Marrying the Runaway Bride

by Jennifer Taylor

  A tiny fear seeped into her heart but she drove it out. She wasn’t going to waste what they had by worrying about what she was going to lose so soon. They slept for a short time afterwards then took a shower, the two of them somehow managing to squeeze into the tiny cubicle together. It was almost one p.m. by the time they were both dry and dressed. Archie sighed as he checked his watch.

  ‘I hate to do this but I’m going to have to leave. People will be wondering where I am. I never even phoned Mike to warn him that I wouldn’t be in this morning.’

  ‘I understand.’ Heather kissed him softly on the mouth then smiled at him. ‘Duty calls, etcetera.’

  ‘I can think of better etceteras to fill the afternoon,’ he growled, pulling her to him and kissing her soundly.

  Heather kissed him back then slipped out of his arms. She didn’t want to put any pressure on him by making him choose between her and his work. ‘If you go now, you can probably catch up with a lot of the things you missed this morning.’

  ‘Practical as well as gorgeous,’ he said, smiling at her in a way that made her knees go weak. He picked up his coat and shrugged it on. ‘I’ll see you tonight, shall I?’

  ‘Yes. I’m due in at six.’

  ‘I’ll make a point of being in the ward,’ he said, heading for the door. He paused and glanced back. ‘No regrets about what happened, Heather?’

  ‘None at all,’ she said truthfully. ‘It was what we both needed, Archie, wasn’t it?’

  Something crossed his face, a hint of uncertainty, possibly, before he smiled at her. ‘It was.’

  He didn’t say anything else before he left, tooting his horn as he drove away. Heather waved him off then went back inside. She didn’t have any regrets about what they had done and she hoped that Archie didn’t have any either. She would hate to ruin the next few weeks by wishing that they’d done things differently, or not done anything at all.

  She sighed as she switched on the kettle. If only their relationship didn’t have a time limit on it, it would have been perfect, but she had to accept the situation as it was. She and Archie would have to pack as much into their time together as possible. At least that way, when they parted, they would have a lot of wonderful memories to look back on.

  Archie went home to change first and finally made it into work just before two o’clock. He had expected there to be questions about where he’d been but nobody said a word so he let things lie and carried on as though nothing had happened. The fact that an awful lot, of mindblowing magnitude, had gone on that morning was nobody’s business but his and Heather’s.

  His heart surged as an image of Heather lying in his arms sprang to his mind. Making love with Heather had been the most wonderful experience but he had to put what had happened into perspective. This was just a temporary arrangement and he mustn’t make the mistake of thinking it could become permanent. So long as he remembered that, he should be able to cope.

  He did an early afternoon ward round on his own, wanting to touch base and find out what was happening with the various children. Adam Regis was still in ICU and he made a note to check on him later. Little Kojo Arutee had had his op to repair his hernia and was due to be discharged the following day. Archie checked the boy’s notes and confirmed that there was no reason to keep him any longer. Surprisingly, Kojo looked very downhearted when he told him he would be going home in the morning.

  ‘You don’t want to stay here, do you, Kojo?’ Archie asked, sitting down on the side of the bed. ‘You must be missing all your friends.’

  ‘I ain’t got no friends,’ Kojo muttered.

  Archie’s brows rose. ‘How about at school—you must have some friends there?’

  Kojo shook his head. ‘Nobody will play with me ’cos the teacher will think they’re naughty, too.’

  ‘Ah, I see.’ Archie smiled at the little boy. ‘There’s a really easy answer, Kojo. If you stop being naughty, the teacher will stop telling you off and then the other kids will play with you.’

  ‘I don’t know if I can stop being naughty,’ Kojo said seriously. He looked at Archie with worried black eyes. ‘I try to be good and then something naughty happens.’

  ‘That must be very difficult,’ Archie said gravely. ‘But you’re a big boy now and if you know something naughty is going to happen then you can stop it.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘Just think of something really good that you can do instead and the naughty idea will go away.’ Archie stood up. ‘Think you can do that?’

  Kojo nodded solemnly. ‘I’ll try.’

  ‘Good boy.’

  Archie was smiling as he left the boy’s bed. The idea of Kojo being led astray by his naughty thoughts was highly amusing, although maybe he and Kojo had something in common. His thoughts about Heather had definitely led him astray.

  He sighed as he headed up to ICU to check on Adam Regis. He had lost so many people he’d loved—his father, his brother, Stephanie. But losing Heather was going to be an even bigger wrench, one from which his heart might never recover. Maybe he should try to limit the damage while he could, not get any more deeply involved with her than he already was? he thought desperately. Heather would understand if he explained it to her. She was probably as keen as he was to avoid any problems. They could still be friends, of course, enjoy each other’s company, but there’d be no more sex.

  Not even a kiss? a small voice whispered tantalisingly in his head and Archie paused while he considered the idea. Maybe it would be all right to kiss her, he conceded. So long as they kept it very-low key.

  If a kiss was OK then how about a cuddle? the wretched voice persisted, and he frowned as he considered that option, too. Cuddles shouldn’t be a problem either, so long as they kept them to a minimum. In fact, the odd cuddle between friends was perfectly acceptable in modern society.

