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‘I do,’ Ally said firmly. ‘I need to check that chest.’
She watched her patient leave with a feeling of helplessness. Something else was wrong, she knew, but if the patient wouldn’t confide in her then there wasn’t much she could do but wait. Unless she could find an excuse to call on her…
There was a tap on the door and Sean put his head round. ‘I’ve finished surgery and I’m off on my rounds. If you’re sure about renting me the stable, I’ll pop in later.’
Ally gave him a brief nod, her mind still on Mary Thompson. As for the stable, she was far from sure about renting it to Sean, but it would keep Will off her back and she needed the money badly. Since Charlie’s birth it had been a permanent struggle to make ends meet even on a very reasonable doctor’s salary.
‘I live just beyond Ambleside, past the turning for the Kirkstone pass.’ She reached for a piece of paper and scribbled him a map. ‘I’ll be in after five.’
And her mother dropped Charlie home at 5.15. Confession time.
‘Great.’ Sean crossed the room and took the map from her. ‘Everything OK? You look worried.’
‘Oh—’ She gave him a distracted look. ‘Just a patient, that’s all.’
To her consternation he dropped into the empty chair and stretched his long legs out in front of him.
‘Want to talk about it?’
Talk about it? With him? Somehow she hadn’t got used to the idea that this man was a doctor despite the skill with which he’d handled the casualty on the mountain.
‘Not really.’ She shook her head and then hesitated. Maybe another perspective would be worth having. ‘Well, I mean, there’s nothing to talk about, on the surface. It’s just that I’ve got this feeling that she’s desperate to tell me something and doesn’t know how. I just know there’s something going on.’
Sean raised an eyebrow. ‘The While I’m here, Doctor, can I just mention something else? type of patient?’
‘Exactly.’ Surprised that he’d understood, Ally gave him a wary smile and bit her lip. ‘Except Mary Thompson never does mention anything else. Just keeps consulting me about all sorts of ridiculous minor things…’
Sean frowned. ‘Could she be depressed?’
Ally thought for a moment and shook her head. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘Family problems?’
The mental picture of Mary Thompson’s husband returned and Ally nodded slowly. ‘Maybe. I just wonder if— Oh, I don’t know! I’m probably imagining it and there’s nothing else wrong at all.’
Sean gave a short laugh. ‘In my experience the one thing you can rely on in life is your instincts. If they tell you there’s something wrong then there probably is. I should follow it up.’
‘But how?’ Ally shrugged her shoulders helple
ssly. ‘If she won’t open up, I can hardly force her, can I?’
‘Well, she obviously wants to or she wouldn’t be consulting you all the time.’ Sean stood up and tucked her map into his pocket. ‘Why not invite her to a well woman clinic? Maybe that would be a more relaxed situation than a busy surgery.’
Ally thought for a moment. It wasn’t a bad idea. If Mary Thompson didn’t turn up to have her chest checked again, maybe she’d do just that. She smiled gratefully at Sean, surprised that something useful had come out of a conversation between them. Maybe she would be able to work with him after all. Maybe her brain was stronger than her hormones…
‘Good idea—I might do that if she doesn’t come back to see me next week.’
Sean studied her for a moment, his gaze leaving her heart thudding. OK, so maybe her hormones were winning at the moment. ‘I’ll see you later, then.’
She watched him go, nervously wondering whether she’d done the right thing, agreeing to let the stable to him. She’d shied away from men and relationships for so long she’d forgotten what it felt like to be living in close proximity to one. How would they get on together? Would she ever be able to relax and just get on with her life?
With a groan she flopped back in her chair and closed her eyes, trying to rationalise her fears. The stable was totally self-contained, she reminded herself firmly. She need hardly see him. She wouldn’t even know he was there…
Her next patient tapped on the door and Ally pulled herself together quickly, pushing aside visions of those lazy dark eyes and firm mouth. She really had to concentrate.
Involving herself in her patients, she was surprised when she finally glanced at her watch and realised the time. Ouch! If she wasn’t careful she’d be late for Charlie. She buzzed through to Helen, the practice manager.
‘Any more for me, Helen?’
