Marrying the Runaway Bride

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘I believe you’re working permanent nights here,’ he said as he watched her take a mop and bucket out of the cleaner’s cupboard.

  ‘That’s right. The agency had problems finding anyone willing to work nights so I said I’d do them.’

  ‘Wendy said that you told her you needed the extra money?’

  ‘Yes. It will come in very handy.’

  She took the bucket into the sluice room and turned on the tap, looking round in surprise when Archie followed her in. He shrugged, wondering how best to broach the subject.

  ‘If money is tight at the moment, Heather, I’d be happy to help any way I can.’

  ‘Thank you but I can manage,’ she said shortly, lifting the bucket out of the sink. She went to step around him and he sighed when he saw the mutinous set to her mouth.

  ‘Now I’ve upset you and that was the last thing I meant to do. I’m sorry.’

  ‘No, it’s me who should apologise.’ She put the bucket on the floor and grimaced. ‘It’s kind of you to offer, Archie, but I can’t take your money. Quite apart from the fact that it would be wrong to play on your kindness, I need to stand on my own two feet.’

  ‘Everyone needs a helping hand from time to time,’ he said softly. ‘That’s all it would be—a helping hand. There definitely wouldn’t be any strings attached to the offer, if that’s what worries you,’ he added in case she’d got the wrong idea.

  A little heat touched her cheeks. ‘I never imagined there would be. I’d just feel very uncomfortable about taking money from you. You do understand, I hope.’

  ‘Of course. But if you change your mind, the offer still stands. OK?’

  ‘Yes. Thanks, Archie. I appreciate it.’

  She disappeared out of the door, leaving him wondering what else he could have said to persuade her. He sighed because it wouldn’t have been right to force her to accept his offer just so he would feel better. It was up to Heather how she chose to run her life, and he had no say in the matter. It was a good job, too, bearing in mind what had happened to Stephanie and Duncan. The least amount of input he had in Heather’s affairs, the safer she would be.

  Heather worked straight through until ten p.m. then went to the canteen for her break. There were just two of them on duty that night so they had to take their breaks separately, not that she minded. It was often difficult to make conversation with the full-time staff. Some weren’t interested in making friends with agency workers and others were indifferent. It was easier just to do her job.

  The kitchen closed at six p.m. so the choice was limited to sandwiches or microwave snacks. She opted for some egg and cress sandwiches, added a chocolate bar for dessert and a cup of tea, then paid for her meal. It wasn’t very busy in the canteen so she had her choice of tables and chose one by the window that gave her a view over the city.

  It was really spectacular at night when everywhere was lit up. She could see Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, with the London Eye on the opposite bank of the Thames. It all looked so glamorous and cosmopolitan compared to the rural charms of Dalverston that she felt a ripple of excitement run through her. She was living and working in the most exciting city in the world, and she should be making the most of the opportunity.

  Fired up by enthusiasm, she drank in the view while she ate her supper. Since she had arrived in London, she had been dwelling on the negative aspects of the move but it was time that changed. This was a new beginning for her, not just a means to escape from the past. She could go anywhere she wanted, even move abroad if that’s what she chose to do.

  Although she would miss her father, he needed to think about himself for a change. He had put his life on hold after her mother had died and he deserved to find happiness again. Now that she had struck out on her own, there was nothing to stop him. There was nothing to stop her either. The world was her oyster and there was nothing to keep her in England…except Archie.

  Heather frowned as that thought slid into her mind. It felt so right, so normal, to factor Archie into the equation, yet she couldn’t understand why. She didn’t owe Archie anything, but she couldn’t deny that the thought of moving to the other side of the world and never seeing him again was unsettling.

  Why? Was it the fact that Archie was such a good listener that made her feel this way? she wondered. He was kind and sympathetic, and he seemed to understand her concerns, so was it any wonder that she felt so close to him?

  Heather heaved a sigh of relief, glad that she had managed to make sense of it all. Archie’s kindness was just what she needed at this difficult time and there was no need to worry. It definitely couldn’t be anything else. Not at the moment. She wouldn’t be that stupid. She had just ended one relationship and there was no way that she was going to do something really crazy like fall in love with Archie!

