Off with the Old Love

‘My dear girl, surely you could have hinted…’

She considered this. ‘Not really. It was so—so…’ She was at a loss for a word.

He said smoothly, ‘The surroundings were not conducive to a plate of steak and kidney pudding?’

‘That’s exactly it. Anyway, I eat too much.’

His inspection of her person was frank and impersonal. ‘You’re a big girl and you use up a lot of energy; it would be hard for you to eat too much.’

‘Oh, good,’ said Rachel and took another sandwich.

The Professor passed her the pickles. ‘You’re on until eight o’clock? Let us pray for no emergencies.’

Perhaps he didn’t pray hard enough. Just as Rachel was closing the last of her books preparatory to sending the junior nurse off duty before going herself, the phone rang.

It was Lucy. ‘Rachel, there’s a gunshot wound coming in and coming up to you as soon as we can manage it. Abdominal and chest. George is here now and intends to ring Professor van Teule. Have you got a nurse on?’

‘Little Saunders; Sidney Carter’s on call, I’ll give him a ring.’ It sounded like a case where the theatre technician might be needed.

She went about the task of getting the theatre ready with Nurse Saunders, keen as mustard but easily put off by anything she didn’t quite understand, trotting obediently to and fro.

Rachel was checking the special instruments that might be needed when the phone went again. The Professor, coming through the theatre corridor doors, answered it. A moment later, he put his head round the theatre door.

‘For you, Rachel. Melville, I believe.’

‘Oh, I can’t…’ she began, and then said, ‘I’d better, I suppose.’

Melville was downstairs, phoning from the porter’s lodge, something strictly not allowed. ‘Put on your prettiest dress, darling,’ he begged her, ‘we’re going to a party. I’ll give you fifteen minutes.’

‘Melville, I can’t possibly. I’m on duty and there’s an emergency case coming up any minute.’

‘Well, hand over your revolting tools to someone else, dear girl. This is some party.’

She said tartly, ‘You’ll have to find somebody else, Melville. I’m on duty.’

‘It’s gone eight o’clock. You told me that you were off duty then.’

‘Well, I am usually, but not when there’s an emergency.’

His voice sounded cold and faintly sneering. ‘Darling, aren’t you just the weeniest bit too good to be true?’

He hung up, leaving her shaking with unhappy rage, and the Professor, who had been standing in the doorway, unashamedly listening, took the receiver from her and replaced it.

‘Is there anyone we can get to take over from you?’ he asked and his voice was very kind. ‘Night sister? Norah?’

She gave him an indignant look. ‘Certainly not, Professor. I’m on duty, and in any case I’m not in the mood for parties.’ She added unhappily, ‘I’ve nothing to wear—I mean, he has seen the dresses I’ve got at least six times.’

‘That is a point,’ agreed the Professor gravely. ‘I have no doubt that, to a man in his type of job, clothes matter a great deal.’

Rachel nodded. ‘Oh, they do, and you see I’ve never bothered a great deal—I mean, not to fuss, if you know what I mean? Brothers never notice what you’re wearing anyway…’ She stopped suddenly. ‘I’m sorry—talking to you like this; I quite forgot who you were.’

If the Professor found this remark a little surprising, he gave no sign. He said soothingly, ‘I am sure you will have an opportunity to go out with, er, Melville again.’ He became businesslike. ‘This man who is coming up—gunshot wounds at close range—I’ve had a look and we’ll need a lot of luck on our side. How are you off for staff?’

She cast him a grateful look. He never failed to see that she had enough help. ‘If Billy is here, I can manage. I’ve a junior on—very new but eager—and Carter’s coming in.’

‘He’s a good man to have about. Right, I’ll take a look at what you’ve put out, shall I?’

They went over the instruments together and then he went away, leaving her to scrub and get into her gown and mask and gloves and lay up.

