Worth The Risk

Ally raised an eyebrow and paused with her hand on the doorhandle. ‘One of yours or one of mine?’

‘One of yours.’ Will pulled a face. ‘I was called out to little Kelly Watson last night. She had a dreadful asthma attack.’

‘Again?’ Ally sighed and closed the door again. ‘This is the second time this month. Was she admitted?’

Will nodded and dragged a hand through his greying hair. ‘Too right she was! Her mother was in a state of total panic, which didn’t help. I spoke to the hospital today and they’re going to increase the dose of inhaled corticosteroids before they discharge her.’

Ally frowned. ‘She was on a reasonable dose—’

‘If she was taking it.’ Will stared at her, all traces of humour gone from his craggy features. ‘I don’t think she was.’

‘But why?’ Ally looked astounded. Why would a nine-year-old girl not take her medication when she knew what the complications were of not taking it? ‘She’s not exactly at the age of teenage rebellion.’

Will’s mouth twisted. ‘I don’t know. I just think that the dose she was taking should have prevented that sort of attack. Have a chat to Lucy, will you?’

Lucy Griffiths, the practice nurse, ran an asthma clinic and knew all the patients better than anyone in the practice.

Ally nodded. ‘Yes, of course. We obviously need to check her inhaler technique.’

‘Thanks, Ally. Any news on young Pete Williams, by the way?’

Ally’s eyes widened. Did everyone know? ‘How did you know about Pete?’

‘Never try and keep a secret from Uncle Will.’ Will waggled his finger and then grinned. ‘Actually, I met Jack in the Hare and Hounds last night. Sounded a pretty dramatic rescue.’

‘Yes.’ For a moment Ally’s thoughts flew to Sean Nicholson and then she frowned. Why on earth had the man got to her so badly? ‘Anyway, in answer to your question, I was planning to phone before I start surgery. I did try last night but he was still in Theatre.’

Will’s face was suddenly serious. ‘He’s a good lad.’

Ally nodded, her voice soft. ‘I know that. I’ll have a long talk with him once he’s up and about.’

‘Do that. Oh, by the way…’ He stopped her as she was about to leave, not quite meeting her eyes, ‘Join me for lunch, will you? There’s some practice business we need to discuss.’

Practice business? Ally gave a mental shrug and let the door swing closed behind her. Time enough for that later. What was happening to little Kelly Watson?

She found Lucy in the treatment room, preparing for the asthma clinic.

‘I hear we’ve got problems with Kelly.’

Lucy nodded, her pretty face serious. ‘Too right. I spoke to the registrar and he wants to increase her inhaled steroids, but I don’t think that’s the best approach, do you?’

Ally propped herself against the wall and frowned thoughtfully. ‘When did we last check her inhaler technique?’

‘Last time she had an attack.’ Lucy flipped through her records. ‘And we checked her peak flow. In fact, we went through her entire management plan. I was totally satisfied that both she and Mum understood what she had to do.’

‘Well, something’s badly wrong,’ Ally murmured, ferreting around in her mind for a solution. ‘Any ideas?’

Lucy understood the problems of the asthma patients better than anyone. ‘Well, if I had to hazard a guess I’d say it was something to do with her mother.’

‘Her mother?’ Ally’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Surely she wants her to be well?’

Lucy frowned and tapped her pen on the desk. ‘You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But she doesn’t seem very keen on increasing Kelly’s drugs.’

‘Well, that’s understandable, I suppose. No one likes taking drugs.’

‘No.’ Lucy stared at her thoughtfully and then shrugged. ‘Well, anyway, I’ll get them in and then let you know how I get on.’

‘Brilliant.’ Ally straightened and smiled. ‘Thanks, Lucy. See you later.’

Her surgery was busy, a constant stream of coughs, colds and ear infections, and halfway through she snatched a moment to phone the hospital about Pete. Hearing that his condition was now stable, she breathed a sigh of relief. She’d have a thing or two to say to him when he was discharged! In the meantime, she made a mental note to visit him and take him something to cheer him up.

Her next patient was a young woman, thirty years of age, whom Ally remembered from her recent pregnancy.

‘Hello, Jenny, how are the twins?’

Jenny Monroe smiled and rolled her eyes. ‘Hard work and getting harder. They can’t crawl yet but they’ve discovered that they can roll everywhere so I can’t leave them alone for a minute.’

