The Playboy Doctor

‘You mean to tell me that the jungle drums haven’t given you the answer to that one yet?’ Joanna’s tone was dry. ‘You know I can’t discuss other patients with you, Alice. I’m probably the only person in the village who can’t.’ She reached into her bag and pulled out a stethoscope. ‘Now, stop gossiping and let me listen to that chest of yours.’

Alice unbuttoned her blouse and made a tutting noise. ‘You’re not in London now, young lady. This is rural Devon, remember? It’s not about gossiping. It’s about being neighbourly. We all know everyone else’s business here. You’ve been around long enough to know that. If you won’t tell me what’s going on then there’s other folks that will.’

‘I’m sure they will, Alice,’ Joanna said calmly, placing her stethoscope on the woman’s chest, ‘so there’s no need for you to put me on the spot. Anyway, I don’t know why you’re asking me. I seem to know less than anyone around here. I’m only the doctor. Deep breath in for me...and again... Great. Now, your back...’

She examined the old lady carefully and then unhooked the stethoscope and tucked it back into her bag. ‘Well, that sounds a lot healthier than last time. Your chest is clear.’

‘And about time! I seem to have been coughing for the whole winter and most of the spring, too.’ Alice buttoned up her blouse and poured the tea.

Joanna looked at the steaming cup longingly and wrestled with her conscience. ‘I haven’t really got time for this, Alice...’

‘Nonsense. You need a break after the week you’ve had,’ Alice said briskly. ‘Doris and I were talking about it only yesterday, and according to our calculations you haven’t had an undisturbed night’s sleep for two weeks! On Monday it was poor old Chris Rogers, then on Tuesday you were up with the little Blake twins, on Wednesday you—’

‘Are you having me followed?’ Joanna sank onto one of the kitchen chairs and started to laugh. ‘You and Doris know more about my life than I do! If I ever forget where I’m meant to be, I’ll give you a ring.’

‘You may laugh, but that’s what a community is all about,’ Alice said firmly, opening a large cake tin and picking up a knife. ‘Keeping an eye out for each other. Talking of which, we’re all terribly worried about Paula and Nick since the accident.’

‘Accident?’ Joanna stared at her. ‘What accident?’

Alice sighed. ‘That precious little dog of theirs was killed on the road yesterday. He slipped his lead apparently and there was nothing Paula could do.’

‘Oh, no.’ Joanna felt a rush of sadness. She knew just how much that dog had meant to Paula. ‘Alice, that’s awful news.’

‘Yes.’ Alice nodded agreement and lifted the cake out of the tin. ‘They adored that dog.’

‘I know,’ Joanna said gruffly, making a mental note to call on the family to check on them. She knew that they’d be feeling totally bereft.

‘Anyway, enough of our problems,’ Alice said briskly, pushing Joanna’s cup towards her to remind her to drink it. ‘It’s you we’re all worried about.’

‘Me?’ Joanna looked startled, and Alice nodded.

‘Yes, you. Doris and I have decided that it’s time we all looked out for you a bit more. You’ve been working all hours since Dr Mills went off to Australia, leaving you to cope on your own. You look shattered, pet.’

‘Well, I am a bit tired,’ Joanna admitted, giving a wry smile as she listened to herself. A bit tired? That had to classify as the understatement of the year! The truth was that she felt so weary she could barely stay upright...

Alice cut two large wedges of chocolate cake and passed Joanna a slice. ‘You’re overworked, Dr Weston, and we all know it. There are too many patients here for one doctor. It isn’t right that you’ve been left to cope on your own. Dr Mills is the senior partner. He had a responsibility to check that you were all right before he took himself off.’

‘Alice, I can’t possibly eat all that,’ Joanna protested weakly as she stared at the huge piece of cake in front of her. ‘I’ll pop. And Dr Mills didn’t just take himself off—he arranged a locum to cover while he visited his son in Australia. He didn’t know there was going to be an emergency and that he’d end up staying. He only booked the locum for two weeks because he only planned to stay that long.’

And a total waste of space that locum had been, too! Alice obviously agreed if her derisive snort was anything to go by.

‘Him?’ Alice’s mouth tightened disapprovingly. ‘If he’d spent less time on the beach, surfing, and more time doing surgeries, you might have lost those dark circles around your eyes.’

