The Rebel Who Loved Her

by Jennifer Taylor

Becky groaned. Obviously, Ben was wondering what she was doing, bringing Millie to the party if the little girl had been ill enough to be admitted to hospital. ‘No. She was well enough to be sent home, thankfully. It was rather late by then, though, and I couldn’t get a taxi, so we stayed at Ewan’s.’

  ‘Ah, I see,’ Ben said, smiling. He brushed Millie’s cheek with his finger. ‘It is good to know that you are feeling better, ma petite.’

  They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Emily and Ben went to say hello to Mitch Johnson, the landlord of The Ship Inn, and his wife. Becky took Millie over to the sandpit. Charlie, Tom and Hannah’s son, was making sand pies and Millie eagerly joined in.

  ‘Looks as though someone’s having fun.’

  Becky didn’t glance round; she didn’t need to. She would recognise Ewan’s voice anywhere, she realised, her heart sinking because it was yet another example of how deeply he had infiltrated her thoughts of late.

  ‘Millie loves making sand pies,’ she said lightly, doing her best to behave as though everything was fine, which in a way it was. After all, they had both agreed they weren’t looking for more than friendship. Maybe that kiss had been unexpected but it had been a one-off and it wouldn’t happen again. ‘If Millie had her way, we’d spend every day at the beach.’

  ‘Can’t say I blame her. I’m a bit of a sand-pie freak myself.’

  He crouched down and helped the children fill their buckets. When Charlie begged him to help them make a sand castle, he set to work with gusto. In a very short time they had constructed several turrets and were busily forming the base of the wall that surrounded them.

  ‘You missed your vocation,’ Becky told him, laughing. ‘You should have been an architect, not a doctor.’

  He grinned. ‘I’m not sure I’d have been much good at it. The test of a good building is its stability and I think my designs may be somewhat lacking in that respect.’

  The words were prophetic because just then one of the turrets gave way. Millie let out a loud wail as one side sheared off. Ewan swung her up into his arms. ‘It doesn’t matter, sweetheart. We can do it again. Don’t cry.’

  He tossed her up in the air and successfully distracted her. She was all smiles as she demanded that he do it again. Becky noticed several people watching them and smiling, and realised that they were putting two and two together and coming up with the wrong answer. However, short of announcing that she and Ewan weren’t an item and that they had no intention of becoming one, either, there was little she could do. It was a relief when Tom clapped his hands and called for silence.

  ‘I’m not going to bore you all by making a speech,’ he began.

  ‘That’s a relief,’ someone shouted, and everyone laughed.

  Tom grinned. ‘Exactly. I just want to thank you all for coming. Hannah and I really appreciate you taking the time to help us celebrate this very special day.’

  There was a round of applause. Tom waited until it died down. Becky frowned when she realised how nervous he looked. From what she had learned of Tom, he wasn’t the sort of person who suffered from nerves. Something was obviously going on.

  ‘If I could beg a few more minutes of your time, folks, there’s something rather important I’d like to do.’ He turned to Hannah and held out his hand. ‘Would you come over here for a second, darling?’

  ‘What’s going on?’ Hannah demanded as she took Tom’s hand. ‘You’re up to something, Tom Bradbury. I can tell!’

  ‘I am indeed.’ He suddenly dropped to one knee. ‘Hannah Morris, will you do me the great honour of becoming my wife?’

  A collective gasp broke out from all the guests. Without even thinking about it, Becky reached for Ewan’s hand as she waited to hear what Hannah would say. She heard a phone ring and glanced round in time to see her father take his mobile out of his pocket but she was more concerned about Hannah’s answer than anything else.

  ‘Of course I’ll marry you.’ Hannah sounded indignant. ‘I can’t believe you thought I wouldn’t!’

  A huge cheer erupted as Tom swept Hannah into his arms and kissed her. Becky cheered as well, thrilled to have been witness to such a happy event.

  Ewan laughed. ‘There’s nothing like a spot of old-fashioned romance to cheer everyone up.’

  ‘There certainly isn’t.’ Becky turned and hugged him then realised what she was doing. ‘Oh, I’m sorry...’

  ‘Don’t apologise. It’s a time for hugs, I’d say.’

