John Monroe had been a county court judge before he’d retired, and his avuncular manner covered an ability to sum up a situation quickly and take action.
‘Sit down, hen.’ He guided Mary to the stool, keeping his arm around her when she sank down onto it, and turning to Flora. ‘She bumped her head when we were setting up the stall. She said it was nothing, and she seemed fine...’
‘Okay, where?’ Flora gently peeled off Mary’s hat and realised she hadn’t needed to ask. A large bump was forming on the side of her head.
‘We need to get her into the warm, John.’ Flora looked around at the crowded market. ‘Go and fetch the vicar. I think that the church is the best place.’
John hesitated, not wanting to leave Mary, and Flora caught his arm. ‘Go now, please.’
Aksel had dropped their shopping bags and Jackie stowed them away under the stall. Mette seemed to understand that something was wrong, and she stood quietly, her arms around Kari’s neck. Jackie took her hand and Aksel bent down next to Mary, supporting her on the stool. Flora pulled out her phone.
‘I’m going to call Charles.’ She hoped that she wasn’t overreacting but in her heart she knew that she wasn’t. And she knew that Charles Ross-Wylde would rather she called, if she thought someone needed his help.
Charles answered on the second ring, and Flora quickly told him what had happened, answering his questions and breathing a sigh of relief when he told her he’d be there as soon as he could. She ended the call, and Aksel glanced up at her.
‘Charles is on his way, and he’s going to call an ambulance.’ Flora murmured the words quietly, so that Mary didn’t hear. ‘This may be a bad concussion or a brain bleed, so we must be very careful with her and take her somewhere warm and quiet.’
‘Fourteen and six... Fourteen...and...seven...’ Mary seemed to be in a world of her own, and Aksel nodded, concern flashing in his eyes.
The vicar arrived, along with Carrie, who was red-faced and breathless from running, her beard hanging from one ear. She took Mette’s hand and Aksel turned to her.
‘Will you take her, please, Carrie?’
‘Of course. You see to Mary, and I’ll look after Mette and Kari.’
‘I’ll go and open up the church lounge.’ The vicar was fumbling under his shepherd’s costume for his keys. ‘It’s nice and warm in there.’
Now all they had to do was to persuade Mary to go with them. Flora knelt down beside her. ‘Mary, we’re going to the church.’
‘Are we?’ Mary gazed dreamily around her, as if she wasn’t quite sure what direction that was. ‘All right.’
Mary went to stand up, swaying suddenly as she lost her balance. Aksel caught her, lifting her up, and she lay still and compliant in his arms.
People were gathering around the stall, some offering help. The only help they could give was to stand back, and Flora cleared a path for Aksel. As everyone began to realise what was happening, the crowd melted away in front of them, leaving them a clear route to the church.
They walked around the side of the ancient building to a more modern annexe. The vicar was waiting for them, holding the swing doors open, and he ushered Aksel through to the quiet, comfortable lounge. There was a long, upholstered bench seat at one side of the room, and Aksel carefully laid Mary down, while Flora fetched a cushion for her head.
‘Mary, love....’ John knelt down beside her and took her hand, but Mary snatched it away. Aksel laid his hand on John’s shoulder.
‘She’s confused, John. We just need to keep her calm at the moment.’
‘Is there any tea?’ Mary tried to sit up, and Aksel gently guided her back down again.
‘The vicar’s just making some. He’ll be along in a minute.’ His answer seemed to satisfy Mary, and she lay back. Aksel kept talking to her, reassuring her and keeping her quiet.
Flora’s phone rang and she pulled it from her pocket. Charles sounded as if he was in the car, and she quickly told him where to find them.
‘That’s great. I’ll be there soon, and an ambulance is on its way too...’ The call fizzled and cut out, and Flora put her phone back into her pocket. Maybe Charles had just driven into a black spot, or maybe he’d said all he wanted to say.
‘What’s the matter with her, Flora?’ John was standing beside her, waiting for her to end the call.
