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He leaned forward, until his lips almost touched hers. ‘We could keep it simple. Do whatever comes naturally.’
Jess gave up the unequal struggle. They’d covered enough ground tonight. Tomorrow was soon enough to tackle the rest.
Greg was like an addict. He said he’d give it up, had actually managed to give it up for days on end when sufficiently threatened, but he always went back to it. When deprived of his laptop for more than a few hours he began to get jittery.
There was no end to it. Taking Friday evening and Saturday off had only piled on the pressure. The following week he seemed busier still and correspondingly more distant.
‘Rosa called me last night.’ Jess had cooked their evening meal and was stacking the dishwasher.
‘Hmm?’ Greg didn’t look up from his laptop.
‘She said that she and Ted were leaving for Ecuador next week. They wanted to know if I’d like to go along.’ Rosa had offered her congratulations and tremulously wondered whether it was too early to ask if anyone else was buying her a pram. And if the answer to both questions was no, whether she might be allowed to take her out shopping for one.
‘Hmm.’
‘I said yes, that would be lovely.’
‘Good.’
‘She seemed pleased.’ Rosa had been delighted.
Greg looked up and focussed in Jess’s direction. ‘Good.’
‘You think it’s a good idea, then?’
He looked at her, suspicion flickering in his eyes. ‘Am I missing something?’
Jess got to her feet. ‘Yeah. You’re missing something. Do you want a cup of tea?’
He nodded. ‘Love one. You’re such a star, Jess.’
‘Jess, are you free? I’ve got a friend of yours down here.’
Greg’s voice on the phone sounded relaxed, as if he was smiling.
He was still smiling when she got to A and E. ‘What’s up?’
He jerked his head towards one of the cubicles. ‘Thomas Judd. You know him?’
Jess couldn’t place the name. Greg grinned. ‘Ten years old, fair hair and a very cheeky smile. When I examined him I found he has a pacemaker and he said that he’d had it replaced about six months ago.’
‘Ah, yes, Tommy. Is he all right?’
Greg nodded. ‘Yep. Involved in a car accident. Minor cuts and bruises and I’ve had the technician down to give him a pacemaker check to make sure that none of the wires were dislodged by the impact.’
‘Where is he?’ Jess scanned the cubicles. ‘I’d like to go and see him.’
Greg caught her arm. ‘His mother’s here too. She’s pretty knocked about but she’ll be all right.’
Jess nodded. Her first road accident in A and E had reduced her to tears, until Greg had taken her to one side, explained that this was one of those cases that looked a great deal worse than it was and had sent her back in to clean and stitch the cuts on the man’s face.
‘She doesn’t want Tommy to see her?’
‘No. His father’s on the way. ‘
‘I’ll go and sit with him. I’ve got time, I’m just about to take my lunch break.’ A warning frown clouded Greg’s brow and Jess ignored it.
He opened his mouth and then thought better of it. Greg knew as well as Jess did that if he objected to her working through her lunch break he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. ‘Okay. Just for half an hour.’
