Marion Lennox - Prescription-One Bride

The Ogre of Barega…

It would be better if he went right back to being an ogre. Easier for everyone…

Safer…

‘I…We’ll be right,’ Jess said slowly. And then, as a thought struck her, ‘My car…It’s still on the ridge.’

‘I’ll organise it to be brought back to the hospital.’

‘You can do that?’

‘I can do that-keys, please?’

Jess flipped the keys from her pocket.

‘Niall…’

‘Yes?’

‘Thank you,’ she said simply and watched his face.

‘I wish I could say it was my pleasure,’ Niall told her, and his face changed. He fingered the car keys and didn’t meet her eyes. ‘I’m starting to think, though…I’m starting to think it’d be better if I’d never met you.’

Mid-afternoon…

Mid-afternoon of a weekday and Jess was so far behind that she didn’t know where to start.

Lunch?

She’d gone past it. She wasn’t the least bit hungry.

She’d promised one of the local farmers to drive out and check a mastitis-affected cow. She’d do that as soon as her car was back. There was normally a small animal clinic at four and she needed to check Harry-and feed one orphaned wallaby and one tiny wombat.

And worry about Frank…

And think about Niall Mountmarche…

Ogre of Barega.

All those things she somehow fitted into her crazy day but by the time Jess slumped down at her kitchen table that night it was eight o’clock and her stomach was growling in hunger.

OK, OK…

Jess opened a can of soup, made some toast and then slumped down again.

And then looked over to where Harry was lying.

The dog had opened his eyes and was looking at her with definite interest.

Or was he looking at her toast?

Smiling, Jessie carried a quarter of a slice of toast over to where Harry lay. She held it to his mouth and the dog lifted it off her palm with a delicate tongue.

Even half-starved, this dog had manners.

‘Hey, Harry,’ Jessie smiled, her heart warming in delight

They shared another slice of toast in companionable silence, the big dog’s tail moving wearily back and forth in token wag mode. Finally, replete with toast, Harry settled back to sleep.

He’d make it.

Would his master?

Jessie chewed her bottom lip. She wasn’t welcome in the hospital. If she went over and Lionel Hurd was there…

She’d be thrown out on her ear.

Still…

Lionel usually did a fast ward round at six and then went back to his own quarters on the other side of the building. Jess had her own ideas of what he did then, augmented by the number of whisky bottles found in the hospital garbage since Lionel’s arrival.

He’d be well into his bottle for the night, she decided. Maybe it was safe.

She couldn’t stand not knowing.

It was all she could do not to tiptoe through the hospital corridors to Frank’s room. There was an elderly lady with a sprained ankle in the women’s ward and there was no sound there-but there was movement in the men’s ward.

Jess stopped and listened and then her face cleared as she heard a woman’s voice.

Geraldine.

Geraldine was one of the island’s two senior nurses. Middle-aged and competent, she’d elected to do night duty when Sarah started working. By the sound of it Geraldine was talking to Frank.

So at least Frank wasn’t dead.

Frank Reid was still an extremely sick man but his grey colour had receded a degree or two. He lay motionless against his mound of pillows but his eyes followed Geraldine round the room and they moved to the door and lit up when Jessie entered.

‘Jess…’

It was an exhausted whisper but it was so much better than last time she’d entered this room that Jess practically burst into tears.

‘Hey, Frank…’ She crossed to the bed and gave him a swift kiss. ‘How goes it?’

‘I reckon I’ll live. Geraldine’s bossing me into it.’

‘I sure am.’ Geraldine gave Jess a worried look. ‘Jess, this is awful. I’m feeling dreadful about it. Sarah’s told me what’s happened. I knew Frank was diabetic but assumed the blood-sugar tests were being done during the day. Sarah wasn’t confident of working nights on her own so we organised her to be on day duty when Dr Hurd would be around to support her-but arrangements seem to have gone badly wrong.’

In other words, Geraldine hadn’t been able to supervise Sarah and Dr Hurd had been incompetent.

‘It’s not too bad,’ Jess said swiftly, signalling Geraldine with her eyes to change the subject. This conversation couldn’t go further without discussing Dr Hurd-and Lionel was still Frank’s treating doctor. Jess smiled down at Frank. ‘It can’t be too bad, can it? Frank looks like he’ll live.’

‘And Harry, too?’ Frank asked eagerly. ‘Tell me, girl…’

It was a pleasant respite-to sit on the bed and describe Harry’s rescue to Frank and Geraldine. At the end they both stared at her, astonished.

‘Well, I never!’ Geraldine said roundly. ‘The Ogre of Barega turning out to be human. A doctor and a father, too.’

‘Yes.’ Jessie’s face clouded at the sudden remembrance of Paige. There was something there that wasn’t right. It was the child who seemed to be haunted-not the ogre.

Her eyes flicked up to Frank’s drip. The saline bag was almost empty.

‘How many litres has Frank had?’ she asked.

‘Three.’ Geraldine frowned. ‘I’ve another bag ready but Dr Hurd hasn’t left any orders. Should I put it up?’

‘What would you normally do?’

‘Ring and ask him.’

‘Then ring and ask,’ Jessie said steadily. There was no way that Jess could operate as back-up doctor. Unethical in the extreme and totally unworkable. She stood up and smiled a farewell to Frank. ‘I expect Dr Hurd will check you before he goes to bed, anyway. I’ll pop in tomorrow.’

She’d pop in during Lionel Hurd’s clinic times when he was safely out of the way.

The words weren’t said but each person in the room knew what Jessie meant.

Geraldine grimaced.

‘Only six more months until our proper doctors come back,’ she muttered. ‘They can’t come back fast enough for me.’

‘Or me either,’ Jess agreed.

Her long day was finally over.

Jess was more than ready for bed. She showered swiftly, checked her invalid animals one last time and headed for her pillows with speed-only to be stopped by a tap on the door.

Now what?

Jess’s flat was at the back of the vet clinic and Lionel’s flat was at the rear of the hospital, making four rather unequal quarters to the rambling medical complex.

The door being knocked on was internal-so it was someone from the hospital doing the knocking.

Lionel…

Jess pulled on a long robe and buttoned it to the neck. Lionel had knocked on her door after whisky before-and was a much friendlier proposition than the daytime Lionel.

She preferred his daytime aggression.

Jess opened the door an inch-and then pulled it wide. Geraldine.

‘You weren’t in bed yet?’ Geraldine asked, her face creased with worry. ‘Jess, I hate to disturb you but…’

‘Is there something wrong with Frank?’

‘No.’ Geraldine shook her head. ‘He’s still recovering. I put the next saline bag up, but I had to do it without orders. Dr Hurd hasn’t been back-and he doesn’t answer his phone.’

Jess frowned. As the island’s only doctor, Lionel Hurd carried a mobile phone with him wherever he went. Even if he was on the other side of the island he should still be carrying it.

Jess glanced at her watch. It was still only nine o’clock. She went to bed early because of her broken sleep with animal feeds-but the rest of the island should be still awake.