He sat down beside her and said softly, ‘Yes, but why do you ask?’
‘I don’t know. It was just a thought. I guess… I get lonely too, Lucas.’
There was a moment’s pause between them, a moment in which they both gazed into each other’s eyes and saw the pent-up feelings and desires they held for each other. And their lips met in a warm, wonderful, passionate kiss that Jenna simply wanted to go on for ever.
When they finally parted Lucas gazed longingly into her eyes, and giving into complete recklessness she asked, ‘Would you like me to sleep with you, Lucas?’
Dark brows were rising above amazed hazel eyes as he drew back, then replied, ‘No. No, Jenna. And if ever I would, I will do the asking. It’s not that I don’t want you, but I’m not wanting payment in kind for looking after you.’
Her colour was rising at his refusal and she said hastily, ‘I’ll bear that in mind. Don’t worry, I won’t suggest anything like that again.’
His expression had softened. Of course he wanted to sleep with her, wanted to hold her close in the night against his ravaged chest and offer up silent thanks. But he was damned if he wanted it to be because she was sorry for him.
She went upstairs to get dressed in one of the bedrooms. Not his, after the faux pas she’d just made, and when she reappeared he said, ‘Where had you been when I picked you up?’
‘There’d been a meeting about the Harvest of the Sea in the community centre. You’re not going to come, are you?’
‘Why not? Is it tickets only and they’re all sold?’ he joked.
‘No, of course not!’ she exclaimed, relieved that his good humour was restored. ‘It’s a church-type service.’
‘So why don’t you want me to come?’
‘Because of me?’
‘But that’s the reason why I’ll be there, wanting to see you in all your oceanic finery.’
‘Yes, well, don’t expect a mermaid draped over a rock, brushing her hair.’
He could have told her that no matter what she was appearing as she would be beautiful, but after the way he’d reacted to her offering to sleep with him it might not go down too well.
It was gone midnight and the storm had passed. A harvest moon was shining in a cloudless sky as Lucas drove Jenna home. There was silence in the car, each occupied with their own thoughts, but they were brought back to reality when they reached the headland as all the house lights were on at Four Winds, and the moment he pulled up on the drive her father was at the door, his voice taut with anxiety.
‘Thank God you’ve come with Jenna, Dr Devereux!’ he exclaimed. ‘Her mother isn’t well and says she suspects she’s having a heart attack. I was about to ring for an ambulance when I heard you pull up.’
Lucas felt his chest muscles tighten, but they were both out of the car in a flash and he said to her father, ‘Take me to her, Mr Balfour.’
Barbara was in bed propped up with pillows and breathing heavily. Her lips were blue and frothy and he asked, ‘Where is the pain, Dr Balfour?’
‘In the middle like a heavy weight,’ she gasped.
He turned to Jenna. ‘Will you fetch my case out of the car while I phone for an ambulance?’ To her mother he said, ‘I’m going to check your heartbeat and pulse rate. You are almost certainly having a myocardial infarction.’ He turned to her anxious husband. ‘A heart attack, Mr Balfour. Could you find an extra blanket as your wife feels cold and very clammy.’
As he examined Barbara, Lucas thought he’d seen patients in this state countless times and prayed that there wasn’t sorrow ahead for Jenna and her father. There wouldn’t be if he could help it. Whatever dark moments might plague him, this was his world, and if anybody could save Barbara, he could. Jenna was back beside him with his case, her face white with shock, and he thought that it was turning out to be some night, and speed was of the essence if he was going to be able to bring her mother through this.
It seemed as if his voice on the phone to A and E had brought results as within minutes the familiar wail of an ambulance siren could be heard in the silent night.
As it drew nearer he said to Jenna, ‘See if you can persuade your father to stay here. He is very stressed but will maybe calm down now that he knows we’re in charge and will be better off at home for the time being.’
