Dr. Campbell's Secret Son

by Anne Fraser

  Sarah had left Jamie a list of instructions, starting with feeding Calum his breakfast, followed by a bath, getting him dressed and then a trip to the supermarket to pick up some nappies.

  As Jamie took in the chaos around him, he was beginning to get the feeling that this wasn’t going to be such a piece of cake after all. Still, he had a point to prove to Sarah. And surely a man of his resourcefulness could get through the next few hours without disaster?

  Two hours later, he had finally bathed and dressed Calum. That wasn’t too difficult, he thought smugly. There only remained the problem of how to get himself showered. He couldn’t go anywhere, not even to the supermarket, until he had cleaned off the encrusted food that seemed to cling to every part of his head. Finally he had the answer. He strapped a protesting Calum into his high chair and lifted the chair with Calum into it and set it down in front of the shower. Calum clearly thought the novel situation deserved his full attention and watched quietly as Jamie took his shower. Jamie decided against shaving. He still had the shopping to do.

  Sarah and Jamie had swapped cars for the day. Jamie was just about to turn the key in the ignition when he paused. Something was missing. What had he forgotten? Calum! With a mumbled curse he shot out of the car, taking the steps to Sarah’s front door two at a time. He had left Calum in the house! Luckily his son was still mesmerised by the activity bar on his cot and hadn’t noticed his father’s two-minute absence. The workings of the car seat was another challenge, but eventually the infant was strapped in and Jamie could set off for the shops. Hell, that was a close call, he thought as he pulled up in the car park. What on earth would Sarah have thought had he actually left without Calum? She wouldn’t trust him ever again.

  As Jamie shopped with Calum in the cart—it had taken him several goes until an assistant had taken pity on him and shown him which cart to use and how to place Calum in it—one or two of the female customers came up to them and, under the pretext of admiring the child, attempted to flirt with Jamie. One even went as far to ask him out. ‘Sorry, I’m committed,’ he told her. And as he said the words they felt good. He was committed to Sarah. Whatever she felt about him, he was still determined to be part of her life.

  It was after six in the evening by the time Sarah arrived back from work. Jamie felt pleased with himself. He had bought the nappies and hadn’t forgotten to bring Calum back with him. He had played with him and they had both managed a nap after lunch. Calum had cried when Jamie had tried to put him in his cot for his sleep so Jamie had simply stretched out on the sofa with Calum wrapped in his arms, and that had seemed to work perfectly well. The nappy-changing hadn’t been an unmitigated success, he had to admit. He couldn’t quite seem to get the sticky bits to go where they should but he had managed to get the nappies to stay on after a fashion and Calum hadn’t seem to mind that they hadn’t fitted terribly snugly. He had fed him his evening meal—a mashed-up concoction of red and white that Sarah had left—so altogether he was feeling pretty pleased with the way the day had gone.

  However, when he saw the expression in Sarah’s eyes as she took in the chaos that surrounded her, he realised that she wasn’t entirely of the same opinion.

  ‘What on earth happened here?’ she gasped, as she removed her coat and held out her arms for her son.

  Jamie followed her gaze. Food debris littered the kitchen table. Calum’s clothes were scattered around the usually immaculate sitting room. He had meant to tidy up a little before she returned, but somehow he hadn’t seemed to find the time. How on earth did she do it?

  ‘I didn’t notice till now,’ he said with a sheepish smile, peeling himself out of the chair he’d slumped into. ‘You relax there for a moment while I tidy up a bit.’

  Sarah smiled. ‘Don’t worry, it can wait. I’m sorry I was back so late. We had a few difficult cases. Stuff that I couldn’t leave. I didn’t even manage lunch. That reminds me,’ she said with a mischievous look at Jamie, ‘what’s for supper?’

  Jamie hit his head with his hand. ‘Supper,’ he groaned, ‘I’d completely forgotten. How on earth do you find the time to cook, as well as everything else?’

  ‘Practice. But there have been days…’ She let the words hang in the air.

  ‘Right,’ Jamie said, ‘I’ll cook, or at least order us a take-away. I think there is enough mayhem in here without adding to it. What do you fancy? Pizza? Chinese?’