  He hugged her back, making it appear so natural that any doubts she had fled. After all, friends often hugged one another and that was what she and Ewan were, friends. It was only when she caught her mother’s eye and saw the smile that Ros bestowed on them that she realised how other people might interpret it. It was a relief when her father appeared and she and Ewan broke apart.

  ‘That was Ambulance Control on the phone,’ Simon announced. ‘There’s been an incident at Bride’s Bay Manor—a coach carrying a party of holidaymakers has collided with a car. There’s several dozen people injured apparently and Ambulance Control has asked if we can attend until the ambulances get there.’

  ‘Do we know what sort of injuries they’ve sustained?’ Ewan asked immediately.

  ‘No. Details are sketchy, I’m afraid. We’ll have to wait until we arrive to see what’s happened.’ He looked round when Tom and Hannah came to join them. Emily and Ben had followed them and they all listened intently while Simon recounted what had happened.

  ‘Typical,’ Hannah snorted. ‘Put a whole load of medics together and it’s guaranteed there’ll be some sort of emergency!’

  ‘At least it saves us having to make umpteen phone calls to rally the troops,’ Ewan pointed out, grinning.

  Tom laughed. ‘Good point. So how do you want to play this, Simon?’ He glanced at the others. ‘Hannah and I can give Ben and Emily a lift—that’s assuming you’re both coming.’ He carried on when the other couple nodded. ‘Which means there’s room for Becky and Ewan in your car even if you need to bring extra supplies.’

  In a very short time everything was arranged. Ros and Lizzie had offered to look after the children, and Marie and Mitch Johnson had insisted on taking care of the buffet so that lunch could go ahead. All the guests then lined up outside and waved them off.

  Becky shook her head as they drove back to the surgery. ‘It’s such a shame that Tom and Hannah’s day has been ruined.’

  ‘I doubt this will have spoiled it,’ Ewan said. He was sitting in the front and he turned to look at her. ‘From the looks on their faces, it will take more than a call-out to take the shine off today. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a couple who looked so happy, have you?’

  ‘No.’ Becky summoned a smile but Ewan’s words had merely highlighted her earlier thoughts. Tom and Hannah were happy together, as were Emily and Ben. They’d each found the person they loved and their lives were all the richer for it.

  She bit her lip as Ewan turned to face the front again. She’d thought she had found that sort of happiness with Steve but she had been wrong. Now she was in no position to look for that kind of a relationship when she had so little to offer anyone. She was a single mother who couldn’t have any more children; what man would be interested in her?

  Her eyes rested on the back of Ewan’s head as sadness swept over her. Ewan certainly wasn’t.

  * * *

  ‘Lady on the coach complaining of severe pain in her right leg. I think it may be a fractured femur.’

  ‘I’ll take a look.’

  Ewan followed Becky over to the coach. The accident had happened close to the entrance to Bride’s Bay Manor, a beautiful Tudor manor house that had been gifted to the nation by its former owners. Most of the passengers had been brought into the grounds for safety and everywhere he looked there were people sitting or lying on the grass. Although it appeared rather chaotic, it was, in fact, all very organised.

  Becky and Emily had been performing triage ever since they’d arrived, sorting out the
most seriously injured so they could be seen first. Thankfully, there didn’t appear to be anything life-threatening. Cuts, bruises, a couple of fractures—much as could be expected from this type of incident. Ewan was confident that once he had dealt with this patient, he’d be able to start on the walking wounded.

  He climbed aboard the coach and knelt down beside the woman and smiled at her. ‘Hello, there. My name’s Ewan and I’m a doctor. Becky tells me that your leg is hurting. May I take a look?’

  ‘Sandra Fielding.’

  The woman offered him her hand which he shook. She was very pale and her skin felt cold and clammy. Ewan glanced at Becky. ‘Can you put in a line, please, Becky? Sandra could do with some extra fluids.’

  Becky nodded, immediately understanding. Ewan set about examining the woman, pleased that he hadn’t needed to elaborate. Sandra was exhibiting all the classic signs of shock, which could mean that she was bleeding internally. The fluid would help to compensate for what she was losing but it did mean that time was of the essence. The sooner she was transferred to hospital, the better.

