He sighed. He had moved around such a lot that he had never collected many belongings. When he and Beth had got married she had been amazed to find how little he owned apart from some personal items—clothing and books, that kind of thing. However, if he bought a house then he would have to furnish it and make it comfortable for Beatrix when she came to stay with him—if she came to stay with him, he amended swiftly.
He frowned. What on earth had he said to upset Beth so much?
* * *
Beth arrived at the surgery the following morning just as Daniel was unlocking the doors. He waved to her then went inside to switch off the alarm. Beth took a deep breath as she got out of her car. She’d hardly slept and she felt tired and drained. Although she knew how stupid it was to have let it affect her, that comment of Callum’s had really thrown her. He couldn’t have made it any plainer if he had spelled it out for her that he had never really loved her at all. It made her wonder if everything she’d thought they’d had together had been a sham. The idea that she had been fooling herself about how Callum had felt about her was excruciating, but she had to face up to it. She may have loved him with every fibre of her being but it appeared that he had never felt the same way about her.
Daniel had the kettle on by the time Beth made her way inside. He looked round and grimaced. ‘Mia had us up all night so I’m in need of a strong dose of caffeine to get me going.’
‘Me too,’ Beth agreed fervently, earning herself a quizzical look. ‘It was one of those nights when you just can’t seem to settle,’ she explained hastily, not wanting to go into the whys and wherefores of why she’d been awake. ‘What was wrong with Mia anyway? I saw Eleanor at the shops the other day and she told me that Mia was sleeping through the night now.’
‘Normally, she does, but she had a touch of colic and we couldn’t get her settled.’ Daniel spooned coffee into the machine and switched it on. ‘Needless to say, she was fast asleep this morning when Eleanor and I had to get up.’
‘Typical!’ Beth drummed up a laugh, hoping it didn’t sound as forced to Daniel as it did to her. She looked round when she heard footsteps coming along the corridor and felt her heart jolt when Callum appeared.
‘Ah, coffee. Great stuff,’ he declared, coming into the kitchen. He nodded to Beth then turned to Daniel and started to tell him about a call he had made the previous day.
Beth frowned. Although she had been upset when Callum had left her house last night, she was sure that she had hidden it. However, there was no denying that there seemed to be a definite atmosphere all of a sudden. Despite the way he was regaling Daniel with the tale of what had gone on, Callum looked uneasy and it wasn’t like him. Beth chewed it over but she was no closer to finding an explanation by the time the rest of the team arrived. Once everyone had a drink they adjourned to the meeting room. Beth found herself sitting next to Owen Walsh, who had recently taken over the running of the on-site pharmacy. He smiled when she sat down beside him.
‘Hi, you must be Beth. It’s nice to meet you at last.’
‘And you too,’ she replied, taking an immediate liking to his open and friendly manner. ‘How are you settling in?’
‘Fine. Everyone’s been very welcoming, I’m relieved to say.’ He grinned at her. ‘I was a bit worried in case people saw me as an incomer and were a bit sniffy about me taking the job, but they’ve been great.’
‘Beesdale is a really friendly little town,’ she assured him. ‘I found everyone very welcoming when I moved here. The only downside is that the locals love to know everything about you, so if you have any skeletons in your cupboards then be warned. They will find out!’
‘Thanks for the advice.’ Owen laughed. ‘I’ll make sure I fit some strong locks to my cupboards.’
Daniel called the meeting to order then so Beth turned her attention to what was being said. There was always a lot to get through and there was no time to waste. Marie was having problems with the computer and Daniel asked her to phone the IT specialists so they could check it out as it was vital to the smooth running of the surgery.
Beth’s gaze moved on around the rest of the group, coming to a halt on Callum, who was sitting off to her right, and she felt her breath catch when she realised that he was watching her. Just for a moment their eyes met before he looked away but she could feel her heart racing. What had she seen in his eyes? For a second it had looked almost like pain but that couldn’t be right. Callum didn’t care about her; he never really had cared. Yet no matter how many times she told herself that, it was hard to believe it.
