Hot Single Docs: Blinded By The Boss

CHAPTER NINE

IT WAS CLEAR when Leo Hunter telephoned to check whether Edward had anything he’d like to raise at this afternoon’s review meeting that he was not expecting him to attend. Leo knew him well enough to understand that Edward’s pledge to support the new charity arm of the Hunter Clinic was on the level of research, operating procedures and maintaining clinical excellence. It didn’t involve attending meetings which didn’t deal with those goals.

The usual procedure was that Leo informed him that a meeting was taking place, more as a gesture of courtesy than anything else, and Edward tendered his apologies and read the minutes when they were circulated. That had always worked perfectly.

‘You mean you’re considering some research?’ Leo’s voice sounded perplexed.

‘No, not really. Well, maybe if something presents itself. I’m just interested in how we can help these kids outside of simply giving them the medical treatment they need.’

There was a pause and Edward shook the handset of his phone, wondering if the line had suddenly gone dead, before realising that Leo was just taking his time in getting his head around the proposition. Edward’s forte had always been in the operating theatre, making clinical decisions and implementing them. That was his skillset. He usually left community issues to someone else.

‘I’ll see you later, then.’ Leo still sounded a bit suspicious. ‘We’ve had to move the time from four o’clock to six, in order to fit in with the operating schedules.’

Edward’s heart sank. Six o’clock. He’d been to his share of these meetings, and they were renowned for going on until late into the night. Usually he’d be the last to object, but tonight... Actually, he wasn’t doing anything tonight. But he’d been rather looking forward to doing nothing with Charlotte and Isaac.

All the same, he’d just asked for this and it seemed grudging to turn it down now. ‘I’m free at six. I’ll see you then.’

* * *

Edward got home at ten o’ clock. Isaac was already in bed, and he hadn’t expected to have a meal waiting for him, but within moments of him depositing the armful of papers that he’d brought home onto the hall table Charlotte was calling him into the kitchen

‘Is that enough?’ She surveyed the full plate, with three different kinds of salad and a large slice of home-made quiche.

‘Are you mad? You obviously don’t have any idea what I usually manage to feed myself when I get home late.’

His diet was relatively balanced, and usually healthy, but when Edward was busy cooking didn’t figure much in the equation.

She dismissed his customary eating habits with a small sniff and walked over to the fridge. ‘Would you like some juice? Or there’s some of that sparkling fruit cordial left over.’

‘I’ll have a glass of wine, if you’ll join me.’ Edward put his knife and fork down and got to his feet.

‘Stay there. I’ll get it.’ She walked to the wine cooler and opened the glass door, her hand hovering over the rows of bottles.

‘That one...’ Edward indicated a light, fruity white, and nodded when she pulled it out, holding it up so he could see the label.

He was beginning to see what his father saw in marriage. Not the meal on the table, or the fact that the lights were on in the house, but just that there was someone there. Someone to share the little things with—eating and drinking. Someone to talk to. Somehow the fact that Isaac was asleep upstairs and Charlotte was relaxing here downstairs gave Edward an immense feeling of well-being.

‘I’ve got some treacle tart for afters.’ She took a dish out of the fridge and put it into the oven to warm, then carried the bottle over to the table.

‘Mmm. I love treacle tart. I haven’t had it in years. And this quiche is really good, thank you.’

Edward opened the wine, and poured a glass for her. She took a sip and smiled.

‘This is nice.’

The bottle probably cost more than the whole of the rest of the meal, but Edward wasn’t about to tell her that. You couldn’t buy what made the food so special and the wine so incidental. It was all about the cooking and the care that had gone into the preparation. About the knife and fork set precisely on the table, with a napkin and a glass. The flowers from the garden—just a couple of blooms—in a jug that usually lived under the sink.

‘I’ve been stuck in a meeting for hours. It’s good to get home.’

She raised one eyebrow. ‘Which meeting was that?’

‘Oh, one of Leo’s. Reviewing the progress of the charity arm of the clinic.’ Edward wondered whether she’d pick up on the unlikeliness of the whole thing.

‘Really?’

If she had, it looked as if she’d decided not to ask.

‘Yes. Leo seemed really pleased. There’s a lot of progress being made.’

She nodded. ‘So Leo and Ethan are getting on a little better?’ It was an open secret that while the brothers remained professional in their dealings with the staff, they had what was euphemistically termed ‘issues’ with each other.

‘Looks like it. Leo was praising Ethan’s work, and Ethan looked genuinely pleased. A little bit surprised, as well.’

‘I imagine Ethan felt he had to prove himself when he came back.’ Charlotte was staring speculatively at her wine glass.

‘I don’t see why. Ethan’s a superb surgeon.’