‘I remember it well.’ Ally sat back in her chair and laughed, her mind scooting back to when Charlie had been that age. ‘Nightmare!’ Only it hadn’t been a nightmare. Not really. In many ways it had been wonderful, except for all the other traumas…

‘My mother’s got them for me for a few hours…’ Jenny fidgeted slightly. ‘I’ve got this thing on my leg and I’ve read so much lately about skin cancer it’s been worrying me.’

‘Let me have a look.’

Ally waited while Jenny pulled down her leggings, and then bent to examine the mole on her patient’s leg. Alarm bells rang instantly in her mind. It had a jagged, uneven edge and was a mixture of black and brown, both signs highly suggestive of malignant melanoma.

‘Are you a sunbather, Jenny?’ She rummaged in her drawer for a ruler and measured the mole carefully.

Jenny looked sheepish. ‘Well, not regularly, Dr McGuire, but I love the sun and I love to be tanned. It makes you feel better, doesn’t it?’

It depended on your skin type, Ally thought wryly. When you were very fair, as she was, it was better to stay out of the sun altogether and settle for looking pale and interesting.

Ally frowned. ‘Remind me where you work.’

‘I’m a bank clerk.’

‘And you holiday abroad?’

‘Oh, yes!’ Jenny smiled. ‘Mike and I live for our two weeks of sunshine!’

An indoor job all year round and two weeks a year sunbathing—the very worst combination.

Jenny watched her curiously. ‘Why are you measuring it?’

Ally hesitated and made a note on her pad. ‘You were quite right to come and see me, Jenny, because suspicious moles do need to be checked out.’

‘And this is suspicious?’

‘It certainly needs to come off.’

Jenny swallowed. ‘Do you think it’s cancer?’

Ally hesitated. ‘It’s impossible to say, without removing it and examining the cells under a microscope.’

‘But you think it might be, don’t you?’ Jenny probed, her eyes wide and anxious.

‘It’s possible,’ Ally admitted, ‘but we need to arrange for a specialist to remove the mole and have a proper look at it.’

‘And if it is?’ Jenny swallowed. ‘What then?’

Ally reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. ‘Jenny, it may be nothing. Why don’t we wait for the results before we discuss the options?’

Jenny took a deep breath. ‘OK. How long will I have to wait for an appointment? I won’t sleep a wink until I know…’

‘They’re very quick,’ Ally assured her, reaching for her hospital phone directory. ‘I’ll phone Mr Gordon, the plastic surgeon, today and he should see you this week.’

‘Plastic surgeon? I thought it would be a dermatologist.’

‘When it comes to removing moles it can be either. Mr Gordon is very good.’

Jenny gave her a shaky smile. ‘Well, at least I won’t have to wait long. Will I have to stay in hospital?’

Ally shook her head. ‘No. They’ll remove it under local anaesthetic as a day case and then ask you to go back for the results.’

Jenny nodded and stood up. ‘Oh, well! Nothing to do but wait, then. Thanks, Dr McGuire.’

Ally watched her go and felt suddenly depressed. She was sure the mole would turn out to be malignant, and Jenny was a young woman with two small children…

Forcing those thoughts away, she phoned Mr Gordon’s secretary and arranged for an urgent referral. Then she glanced at her watch, gasping as she saw the time. She was late for Will’s meeting.

She flicked off her computer and hurried to the staffroom, stroking her wayward blonde curls back out of her eyes. Her hair hated being tied up for work and rebelled by gradually escaping from the tidy plait she started the day with. Maybe she should have replaited it before the meeting—but, then, it was only Will and the other partners and she was already late.

‘Sorry, Will! I had two extras and—’ She broke off and froze, her eyes fixed on the man lounging in one of the easy chairs. It was Sean Nicholson, freshly shaved and wearing stylish trousers and a jacket, a look of amused satisfaction pulling at the corners of his mouth as he watched her stunned reaction.

Will was looking as pleased as Punch with himself, although he didn’t quite meet her eyes. ‘There you are, Ally! I wanted to introduce you to our new locum.’

For a moment her heart flipped and words failed her.

With a slight smile Sean intervened, his voice that same deep, lazy drawl she remembered so well. ‘We’ve met. Hello again, Ally.’

Had he known? Was that why he hadn’t pressed her for her address? Because he’d somehow known he’d be working here with her? Had Jack said something? Suddenly she felt a shaft of panic. She didn’t want to work with this man! He made her feel—feel—

‘I didn’t know you’d met—that’s excellent.’ Will was still smiling, gesturing for Ally to sit down. Her legs wouldn’t move. ‘Where did you meet?’

