Read Online A Doctor to Remember by Joanna Neil - Free Book Online Page A

thanks. I’ll be ready in two ticks.’
    She hurried away to wash her hands, and met up with Ben and Matt at the front of the house a short time later. They were waiting by the rapid-response vehicle, and as she slid into the passenger seat she asked softly, ‘Are you on call again today?’
    He nodded. ‘Just this morning.’
    She was puzzled. ‘How does it all fit in with you working at the hospital?’
    ‘Well enough, most of the time. There are some mornings or afternoons when I’m in the office, or attending meetings, rather than being hands on, so to speak, like today, so I fit in outside jobs when I can. Otherwise the call centre has to find other people who are available.’
    He smiled. ‘At least it means that this morning I can take Ben to nursery, rather than handing him over to Laura, his childminder. His routine’s already disturbed, so I want to make things easier for him as best I can. He’s been a bit unsettled, with one thing and another.’
    ‘I noticed that,’ she said softly. She glanced behind her to see Ben in his child seat, playing with an action figure. ‘He’s very quiet this morning. I suppose that’s understandable, in the circumstances.’
    Matt nodded. He parked up outside the day nursery and Saffi went with him to see where Ben would be spending the next few hours. The school was a bright, happy place with colourful pictures on the walls and stimulating puzzles and craft activities set out on the tables for the children.
    The staff were friendly and welcoming, and one of the women took Matt to one side to speak to him while Saffi helped the boy with his coat.
    Matt came back to Ben a moment or two later. ‘All being well, your daddy will be coming to fetch you at lunchtime,’ he said, bending down to give him a hug. Ben’s face lit up at the news. ‘If he can’t make it for some reason, Laura will come as usual. Anyway, have a good time…we’ll see you later.’
    Saffi and Matt waved as they left the school and went from there to the village store, where Saffi stocked up on essentials like bread, eggs and cheese. Later, as they walked back to the car, she talked to him about Ben’s father.
    ‘Does he work away from home a lot of the time?’ she asked as they stowed her groceries in the boot alongside all the medical equipment. ‘Only, the other day when we were at the beach, Ben told me he feels upset sometimes about not seeing his father so much.’
    ‘Mmm…that’s a difficult one. He
is
away a lot of the time…he works for a computer company and goes out to set up systems or resolve problems for business clients in the banking industry or health services. Sometimes it means he has to travel to Scotland, or Wales, or wherever the customer happens to be based. If their systems go down for any reason, he has to sort it out and recover any lost data.’
    ‘Is that why Ben gets anxious—because his father’s working life is unpredictable?’
    ‘Possibly. Though he and Gemma have been going through a bad patch lately. That might be something to do with it. They decided to separate, and I think Ben has picked up on the tension. They haven’t told him about the split, but most likely he’s sensed some of the vibes.’
    ‘I’m sorry. It must be really difficult for everyone.’
    ‘It is, but at least James is home right now. I haven’t actually spoken to him, but apparently he called the day nursery to let them know, and he also left a message for Gemma to say he would pick up Ben today—up to now I’ve tried calling him to let him know that Gemma is ill, but I haven’t been able to reach him. I think he must have changed his number.’
    ‘Oh, I see.’ She sent him a quick glance. ‘It’s a bad time for you just now, having to look after Ben and with your sister in hospital. How is she? Is there any news?’
    He grimaced. ‘Not too much as yet. They’re still trying to find what’s causing her problems—they’ve done blood tests, and an endoscopy to