‘Oh, Edward!’ She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘It’s not all about how good you are at something. Ethan could be the best surgeon in the world, but he’s still recovering from his injuries. He had to feel that there was an element of pity involved when Leo brought him back into the practice.’

‘Yeah, I suppose anyone would. I think Ethan’s realised that was never the case, though, and that Leo wanted him back for his medical skills. He was talking about the work that Leo had put into regaining the Hunter Clinic’s reputation as well.’

‘Really? That’s good. Sounds as if they’ve got a bit more respect for each other now. So how’s everything else going?’

‘There are a lot of possibilities for expanding the charity side of the operation. Community issues to be taken into consideration—’ He broke off as Charlotte hid a smile behind her hand. ‘What?’

‘You’ve been engaging in chit-chat about community issues, have you?’

He didn’t blame her for her amused disbelief—he’d been both disbelieving and slightly amused himself. ‘Well, someone’s got to think about it.’

‘And that’s you, all of a sudden?’ She couldn’t disguise the warmth in her eyes.

‘Maybe. We’ll see. Anyway, I have some really interesting opportunities in the pipeline, both at the clinic and at the Lighthouse Hospital. And there’s an opportunity for me to join one of the teams visiting Africa for a few weeks. I’d like to hear what you think.’

He paused, aware that he didn’t usually do this either. Edward made his own decisions about the way his career was going to go, without any reference to anyone else. But suddenly he not only wanted to tell Charlotte, he wanted to hear what she had to say.

‘That sounds fantastic. I want to hear everything.’

She pointed at the food in front of him, which had all but completely slipped his mind in his enthusiasm.

‘Finish your meal first, though...’

‘Yeah. Then I’ll tell you all about it.’

* * *

They talked for an hour, and then Charlotte’s rapt attention was overtaken by fatigue. Edward turned to a book, and when he lifted his eyes after only a page she was asleep. He lifted her feet gently up onto the sofa, put a cushion beneath her head, and went back to his reading.

Calmed by the low sound of her breathing, he let the words on the page fly through his mind, forming pictures and patterns as they went. It was as if her very presence made him more receptive—somehow more creative. The raw excitement of new thoughts, new challenges, reared up and dragged him headlong into the heady world of new possibilities that he so loved.

A sound penetrated his consciousness. Something outside in the hallway. The kind of thing that he would normally never heed, but which now somehow managed to jar all his instincts and set his nerves onto red alert.

He rose quietly and went to investigate.

‘Hey, buddy. What’s the matter?’

Isaac was at the front door, clutching Stinky with one hand and trying to pull the door open with the other. He ignored Edward, redoubling his efforts.

He should probably go and wake Charlotte. But she was sleeping so soundly, so peacefully. He could at least give this a go before he did so. Walking over to Isaac, he went down on one knee beside him.

‘You want to go out?’

Isaac shook his head, giving the door one last tug.

‘Ah, I see. You’re just checking that we’re locked up safely for the night. That no one can get in.’

Isaac nodded, staring at the floor as if he was being hauled up in front of the headmaster in disgrace.

‘Right, then. That’s a good idea. Let’s do it together.’ Edward imagined that Isaac probably wanted Charlotte to accompany him, and when the boy curled his arms around his neck he almost jumped back in surprise.

‘Okay.’

‘Well, let’s fetch your dressing gown, then, so you don’t get cold. And we can have a story afterwards if you’d like.’

Isaac nodded, and Edward hoisted him up in his arms. Lifting that small weight made him feel stronger than normal. As if he was some kind of superhero who could make things right and conquer all manner of monsters—even the ones in Isaac’s head.

Surgeon and Dragon-Slayer General. Edward quite liked the sound of that. And if one involved precision instruments, the other involved a large sword which could be brandished flamboyantly when the opportunity arose. There was even a fair maiden, who was currently fast asleep on the sofa, and an apprentice who was also asleep, worn out by a brief but thorough inspection of the locks on all the doors and windows and the first few pages of his favourite bedtime story.

The last half-hour hadn’t involved scaling any high walls, or actually rescuing anyone, but that was okay. Another time, perhaps, when the fair maiden wasn’t in such immediate need of her beauty sleep.

Isaac stirred against him, snuggling up tight.

‘Let’s get you back to bed, little man.’ Edward whispered the words so as not to disturb the sleeping child, and rose, carrying the boy up to his bed.

And then, before he had the chance to think about any such thing with Charlotte, he gently shook her awake, turning back to his book as soon as she had bidden him a sleepy goodnight.

CHAPTER TEN

IT HAD BEEN one hell of a tough week. The meeting with Edward’s father, when the past had reached out, snatching her back into the nightmare that she thought she’d survived. Being afraid all the time, and trying not to show it to anyone.

