‘Up to bed with you,’ Brianna said firmly. ‘I’ll bring you some peppermint tea. You can tell me all about it tomorrow when you feel better.’ Reluctantly, Caitlin let her sister propel her upstairs, dismally aware that it was she who should be looking after Brianna, not the other way round.
When she brought up the tea, she sat on the edge of the bed looking concerned. ‘Should I ring someone? Andrew perhaps?’
Caitlin was horrified at the thought. ‘It’s probably only a twenty-four-hour thing. Plenty of fluids and bed rest is what any doctor would recommend. Honestly, Bri, I’m fine. But how are you?’
‘We had a lovely day,’ Brianna said. ‘It’s funny how being ill can make you appreciate all the little things. Every day is special.’
‘You’re not worried, Bri? You’re feeling okay?’ Caitlin sat up, almost knocking over her tea in the process. ‘You’ve not felt any new lumps, have you? You’re looking a little flushed to me. And I can hear you still have that cough.’
‘Caitlin,’ Bri said warningly, ‘you’re fussing again. I’m probably a bit flushed because I caught the sun. And as for the cough, it’s hardly more than a tickle. It’s just that I have my check-up this week and I guess I’m just feeling a bit ansty, wondering if they’ll be recommending more treatment. I wish Niall wasn’t going to be in Sydney so he could come with me for moral support.’
‘I didn’t know your check-up was this week. I’ll come with you.’
‘What about the hospital? I’m sure they won’t be keen on you having time off so soon after you’ve started. Really, Cat, I’m just being silly, I’ll be fine on my own. I know how much you hate missing work.’
Caitlin was shocked that her sister would think, even for a moment, that she’d put work ahead of her. But, then, Caitlin admitted ruefully, all Brianna had ever known of her sister was this work-obsessed dervish, who rarely had time for anything else. Was that how everyone saw her? Someone who couldn’t imagine a life without work?
‘I’m coming with you and that’s that,’ Caitlin said firmly.
Brianna leaned across and gave her a hug. Again Caitlin was dismayed at how fragile her sister felt. She was so strong willed, so determined and upbeat, it was easy to forget how much her illness had taken out of her. ‘Thank you, love. It means a lot to me.’ She lifted the empty teacup from the side of the bed. ‘You get some sleep now, if you want to be fit for work on Monday.’
‘Bri,’ Caitlin whispered just before her sister left the room, ‘I’m sorry, if I haven’t been a very good sister to you. You know I love you.’
Brianna’s smile lit up the room. ‘Of course, you idiot, and I love you too. Now, go to sleep.’ And she turned out the light, leaving Caitlin to her dismal thoughts.
Andrew let himself into his flat and threw the car keys down on the sideboard. Feeling restless, he contemplated going for a walk, then discarded the idea and switched on the television to watch the news. But it was no use. He couldn’t concentrate on the flickering images in front of him. Instead the image of green eyes and red hair kept intruding on his thoughts. He hadn’t meant to make love to Caitlin—it had just happened and when it had it had felt so natural. The memory of holding her in his arms, the feel of her satin skin against his, made him groan aloud. He had been attracted to Caitlin from the moment he had pulled her from the water. He smiled as he remembered the set of her mouth as she had tried to hold on to her dignity, the way that she had slowly melted in his arms and the flash of temper whenever she thought herself thwarted. He had loved watching her change from the almost uptight woman with every hair in place to the passionate, fiery, laughing woman whom he had held in his arms. But what had he been thinking? If he had been thinking at all.
He stood and went over to the window, looking out over the lights of the city. Caitlin O’Neill wasn’t the sort of woman a man treated lightly. But neither was she the woman he could see himself spending the rest of his life with. He could never be satisfied with a woman who didn’t put him and their children first. He admired her as a doctor, of course he did. What was there not to admire in her clinical skills and her obvious empathy for her patients? But…and this was the part he couldn’t accept…Caitlin was the sort of woman who would want life on her terms. And it was beginning to dawn on Andrew that perhaps he had met his match in Dr Caitlin O’Neill. She wasn’t the kind of woman a man could forget easily. In fact, he realised, as he thought of never holding her again, she was the sort of woman a man couldn’t forget at all.
