‘He is, but I would prefer it if you contacted his consultant if there’s a problem and you can’t reach me. Professor Rose has been responsible for Joseph’s care since he was a baby and he’s fully conversant with his case.’
‘I see. What exactly is wrong with Joseph?’
‘Spina bifida,’ Elliot replied succinctly. He knew it was stupid but he still found it difficult to talk about his son’s condition. Guilt rose up inside him, as it did every time he had to explain what was wrong with Joseph. He should have checked that Marianna was following her consultant’s advice and taking the supplements he had prescribed then maybe Joseph wouldn’t have been born with this condition!
‘I imagine it was detected during his mother’s pregnancy,’ Polly said gently and her tone was such a contrast to the rush of emotions which had hit him that Elliot couldn’t help reacting.
‘It showed up on one of the scans.’ Elliot tried his best, he really did, but it was impossible to keep the anger out of his voice. ‘And if Joseph’s mother had had her way then he wouldn’t be here now.’
‘Really!’ Polly exclaimed, unable to hide her surprise. ‘You mean that she wanted a termination?’
‘Yes. Marianna couldn’t handle the thought of having a child that wasn’t perfect,’ he replied harshly. Polly had the impression that he was struggling to regain control, but it was obvious that he was finding it difficult. There was anger in his voice when he continued and her heart ached for him. ‘The only thing she wanted was to get rid of the baby as quickly as possible.’
‘So how did you manage to persuade her to keep it?’ she said gently, wishing there was a way to comfort him. She sighed softly because, even though they had met only that day, she knew that he wouldn’t welcome her sympathy.
‘By offering her the one thing guaranteed to make her change her mind: money.’ He laughed and she flinched when she heard the bitterness in his voice. ‘I paid my ex-wife to have Joseph. And I’ve never regretted it either.’
Polly didn’t know what to say. Elliot had paid Joseph’s mother to go through with the pregnancy? The thought of how traumatic it must have been for him to do that brought tears to her eyes but she blinked them away. It wouldn’t help him if she gave in to her emotions.
‘It must have been a very difficult time for you,’ she said, struggling to strike the right note, not an easy thing to do when she felt so shaken by what he had told her.
He shrugged. ‘It’s all water under the bridge now.’ He opened the door then glanced back, and Polly felt her heart catch when she saw the pain in his eyes. Maybe he claimed that it no longer mattered but she could tell that it did. ‘Any problems then phone me.’
‘I will,’ she promised, although she doubted if he had heard her as he was already walking to his car. She closed the door, knowing it was pointless standing there to wave him off. That was something else he wouldn’t appreciate and it hurt to know how determined he was to distance himself from other people. It was an effort to smile when Joseph looked expectantly at her as she went back to the kitchen. Maybe it had nothing to do with her, but she hated to think of Elliot choosing to lead such a lonely existence.
‘Right, young man, what do you usually do at this time of the day?’ she said, forcing herself to sound upbeat. The last thing she wanted was to upset Joseph. The thought of his mother not wanting him because he wasn’t perfect hurt, but she managed to contain her feelings. ‘I imagine you’re in school normally but, with it being the Easter holidays, we need to find something to occupy you. What’s your favourite way to pass the time?’
‘Playing on my games console,’ Joseph replied promptly. He spun his chair around and made his way to the huge television set mounted on the wall opposite the sofa. Picking up the remote control, he switched it on then turned on the games console as well. ‘Do you know how to play?’ he asked hopefully.
‘Yes, although I’m not very good,’ she admitted, feeling pain stab through her as she picked up the spare controller.
After their parents had been killed in a car crash when Polly was twelve, she and her brother had gone to live with Martin’s family. Both sets of parents had been close friends and it had seemed the natural thing to do in the absence of any other family to look after them. Peter and Martin were three years older than Polly, but they had included her in all their games. Even though Peter had moved to New York after he had finished university, he and Martin often played online together. Now she sighed as she sat down on the sofa. She couldn’t imagine them playing again after what had happened. Cancelling the wedding was going to have repercussions for a lot of people.
She played for a little while then excused herself to check on Joseph’s medication. Times and dosages were clearly written down on the sheet of paper she found in Elliot’s desk, along with the medication itself. Joseph wasn’t due to take anything until lunchtime so she put everything back in the drawer and turned to leave, pausing when she caught sight of a photograph on the shelves behind the desk. It showed a beautiful blond-haired woman laughing into the camera. Was this Joseph’s mother? she wondered. Elliot had referred to her as his ex-wife but the fact that they were divorced didn’t mean he wouldn’t have a photograph of her. Even if she had behaved deplorably, it didn’t rule out the fact that he might still have feelings for her.
Polly turned away, surprised by how painful she found that idea. What did it matter if Elliot was still in love with his ex-wife? It had nothing to do with her.
* * *
‘I’ll be in my office. Tell the parents I’ll speak to them shortly.’
Elliot left Theatre, not bothering to check if his instructions had been noted. He simply expected his staff to do what he said and that was that. Was he being arrogant, perhaps? he found himself wondering as he headed to the changing rooms. Polly Davies would have said that he was and the fact that her opinion counted for anything was a source of irritation to him. He had met her only that day so why should he care what she thought?
He showered and dressed then made his way to his office. The previous incumbent had decorated it according to his taste and Elliot was keen to stamp his own mark on it as soon as he could. He cast a disparaging glance at the wall behind the desk, which was filled with photographs of the babies his predecessor had treated. He didn’t need pictures to prove he was good at his job and had no intention of carrying on the tradition, although, if he was honest, wouldn’t he have been glad to see some kind of visible proof that Joseph would survive in the days following his birth?
Elliot’s brow furrowed as he sat down. It wasn’t like him to start having second thoughts and the fact that he was debating the merits of some old photographs surprised him. Quite frankly, he had been behaving completely out of character ever since that morning and although he wished he could blame it on the accident, he had a feeling that it had more to do with one irritating young woman. Polly Davies had got under his skin and the sooner he got her out again and returned to normal the happier he would be!
Alfie’s parents arrived a few minutes later so Elliot pushed all other thoughts out of his head while he dealt with them. He ran through what he had done, outlining the procedure to replace the faulty valve in their baby’s heart. The parents had had no warning that anything was wrong so it had been a huge shock for them when Alfie was born and rushed to Theatre. Elliot found that he could relate to how they felt and was less brusque than he might have been normally as he explained that although Alfie was still very poorly, he was hopeful as to the outcome. Sister Thomas smiled approvingly as she ushered the young couple out of the room.
‘Thank you, sir. I’m sure Hannah and Ben are very grateful for all you’ve done.’
Elliot nodded, clamping down on the feeling of warmth that filled him. It was years since he had felt such a connection to a patient and their family and it threw him completely off balance. Was it a good thing? That morning he had decided that he needed to open up a bit but now he wasn’t so sure. After all, if he was personally involved in a case then he couldn’t remain detached