Twice as Good

by Alison Roberts

  ‘You let us do it,’ Rory reminded her. ‘When we burnt the edges of those treasure maps we made.’

  ‘Yes, but we did it outside.’ Janet sighed. ‘Not in a shed full of flammable things. And you had adult supervision.’

  ‘Mrs Carpenter never comes outside with us. She tells us to go and amuse ourselves ‘cos she’s busy.’

  ‘Mrs Carpenter won’t be looking after you any more.’ Janet stared at her plate. ‘I don’t know what we’re going to do.’

  ‘We could walk down to find you after school,’ Rory suggested. ‘It’s not very far and I know the way.’

  ‘I can’t have you at the clinic for hours every day.’ Janet shook her head firmly. ‘I can’t watch you when I’m supposed to be working.’

  ‘We’d be good,’ Adam promised. ‘And Josh lets us use his computer sometimes.’

  ‘Yeah!’ Rory’s face lightened for the first time since the lecture the young policeman had delivered. ‘Cool!’

  ‘No,’ Janet said sharply. The computer was in Josh’s office. The office Jamie McFadden was currently occupying. Imagine what would happen if Jamie’s suspicions of the twins’ paternity were aroused by close contact. They might be small enough for their age to pass for being a year younger than they actually were, but that was one risk too many. The nightmare was worsening, and fear made Janet angry. ‘What’s more, you won’t be getting your own computer for your birthday any more. It took me a year to save enough for the deposit and now I’m going to have to give it all to Mrs Carpenter to pay for the shed.’

  Adam burst into tears. Rory looked anguished. Janet looked at them both and felt her own anger give way to despair. She wanted so much for her boys. She had fought so hard for the independence of her tiny family and here they were—all utterly miserable. Janet covered her eyes with her hand, struggling for control.

  ‘It’s all right, Mum,’ Rory said bravely. ‘We don’t mind … about the computer. We still love you.’

  Janet’s sob turned into a laugh. Her chair scraped noisily on the wooden floorboards as she pushed it back and held out her arms. Both boys rushed to lay first claim to her lap. She managed to fit them both on. The love she felt for these children overrode her despair. Somehow she would cope. She would sort out the help she needed with their after-school care, become involved with helping with their reading difficulties and maybe even find a way to spend more time with them. She kissed the top of Adam’s head, snuggled under her right-collar bone, then she turned her head to the left and kissed Rory’s curls.

  ‘It’ll be OK,’ she murmured. ‘I’ll sort everything out. We’ll manage.’ She gave them both a squeeze. ‘What say we forget the sausages and go and get some fish and chips?’

  Her lap was emptied instantaneously. Both boys gazed at her adoringly. ‘Cool!’ they chorused.

  Janet put the screwed-up wrapping paper from their substitute dinner into the rubbish bin after the twins had gone to bed. She eyed the now congealed plates of sausages and gravy sitting on the bench. The thought occurred to her that it would be quite useful to have a dog in residence. The boys would be in heaven if they got a puppy for their birthday. They wouldn’t even miss the promised computer. But how could she care for a dog when she was working all day? And what about the expense? It wasn’t just the food. There were all the accessories and the registration and probably vet bills. Look at Outboard. It had cost Josh three hundred dollars to have the kitten’s broken leg operated on after he’d nearly run over the abandoned animal.

  It all came down to finances in the end. If she didn’t have to work then she would have all the time in the world to spend with her sons. Surely there was a compromise to be found? Janet ran hot water into the kitchen sink and added detergent. If she could cut down her hours at St David’s she could be home for the boys after school. If she didn’t have to pay Mrs Carpenter it might make up for the cut in her wages. Janet felt a ray of hope. It wasn’t the best time to make changes in the running of the clinic, with the senior partner and the practice manager away, but Oliver Spencer was very approachable and Janet desperately needed some help.

  Oliver was more than approachable. Janet had waited until after lunch for a private conversation in his office. ‘I think it’s a great idea,’ he enthused. ‘A family has to come first.’ He smiled somewhat proudly and Janet was reminded of his own impending fatherhood. ‘In fact, we could look at employing a second nurse part time and you could cut back to just mornings.’

  ‘Oh, no,’ Janet demurred hurriedly. ‘I couldn’t afford that. If I just stop an hour or so earlier it should work. By the time the boys organise themselves and walk here after school, it’ll be nearly 3.30 p.m. They can sit in the waiting room while I tidy up. They’ve sworn they’ll behave. I’ll work through my lunch-break to make up some of the time.’