* * *
Callum couldn’t believe the agony he felt as he watched Beth laughing with Owen Walsh. He clenched his hands, forcing down the pain. He knew he should be glad that she looked so happy as she sat there, listening to what Walsh was saying, but it was impossible. He didn’t want to see her enjoying some other man’s company. He wanted her to enjoy his! And it was pure unmitigated torture to have to sit there and pretend that he didn’t care. When Daniel asked him a question, it took a tremendous effort just to string together an answer.
The meeting came to an end at last and Callum made his escape. He went straight to his room and brought up his morning list on the computer, sighing in frustration when halfway through the screen went blank. Leaving his desk, he went through to Reception where Marie was struggling to get the system working again.
‘It’s no good,’ she declared, turning to him. ‘I can’t get it going. I’ll have to phone the IT guy to see if he can sort it out. In the meantime, we’ll have to go back to the old system of giving everyone a number when they arrive.’
‘Can we still access their notes?’ Callum asked, glancing over his shoulder when he heard voices in the corridor.
‘I doubt it,’ Marie admitted. ‘The whole system seems to have gone down. I’ll have to dig out everyone’s paper file, although I’m not sure how up to date they are.’
‘What’s happened?’
Callum steeled himself when he heard Beth’s voice. It took every scrap of willpower he could muster to turn and face her. ‘The computer’s packed up completely now so Marie’s going to get straight on to the IT guy. In the meantime, we’ll have to use the paper files to check the patients’ notes.’
‘I’d better check the pharmacy computer,’ Owen Walsh declared anxiously. He touched Beth’s arm. ‘I’ll give you a call at the weekend, if that’s all right?’
‘Yes. Fine. I’ll look forward to it,’ Beth replied, smiling at him.
Callum counted to ten but he still couldn’t manage to hold back the question that was clamouring to get out. ‘Why is Walsh going to phone you?’
‘To make arrangements for us to go out for dinner some time,’ Beth replied coolly. ‘Although I really don’t see what business it is of yours, Callum.’
‘It’s my business if it impacts on Beatrix,’ he said harshly.
‘I think it’s up to me to worry about that, don’t you?’ She turned to Marie, ignoring him as she asked the receptionist’s advice if any patients from the Larches turned up at the Hemsthwaite surgery and she couldn’t access their notes.
Callum went back to his room, his temper soaring. Why, for two pins he would ban Beth from going out with Walsh, he thought furiously, then sighed when he realised how ridiculous it was to think he could do that. He had no control over what Beth did or with whom she did it either and the thought cut right through him. The idea of her meeting someone else might have been fine in theory, but the reality was very different. He took a deep breath, knowing that he had to rein in his emotions. If he didn’t do so then Beth might decide to cut him out of her life altogether and he would never see her or Beatrix again.
CHAPTER SIX
BETH WAS GLAD to see a long queue when she arrived at the Hemsthwaite surgery. She needed to keep busy in the hope that it would take her mind off the strange way Callum had behaved tha
t morning. Mandy Stephens, their receptionist, had been alerted to the problems with the computer and was busily hunting out paper files for those patients who had turned up. She grimaced when Beth went into the surgery.
‘I’m not sure how up to date these are now everything’s done on the computer,’ she explained anxiously, blowing the dust off a couple of buff-coloured folders.
‘We’ll just have to do the best we can and hope the IT chap can sort out the problem,’ Beth told her, deliberately downplaying any problems they might encounter when she saw how flustered Mandy looked. She glanced around the waiting room, smiling when she spotted Diane Applethwaite. At least Diane’s test results should be available as the lab they used always sent through a printed report rather than rely solely on email.
‘I suppose so.’ Mandy handed her the folders. ‘They’re in order and I’ve given everyone a number so they know who’s next.’