Ally didn’t trust the innocent look on Will’s face. And then she remembered that he’d met Jack for a drink, so he must have known about Sean…

‘We met on the fells.’ Sean was watching her closely, his dark eyes slightly narrowed. ‘She was giving me advice on my abseiling.’

Will chuckled and placed a tray of coffee on the low table. ‘I hadn’t considered how much the pair of you have in common. That’s excellent. It will make for a good working relationship.’

Good working relationship? Ally couldn’t see herself having a good relationship with this man if she lived to be a hundred. He was everything she avoided in a man. Arrogant, handsome, chauvinistic—and totally compelling. She suppressed a groan. Work with him? Never! He made her too aware of herself and the feelings she’d squashed down for so long.

Sean was still watching her closely, his eyes intent. ‘Have a sandwich, Ally.’

A sandwich? It would choke her!

‘I thought you didn’t approve of female doctors.’ Ally found her voice at last and took refuge in sarcasm as she sat down in the nearest chair with a thump. Her legs were threatening to go on strike. It was sit down or fall down. ‘Especially blonde ones.’

His appraisal was disconcertingly male. ‘On the contrary, I totally approve of female doctors, especially if they’re blonde.’

Ally ground her teeth and then caught the gleam of laughter in his eyes. Damn the man! He was winding her up again. Well, this time he wasn’t going to succeed. Determined to look relaxed, she reached for a sandwich and concentrated her attention on Will instead.

‘Sean’s agreed to help us out until we can find a replacement for Tim,’ Will said, looking more and more pleased with himself. ‘He’s just what we need in the team.’

‘Dr McGuire may disagree.’ Sean smiled slightly. ‘She thinks I’m a chauvinist pig.’

‘Well, I dare say you are a bit,’ Will said calmly. ‘All those years in the army, I suppose. But deep down women like a man to be a man.’

Ally ignored that bit. ‘In the army? You did your medicine in the army?’

‘No.’ Sean shook his head. ‘I trained after I left the army.’

She could see him in the army. Short, cropped hair and a slightly wonky nose which had obviously been on the receiving end of someone’s fist—although, from what she’d seen of Sean, the other guy would have come off worse.

‘So what’s your special interest?’

‘Trauma.’

Stupid question, Ally thought wryly, remembering his skill with Pete. That explained why he’d been so skilled and confident. And now she knew why Will wanted him.

‘He’s going to run our minor accident clinic?’

Will beamed. ‘Absolutely.’

Ally’s heart sank and then she gave a philosophical shrug. They did need someone badly and it wasn’t as if she’d have to work that closely with him.

‘Well, your trauma experience will be useful,’ she said briskly, proud of how matter-of-fact and calm she sounded. ‘We’ve been getting very busy since we agreed to see minor accidents here, instead of sending them all the way to the infirmary.’

Will nodded enthusiastically. ‘We’ll offer daytime cover for all minor emergencies, including weekends. People won’t have to travel so far—it makes for a much more comprehensive service. And you’re the perfect person.’

Sean’s eyes narrowed. ‘This is only temporary, Will…’

Will looked out of the window across the fells. ‘Of course it is.’

Sean’s mouth tightened for a moment and then he gave a short laugh. ‘You’re a manipulative old goat.’

Will smiled. ‘Absolutely. I’ll do anything to get what I want for my practice. And I want you, lad.’

‘I would have thought general practice would be a bit tame after trauma,’ Ally suggested, and Sean shrugged.

‘So did I until that rescue the other day. Now I think it might have distinct possibilities.’ He shot a warning glance at Will. ‘As a temporary measure.’

So he obviously wasn’t planning to stay for long. Thank goodness for that!

Ally sipped her coffee. ‘I phoned the hospital about Pete and he’s doing quite well.’

Sean helped himself to another sandwich. ‘More than he deserves, then, taking those sorts of risks.’

Ally thought of Pete and the problems he’d had to face in his young life, and her blood boiled. ‘Don’t judge until you know what you’re talking about,’ she said tartly. ‘People may have a good reason for taking risks.’

Like proving to themselves they could do it.

Sean shook his head, his tone cool and unemotional. ‘Those boys could have killed themselves out there.’

And, in fact, if it hadn’t been for Sean’s skill Pete would undoubtedly have died, but Ally still couldn’t bear him to make judgements about a person he didn’t know.

‘He was unlucky.’

‘He was a fool.’ Sean lobbed a crisp packet into the bin, his eyes hard. ‘He shouldn’t have been out in those conditions at all. And neither should you.’

‘I wasn’t taking risks, Dr Nicholson.’