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘COME in and have a seat,’ the oncologist, a tiredlooking woman in her late forties, welcomed Brianna and Caitlin.
‘This is my sister, Dr Caitlin O’Neill, Antonia. Caitlin, Dr Antonia Sommerville.’
‘I’ve heard of you,’ Antonia said, looking over her bifocals. ‘You’re the whiz kid obstetrician from Ireland. I hadn’t made the connection, I’m afraid.’
‘Hardly a kid.’ Caitlin laughed.
‘But very young to have got where you are all the same,’ Antonia said. Then she turned intelligent brown eyes on Brianna.
‘My secretary is just rustling up your results. I gather the nurses took some blood from you earlier. We’ll just wait until they arrive, but how have you been?’ All at once the severe expression was replaced by a look of genuine concern. ‘Kids letting you rest?’
‘You know kids.’ Brianna shrugged. ‘But Cat’s been a great help.’
Antonia turned her gaze on Caitlin. ‘And have you been checked out?’ she asked.
‘Er, no, not yet,’ Caitlin admitted. ‘I haven’t really had the time.’
‘In that case…’ Antonia picked up the phone ‘…I shall arrange for you to be seen at my clinic as soon as they can fit you in.’
Caitlin could only watch open-mouthed as a few minutes later Antonia passed her a slip with an appointment for the following week.
‘I know doctors,’ she said, smiling grimly, ‘being one myself. Unless they are bullied they never quite find the time to look after their own health. Don’t you miss it now,’ she added, wagging a finger at Caitlin, who suddenly felt six years old. ‘These appointments are like gold dust.’
‘Okay, Brianna, while we’re waiting, why don’t you pop up on the table while I examine your breasts?’ Just then Caitlin’s pager bleeped. She had arranged for one of the other obstetricians to cover her for an hour or two, so was a little surprised.
‘You can use the phone on my desk.’ Antonia indicated with a nod, before drawing the screen around Brianna.
When the number Caitlin dialled was answered, she was surprised to find Andrew on the other end.
‘Oh, hello, Caitlin,’ he said, sounding distracted. ‘A call has just come through from one of the outlying towns. There’s a mother who is in late labour and looks like she’ll be needing a section. I’m going to attend, but obviously we need an obstetrician. Would you like to come?’
Caitlin would have loved to go, but it only took her a second to make up her mind. She had promised Brianna she would be with her and unless there was no one else to take the call, here she’d stay.
‘Could one of the others go?’ she asked. ‘Just this once? I’d love to go, but I have something else I really need to do.’ With a pang Caitlin realised this was the first time she had ever put something else before her work. She was beginning to realise how much she had missed.
‘Sure. Dr Forest is happy to go. He’s the obstetrician on call this week so he’d usually be the first choice anyway. There will be other opportunities. Possibly the week you’re on call.’ He dropped his voice. ‘Is everything okay, Cat?’
It was the first time he had used her sister’s pet name for her and she felt an irrational tingle of pleasure. ‘It’s just I’m in Oncology with Brianna for her check-up. I promised I would stay. So if you’re sure Dr Forest is happy to go, then please go ahead.’
‘Okay,’Andrew replied. ‘I’ve got to go. The air ambulance is taking off in a few minutes. But, Cat
, you will let me know that Brianna’s okay, won’t you?’
‘Yes, of course,’ Caitlin said, replacing the receiver.
By this time the secretary had put a set of results on the desk. Caitlin was tempted to lean over and check them out while Antonia was occupied with Brianna behind the screens. But she stopped herself. It would be a breach of medical etiquette as well as a betrayal of her sister’s privacy.
Instead she waited patiently until Antonia and Brianna returned to their places at the desk. She watched closely as Antonia read the results and when her expression altered Caitlin knew instantly something was wrong. Cold fingers of dread caressed her spine.
Eventually she put the papers down and leaned across to Brianna. ‘The good news is that your breasts seem fine. No recurring lumps or bumps as far as I can tell. But I’m afraid your bloods do give me cause for concern. Your white-cell count is very low. I’m not sure exactly why, but I’d like to admit you to hospital for a few days so we can find out.’