Joanna didn’t even bother trying to defend him. Alice was right. The man had been almost useless.

‘Yes, well, he’s gone now.’ She took a bite of cake and gave a moan of pleasure. ‘Oh, Alice, this is sublime. You must give me the recipe.’

‘And when do you have time to cook?’ Alice handed her a cup of tea. ‘Now you’re without a locum, I shouldn’t think you have time to breathe, let alone cook. Are you eating properly?’

Joanna smothered a grin, thinking that Alice sounded more like her mother than her patient.

‘Of course I’m eating properly,’ she lied, pushing aside a mental vision of her empty fridge at home. The truth was she hadn’t had time to think about food.

‘Humph!’ Alice’s frown showed that she wasn’t convinced. ‘Well, the first thing to do is get you some help. Any sign of a replacement for Dr Wetsuit?’

Joanna laughed out loud at the nickname, knowing it was well deserved. The locum had spent every available minute surfing and had been next to useless as a temporary partner in the practice.

‘To answer your question, yes, I am getting a replacement. Dr Mills phoned me last night to tell me he’d found another doctor to help me out until he can come home.’

Alice frowned and poured another cup of tea. ‘And when’s that going to be? The man’s worked in this practice for thirty years and he’s never been away for more than a week at a time!’

‘These are exceptional circumstances,’ Joanna reminded her gently. ‘His new grandchild arrived early. You can hardly expect him to come dashing home. His priority now is his son and their new baby. They need him.’

Joanna knew how worried the senior partner was about his new grandson. The last thing on his mind was returning to England.

‘I know and I’m not blaming him.’ Alice sighed. ‘Poor Dr Mills. And poor Mrs Mills! Nancy must be terribly worried about it all. This was their dream trip—a visit to their son and his family in Australia. No one imagined that Melissa would have the baby early.’

‘No, it was a terrible shock,’ Joanna agreed, removing a cake crumb from her lap. ‘But in a way it was a good job it happened while they were there. If Dr Mills hadn’t been there, who would have looked after little Harry while his parents were at the hospital? He’s only two, remember, and having the grandparents there has at least meant that Melissa and Sam can concentrate on the new baby without having to worry about him.’

‘And how is the little scrap?’ Alice sipped her tea. ‘Any news?’

Joanna shook her head. ‘Not since last week. But he wasn’t too well last time I spoke to them. Twenty-seven weeks is very premature. He’s got all sorts of problems, but hopefully he’ll fight back.’

‘Yes, well, if he’s anything like his father he certainly will. Sam was always a plucky one,’ Alice said, her eyes shining with memories. ‘I remember him as a toddler, scrambling up the valley, playing in the river, running over the moor...’ She gave a sniff. ‘Crying shame they moved to Australia. It’s too far away if you ask me.’

‘He was offered a good job,’ Joanna said, finishing her tea and glancing at her watch as she stood up.

‘Humph! With a law firm? He should have been a doctor. Followed in his father’s footsteps.’ Alice stood up too and patted Joanna’s arm. ‘Mind you, then we wouldn’t have had you as our doctor and that would have been a great pity. You’re a very kind, very warm person, Dr Weston, and the best thing that has happened to this community for a long time.’

‘Oh, Alice...’ Joanna blushed and bit her lip, totally flustered by the praise. ‘You’re talking rubbish.’

‘Not at all,’ Alice said calmly. ‘I’m just repeating what other folks are saying. Now, have some more cake.’

Joanna declined quickly. ‘It was delicious but I couldn’t possibly! I’ll be the size of a house.’

‘You? I don’t think so somehow.’ Alice squinted at her. ‘You’ve got a lovely figure, dear, although if anything I’d say you’ve lost some weight lately.’

Courtesy of the empty fridge, Joanna thought wryly.

Impulsively she stooped to hug the old lady. ‘Thank you for the tea and cake, Alice. I’ll see you soon. Call me if you have any problems.’

She turned and walked towards the door and Alice followed her.

‘So who is this new locum that Dr Mills has arranged? When is he starting?’

‘He’s meant to be arriving tonight,’ Joanna told her, shifting her bag into her other hand as she reached to open the front door. ‘As for who he is, I have no idea. I didn’t ask. Dr Mills just said that he was a friend of the family and very well qualified.’

She didn’t really care who he was as long as he didn’t mind hard work.