  ‘Chinese will be lovely. There’s a great takeaway just a short walk away. Why don’t you go down and get us something while I sort things out here?’

  Jamie knew better than to argue. Besides, he could do with a walk in the fresh air. By the time he returned, Sarah had restored the flat to some kind of order and Calum was ready for bed. She put him on the floor while they ate. He was just beginning to make crawling movements and they watched his attempts, fascinated.

  ‘He’ll be walking before long,’ Jamie said proudly.

  ‘In a couple of months perhaps,’ Sarah said, amused. ‘Gosh, I’m tired. I think I’ll have a long bath once Calum goes down and then have an early night. I hope it’s quiet tonight.’

  ‘Anyone in at the moment causing concern? ‘Jamie asked, and they chatted about work while Calum had his last bottle of the day.

  When Sarah returned from putting Calum in his cot, Jamie had started running a bath for her. He lit a fire while she soaked and put some soft music on the stereo. He hoped the evening would provide an opportunity for him to begin wooing Sarah in earnest. And as he thought of her lying in the bath, images of her naked body filled his thoughts. But as much as he wanted her, he was determined to take it slowly. He had to convince her that his feelings were sincere.

  When she eventually appeared from the bathroom with her hair wrapped up in a towel, her bathrobe pulled around her and her cheeks flushed from the heat, he almost forgot his resolve. It was all he could do to stop from striding over to her, picking her up and carrying her over to the bed.

  ‘Would you like some coffee before bed?’ he said instead.

  ‘Not coffee. I’ve had too much as it is. But a hot chocolate would be lovely.’

  By the time Jamie returned with the hot drink Sarah had fallen asleep on the sofa, her long legs curled up and tucked under her. Just as well, Jamie thought as he fetched a blanket from the spare room to put over her. He didn’t know if he really did have the strength to resist her.

  When Sarah woke up the next morning she felt a little disoriented. The last she remembered was sitting in front of the fire while she waited for Jamie to bring her the hot chocolate she had requested. But here she was in her own bed. Her cheeks flamed as she realised that Jamie must have carried her. She hadn’t been wearing anything under her bathrobe and now she was completely naked under the covers.

  She followed the smell of coffee into the kitchen, where Jamie was feeding a laughing Calum his breakfast. He was only wearing a pair of jeans low on his hips and his muscular chest was bare. His hair was still damp from his shower and he smelt of soap and shaving cream. He had nicked himself while shaving and she suppressed the impulse to reach out and touch his face. She averted her eyes hoping that by doing so she could banish the effect his half-naked body was having on her.

  ‘After yesterday I thought it would be a good idea to have my shower before this little fellow woke up. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to finish getting dressed when I heard him stirring.’

  ‘Good grief. What time is it?’ She glanced at her watch and was horrified to find it was almost nine. ‘I should have been at work half an hour ago. Why didn’t you wake me?’ she accused Jamie, stopping just long enough to grab the coffee-cup out of his hand and to plant several kisses on Calum’s upturned face, before heading back to the bedroom.

  ‘Hey, no need to rush,’ Jamie called after her. ‘You needed to sleep. I phoned the department an hour ago, and everything’s under control. You can take your time.’

  Sarah didn’t know whether to be grateful to Jamie or furious with hi
m. He had to realise that he couldn’t make decisions for her. Even though he was trying to help, it wasn’t up to him to decide when she should go into work. But, she admitted to herself, perhaps the real reason for her feelings of discomfort was caused by having Jamie in such close proximity. She was glad he was spending time with Calum, but having him so near, sharing the flat, was doing her own resolve to keep him at a distance no good at all. Thank goodness her mother was returning that evening and Jamie would be going back to his own place. She didn’t know if she could keep her hormones under control for very much longer.

  When Sarah arrived back that evening she found a completely different scenario to the one of the day before. The flat was spotless and Calum was dressed in his nightwear. The fire had been lit and delicious smells of a lamb curry were floating from the kitchen. Jamie was stirring a pot as he balanced Calum in his spare arm. Both males were looking into the pot with great interest. Calum was babbling away as if discussing the ingredients with his father.