‘I’ve already suggested it,’ she told him, ‘and I think he’s relieved not to have to make that journey in the middle of the night. So it will be just you and I with Mum in the ambulance.’
Her mother was gasping with the pain and he said gently, ‘The injection I’ve just given you will kick in soon and there will be some relief. The ambulance will be here in seconds and they’ll have oxygen on board, and when we get there I’ll take over.’
She managed a glimmer of a smile. ‘I can’t ask for more than that, can I?’
No one could, Jenna thought. He’d been there for her earlier in the evening, and now in these dire and stressful moments Lucas was being there for her mother.
Sadly there was no one to be there for him when he needed someone, unless the owner of the sexy satin robe was back in his life.
Surprised expressions were mixed with welcoming smiles when the staff of the coronary unit hurried forward to take charge of the new admission, with Lucas Devereux pushing the trolley. There were even more expressions of surprise when they recognised the patient as a retired GP who had always been a force to be reckoned with when it came to the welfare of her patients.
But there wasn’t time for explanations and if anyone wondered who the pale-faced woman with them was, the question was left unasked.
Mark Stephens was the consultant in charge of the unit and wouldn’t normally have been present at that time of night, but there had been a few urgent admissions and he’d stayed late to check them out personally, never dreaming that his friend Lucas was going to suddenly appear from wherever he’d been hiding.
But there was no time for anything other than setting the wheels in motion to save a patient’s life, and on this occasion with Lucas himself on the scene.
An ECG showed that Barbara’s heart attack was severe enough but could have been worse, and when Mark Stephens had gone home to his bed Lucas took charge of Barbara’s treatment while Jenna stood close by, wrapped around with dread.
It consisted, amongst other things, of intravenous fluids to prevent shock, painkillers, and thrombolitic drugs to dissolve blood clots, given to patients who have arrived in a coronary care unit within a short space of time from the onset of the attack.
By the time dawn was lightening the sky Barbara’s condition was stabilising, and knowing that she would be monitored round the clock, Lucas took Jenna home for a short break.
When she’d protested that she didn’t want to leave her mother, he’d told her that she would be of more use when she’d had a rest, some breakfast and reported her mother’s condition to her father, and that once he’d sorted out the practice, they would go back.
‘I’m afraid that Leo Fenchurch is going to feel that he’s been thrown in at the deep end as he’s going to be taking the morning and afternoon surgeries today,’ he said as they drove the last few miles to Bluebell Cove, ‘but after seeing him perform yesterday I’m sure he will cope, and Lucy and Maria will have to manage without you too.’
She nodded, fighting off exhaustion, and he wanted to take her in his arms and tell her it was going to be all right, but first he had to make sure that it wasn’t an empty promise. Her mother was responding to the treatment so far, but if it turned out that surgery was required, he would do it, and the tightness in his chest was back.
As Four Winds House came in sight she said soberly, ‘You might find it hard to believe, Lucas, but it is only since she became ill and had to retire that I’m getting to know my mother, and now I might lose her.’ There were tears on her lashes and he stopped the car by the side of the road.
‘Come here,’ he said gently, holding out his arms, and she wept out her anxiety agai
nst the scarred chest that she’d once seen uncovered. When she had no more tears left he fished out a box of tissues from the glove compartment and said quietly, ‘Tell me, Jenna. Who am I?’
‘The best for heart surgery,’ she snuffled, sitting reluctantly upright.
He smiled. ‘Not necessarily, but I do know my job. We’ll be back at the hospital soon, and if your mother carries on responding as she is there may be no need for surgery, but if there is…’
‘You’ll do it,’ she whispered.
‘You can bet on it.’
‘And then they’ll persuade you to go back and take up where you left off.’
‘I alone will know when I’m ready for that, and it won’t be yet as Ethan needs me at the moment. He was there for me when I was at rock bottom and I want to be there for him during this awful divorce business.’