‘No?’ His mouth tightened. ‘You’ve all the bulk of an elf and you’re roaming those hills in the middle of November on your own.’

‘It’s October,’ she said sweetly, wondering why Will looked so pleased with himself. They were arguing, for heaven’s sake! Shouldn’t he be looking worried? ‘And I don’t see how obesity would help me survive in the fells. It’s equipment and knowledge that count, not size. I know those hills and I don’t take risks. I was the one who told you the safest place to abseil, remember? Jack knew I was out walking and he had my route. I had the dog with me and I had basic survival gear.’

His jaw tightened. ‘If you were my woman I’d put a stop to it.’

Her heart tumbled in her chest and her breathing jerked.

‘Well, I’m not your woman, Dr Nicholson.’

She clamped her hands in her lap and hoped he wouldn’t see them shaking. What on earth was the matter with her? She didn’t want to be his woman. She didn’t want to be anybody’s woman. All the men she’d met in her life had just been bad news. Selfish and egotistical and, from what she’d seen, Sean was no different. Get a grip! she told herself firmly. Good-looking or not, he was still a man and that put him totally off limits. She’d had enough of men to last her a lifetime.

There was something in his eyes that she couldn’t interpret and it made her nervous. He turned to Will. ‘Did you know she wanders round the fells on her own?’

‘Ally?’ Will gave a philosophical shrug. ‘Well, yes. She’s lived here all her life and she knows these fells better than anyone.’

Sean frowned. ‘And you think that qualifies her to gallivant off on her own with no back-up or equipment?’

Will shrugged and spooned sugar into his coffee. ‘She’s sensible and she’s got Hero.’

Sean blinked. ‘Hero?’

‘Her German shepherd dog. She takes him everywhere.’

‘Hero?’ Suddenly Sean laughed out loud, his hard features softened by the smile. ‘You called the dog Hero?’

Ally bristled. ‘That’s what he is to me.’

Sean watched her for a moment and then gave a small shrug. ‘Well, dog or not, she shouldn’t be walking alone, Will.’

Will helped himself to another sandwich. ‘Try stopping her. Ally knows these mountains as well as anyone around here. She was in the mountain rescue team for years. I couldn’t stop her walking any more than I could stop you, Sean.’

‘Would you mind not talking about me as if I wasn’t present?’ Ally said indignantly, chewing a sandwich with limited enthusiasm. It tasted like sawdust. ‘How do you know each other? And while you’re at it, perhaps you’d better fill me in on how you know half the mountain rescue team as well.’

‘I grew up here,’ Sean said shortly, and she saw something slam shut in his eyes.

‘And?’

He placed his coffee-cup carefully down on the table, his eyes cool and discouraging, all traces of humour gone. ‘And what, Dr McGuire?’

‘Well, there must be more to it than that.’ She gave him a curious look, sensing the barriers he’d just erected. ‘Did you go to school with Jack? Did Will deliver you as a baby?’

The smile faded from Will’s face and he glanced warily at Sean.

‘I didn’t know you were so interested in me.’ His handsome face was taut, and she swallowed. Obviously Sean Nicholson did not want to talk about his past.

‘Just making polite conversation,’ she said quickly, wondering what had caused those shadows around his eyes. Whatever it was, Sean didn’t want to talk about it. There was no doubt about that.

‘Sean was working in Accident and Emergency last,’ Will said quickly, smoothing over the tense atmosphere in the cosy staffroom. ‘He’s pioneered certain aspects of immediate care—stimulated by your army experiences, I suppose?’

Sean nodded and his shoulders relaxed slightly. ‘That’s right. When you’re stuck in the field with an injured man you have to do the best you can with limited equipment.’

So that was why he’d handled the mountain rescue with such ease. And why Will had laughed when Sean had mentioned her abseiling tuition. ‘I suppose you abseiled a lot in the army?’

His lips twitched. ‘Just a bit.’

Will stretched his legs in front of him. ‘Have you fixed somewhere to stay?’

‘Not yet.’ Sean pulled a face and helped himself to a sandwich. ‘I plan to have a scout around this weekend. Unless you know of anywhere?’

Will concentrated on peeling an apple, not looking at Ally. ‘Ally is looking for a lodger.’

Ally gasped. ‘Will! I’m not! I—’

Will looked up, his expression unreadable. ‘You told me you needed to get a lodger now that Fiona has gone back to London.’

