so I can flag them down,’ Harry offered, relieved to have something to do. ‘You stay here and look after Miles.’
‘Thanks, Harry. That would be a real help. I appreciate it.’
It was the first time Harry could remember her ever speaking to him with any warmth in her voice. As he left the kitchen, he found himself marvelling at the effect it’d had. He wanted to leap up and punch the air as though he’d scored a major victory, although he had no idea why. Grace had merely treated him on a par with everyone else. She’d spoken to him as a normal human being instead of as her worst enemy. Why that should be a cause for celebration, he couldn’t imagine.
He left the surgery and headed down the drive. It was a bitterly cold night and his overcoat was still hanging on the back of the consulting-room door, but he never noticed the discomfort. His head seemed to be whirling, thoughts spinning around inside it like the bits of coloured glass whizzing about inside that kaleidoscope he’d had as a kid. One thought suddenly caught and took shape.
Sparring with Grace had been a lot of fun, but what would it be like if they could talk to each other and discover all the things they had in common?
The idea dissolved before he could attempt to deal with it and another took its place.
And if they did achieve a degree of harmony, then wouldn’t it be a shame to stop there? After all, Grace was a beautiful woman and he’d never denied that, so wouldn’t it be great if they could establish a more intimate relationship…
The wail of a siren came as a blessing in more ways than one. As he flagged down the ambulance, Harry felt like a condemned man must feel on receiving a last-minute pardon. He had no idea what was prompting all these crazy thoughts but one thing was certain: he and Grace would never have that kind of a relationship.
‘WHY doesn’t someone come and tell us what’s happening?’
‘These things take time, Penny, so try not to worry. They’ll let us know how Miles is just as soon as they can.’
Grace put a comforting arm around Penny’s shoulders but the long wait was taking its toll on her, too. She glanced at her watch and sighed when she realised that over an hour had passed since Miles had been admitted to the emergency department of their local hospital. She’d travelled in the ambulance with him while Harry had gone to fetch Penny. He’d seemed to take it for granted that he would stay with them, and Grace had to admit that she’d been glad of his support. Harry seemed to have the knack of knowing the right thing to say to calm Penny down so now she glanced at him and raised her brows.
‘Grace is right, sweetheart. You must try not to worry.’ Harry obviously took the hint because he got up and came over to them. ‘You know how long it takes to get a heart tracing and do all the bloods and everything else.’
‘I know, and I’m sorry, but it’s just so hard to sit here when I don’t even know if Miles…If he’s…he’s….’ Penny stopped and gulped, unable to give voice to her very worst fears.
‘If anything awful had happened to Miles, they’d have come and told you.’ Harry crouched down and took hold of Penny’s hands. ‘You remember the drill, don’t you? You should do because you were an A and E nurse for long enough. You inform the relatives immediately if it’s bad news. It’s one of the unwritten rules.’
‘I remember,’ Penny whispered, dredging up a smile. ‘It’s just so different when you’re the one waiting to hear something.’
‘I know, sweetheart, but you must try to be strong for Miles and for your baby.’
He leant forward and kissed Penny’s cheek. Grace felt a lump come to her throat. This wasn’t Harry Shaw using his legendary charm to his own ends but a bona fide show of concern, and there was no denying that it had touched her deeply to witness it.
‘I’ll try. Thank you, Harry. And you, too, Grace.’ Penny took hold of Grace’s hand and placed it on top of Harry’s. ‘You two are the best. I don’t know what I’d have done without you both tonight.’
Grace’s heartbeat quickened when she felt the warmth of Harry’s hand beneath her palm. She desperately wanted to pull away but she didn’t want to risk upsetting Penny. She sat quite still, praying that Harry couldn’t feel how fast her pulse was racing. This is just a moment of friendship, she told herself firmly. Penny needs it to help her through this difficult time. However, it was hard to focus on that thought when she was so conscious of the warmth of Harry’s flesh beneath her own. It was a relief when a nurse appeared because it meant that she could quite legitimately break the contact.
‘Mrs Farrington?’ The nurse smiled as Penny hastily identified herself. ‘You can see your husband now.’
‘Is he all right?’ Penny demanded, jumping to her feet.
‘He’s fine. Dr Williams will explain everything if you’ll just follow me.’
‘Yes, of course.’ Penny hurried to the door then paused and looked back. ‘Will you stay? I know it’s late but I don’t think I can face being here on my own.’
‘We’ll be right here, waiting for you, Penny,’ Grace assured her. She let out a sigh of relief after the door closed. ‘Doesn’t sound as though the prognosis is too grim. Do you think Miles really did have an infarc?’
‘It’s hard to say for certain without seeing the ECG tracings,’ Harry replied, going over to the coffee-machine. ‘It could have been an angina attack, I suppose. The symptoms are very similar.’
‘Mmm, you could be right.’ Grace frowned as she considered that possibility. ‘Miles is rather young to be suffering from angina, although it’s not unknown. Most patients are in their fifties when they first exhibit any symptoms but there are cases of men as young as thirty being diagnosed with angina.’
‘It’s not just confined to men either. More and more women are presenting with angina nowadays,’ Harry observed, feeding coins into the machine.
‘That’s true. Women are having more heart attacks than they used to. It’s all down to a change in lifestyle and the fact that people are eating more convenience food and not taking enough exercise.’ She sighed. ‘I try to drum it into our patients that they need to exercise and watch their diet, but they just think I’m nagging.’
‘Until they have a heart attack and realise that you were telling them the truth all along.’ Harry handed her a cup of tepid coffee and sat down. ‘Then they’re desperate to undo all the years of neglect.’
‘Something like that,’ she agreed, sipping the coffee and grimacing at the powdery aftertaste it left on her tongue. She put the cup on the table and looked at him. ‘How come you’re so clued up about heart disease?’
‘Because it’s all part and parcel of being a physician.’ Harry took a swallow of his coffee then sighed. ‘If I had a pound for every man and woman I’ve seen heading for a heart attack, I’d be able to retire. What is it about people that makes them ignore all the advice we give them and carry on doing the wrong things?’
‘Stubbornness?’ she suggested with a grin because he sounded so frustrated.
