She was still chewing over the problem when she arrived at the surgery. She was looking forward to getting started and hoped it would be a full day, the busier the better. Working hard left less time for brooding.
She found that most of the staff had arrived ahead of her. Cameron, dressed in a dark grey suit with a striped tie, welcomed her formally. If possible, he looked even more good-looking and her heart gave a traitorous flip.
‘I thought we’d start with a tour before morning surgery starts,’ he said. ‘You have a small number of patients to see. I thought we’d ease you in gently.’ He gave her a crooked smile.
Meagan had already seen the waiting area and the meeting room but Cameron showed her around the clinical areas. Apart from three examination rooms there was a separate treatment room for minor procedures.
‘We do all our own minor surgery here,’ Cameron explained. ‘As Colin said, anything complicated we either send to Stornoway or, if more serious, to Glasgow. There is an air ambulance for emergency transfers, but occasionally we have no choice but to operate at the small local hospital. It’s equipped for most emergencies. How are your surgical skills anyway?’
‘Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on which way you look at it, that was one area where I got a lot of experience while I was working abroad,’ Meagan replied with a smile.
‘I must impress on you, Meagan, that you should always seek to use the expert facilities whenever possible. If you have any doubt, please call me for advice. We do not want you thinking you are back in the field and able to perform inappropriate procedures on our patients.’
Stung by his remarks, Meagan felt her smile freeze and her temper rise. Where was the easygoing man from yesterday? It seemed he was keen to ensure that she knew that now they were working together, he was the boss.
‘I can assure you, Cameron, I have no intention of carrying out procedures for which I am neither as equipped nor as qualified as others close to hand. I was simply trying to reassure you that I can cope, if need be, in an emergency situation,’ she replied, her voice clipped with the effort of keeping it under control.
She couldn’t make head or tail of this man. One minute he was friendly, the next he was treating her as if she was a belligerent medical student.
‘Good,’ Cameron replied brusquely. ‘Just as long as you realise that top marks in examinations and a couple of years’ experience in a third-world situation is not enough to make a competent GP. Hands-on experience in the field of general practice is what counts.’
‘What exactly is bothering you about me being here?’ Meagan asked with an exasperated lift of her eyebrow. ‘The fact that I did very well in my exams or that I am not very experienced? May I remind you that I have completed several years of medical training and my full general practice rotation, and that neither the General Medical Council nor Dr MacDonald seem to have any reservations regarding my suitability to practise.’
‘I’m sure that you are eminently qualified Meagan.’ Cameron’s voice was soft. ‘Of your academic ability there can be no doubt. I am simply anxious that you don’t overreach yourself. Shall we leave it at that for the time being?’ He smiled his lovely smile which softened his face. ‘Come, I’ll show you the rest of the place. Then we’ll get going.’
As it turned out the day was as busy as Meagan had hoped. She had a large number of patients allocated to her, although she suspected that the more serious or complex cases had been sifted out by Cameron as all the patients were suffering from either minor viral illnesses or simply needed reassurance.
‘You will give me a shout if there is anything you’re not sure of?’ he had said at the start of the clinic. Meagan had bitten her tongue and had reassured him that she would. She would just have to let time take its course and he would eventually come to trust her medical skills.
After morning surgery, Cameron introduced her to the rest of the team. There was Sophie, a woman near retiring age, who was the practice nurse, and the health visitor, Dorothy, a kindly-looking woman in her early thirties. Both women welcomed Meagan warmly and she looked forward to working with them. Apart from the nursing staff there was a receptionist called Mary, who looked as if she had worked there for ever. Meagan suspected she ruled the place with a rod of iron.
They all had lunch together in the small staffroom at the back of the surgery. Dorothy told Meagan that they tried to have lunch together whenever possible. Dr MacDonald and Dr Stuart liked knowing that everyone was up to date with what was happening to their patients. Eventually the conversation turned to Meagan’s visit to Grimsay House.
‘So you met young Effie and her mum Jessie, then? And did you meet the glamorous Rachel?’ said Dorothy with a pointed glance at Cameron, which he studiously ignored. ‘Is everything OK with Effie? Would you like me to pop in and see them this afternoon?’
As well as being responsible, along with the medical staff, for the antenatal care of women on the island, Dorothy also had responsibility for the under fives as well as the elderly. Cameron had told her that small rural practices could rarely afford to employ more than one health visitor so, unlike their counterparts in the cities who tended to specialise in only one of these areas, health visitors like Dorothy had to combine the three roles.
‘That’s OK, but thanks anyway, Dorothy,’ said Meagan with a warm smile. ‘I’d prefer to go myself, as I promised Jessie that I would call. I’ll go after I finish visits with you, Cameron, if that suits you?’
Cameron nodded.
Dorothy looked a little relieved. ‘I’ve got a few other calls I want to make so one less would help. Actually, I got a call just before lunch from Katie White. She’s feeling a little anxious, Cameron. Thinks the baby hasn’t being moving as much as he has been. I said I would go and see her after lunch.’
Cameron looked thoughtful. ‘How many weeks pregnant is she?’ he asked Dorothy, holding his hand out for the notes that Dorothy held in her lap.
‘Thirty-six. Just. She’s due to be admitted to Stornoway in two weeks.’
Meagan looked enquiringly at Cameron.
‘Katie White is 33 and pregnant with her first child. Like almost all the mothers here, she’ll be sent either to Lewis or to Glasgow a couple of weeks in advance of delivery. Even earlier if it looks like there might be a problem. Obviously it’s not ideal, especially for women like Katie whose husband is a commercial diver and can’t afford to take time off work to stay with her in Stornoway, but it is believed to be safer for mother and child. We try to keep them at home as long as we safely can. Katie has had a normal pregnancy to date and I’m not anticipating any problems. It’s good that you’re going to see her, Dorothy. Meagan and I will be on visits ourselves but you can reach us on my mobile if you have any concerns. Speaking of which, we should be on our way. C’mon, Meagan. We’ll take my car. I’ll just get my bag and the notes.’
As they headed off towards their first visit, Meagan bit her lip, trying to find the right words. She needed to ask him about Rachel.
Taking a breath to steady her voice, she turned to him. ‘Cameron, that night—back then—were you married?’
He kept on driving, concentrating on the road. A muscle