CHAPTER TWELVE
CALLUM WAS CHECKING Nick Benson’s vital signs when he felt the building suddenly tremble. Nick had lapsed into unconsciousness again and Callum knew how urgent it was that they get him to hospital as soon as possible. If Nick had suffered a bleed on his brain, as Callum suspected, then pressure would be building inside his skull and he would need an operation to relieve it. Although it wasn’t ideal to move him in this condition, Callum knew that he had no choice. He had to find a place that would provide them with some degree of protection if the building collapsed.
Looping Nick’s arm over his shoulder, he half-dragged and half-carried him out of the office. He had no idea of the layout of the school but it seemed wiser to move away from the front of the building. Nick felt like a dead weight as he hauled him along the corridor, glancing into the classrooms as he passed, but none of them were suitable. He came to the kitchen and paused. Although the worktops would afford them very little protection, there was a walk-in refrigerator that might just do the job.
Callum didn’t waste any more time debating its merits. He dragged Nick across the kitchen and bundled him into the fridge, slamming the door behind them. He was only just in time too as there was a loud groaning noise followed by a mighty roar as the building collapsed. Callum could hear stone raining down all around them and flinched, expecting at any moment that they would be crushed by falling masonry.
He could scarcely believe it when the noise finally stopped and he and Nick were unharmed. Forcing open the door, he gasped when he saw the state of the kitchen. Everything had been destroyed and it was hard to believe that the refrigerator was still intact.
Leaving Nick in the relative safety of the refrigerator, Callum squeezed out of the door. Although it would be safer to wait there until the rescue team came to find them, he needed to get Nick to hospital. It wasn’t easy finding his way through all the rubble and several times he had to retrace his steps when the way ahead was blocked, but finally he could hear voices up ahead.
He hurried towards them, so intent on getting help for Nick that he never noticed the broken beam dangling from what remained of the roof. He was directly underneath it when it fell, catching him squarely across his upper back. He slumped, face down, onto what had been the floor, hearing the anxious voices of the rescue team as they clustered around him.
‘Nick...in the kitchen,’ he managed to murmur. ‘In the fridge...’
Blackness suddenly rose up to claim him and the last thing he saw before he slid into unconsciousness was Beth’s face. A wave of sadness washed over him. Now he wouldn’t get the chance to tell her how much he loved her.
* * *
It was the worst time of Beth’s entire life. She went with Callum in the ambulance as it rushed him to hospital. Although he had regained consciousness, she wasn’t able to talk to him because the paramedics were too busy checking his vital signs. All she could do was try to make sure he knew that she was there, although he was so woozy from the pain relief he’d been given that she doubted if he had registered the fact. He was taken straight to Resus and she was asked to wait outside. She paced the corridor, wondering when someone would come and tell her how he was.
It seemed like a lifetime had passed before the consultant appeared and her heart lurched when she saw how grave he looked.
‘How is he?’ she demanded. ‘Do you know the full extent of his injuries yet?’
‘No. We’ll know more after he’s had a scan.’ The consultant led her into a side room. Beth sank down onto a chair, biting her lip as he continued. It wouldn’t help if she gave in to the fear bubbling away inside her. ‘As you know, the beam caught him across the upper back. There’s extensive swelling in the area so it’s difficult to tell how much damage has been done. I’ll need to see the results of the MRI scan before I have a clearer idea.’
‘So you don’t know if he’s suffered any spinal damage,’ she said, her voice catching as she expressed her worst fear.
‘No,’ he replied. ‘However, let’s not assume the worst before we know what’s going on.’
Beth stood up after he left, unable to sit there while she waited for news. Her heart caught because she couldn’t bear to think that Callum might have suffered life-changing injuries. She took a deep breath, forcing down the panic. They would cross that bridge if and when they came to it. Right now she had to stay strong for Callum’s sake.
* * *
Callum tried to keep a grip on the panic that filled him as he waited for the results of the scan but it wasn’t easy. The thought that he might not be able to walk again was unbearable. He tried wriggling his toes but he couldn’t tell if they had actually moved or not. His body felt numb from the shoulders down, plus he was still strapped to the spinal board, which made movement virtually impossible. Footsteps approached the bed and his heart started to race as he tried to prepare himself for bad news. When a figure loomed into view, it was a moment before he realised it was Beth.
‘What are you doing here?’ he exclaimed.
‘I came in the ambulance with you—don’t you remember?’ She placed her hand over his and Callum felt his heart surge with relief and a whole lot of other emotions when he felt the warmth of her fingers on his. He could feel her touching him and that had to be a good sign, surely? He was still getting to grips with that thought when she bent and kissed him on the lips then drew back.
‘I love you, Callum, and no matter what happens from here on, I want to be with you.’
Callum felt a wave of despair wash over him. It was what he had longed to hear her say but the circumstances were very different now. What if she was only saying that because she felt sorry for him and thought that he was going to need looking after? The thought was more than he could bear.
‘I don’t need your sympathy, thank you very much,’ he snapped. He could tell that she was hurt by his response but better that than her thinking that she had to sacrifice herself for his sake.
