Adam's Daughter

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘Depends on what state the legs are in,’ she replied tartly, as they made their way to the gate. ‘Mine feel as though they should be put out of their misery!’

  ‘A cup of coffee and a BLT should do the trick,’ he assured her. ‘Can’t you just taste it—all that lovely juicy bacon and tomato with crispy lettuce? Yum!’

  Beth laughed. ‘I’m so tired that I don’t know if I’ll be able to chew it!’

  ‘You’ll be fine once you smell the bacon frying. Trust me.’

  He drew her arm through his and propelled her along the road. There was a lot of traffic about, considering it was Sunday, and they had to wait before they could cross to the other side. They turned down the street where the café was situated and Beth groaned when she saw that it was closed.

  ‘I don’t believe it! Of all the rotten luck.’

  ‘Typical.’ Adam looked along the road. ‘It doesn’t look as though there’s anywhere else we can go either.’

  ‘How about the park?’ she suggested, rapidly trying to think of an alternative. ‘There’s a tea stall there and I think they sell sandwiches.’

  ‘We’ll give it a try,’ he agreed immediately, turning round to head back the way they had come. It wasn’t far to the park and Beth was delighted to discover that the tea stall was open and doing a roaring trade. A lot of people had decided to take advantage of the good weather and the park was crowded with families picnicking or playing ball games.

  They bought coffee and sandwiches from the stall then found a quiet spot under a huge old oak tree and sat on the grass. Adam bit into his sandwich with relish.

  ‘Delicious,’ he mumbled through a mouthful of crumbly brown bread.

  Beth contented herself with a nod because she was too busy devouring her own sandwich to speak. She wiped her hands on a paper napkin after she had swallowed the last mouthful and huffed out a sigh. ‘That’s better. I might just live!’

  Adam laughed as he lay back on the grass and put his arms behind his head. ‘Funny how you immediately feel better after you’ve had something to eat.’

  She sank back onto her elbows and squinted up at the sky. ‘You do, although I could do with a nap and then I would feel one hundred per cent like myself.’

  ‘Then have one.’ He rolled onto his side and she felt her heart flutter as he reached up and smoothed a strand of hair back from her cheek. ‘It was a long night, Beth. It’s no wonder that you’re tired.’

  ‘You’re tired, too,’ she murmured, praying that he couldn’t hear how hard her heart was beating when she felt his fingers tracing a delicate pattern across her cheek.

  He was so close now that she could see the tiny lines fanned from the corners of his eyes, smell the warmly sensual scent of his skin—a mixture of soap from the shower he had taken earlier and an aroma that was intrinsically his. He hadn’t had a chance to shave that day and his jaw was shadowed with stubble, lending him a rakish air that was very attractive.

  Beth couldn’t deny that her senses were stirred by his nearness. She quickly averted her gaze because she was afraid that he would notice. There was the funniest feeling in the pit of her stomach, a sense of excitement and anticipation, so that she jumped nervously when she felt his fingers retracing the route they had taken. Her eyes flew to his and she felt her breath catch when she saw the way he was looking at her.

  ‘I am tired and I don’t mind admitting it. How about if we both lie down and take a nap then neither of us needs to feel as though we’re letting the side down?’ he suggested, his deep voice grating so that the words seemed to take on an added meaning.

  Beth felt herself colour when an image of them lying together beneath the sheltering branches of the tree sprang to mind. She didn’t have to try hard to imagine how it would feel to have him lying beside her, his body warm and hard against hers…

  ‘All right, then,’ she said quickly, desperate to stop her mind going any further. She lay back on the grass and closed her eyes, and a moment later heard Adam roll over onto his back. However, she was too keyed up to relax. She could feel the warmth of his body all down the length of hers, sense how hard it really was when he shifted slightly and his thigh brushed hers, and her mind was suddenly awash with images that had no right to be there!

  ‘Relax. If you’re worrying about Hannah, there’s no need. She’s going to be fine, Beth.’

  She almost jumped out of her skin when she glanced round and realised that he was watching her. A flood of heat swept through her when she saw him frown. ‘That is what you are worrying about, isn’t it?’