  ‘No, don’t do that,’ Oliver protested. ‘We’ll manage. Don’t worry.’

  ‘It’s just such a bad time for all this,’ Janet apologised. ‘I mean, I’m thrilled to bits that Josh and Toni got married but their honeymoon is turning into a bit of a disaster as far as St David’s is concerned.’

  ‘I haven’t helped.’ Oliver grinned. ‘I have to take responsibility for getting Sophie pregnant.’

  ‘Have you heard from her?’

  ‘She rang last night. The first day went very well as far as the exams went. She’s still feeling as sick as a dog. I’m going to collect her from the airport this evening.’

  ‘She’ll be exhausted,’ Janet sympathised. ‘Maybe she’d better stay home tomorrow.’

  ‘Maybe.’ Oliver looked worried but then brightened. ‘At least we have Jamie,’ he said happily. ‘He’s fitting in very well, and from what I’ve seen he’s an excellent doctor. I really like him,’ he added more quietly.

  ‘That’s good.’ Janet ignored the questioning expression with which Oliver was inviting a more personal response. She summoned a smile. ‘I’ve got Pagan Ellis waiting to see me. I’ll ask her what she thinks of Jamie’s aura.’

  ‘And I’ve got a quick call to go to at the Bay Villa Rest Home. Muriel Stafford fell out of bed in the night. Sounds like she might have broken her hip.’

  Pagan Ellis was looking enormous. The bulge of her advancing pregnancy was enhanced by the flowing long dress she wore.

  ‘Not long to go now.’ Janet smiled. ‘How are you feeling?’

  ‘Wonderful!’ Pagan’s bangles clinked as she waved her arms enthusiastically. ‘Couldn’t be better. I’m wondering why I ever agreed to have the baby in hospital now. With weather like this I just want to head for the beach.’

  Janet shook her head warningly. ‘Please, Pagan. No more of the birth in the surf plan. That premature labour when you had the flu gave us all enough of a fright.’

  ‘It didn’t come to anything, though.’ Pagan smiled with satisfaction. ‘Everything’s back on track. The planets are on my side. Fifteen days to go.’

  ‘Have you done your urine sample?’ Janet ushered Pagan towards the scales in the treatment room. Pagan handed over a container as she climbed onto the scales.

  ‘I’m the size of a house!’ she announced proudly. ‘Look at that! I’ve put on four kilos since last week.’

  ‘Hmm.’ Janet pointed to the chair at the end of the bed. ‘Have a seat, Pagan. I’ll just test your urine before I take your blood pressure.’

  The dip-stick test was done quickly. The result was disconcerting, especially in conjunction with Pagan’s dramatic weight gain. Protein in the urine signified abnormal kidney function. Janet wrapped the blood-pressure cuff around Pagan’s upper arm.

  ‘Have you noticed any puffiness around your eyes or neck? Or swelling of your feet and ankles? Or your hands?’

  ‘Look at that!’ Pagan held out her hands. The numerous silver rings were cutting deeply into her fingers. ‘It’s just normal, isn’t it? Part of getting fatter?’

  ‘It may not be,’ Janet said cautiously. ‘Rest your hand in your lap while I take this pressure.�
�� Janet was silent for a minute as she concentrated. She frowned as she repeated the test. ‘Your blood pressure’s up a bit, too,’ she told Pagan. ‘When are you due to see the specialist again?’

  ‘Next Monday.’

  ‘I’ll see if Dr Spencer’s back from his house call,’ Janet decided. ‘I’d like him to have a look at you.’

  ‘No.’ Pagan shook her head. ‘I only see Sophie.’

  ‘She’s away today. She’s sitting her exams in Wellington.’

  ‘I can come back tomorrow.’

  ‘No. Please, Pagan,’ Janet said persuasively, ‘I think you need to see a doctor.’

  ‘I feel fine.’

  ‘Do you?’ Janet gave Pagan a serious look. ‘Not having any headaches?’

  Pagan looked away quickly. ‘Not really.’ She rose from the chair with less than her usual grace. ‘Look, I can’t stay. I’ve got an appointment with my clairvoyant today. Do you have any idea how long you have to wait for a sitting with Iris?’