  What on earth happened here? Sarah thought immediately suspicious, shrugging off her coat. Had her mother returned early and been drafted in to help? That would be cheating. Jamie had to learn to cope on his own.

  ‘Is my mother back?’ she asked.

  ‘Jean? Yes, she returned a short while ago. Popped in to say hello and that she’ll come to see you later,’ Jamie replied, handing Calum over to Sarah. ‘Here, you take Calum while I take your coat and fix you a drink. You are finished for the evening?’

  ‘Yes, Dr Holden has taken over. A small white wine would be lovely. If there is any?’

  ‘There’s white and red actually.’

  ‘Have you been shopping as well as all this?’ Sarah couldn’t believe what she was seeing. ‘Has my mother been helping?’

  ‘Of course not.’ Jamie hesitated for a moment. ‘Actually, I phoned up an agency and arranged for someone to come over for a couple of hours to do some housework and shopping,’ he admitted. ‘Cost me an arm and a leg, what with it being Sunday and short notice, but I just don’t see how it would have been possible otherwise.’

  Sarah had to laugh. ‘I do think that’s cheating, Jamie, but what the heck—it’s your money.’

  ‘I’m sure I’ll get better with practice,’ he said, handing her a chilled glass of Chablis, ‘but at the moment I’ll take all the help I can get. Your mother did suggest she take Calum over to her for the night. She says she’s missed him and would really like some time with him on her own. Do you mind?’

  Sarah didn’t know if she minded or not. On the one hand she hadn’t seen her son for the best part of the day, on the other an occasional night off wouldn’t do either of them any harm.

  ‘Is she coming for supper?’ Sarah asked. ‘What is it anyway? Did you cook that yourself or has it been sent over from a deli that does outside catering?’

  ‘I’m not completely hopeless!’ Jamie protested. ‘I was hoping that this needn’t be for tonight, but could go in the freezer for another time. Actually, I have also taken the liberty of booking us a table at a restaurant in town.’ He named a place that Sarah had heard about and had been dying to try. ‘Unless you’re too tired to go out?’

  Making her mind up, Sarah smiled up at Jamie. ‘I’d love to go out for something to eat.’ She didn’t tell him that she didn’t know whether she could trust herself alone with him in the flat. Not without the limiting presence of Calum. Besides since the night of the wedding she hadn’t left the house, apart from trips to the supermarket and the hospital. A change of scenery was needed, and time with Jamie on neutral ground would be safest.

  Sarah’s mother arrived a little later and, after bringing Sarah up to date with the news of her weekend, took a sleepy Calum back with her to her flat.

  Jamie returned to his hospital digs to have a shave and change, while Sarah had a quick shower and applied some make-up. She knew the restaurant was quite formal and had slipped on a simple black knee-length dress that she thought would be sufficiently formal without going overboard. She twisted her hair into a French plait that emphasised the fine features of her face, and added her favourite green earrings and high heels. When the doorbell rang, signalling Jamie’s return, she opened the door to his admiring wolf whistle.

  Sarah resisted the impulse to wolf whistle back. He looked jaw-droppingly gorgeous, she thought. He was wearing a dark, well-tailored suit, which emphasised his lean frame, with a shirt in the palest pink and a navy tie. He looked incredibly handsome and suave. Sarah felt her heart turn over.

  ‘You look amazing,’ he said softly, his eyes gleaming. ‘Are you sure you still want to go out?’

  Sarah chose to ignore the meaning in his words and the look in his eyes. ‘Let’s go,’ she said quickly.

  Jamie opened the door of his sports car and Sarah sank into the soft leather seats. The car smelt of the leather and the faint tang of aftershave. Like Jamie, it was very masculine.

  Jamie drove quickly and expertly and it was barely twenty minutes before they were being seated by the maître d’. Sarah took in the plush surroundings. The floor-to-ceiling windows looked over the city, its lights a diamanté bracelet of twinkling colour. The tables were laid with crisp white tablecloths and silver knives and forks. Candles cast a soft light. The restaurant was filled to capacity and the soft murmur of the other diners filled the air. Delicious smells drifted in from the kitchen. Suddenly Sarah was starving.