  He gently examined Sandra’s thigh, unsurprised when he discovered that it was very swollen. It was obviously extremely painful, too, because Sandra winced even though he applied minimum pressure. With a fractured femoral shaft, like this, there was often extensive blood loss from the bone so he was relieved when Becky quietly informed him that the line was set up.

  ‘Thanks.’ He smiled at her, thinking how pretty she looked. She was still wearing the dress she had worn for the party, a soft green cotton overprinted with a pattern of vivid pink roses. Her hair was caught up into a loose knot, a few honey-gold strands falling around her face as she knelt down to check their patient’s pulse. She looked so lovely that Ewan felt his heart surge before he determinedly brought it under control. They were here to do a job, not so he could indulge in his own little fantasies.

  ‘It looks like your femur is fractured, Sandra,’ he explained, adopting his most professional tone so that his attention would be less likely to wander again. Opening his backpack, he took out a vial of morphine. ‘That’s why you’re in so much pain. I’m going to give you something to make you more comfortable. Have you had morphine before? It can make you feel rather sick but I can give you another drug that should help with that.’

  ‘I’ve never had it before,’ Sandra said anxiously.

  ‘In that case we won’t take any chances.’ He added metoclopramide—an antiemetic—to the syringe. Becky swabbed Sandra’s arm and he slid in the needle. ‘You’ll feel a lot more comfortable in a few moments,’ he assured her, putting the used syringe into the sharps box.

  ‘What will happen about my leg?’ Sandra asked. ‘Will they put a plaster on it when I get to the hospital?’

  ‘Obviously, it will need to be X-rayed but once the doctors know what they’re dealing with, they’ll decide on the best course of treatment,’ Ewan said gently. He knew from past experience that people often reacted badly when they were told they might need an operation so he decided not to go down that route. However, it appeared that Sandra wanted to know exactly what she might have to face.

  ‘So what will the treatment entail?’ she demanded.

  ‘The usual way to repair a fracture like this is to realign the ends of the bone and pin them together. It’s done under a general anaesthetic so it isn’t as painful as it sounds. Sometimes surgery isn’t necessary and the bone can be manipulated into place and supported with a splint. The leg is then put in traction to make sure the bone heals correctly.’

  ‘But that will take weeks!’ Sandra exclaimed. ‘I could end up stuck in hospital for ages.’

  Ewan frowned when he realised how upset she sounded. Although nobody liked the idea of being hospitalised, her reaction seemed way over the top. He glanced at Becky and raised his brows, wondering if she could shed any light on the problem.

  ‘You’ll only be kept in for as long as is necessary,’ Becky said soothingly.

  ‘I know. I’m just being silly.’ Tears welled in Sandra’s eyes and Ewan saw Becky reach over and pat her hand.

  ‘Of course you’re not being silly. No one wants to end up in hospital.’

  She gave the older woman a warm smile and Ewan looked away when he felt his heart give that crazy little lurch it had started doing recently. He couldn’t believe how aware he was of Becky, how responsive he was to her every look, her every smile. He’d dated his fair share of women over the years but not one of them had had this effect on him.

  It was a disquieting thought, all the more so in view of the fact that they’d agreed they weren’t looking for romance. Even if he had wanted to get together with Becky—which he didn’t!—she wouldn’t welcome his advances...

  Although she hadn’t exactly pushed him away when he’d kissed her, had she? a small voice whispered mischievously in his ear.

  Ewan ground his teeth as he put the sharps box into the bag. He and Becky weren’t going to rekindle their relationship. End of story. ‘I’m sure you won’t be kept in hospital for longer than is absolutely necessary,’ he said firmly. ‘If there’s a problem about you being away from home then the social work team should be able to help. They can make arrangements if there’s someone dependent on you for their care, or even a pet that needs looking after.’

  ‘It’s not that. I live on my own and I don’t have any pets,’ Sandra informed him.

  Ewan smiled encouragingly. Despite what Sandra had said, he could tell there was something troubling her. ‘So what’s the problem? It would be better if you got it off your chest and then you’ll be able to concentrate on getting better.’