  ‘No,’ Janet said firmly. ‘But I’ve got a very good idea what happens when you ignore the symptoms of pre-eclamptic toxaemia.’

  Pagan’s eyes widened.

  ‘It could be serious, Pagan,’ Janet continued quietly. ‘Sit down until I can get Dr Spencer to look at you.’

  Pagan sat, looking mutinous. Janet went into the office.

  ‘Is Oliver back yet, Sandy?’

  Sandy shook her head. Janet looked at her watch. Nearly 3.30 p.m. The boys should be arriving any minute, now. Hopefully she could keep them well away from Jamie. She smoothed down her hair distractedly. ‘I’ll have to think of some way to keep Pagan happy until he gets back,’ she told Sandy. ‘I can’t let her go without seeing Oliver.’

  ‘Why?’ The query came from Jamie who entered the office carrying a patient file.

  ‘She’s got fluid retention, proteinuria and raised blood pressure. She’s thirty-eight weeks pregnant.’

  ‘What’s the BP?’ Jamie put down the file.

  ‘One-thirty over ninety.’

  ‘Could be pre-eclampsia,’ Jamie announced. ‘I’ll have a look at her.’

  ‘No!’ Janet said sharply.

  ‘I beg your pardon?’ Jamie’s tone was amazed. ‘Is there a problem with me seeing this patient?’

  ‘Yes—there is.’

  Jamie’s eyebrows rose. His gaze raked Janet, demanding an explanation.

  ‘It’s a complicated case,’ Janet hedged. ‘Pagan’s not keen on doctors or medical intervention. She needs careful handling.’

  ‘Which I’m not capable of?’

  ‘I didn’t say that.’ Janet was aware of Sandy Smith’s fascinated observation of them. ‘You just don’t know the patient.’

  ‘And you don’t trust me to deal with it.’

  ‘I didn’t say that either.’ Janet was feeling flustered now.

  ‘Oliver’s back,’ Sandy observed. ‘I just saw his car go past the window.’

  Jamie reached for a new file from his in-basket. ‘In that case, I’ll see Mrs Gordon,’ he said smoothly. His angry glance at Janet jarred with his tone. ‘Unless you have another objection, Janet?’

  ‘Of course not.’ Janet’s smile was relieved as she watched him leave. Mrs Gordon was notoriously difficult to deal with. She might well be able to escape with her sons before Jamie emerged from his latest consultation. She caught Oliver and explained her concerns, turning to Sandy before following the doctor into the treatment room.

  ‘The twins are walking here after school,’ she warned her. ‘Let me know as soon as they arrive, will you, please? I don’t want them causing any problems.’

  Oliver was taking Pagan’s blood pressure again. ‘I’m going to have a chat to your obstetrician,’ he told his patient, ‘but I suspect he’ll want to admit you again for observation.’

  ‘Ring him tomorrow,’ Pagan pleaded. ‘I haven’t seen Iris for months. She’ll be able to tell if there’s a real problem.’

  ‘This could be serious, Pagan,’ Oliver warned. ‘Sophie would say the same thing.’

  ‘But I feel fine. I’m just a bit puffy and get the odd headache. I’ve only got a few days to go. I can put up with it.’

  ‘This could get worse,’ Oliver said, ‘in which case it could threaten both you and the baby. You need bed rest and monitoring. If your blood pressure goes up any further it could mean that a Caesarean will be advised, especially as you’re so close to full term.’

  ‘You mean it might go away if I rest?’

  Oliver nodded. ‘But you need to rest in hospital so they can watch your blood pressure and kidney function carefully. I’m going to ring your consultant now. Have a rest on the bed for the moment. You don’t have any more patients coming in, do you, Janet?’

  ‘No.’ Janet glanced at the clock. Three forty-five p.m. The boys should be here. She was supposed to be tidying up, ready for a 4 p.m. departure.

  Oliver returned within minutes. ‘You’re to go home, collect a bag and go straight to the hospital,’ he told Pagan. ‘They’ll be expecting you. Will you do that?’

  Pagan nodded reluctantly. ‘I suppose I’ll have to.’

  Oliver looked at her sternly. ‘I’ll ring the hospital in half an hour. If you’re not there I might just come looking for you.’

  Pagan laughed. ‘You wouldn’t!’

  ‘No. But Sophie would and she’s due at the airport in a couple of hours.’