Brianna reached for Caitlin’s hand, and Caitlin grasped the cold fingers in hers, trying to pass her strength on to her sister.
‘Has the cancer come back?’ Brianna breathed.
‘As I said, I won’t know what this means until we run further tests. But with a blood count that low, you run the risk of infection, or already have an infection. You’ll be safer in hospital. I know it’s difficult, and easy for me to say, but try not to worry until we know more.’
Brianna turned green eyes on Caitlin. ‘Cat?’ she said, with only the tiniest tremor evident.
Caitlin knew there could be all sorts of reasons for the white blood count being low. Some fairly innocuous, others less so. But she remembered the cough and the flushed look her sister had had the last few days. If she did have an infection it could be very dangerous. She pushed away the fear and strove to keep her voice calm and steady.
‘Dr Sommerville is correct. There could be lots of reasons for the count being low. That’s what we need to find out. In the meantime, the safest place for you is in hospital.’
‘But what about the children?’ Brianna asked. Caitlin could see it was taking all her effort not to break down. ‘Niall’s not due back until the weekend.’
‘Don’t you think you should phone him and let him know what’s happening?’ Caitlin said gently. ‘I’m sure he’d take the next plane back.’
‘I told you before, Caitlin, I want to keep my life as normal as possible for as long as possible. If I called Niall back every time there was the slightest reason, he’d never get any work done. And he’s missed too much time on this important project as it is.’ She bit her lip. ‘Can’t you take some time off and look after the children? Just until Friday? They’re at school until after two anyway.’ She squeezed Caitlin’s hand. ‘I know it’s a lot to ask. Especially when you haven’t been here that long.’
Caitlin knew she couldn’t refuse her sister. It would take a bit of arranging, but somehow she would have to manage. For the first time in her life, work was going to have to take second place.
‘I’ll need to have a chat with my colleagues and see what we can work out. But if they can do without me for a few days then, yes, I’ll look after the children for you.’
Caitlin sought out her senior colleague as soon as Brianna had left to return home to pack a bag. Antonia had wanted to admit her straight to the ward, but Brianna had been adamant that she didn’t want the children coming home from school to find their mother in hospital. From the set of her mouth, Caitlin could see that she was determined. Although most of the time her sister was easygoing, when she had made up her mind about something, there was no dissuading her. Dr Hargreaves was sympathetic and told Caitlin that he and his other colleagues would cover for her for the remainder of the week. The following week would be difficult, though, he warned, as Dr Foster was taking annual leave. ‘But if it’s at all possible, could you cover the labour ward until Dr Foster gets back with the air ambulance? I have Theatre in a few minutes, and Susan has an outpatient clinic about to start,’ he said, naming the fourth colleague to make up their team.
‘Of course I’ll stay until he returns. I’ve patients to pass over anyway. Hopefully Brianna will be out before the end of the week, possibly even tomorrow, in which case I’ll be back immediately she’s fit,’ Caitlin told him. ‘At the very least her husband will be back from his business trip and able to step in.’
‘I won’t expect you until next Monday,’ Dr Hargreaves insisted. ‘Do what you have to do. We all have lives outside of medicine.’
By the time Caitlin had seen all her patients and passed on their treatment plans, it was after two. She had phoned Brianna and suggested that she bring the children to the hospital with her. To her surprise, Brianna agreed.
‘I don’t want them thinking that hospitals are big scary places that they have to be kept away from. They know I used to work here and that you and Andrew still do. I think they’ll be fine.’
As soon as Dr Foster returned with the air ambulance, he relieved Caitlin. ‘We managed to slow down labour long enough to get the patient here,’ he told Caitlin. ‘Dr Hargreaves is going to do the section now, before the remainder of his list. He explained to me about your sister, so off you go.’
Caitlin smiled gratefully before giving him a rapid summary of the patients who might need his attention. ‘The nurse in charge knows exactly what’s going on, if I’ve left anything out,’ she said, before leaving the maternity wing and heading for Oncology.
Caitlin found Brianna in bed in the ward. A nurse was taking blood.
‘Where are the children?’ Caitlin asked.
‘Andrew’s taken them to the canteen for a drink,’ Brianna replied. ‘He came to see me as soon as he heard I had been admitted.’
