Dr. Campbell's Secret Son (17 page)

‘I’ll be back for a visit in two, maximum three weeks. I don’t want to be away from this little lad any longer than I have to. I’ve missed enough of his life already and if I have my way, once I return for good, he and I will have a lot of catching up to do.’ He looked at Sarah, his dark eyes serious. ‘And you and I have some unfinished business, too.’

* * *

As Jamie had predicted, Calum was pronounced fit and healthy and discharged home a couple of days later. Jamie was a frequent visitor to the flat in the days leading up to his departure for Africa, but Sarah rarely found herself alone with him. And when she did, he talked about work, keeping her informed about the department, the type of cases they had been dealing with and gossip about the staff.

They had appointed the new consultant. Sarah had left Calum with her mother and attended the interviews. Two of the three candidates had been a husband-and-wife team who were on a two-year working visa from Australia. They had been keen to get jobs in the same hospital. The wife, a pretty woman with an outgoing manner, had indicated that she would prefer part-time hours in the future, if possible, as they were trying for their first child. ‘And I’d love to be at home at least for the first year or two.’ she had confided to Sarah.

At her words a germ of an idea was beginning to form in Sarah’s mind. Calum’s illness had shaken her badly. Part of her still felt guilty, although she knew there was nothing more she could have done to prevent Calum becoming unwell. Perhaps she could reduce her hours and do a job share? Spend more time being a mother yet still have a career? She made up her mind to give the thought some serious consideration before discussing it with the personnel department. The hospital had appointed the husband, and the wife had another interview lined up at one of the smaller hospitals on the outskirts of the city in a couple of weeks’ time, so she’d have to make a decision soon.

Shortly before Jamie left for Africa, Lizzie returned from honeymoon. She was horrified and sympathetic to learn about Calum’s illness.

‘Poor you,’ she sympathised. ‘You must have got a terrible fright.’

Sarah could feel a lump come to her throat at the memory.

‘I really thought I was going to lose him, Lizzie,’ she confided, a break in her voice.

‘But you didn’t,’ Lizzie said firmly. ‘I heard that Jamie was distraught. Obviously everyone knows now.’

‘Funny how little it matters. It probably caused some gossip at the time, but everyone was fantastic, really concerned and offering help any chance they got.’

‘And you and Jamie?’ Lizzie’s hazel eyes were lit up with curiosity. ‘I gather he’s thinking of applying for a permanent consultant post. The staff are over the moon. Absolutely delighted that he’s planning to be a permanent feature in the department. And,’ she added impishly, ‘there is probably more than one who is working out how they can become a permanent feature in his life. Although I suspect that slot is already taken.’ She arched an eye brow at Sarah, making her meaning clear.

Sarah chewed her lip. ‘He’s going back to Africa and it could be some time before he returns…if he ever does come back.’ She swallowed hard against the lump that had formed in her throat. ‘And there is no Jamie and me. There never will be. Oh, I think Jamie
will
be back…to see his son, if for no other reason. But how long for?’ She shook her head sadly. ‘I can’t deny Calum his father, just because we couldn’t work things out. I know only too well the heartache of not knowing your own dad…’ Sarah trailed off.

So that’s the way the land lay, thought Lizzie, but she was wise enough to keep her own counsel. From what she had gathered from the nursing staff, Jamie was besotted not only with his son but the son’s very beautiful mother. Was Sarah the only one in the department who didn’t know how Jamie felt?

CHAPTER NINE

‘O
F COURSE
I can’t go. How can you possibly manage without me?’ Jean said.

‘I’ll try and change my weekend on call,’ said Sarah. ‘Although I’ve already had so much time off.’ Sarah let her words tail off. Since Calum had been discharged from hospital she had been at home with him. But now that he had made a full recovery, she needed to get back to work and share some of the load. She knew from Lizzie that every moment that Jamie hadn’t being spending with Calum had been spent in the department, picking up the extra work that her enforced absence had left. Sarah’s mother had won a weekend break at an exclusive new health spa that had opened just south of the border. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and sharing the worry of Calum’s illness had tired her mother. She deserved—no, needed—some time off to relax.

When the phone rang she picked it up, still thinking of what to do.

