies snuffled into the palm of her hand, warm breath and whiskers tickling her skin.

  ‘Now then, I think you can be Noodle,’ she said to the puppy, kissing him lightly on his tufty little head. ‘And you can be Doodle.’

  Alice crouched down beside them. ‘I think they’re just beautiful,’ she said.

  ‘Gather ye rosebuds,’ said Grace quietly. ‘What a load of bollocks. It should surely be “Get thee a puppy and thine love will be eternal”?’

  With Noodle and Doodle in Grace’s arms and Patsy rushing through the paperwork, it was hard to imagine that such a wonderful day had begun in such a dark and frightening place. It only went to show what a little personal honesty and authenticity could achieve, thought Alice, if only she too could be brave enough to try it.

  Chapter 34

  Holly arrived at work to find the car park full of white vans and tradesmen in logoed polo shirts crawling all over The Practice. The very sight brought home the reality of what Dan had told her and Taffy earlier that morning when he’d stopped by the house. She was still in a state of shocked disbelief. In fact, if Dan hadn’t delivered the news in person, if she hadn’t seen the drawn exhaustion on his face and the broken skin on his knuckles, she would have been convinced this was some kind of wind-up.

  Based on the new security equipment being installed, this was no laughing matter.

  Based on how Grace had sounded when Holly had phoned, this was no storm in a teacup either. It certainly wasn’t lost on Holly that Grace’s primary concern right now seemed to be whether Dan might be facing charges himself.

  ‘Morning,’ said Holly as she walked into Reception to find Lucy staring wordlessly as one of the workmen touched up the paint where Jarley’s blood had stained the wall. She clasped Lucy’s hand for a moment, both of them inevitably thinking that it could so easily have been Grace’s blood, rather than Jarley’s. Suddenly a Perspex screen for their protection didn’t seem quite such a preposterous idea.

  ‘You okay?’ asked Dan, walking into the room with a clipboard and immediately clocking Holly’s pallor. She nodded, swallowing a wave of nausea; it was hardly the time to share her news with the rest of the team. All she could think about was Grace.

  ‘I’ve called in every favour I can think of to get things done today,’ Dan said, checking the annotated list in front of him. ‘I just want everyone to feel safe. Even if we are shutting the door after the horse has bolted.’

  Lucy stepped away to answer the phone and Holly leaned in, dropping her voice. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you might be facing charges, Dan? This is just awful. Poor Grace stuck at home and terrified, and now you’re in trouble for saving her!’

  Dan shrugged, his handle on his emotions clearly tenuous at best right now. ‘What can I say? Alice is staying with her this morning while we’re all on duty and I’m off to the police station to give another statement later. It is what it is, I guess.’ He paused, looking around at all the enhanced security measures that were being hurriedly implemented. ‘I can’t help feeling this was all avoidable though.’

  Holly pulled him into a hug and they stood there in silence for a moment. ‘I’m so incredibly proud of you,’ said Holly.

  He pulled away. ‘It could have ended so differently. Imagine if I hadn’t covered your shift?’

  Holly’s hands flew to her stomach instinctively; somehow in all the rollercoaster of emotions this morning that salient fact hadn’t occurred to her. ‘Then if you think about it, you’re a hero twice over,’ said Holly. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. ‘And I can’t think of a better godfather or role model for these babies.’ She turned away before he could see the gamut of emotions flitting across her face and made for her consulting room, in a vain attempt to ready herself for morning surgery.

  It was hardly the ideal day for the inaugural Invisible Disabilities Support Group meeting, she thought, toying with the idea of cancelling. She glanced out of her window, to see that Molly Giles and several other patients were already congregating in the car park, their faces expectant and nervous, even as Jade ushered them inside. Thank God she’d had the presence of mind to bring in a professional counsellor for these sessions; she was hardly in a position to be offering insightful and empathetic advice herself this morning. Molly looked up and spotted Holly at the window and waved enthusiastically. Whatever else was going on at The Practice today, Holly thought, life went on. Their patients needed them, and they could only do their best.

