by Lucy Clark
‘First one to leave the nest?’
‘Yes.’ Logan pulled up outside Angie’s house and they walked to the door together. He rang the bell and waited. ‘How are you feeling? Are you warm enough?’ He placed the back of his hand on her forehead and Charli jerked back, her eyes wide with surprise from his touch. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.’
‘I feel fine.’ Or at least she had before he’d touched her. Now she felt as though a fire had spread through her, reaching all the way down to the tips of her toes. How could he affect her so easily? Concentrate, she told herself sternly.
Logan rang the bell again and frowned. He tried the handle but it was locked. ‘Angie?’ he called, and banged on the door. No response. ‘I don’t like this. Stay here in case she comes. I’m going to try the back door.’ He raced off, leaving her with his medical bag.
Charli waited where she was. A few anxious minutes passed where she kept ringing the bell and banging on the door, calling out to Angie. Then she heard Logan calling for her and grabbed the bag before rushing around the side of the house.
‘Logan?’
‘Over here.’ He’d opened the back door and disappeared back into the house. Charli followed quickly and it was then she realised he was on the phone, giving the address. He rang off as he walked back through to the kitchen. ‘Angie? Angie? Can you hear me?’
Charli crouched down beside the woman. ‘Pulse is weak. Skin is cool and clammy.’ She opened the medical bag and pulled out his torch. ‘Pupils equal and reacting to light.’
‘There’s an oxygen cylinder in my car,’ he told Charli. ‘Stay here with her while I get it.’ He raced out and was soon back, fitting the non-rebreather mask over Angie’s nose and mouth before turning it on. ‘Just breathe, Angie. Breathe.’
Charli had the stethoscope on and was listening to Angie’s chest. ‘Very tight.’
‘Angie? It’s Logan.’
Angie murmured and moaned.
‘Where’s the pain?’ he asked. ‘What’s happening, Angie?’
‘Chest, arm, neck,’ she panted. ‘Logan? I’m scared.’
‘I know you are. Do you know how long you’ve been on the floor?’ As he spoke, both he and Charli worked to try and diagnose what was wrong.
‘I don’t know. I didn’t feel well and I was heading to the phone and—’
‘Shh. It’s all right now. We’re here.’
‘BP’s decreased. Is there a history of angina pectoris or heart attacks in the family?’ Charli asked the question and Logan shook his head.
‘Not that I know of.’
‘My uncle,’ Angie said breathlessly.
Charli had loosened Angie’s clothing and was listening to her chest again. ‘It’s tight. Try a nitroglycerine tablet under her tongue and we’ll see if that does any good.’
Logan nodded and retrieved a tablet from his bag. ‘I’m just going to lift the mask and I need you to keep this under your tongue,’ he told Angie. ‘If it’s going to work, we’ll know almost immediately.’
‘Hope so,’ Angie panted.
Thankfully, it did and Angie reported the constrictive sensation lifting. ‘It was like someone was standing on my chest and I just couldn’t breathe.’
‘Close your eyes and relax,’ Logan soothed. ‘You’ll be fine. The ambulance is on its way.’
‘Ambulance?’
‘It’s all right. Just relax, I said.’
‘But I have to go to work.’
‘I’m sure Mrs Blackwell will understand,’ Logan said with a chuckle. ‘You need to go to hospital, Angie, and that’s all there is to it. Where was Philip working today?’
‘Out past Horsham.’
‘I’ll get Wil to get a message to him.’
‘BP’s better, pulse is better, chest sounds as though she’s getting a lot more air into those lungs of hers,’ Charli reported.
‘Good.’ Logan looked at his colleague. ‘I could get used to this.’
‘What?’
‘Not having to do everything myself.’
Charli smiled at him and continued with the observations. Angie looked up at her.
‘Who are you?’ she asked, and Logan begged her forgiveness and introduced the two women. They waited for the ambulance to arrive and once Angie was settled in and Bruce and his partner had whisked her away, Logan packed up his bag, locked Angie’s house and walked back to the Jag.
