"
I checked your notes and read your
recommendations."
Kate remembered Mrs. Mason's calculating
look. "She didn't want her daughter to miss the confirmation. She
sent her to school deliberately."
"
Yes, it would seem that's the answer. Now
the whole thing has been postponed for two weeks."
"
So Mrs. Mason got her way after all."
Spencer's
mouth thinned. "Well, the
circumstances are certainly unusual, but I explained to the
principal that there's no blame to be apportioned to you. Stacey's
mother will have to bear the guilt for what she's done. Putting her
daughter's health at serious risk for her own selfish
ends."
"
Thank you. Do you want me to contact Mrs.
Mason?"
"
No," Spencer denied briskly. "The school
will handle that and I will certainly be telephoning the woman to
discontinue her care with this practice. I wanted to hear your side
first."
Kate breathed a cautious sigh of relief.
"I...was there anything else?"
She watched Spencer's expression closely,
waiting for him to speak. To tell her what was on his mind. The
fear of his wanting to release her from her contract still lingered
in the back of her mind.
But, after a long silence he merely
shrugged. "No, nothing comes to mind," he replied evenly, standing
up.
He left the room on long, impatient strides
that soon carried him well out of her reach. Kate was left to stare
after him, her mind tumbling with confusion and the worry that he
was now hiding something from her. Something important.
After that tense meeting Spencer seemed to
be consciously avoiding Kate. She managed to get through the next
couple of days by concentrating solely on her patients. Her
bandaged hand made her feel clumsy, but she managed. The fact that
she was right handed was a mixed blessing.
On Wednesday afternoon she took the time
to attend Wirimu Rangi's funeral and tried to join in the spirit of
the occasion, but she kept scanning the crowd. If Spencer was
there, she didn't see him in the swirling mass of people. She
couldn't know if he came or not. She returned home late and tumbled
into bed, but once more sleep proved elusive. She finally fell into
a fitful slumber just before dawn.
Later the next morning she looked up as her
next patient entered the room. It was Cal Braddock.
"
Hi, Doc." He seated himself. He'd come
have his stitches removed from his ear. "I'm off on a long haul
trucking job first thing in the morning. I'll be gone for about a
month. Thought these were better out before I left."
"
Fine, they're due to come out soon,
anyway."
Kate peeled off the dressing as she spoke
and then asked, "Have you taken the full course of the antibiotics
I prescribed?"
"
Sure. And I got a fine telling off from
the missus, after I got home that day," Cal confided ruefully. "She
said I should look where I'm going. Anybody would think I walked
into that damn window on purpose."
"
Your wife sounds a sensible woman." She
prepared the area and began to remove the row of neat
stitches.
"
I guess Sharon is sensible. It's good,
having someone around who cares about you. How does it
look?"
"
Fine." The wound was clean and had healed
nicely. Kate gave it a final swab and sat back.
"
I think you'll live." She stood up. "Make
sure you drive carefully, Cal. Otherwise your wife will really have
something to say."
"
Hey, you don't need to remind me, Doc.
Sharon knows how to use her tongue."
"
Go and buy your wife some flowers. She
deserves them."
Cal grimaced. "Okay, I get the
message."
"
Good." Kate showed him out and smiled at
her next patient as she walked into the adjoining room.
"
Hi, Dr. Martin. It's so good to see you
again."
"
It's great to see you up and around,
Mandy." Kate closed the door of the consulting room.
As Mandy sat down, Kate leaned over her
shoulder to admire her gorgeous little dark haired girl. She
blinked her dark blue eyes, then yawned widely.
"
Who would think that someone so small,
could have made so much trouble." Kate stroked a gentle finger
across her soft cheek, before moving away to seat herself at her
desk.
"
Four hourly feeds." Mandy rolled her eyes.
"This young lady is certainly ravenous."
"
That's a good sign." Kate nodded,
accepting the Childcare baby book Mandy pulled from her bag. "She's
progressing very well. I'm so glad everything worked out for
you."
She examined Mandy, and her baby, finding
that all was well with both. The Childcare book indicated that
Josie Marie was gaining weight satisfactorily, and there were no
complications from her abrupt and premature birth. During the
examination Mandy chatted happily about her plans for the evening.
Her husband had finally arrived home the previous afternoon. Kate
listened and tried not to be envious of Mandy's glow and simple
happiness. She sent them on their way with a clear
conscience.
Spencer frowned as he read
the
lawyer's
letter through a second time. Disbelief surged through his system.
The whole thing still didn't make any more sense now than the first
time he'd read it.
Katerina
had decided to sue him for full
custody of their son. After all this time she had suddenly
developed some kind of guilty conscience. He could only speculate
why. What kind of mother completely abandons her son for three
years and then remembers his existence as an afterthought? Her
motives must be very strong and no doubt mercenary.
He dropped the letter to his desk, pushing
fingers through his hair in frustration. He knew his ex-wife had
recently become engaged to be married. That was another bombshell
he had to deal with. Did she expect his approval or permission? He
no longer cared what she did.
But it was there in black and white. She
was expecting Jamie to be delivered by the time of the wedding at
the end of next month. Spencer had been declared an unfit parent by
some woman judge who knew nothing at all about him.
Because of his unmarried
status
…Spencer read the offending line again.
He glared at the broad wedding
ring still on his finger. The time had come to finally remove it.