  ‘Oh!’ said Holly, trying not to look shocked as she peeled back the dressing on Charlotte’s arm; it was hardly the ideal sight this morning of all mornings, while they were all feeling so fragile.

  ‘Vile, isn’t it?’ Charlotte Lansing said in revulsion as she looked down at her arm as though it were something she’d found in the trash.

  Weeks in hospital and two, rather invasive, operations had saved the limb, but Charlotte’s physical well-being was actually the least of Holly’s concerns right now. Previously buoyant and outspoken, the woman who sat before her today was cowed and distant, as though barely able to engage.

  ‘It’s going to take a while to heal,’ Holly said reassuringly. ‘It really is early days and after such a virulent infection—’ She guided Charlotte’s fingers through their limited range of motion; it was perfectly obvious, even to her, that her patient had not been doing the physical therapy she’d been prescribed. ‘As all the layers of structure in the arm begin to heal, it’s more important than ever that we keep you moving. Without the physical therapy, there’s a risk of foreshortening and you’ll end up with a limited range of movement in the long term.’ Holly worked hard to muster a smile. ‘And I’ll bet you can’t wait to get back on a horse?’

  Charlotte just shrugged. For a woman whose life began and ended with the well-being of the horses in her yard, long before the family’s needs were even considered, it was a worrying reaction. ‘I think we both know that’s not going to happen. I’ve told Rupert to keep a lookout for some good homes for them.’

  ‘Oh Charlotte, no!’ exclaimed Holly, shocked out of her professional role and personal anxieties. ‘Please don’t do anything rash. I know you will come to regret it and it’s barely been a month. With some commitment to the physio, we can make all the difference and—’

  Charlotte looked up at Holly, oddly dislocated from any reaction. ‘I just don’t seem to care any more. And my horses deserve more than that, don’t they?’

  ‘You deserve more than that,’ Holly insisted. However ambivalent her feelings towards the Lansing family’s equine obsession, her commitment to Charlotte’s recuperation was absolute. ‘And it’s perfectly normal to want to make sweeping changes after a trauma – but we always, always, advise against it. I’d so much rather make a plan with you about tiny steps we can take, together if you like, to get you back to feeling like yourself. Now, tell me, how are you sleeping?’

  Listening to the usually eloquent Charlotte communicate in disjointed, distracted sentences was a red fla
g for Holly. Sure, it took a little time for such potent medication to clear the body, a single general anaesthetic causing enough woolly-headedness, let alone two – but this? ‘Charlotte?’ Holly said gently, after she’d stumbled to a halt yet again. ‘Can you talk me through your medication regime again, just so I can write it all down?’

  In the first instinctive reaction since she’d walked through the door, Charlotte’s face flushed a vivid red, her eyes scudding to one side over Holly’s shoulder, fixing on the noticeboard behind her. ‘Just, you know, the antibiotics and the painkillers.’

  Holly nodded, jotting words on the scratchpad beside her. ‘And what about the diazepam?’

  Charlotte looked at her sharply. ‘I haven’t been prescribed anything like that.’

  Holly nodded and waited. She really didn’t want to call Charlotte on her suspicions, the whole conversation being so much easier if she were to confess on her own. Of course, Holly knew perfectly well that her husband had exactly such a prescription for his back spasms and that he seemed to have ordered a repeat prescription remarkably quickly. And of course there were the other telltale signs of distraction, inability to focus and the edge of hostility in Charlotte’s words.

  ‘I might have borrowed some from Henry when I couldn’t sleep the other night,’ she muttered. ‘We were both at our wits’ end.’

  Holly nodded without judgement. ‘And this is why it’s so good we get to talk. The medication that’s good for Henry might not be what you need. Diazepam is never a long-term solution, but it’s great for back spasms. Now, let’s talk about what you need.’

