viously uncomfortable, and then his hand flew to his mouth. Somehow Megan managed to find a cardboard dish and hold it in front of him before he started to vomit.
* * *
Jaye had wondered whether Megan would want to leave now, but she insisted they stay until David arrived. Tim’s partner walked into the cubicle half an hour later, in a state of barely concealed panic.
‘What’s he been up to now?’
‘It could be nothing. Just a nasty dose of flu.’ Jaye stayed silent, and Megan answered.
‘Okay, you’ve given me the good news...’
Megan smiled. ‘The bad news isn’t that bad. It could be malaria and the hospital’s going to run some tests tomorrow.’
‘Malaria?’ David puffed out a breath, running his hand across the top of his head. ‘Can they treat that? I’m an English teacher, all I know about malaria is from Victorian novels.’
‘Medicine’s come a long way since then. If the tests show that Tim does have malaria, the doctors will be able to tell you what type and offer the relevant treatment.’
‘Right. Thanks.’ David sat down by the side of the bed. ‘What do I need to do now?’
‘Just be with him. The porters will be along in a moment to take him up to the ward. He’s being well looked after, and he’ll be feeling much better soon. Make sure he does what he’s told, though.’
‘Oh, yes. He’s going to do exactly as he’s told.’ David looked up at Jaye. ‘Thanks for picking this up. I thought he just had flu. I never would have imagined it might be malaria.’
‘You have Megan to thank for that. I just drove.’
Again, that look of embarrassed apology flashed across Megan’s face. David turned to her and she smiled at him.
‘Thank you, Megan, I appreciate it. I dare say that Tim will when he’s feeling a bit better.’ David knew better than anyone that Tim could be stubborn.
‘He’s been a model patient.’ Megan grinned and David smiled suddenly.
‘Yeah. I believe that one...’
They waited until the porter arrived to take Tim up to the ward, and then David insisted they leave. They walked towards Jaye’s car together, Megan bundled in the thick dark blue fleece that his father had grabbed from the pile of coats that hung on the back of the kitchen door. Now that he had time to think about it, Jaye realised that it was his.
It was oddly exciting, and he caught his breath as she put her hands in the pockets, wondering if she knew. She seemed lost in thought, and the impulse to put his arm around her was almost overwhelming.
‘You meant what you said? About being very happy with your job...?’ He left out the part about being happy with her employer, too. That could refer to the charity as a whole and wasn’t necessarily personal, although it had felt very personal at the time.
‘Yes, I did.’ Megan looked up at him. ‘Anyway, Tim has a temperature of a hundred and two.’
‘Just checking.’ Jaye opened the car door for her. ‘I wouldn’t stand in your way if you decided that we weren’t right for you.’
‘Really? I’m disappointed.’ She shot him a wry smile as she climbed into the car.
‘Okay, so I’d fight tooth and nail. But I thought it was only fair to mention it.’ Jaye closed the car door before Megan could change her mind.
‘I’d like to check something too.’ She spoke as soon as he got into the driver’s seat. ‘I didn’t mean to suggest a diagnosis... You’re the doctor.’
If that was all she was worried about then she could stop now. ‘I’m glad you did. You were ahead of me in thinking about the possibility of malaria.’
Megan laughed suddenly. ‘That was actually a misinterpretation on my part. When I found David down in the kitchen, it occurred to me that you and he had dreamed up one last test for us all.’
‘We wouldn’t have done that. It’s a party, not a challenge.’
‘And it wouldn’t have been a very good challenge, hiding himself away down in the kitchen, where no one was likely to find him. Then I realised he was burning up and that he was really ill, but not before an entire list of tropical diseases had flashed through my mind.’
‘Well, I dare say we would have worked our way around to it, but you saved some time.’ Jaye turned the key in the ignition and the engine purred into life. ‘I don’t suppose you fancy a nightcap since we’ve missed the party now?’