through all this?
She stared out of the window as though she might find the answer in the tubs of brightly coloured pansies that were dotted about the paved quadrangle.
‘Hello, there… Meeting up like this is getting to be something of a habit.’
Megan gave a start and looked up as the sound of that familiar male voice intruded on her reverie.
‘You’re right. So it is.’ She stared at Theo Benyon. What on earth was he doing there?
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.’ He was holding a tray, laden with a coffee cup and pastries, and now he asked, ‘Would it be all right if I join you?’
‘Help yourself.’ She waved a hand towards the chair opposite.
He sat down, his gaze shooting over her as he stirred his coffee with a spoon. ‘You look wiped out,’ he murmured. ‘Have things not been going too well for you?’
She sent him a wry smile. ‘What was the give-away—the dark shadows under my eyes or my general drawn appearance?’ He, of course, looked absolutely great. His grey suit was beautifully tailored, cut from dark fabric that looked fabulously expensive. His jacket was open, so that she could see the fine linen of his shirt, and his tie was subtly patterned to blend in with the whole.
His mouth made an odd quirk. ‘Nothing like that. You just look generally weary.’
Her mouth flattened. ‘It’s been a difficult day, one way and another.’
He lifted a brow in query. ‘Last I saw of you, you were headed up to the catheter suite. Did things not go too well?’
‘They went well enough. My patient suffered a myocardial infarction—a heart attack—and unfortunately it took a long while for her to be brought into hospital in the first place. She lives out in a remote rural area. It never helps if the patient goes for a long time without receiving specialised attention. She was only in her early forties and eventually she went into cardiogenic shock. It was all we could do to bring her back from the brink.’
She pressed her lips together, and then glanced at his plate and the pastries. ‘It looks as though you have a sweet tooth,’ she murmured, changing the subject. ‘Are you planning on eating all of those by yourself?’
‘Not necessarily.’ He sent her an amused look. ‘You’re welcome to choose one if you like. I recommend the fruit tart. Just save the jam doughnut for Harry. That’s his favourite, and he’ll be coming along to demolish it just as soon as he’s finished with the vending machine. I think he’s trying to nab himself a small rubber ball…not one of his best ideas, because you can bet it will bounce all over the place and be lost in no time at all.’
‘Ah, I wondered what had happened to him.’ She glanced across the room to the machine where the boy was gazing thoughtfully at a collection of coloured balls. ‘Thanks all the same, but I’m content with my salad.’
She looked at him more closely. ‘So is this where I’ve seen you before? Are you visiting a patient here?’
‘I am. As you say, that’s probably it. I’ve been here several times over the last couple of weeks.’
‘It must be difficult for you, fitting in visits around work and taking time to look after Harry as well. Or perhaps you’re able to work from home? I imagine that painting must be the ideal job.’
His mouth curved, lending a roguish slant to his features. ‘I’m flattered you think I could make a decent living from it, but I haven’t actually put it to the test. Anyway, I have Harry to look after just now, and that’s a full-time job in itself.’
‘Oh, I see. I mean… Yes, I can imagine that it is.’
Harry came over to the table, hefting a small rubber ball in his palm. ‘I got it,’ he said. ‘I wanted the red one with the white swirls, and I got it. See?’ He opened out his palm to show it to Theo.
‘That’s obviously a very special one,’ Theo remarked. ‘Just see that it doesn’t roll about the floor and get in everybody’s way.’
It was already too late as he spoke. Harry gleefully tried out the ball for bounce-ability, and what followed was an excited chase to retrieve it from under the nearby tables.
Theo’s mouth set in a resigned expression. ‘Hold onto it, or I’ll look after it for you,’ he warned.
Turning back to Megan, he said thoughtfully, ‘I meant to ask how the man from the pub fared after his collapse. Did you manage to follow up on what happened to him?’
Megan nodded. ‘I did. The doctor who looked after him on admission to hospital has ordered tests, including a CT scan. We’ll know more in a day or so, but for the moment he’s comfortable.’
‘That’s something, anyway.’
The rubber ball was on the loose once more, and as quick as a flash Theo caught it, enclosing it in his palm.
‘I want to play with it,’ Harry said. ‘Can I have it back, please?’
Theo shook his head. ‘Not until we get home. People in here are sick, or upset because they’re visiting relatives who aren’t well. They don’t want to be having to duck out of the way of your ball every few seconds.’
Harry’s lip jutted in a belligerent fashion. ‘I’ll keep hold of it, I promise.’
‘No, you won’t. I’ll look after it until we get home.’
Harry opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it at the last moment. He turned his attention to Megan. ‘Do you work here?’ he asked.
She nodded. ‘I do, and actually I should be getting back to work right now. I have patients to see.’ She swallowed the last dregs of her coffee, and glanced across the table at Theo. ‘I expect you have things you need to be doing, as well.’
‘He said he would take me fishing,’ Harry said, nodding vigorously. ‘And we’re going to plant things in the garden so it’s nice for Mummy when she comes home, and then we’re going shopping to get me some new clothes.’
‘That sounds as though you have lots to look forward to,’ Megan acknowledged with a faint smile. Did his father not do any kind of work? For all he denied it, it sounded as though he must make some money from his paintings. Perhaps he was simply being modest about his talent, or maybe he was a man of independent means. Then again, he could simply be taking a vacation in order to take care of his son. Why was she even questioning how he came to be there or how he lived his life? What was it about him that provoked her curiosity?
‘I heard that you were looking for Mr Edwards,’ she said, looking directly at Theo as she stood up. ‘Last I saw of him, he was heading for his office. I gathered he would like to speak to you, too.’
Theo frowned, then nodded. ‘I’ll go and find him. Thank you for letting me know.’
‘You’re welcome.’ She sent the boy a quick smile. ‘’Bye, Harry. I hope your mother feels better soon.’
‘So do I,’ he said. ‘I don’t like my mum