  Janet left Pagan talking to Oliver. She hurried into the front office. ‘Have the boys shown up yet?’ she asked Sandy. She was too worried to let Jamie’s presence in the office distract her. ‘They should have been here half an hour ago.’

  Jamie stared. Sandy shook her head apologetically, before turning away to deal with Mrs Gordon’s account. Jamie was still staring.

  ‘Do you mean to say you don’t know where your children are?’

  ‘Of course I do,’ Janet snapped.

  ‘Where?’

  ‘Somewhere between here and school.’ Janet tried to brush past Jamie. ‘I’m going to go and look for them right now.’

  Jamie caught her arm. The grip felt different to yesterday’s touch. He was trying to slow her down, not interrogate her.

  ‘Do you want some help?’

  ‘No, thanks.’

  The grip tightened. Jamie lowered his voice. ‘Why is that, Janet? Is it none of my business or is it just that you don’t trust me?’

  Oliver and Pagan moved through the archway. They were laughing loudly enough to cover Janet’s angry whisper. ‘Let go of me, Jamie.’

  He let go, but followed Janet into the treatment room as she grabbed her bag and fished out her car keys. He pushed the door shut behind him.

  ‘Nothing changes, does it, Janet?’ He glanced at the closed door. ‘I don’t care that you don’t trust me on a personal level. When you let it interfere with the job I’m here to do, it’s a different matter. I can’t work with someone who’s going to make a public issue out of a lack of trust.’

  ‘I didn’t,’ Janet denied vehemently. ‘And I don’t have time to try and explain right now.’

  ‘You don’t need to explain. It’s simple. You don’t trust me.’ Jamie took a step closer. ‘Do you, Janet?’

  Janet tossed her curls with an angry shake of her head. ‘No, I don’t.’

  ‘You never did.’

  ‘Oh, yes, I did,’ Janet hissed. ‘I trusted you far too much.’

  ‘Huh!’ The sound was scornful. ‘Not for long.’

  ‘Until I had good reason not to,’ Janet fired back.

  ‘Good reason! Someone else’s lies, you mean.’

  ‘And the rest.’ Janet was giving as good as she was getting as far as furious looks went. ‘The evidence was, as they say, irrefutable.’

  ‘What evidence?’ Jamie made the word sound like a non-existent commodity. ‘What did you use for the final conviction, Janet? Before you dumped me?’

  ‘Me? Dumped you?’ Janet’s jaw sagged from the weight of her increduli
ty.

  ‘Tell me, Janet,’ Jamie demanded harshly. ‘I’m very interested.’

  ‘No.’ Janet stepped around Jamie. ‘I don’t want to talk about it. It’s ancient history and there’s no point in dredging any of it up.’

  ‘There’s every point when it means you decide which patients I’m allowed to see. I’m not going to work in an atmosphere of mistrust.’

  ‘Fine.’ Janet had her back to him now. She didn’t bother turning. ‘Go somewhere else, then.’

  The door opened in the short silence that followed Janet’s angry suggestion. Sandy was smiling. ‘The boys are sitting out in your car, Janet. They said they’ve been there all the time because they didn’t want to get into any trouble.’

  ‘Oh, thank goodness.’ Janet’s relief expressed itself in a huge grin at Sandy. ‘I must have forgotten to lock the car. I’d better take them home.’

  ‘Good idea.’ The sarcastic comment behind her was hard to ignore. ‘Looks like I’m not the only one who can’t be trusted.’

  The words still grated on Janet late that night. She sat at the kitchen table, nursing a mug of strong tea and brooding over the argument. The nerve of the man, saying she had dumped him! Jamie made it sound as though he really believed he’d been done an injustice. He had always protested his innocence but the evidence had been irrefutable. Not just what she’d seen with her own eyes. There had been the letter as well. The letter from Sharlene.

  Janet shook her head. That was the second time she’d thought of her old room-mate in as many days. After so many years of burying any unpleasant recollections.

  When had Sharlene started poisoning the potential relationship Janet and Jamie had had going? In expressing her envy over the prize Janet had landed? Moving in on Jamie, however willingly or otherwise the move had been received? Had it been in the form of that letter? Janet tried to remember. The name of her room-mate had even appeared in the conversation Janet and Jamie had had on their drive back to Glasgow after that magic day—and night—on the island of Iona. The conversation had been a memorable one.

  It had only been when they’d reached the outskirts of the city on their return journey that the potential repercussions of their stay on Iona had been discussed.