‘I’m not sure, but it seems to be a result of the bump on her head.’ Flora didn’t want to distress John even further by listing the things it could be. ‘We need to keep her quiet. Charles is on his way and the ambulance will be here soon.’
‘What have I done...?’ Tears misted John’s eyes. ‘She said it was nothing. She seemed a bit subdued, but I thought she was just cold. I was going to take her to the pub for lunch as soon as I’d finished with the customer I was serving.’
‘It’s okay. In these situations people often try to deny there’s anything wrong with them and they’ll hide their symptoms. And they’ll push away the people they love most. We’ll get her to the hospital and they’ll help her.’ There was nothing more that Flora could say. If this was what she thought it was, then Mary was gravely ill.
John nodded. ‘Is there anything I can do?’
‘Has Mary taken any medication? Did she take something for the headache?’
‘She didn’t say she had one. And, no, she tries to avoid taking painkillers if she can.’
That could be a blessing in this particular situation. ‘No aspirin, or anything like that? Please try to be sure.’
‘No. Nothing. I’ve been with her all day, she hasn’t taken anything.’ John shook his head.
‘Okay, that’s good.’ Flora smiled encouragingly at him. ‘Now, I want you to sit down and write down exactly when Mary bumped her head, and how she’s seemed since. Please include everything, whether you think it’s important or not.’
‘Right you are.’
Maybe John knew that Flora was giving him something to do but he tore a blank sheet from one of the stack of parish magazines that lay on top of the piano and hurried over to a chair, taking a pen from his jacket pocket. Maybe the details would come in useful...
Flora knelt down beside Aksel. ‘You should go and get Mette now. I can manage.’
Flora didn’t want him to leave. Her own medical knowledge was enough to care for Mary until Charles arrived, but he was so calm. So reassuringly capable. But however much Mary might need him, however much Flora did need him, she knew that he couldn’t leave Mette.
‘One minute...’ He got to his feet, striding towards the door. A brief, quiet conversation with someone outside, and he returned.
‘You’re sure you want to stay?’ Aksel had obviously made a decision and from the look on his face it troubled him a little. But he’d come back.
‘Carrie’s going to take Mette and Kari back to the clinic and I’ll meet her there later. She’s in very good hands.’
‘Yes, she is. Thank you.’
He gave a little nod, and knelt back down beside Mary, taking her hand. Flora had to think now. She had to remember all the advanced first-aid courses she’d been on, and the physiology and pathology elements of her degree course. She took a deep breath.
Leaning forward, she looked for any blood or fluid discharge from Mary’s ears and nose. Checked that she was conscious and alert, and noticed that her pupils were of an unequal size and that a bruise was forming behind her ear. Then she picked up Mary’s hand.
‘Can you squeeze my hand, Mary?’
The pressure from Mary’s fingers was barely noticeable.
‘As tight as you can.’
‘I think I must have hurt it.’ Mary looked up at her, unthinking, blank trust written on her face. It tore at Flora’s heart, and she knew that she must do everything she could to help Mary.
‘Let me massage it for you.’ It wouldn’t do her hea
d injury any good, but it would keep Mary calm, and that was important.
‘Thank you. I feel a bit sick.’
Aksel carefully moved Mary, sitting her up, and Flora grabbed the rubbish bin, emptying it out on the floor. Mary retched weakly, and then relaxed.
‘That’s better. I’m sorry...’
‘It’s okay. You’re okay now.’ Flora made sure that Mary’s mouth was clear, and Aksel gently laid her down in the recovery position. Flora was aware that John was watching them, and couldn’t imagine his agony, but she had to concentrate on Mary.
She talked to Mary, soothing her, watching her every reaction. It seemed a very long time before the door opened and the vicar ushered Charles into the room.
John shot to his feet, watching and listening. Flora carefully relayed all the information she had to Charles, and he nodded, bending down towards Mary to examine her. Mary began to fret again, and by the time he’d finished she was trying to push him away. Charles beckoned to Flora.
‘Can you keep her quiet?’