  It was gone midnight before Archie went to bed that night after another mammoth session of packing. His flat was starting to resemble a storage unit with all the boxes piled up in every room. Everything needed to be ready in time for the move and there was no one else he trusted to sort out his belongings. Nevertheless, he had to admit that packing away his life into a pile of cardboard boxes was making him feel increasingly dejected.

  His mood didn’t improve the following morning either. He had an early clinic at eight and when he arrived at the outpatients department he discovered the computers were down. His list was already long and the fact that he would need to physically delve through each patient’s file rather than pick out key points on the computer would increase the amount of time it took. By the time ten o’clock came around he was only a third of the way down the list. Jackie Bliss, the senior outpatient nurse, was assisting him; she rolled her eyes as she handed him yet another set of case notes.

  ‘Timothy Wray, aged eleven. His family has just moved here from the south coast. Tim was seen by his GP on several occasions but nothing definite was found. He’s been complaining of headaches and severe pain in and around his left ear.’

  ‘Did the GP refer him to a dentist?’ Archie asked, opening the file.

  ‘Yes, but the dentist couldn’t find anything wrong with his teeth that might have caused the problem,’ Jackie replied promptly.

  ‘I see.’ Archie nodded, appreciating the fact that Jackie had saved him having to find the dental report. He skimmed through the case history, taking note of the fact that Tim had been extremely healthy until recently. He’d had the usual childhood ailments but nothing serious. ‘I take it that Tim hasn’t seen a consultant on the south coast?’

  ‘No. The family was about to move to London so the GP decided to refer him straight to us.’ Jackie went to the door. ‘Shall I call him in?’

  ‘Yep, you may as well.’

  Archie quickly read through the rest of the patient’s history but there was nothing there that indicated why Tim had been suffering such symptoms. He stood up when Jackie ushered the boy and his mother into the room.

  ‘Hello. My name’s Archie Carew. I’m the consultant in charge of the paediatric unit.’ He shook the mother’s hand then smiled at the boy. ‘You must be Tim.’

  ‘That’s right.’ Tim didn’t appear at all nervous as he sat down by the desk. He stared around the room, his eyes widening when he spotted the skeleton standing in the corner. ‘Wow! Is that thing real?’

  ‘It is.’ Archie got up again. Picking up the stand, he placed the skeleton beside his desk. ‘Fred and I go back a long way. I bought him when I was at med school studying to be a doctor and we got into a lot of scrapes together.’

  ‘Cool!’ Tim murmured. ‘Can I touch him?’

  ‘Of course you can. Here, you can shake his hand.’ Archie took hold of the skeleton by the right ulna and radius and held out its hand. Tim laughed when the metacarpal bones and phalanges tinkled merrily as he shook it.

  ‘That’s wicked! I wish I had one.’

  ‘Something to put on next year’s Christmas list,’ Archie suggested, drolly. He sat down, pleased that they had
broken the ice. The key to treating a child was to form a bond with him, as he’d done with Tim. He smiled at Mrs Wray, hoping to put her at her ease, too. ‘Now that you’ve met old Fred, why don’t you tell me how Tim has been recently?’

  ‘Just the same, Dr Carew. He gets these horrible headaches and his face hurts.’

  Archie didn’t correct her by pointing out that as a consultant his correct title should have been Mr Carew. It was immaterial to him what people called him and most were more comfortable with the title of Doctor. ‘I see. Can you tell me when this all started? It’s not clear from the referral letter if this has been going on for some time or if it’s a fairly recent event.’

  ‘It started last autumn, not long after Tim went back to school after the summer holidays,’ Mrs Wray explained.

  ‘And had anything happened before then?’ Archie probed.

  ‘I’m not sure what you mean, Doctor.’

  ‘Had Tim been ill or maybe had an accident—something like that?’

  ‘No, not that I can remember…’

  ‘Dad had that crash in his car,’ Tim said suddenly, interrupting them.