  Jamie was an attentive and amusing dinner companion. They kept to neutral subjects, mainly about the work they shared. Jamie spoke about his work in Africa and as he spoke about the hospital, telling Sarah about the types of cases they dealt with, how children still died from malnutrition and mothers in childbirth, Sarah began to appreciate the depth of his passion for his work. He told her about Sibongele, the orphan who’d had been in the children’s ward for several months. He spoke again of how the boy had developed a strong attachment to him.

  ‘And I’ve grown fond of him, too. He’s very bright and the mission school has offered him a scholarship. One day, with luck and hard work, he’ll be working at the hospital as a doctor. All he needs right now is a little stability in his life.’

  ‘You miss it all, don’t you?’ said Sarah

  ‘Yes.’ For a moment there was a far-away look in Jamie’s eyes. ‘It’s such a beautiful country—and the people. They really appreciate the smallest thing you can do for them. It’s just frustrating not to be able to do more.’

  ‘You must be keen to get back,’ Sarah prompted

  ‘Yes, I am, although I’ll miss you and Calum. Still, it won’t be for ever. Anyway, let’s talk about something more cheerful.’

  The rest of the evening passed quickly. Jamie told her more about the places he had visited in Africa and some stories that had her laughing out loud. She couldn’t remember the last time she had enjoyed herself so much. She was so busy listening to Jamie she was unaware of the waiter topping up her glass. It wasn’t until they stood up that she realised the wine she had drunk had made her head swim. It had been so long since she had drunk more than a glass of wine that the extra glass or two was having the strangest effect on her. Jamie, on the other hand, had kept to mineral water as he was driving.

  She was still feeling a little light-headed by the time they pulled up outside her flat. She chose to believe it was the extra alcohol that was giving her the warm glow rather than Jamie’s company.

  ‘Would you like to come up for a coffee?’ she asked Jamie, not wanting the evening to come to an end just yet.

  Jamie looked at her speculatively. ‘Just for a moment. Just to make sure you get in OK.’

  Sarah felt herself bristle. He was doing it again. Treating her as if she were some helpless female who needed looking after.

  ‘I am perfectly able to see myself in,’ she replied tartly

  ‘Nevertheless, I’ll come up for a moment.’ As Sarah eased herself out of the low-slung sports car, she stumbled slightly in her high heels.

 
‘Bloody shoes.’ She grimaced, hoping she hadn’t twisted her ankle.

  ‘Come on.’ Jamie laughed, getting out of the car and going to her side. ‘I could always carry you up the stairs.’

  ‘You put a hand on me, Jamie Campbell, and I’ll…’

  But before she could finish her threat, Jamie was advancing towards her, a wicked glint in his eyes. ‘You know I never could resist a challenge,’ he said, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift. Ignoring Sarah’s beating fists, he carried her up the short flight of steps to the front door. He took the key that Sarah had given him in case of emergencies from his pocket and opened the door. Still ignoring her cries and threats, he deposited her gently on the sofa.

  Sarah looked at him, eyes blazing, ‘You, you Neanderthal, you!’ she spat finally.

  ‘I was only trying to help a damsel in distress!’ Jamie replied, grinning broadly.

  ‘I’m more distressed now! You could have picked me up in a more elegant fashion!’ Sarah retorted, before seeing the funny side and beginning to laugh. ‘Not exactly a bride being carried over the threshold, was it?’ As soon as the words were out, she could have bitten her tongue.

  ‘I mean,’ she added hastily ‘not really romantic.’ Oh, dear, she thought, this was going from bad to worse.

  ‘If it’s romance you want…’ Jamie said, pulling her up gently by her arms before finding her lips. He held her in his arms while he dropped kisses light as raindrops on her hair. Sarah took a deep breath. She knew she should pull away, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to remove herself from the comfort of his arms. Just a few more minutes, she thought. He’s going to be away for a while.

  Jamie groaned before finding her mouth. His kisses sent sparks of desire through her body. She knew if she didn’t stop him soon, she would never be able to stop. And this wasn’t what she needed.

  With an almost unbearable effort she pulled herself out of his embrace and stepped back. She couldn’t think coherently when she was in his arms. She needed space.