A Puppy And A Christmas Proposal

‘No. No one.’

So, he had no one to share this worrying time with either. ‘Very well. You do what you need to do and I’ll call with an update in an hour or so.’

They watched him go and Beth closed her eyes. ‘Sometimes this job is so damned hard.’

‘He certainly loves that dog.’ She was aware of a change in the air and then sensed Alex getting closer. In times gone by she would have reached for him and had a hug but now she just clenched her fists and tried to put that single tear out of her head.

She opened her eyes and took a deep breath, stepping away from Alex and his familiar scent of sandalwood and fresh Oakdale air. ‘Right. I’m going to keep Meg alive if it means I get no sleep at all for the next few days.’

But Alex shook his head. ‘Something’s not quite right.’

‘What?’ She bristled at his assertion. ‘It’s textbook poisoning and I’m implementing appropriate therapy. She’s improving. Small amounts, I know, but at least she’s not getting worse.’

‘Hey.’ His voice was suddenly soft and conciliatory but his frown told her he was trying to put his finger on something that didn’t sit right. ‘I didn’t mean your treatment, or even about Meg. I’m sure you’re doing everything right there. I mean there’s something not quite right about Dennis.’

Oh. That would serve her right for jumping to conclusions. ‘I don’t really know him. I mean, he’s been in Oakdale for as long as I can remember, but he’s always just been the grumpy old man up at Oaktree Farm.’

‘He can be very direct and forthright, I admit. But he’s always had a sharp mind and he nursed Nancy at home for the last six months of her life, right up until the end, refusing to let her go into hospital or even respite care because she wanted to stay in the place she’d lived for the last forty years. And at the same time he was running a working sheep farm when many men his age have sold up and retired years ago. There are no children to support him, no relatives. He took sole responsibility for his sick wife and he did it very well with our support.’

‘What are you saying?’

‘If he was so involved in her care, he would know the names of her tablets, right?’

Beth wandered out into the reception area and waved to Molly, who was talking on the phone. ‘He’s probably forgotten or trying to put all that behind him. And the names are confusing, aren’t they? They’re never easy to remember especially when you’re as stressed as he is.’

‘You’re probably right.’ Alex shrugged and walked over to the pen where Button was gnawing on a puppy teething ring. He absent-mindedly stroked the mutt as he said, ‘I was just thinking, maybe he did leave some medication out and he’s too embarrassed to say, but worse...what if he’s getting a little confused or forgetful? What if he just didn’t realise he’d left it out? Forgot he’d even had the tablets?’

‘Are you thinking general forgetfulness or something worse, like early signs of dementia?’

‘I don’t know and I’m certainly not going to jump to conclusions. He’s not the kind of man who’d respond well to me asking him to make an appointment to come to the clinic, so I’ll pop by the farm on the pretext of wanting to buy a fleece or something and try have a chat and see how things are going up there.’

Surprising. ‘I didn’t think Oakdale GPs did house calls unless it was a medical emergency. At least, that’s what the rules were when I filled in as receptionist.’

‘Normally we wouldn’t. But sometimes rules are made for breaking, right?’ Now he was scruffing Button’s neck and playing with the mismatched ears with a lot more fondness than he’d ever admit to. ‘Poor guy’s been living it tough and he’s never going to ask for help, so we have to make it easy for him to accept it if he needs it.’

‘Alex Norton, what with this and looking after Button I’m starting to think you do have a heart after all.’