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‘Nothing to thank me for,’ Ally said gruffly, standing up, too, and walking to the door with her. ‘I’ll see you soon.’
She watched Jenny go and sent up a silent prayer that the tumour would have been caught early or, better still, be benign.
* * *
The rest of the week was a busy one with the beginnings of a flu outbreak which kept her and the partners busy.
Ally collapsed into a chair in the staffroom with a groan after one particularly busy morning.
‘My muscles ache.’
‘Flu?’ suggested Lucy helpfully, handing her a mug of coffee and reaching for the biscuits.
‘I hope not!’ Ally took the coffee but waved aside the biscuits. ‘I can’t afford to be ill. I’m the doctor.’
‘Well, you’d better wear a mask, then,’ Lucy suggested cheerfully, ‘because everyone I’ve seen this morning is brewing something hideous.’
‘Oh, thanks!’ The phone buzzed and Ally reached across to answer it, all her senses suddenly on alert as she saw Sean walk in. ‘Hello?’
She listened for a moment and then reached for a pen and a pad. ‘Yes, she’s my patient. Fire away.’ She scribbled for a minute and then gave a grin. ‘Brilliant. Thanks a lot… Yes, I’ll tell her.’
She replaced the receiver and smiled at Lucy. ‘That was the lab. Felicity Webster has immunity to chickenpox so that’s one worry gone.’
‘Oh, that’s good.’ Lucy smiled and snuggled into a chair, folding her legs under her. ‘I saw her in Sainsbury’s last night. She looked as though she was about to deliver any moment. When’s she due?’
‘Not for another two weeks.’
Lucy shook her head slowly. ‘No way is that woman going to last two weeks. She’ll have delivered by Saturday if you ask me.’
‘Clairvoyant, Lucy?’ Sean dropped into a chair next to her and stretched out his long legs.
Lucy yawned. ‘No. I just know when a woman’s about to deliver.’
Ally laughed. ‘You should go and work in the obstetric unit, then they could throw away the ultrasound. Are you all right? You look exhausted.’
‘I am.’ Lucy rubbed her eyes and stifled another yawn. ‘I’m spending every spare minute training. Red and I have got our assessment coming up in a while.’
Sean raised an eyebrow. ‘Who’s Red?’
‘Red’s my Border collie,’ Lucy told him proudly. ‘We’ve been training for search and rescue so that we can join the mountain rescue team. If we pass we can go on call-outs. Talking of which, are you two going to the fireworks on Saturday?’
Lucy glanced at them and Ally couldn’t hide her blush. She wished people wouldn’t keep addressing them as a couple. Will, Jack and now Lucy.
‘We are, indeed.’ Sean’s eyes held hers for a long moment. ‘I promised Charlie.’
He’d promised Charlie? When had he promised Charlie? She’d known he’d be there, of course, but that didn’t mean they had to go together.
‘I’ve promised to help with the food for my sins.’ Lucy chatted away happily, oblivious to the tension simmering in the room. ‘Jack’s selling tickets for five pounds. Jolly good idea really. Just baked potatoes and things like that.’
Ally dragged her gaze away from Sean’s and managed a smile. ‘Super. Just the thing for a cold night.’
Excusing herself, she made her way to her consulting room, relieved that she had a busy surgery to take her mind off Sean.
The first patient she saw was Mary Thompson, looking as anxious as ever.
‘Hello, Mrs Thompson,’ Ally greeted her warmly. ‘How’s that cough?’
‘Cough?’ For a moment the woman looked baffled and then she shook herself and gave a weak smile. ‘Oh, that. Yes, well, it hasn’t bothered me really…’
