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‘Are you the TV people?’
‘Do you want to film me?’
‘When will I be on TV?’
‘Oh, you’re here.’ Her head shot up. It was hardly the most welcoming statement. Rhuaridh was standing in the doorway of his surgery dressed in a white shirt and navy trousers. It looked like he’d caught the sun in the last few days as his skin was more tanned than before.
Her first instinct was to hear a wolf whistle in her head. If her friend Alice had been here she was sure she would have actually done it in real life. One thing was for sure—Rhuaridh Gillespie was like a good old-fashioned prom king standing right in front of her.
But then her mouth dried. For a few seconds all she could remember was how she’d felt last time she’d been around him and he’d been dealing with Mr Henderson’s dead body. She tried so hard not to let the others notice her reaction. Of course, Gerry had picked up on it. But he hadn’t asked any questions.
The surgery filming went fine. For the first few patients it was obvious Rhuaridh wasn’t a natural in front of the camera. Eventually, though, he seemed to forget they were there. But filming blood-pressure checks, medicine reviews, chest infections and leg ulcers didn’t exactly make scintillating viewing. Kristie could feel a small wave of panic start to build inside.
By the time the day had come to an end she wasn’t sure they had enough for even ten minutes of not very interesting film. She was just about to clarify their arrangements for the next day when Rhuaridh’s pager sounded.
He looked just as surprised as she did. He hadn’t been wearing one the last time she’d been there. A deep frown creased his forehead. It took him a few seconds to look up and speak once he’d checked the message. He gave his head a little shake. ‘I thought it was for the local lifeboat...but it’s not...it’s Magda.’
He looked around his room blankly for a few seconds. Was this a sign of panic? She would never have suspected it from Rhuaridh Gillespie—and who on earth was Magda? A wife? A girlfriend? He hadn’t mentioned either last time and she couldn’t help but be a tiny bit disappointed. Within another few seconds the look was gone. He strode quickly across the waiting room, grabbing his bag. Kristie stayed on his heels, waving Gerry to follow. If this was something good, she wanted to make sure they didn’t miss it.
He shot her a glance as she opened the back door of his car to climb inside. She saw the words form on his lips—the words of dismissal—but she completely ignored him, turning to shout to Gerry instead, ‘Let’s go!’
It seemed for Rhuaridh it wasn’t worth the time involved in fighting. Gerry had barely slammed the door before he took off at speed onto the main road in Lamlash. As they started to drive, his phone started ringing. He answered with a press on his steering wheel. ‘Miriam, are you with her?’
‘Of course. How far away are you?’
‘Less than two minutes.’
‘Good.’ The phone went dead.
Kristie was immediately intrigued. ‘Who are you visiting?’
Rhuaridh’s jaw was clenched. ‘My colleague, Magda. She’s planned for a home delivery but things are looking complicated.’
Gerry shot her a look. There was a gleam in his eye. This would be more interesting filming than what they’d already got.
Kristie tried her best to phrase the question carefully. She obviously wanted the footage—but didn’t want to get in the way if something could go wrong. Even she had a line that wouldn’t be crossed.
‘We didn’t get to meet your colleague,’ she started.
Rhuaridh cut her off. ‘You should have—she was the one who signed up for the show. Her pregnancy was an unexpected but very happy event.’
Gerry gave her a thumbs-up in the back of the car. If Magda had initially signed for the show, she might not object to being filmed. There was something in the way Rhuaridh said the words. He had an obvious affection for his colleague.
They pulled up outside a large white house at the end of a long driveway. The front door was open and Kristie gestured to Gerry to get his camera on his shoulder ready to film.
They jumped out of the car and she hesitated as she heard the voices inside.