‘Oh, hello, Jamie,’ she said, recognising his deep voice immediately. ‘Calum’s fine. He’s just about to have his lunch.’ Jamie phoned regularly to check up on his son.

‘What’s up? Are you sure Calum’s fine?’ he asked, as usual immediately picking up when something was bothering her.

‘Honestly, he’s perfectly all right. It’s just…’ She hesitated, then decided to share her problem After all, it did concern him, too, both as Calum’s father and as a fellow colleague. ‘Mum’s had this opportunity to go on a weekend break to a spa, but I’m supposed to be on call this weekend. Normally she’d move into my flat so she can be here for Calum if I’m called out. She’s said she won’t go but I really think she should,’ she said, ignoring her mother’s frantic gestures.

‘Of course she should go.’ Jamie agreed at once. ‘I’ll do your weekend on call. It’s no problem.’

‘I really don’t want to take more time off work. Besides, you’ve done more than your fair share of being on call. You’re not superhuman, Jamie.’ Although, as she said this, she wondered if he was. Over the last week it had definitely seemed as if Jamie was superhuman. Heaven only knew when he had found the time to sleep. Slowly an idea was beginning to formulate in her mind.

‘Unless…’ she said slowly.

‘Unless?’ Jamie prompted.

‘Unless you move in here for the weekend. You could look after Calum if I get called out. You can have the spare bedroom. It’ll give you a chance to spend some time with your son before you leave, and an opportunity to get a break from work.’

There was a brief silence at the other end of the phone.

‘Perhaps you don’t think you are up to it? After all, a young baby can be hard work,’ she added.

‘Of course I can manage,’ Jamie said briskly. ‘How hard can it be? If that’s what you’d rather do, SJ, it’s no problem. I’ll bring some stuff over tonight. You can take me through his routine and I can be there when you go to work in the morning.’

As she put down the phone, Sarah felt a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She rather thought that Jamie Campbell was going to get a bit of a shock. She ignored the little tingle of pleasure that accompanied the thought of Jamie being in her flat for the weekend. She was doing this for Calum, she told herself firmly. Father and son needed some time together before Jamie went away. As for her, it was nothing to do with storing up memories for the future—it was simply that she and Jamie needed to stay on friendly terms, for Calum’s sake. She turned to her mother who was looking at her enquiringly.

‘That’s settled, Mum. You can go for your weekend. You’ll have gathered that Jamie is going to come and stay while you’re away.’

Sarah’s mother looked thoughtful. ‘Are you sure he can manage?’

‘He’ll have to. If he wants to be a father to Calum, he’s going to have to learn how.’

* * *

The next morning, as Sarah closed the door behind her, Jamie looked at his son. Calum was sitting in his high chair, waving his spoon around. Drops of what Jamie could only think of as gunk was flying from the spoon, spreading around the kitchen.

‘Hey,’ he said in surprise as a splodge landed on his face. ‘Good aim.’ Maybe Calum was destined to be a cricket player rather than a climber with that kind of throwing technique. But how had he managed to get so much in his hair? And all over his night things?

Sarah had left Jamie a list of instructions, starting with feeding Calum his breakfast, followed by a bath, getting him dressed and then a trip to the supermarket to pick up some nappies.

As Jamie took in the chaos around him, he was beginning to get the feeling that this wasn’t going to be such a piece of cake after all. Still, he had a point to prove to Sarah. And surely a man of his resourcefulness could get through the next few hours without disaster?

Two hours later, he had finally bathed and dressed Calum. That wasn’t too difficult, he thought smugly. There only remained the problem of how to get himself showered. He couldn’t go anywhere, not even to the supermarket, until he had cleaned off the encrusted food that seemed to cling to every part of his head. Finally he had the answer. He strapped a protesting Calum into his high chair and lifted the chair with Calum into it and set it down in front of the shower. Calum clearly thought the novel situation deserved his full attention and watched quietly as Jamie took his shower. Jamie decided against shaving. He still had the shopping to do.