She’d phoned her father with the details of her mother’s progress and told him that they were on their way home for a short break. When they arrived he had breakfast ready, and when they’d eaten he listened intently to what they had to say about his wife.
The clock was on seven when they’d finished and Lucas said, ‘I’m off to the surgery to make sure they can manage, and will be back shortly. OK?’
‘Yes. Have I time for a shower?’ she asked, realising that she hadn’t washed or put a comb through her hair since being caught in the storm.
‘If you’re quick,’ he replied, and off he went.
He was back in half an hour with the news that while he’d been there Ethan had phoned and when he’d heard about her mother’s heart attack and the effect it was having on the staffing of the surgery he’d said that he was going to take the first flight back and would visit his children again some time soon when the situation had been resolved.
When Jenna and Lucas arrived at the hospital the second time, Barbara was still responding to the treatment and he gave a satisfied smile. Mark Stephens was back on duty after a brief respite, and as the two consultants discussed her mother’s condition Jenna held her hand tightly.
‘Is Keith all right?’ she asked faintly.
‘Yes, he’s fine,’ she told her. ‘Very concerned about you but holding the fort at home. He made us a lovely breakfast and sends his love. It won’t be long before he appears just to make sure that you are doing as well as Lucas says you are.’
‘I might need surgery, you know. Will he be prepared to operate if I do?’
‘Yes, but if you carry on as you are it won’t be the life-threatening sort, more of a remedial nature. They are going to get you through this. You are a legend in this place, you know. They call you Battling Barbara.’
‘Maybe if I’d done a little less of that I might be a fitter woman now,’ her mother remarked dryly, ‘but we have to go where our hearts lead us, Jenna, and just in case I don’t come through this I want you to know that I’m proud of you, so proud. I was a good doctor, but left a lot to be desired as a mother. I don’t know how you and your father have put up with me.’
‘Just get better,’ she said softly. ‘That is all Dad and I want.’
‘I’ll do my best,’ she promised, and drifted off to sleep.
‘What’s the verdict?’ Jenna asked when Lucas came to stand beside her.
‘Good, and not so good,’ he replied. ‘Your mother has had more tests while we’ve been absent and they’ve shown that there is fluid in the lungs, which is often brought on by heart failure, so I’ve suggested we put her on diuretic medication for that, and beta-blocker drugs to reduce any risk of further damage to the heart muscle. So she’s not quite out of danger yet, but we’re getting there. At the moment I’m not considering surgery of any kind, but will be keeping a close eye on her progress and if I feel there is the slightest need of it, I will have her in Theatre immediately.’
She was still sleeping, hadn’t heard the conversation, and Jenna thought it was amazing that her mother was so compliant on finding herself to be the patient instead of the doctor.
CHAPTER SIX
THERE was consternation when the people in Bluebell Cove heard that their much-loved doctor was in hospital, and during the next few days the number of visitors had to be limited as half the village wanted to visit and Lucas was adamant that Barbara needed rest and quiet.
Keith was with her most of the time and Jenna came and went as her working hours allowed, now that her mother was out of danger. The medication that Lucas and Mark Stephens had ordered seemed to be working, and by the weekend the patient was out of bed and taking short strolls in the hospital gardens beneath the watchful eyes of the coronary staff.
Every time Jenna thought about the night of the storm it was with disbelief that so much could have happened in so short a time, and when she remembered the part that Lucas had played both in rescuing her from the deluge and being there for her during her mother’s heart attack, she sent up a prayer of thanks.
But every time she tried to express her gratitude it was as if he didn’t want to know and preferred to adopt the businesslike manner he’d had when they’d first met. So as the days passed she retreated behind a barrier of her own made up of a distant sort of politeness, and wept in her pillow every night for the futility of her love for him.
Her mother was discharged in the middle of the following week and life began to return slowly to normal. Ethan suggested that Jenna take as long as she needed to look after her, but even though Barbara was mellowing, the practice still came first in her life and she insisted that she and Keith could cope during the short time that Jenna was working at the surgery.