‘Well, I do, but not—I mean, that’s different.’ Ally licked her lips. She’d kill him! ‘Fiona was a midwife—’

Sean contemplated her with silent laughter. ‘I can deliver a baby if that’s one of the requirements.’

‘That’s not what I meant and you know it.’ Ally gritted her teeth. There was no way she was going to have this man lodging with her, even if she did need the money. He’d find out she’d misled him about her personal life for a start. The only person she was involved with was her daughter. And what would he do when he found that out? He needed to be kept at arm’s length.

‘What she means is she doesn’t want me,’ Sean murmured, his dark eyes challenging.

She shifted under his laughing gaze, hating the way he made her feel. As if she was a coward—which, of course, she was when it came to men.

‘Of course she wants you. It makes sense, Ally,’ Will said firmly. ‘That barn drains every penny you earn.’

‘Barn?’ Sean was looking at her curiously. ‘You live in a barn?’

‘It’s in the middle of nowhere and you’d hate it,’ Ally said flatly, giving Will a threatening look which he met with a smile. Ally almost snarled. He was doing it again! Matchmaking! Trying to pair her up with anything male under the age of ninety. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?

‘It’s the perfect solution,’ Will said happily. ‘You need a lodger and Sean needs a place to stay.’

Ally opened her mouth to refuse for the final time and then caught the wistful look on Will’s face and closed it again. Oh, blow the man! How could he do this to her? He had been so good to her for so long. In fact, without him she didn’t know how she would have survived. She owed him so much and he made her feel churlish every time she avoided his attempts to liven up her life.

Maybe if she let Sean stay in her barn it would keep Will quiet. Stop his matchmaking. Prove to him once and for all that no matter how many men he paraded in front of her she wasn’t interested. It just wasn’t fair on Charlie. She needed constancy in her life, not a continual throughput of men who walked out when the going got tough. No, a lodger was all Sean would ever be, and even then it wasn’t as if they would really be sharing accommodation. The stable wing attached to her barn was quite self-contained. All she had to do was pass him on the driveway occasionally.

‘Do you mind sleeping in a stable?’ Her voice sounded unwelcoming but Sean just smiled.

‘Is the horse still in it?’

She gave him a withering look and the smile deepened.

Will stood up and deposited his mug and plate in the sink. ‘Ally’s stable is gorgeous—she’s spent a lot of money converting it.’

‘Has she now?’ Sean’s eyes meshed with hers and she forced herself to hold his gaze. ‘And doesn’t your husband mind having lodgers?’

‘Oh, Ally’s not married,’ Will said blithely. ‘Didn’t I mention it?’

Thanks, Will! Ally thought, feeling her colour rise. Thanks a lot. Now that he’d well and truly set the scene she didn’t know whether to laugh or kill him.

‘But she lives with someone,’ Sean murmured, giving her an odd look that she couldn’t interpret.

‘Lives with—? Well, yes, Charlie, but not…’ Will glanced at Ally with a frown, which deepened as he met her pleading look. His mouth tightened. ‘Oh, I see. Well, I’ve got calls to make so I’ll leave the two of you to sort out the details.’

With that he left the room, leaving Ally gaping after him, boiling with frustration, knowing she’d been totally outmanoeuvred.

Sean stood up and made himself another cup of coffee. ‘Subtle, isn’t he? More coffee?’

‘No, thanks.’ Ally felt swamped with embarrassment by Will’s obvious games. ‘I don’t know what’s come over him.’

Sean gave a wry smile. ‘Well, if that’s really the case then I go back to my first impression of dizzy blonde. He’s matchmaking, sweetheart, as you well know, and what I want to know is why he’s matchmaking when you’re already attached.’

Ally blushed furiously. ‘I don’t know.’

One dark eyebrow lifted. ‘No?’

‘No.’ She started to clear away the remains of the sandwiches to hide her awkwardness. ‘And, anyway, it’s totally irrelevant because I wouldn’t have a relationship with you if you were the last man on earth.’

Sean dropped into one of the chairs and stretched long legs out in front of him, his eyes amused. ‘Is that so?’

She warmed to her subject. ‘Yes, it is. You, Dr Nicholson, are the original male chauvinist pig who thinks that a woman’s place is in the home, keeping it warm for her man. I don’t suppose you’ve ever even heard of New Man, have you?’

Sean smiled politely. ‘New Man?’

‘Yes, you know—the sort of partner who respects women as equals, who doesn’t mind doing the ironing or the washing-up and who certainly wouldn’t stop me fell-walking if that’s what I chose to do.’

Sean looked interested. ‘You don’t think I qualify as New Man?’