His status
—married or otherwise—obviously had nothing to so with this
new attack on his family. Katerina had some deeper reason of her
own for wanting to turn everything they had agreed to upside down.
Some devious game to turn his life upside down.
But what was it? Spencer wished he knew.
It had to be something of momentous
proportions to jerk Katerina out of her complete apathy in regard
to her son. There was still time to find out. There was barely
enough time to work out a solution that would keep his son with him
and away from a woman who didn't care about him.
But last time he'd barely managed to
secure custody of his son, mainly because Katerina had declared she
didn't want him. So he couldn't allow Jamie to be shipped off like
a parcel to someone he barely knew. It would devastate him. Even
Kate was closer to the boy than his own mother.
Kate.
Spencer jerked his head up and frowned. Why
did she suddenly pop into his head? He leaned forward in his chair,
steepling his fingers below his chin, his opposite thumb absently
pushing his wedding band around his finger.
If it came down to a custody
case, this judge
didn't seem inclined to do what was best for Jamie. And
whatever else she might be, he knew Katerina was a consummate
actress. She would get what she wanted and more and she would have
the sympathy of the court with her.
He had no idea what kind of lifestyle she
was now leading, but he knew it entailed parties and extensive
travel. At the first opportunity she would ship her son off to
boarding school and forget his existence, once she had achieved
whatever it was she was after. There had to be a solution, but what
was it?
Again Kate's face surfaced in his mind,
followed closely by the alluring picture of her walking hand in
hand with his son. It was an image that wouldn't be banished. But
what did it mean? How was the thought going to help him sort out
this whole mess?
He certainly needed to know more about
Kate's background, about her relationship with Eric. He needed to
know a lot of things and in a very short time. He reached for the
telephone, praying that he still had time to rescue the situation
and find the right solution before it was too late.
He would move heaven and earth not to lose
custody his son. Use any means possible. No matter what it took, he
would make everything right again.
Kate finished her afternoon list in good
time, so she decided to visit her elderly stroke patient in
hospital and check up on the little girl with asthma Jake had
admitted.
Jane was asleep, looking very small and
frail against the crisp white sheets. Kate checked on her then
walked out quietly and went to talk to the nurse in charge before
finding Mrs. Shaw's room.
The old lady was propped up with pillows,
staring out the window beside her bed.
"
Hello again, Mrs. Shaw." Kate drew up a
chair and sat down.
"
Hello, dear." The old lady turned her head
and smiled. "Please, call me Mavis. Mrs. Shaw is too
formal."
"
Thank you. I thought you could do with a
visitor."
"
What I could do with is a cigarette."
Mavis' tired eyes twinkled. "I'm eighty-three years old and they
treat me like a child in here."
"
I think the nurses are just trying to look
after you," Kate replied, returning her smile.
The older lady's eyes narrowed. "You know,
it struck me the other day, my dear, you do remind me of someone.
It was just something about your face."
Kate leaned forward. She clasped her hands
in her lap. "Can you remember who it is?"
Mavis frowned intently at her face for a
long moment, then she sighed. "Sorry, it just won't come. I can't,
for the life of me, remember who it is." She tapped her wrinkled
forehead with one thin finger. "It's my memory, love. It just isn't
what it used to be. I'll let you know if it comes to
me."
"
Thank you." Kate subsided. As much as she
wished to know, she knew better than to push the issue.
Mavis plucked at the bedcovers. "My
grand-daughter, Susan, phoned me this morning. To see how I
am."
Kate gasped. "I thought you had no
family?"
The older woman shrugged. "So did I.
Susan's mother and I, we never really got on. But now Susan's
coming to see me. She wants me to go and live with her. Make up for
the past."
"
Perhaps it's for the best." Kate chewed
her lip. "You will need someone to look after you."
She could see her patient was getting
tired, her thin fingers continued to pluck fretfully at the sheet.
"Well, if it's what you want to do, I hope it all works out for
you. I'll come and see you again," she promised, as she stood up.
"Then you can tell me all about Susan and what you've decided to
do. I'm sure everything will be all right."
"
I will. Now, don't forget my cigarettes
next time," Mavis whispered with a slow wink.
"
I'm afraid you'll have to wait until
you're discharged." Kate squeezed her thin hand in
sympathy.
"
Not much chance of that soon, either." The
old lady shook her head. "Never get too old, dear, young people who
should know better, start ignoring you. Treat you like a child.
Remember that."
"
I'll remember." Leaving the hospital room
after saying goodbye, she began tossing mentally through the
limited contents of her refrigerator. In her current state of
emotional distraction cooking for one was fast becoming more of a
chore than a pleasure. Maybe she should just order some Chinese
from the local takeaway and settle down in front of the
television.
Walking along the corridor towards the exit,
her concentration turned inwards, Kate gasped when she collided
with someone warm and solid as she turned the corner. Firm hands
fastened on her upper arms to steady her as she jumped back in
dismay.
"
I'm sorry, I didn't see you." Kate found
herself looking up into the storm tossed darkness of Spencer's
frowning eyes.
In dark trousers and a black cotton shirt he
looked devastatingly handsome; far too disturbing for her tired
brain to assimilate. He was the last person she expected to see
tonight.
"
Kate?" he questioned bleakly as she stared
at him wordlessly. "I didn't realize you were on call
tonight."