One glass of wine with Edward on Friday, after Isaac had gone to bed, and she had fallen asleep on the sofa, waking with a start when she felt his hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her.

Today she woke to silence. A slow, sleepy climb into wakefulness, cocooned in comfortable forgetfulness. Something was missing, and she groped around in her mind for what it might be. No alarm. No... She sat up straight, propelled by panic. No Isaac, bouncing on her bed, telling her to wake up and get on with the day.

Hitting the floor at a run, Charlotte sped into his bedroom. The curtains were drawn back, the room was bathed in sunshine, and the bed was neatly made. Then she heard a noise from downstairs: Isaac’s laughter, threaded through with Edward’s quiet, rich chuckle.

Stupid. There was nothing wrong, no need to be this jumpy. All the same, she crept downstairs, just to check on them.

They were so involved with what they were doing that they didn’t see her. Isaac was sitting on the edge of the sofa, next to Edward, with the coffee table pulled up in front of him so he could reach the keyboard of Edward’s laptop. Edward, leaning back on the sofa, was concentrating hard on the screen.

‘Way to go, partner!’ Edward’s face lit up and Isaac threw his arms up above his head, bouncing up and down on the cushions. Edward leaned forward, hitting a key. ‘Do you want to try the next one?’

‘That’s all my teacher told me to do...’ Isaac turned to him.

‘Well, we don’t need to do exactly what she says.’ Edward shot him a look that mirrored the mischief on Isaac’s face. ‘You don’t have to stop unless you want to. You’re pretty good at this.’

‘Okay...’ Isaac giggled ‘...partner.’

Edward chuckled and pressed another key. It looked as if the two of them were fine without her for a while, and Charlotte could take her time in the shower.

When she got back downstairs, showered, dressed and feeling better than she had for weeks after a good night’s sleep, she smelled coffee. The patio doors were open, and Isaac’s voice drifted in from the garden.

‘Is that a fresh pot of coffee I smell...?’ She followed the aroma into the kitchen and found Edward there.

‘Yep. Want some toast?’

‘You are a wonderful man.’

He looked over his shoulder, shooting her a rakish half-smile. ‘If I’d known that it just took a pot of coffee and some toast...’

‘And a good night’s sleep. Where’s my alarm clock?’

He nodded at the clock, sitting innocently on the kitchen table. ‘I happened to wake up early. I heard Isaac rambling around, and I sent him into your room to get it. I reckoned you could do with a bit of a lie-in.’

‘Oh, so you’ve been enlisting my son in your machinations, have you?’

‘Yep. He seemed to think it was a good idea, too. And I reckoned that if you did wake up, then you’d probably be a little happier to find Isaac creeping into your room.’

A good deal more relaxed, maybe. Happier...? That would depend on what Edward was there for. Charlotte dismissed the thought, and with it her fantasies of waking up to find Edward there.

‘Has he had breakfast?’

‘Yep. I told him that I’d be in trouble with you if we didn’t keep to the straight and narrow, and he took me through the procedure step by step. Cleaned his teeth, had a wash, showed me where his clean clothes were. Do you always let him have chocolate biscuits for breakfast?’

‘No!’ Charlotte supposed it couldn’t hurt just for today.

Edward chuckled. ‘Gotcha. We had toast with peanut butter, and banana smoothies. Then we did some number games on the internet.’

So that’s what they’d been up to. ‘Isaac’s homework?’

‘Yes. He showed me the sheet that his teacher had given him. I found a game on the internet that made it a little bit more fun.’

‘Thanks.’ That feeling of dread she had when Edward did anything either for her or Isaac had almost completely disappeared now. Maybe because Edward so clearly enjoyed playing with Isaac.

‘No trouble.’ He buttered the toast and set it down in front of her, adding a jar of marmalade and one of apricot jam. Then coffee, hot and aromatic, with a dash of milk. Just one cup.

‘I’ve got to go out...’

He was searching for his car keys and Charlotte pointed to the hook under the kitchen cabinet, where they were supposed to be.

‘Right. Thanks. I’ll be back shortly.’

‘Shortly’ could mean practically anything with Edward, and generally did. Charlotte opened her mouth to ask whether he’d be home for lunch, but he was already gone.

He returned an hour later, and appeared in the doorway between the hall and the living room carrying a long, thin parcel. He dumped it on the coffee table and sat down next to Charlotte on the sofa with an air of anticipation.

‘What’s that you’re reading?’ He craned over her shoulder, and Charlotte hugged the library book to her chest.

‘Nothing... What’s that you’ve got there?’

‘Hmm...nothing.’

Another moment of quiet, and Charlotte returned to her book.

