the kids in the minibus?’
He nodded. ‘Not the best day of my life. One of your doctors was out helping us—Jessica Rae?’
Miriam looked confused for a second then waved her hand. ‘Oh, you mean Jessica Faraday. I know she’s reverted back to her maiden name but I can’t get used to it. She’s fabulous. One of the best consultants we’ve got. The kids were certainly in safe hands with her.’
Callum could feel himself furrowing his brow. ‘Jessica Faraday? She was married?’
Miriam finished typing something on the computer. ‘Yeah.’ She was distracted, concentrating on the words in front of her.
‘But she’s not now?’ Callum couldn’t help but probe. Curiosity was killing him.
Miriam met his eyes. ‘Sadly not.’
Things just didn’t work out for me.
Jessica’s words echoed in his brain. He still didn’t know what they meant, and it just didn’t seem right to be asking someone else. It didn’t matter that Miriam was a colleague—one he’d spoken to on many occasions—he just didn’t feel he could ask anything personal about Jess.
It was an invasion of her privacy. He had no right to ask anything about her. It didn’t matter that his curiosity was currently burning so fiercely in his stomach it would probably cause an ulcer.
Suddenly he was conscious of what he’d just done. He’d been around hospitals long enough to know that even the simplest and vaguest questions could be entirely misinterpreted.
Miriam had gone back to her paperwork—not in the least interested in why Callum was asking questions about Jessica. Thankfully, she had a hundred other things to worry about. The last thing he needed was rumours starting to spread in a hospital. He didn’t want anyone to get the wrong impression.
What was the wrong impression?
He had no idea what he thought about all this.
All he knew for sure was that the haunted look in Jessica’s eyes was going to stick in his brain for the rest of the day. And probably most of the night.
This was wrong. He shouldn’t be thinking about her at all.
He had Drew to worry about. His little boy was his entire life and he didn’t want anything to get in the way of that. He wouldn’t let anything get in the way of that.
The custody battle had been fiercely fought, sapping all his energy and strength. And whilst he’d been on dates in the last year or so, no woman had really attracted his attention. No woman had ever been introduced to his son.
And that was way he intended to continue.
He should walk away.
He should run.
But somehow he knew that come tomorrow afternoon he would be right here.
Right here, waiting for Jessica.
CALLUM STARED AT the clock and pulled out his cellphone again. How is Drew? he typed.
Drew had been clingy last night. Definitely not normal for him. He hadn’t wanted to go to bed and had just said he didn’t feel good.
After a day stuck in the freezing-cold Clyde, all Callum had wanted to do was hold him close. So he’d broken all his own rules and let Drew come into bed beside him.
There hadn’t seemed to be anything obvious wrong with Drew. His temperature hadn’t been raised. He hadn’t had a rash. But he’d had a restless night and when he’d stirred his porridge around his plate that morning Callum had looked at the pale little face and had known he couldn’t send him to school today.
Thank goodness for good friends. Julie and Blair were always willing to help out any way they could.
His phone buzzed.
Not eating and a little tired. But managing to watch the TV. Don’t worry. Julie.
Don’t worry. Fat chance.
The door next to him opened. Jess. He stood up straight away and walked over to her. ‘How are you? Are you okay?’ She looked a little better today. There was some colour in her cheeks, her caramel-coloured hair hung in waves around her shoulders and her pink woollen jumper gave the illusion of some curves.
There it was again. The little surge he’d felt yesterday when he’d seen her. That buzz of attraction. He hadn’t imagined it. He hadn’t imagined it at all.
She gestured down the corridor. ‘I’m fine. Honestly. No ill effects.’ She gave him a little smile. She was definitely a little more relaxed today but, then, Parkhill was her comfort zone.
‘How are the kids?’
Her expression was still serious. ‘We’ve still got two in ITU, both serious but stable. Four were allowed home yesterday, another four were kept for observation overnight but are being discharged today. The last two will be in for a few days, both have different kinds of fractures.’
He gave her a knowing smile. ‘Busy day, then?’
She let out a little laugh. ‘What? No way. We’ve only had another thirty admissions on top of the accident yesterday. It’s practically been a walk in the park.’
‘Thirty? Is there some kind of outbreak?’
She nodded. ‘Yip.’ She handed over a set of case notes to the secretary next to them. She folded her arms across her chest. ‘It’s called a Scottish winter.’
‘What do you mean?’
She gave a little shrug. ‘It’s like this every year. Asthma and chest infections flare up and there’s always an outbreak of norovirus somewhere. Public health had to recommend closing two nurseries yesterday.’ She waved her hand. ‘We’ve got a baby with chickenpox in ITU. Oh, and the usual slips, trips and falls. We’re thinking of putting a sign on the door of ward 1C saying Only people in fibreglass may pass these doors.’
He couldn’t help the smile dancing across his face. ‘It’s that bad?’
She gave a little sigh. ‘It’s just how things are. That, and all the parents that come to the desk and give it laldy.’
He smiled. ‘Now, there’s a word I haven’t heard in a while.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘It’s the most accurate description. I said it the other day to one of the Spanish registrars and he was totally lost. Thing is, it’s never the parents with the sickest kids who cause a scene, it’s the ones who probably shouldn’t even be in an A and E department and don’t think they should be waiting.’
‘We get our fair share in the fire service too. Last month it was a guy who called 999 every time his house fire alarm went off.’