‘I’d better go and relieve him, then,’ Caitlin said, trying to look unconcerned. She would much rather have hung about with Brianna until the test results came back, but she knew that Andrew would need to get on with his own day, and that the children wouldn’t be allowed on the ward. ‘I’ll phone later and see how you’re getting on.’ Before she left she leaned over and kissed her sister. ‘Are you all right?’
‘I’m scared,’ Brianna admitted. ‘What if the cancer’s back? What will happen to Niall and the kids?’
It was the first time Caitlin had heard her sister admit her fears and it worried her. Maybe she should phone Niall after all? But she had promised Brianna. No, she would wait for the test results to come back. It would be time enough to make a decision once they knew what they were dealing with.
‘But whatever happens, I’ve decided to have myself tested for the gene. I don’t want Siobhan to go through life wondering if and when she is going to be hit with breast cancer.’
‘You must do whatever you think is right,’ Caitlin said. ‘You know I’ll support you.’
‘Even if it means facing up to the fact you too might have the gene?’
‘Yes,’ Caitlin said. ‘But we’ll cross that bridge if and when we have to.’ She leaned over and gave her sister a hug.
‘I hate to leave you here on your own,’ she said.
‘At least you’re in the same country this time.’ Brianna managed a shaky smile. ‘And able to be with the children. Besides, Andrew said he’d look in later. Speaking of which, hadn’t you better rescue him?’
Caitlin found Siobhan and Ciaran in the canteen. Andrew was saying something to them that made them laugh. As she looked at the three familiar heads, she felt her heart constrict. She wouldn’t let herself think of the possibility of the children being left without a mother. That wasn’t going to happen. She wouldn’t allow it.
Andrew looked up and saw her standing there. With a quiet word to the children he strode across to Caitlin. He put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.
‘I’ll go and check up on Bri later, and I’ll call round on my way home and bring you up to speed.’
Caitlin was grateful he didn’t offer a
ny of the usual platitudes. There was no point in him telling her not to worry. He seemed to know instinctively what she needed from him.
Caitlin spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool with the children. Then it was time for their homework while she made supper. After that it was bathtime. The children were playing up a little, the change of routine obviously unsettling them. But Caitlin eventually persuaded them out of the bath and into their pyjamas. Somehow she had managed to get herself soaked to the skin, and was beginning to wonder how she’d manage the next few days. Just as she’d tucked them into bed and reached for the storybook they wanted, she heard Andrew’s car pull up at the door. Although she desperately wanted to find out about Bri, she decided it would be better to wait until the children had gone to sleep.
‘Hey,’ Andrew said from the door of the children’s bedroom. Before Caitlin could stop them the children had leapt out of bed and straight into Andrew’s arms. He picked one under each arm and strode back to their beds.
‘It’s bedtime, guys,’ he said firmly. He looked over at Caitlin. She must look a sight, she thought, dismally aware of her wet clothes and that her hair was all over the place. ‘Why don’t I read you the story while Aunty Cat puts her feet up?’
Caitlin opened her mouth to protest. Despite appearances, she was coping just fine. How dared he suggest that she was less than capable? On the other hand, it had been an exhausting afternoon and, she conceded reluctantly, Andrew seemed to have a natural calming effect on the children. Instead, she smiled her gratitude at him. A change of clothes before she heard about Bri wouldn’t be a bad idea. At the bedroom door, she glanced back at the children but already they were cuddled up to Andrew, one on each side, as he read them a story. Her heart twisted. He’d make such a good father one day, she thought. Caitlin sighed inwardly. Another reason why they weren’t right for each other, she reminded herself.
Having changed into dry jeans and a T-shirt, Caitlin telephoned the hospital. But the news had been inconclusive—Brianna was to stay in for a few more days yet until the doctors had got all the results back. Which Caitlin knew was perfectly reasonable—from a professional point of view. So why was she feeling so unsettled and fretful about Brianna? She was the cool-headed one—wasn’t she? Sighing, Caitlin made her way out to the veranda. The sun had set and the sky was dotted with a thousand stars. In the distance, she could hear the gentle sound of the waves crashing softly onto the beach. But instead of feeling relaxed, her stomach was taut with nerves.
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