‘Whew!’ He exhaled a long breath and turned to smile at Charli. ‘I’m glad you were here, Doc.’
‘You would have coped fine without me.’
‘I’m saying thank you, Charli. Just say “You’re welcome, Logan”, and then we can move on.’
‘Why are you saying thank you?’
‘I believe in giving credit where credit is due,’ he said with a curious frown. Hadn’t this woman ever been praised for doing a good job before? He thought back to her high IQ and wondered whether great things had just been expected from her so people had forgotten to thank her. He shook his head and checked his watch. ‘Noise time has begun. We’d better get back.’
‘What about your other house call? I thought you said you had three?’
‘I do. You are my third but I can check your vital signs back at my home.’
‘I’m not your patient, Logan.’
‘I beg to differ.’ He walked to the car, holding the door for her. When it looked as though she wanted to stand there, her chin raised in a defiant gesture he was coming to recognise, he shrugged his shoulders and headed around to the driver’s side. He’d climbed in, put his seat belt on and started the engine before she moved, quickly getting into the car.
‘Some doctor you are,’ she growled as she pulled on her seat belt. ‘Leaving your patient standing in the middle of nowhere, especially when she doesn’t know who she is.’
‘But you do know. You’re Charli Summerfield. We know your name, we know where you work and those are all places to start. Now all we need to do is figure out how you got to Halls Gap, where your clothes, belongings and, more importantly, your passport are and then we can get you on the next plane home. Once I’ve cleared you fit to fly,’ he added.
‘Lest we forget, you’re my bossy doctor.’
Logan chuckled. ‘Yes, I am, and thank you for admitting it.’ He pulled into his driveway and climbed out, collecting his bag. ‘I’ll just dump this in the clinic before—’
His words were cut off as the door to the house across the road banged open and two children started running straight for him. Both stopped at the kerb and quickly checked there were no cars coming before heading over, their arms flung out, wide, happy grins on their faces.
‘Too late,’ Logan muttered, and placed the bag on the ground. He knelt down on one knee and opened his arms wide, ready for the onslaught.
‘Dad!’ the girl yelled, and the boy was in hot pursuit of his sister. Both had deep brown eyes and Charli realised they must have inherited the gene from their mother as Logan’s eyes were a definite blue.
‘Daddy!’ The children hurtled themselves into his arms and knocked him backwards to the ground. Logan had an arm around each of them, rolling around and obviously tickling them as the peals of laughter rang out with shouts of ‘Stop it, Dad’ and ‘I’ll tickle you, Daddy’.
Charli simply stood there and watched, amazed at the sight before her. It was foreign. She couldn’t remember anyone ever holding her like that. A picture of her mother’s face flashed into her mind and she gasped. The expression on her mother’s face was one of pride. Maternal pride. She was proud of her daughter, of her accomplishments, and her mother loved having a daughter who was smart. That was all Charli could remember but that one little snippet was enough to make her tremble.
Logan glanced over to see Charli watching them. Her eyes were wide and as she raised a hand to her mouth he realised she was shaking. ‘Hold on, hold on.’ The kids grabbed onto him and he levered himself up into a standing position. ‘All right. Inside, and you can have two co
okies each.’
‘Yay!’ He held out the house keys to Trinity and both of them ran off, delighted at the treat waiting for them inside. Logan crossed to Charli’s side.
‘You’ve remembered something,’ he stated.
‘Yes.’ Charli turned to smile at him, an unsure, watery smile. ‘Nothing big, nothing dramatic. I just remembered that my mother was proud of me.’
‘That’s a nice memory.’
Logan was smiling at her again. Smiling the way he’d been earlier on. The moment of happiness she’d experienced vanished as the new sensations of awareness once again began to swamp her. His wife. His wife. She had to think about his wife.
‘Uh…What time…’ she took a step away from the car ‘…does your wife get home?’
‘My wife?’ He looked at her as though she’d grown an extra head.
