Her Miracle Twins

She felt another surge of gratitude. ‘I was wondering …’

‘Yes?’

‘I’m truly grateful for the way you’ve taken care of me since I sprained my ankle and I’m sorry for the way I was so grumpy when you found me lying in the sand.’

‘Oh, Chantal, you were suffering from shock. Completely understandable. You were in pain. It was perfectly natural for you to behave like that. Forget it.’

‘Well, I’ve been thinking.’

She paused as she reflected that she really had been thinking too much about this delicate situation. It had started while she’d had to spend a lot of time resting during the early part of her treatment. Now was the time to act before she lost her nerve.

‘I’d like to buy you supper one evening as a means of thanking you for all your help in getting me back on my feet’

He was staring at her now, seemingly lost for words. ‘Chantal, you don’t have to buy me supper.’

‘Oh, but I’d like to.’

She’d rehearsed this invitation so often, not knowing how he would take it. She hadn’t meant to deliver it in this awkward position, sitting sideways to the desk, holding her convalescent ankle with both hands. She must look so ungainly.

‘Of course I know you must be busy in the evenings so if—’

‘I’d like to take up your offer, Chantal. Thank you. What did you have in mind?’

He was smiling now, trying to lighten up. She’d caught him completely off guard. It had been the last thing he’d expected from her.

‘Well, I thought it would be fun to have supper at that old wooden beach café near the place where you rescued me from that killer stone. I used to be taken there for lunch after a morning on the beach at Club Mickey. It was before my father died, I remember.

‘Every August my cousin Julia and her brothers came over from England with their parents for a holiday and that was where we’d all meet up. It was such a treat. Our mothers—they’re twins—were always there. Our fathers were both English so the conversation over lunch switched from English to French all the time. It was such a happy time in my life.’

He noted the poignant hint of nostalgia in her voice before he spoke to reassure her of his interest in this kind invitation.

‘I’d enjoy going to the beach café, Chantal. Actually, I’ve never got around to visiting it. It looks a quaint sort of place.’

She smiled. ‘I’m not surprised you haven’t tried it yet. It looks very shabby now. The winter winds and rain mean it needs repainting every summer. They haven’t got around to that yet this year but it’s got its faithful clientele just the same.’

‘Will you make the booking or shall I?’

‘Oh, we don’t need to book. It’s first come first served. Just let me know when you’re free.’

‘How about tomorrow?’

She hid her surprise at his prompt reply. She’d expected him to defer his answer and then possibly forget about it. She wouldn’t have had the nerve to repeat her invitation.

‘Yes, that would be good. If I’m only working for the afternoon I won’t be tired.’

He nodded. ‘That was exactly what I was thinking. We’ll go straight there when we come off duty. Now, finish your report as soon as you can and go and rest that ankle on your bed with a pillow to elevate it. Be sure to call Housekeeping and order supper to be brought up to your room.’

‘Oh, I didn’t know that was possible.’

‘All things are possible for the medical staff of the Hôpital de la Plage.’

He was reaching across the desk for the internal phone. ‘This is Michel Devine. My colleague Dr Winstone will be resting in her room this evening. Could one of your staff take her a supper tray? Yes, about seven o’clock.’

He broke off to speak to Chantal. ‘Coq au vin, omelette, or salade Niçoise?’

‘Salade Niçoise, please.’

He relayed the message. ‘So I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, Chantal. Now, do rest that ankle.’

He turned and moved towards the door to stop himself regretting his decision to have supper with Chantal. Closing the door after he’d passed through it, he leaned against it, breathing heavily.

‘You OK, Dr Devine?’

He hadn’t noticed a junior nurse coming along the corridor.

‘Yes, I’m fine, thank you, Nurse.’ He recovered quickly and smiled down at the young lady who was looking earnestly concerned about him.

He started walking in the other direction. Taking care of Chantal as a colleague posed no problems. But spending a whole evening with her in the romantic setting of the beach as the sun disappeared behind the hills? What was he thinking? It was the sort of situation he’d avoided since Maxine had died. OK he’d play it cool, very cool. No emotional involvement.