  He smiled in relief as he carried on along the corridor. He would cope perfectly well so long as he stuck to the new guidelines. He and Heather could still enjoy the odd kiss and even a cuddle, but that was it. There must be no extras, nothing to push him beyond his limit, nothing like what had happened that morning…

  His mind whooshed back in time and he groaned. Did he really think he could lay down a set of rules and stick to them? The minute he was near her, he would want more than just a kiss and definitely more than a cuddle. Where Heather was concerned there could be no half-measures. He wanted all of her, not just a tiny bit!

  It made him see that the next few weeks were going to be the toughest of his entire life. He’d thought the last twenty-one months had been hard and they had been. He’d been to hell and back, but this was going to be so much worse. To be given a glimpse of heaven and know that it wasn’t going to last would be sheer torture.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  THE rest of that week flew past, each day seemingly busier than the one that had gone before. Heather felt as though her life was rushing past at dizzying speed. She and Archie spent as much time as possible together outside work. It wasn’t easy when she was working nights and he was working days but they managed it somehow.

  He met her from work each morning and drove her home then spent an hour with her. Sixty minutes during which time it felt as though she lived a full year. Being with him was such a rich and wonderful experience that every second counted for double, every minute seemed ten times its proper length. By the end of the week Heather knew that she was in love with him and it was both scary and exhilarating to feel that way. She knew it was far too soon to feel like that but it didn’t seem to matter. What had gone on before had no bearing on what was happening now. She loved Archie and for whatever time they had, she would enjoy loving him too.

  The weekend arrived and once again Archie took her out. They drove to Brighton and spent the morning wandering around the town, then bought some food and picnicked on the beach. It was the middle of March and the weather was really too cold to eat outside but they didn’t care. Archie had brought a couple of rugs with him and they h
uddled together out of the wind while they ate pâté and crusty bread, softly oozing cheese and grapes, all washed down with a huge flask of coffee which helped to warm the chill from their bones. Heather couldn’t remember enjoying a more perfect day and told him that as they strolled back to the car, hand in hand.

  ‘No wonder I enjoy being with you,’ he said, smiling at her. ‘You’re definitely not high maintenance.’

  ‘Oh, so I’m a cheap date now, am I?’ she retorted, pretending to scowl at him. ‘Maybe it’s time I upped the ante, Sir Archie, and demanded champagne and caviar.’

  ‘No problem, if that’s what you want.’ He turned her to face him, kissing her in full view of everyone who was passing. He didn’t appear the least embarrassed when a group of teenagers on skateboards started whistling and catcalling either.

  Heather shook her head, feeling decidedly flustered as she came up for air and not just because of the attention they were attracting. Archie’s kisses were enough to fluster anyone. ‘You pick your places, Archie. I mean, anyone could have seen us.’

  ‘I don’t care.’ He took her hand again, sliding his fingers between hers as they carried on walking. ‘Kissing isn’t a crime. I can think of a lot worse things that we could be doing.’

  ‘Ye-e-s,’ she agreed hesitantly.

  ‘But?’ He turned and looked at her. ‘There was a definite “but” tagged on the end of that.’

  ‘But I wouldn’t like to cause you any embarrassment.’ She sighed when he frowned. ‘You have a certain status to maintain, Archie. I’d hate it if anyone from the hospital saw us and started gossiping.’

  ‘I doubt if we’ll run into anyone down here,’ he pointed out. ‘But if it does happen, so what? I’m not ashamed of what we’re doing, Heather. Are you?’

  She heard the hurt in his voice and hurried to reassure him. ‘Of course not! I just don’t want to make life difficult for you.’

  ‘You’re not.’ He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed her cold fingers. ‘You’ve made me feel better than I’ve done in a very long time.’

  ‘I’m glad,’ she said simply, and meant it with all her heart.

  They drove back to London and Archie didn’t ask her if it was all right as he drove straight to his flat. It was what he wanted and he knew it was what she wanted, too. They made love in the big old-fashioned bed in his room and it was so magical that afterwards Heather cried tears of happiness and regret that one day this would have to end. Maybe Archie felt the same because he was very subdued as he cradled her in his arms.

  Heather clung to him, storing up the memory of how it felt to have his arms around her, to hold him close and know that for the time being he was hers. If he had told her then that he didn’t want them to part, she would have told him how she felt, too, that she loved him and wanted to spend her life with him. But he didn’t say anything and she couldn’t break the rules by confessing what was in her heart. It wasn’t part of their agreement, plus he might not have believed her after what had happened with Ross. She didn’t have a good track record when it came to knowing her own mind and Archie was bound to be wary. Why would he choose to set himself up for a fall if she changed her mind again?

  Thoughts tumbled around inside her head until she felt quite dizzy with them. When Archie suggested they should go out for dinner, she refused. She needed to be on her own while she got her thoughts together. The one thing she would never do was hurt Archie. That would be too unbearable for words.