‘Looks interesting. I haven’t been there for ages.’

He was reading over her shoulder again, and Charlotte snapped the book shut.

‘It’s the summer holidays soon, and I thought I’d take Isaac out on a few daytrips. This book’s got some really great ideas.’ It seemed that—for the moment anyway—the plan that they should just get on with their lives without disturbing each other too much had gone by the board.

He grinned. ‘The Natural History Museum’s great for kids.’

‘And for adults.’ Charlotte had been looking for places which would interest her and Isaac—something that they could share—as well as a few fun places where he could work off his energy.

‘And the Science Museum’s just down the road, of course. There are some wonderful things there.’

‘Yes.’ He was going to be volunteering to come along any minute now, and the thought of Edward and Isaac together in the Science Museum sounded far too much like hard work. ‘So what’s in the parcel, then?’

‘Ah! Thought you’d never ask.’

‘So did I. Looks as if you’ve worn me down.’ She grinned at him and he was suddenly seized with motion, grasping the parcel and tearing the wrappings from it.

‘What do you think?’

‘It’s a...’ Isaac had run in from the garden and nosed his way in between them. ‘What is it?’

‘Here—see?’ Edward pointed to the picture on the label. ‘It’s a kite.’

It wasn’t just any old kite, but then Charlotte doubted that Edward would be much interested in anything that didn’t have a complex structure of cords and an unlikely shape. He began to unwrap the collection of disassembled struts and sails, fishing out a small booklet.

Isaac watched open-mouthed and confused, looking to his mother for an explanation. ‘Edward has to put all of those pieces together, sweetie, before it’ll fly.’

‘Yeah, shouldn’t take long.’ Edward was already laying the pieces out on the coffee table. ‘Then we can go and fly it, eh, buddy?’

Charlotte left them to it and went to make drinks for them both. When she returned, Edward had already snapped into the fearsome concentration with which he approached almost any task, leaving Isaac shifting restlessly from one foot to the other. Charlotte placed his coffee on the table and he nodded absently.

‘Thanks... Don’t touch those, Isaac, I’ve put them all out in order.’

Isaac’s hand shot away from the metal strut as if it had suddenly become red hot, and he hid it behind his back.

‘Come here, sweetie.’ Charlotte motioned her son towards her and put her arms around him. ‘We’ll just watch, shall we?’

Isaac nodded, obviously wishing that he could be a part of the construction project, craning to see what was happening. Edward seemed almost oblivious to the two of them, quickly selecting the pieces he wanted and deftly fitting them together.

They watched in silence. ‘Look, sweetie, it’s almost ready...’ The structure was recognisable as a kite now, and Edward was attaching twine to the steering loops at each side.

Isaac nodded. But as Edward had worked she’d felt the excitement ebb out of her son’s body, and now he was leaning against her legs with an air of boredom, his eyes on the television.

‘Is it time for my programme, Mum?’

‘Which programme, Isaac?’

‘You know. Eddie and the Magic Fish.’

‘Don’t you want to wait until the kite’s finished?’

‘I want to see my programme.’

She saw the hurt in Edward’s eyes. ‘Okay. Come upstairs. You can see it there.’

There was a television in the guest bedroom, and perhaps it was best to let Isaac watch TV while Edward finished the kite. When they got to the point of flying it—and she was sure that Edward wouldn’t be able to wait to try out the magnificent creation—Isaac’s interest would be rekindled and everyone would be happy.

She left Isaac sprawled on her bed, clutching Stinky, captivated for the moment by the adventures of the Magic Fish. When she went back downstairs, the sitting room was empty. Charlotte could see Edward in the garden, ranging restlessly along the far end of the lawn, kicking at the inconsistencies in the smooth line between grass and flowerbeds.

Perhaps he needed to be left alone for a while, with his thoughts. He’d work it out; the mathematics weren’t all that difficult. Isaac was five, and there were times when Edward’s focussed ardour for the task in hand simply left him behind.

But there were elements to this equation that intellect, even one as all-consuming as Edward’s, couldn’t grasp. Twisting her mouth, and in defiance of all that was logical, Charlotte slipped through the open French windows and walked across the grass towards him.

He was lost in his thoughts, seeming not to notice her. ‘Given up, then?’ She might as well start with a challenge, if that was the way she meant to go on.

‘The kite’s finished.’

‘Yes, I saw that.’

He turned to her, giving her a speculative look, as if he was trying to weigh the situation up. ‘He didn’t like the kite. That’s okay. Isaac’s free to have his own likes and dislikes...’

‘Edward, did you ever go to school?’

He blinked at her, struggling to make the connection. ‘As it happens, no. By the time I was five I’d already got a handle on calculus and my parents had me tutored at home.’