Small Town Marriage Miracle

It showed the location of every farm in their catchment area, with the roads leading to it marked in red.

‘It should be. It’s certainly one of the most difficult places to find if you don’t know the area.’ Emma hurried back into her room and slipped on her shoes. ‘I’ll fetch it while you get dressed.’

‘Thanks. Oh, and can you bring me a printout of Mrs Groves’s most recent notes? I don’t want to go unprepared.’

‘Will do.’

Emma ran down the stairs. There was a set of keys for the surgery on the hook by the door and she picked them up then snatched her coat off the peg. Although it was the end of March, the air felt frosty as she made her way to the surgery and let herself in. Once she’d turned off the alarm, she found the map and checked that the farm was marked on it. She groaned as she traced her finger along the route. As she’d thought, it was one of the most difficult places to reach.

After printing out a copy of Sarah Groves’s notes, she ran back to the house. Daniel had started his car and was ready to leave by the time she got there. Emma hurried round to the passenger side and opened the door. ‘Turn left as soon as we leave here, then right at the crossroads.’

‘You don’t need to come, Emma. So long as I have the map, I should be able to find the place.’

Emma shook her head as she slid into the seat. ‘You can’t map-read and navigate these roads. They’re little more than cart tracks in places.’

She fastened her seat belt, hoping that he wasn’t going to argue with her as she really didn’t feel like a confrontation at this time of the night. It was a relief when he put the car in gear and headed out of the drive.

‘Seeing as you’re here, can you read through Mrs Groves’s notes,’ he suggested as soon as they were on the road. ‘Her husband said that it had been a textbook pregnancy so far, but I’d like to be sure. There’s a torch in the glove box. You can use that instead of turning on the interior light.’

Emma nodded as she found the torch. It would make it easier for Daniel to see where he was going if he didn’t have to contend with the glare from the interior lights. She shielded the end of the torch with her hand as she quickly read through the notes that had been made when Sarah Groves had last visited the surgery.

‘There’s nothing here to indicate a problem,’ she told Daniel as they reached the crossroads and turned right. ‘She was seen last week and her BP was fine. Nothing showed up in her urine sample either, and there was no sign of oedema.’

‘How many weeks is she? I asked the husband but he was in such a state he couldn’t remember.’

‘Thirty-five,’ Emma told him, checking the woman’s chart.

‘That’s not too bad, is it? I know that technically a baby is considered premature if it’s born before thirty-seven weeks, but it should be a decent enough weight by this stage.’

‘I wonder why she’s gone into labour. Did the husband say if she was bleeding?’

‘No. I did ask him, but he was almost incoherent and didn’t seem to be taking much in. He just kept asking how soon I could get there.’ She felt him glance at her. ‘You’re wondering if there’s a problem with the placenta?’

‘Yes.’ Emma felt a shiver run down her spine when he correctly interpreted her thoughts. Once, the fact that they’d been so much in tune had delighted her, but now it filled her with alarm. She didn’t want to share that kind of closeness with him ever again.

‘It’s one of the causes of premature labour so we certainly can’t rule it out.’ He slowed down and peered through the windscreen. ‘There’s another junction coming up. Which way now?’

‘Straight on for about ten miles then we’ll need to turn off the main road and head into hills,’ she told him, checking the map.

‘That’s when the fun really starts, is it?’ he asked with a laugh as he picked up speed again.

‘It will be fine.’

‘Spoken like someone who’s used to tearing around the back of beyond. Jim told me that you’ve done several stints overseas in the last couple of years. How did you get into that sort of work?’

‘Richard suggested it. He worked for an aid agency when he was a junior registrar and said it was invaluable experience.’

‘Richard?’

‘Richard Walker, my boss,’ she explained.

‘You obviously get on well with him,’ he observed, and she frowned when she heard the edge in his voice.

She had the impression that something had displeased him, but had no idea what it could be.

‘Yes, I do,’ she said a shade defensively. ‘All the team think very highly of him, in fact.’

‘I see.’ He changed gear then glanced at her and there was no sign of anything other than friendly interest on his face. ‘Working overseas must be challenging, I imagine.’

‘Sometimes.’ She shrugged. ‘It all depends where you’re working. If you’re based at a clinic, like the one I’ve just worked in, then it tends to be easier. The facilities are better, and there’s usually more staff to help out than if you’re working at a field hospital.’

‘And do you enjoy surgery as much as you thought you would?’

Emma frowned. She had the strangest feeling that her answer was important to him and couldn’t understand why. Why should it matter to Daniel if she was happy or not? He certainly hadn’t cared about her happiness five years ago, had he?

The thought pierced a hole right through the protective shell she had built around her heart. It was an effort to respond when it felt as though it was in danger of cracking wide open. It was only pride that gave her the strength to carry on, pride plus a desire not to let him know how badly he had hurt her.

‘Yes, I do. It’s everything I hoped it would be.’ She laughed wryly. ‘I suppose I should thank you, Daniel. If you hadn’t been so committed to your own career, I might have turned down the chance to become a surgeon and that would have been a huge mistake. I don’t doubt that in time I would have come to regret my decision.’

CHAPTER FOUR

DANIEL drew up in front of the farmhouse and switched off the engine. Emma hadn’t faltered as she had directed him along a series of increasingly narrow tracks. He knew that he would have had a much harder time finding the farm without her help but, contrarily, wished that she had stayed at home. At least then he wouldn’t have to face up to the realisation that he had been right all along. Their relationship would never have survived if she had given up her dreams to be with him.

‘I’ll let Harry know that we’re here.’ She got out of the car and ran over to the house. The door was open and she didn’t waste time knocking before she hurried inside.

Daniel got out and took his case out of the back. He also lifted out the pack of medical supplies that Jim kept ready for just such an emergency as this. There was no sign of Emma when he let himself into the house but he could hear voices coming from upstairs so headed in that direction and soon found himself in the main bedroom. A fair-haired man in his thirties, whom he assumed must be Harry Groves, was holding the hand of the woman lying on the bed. She was very pale and obviously in a great deal of pain. Emma was in the process of checking her pulse so Daniel left her to deal with that while he introduced himself.