  Archie turned to him, immediately on the alert. ‘Were you in the car at the time?’

  ‘Oh, yes. Dad was taking me to play football when this van ran into the back of us. It dented all the boot of our car and Dad was furious.’

  ‘I bet he was.’ Archie agreed thoughtfully. ‘Did the headaches start after the accident?’

  ‘About a week later. My neck was really sore, too.’

  ‘Did your father take you to the hospital to be checked over?’

  ‘No. Dad said there was no point ’cos we were both OK.’

  Archie nodded. ‘I see. So apart from the headaches and the pain around your ear, is there anything else, Tim? Does your jaw feel sore when you chew, or does it click when you open your mouth wide?’

  ‘Yes. And if I yawn it sort of locks and I can’t shut it.’

  ‘Do you think it’s linked to the accident?’ Mrs Wray asked anxiously.

  ‘It could be.’ Archie stood up and moved round to the front of the skeleton. He pointed to its jaw. ‘The head of the mandible, or jawbone, fits into this hollow here on the underside of the temporal bone of the skull. In a living person there’s a couple of strong muscles as well which work together to enable us to move the jaw when we’re chewing food, for instance. However, if the joint has become misaligned, it causes pain and discomfort.’

  ‘And you think it may have happened when Derek and Tim had that accident?’ Mrs Wray said slowly.

  ‘I’d say it’s extremely likely. Temporomandibular joint syndrome—which is basically what Tim has—can result if the head, the neck or the jaw are injured.’ He went back to his desk. ‘If Tim suffered even mild whiplash in the accident, it could have been enough to cause the problem.’

  Mrs Wray shook her head. ‘I should have guessed it had something to do with that accident. I feel so stupid for not mentioning it to our GP.’

  ‘Don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t something you could have foreseen.’ He took out a form and filled in Tim’s details then passed it across the desk. ‘I’d like Tim to have an X-ray. If it shows that the joint has been displaced then we’ll know my diagnosis is correct.’

  ‘And if it is, what will happen?’ Mrs Wray asked.

  ‘We might be able to manoeuvre the joint back into its proper place, or it might need a small operation to sort everything out.’ He smiled reassuringly when he saw her pale. ‘It’s really nothing to worry about, Mrs Wray. Tim would just need to stay in hospital overnight if it does come down to an op. I’m sure you can cope with that, can’t you, Tim?’

  ‘Sure,’ the boy agreed, unfazed by the idea.

  Archie saw them out, wishing that all his young patients were as amenable as Tim, when he heard the sound of screaming coming from the waiting room. He asked Jackie to fetch the child in rather than risk him upsetting the rest of the children. He didn’t want anything else to delay him otherwise he would never catch up and he would end up having to stay late again that evening.

  Just for a moment the thought of seeing Heather again danced before his eyes before he blanked it out. No matter how alluring the prospect might be, he intended to leave on time that night. It was the only way he was going to stick to his decision not to get involved with her.

  CHAPTER SIX

  HEATHER hadn’t intended to arrive so early for work that night but it just so happened that a bus came along as soon as she reached the stop. It whizzed through the traffic so that by the time she reached the hospital she had half an hour to spare. She decided to make the most of it and headed to the café. It was busy in there but there was an empty table in the corner so she sat down. The waitress had just brought her order when Archie came in.

  Heather bit her lip when she saw him look around for a seat. Discovering that Archie had become a factor in any decisions she made about the future had left her feeling very uneasy. It was far too soon to get involved in another relationship. She simply couldn’t trust her feelings at the moment so she had made up her mind to avoid Archie as much as she could. However, she couldn’t pretend that she hadn’t seen him when it would mean him having to wait for a seat.

  Lifting her hand, she waved to him, feeling her heart jerk when she saw the surprise on his face. Just for a moment she thought he was going to ignore her, but then he waved back and she realised how ridiculous it was to imagine Archie would have done that. Just because she was attracted to him, it didn’t mean he felt the same about her.

  ‘This is a surprise. What are you doing here?’