‘Thanks. That’s really helpful,’ Beth declared, smiling at her. Leaving Mandy to carry on finding files, she went to her room and got settled in. Just for a moment her mind flicked back to Callum’s reaction about Owen asking her out. He had sounded decidedly put out about it but why? He’d been the one to raise the subject of her meeting someone else, so why should he care if she went out with Owen? It was a mystery, although she didn’t intend to dwell on it. She and Callum were divorced and it was none of his business what she did.
The morning flew past with very few problems, thankfully enough. Most people had come with new complaints rather than long-standing conditions that would have required an in-depth study of their case histories. Beth asked anyone she wanted to double-check on to make an appointment on their way out and was confident that she hadn’t overlooked anything vital. By the time Diane Applethwaite came into the consulting room, she was feeling far more relaxed and smiled at her.
‘Sorry about the wait but the computer’s packed up so we’re having to go back to the old-fashioned way of doing things. I hadn’t realised how much extra time it took.’
‘Computers are great when they work but a real pain when they have a hissy fit,’ Diane agreed, sitting down. ‘Phil has a real love-hate relationship with ours. I’ve had to rescue it a couple of times from the barn after it’s failed to give up some vital bit of information. Mind you, I think it’s more Phil’s fault than the machine’s. He’s not what you’d call technologically minded.’
Beth laughed. ‘Oh, dear. It’s a good job you’re there to sort things out. Right, let’s have a look at those test results and see what they say.’ She took the printed sheet out of Diane’s file and scanned through it then read it a second time, more slowly.
‘What’s wrong, Dr Andrews? I can tell from your expression that something’s happened,’ Diane said worriedly.
‘There’s nothing wrong. But the results aren’t exactly what I thought they would be.’ Beth put the sheet on the desk and looked at Diane, wondering how to break the news to her. However, there really was only one way. ‘Far from being in the early stages of the menopause, Diane, it appears that you’re pregnant.’
‘Pregnant?’ Diane repeated, sounding shocked. ‘But I’m forty-eight. How can I be pregnant at my age?’
‘It’s unusual, yes, but it isn’t unheard of,’ Beth said gently. ‘There have been cases of women becoming pregnant well into their fifties, in fact.’
‘I don’t know what to say... ‘ Diane broke off and gulped.
‘It must be a lot to take in,’ Beth said, sympathetically. ‘Maybe you should speak to your husband before you decide what you want to do.’
‘What I want to do... What do you mean?’ Diane asked in confusion.
Beth chose her words with care. ‘In case you decide not to go ahead with the pregnancy.’
‘Oh, no. I couldn’t do that,’ Diane declared. She took a deep breath. ‘If it’s right and I am having a baby then I’ll just have to get on with it.’ She suddenly laughed. ‘Although what Phil’s going to say about us having another little one keeping us awake at night, I have no idea!’
Beth laughed too, delighted that Diane had taken the news so well. ‘I’m sure he’ll cope brilliantly, the same as you will. After all, you’ve had a lot of practice. Right, we need to establish how far along you are with this pregnancy. As your periods have been so erratic lately, it’s difficult to work out when the baby’s due. Are you still feeling sick, dizzy, tired?’
‘No. In fact, I’ve felt better than I have for a long time,’ Diane declared.
‘Hmm. It could be a sign that you’re over twelve weeks or thereabouts. After that stage, a lot of women find that they no longer feel as sick or as tired, although everyone is different, of course.’ She picked up her pen and made a note on Diane’s file. ‘I’ll book you in for a scan, although the hospital usually prefers to do them at around sixteen weeks so they may decide to wait.’
‘I’m happy to wait if it’s better for the baby,’ Diane said firmly and then frowned. ‘There’s a bigger risk of there being something wrong with it because of my age, isn’t there?’
‘Yes.’ Beth knew that Diane would appreciate the truth rather than have her put a positive spin on the situation. ‘The risk of having a child with Down’s syndrome, for instance, increases with the mother’s age. You will be offered tests to check for that.’