‘Yes.’ Flora knelt down, taking Mary’s hand, and she seemed to settle. She heard Charles talking softly to John behind her, and then the arrival of the ambulance crew. Then she had to move back as the paramedics lifted Mary carefully onto a stretcher.
‘I couldn’t have done better myself, Flora. Well done.’ Charles didn’t wait for her answer, turning to usher John out of the room.
The lights from the ambulance outshone the fairy lights on the stalls in the marketplace. The noise and bustle seemed to have quietened down, and many of the stallholders watched as Mary was lifted into the ambulance and Charles and John followed.
Suddenly she felt Aksel’s arm around her shoulders. As the ambulance negotiated the narrow street around the perimeter of the market square, people began to crowd around her, wanting to know what had happened to Mary.
‘I’m sorry, we can’t say exactly what’s happened, that’s for the doctors at the hospital to decide. Mary’s in good hands.’ Aksel gave the answer that Flora was shaking too much to give. Then he hurried her over to Mary’s stall.
‘Jackie, will you be okay to pack up the stall?’
Jackie nodded. ‘Yes, I’ve called my husband and he’s on his way down with his mates. They’ll be here in a minute. How’s Mary?’
‘I’m afraid we don’t know, but Charles Ross-Wylde is with her and she’s in very good hands.’ Aksel repeated the very limited reassurance that he’d given to everyone else.
‘Okay. I’ll wait for news. Carrie came and took your shopping bags, she’s taken them back to the clinic with Mette.’
‘Thanks, Jackie. Are you sure you’ll be all right on your own?’
‘Yes, of course. Look, there’s my husband now.’
Jackie waved, and Aksel nodded. He turned away, his arm tightly around Flora.
‘Do you want to go the long way home? Or take the more direct route?’
‘What’s the long way? Via Istanbul?’
Aksel chuckled. ‘No, via the clinic. I’m going to go home and pick up the SUV, then go to see Mette. I’ll either walk you home or you can come with me.’
‘I’ll come with you.’ Being at home alone didn’t much appeal at the moment. ‘Thanks for staying with me, Aksel. I know you didn’t want to leave Mette.’
‘No, I didn’t. But Mette was all right and I reckoned I might be needed here.’
‘Yes, you were.’ Flora was going through all of the things she’d done in her head, trying to think of something that she’d missed. Something she might have done better.
‘Mary’s going to be all right. Largely because of you...’
‘You’re just saying that. I’m not a doctor.’
‘No, but you used your medical knowledge to do as much as any doctor on the scene could have. You kept her quiet, you made sure she didn’t choke. You acted professionally and decisively.’
‘But if something happens to her...’ Flora didn’t want to think about it. If there was something that she’d missed, and Mary didn’t survive this... She couldn’t bear to think about it.
He stopped walking, turning to face her. His eyes seemed dark, and his shadow all-encompassing.
‘Listen. Mary was surrounded by people, and no one realised there was something wrong. If you hadn’t noticed and done something about it, this wouldn’t have ended as well as it has. You were the one who gave her a chance, Flora.’
His trust in her reached the dark corners of her heart. ‘You were pretty cool-headed yourself.’
‘Well, I’ve been in a few situations before.’
Flora would bet he had. ‘I don’t know what I would have done without you.’
He chuckled. ‘I do. You would have done exactly the same—taken care of Mary, checked all her symptoms, and acted quickly. I might not cross the line from animal medicine into human medicine, but those things are essential in any kind of emergency.’
‘You make me feel so much better.’ He’d lifted a heavy weight from her shoulders. Whatever happened now, she’d know that she’d done all she could.
‘Mary was lucky that you were there, Flora. Never think otherwise.’
They’d reached the SUV, parked outside his cottage, and Aksel felt in his pocket for the keys and opened the door for Flora. He was clearly keen to see Mette. She wanted to see Mette. Both of them had found a place in her heart, and now she didn’t want to let them go.