‘I’m not offering you sympathy,’ she said, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. ‘I’m telling you how I feel, how I’ve always felt. I love you, Callum, and that’s the truth, even if you don’t believe me.’
‘I don’t.’ He smiled thinly, deliberately hardening his heart because it was what he had to do. No way would he allow her to waste her life taking care of him. ‘I think you’re confusing pity with love, Beth, but, no, thank you. I’m not that desperate.’
Callum felt his insides twist with pain when she turned away. He longed to call her back and apologise but how could he? If it did turn out that he wouldn’t be able to walk again then there was no way on earth that he was prepared to burden her with the task of caring for him. Beth deserved better than being tied to an invalid for the rest of her days.
The thought stayed with him as he waited for the consultant to return. He tried not to dwell on it but it was impossible. So much hinged on the results of this scan. If the prognosis was poor then he would have to accept that his whole life was going to change. And if it was good news then it meant that everything he had dreamt about might come true. By the time the consultant appeared, it was little wonder that his nerves were in shreds.
‘I won’t waste time, Dr O’Neill,’ the consultant said briskly. ‘The scan has proved to be less helpful than I’d hoped. The swelling around the area has made it difficult to get a clear idea of the full extent of the injury. Whilst it doesn’t appear that your spinal cord has been damaged, we will still need to be extremely careful.’
‘So what happens now?’ Callum asked, his heart beating up a storm at such a mixed response. While it was good news that his spinal cord hadn’t been damaged, he wasn’t out of the woods yet, it appeared.
‘Basically, we’ll treat you as though you have an unstable spinal injury,’ the consultant explained. ‘The last thing we want is to risk the cord being damaged so we’ll keep you in until the swelling
subsides. Unfortunately, it means that you’ll need to remain immobile during that time, but I’m sure you understand how vital it is with an injury like this.’
Callum nodded, even though his heart had sunk at the thought of being kept in hospital. ‘How long will it be before you have a better idea about what’s going on?’
‘As soon as the swelling goes down, we’ll do a second scan. That should tell us what we’re dealing with.’
It was obvious that the consultant wasn’t prepared to commit himself any further than that so Callum left it there. However, he knew enough about spinal injuries to guess that any damaged vertebrae would either need to be manipulated into place or surgically repaired. It all promised to take some time and he sighed as he thought about being out of action for weeks and possibly months to come.
There was so much he wanted to do, starting with telling Beth how he felt about her, although until he was certain that he was going to make a complete recovery, he didn’t intend to say anything to her. His mouth compressed. He wasn’t going to blight Beth’s life in any way at all.
* * *
Beth had no idea what to do. Callum had made it perfectly clear that he hadn’t welcomed her declaration of love and it hurt unbearably to know how he felt. It would have been much easier to hide herself away and escape the agony of rejection, but she couldn’t bring herself to do that. No matter what he’d said, Callum needed her.
In the end, she phoned the hospital and discovered that he had been moved to the high dependency unit. She spoke to the sister there but, apart from saying that Dr O’Neill was comfortable, the woman wouldn’t be drawn into disclosing any further information over the phone. Beth hung up in frustration. She would have to visit Callum if she wanted to learn more, although how he would feel about seeing her was debatable. It was a distressing thought but she couldn’t just abandon him. She loved him far too much to do that!
Daniel agreed immediately when Beth asked him if she could take the following afternoon off to visit Callum. Everyone had been shocked by what had happened and they were eager to help any way they could.
It was almost an hour’s drive to the hospital and she grew increasingly nervous the nearer she got. What if Callum refused to see her—what should she do then? Even if he didn’t want anything to do with her, she needed to know how he was. She made her way to HDU and was directed to a side room off the main ward.
Callum was lying flat on his back, his head and body supported by a metal frame to stop him moving. He didn’t see her approaching and it was only when she stopped beside his bed that he realised she was there. Her heart leapt when she saw the light that suddenly appeared in his eyes. Was he pleased to see her, after all?
‘I thought I’d come and see how you are,’ she said, quickly squashing that thought before it could run away with her.
‘You shouldn’t have bothered,’ he said gruffly. However, the brusqueness of his tone couldn’t disguise another emotion, one that made her pulse race even faster. Despite his assertions to the contrary, he was pleased to see her.
‘It’s no bother,’ Beth told him quietly, drawing up a chair. She laid her hand over his, felt him flinch, and knew that it wasn’t because he hated her touching him. She squeezed his fingers, feeling her spirits lift as her confidence came surging back. It appeared that she still had an effect on him, even though he was doing his best to deny it. ‘I wanted to come.’
‘I don’t know why. I thought we’d got everything straight the other day.’ The gruffness was seeping away and she smiled to herself. Callum was such a terrible liar.
‘I disagree. I think there’s a lot that needs sorting out, starting with what I told you.’ She bent closer so she could look into his eyes, wanting there to be no mistake about what she was saying. ‘I love you, Callum, and it has nothing to do with pity.’
‘You’re mistaken.’ He closed his eyes as though he couldn’t even look at her. ‘Learning that I’d been injured must have come as a huge shock when you thought I was still in Africa. It’s little wonder that you’re confused about how you feel.’
