It was a big deal. Both knew it. It was way too soon, but in other ways it was not soon enough.
Neither knew where this had come from or fully what it was.
They were planning holidays, her suitcase was in his boot, his key was now in her bag and they were kissing in the front seat as if one of them had just stepped off a plane after a year’s absence. When she pulled back from his kiss, she returned to her question from before she’d fallen asleep. Candy was curious about his ex-wife and that spoke volumes in itself.
‘Was she tall and leggy?’ Candy smiled, watching him cringe just a little as he shook his head.
‘Gamine?’ Candy ventured. ‘Please say no.’
‘Not gamine exactly...’ Steele said, and she groaned.
‘Careful, Steele,’ she warned. ‘You may live to regret your next choice of words.’
He just smiled as they got out of the car.
There was nothing about their time together to regret.
Just that it was running out.
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘I’M GOING TO take off your dressing, Macey,’ Candy said. ‘Steele wants to have a look at it.’
‘Are you working tomorrow?’ Macey asked, because Candy only had a four-hour shift and finished at lunchtime.
‘I am, but I’m working down in Emergency.’
Macey was improving. Her medications were starting to kick in and she was engaging with the staff and other patients. She was also taking her meals unaided but she was still far from the feisty woman who had arrived in Emergency.
Steele came in just as Candy had got the dressing off. It was clearing up but it was very sloughy and still a bit smelly and as she saw it, Candy blew out.
‘I’m just going to get the phone,’ she said, even though it wasn’t ringing, but she felt a bit sick. ‘I won’t be long.’
‘I was like that,’ Macey said to Steele, ‘when I was...’ Macey quickly changed what she had been about to say mid-sentence. ‘When I was nursing.’
‘No, you weren’t,’ Steele said. ‘You weren’t some young pup who couldn’t stomach a bit of pus.’
Macey looked at him.
He knew. She was sure of it.
Steele did know because he had seen the cape carefully held to hide Macey’s stomach in the photo in the entrance hall. He’d also done a little delving and it would seem that Matron Macey Anderson had gone to Bournemouth to recover from polio, though she’d made no reference to it when Steele had asked her for her medical history.
Tell me, his eyes said as Macey’s own eyes filled with tears. Steele sat on the bed and took her hand. ‘Talk to me, Macey.’
‘When I was carrying, I was like that.’ She started to cry as a fifty-five-year-old secret was finally released and Steele let her cry. He passed her tissues from her locker, not saying a word as Macey wept.
As Candy came in to do the dressing he briefly looked up to her. ‘I’ve got this, thanks,’ he said.
Candy saw that Macey was upset and left them.
When Macey stopped crying, he didn’t press her for more information; instead, he did the dressing on her leg and afterwards he sorted out the covers. ‘Do you want a cup of tea?’ he asked.
‘I’d like a sherry.’
‘I bet you would,’ he said. ‘I’ll be back in a moment.’
He took away the trolley, leaving Macey alone for a little while to gather herself. He left the curtains closed around her.
Candy was having a glass of water at the desk and he asked her for the keys to the cupboard where the sherry and things were kept and poured Macey a glass.
‘Is she okay?’ Candy asked.
‘She will be. I’m going back in to talk to her,’ Steele said. ‘Macey saw you get a bit dizzy and has got you down as pregnant. I told her you’re not and that they don’t build nurses as strong these days.’ He gave her a grim smile and then explained what was happening. ‘As it turns out, she had a baby.’
‘Oh...’
‘Macey has never told anyone until now so it’s a huge deal to her. I’m just giving her a few moments to gather herself,’ Steele said, ‘and then I’m going to go in and speak with her. Would you tell Gloria to make sure that we’re not disturbed?’