Sarah and Jamie had swapped cars for the day. Jamie was just about to turn the key in the ignition when he paused. Something was missing. What had he forgotten? Calum! With a mumbled curse he shot out of the car, taking the steps to Sarah’s front door two at a time. He had left Calum in the house! Luckily his son was still mesmerised by the activity bar on his cot and hadn’t noticed his father’s two-minute absence. The workings of the car seat was another challenge, but eventually the infant was strapped in and Jamie could set off for the shops. Hell, that was a close call, he thought as he pulled up in the car park. What on earth would Sarah have thought had he actually left without Calum? She wouldn’t trust him ever again.

As Jamie shopped with Calum in the cart—it had taken him several goes until an assistant had taken pity on him and shown him which cart to use and how to place Calum in it—one or two of the female customers came up to them and, under the pretext of admiring the child, attempted to flirt with Jamie. One even went as far to ask him out. ‘Sorry, I’m committed,’ he told her. And as he said the words they felt good. He
was
committed to Sarah. Whatever she felt about him, he was still determined to be part of her life.

It was after six in the evening by the time Sarah arrived back from work. Jamie felt pleased with himself. He had bought the nappies and hadn’t forgotten to bring Calum back with him. He had played with him and they had both managed a nap after lunch. Calum had cried when Jamie had tried to put him in his cot for his sleep so Jamie had simply stretched out on the sofa with Calum wrapped in his arms, and that had seemed to work perfectly well. The nappy-changing hadn’t been an unmitigated success, he had to admit. He couldn’t quite seem to get the sticky bits to go where they should but he had managed to get the nappies to stay on after a fashion and Calum hadn’t seem to mind that they hadn’t fitted terribly snugly. He had fed him his evening meal—a mashed-up concoction of red and white that Sarah had left—so altogether he was feeling pretty pleased with the way the day had gone.

However, when he saw the expression in Sarah’s eyes as she took in the chaos that surrounded her, he realised that she wasn’t entirely of the same opinion.

‘What on earth happened here?’ she gasped, as she removed her coat and held out her arms for her son.

Jamie followed her gaze. Food debris littered the kitchen table. Calum’s clothes were scattered around the usually immaculate sitting room. He had meant to tidy up a little before she returned, but somehow he hadn’t seemed to find the time. How on earth did she do it?

‘I didn’t notice till now,’ he said with a sheepish smile, peeling himself out of the chair he’d slumped into. ‘You relax there for a moment while I tidy up a bit.’

Sarah smiled. ‘Don’t worry, it can wait. I’m sorry I was back so late. We had a few difficult cases. Stuff that I couldn’t leave. I didn’t even manage lunch. That reminds me,’ she said with a mischievous look at Jamie, ‘what’s for supper?’

Jamie hit his head with his hand. ‘Supper,’ he groaned, ‘I’d completely forgotten. How on earth do you find the time to cook, as well as everything else?’

‘Practice. But there have been days…’ She let the words hang in the air.

‘Right,’ Jamie said, ‘I’ll cook, or at least order us a take-away. I think there is enough mayhem in here without adding to it. What do you fancy? Pizza? Chinese?’

‘Chinese will be lovely. There’s a great takeaway just a short walk away. Why don’t you go down and get us something while I sort things out here?’

Jamie knew better than to argue. Besides, he could do with a walk in the fresh air. By the time he returned, Sarah had restored the flat to some kind of order and Calum was ready for bed. She put him on the floor while they ate. He was just beginning to make crawling movements and they watched his attempts, fascinated.

‘He’ll be walking before long,’ Jamie said proudly.

‘In a couple of months perhaps,’ Sarah said, amused. ‘Gosh, I’m tired. I think I’ll have a long bath once Calum goes down and then have an early night. I hope it’s quiet tonight.’

‘Anyone in at the moment causing concern? ‘Jamie asked, and they chatted about work while Calum had his last bottle of the day.

When Sarah returned from putting Calum in his cot, Jamie had started running a bath for her. He lit a fire while she soaked and put some soft music on the stereo. He hoped the evening would provide an opportunity for him to begin wooing Sarah in earnest. And as he thought of her lying in the bath, images of her naked body filled his thoughts. But as much as he wanted her, he was determined to take it slowly. He had to convince her that his feelings were sincere.

When she eventually appeared from the bathroom with her hair wrapped up in a towel, her bathrobe pulled around her and her cheeks flushed from the heat, he almost forgot his resolve. It was all he could do to stop from striding over to her, picking her up and carrying her over to the bed.