  ‘I…um…yes,’ she whispered, half expecting a thunderbolt to fall from the sky as a punishment for the lie. However, what happened instead was far more earth-shattering.

  Adam slid his arm beneath her and drew her to him, nestling her head into the crook of his shoulder. ‘Hannah will be fine,’ he repeated, his deep voice rumbling beneath her ear. ‘We won’t let anything bad happen to her, Beth. Promise.’

  He brushed a gentle kiss across her temple. ‘Now, close your eyes and go to sleep. Everything will look much better after you’ve had a nap.’

  He closed his eyes and after a few minutes the measured sound of his breathing told her that he had fallen asleep. She lay quite still, telling herself that she didn’t want to disturb him by moving, yet she knew in her heart that it was another lie. She simply didn’t want to have to leave the comfort and security of his arms.

  She closed her eyes, feeling the heavy thud of his heart beneath her breast, the warmth and strength of his body pressed against hers. It felt exactly how she had imagined it would, and so right and natural that the tension seeped out of her. With a small sigh of contentment she fell fast asleep.

  The patter of raindrops on the overhead canopy of leaves woke her. For a moment Beth couldn’t think where she was before everything came rushing back. She turned her head and jumped when she found herself staring straight into Adam’s eyes. They were so deep and blue that she had the craziest feeling that she was in danger of drowning in them…

  ‘I was just debating how to wake you.’ His smile was so warm that she felt a ripple of heat run along her nerves like bushfire spreading through tinder-dry forest. She had to wet her lips with the tip of her tongue before she could speak.

  ‘H-how to wake me?’

  ‘Uh-huh. I mean there’s whole tomes been written on the subject, although I believe there’s one tried and tested method that’s particularly effective, or at least it seems to work for princes.’

  His laughter was deep and strangely seductive. Beth felt another frisson of heat follow in the wake of the first. Maybe Adam was just teasing but it didn’t feel like just anything to her. Was it any wonder that she couldn’t seem to follow what he was saying?

  ‘Princes?’

  ‘That’s right. Surely you used to read fairy stories when you were a little girl?’ His smile was tender and teasing at the same time. ‘Once upon a time there was a handsome prince who happened to be riding through the woods one day when he came upon a beautiful young woman who was fast asleep…’

  ‘Oh!’ She gasped as she realised what he had meant then felt her heart start to bounce around her ribs when he chuckled.

  ‘Aha, I can tell you’ve remembered how the rest of the story goes. I’ve always wondered if any man’s kiss would have woken Sleeping Beauty or if it really did take a prince to rouse her from her slumbers.’

  The words seemed to hang in the air for a moment. Beth felt her toes curl in delicious anticipation. Was Adam going to kiss her? she wondered breathlessly.

  It came as a huge letdown when he suddenly sighed. ‘And now I’m not going to have the chance to prove it one way or the other because you’re wide awake.’ He gave her a last smile then stood up and stared across the park. ‘Looks like we’re going to get wet, I’m afraid.’

  Beth struggled to her feet, thinking that getting wet was the least of her worries. Maybe Adam had been only teasing her but she didn’t enjoy havi
ng her hopes raised then dashed like that!

  ‘Looks like it,’ she agreed stiffly.

  ‘Maybe we should wait here a bit longer in the hope that the rain will stop,’ he suggested, glancing at her.

  She averted her eyes, afraid of what he might see on her face at that moment. ‘It could get worse and we need to get back to Hannah.’

  ‘You’re right.’ He gave a heavy sigh. ‘Reality has to take precedence over dreams every time, I suppose.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ she asked curiously.

  ‘Nothing. Take no notice of me.’ He stepped from beneath the shelter of the tree and grimaced. ‘Typical British weather. And to think that I used to lie awake at night, longing for a lovely English rain shower!’

  She laughed huskily, wishing that she knew what he had meant by that strange comment. What sort of dreams did Adam have? she wondered. ‘That will teach you. What’s that saying about not wishing for something because you just might get it?’