‘Yes. The woman you’re married to? The mother of your children?’
‘Oh! That wife.’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t have one.’
‘You don’t have one?’
‘No.’ He smiled at her.
He wasn’t married?
‘Did she die?’
‘No. I’ve never been married.’
He wasn’t married! He wasn’t married!
Something didn’t add up. ‘But…your children?’
‘They’re my brother’s children. He and his wife died in a car accident not long after Owen was born.’
‘So you just stepped in and took over?’
‘Sure.’ Logan shrugged and collected his bag from the ground.
‘Necessity?’
‘You could say that.’
‘So you’re not married.’ She just wanted to get things straight.
‘No.’ When she didn’t say anything else, he said, ‘Any other questions?’
‘So you’re the legal guardian of your brother’s children?’
‘Yes.’
‘And the house across the street?’
‘My parents’.’
‘Ah, the mother, retired nurse and clinic receptionist who doesn’t throw out the old magazines.’
‘Got it in one. Gee, you really are a smart lady, Charli.’
His blue eyes were twinkling and she realised immediately he was teasing her. ‘Oh…go soak your head.’
He laughed. ‘I’d better get inside before they eat all the cookies. Want to come?’ He held his hand out to her in an innocent gesture of friendship. A split second passed as a multitude of thoughts raced through Charli’s mind.
She wanted to accept his gesture, to hold hands with him, to be free enough to do so and to go inside and snag some of those cookies for herself. She needed to relax, enjoy herself—after all, that was her doctor’s prescription!
But another part held back. It wasn’t the proper thing to do. She hardly knew this man and the thought of touching him, holding hands with him, set her instantly on fire. His touch had affected her before and she knew it would now.
But so what? He wasn’t married and…She glanced down at her fingers. Although she wasn’t wearing any rings, she checked for a tan line which might indicate a more permanent commitment but there was nothing. As for Chuck, well, she had no idea who he was and—
‘It’s only cookies, Charli.’
Logan interrupted her thoughts, his blue eyes still teasing her.
‘You’re right.’ Taking a deep breath, Charli put her hand in his and, smiling up at him, they went into the house together.
CHAPTER THREE
THE Hargraves household was a madhouse! After two hours with Logan and the children, Charli had a headache. She’d watched in fascination as Logan had fielded questions, supervised homework, signed notices for school, cooked dinner and patiently explained why people have belly buttons when Owen had asked the question over a mouthful of mashed potato.
‘I’m exhausted,’ she muttered as he came into the kitchen after tucking his children into bed. ‘How on earth do you do this day after day after day?’
Logan shrugged and checked the coffee pot. ‘You just get used to it. Is this fresh?’
‘Yes. I needed a strong cup.’
He laughed as he poured himself some coffee and pulled a stool around so they were sitting on opposite sides of the kitchen bench. ‘They’re…boisterous.’
‘Thank goodness they’re asleep.’
‘Oh, they’re not. Trin will be out in about ten minutes with a concern. “Daddy, I couldn’t sleep because I’m too hot, or too cold.” “Daddy, I had a nightmare.”’
‘And what do you do then?’
He shrugged. ‘Deal with it.’
‘You don’t think she should stay in her room until she falls asleep?’
‘You sound like my mother. I don’t know whether there’s a wrong or right thing to do but if something’s bothering her, I’d rather she talks about it.’
‘How did you learn all this?’
‘What? Parenting? You don’t.’ He took a sip of his coffee. ‘You just deal with each situation as it arises.’
‘They’re just so…full on.’
He smiled. ‘Especially Owen, but I didn’t get them like this. I’ve grown with them. To begin with, it was hard. Trin was always looking for her mother and Owen, well, he was used to being breast-fed and suddenly he had a bottle shoved in his mouth, which, I might add, he didn’t appreciate one little bit.’
‘So while you were grieving for the loss of your brother and sister-in-law, you also had to deal with two children.’