His arrogance took her breath away. He had the nerve, the sheer gall, to tell her how she felt! ‘I’m not confused. I know exactly how I feel, Callum, I assure you.’
‘You may think you do but...’
‘But nothing!’ Beth felt her temper soar to dizzying heights. He was doing it again, telling her what was best for her. It was exactly the same as when he had asked her a divorce. He had decided that she’d needed protecting, and he had made the decision to end their marriage. Not once had he considered consulting her!
Bending forward, she kissed him on the lips, a kiss that was full of everything she was feeling, from anger to desire. His face was white with shock when she drew back but she didn’t intend to apologise for that. ‘Does that feel as though I’m confused?’
‘Beth,’ he began, but she didn’t let him finish as she kissed him again.
There was a moment when he went rigidly still, a moment when she held her breath, wondering if she had made a huge mistake, and then all of a sudden he was kissing her back. Beth felt a wave of relief wash over her as his mouth claimed hers. Callum couldn’t pretend any longer. He couldn’t pretend that he didn’t want her when she could feel and taste his desire.
They were both breathless when they drew apart, both aware that the truth couldn’t be denied any longer. Beth could hear her voice trembling as she repeated what she had told him but this was an earth-shattering moment for both of them.
‘I love you, Callum. I’ve always loved you and that’s the truth.’
‘I love you too, so much.’ He broke off, overcome by what was happening. His voice was husky when he continued, filled with all the love he had tried so hard to deny. ‘I never stopped loving you, either, Beth. Asking you for a divorce was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but I was so sure that it was the only way to protect you.’
‘I know.’ Tears filled her eyes but they were tears of joy rather than sadness. ‘I understand why you did it now, although at the time...’ She broke off, not wanting to spoil everything by admitting how devastated she had been.
Callum obviously knew what she was thinking because he sighed heavily. ‘I’ll always blame myself for not finding a better way to convince you that we had to stop trying for a baby.’
‘I doubt if there was any other way,’ she admitted, sadly. ‘Like you said, I was obsessed by the idea of us having a child and I couldn’t think about anything else.’
‘It was your dream, Beth, so don’t blame yourself. Being a mother was what you wanted more than anything and I understood that.’
‘It wasn’t just becoming a mother that I wanted so desperately,’ she said simply. ‘It was having our baby, Callum, living proof of how much we loved each other.’
‘Oh, sweetheart. That’s why Beatrix means so much to me too. She’s the embodiment of our love for one another.’
There were tears in his eyes now. Beth wiped them away then pressed a gentle kiss to his eyelids. That Callum had lowered his guard to this extent was incredibly moving. He had always seemed so in control of his emotions before and it was a revelation to know that he felt so deeply about her and their precious daughter.
‘She’s our own little miracle,’ Beth said softly.
‘She is.’ He smiled up at her, all the love he felt shining in his eyes. ‘I love her so much, Beth, just as I love you.’
‘And we love you too. That’s why I’m here. I want you to know that no matter what happens, we’ll always love you.’
He closed his eyes. ‘I’d made up my mind that I wouldn’t ruin your life if it turned out that I couldn’t walk again. That’s why I said what I did.’
‘The only way you’ll ruin my life is by shutting me out,’ she said firmly. ‘I want to be with you, Callum, through the good times and the bad.’
&n
bsp; ‘Thank you, although maybe there aren’t going to be bad times as I feared.’ He quickly explained what the consultant had told him and she gasped.
‘But that’s wonderful! Once the damage to your spine has been repaired then you should be fine.’
‘It could take some time,’ he warned her. ‘And I could still have limited mobility at first...’
‘It doesn’t matter how long it takes. You’re going to get better and that’s the most important thing,’ she insisted.
Callum laughed. All of a sudden the future that had seemed so bleak a short time before was filled with hope. ‘You’re right. I will get better because I have the best incentive in the world.’
‘Do you indeed?’ she said, teasingly.
‘I do. ’ He smiled up at her, wishing with all his heart that he could sweep her into his arms but that would have to wait. For now. ‘I have you and Beatrix in my life. And there can’t be a better incentive than that.’
One year later...
It was like a case of déjà vu, Callum thought as he followed Daniel into the church. When he had first returned to Beesdale, he had come to the church and he could still remember the panic he had felt at the time. But today it was very different. Today there was no panic, just a deep sense of joy.
Callum took his place in the pew, thinking about what had happened in the past year. Finding out that he had a daughter had been a major event; it had changed his life for ever. He adored Beatrix and knew that she had accepted him as part of her life. One of his proudest moments had been when she had called him Dada for the first time. Although his contract as a locum had ended, Daniel had offered him a partnership when he had returned to work and Callum had eagerly accepted. He loved working in Beesdale and didn’t want to work anywhere else.
The organist suddenly struck up the ‘Wedding March’ and the congregation rose to its feet. Callum rose as well and turned to watch Beth walking down the aisle towards him. She was holding Beatrix’s hand and his heart overflowed with love when he saw them.
Reunited by Their Baby Page 14