Two colleagues having supper together, discussing … well, whatever colleagues are supposed to discuss. Nothing remotely romantic. Books, theatre, cinema. That sort of thing should keep the evening going without too many gaps in the conversation. Ah, she’d lived and worked in Paris, hadn’t she? He could leave most of the talking to her.

Chantal could tell it was already morning before she even opened her eyes. She could hear the sound of footsteps hurrying down the corridor. Everybody was going on duty. But she had been ordered to rest.

She opened her eyes and looked at the travel clock on her bedside table. Eight o clock! She hadn’t set her alarm for once. No need for that this morning.

The phone rang. It was housekeeping asking if she would like breakfast. Dr Devine had left instructions for them to call. ‘Would you like a croissant?’

‘Yes, please.’

‘And a coffee with milk?’

‘Please’ She liked dipping her croissant in a large breakfast cup of milky coffee.

She got out of bed and went over to the window, pulling back the curtains. Wall-to-wall sunshine already. Well, it was almost summer. From her window she could see the main gate, the ambulances lined up for duty, one already speeding in from the seafront, making its way to Emergency where everybody would be hard at work by now. Including Michel. She swallowed hard as she thought of her embarrassing attempt to ask him out for supper yesterday evening. She’d been successful but she could tell he had only been polite with her. He would probably be relieved when it was all over. She couldn’t think why she’d set it up. Well, actually, she did have an idea but it was too complicated to analyse.

Was she testing herself to see if she really had changed into the ice maiden she tried to portray to the opposite sex? If that was her real reason for this date—if she could even call it that she’d have no problem sticking to the vows she’d made to herself last September. None whatsoever. Her emotions were completely surrounded by ice.

Someone was knocking on her door. She shrugged into her dressing gown and went to open it, taking the breakfast tray from the maid then climbing back into bed.

As she dipped her croissant in the coffee she reflected that her rendezvous with Michel this evening would be harmless as long as she remembered she’d arranged this meal together to thank a kind friend and colleague for all his help. That was the sole object of this evening out together.

‘Are you ready to go off duty, Chantal?’

The afternoon had flown by as she’d dealt with an influx of patients from a crash on the coastal road involving a coach and two cars. She was pulling back the curtains from her cubicle as her final patient was being taken away on a trolley to be admitted to Orthopaedics.

‘Have all the patients been seen, Michel?’

‘Treated, discharged, admitted and no fatalities. The evening staff have all arrived. I’ve even dealt with the police investigation and sent them on their way satisfied they’ve got all the medical details they need for their report. Excellent teamwork by everyone this afternoon, so let’s go!’

She wasn’t fooled by his bright and breezy attitude. He was as apprehensive as she was.

‘Give me ten minutes to clean myself up.’

‘Ten minutes? You look fine to me. OK. See you by the front entrance.’

She headed for the staff changing room to change into a pair of jeans and tee shirt, adding the white sweater she’d brought to tie around her neck in case it got chilly later on. Not that they were going to stay long enough for the evening chill to set in. A quick supper, a polite chat and they’d go their separate ways, wouldn’t they?

She glanced at her reflection. Mmm, not bad. A dash of lipstick and then she would be ready.

Michel was chatting to Sidonie by the main entrance and Chantal slowed her pace. Mustn’t seem too eager to be off.

Sidonie broke off the conversation. ‘Hi, Chantal. You look like you’re off out. Going anywhere nice?’

‘Off to the beach café for supper.’

‘Oh, that’s where you’re going Michel, isn’t it? Ah, so you’re going together? Keeping up the aftercare of your patient? Very commendable. Well, don’t let me keep you. Have fun but beware the killer of stones.’

Sidonie smiled at them as she moved away down the corridor.

Chantal was beginning to wish she’d never dreamed up this supper date. The entire medical staff would have heard about it by tomorrow morning.

‘So, shall we go?’

Michel was looking down at her, a wry grin on his face, probably knowing exactly what she was thinking but hoping he was covering up his apprehension better than she was.

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