‘It’s fine. I’ll take over your case load. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure Molly will fill me in on some of the details.’
‘Thanks,’ she said, relieved.
She left the hospital a short time later, walking out into warm sunshine. The balmy weather seemed so at odds with what was happening.
She picked up an overnight bag from her flat. The news was dreadful and she was full of apprehension about what she might find when she caught up with her mother. It was a relief at least to know that Brodie was with her. She must be in shock and in terrible pain but it would be a comfort to her to have someone by her side. Caitlin would be eternally grateful to Brodie for the way he had responded to her mother’s predicament.
Guilt and anxiety washed over her. She should have been there; somehow she should have been able to prevent this from happening … She tried as best she could, but it wasn’t always possible for her to get away every week, with shift changes and staff shortages and so on. It was frustrating.
Her heart was thumping heavily as she drove along the familiar route towards her home town. She had the car window wound down so that she could feel the breeze on her face, but even the heat and the beautiful landscape of the Buckinghamshire countryside couldn’t distract her from her anxiety.
How bad was it? Being a doctor sometimes had its disadvantages—she knew all too well how dangerous a hip fracture could be, the complications involved: perhaps a significant amount of internal bleeding and the possibility of disabling consequences.
She gripped the steering wheel more firmly. Think positively, she reminded herself. Her mother was in good hands and she would be there with her in just a short time.
A few minutes later she slid the car into a parking bay at the Thame Valley Hospital and then hurried into the Accident and Emergency department, anxious to find out how her mother was getting on.
‘They’ve been doing some pre-op procedures, X-rays and blood tests and so on,’ the nurse said. ‘And as soon as those are complete the surgeon will want to talk to her. Mr Driscoll thought maybe you might like to have a cup of coffee with him while you’re waiting. He asked me to tell you he’s in the cafeteria.’ She smiled and added good-naturedly, ‘If you leave me your phone number, I’ll give you a ring when it’s all right for you to see your mother.’
‘Okay, thanks, that’ll be great.’ Caitlin wrote down her number on a slip of paper and then hurried away to find Brodie.
He caught her glance as soon as she entered the cafeteria. ‘Hi there,’ he said with a smile, coming to greet her, his blue gaze moving fleetingly over her slender figure. She had discarded the hospital scrubs she’d been wearing and had on slim, styled black jeans topped with a loose, pin-tucked shirt. ‘It’s good to see you, Caitlin.’
‘You too.’ Her voice was husky, her breath coming in short bursts after her rush to get here. That was the excuse she gave herself, but maybe the truth was that it was a shock to see Brodie in the flesh after all these years.
The good-looking, hot-headed youth she remembered of old was gone and in his place stood a man who simply turned her insides to molten lava. This man was strong, ruggedly hewn, his handsome features carved out of … adversity, she guessed, and … success? There was something about him that said he had fought to get where he was now and he wouldn’t be giving any ground.
He was immaculately dressed in dark trousers that moulded his long legs and he wore a crisp linen shirt, the sleeves rolled back to reveal bronzed forearms. His hair was black, cut in a style that added a hint of devilishness to his chiselled good looks. Tall and broad-shouldered, his whole body was supple with lithe energy, his blue eyes drinking her in, his ready smile welcoming and enveloping her with warmth.
‘Come and sit down,’ he said, laying a hand gently on the small of her back and ushering her to a seat by the window. ‘Let me get you a coffee—you must be ready for one after your journey.’ He sent her a quick glance. ‘I expect you’ve been told that your mother is having tests at the moment? The surgeon’s going to see her soon to advise her about what needs to be done.’
She nodded. ‘The nurse told me.’ She sat down, her body stiff with tension. ‘How is my mother?’
‘She’s okay,’ he said cautiously. ‘She’s been conscious all the while, and the paramedics were with her very quickly after her fall, so that’s all in her favour.’
‘I suppose that’s something, anyway.’
‘Yes. The doctor who’s looking after her gave her a pain-relief injection so she’s comfortable at the moment. She’s had an MRI scan to assess the extent of the injury—it’s definitely a fracture of the hip, I’m afraid.’
She winced. ‘Will the surgeon operate today, do you know?’
He nodded. ‘Yes. I was told it will probably be later this afternoon—the sooner the better, in these cases. Luckily she hadn’t had any breakfast to slow things up. You’ll be able to see her before she goes to Theatre.’
‘That’s good.’ She finally relaxed a little and when he saw that she was a bit more settled he left her momentarily to go and get her a coffee.
Caitlin glanced around the cafeteria. It was a large room, with light coming in from a wall made up entirely of windows. The decor was restful, in pastels of green and cream, and there were ferns placed at intervals, providing a touch of the outdoors.
Brodie came back to the table with a loaded tray and handed her a cup of coffee. It was freshly made, piping hot, and it smelled delicious. ‘I thought you might like to try a flapjack,’ he said, putting a plate in front of her. ‘Something to raise your blood sugar a little—you’re very pale.’ He took a small jug and a bowl from the tray and slid them across the table towards her. ‘Help yourself to cream and sugar.’
‘Thanks.’ She studied him thoughtfully. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like having Brodie as a neighbour. ‘How is it that you came to be living next door to my mother?’ she asked.
He sat down opposite her. ‘I’d been staying in a room at the pub,’ he said, ‘while I looked around for something more permanent. Then the place came on the market as a suitable property for renovation. The old gentleman who owned it found the upkeep too much for him when his health failed. He went into a nursing home.’
‘Lucky for you that the opportunity came your way,’ she murmured.
He nodded. ‘It’s a substantial property—an investment project, possibly—and I thought it would be interesting to do up the house and sort out the land that goes along with it.’
‘An investment project?’ It didn’t sound as though he was planning on staying around for too long once the place was renovated. ‘Does it mean you might not be staying around long enough to make it a home?’
He shrugged negligently. ‘I haven’t really made up my mind. For the moment, I’m fed up with living in rented accommodation and wanted something I could renovate.’
‘I see.’ She picked up one of the golden-brown oatcakes and bit into it, savouring the taste. ‘I didn’t get to eat breakfast this morning,’ she explained after a moment or two. ‘Someone emptied the cupboards of cereals and bread.’ She spooned brown-sugar crystals into her cup and sipped tentatively, all her regrets about missing the first coffee of the morning finally beginning to slip away. He watched her curiously.
‘You were right,’ she murmured at last. ‘I needed that.’ She told him about her flatmate drinking the last of the milk. ‘It had to be Mike who was the culprit. Neither of the girls I share with would do something like that. He probably finished off the cornflakes as well.’
Brodie grinned. ‘I guess he’s down for a tongue lashing