Dr Carr would be anaesthetising; she had expected that. The Professor and he had worked together for a year or two now. He appeared with his patient and a nurse from the accident room to attend to his wants and keep an eye on the drip they had set up. The Professor, with George and Billy, followed hard on his heels.

It took a very long time; it was an hour short of midnight when at last the Professor finished his patchwork, meticulously done with tiny stitches and infinite patience. He thanked them all, as he always did, and left George to do the tidying up before the man was taken to the intensive care unit.

Rachel started to clear up, and Nurse Saunders, still game, toiled with her until two night nurses appeared to help. Things went more quickly then and presently Rachel and Nurse Saunders were able to take off their gowns and masks and go off duty. But not yet, it seemed. As they went down the corridor George came to meet them. ‘There’s food and drink in the office—we’re all having a picnic; come on.’

The Professor had been exerting his charm again. There were sandwiches and a dish of sausages, a bowl of crisps and a great jug of coffee.

‘However did you get this lot?’ asked Rachel and sat Nurse Saunders down in front of the sausages.

‘It’s a kind of blackmail,’ he explained gravely. ‘You see, if the kitchen superintendent keeps me well fed, she feels pretty sure that, should she need my help at any time, I shall give it gladly and with expertise.’

Rachel forgot the time, that she was tired, that she had missed a glamorous evening with Melville. She looked round at her companions, very contentedly munching, and thought of the man they had worked so hard to save. She would have missed a dozen evenings out just for the satisfaction of knowing that the patient would recover, and as for her companions, she couldn’t think of any better. She caught the Professor’s eye and he smiled at her.

‘Not very elegant and none of us look fashionable, but there’s a satisfaction…’

She beamed at him, her mouth full. He was right, but then he always was.

CHAPTER TWO

PERHAPS IT WAS a good thing that there was a sudden spate of emergencies; Rachel had very little time to wonder why Melville didn’t phone her, although the nagging thought that he was angry with her was at the back of her mind. She could, of course, phone him, but even after the four days of silence from him she couldn’t bring herself to do that. She loved him, she had no need to tell herself that, but she also held a responsible job and he would have to try to understand that.

It was on the fifth evening, after a gruelling day, that she found him in the entrance hall as she was going off duty. Her tired face lit up at the sight of him although her, ‘Hello, Melville,’ was uttered in a matter-of-fact voice.

Melville wasn’t in the least matter-of-fact. He swooped upon her, his handsome face all smiles. ‘Darling, you’re off duty? Nip along and put on something pretty—I’ve got a table at the Savoy and we’ll find somewhere to dance.’

She said uncertainly, ‘I’m tired, Melville; it’s been a busy day. If we could go somewhere quiet…’

‘Nonsense, darling, what you need is some fun and a drink or two. I’ll give you fifteen minutes.’

She thought longingly of supper, a hot bath and blissful bed, but what were they compared to Melville? She said quietly, ‘All right, fifteen minutes.’

She showered and changed into what she hoped would pass muster at the Savoy and, because she had cut it rather fine, took the short cut past the consultants’ room. There would be no one about as late as this, she told herself, but skidded to a halt as the door opened and the Professor came out.

His look of astonishment left her without words. ‘My dear girl,’ he said. ‘You’re going out on the town?’ His lazy gaze swept over her nicely made-up face and the blue dress she hoped would meet the occasion. ‘You were rocking on your feet,’ he observed. ‘It should have been supper, bath and bed.’ He added. ‘I’ve that nephrectomy first thing tomorrow—you’ll need to be on your toes.’

Rachel stared up at his placid face. ‘He’s here— Melville. I’ve not heard from him all week, ever since…He wants to take me out to dinner and then go dancing.’ She hesitated. ‘You see, Professor, I can’t not go—so often he asks me out and I’m not free, and I’m so afraid he’ll…’

A large comforting hand came down on her shoulder. ‘Of course—a dry old stick such as myself tends to overlook the first fine raptures of first love. Why not give yourself a morning off? Norah can scrub.’