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‘All right.’
To her relief, Penny seemed delighted to see Joel.
‘You’re that doctor from the television.’
Lucy decided that she must be the only person on the planet that hadn’t seen the Helicopter Doctor series. She made a mental note to try and see it one night.
Joel chatted with Penny for a few minutes, helping her to relax, and then he smoothly switched into professional mode and talked through what had happened.
Lucy stood to one side, listening while he questioned the girl and talked quietly about the dangers of unprotected sex.
She had to hand it to him, he was good. He talked at exactly the right level, never patronising her but always making sure that the information he gave was well within the limits of Penny’s understanding. He covered everything and told her exactly what she needed to do next.
And Penny seemed to calm down as she talked to him.
‘Are you going to tell Mum?’
‘No.’ Joel’s voice was calm. ‘But you might want to think about telling her yourself. She might be more understanding than you think.’
He talked to her about contraception for the future, checked her blood pressure and other risk factors, then prescribed emergency contraception.
When Penny finally left the surgery she was looking a lot happier.
Lucy gave Joel a hesitant smile. ‘Thanks for seeing her. Do you think she’ll take your advice and go to the sexual health clinic?’
‘I doubt it.’ He gave a resigned shrug and then his eyes gleamed. ‘Did I pass?’
‘Pass?’ She looked at him, confused, and he grinned.
‘Was I sensitive enough?’
He’d been brilliant, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
‘You were—’ Suddenly she caught sight of the clock and gasped in horror. It was already five past three. ‘Oh, my God. I’ve got to go.’
He lifted an eyebrow and looked at her quizzically. ‘What’s the hurry? I thought we were going to have a chat about those clinics. We didn’t seem to find time this morning.’
‘I know, and I’m sorry. But it’s already past three o’clock.’ She grabbed her coat and reached for her car keys, knowing that she didn’t have any time to spare. As it was, if she hit traffic she’d be in trouble. ‘Maybe tomorrow.’
He planted himself between her and the door. ‘Don’t keep running away from me, Lucy.’ His soft voice played havoc with her nerve endings. ‘I’m not going to hurt you. You can trust me.’
Trust him?
She didn’t trust anyone.
‘It’s gone three o’clock,’ she croaked, avoiding his eyes. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I have to go.’
She was already late.
He must have seen the panic in her eyes because he moved to one side and his voice was surprisingly gentle. ‘What’s so important that you have to run off at three o’clock? Is something wrong? Is there anything I can do?’
His concern affected her more than she’d imagined possible.
‘No.’
There was nothing anybody could do.
‘Lucy…’