‘I see.’ Diane sounded momentarily worried before she rallied. ‘Well, we’ll have to wait and see what happens. There’s no point borrowing trouble, is there?’
‘Definitely not,’ Beth agreed, thinking how well Diane was coping with the shock of it all. She could remember how she had felt when she had discovered she was pregnant, she thought as she saw Diane out. It had been a lot to take in, even though she had wanted a baby for so long. She sighed. Of course, it would have been different if Callum had still been there. They could have celebrated together, although would Callum have seen it as something to celebrate when he had no longer loved her? Now that Beatrix was a living, breathing human being, she didn’t doubt that his feelings had changed about having a child but, back then, would he have seen her pregnancy as a hindrance that would stop him leaving her?
Beth felt a chill envelop her. Although she didn’t doubt that Callum would have stayed with her if he’d known she’d fallen pregnant, it would have been out of a sense of duty and not out of love.
* * *
The computer problems slowed everything down so it was after seven before Callum left the surgery. He debated going round to see Beatrix but in the end decided not to risk it. He was still smarting at the thought of Beth going out with Owen Walsh and he needed to get a firm grip on his emotions before he spoke to her again.
He went up to the flat and made himself a meal of pasta and ready-made sauce then sat slumped in front of the television while he ate it. He felt tired and out of sorts and he knew that he had to shake himself out of this mood. Beth wasn’t his any longer and he couldn’t dictate what she did even if she would listen, which he very much doubted.
Part of her charm had always been her independence, her willingness to stand up for herself as well as for other people; why would he want her to change, even though he hated the thought of her seeing another man? He should be pleased that she was getting her life back on track but it was impossible to feel anything other than this bitter disappointment. It was a relief when the sound of his phone ringing cut through his unhappy thoughts and he snatched it up.
‘Callum O’Neill.’
‘It’s me—Beth.’
‘Beth,’ he repeated as his thoughts spun even faster. He wouldn’t change a single thing about her, apart from how she felt about him, of course. If he could make her love him again, as she had loved him once before, then he would do so in a trice. It was a revelation to realise how much he longed for it to happen so that it was a moment before he discovered that she was still speaking. ‘Sorry, can you say that again?’ he aske
d, forcing down the surge of pain at the sheer futility of hoping that she would ever feel that way about him again.
‘Joe Thorne’s just been on the phone. There’s an elderly couple been reported missing. Apparently, they were planning to walk to the Witch’s Cauldron and told the owner of the guest house where they’re staying that they would be back by four but they’ve not appeared yet. Joe needs someone medically trained to go with the team. I can’t go because of Beatrix and Daniel is at a meeting in Leeds so I suggested you.’ She paused when he didn’t reply. ‘You don’t have to go if you don’t want to...’
‘Of course I’ll go.’ Callum finally managed to drag his thoughts together, lining up the facts like ducks in a row: Joe Thorne, leader of the local search and rescue team; missing walkers, lost and possibly injured out on the hills; no one else available except him. ‘Where are we meeting?’ he demanded, dumping his plate on the coffee table.
‘The car park at the lower edge of the Cascade, although Joe said he can pick you up on the way, if you want him to,’ she informed him.
‘Right,’ Callum said, switching off the television. ‘Can you phone Joe back and tell him I’m coming and that I’d like a lift? I don’t have his number.’
‘Of course.’ She paused then rushed on. ‘Take care, Callum.’
‘I shall,’ he replied, his heart swelling with joy because it seemed that she did care about him, after all. He opened his mouth to say something else, although heaven knew what, but realised that she had already hung up.
Hurrying into the bedroom, he gathered together what he would need, telling himself that it was ridiculous to get his hopes up like that. Take care was on a par with the equally anodyne Have a nice day—a trite comment that meant absolutely nothing. However, despite knowing that, he couldn’t shake off the thought that Beth might actually care about him. A huge smile lit his face as he swung his backpack over his shoulder. Quite frankly, he couldn’t think of a better inducement to get back safely!
Reunited by Their Baby Page 6