  ‘Meaning that nothing is ever as good as you think it will be?’ He shrugged as he led the way towards the path. The park was clearing rapidly as families hurried to find shelter, and they were almost the last to leave. ‘It depends on what you wish for, I expect.’

  ‘So what would you wish for?’ she asked, hurrying to keep up with him.

  ‘That’s simple. To get out of this rain.’ He caught hold of her hand. ‘Come on. Let’s make a run for it before we get soaked.’

  Beth let herself be urged into a run but she knew that Adam had deliberately chosen not to answer her question truthfully. Maybe he found it too difficult to admit what his dearest wish was if it involved Claire?

  Her heart sank at the thought. She couldn’t bear to think of him spending the rest of his life grieving for her sister. She frowned as an even more unpalatable thought struck her. Even if he did marry, could the woman he chose ever be more than second-best?

  CHAPTER NINE

  BETH WAS exhausted when Monday morning came around. She had spent the whole of Sunday at the hospital with Hannah and hadn’t left there until late in the evening. Adam had stayed as well, only leaving her briefly to visit his uncle in the coronary care unit. The good news was that Hannah seemed to be responding to the antibiotics and everyone was hopeful that the crisis was over.

  She dragged herself out of bed when the alarm went off and took a shower then set to and ironed her clean uniform dress. Sunday was the day when she normally caught up with her housework and she groaned when she thought about all the jobs that still needed doing.

  She snatched a cup of instant coffee then hurried down to the surgery. Eileen was in the office, going through the day’s post, and she greeted her with a cheery smile.

  ‘Was it a bit of a rush to get ready this morning, then?’ she asked, tucking the label back inside the collar of Beth’s dress.

  ‘Thanks. And, yes, it was a rush. We were at the hospital with Hannah all day yesterday so I didn’t have time to do any of my usual jobs,’ she explained. ‘I had to start ironing when I got up this morning.’

  ‘What a shame! When you say we do you mean that you had a friend with you?’ the receptionist asked curiously.

  ‘That’s right.’ Beth turned away, making a great show of checking the diary so that she didn’t need to look at the other woman. Until she knew what Adam intended to tell people about Hannah, it didn’t seem right to mention that he’d been at the hospital with her. ‘Looks like a full list this morning so I’d better go and get ready.’

  She quickly left the office before the receptionist could ask her anything else and ran slap-bang into Adam, who had just arrived.

  ‘Sorry! I should look where I’m going,’ she apologised.

  ‘Don’t worry. I’m tougher than I look!’ He gave her a warm smile, although she couldn’t help noticing how tired he looked as well.

  ‘You look how I feel,’ she observed, walking along the corridor with him.

  ‘I expect I do,’ he agreed ruefully. ‘It was a long day yesterday. It’s no wonder that we’re both worn out this morning.’

  ‘But at least Hannah appears to be improving. I phoned the hospital as soon as I got up and they said that she’d had a comfortable night.’

  ‘I know. I phoned them as well.’ He opened the door to his room then paused, and she couldn’t help noticing the frown he gave.

  ‘What is it? I can tell that something is worrying you,’ she asked quickly.

  ‘I was just wondering how you’re going to cope when Hannah is well enough to leave hospital. She’s going to need a lot of care in the first few months, Beth. I don’t know how you are going to fit in looking after her as well as doing a full-time job.’

  ‘I’ll manage,’ she assured him, although she had to confess that it was something she had worried about many times. Hannah would be unable to return to school for some time after she was discharged from hospital because of the risk of infection. She would also need to continue her treatment, which would mean repeated trips to the hospital. It was going to be difficult to fit everything in when she was working.

  ‘It isn’t going to be easy,’ he said flatly. ‘I think we need to start making provision for when she comes home, see if we can work out a plan that will make life easier for you as well as for Hannah. Obviously, I’ll do everything I can to help, but we have to face the fact that she’s going to need a lot of care in the first few months.’

  ‘Maybe I could find someone to sit with her while I’m at work,’ Beth suggested, thinking worriedly about how much it would cost to hire anyone reliable.