  He smiled as he stopped beside her table and Heather hastily smoothed her features into a suitably noncommittal expression. Allowing herself to feel disappointed because Archie wasn’t as aware of her as she was of him was just plain crazy.

  ‘My bus was early so I decided to have a quick cuppa before I signed in,’ she explained, picking up the teapot.

  ‘Good idea.’ He pulled out a chair and sat down. ‘I managed to get an early finish for once so I thought I’d have something to eat before I went home. Driving through London on a Friday night is a nightmare. I try to avoid it whenever possible.’

  ‘I don’t blame you.’ Heather poured herself a cup of tea. ‘Where do you live?’

  ‘Chelsea.’

  He caught the waitress’s eye and beckoned her over. Heather turned over the other cup and filled it with tea while he placed his order.

  ‘You shouldn’t have done that,’ he admonished her. ‘That’s your tea. I could have waited until mine arrived.’

  ‘We may as well share it,’ she told him lightly, not wanting to make an issue of it. ‘I can always have a top-up when yours arrives.’

  ‘Of course you can. Thanks.’ He added a dash of milk and a couple of spoons of sugar then took a sip. ‘Hmm, nearly as good as that coffee I had the other day.’

  ‘Lucky it’s only nearly as good,’ she said tartly. ‘At least you won’t have to stand up and admit you’re a tea addict as well.’

  ‘No.’ He glanced over his shoulder and chuckled. ‘There’s a few too many people in here at the moment to relish confessing my sins.’

  ‘If your only sin is an addiction to coffee, you’re not doing too badly.’

  His face abruptly closed up. ‘I wish it were my only sin.’

  Heather had no idea what he meant, but it seemed that her comment had touched a nerve. She glanced at him and felt her heart ache when she saw the shadows in his eyes. It was obvious that something was troubling him, although she wasn’t sure if it would be right to ask him what was wrong. In the end prudence won over emotion. Picking up the plate, she offered it to him.

  ‘Would you like half of this scone to tide you over?’

  ‘Thanks, but I’ll wait for my meal.’ He seemed to make an effort to shake off the aura of sadness as he smiled at her. ‘So what did you get up to today?’

  ‘Oh, nothing very much apart f
rom catching up on some sleep.’ She bit into the scone, clamping down on the idea that she might be able to make him feel better. Why on earth did she imagine that anything she did would cheer him up?

  ‘It’s always difficult to sleep through the day,’ she continued, not wanting to dwell on that thought. ‘Especially in the city. The traffic here never seems to stop.’

  ‘Tell me about it. It used to drive me mad when I first moved here. I longed for somewhere quiet where I couldn’t hear the constant drone.’ He shrugged. ‘I’m used to it now and don’t notice it as much. I imagine the same thing will happen to you.’

  ‘If I stay here,’ she amended, because it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that she would remain in London. She intended to remain open to any new ideas, go with the flow and see where it took her.

  ‘It sounds as though you’re thinking about moving on.’

  ‘I’ve not made up my mind what I’m going to do yet, to be honest.’ She shrugged. ‘I’m even toying with the idea of moving abroad. After all, there’s nothing to keep me in England.’

  ‘Footloose and fancy-free,’ he said, smiling at her, and she smiled back when she saw that the spark was back in his eyes.

  ‘That’s me!’

  They both laughed, both held eye contact a little longer than was necessary, and both dropped their gaze. Heather felt a fizz of awareness run through her. There was definitely something going on, something that Archie felt as well as she did, but would it be right to act on it? She really didn’t need any more complications in her life at this stage. It was difficult enough to decide what to do without confusing the issue even more. Every decision she had ever made had been influenced by other people’s expectations of her. From her parents to Ross, she had consciously, or unconsciously, factored in their views. Now it was time for her to be independent, her own woman. She needed to work out what she wanted from life and go for it. It would be downright silly for her and Archie to get involved right now.

  Archie could feel his head buzzing. The way Heather was looking at him made it difficult for him to think straight. He longed to know what was going through her mind but doubted if he would make much sense of the answer even if he asked her. It was a relief when the waitress appeared with his meal and provided a much-needed distraction.