  ‘You two young people will probably think I’m being very silly but I have a date next week, you see, and now I won’t be able to go.’

  ‘A date?’ Ewan repeated, nonplussed.

  ‘Yes. I’m a widow and it’s the first time I’ll have been out with a man since my husband died. Edward—that’s the gentleman I’m supposed to be meeting—is an old friend from way back. He and I used to work together. We got on really well, but Edward was engaged to his late wife at the time, so nothing ever came of it...’

  She tailed off, leaving them to fill in the gaps, which Ewan did only too easily. He glanced at Becky and could tell from her expression that she was very aware of how the situation mirrored their own.

  ‘And now the two of you have met again?’ Ewan said gently.

  ‘Yes. Edward contacted my daughter. He sent Louise an email. He’d been trying to find me for a while, apparently. Anyway, it was Louise who persuaded me to meet him. I wasn’t sure, but she insisted, so we arranged to meet on Monday night for dinner.’ Sandra sighed. ‘Edward wanted it to be sooner but I’d booked this holiday and I didn’t want to cancel it and lose the money. Now I won’t be able to go.’

  ‘Why not phone Edward and explain what’s happened?’ Becky suggested. ‘I’m sure he’ll understand and you can arrange to meet some other time.’

  ‘That’s the problem, though. Edward lives in Canada now and he’s due to fly home on Tuesday. There won’t be another time.’

  Sandra fell silent, obviously upset at the thought of them not being able to renew their friendship. The first of the ambulances had started to arrive so Ewan went outside and flagged one down. He knew the crew and quickly explained what treatment the patient had received then helped them fit an inflatable splint to Sandra’s leg in readiness for the journey. In a very short time Sandra was being driven away.

  Becky sighed as she watched the ambulance disappear. ‘I feel so sorry for her, don’t you? She was obviously upset at the thought of not seeing this Edward again.’

  ‘Yes. There but for the grace of God, eh?’ Ewan replied, picking up his backpack.

  ‘Sorry?’ Becky looked quizzically at him.

  ‘I simply meant that if I hadn’t spotted you at the airport then we might never have met again.’

  ‘No, I don’t suppose we would,’ she agreed quietly. ‘It’s fun
ny how these things turn out, isn’t it?’

  ‘It is indeed.’ He summoned a smile, aware that the conversation was in danger of becoming a shade too heavy. Although there was little doubt that his mother would have informed him that Becky was back in Bride’s Bay, he couldn’t help wondering if he would have followed up the information.

  Would he have sought her out? he asked himself as they headed over to the next casualty. Or would he have played safe and stuck to the status quo? He had been caught off guard when he’d seen Becky in Christchurch and hadn’t stopped to weigh up the consequences of his actions. He’d been determined to speak to her and he had, but had it been the right thing to do? Had it been wise?

  He sighed. Only time would tell, but it was unsettling to realise that one impulsive decision could affect the rest of his life.

  CHAPTER NINE

  MOST OF THE guests had left by the time they returned to Tom and Hannah’s house. There were just Becky’s mother and Lizzie left, looking after the children, plus Mitch and Marie, from The Ship Inn, who had stayed behind to clear up the remains of the lunch. Becky plopped down onto a deck chair, feeling completely exhausted. She and Ewan had treated at least a dozen people and the pace was starting to tell on her.

  ‘I don’t know about you but I’m shattered.’ Ewan flopped down onto the grass beside her and groaned. ‘And here was I thinking I’d have a nice, relaxing day off. Remind me not to count my proverbial chickens next time, will you?’

  Becky chuckled. ‘Stop complaining. You know you enjoyed every moment.’

  ‘Hmm, I’d argue the toss with you about that if I could summon up enough energy.’

  He gave her a lazy grin and Becky felt her heart squeeze in an extra beat. Ewan had always had a particularly sexy smile, the sort of smile that was guaranteed to make any woman’s knees go weak, and hers were no exception. She struggled to her feet, not wanting to go down that route when it would only lead to a dead end. There was no mileage in recalling all the things she found so attractive about him.

  ‘I’d better go and rescue Mum and Lizzie. They must be frazzled after having to look after the little horrors all afternoon.’