  ‘Do you think that’s a good idea?’ He shrugged when she looked at him. ‘You told me that Hannah is shy with strangers. The fact that she’s been so ill might simply exacerbate the problem.’

  ‘What else do you suggest? I can’t afford to give up my job to look after her because then we would have no money, not to mention anywhere to live.’

  ‘I’m not sure what the answer is but I do think that we need to consider all our options.’ He touched her lightly on the arm. ‘Just remember that we’re in this together, Beth. It’s our problem, not just yours.’

  He gave her a quick smile then went into his room. Beth sighed as she went to get ready for her first patient. Adam had meant to be helpful but it had brought it home to her how much their lives were going to revolve around Hannah in the future. Whilst she wanted nothing more than to look after her niece, would Adam come to resent the restrictions that caring for a sick child would impose on him?

  It was impossible to answer that question. She would just have to wait and see what happened. But suddenly it felt as though her whole life was hanging in the balance.

  Beth had a long list of appointments that day so she didn’t get a moment to herself. However, she was glad that she didn’t have time to think about her own problems.

  One of her first patients was Hilary Dwyer, the daughter of the woman who had been suffering from Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Beth had difficulty hiding her surprise when Hilary came into the room. Not only had Hilary’s hair been cut and styled but she had bought herself some fashionable new clothes. The transformation was amazing.

  ‘You look wonderful,’ she declared truthfully as she ushered the woman inside.

  Hilary blushed. ‘Thank you. I’ve rather let myself go in the last few years, I’m afraid. I was too busy looking after Mother to worry about myself. However, I’m hoping to find a job so I thought it was time I did something with myself.’

  ‘How is your mother?’ Beth asked, getting out the sphygmomanometer. Hilary was due to have her blood pressure checked, as well as having blood and cholesterol tests that day.

  ‘An awful lot better. Dr Knight suggested this wonderful nursing home for her. I was reluctant at first but he insisted that it would be the best thing for Mother if she had professional nursing care after she came out of hospital, and he was right.’

  There was a touch of hero worship in Hilary’s voice. ‘He’s been absolu
tely marvellous. Did you know that he visited Mother in hospital and found the time to call me at home to reassure me that I was doing the right thing by having her admitted to the nursing home?’

  ‘No, I didn’t know that,’ Beth admitted with a smile, wondering where on earth Adam had found the time to do all those things.

  ‘I’m not surprised.’ Hilary laughed softly. ‘He isn’t the sort of man who goes around blowing his own trumpet, is he? I feel so fortunate that he happened to be here when Mother was taken ill otherwise we might have gone on the way we were for years!’

  ‘I’m really pleased that everything has turned out so well,’ Beth said sincerely. ‘Now, I believe that you’re due for various tests this morning so I’ll start with your blood pressure if you could slip off your jacket.’

  Hilary quickly did as she was asked. ‘This is all Dr Knight’s doing as well. He asked me to come in for a checkup because he thought that I was probably run-down.’

  Beth made a note of the reading on Hilary’s card then unwound the cuff. ‘I see that you’re due for a cholesterol test and a blood test as well.’

  ‘That’s right.’ Hilary sighed. ‘I’ve been getting dreadful hot flushes so Dr Knight suggested that I should think about HRT.’

  ‘Hormone replacement therapy is marvellous,’ she assured her patient, breaking open a new syringe to take the first sample of blood. ‘Many women find that it makes a huge difference to their lives.’

  ‘The only thing that puts me off is the thought of having to take lots of tablets,’ Hilary confessed with a grimace. ‘I hate taking pills.’

  ‘You don’t have to take tablets for the oestrogen part of the treatment. You can opt for an adhesive patch or an implant, if you prefer,’ Beth explained, deftly drawing up blood into the syringe. She broke off the needle and filled in the label with the patient’s details then picked up another syringe. ‘However, the progestogen is administered in tablet form, I’m afraid.’

  ‘Oh, I see. Well, I’m sure I can cope with one lot of tablets,’ Hilary said, sounding relieved. ‘Especially if the results are as good as you say they are.’