‘I didn’t do it alone, Charli. My parents have been there every step of the way. We sat down, discussed what was best for the children and those two little ones became our first priority.’
‘They know you’re not their father? They call you Dad.’
‘I’m all they can remember. They both have pictures of their parents in their rooms. We’ve made no secrets of the fact that they’re not my biological children.’
‘And they just accept that?’
‘Kids are resilient, Charli. It’s a pity sometimes adults can’t be the same.’ He drained his cup. ‘I need to unpack my medical bag and get started on some paperwork.’
‘What’s your plan for tomorrow?’
‘I’ll do a catch-up clinic in the morning and then I’m rostered on at Stawell Hospital tomorrow afternoon and evening.’
‘And the children?’
‘Go to their grandparents whenever I’m working. Mum or Dad will come here and put them to bed if I’m not home, and stay with them until I do get home.’
‘You seem to have all the bases covered.’
‘It’s a system we’ve devised so the children have the best.’ She was looking at him in stunned amazement. ‘What?’
‘You’re a very generous man, Logan Hargraves.’
‘I wouldn’t say that. I just do—’
‘I know, I know. You do what’s necessary, but you wouldn’t be able to do that without such a giving and caring heart. I may not have a clue who I am, but I know that what you’re doing is rare.’
He felt embarrassed at her words. ‘Thank you for your words but I’m not doing it alone and I get back more from the children than I put in. I love them.’
The words were said with the utmost simplicity and Charli marvelled at it. They both stared at each other, neither one game enough to break contact first but both wanting to do so. The phone rang and Logan walked out of the room to get it.
‘Dr Hargraves.’
‘Logan, it’s Wil. How’s the patient?’
Logan heard the teasing in his friend’s voice and smiled. ‘Physically, she’s fine.’
‘You can say that again.’
‘Get your mind out of the gutter.’
‘And mentally?’
‘Not so good.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Charli has amnesia.’
‘Amnesia? Wow. What happens next?’
‘It means the puzzle of her being in Halls Gap is harder to unravel than we thought.’
‘How bad is her amnesia?’
‘She has retrograde amnesia, which means she can’t remember anything before we found her.’
‘What’s the treatment?’
‘She has to relax.’
‘That’s it? I thought you said she was a bit forgetful due to the hypothermia and concussion.’
‘That’s what I initially thought and, sure, those factors have increased her symptoms, but the reason she can’t remember is because something emotional has happened to trigger repression of certain memories. The medical term is hysterical amnesia.’
‘I’ll need to speak to her.’ Wil was in policeman mode.
‘I’ll put her on so you can have a word with her,’ he said as he walked back towards the kitchen, taking the cordless phone with him. He stopped just outside the room, watching as Charli stood there, her eyes closed. She was so beautiful. He didn’t want to interrupt her but he knew she needed to talk to Wil, to tell him about some of the things they’d discovered so far. He cleared his throat, knowing her eyes would instantly snap open.
She turned to face him and he held out the phone. ‘It’s Wil.’
Charli nodded and accepted the receiver, trying her best not to look at Logan. The look they’d shared before the phone had given them a timely interruption was still smouldering deep down inside her. How could this man she’d known for less than a day make her feel so overwhelmed with emotion? But right now he was the only person she really knew so perhaps that was why the attraction between them felt strong. He was a giving, caring, compassionate man and at the moment she needed that type of person in her life.
‘Hello, Wil.’
‘Charli…er Dr Summerfield, er, Dr Charli.’
‘Charli’s fine, Wil.’
‘Er…good. Uh, I’ve checked and come up empty on accommodation in Halls Gap. You weren’t booked in anywhere but there’s one thing I have found. Do you remember driving here?’
‘No.’
‘Do you remember hiring a gold sedan?’
‘No. Why?’
‘A gold car has been parked in the car park outside the general store all day. The keys were in the ignition but no one has returned to claim it.’
‘This is odd?’
‘It may not be in a big city but here, yes, it’s odd.’