  By the time Charlotte Lansing left, clutching her own personalised prescription, Holly had a faint hope that they might have turned a corner. Perhaps she could even get Rupert to stand down on looking for alternative homes for the Lansing horses. With a little more time and commitment to the physio, Holly remained hopeful that Charlotte would be back on a horse, bossing the Pony Club around in no time. God knows, the Larkford Flower Festival would be in complete disarray this year, without her steady hand on the tiller, arbitrating petty rivalries and grudges before they could escalate.

  It was a timely reminder of how fleeting all their favourite amusements could be and, inevitably, her thoughts turned to Elsie. To Sarandon Hall and to Number 42. It was one thing for her and Taffy to feel uneasy about taking ownership of Elsie’s beautiful home, it was quite another to stymie her attempts to make the very most of her golden years. And who was to say what the right course of action was? If Elsie was finding the house to be more of a burden than a blessing, then wasn’t it up to Holly to support her choices and her bid for freedom?

  If today had shown them anything it was that a little carpe diem went an awfully long way. Holly signed out of her computer and walked towards the door.

  ‘Oh Gracie!’ said Holly, spotting her in the car park immediately. ‘You’re here. We were just on our way to see you.’ She thrust the hurriedly purchased bouquet of flowers and box of chocolates into Taffy’s arms and gathered Grace into an enormous hug. It was hard to say who was seeking more comfort at this point.

  Grace’s face was heavily bruised and one eye partially swollen shut, but both Holly and Taffy were stunned to see that she was smiling. Alice hovered beside her, trying to transmit some form of message by semaphore but it sailed right over Holly’s head.

  ‘You’d think I was the only one avoiding work today,’ Grace said. ‘And please don’t look so traumatised. I want you to meet my twins.’ She paused. ‘I’m determined to find the silver lining in this hideous situation, so you need to go with me on this, okay?’

  Holly and Taffy exchanged confused glances, but complied anyway, intrigued. Grace gestured towards the ground and Holly’s gaze dropped to take in the dachshund puppies straining at their leads. ‘Your twins!’ she said, as comprehension dawned, and she crouched down to scruff them behind the ears, laughing as the bossier one rolled onto his back for a tummy scratch.

  ‘Meet Noodle and Doodle,’ Grace said proudly. ‘They’re my guard dogs.’

  ‘Ferocious,’ commented Taffy drily, nevertheless won over by the limpid pools of chocolatey eyes that Noodle, or was it Doodle, had fixed upon him.

  Grace laughed. ‘I know it’s a bit mad but—’ She gave a shudder. ‘I didn’t like the idea of being home alone.’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ Taffy said, looking to Alice for support and finding none. ‘How are two miniature puppies going to make you feel safer?’

  Grace smiled – a genuine smile that actually reached her eyes. ‘It’s not just about the safety, although I’m assured they’ll be an excellent deterrent. This is just something I’ve always wanted and I couldn’t put it off for another moment.’

  ‘What are these little guys going to do, lick an intruder to death? What you need is a goose,’ said Dan, striding across the car park towards them.

  ‘A goose?’ clarified Alice, still not used to Dan’s oblique humour.

  Dan nodded. ‘I’m not even making that up. Geese make excellent guard animals; they’re very territorial.’

  Whilst it was true that Dan had rather a soft spot for Larkford’s resident goose, Gerald, and that said goose was incredibly defensive of his nest, Holly couldn’t quite see how a twenty-pound bird would benefit Grace’s quality of life, except perhaps at Christmas.

  Grace just smiled. ‘They’re just learning. And they are pure wire-haired miniature dachshunds,’ she said proudly. ‘Alice’s Jamie is going to help me train them.’

  ‘Well okay then,’ said Dan. ‘At least you’ve got a plan.’ He turned to Alice. ‘Thank you so much for stepping in this morning. I hope I didn’t ruin your morning off too comprehensively.’

  ‘It was my pleasure,’ said Alice, before colouring instantly. ‘I didn’t mean pleasure, just that, you know – you’re welcome.’ She looked so flustered that Holly’s heart went out to her.