  Archie felt as though time was running away with him. Every day he woke up meant he was one day nearer to when he and Heather must part. Although he had known from the outset it was going to happen, it didn’t make it any easier to bear. The day they’d spent in Brighton had been particularly difficult. He’d came so close to telling Heather that he didn’t want to let her go. It was only the fact that she wasn’t ready to hear such a confession that had stopped him. Heather needed to get her life together and he mustn’t confuse the issue by declaring his feelings, especially when he wasn’t in a position to do so. He couldn’t forget that he still needed to make amends for what had happened in the past.

  He sought consolation in his work, putting in longer and longer hours at the hospital. When Mike Bridges broke his ankle playing squash it just increased the pressure on him. He had to pick up Mike’s work as well as his own, cover all the clinics as well as Theatre. The powers-that-be agreed to hire a replacement for Mike while he was off sick, but it would take time to find someone suitable. In the meantime, Archie had to double his workload.

  His own replacement was due to start at the beginning of April. He definitely didn’t want to leave the new man with a backlog, so he pushed himself to the limit to get everything done. It meant him cutting down on the amount of time he spent with Heather, which wasn’t a bad thing in a way, although he missed her dreadfully. It was a taste of how his life was going to be in the future and that thought weighed heavily on him. A future without Heather wasn’t something he relished.

  Despite the increased workload, life at the hospital carried on as normal. Adam Regis had been moved back to the ward from ICU. There was no sign of permanent brain damage and Archie was extremely hopeful the boy would make a full recovery.

  Emily Jackson was moved out of the high-dependency unit, although the restrictions on who could visit her remained in place. The police were still investigating the case but so far they had come up with no evidence to prove that the child had been abused. It was worrying to think that Emily could be sent home with the problem unresolved so Archie had another word with the social workers. They agreed to place Emily on the ‘at risk’ register so that was something. The child would be monitored and action would be taken if there were any concerns about her safety.

  Friday night rolled around and Archie was still in the ward when Heather arrived for duty. He smiled when she came over to say hello, feeling his heart kick up a storm when he saw the warmth in her eyes. He’d not picked her up from work that morning because he’d had an early clinic and it seemed ages since he’d seen her.

  ‘How are you?’ he asked, folding his arms before he gave in to the urge to grab hold of her.

  ‘Very well, thank you, sir,’ she replied pertly.

  ‘Oh, it’s sir now, is it? Obviously, we’re being formal tonight.’

  ‘Of course.’ She glanced over her shoulder and grimaced when she saw Abby watching them. ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea to arouse everyone’s suspicions, do you?’

  ‘Probably not,’ he conceded. He straightened up and sighed. ‘That being the case, I’d better let you get on with your work. I was just about to head off home so I don’t expect I’ll see you again tonight. And much as I would love to spend some time with you over the weekend, I don’t think it’s possible. I need to get the rest of my packing done.’

  ‘Would you like me to give you a hand?’

  ‘I’d love it!’ Archie exclaimed, his spirits immediately lifting at the prospect of seeing her.

  They made arrangements for the following afternoon, then he bade her a polite goodbye and left. However, there was a definite spring in his step as he made his way to the lift. He hadn’t been looking forward to the weekend, but he was now. Even the most mundane task seemed exciting if he could share it with Heather.

  It was ten p.m. and Heather was on her own in the ward. Abby had gone to the canteen for her break with Noreen, the other nurse on duty that night. It had been extremely quiet so far and Heather was hoping it would continue that way. She did her rounds, pleased to see that all the children were fast asleep. Usually at least one was awake, but tonight they had all settled down early for a change.

  She added a brief note to that effect on the nightly report sheet then went to the office to fetch the laundry list. Abby had asked her if she would count the sheets as once again there was a discrepancy with the linen and she may as well get it done now. She had just unlocked the filing cabinet when she heard the main doors open and frowned. Abby and
Noreen must be back from their breaks already.

  Heather found the list and went back into the ward to check if Abby wanted her to count anything else, but there was no sign of her. There was no sign of Noreen either yet she was certain that she’d heard the doors open. She looked around the dimly lit ward, feeling distinctly uneasy. If it hadn’t been Abby and Noreen coming in, who had it been?

  She did a quick circuit of the room, her stomach sinking when she discovered that Emily’s bed was empty. She ran to the bathroom but the little girl wasn’t in there either. Had Emily woken up and wandered off? she wondered, hurrying to the phone to raise the alarm. It seemed the most likely explanation, although her heart turned over at the thought of the child wandering around on her own. It was only as she was picking up the receiver that she heard a banging noise coming from the day room and discovered that the fire door was open. Had someone entered the ward and taken Emily away?

  Heather didn’t waste any more time as she phoned Security and explained what had happened. She had just hung up when the other nurses came back and they were shocked when she told them that Emily was missing. The head of security arrived a few moments later, looking very grim when Heather explained that there were concerns about the possibility that Emily was being abused by her father. He immediately phoned the police.

  Heather could feel her anxiety growing as she listened to him talking on the phone. If anything happened to Emily, she would never forgive herself.

  Archie was just thinking about going to bed when the phone rang. He groaned as he went out to the hall. The call could only be from the hospital at this hour of the night. Talk about no rest for the wicked!

  ‘Carew.’

  ‘Archie, it’s Heather.’