* * *
The process of winding down had taken a while, but helping Mette to unpack the bags that lay in the corner of the room had helped. Aksel had been persuaded to tell a story about his travels, and she found herself joining in with Mette’s excitement at the twists and turns of his narrative.
As they were leaving her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket, seeing Charles’s number on the display, and when she answered, she heard John’s voice on the line.
She listened carefully to what he had to say, feeling the tension ebb out of her. ‘That’s really good news, John...’
‘Words can’t express my gratitude, for what you did this afternoon Flora...’ John’s voice was breaking with emotion.
‘I’m glad I could help. Make sure you get some rest tonight, you’ll be able to see her in the morning. I’ll come as soon as she’s allowed visitors.’ Flora ended the call, aware suddenly that Aksel was staring at her, waiting to hear John’s news.
‘This isn’t bad news, is it?’
Flora shook her head. ‘No, it’s very good news. We were right about it being a brain haemorrhage and Mary was taken into surgery straight away. The operation was a success, and they’re hopeful that, in time, Mary will make a full recovery.’
‘That’s wonderful. How’s John, does he need a lift from the hospital? I can go there now and take him home.’
‘No, he’s okay. Charles is still there and he got someone from the estate to fetch his car from the village and bring it to the hospital. Benefits of being the Laird.’ A great weight seemed to have been lifted from Flora’s chest, and she felt that she could really breathe again. ‘John said...he was glad that I’d been there.’
‘Yes. I was glad you were there, too. Let’s go home, shall we?’
It seemed so natural to just nod and take his arm. As if the home that they were going to was their home and not two separate cottages. As they walked out of the clinic together, towards the battered SUV, it didn’t seem to matter that she was leaning on his arm. Just for tonight, until she reached her own front door, she could rely on Aksel’s strength and support.
CHAPTER TWELVE
FLORA HAD BEEN wondering whether to ask Aksel over for Sunday lunch, but she’d seen him set out towards the clinic with Kari by his side at eleven o’clock. She opened the refrigerator, staring at its contents. Suddenly she didn’t feel like going to the trouble of cooking.
She made
herself a sandwich, rounding it off with apple pie and ice cream as she watched a film on TV. Then she picked up a book, curling up on the sofa with Dougal and working her way through a couple of chapters.
The doorbell rang, and she opened her front door to find Aksel standing in the front porch. ‘Shouldn’t you be at the clinic?’ The question slipped out before she’d had time to think.
‘I went in a little early today and had lunch with Mette. I left her making paper angels with the other children.’
There was always something going on at the clinic, and Mette had obviously been drawn into the Sunday afternoon activities. ‘That’s good. The world always needs more paper angels.’
He nodded. ‘Would you like to come for a walk?’
‘A walk? I was planning to sit by the fire and make a few welcome gifts for the kids.’
‘Sounds nice. A lot less chilly.’ Something in his eyes beckoned her.
‘The forecast’s for snow later on this evening.’
He nodded, looking up at the sky. ‘That looks about right. Are you coming?’
It was a challenge. Aksel was asking her to trust him, and in Flora’s experience trusting a man didn’t usually end well.
But Aksel was different. And what could happen on a windy, snowy hillside? Certainly nothing that involved exposing even a square inch of flesh.
‘Why not? Come in, I’ll get my coat.’
‘You’ll need a pair of sturdy shoes.’ He glanced at the shoe rack in the hall.
‘Even I wouldn’t tackle the countryside in high heels. I have walking boots.’ They were right at the back of the wardrobe, and Flora made for the stairs.
When she came back downstairs, his gaze flipped from her boots to the thick waterproof coat she wore and he gave a little nod of approval. As he strode across the road and towards the woods ahead of them, Flora struggled to keep up and he slowed a little.
‘Where are we going?’
‘I thought up to the old keep.’ He pointed to the hilltop that overlooked the village, where piles of stones and a few remnants of wall were all that was left of the original castle seat of the Ross-Wylde family. ‘Is that too far?’
Festive Fling with the Single Dad Page 11