  ‘Well, you seem to have the measure of us,’ said Holly quietly, as Grace proudly got Noodle and Doodle to sit and stay on command. ‘I’m sure Grace is more shaken up than she’s letting on. Adopting a couple of dachshunds is probably the most sensible reaction I’ve seen to trauma around here lately. Thank you, Alice.’

  Grace interrupted. ‘I hope Dan mentioned that I was going to take a little time off, Holly? I’ll keep working on the auction plans, of course – I don’t want to leave you in the lurch – but I have to say, even the thought of coming back here right away—’

  Holly nodded and scooped one of the wriggling grey puppies into her arms. ‘Take as long as you need, Grace. We’re all just so sorry that this has happened to you. And, once the new security system’s fitted, there’ll be posters that pharmacy access isn’t possible out of hours. I know it’s not much, but—’

  Taffy frowned. ‘It seems like the equivalent of “No tools are kept in this van overnight”, if you ask me.’ He caught the look on Grace’s face and backtracked immediately. ‘But obviously if it helps, then all to the good.’

  ‘Well, that’s why I’m here, actually,’ Grace said. ‘Dan thought it might make me feel better to see it in action.’ Her tone was doubtful in the extreme and Dan looked uncomfortable.

  ‘I just thought, you know, knowing it’s there, versus seeing it’s there,’ he said. He reached out for Grace’s hand and Noodle and Doodle instantly began barking. Dan dropped down on his haunches. ‘Only me, guys.’ He held out his hands in supplication and they ran over to give him a thorough once-over. ‘Only me.’

  Grace smiled, seeing them together. ‘Clearly twins are so on trend this year.’ Noodle and Doodle had managed to wind themselves around Dan’s legs in an instant, creating an intricate cat’s cradle of leads and legs. Dan gave in and simply sat on the ground, the two puppies leaping onto his lap in a frenzy of excitement.

  ‘Are we all just skiving off and playing with puppies today then? Because I could actually get on board with that,’ Dan said with feeling, obviously dreading his impending trip to
the police station.

  Taffy grinned. ‘Count me in, mate. I’ve got a hellish asthma clinic all afternoon. Fiver on the table says half of them can’t use their inhaler properly.’

  The boys shook hands before Holly could interject that, technically, it was their job to ensure that wasn’t the case.

  Just as they were about to disband, Maggie burst out of the front door and across the car park, flapping her hands in a panic. ‘That bloody robot has locked me out of the pharmacy again! It’s only been three hours, but it’s clearly taken against me.’

  ‘Did you type in your password to reset?’ Dan asked from under a heap of dachshunds.

  Maggie nodded. ‘I must have used the wrong one though, because then it initialised total lockdown.’

  ‘Ain’t technology grand?’ said Taffy flippantly. ‘Come on, Mags, let’s go and conquer the robot overlord.’ He flung his arm around her shoulders as they walked back towards The Practice, the others tailing behind them. ‘Now I always find that a handy password is one that you can’t possibly forget.’

  He stopped in front of the security panel and swiped his ID, tapping simply one number when his password was requested. When the screen flashed up in front of him, he grinned. ‘See? Password is incorrect.’ He began to type: I – N – C – O – R

  ‘You didn’t?’ Dan said, shaking his head in disbelief.

  R – E – C – T

  ‘Why not?’ said Taffy. ‘Handy reminder every time.’ He looked simply delighted with this latest life hack.

  ‘These twins of yours,’ whispered Grace to Holly. ‘They’re not going to be identical, are they?’ She nodded towards Taffy meaningfully. ‘Because if they are, you might want to consider getting them tagged.’

  Chapter 35

  Holly turned sideways and eyed her silhouette in the mirror. Who was she kidding? There was no way that she could keep a twin pregnancy under wraps for another few weeks – frankly even days was probably pushing it. They had to start telling people straight away before the rumour mill got started. Telling Elsie was today’s priority.