you going to be a good boy and take this for me, Sam?’ she asked, offering him the spoon.
He stared at the bright pink liquid for a moment then obediently opened his mouth. Anna smiled as he swallowed the whole spoonful without a murmur.
‘That’s a good boy. Well done!’ she exclaimed, giving him a hug.
‘I hope he takes it from me as easily,’ Lucy said worriedly. ‘And Dr Cole said that he’s going to need ear drops as well. I don’t know if I’ll be able to make him sit still long enough to get them in his ears.’
‘Do it while you’re reading to him,’ Anna advised her. ‘I used to work with children and I always found that it was best to choose a quiet moment if you wanted to give them any medication. But if he does get upset, don’t make a big issue out of it. Just wait until he calms down then have another go.’
‘I’ll do that.’ Lucy sighed. ‘I wish there was someone to ask about things like that. I do my best but there are all sorts of things that crop up and I’m not sure how to deal with them.’
‘Don’t you have any family?’ Anna asked, handing a bright green block to the little boy.
‘No. I was brought up in care. There’s just Sam and me, but we muddle through as best we can.’
‘Well, you seem to be doing a fine job to me. Sam is a lovely little boy.’ Anna smiled at the girl but she couldn’t deny that her heart had started aching when she’d heard that. It had struck a bit too close to home. It was a relief when Ben appeared and informed them that he had finished seeing all his patients now.
He checked Sam over one more time, crouching down on the floor beside the child rather than making him get up. Anna couldn’t help noticing how good he was with the little boy and how Sam responded immediately to his firm but patient approach. Ben Cole would make a wonderful father, she found herself thinking wistfully, then realised how dangerous a thought that was.
‘I’m happy that what happened was simply the result of his ear infection,’ Ben explained after he had finished. ‘I’m going to give you a prescription for antibiotics to fight the infection and drops to soothe the inflammation in his ears. But I want you to promise me that you’ll call the surgery immediately if you are at all concerned about Sam.’
‘I’ll do that, Doctor,’ Lucy agreed, getting up. ‘You don’t think that he’ll have another of those convulsions, do you?’
‘I’m ninety-nine per cent certain that he won’t as long as you keep his temperature down. But, as I said, if you’re at all worried, don’t hesitate to phone us.’
‘I shall. Thank you.’ The girl turned to Anna. ‘And I’ll try doing as you said and putting the drops in Sam’s ears while he’s sitting quietly.’
‘It usually works,’ Anna assured her. ‘But don’t worry if you have to give it a couple of goes. The more agitated you get, the more Sam will play you up.’
Sam was reluctant to leave his exciting new toys at first but he was finally persuaded that he could play with them another day. Anna followed as Ben saw them out. The waiting room was empty and Eileen had started switching off the lights now that everyone had left. The receptionist sighed ruefully when she saw Anna.
‘Talk about being thrown in at the deep end! I bet you’re sorry that you took this job.’
Anna laughed. ‘Oh, it will take more than that to put me off. I’m far tougher than I look.’
‘You’ll need to be, working here,’ Eileen retorted, winking at her. She pretended not to have noticed that Ben had come back into the room. ‘It’s not just the general public who lead you a merry dance, I’m afraid. Some members of the staff here would try the patience of a saint at times.’
‘I wonder why my ears are burning? You weren’t alluding to me, by any chance, were you, Eileen?’ he asked wryly.
‘Now, why should you think that?’ the receptionist retorted. ‘It wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that you told three people to make appointments for Monday morning when I’d already warned you that your list was full?’
‘Sorry.’ Ben tried to look contrite but his eyes were full of laughter when he turned to Anna. ‘Eileen is a real termagant when it comes to her appointment system. It’s a big mistake to fall foul of her, believe me. You end up having to make your own coffee for the next week!’
‘I’m only trying to safeguard your interests, Dr Cole,’ the receptionist said with a sniff, although Anna could tell that she wasn’t really offended. It was obvious that Ben had a good relationship with the older woman.
‘I know you are. And I am grateful. Honestly.’ Ben gave Eileen a warm smile. ‘We wouldn’t be able to run this place half as efficiently without you here to keep order, Eileen.’
‘Well, I don’t know about that,’ she said. However, it was obvious that she was pleased by the compliment. They exchanged a few more pleasantries then Eileen fetched her coat and left.
Ben sighed as the door closed. ‘That’s it, then. End of another busy morning. Thanks again for all your help, Anna. I really appreciate it.’
‘It was nothing,’ she assured him. She glanced at her watch as he went behind the desk to turn off the rest of the lights. ‘Anyway, I’d better get a move on. I want to get to the shops before they close,’ she explained when he turned to look at her. ‘I need to stock up on groceries.’
‘You didn’t bring any with you?’
‘I never gave it a thought, to be honest. I had too many other things on my mind.’ Her face clouded as she thought about what had happened that morning. She still felt sick when she recalled what had been said…
‘Are you OK?’
She jumped, feeling the colour rush to her cheeks when she saw the concern in Ben’s eyes. She had a sudden urge to pour out the whole miserable story before it struck her what a mistake that would be.
She couldn’t afford to tell anyone the truth just yet. Although Ben Cole had come across as both kind and sympathetic, there was no knowing how he might react. Did she really want to run the risk of losing this job?
‘I’m fine. Just a bit worn out after all the rushing around,’ she replied evasively.
‘No wonder. As Eileen said, you were rather pushed in at the deep end.’
He smiled at her and Anna felt a flurry ripple through her when she saw the appreciation in his eyes. It was obvious that Ben found her attractive, and whilst part of her rejoiced in the fact another part knew that it would be a mistake to encourage him.
‘How about if I gave you a lift into town?’ he continued. ‘You can get your shopping then I’ll drive you back here so that you don’t need to lug a lot of heavy bags. In fact, we could have some lunch first—’
‘No!’ She saw his start of surprise but she had to make her position clear once and for all. ‘There’s no easy way to say this, Dr Cole, so I may as well be blunt. I prefer to keep my private life and my professional one strictly separate.’
She