Lucas called frequently to check her over and Jenna thought dolefully that her parents were seeing more of him than she was. With Ethan back and Leo there to assist, Lucas wasn’t needed any more during surgery hours except for his two heart clinics, and while she was assisting on those occasions they spoke only of medical matters, to the extent that she began to feel she must have imagined the closeness they’d shared previously.
On his part Lucas was keeping a tight hold on his feelings. He knew Jenna was grateful for all that he’d done for them that night, but he didn’t want any offers like the one she’d made when he’d brought her in from the storm and had admitted he was lonely.
She’d offered to sleep with him then, he felt, out of pity, and the last thing he wanted was a repeat performance of it out of gratitude. So he was keeping her at arm’s length and feeling totally miserable in the process, until he heard someone mention that it was the Harvest of the Sea on the coming Sunday and he remembered he’d said he would be there. But it would be a matter of a seat at the back and a quick exit when the ceremony was over.
As the week progressed Ethan said that he would be going and that they might as well go together to see Jenna and the rest of those taking part, and for lack of an excuse he agreed to go with his friend to the fish-and-chip supper afterwards.
He wasn’t expecting the festival to be anything special but his eyes widened when he and Ethan entered the largest gutting shed, which was always used for the occasion. Fishing nets hung gracefully from the ceiling and were draped along the whitewashed walls, and there were lots of pictures of the sea in tranquil mode and in fury.
Smooth white pebbles and prettily coloured shells were scattered along the sides of the room amidst an assortment of lobster pots and life belts, and at the front there was a small stage.
The place was full to capacity and as an organist, tucked away in a corner, began to play a sea shanty the door behind the congregation opened and everyone got to their feet as the sea queen appeared, carrying a large silver cod on a platter, and began to walk slowly towards the stage with her four attendants following in single file.
As he watched Lucas was smiling. Now he understood Jenna’s reservations about the outfit. Yet it was so right for the occasion. With the flat straw boater, the dark blue apron with its broad white stripes, and the shapeless waterproof shoes on her feet, she looked as he’d known she would, quite beautiful.
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He tried to catch her attention but either on purpose or unknowingly she never looked in his direction and he thought wryly that he’d asked for that. Having been the cool consultant for the last couple of weeks, calling her ‘Nurse’, as if he didn’t know her name, she was hardly going to beam at him over the heads of the assembled throng.
She walked carefully up the steps and seated herself on a throne-like chair in the centre of the stage and one by one her attendants came to stand beside her.
Once they were in position the vicar said a word of welcome to those present and the organist struck up with the sailor’s hymn ‘Eternal Father Strong to Save’ and the rafters of the fish shed rang with the plea for safe passage for those who sailed the seas.
The first lesson was read by a coastguard from the station on a rise above the harbour and the second by a member of the crew of the lifeboat. Then it was time for the sea queen to be crowned, and as Jenna held the glistening cod high in the air Lucas was amazed to see Barbara walking slowly up the steps that led to the stage, with a committee member assisting her on either side. When she removed the hat from Jenna’s head and replaced it with a crown made of sea shells then planted a kiss on her brow, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place.
He tried to find the sea queen when it was over but she was nowhere to be seen amongst the crowd, so he followed Ethan into the community hall where the meal was being served and discovered her serving fish and chips to the masses with the crown of shells still on her head.
She’d seen him come in and nodded briefly in his direction between scooping out a portion of chips on to a plate beside a piece of delicious-looking fried fish and presenting it to the first person in the queue.
By the time he and Ethan were due to be served, a silver-haired old lady had taken over and Jenna was nowhere to be seen again. When he’d finished eating he told his friend he was going to find her and Ethan showed no surprise, which made Lucas think so much for keeping his feelings under wraps in that quarter.
Wedding Bells for the Village Nurse Page 8