Nurse Trudie is Engaged (4 page)

She studied the back of his head as they drove along. It was a well-shaped head, she reflected, firmly set on the strong broad shoulders and carried proudly erect. Abruptly she stifled a sigh. What must he be thinking of her. Philip was known throughout the hospital as
“
keeping himself to himself,
”
never more than friendly to all, intimate with none. Trudie thought anxiously, but try as she would she could not recollect having ever seen anyone with him in his car except occasionally, one or other of the doctors. How he must be hating this intrusion into his daily affairs!

“
Just around the next bend in the road, I think,
”
Philip
’
s words reached her, breaking her train of thought.
“
Sit tight when we stop. Don
’
t try to move by yourself.
”

Trudie doubte
d
very much if she could have moved very far unaided, but she made no comment, merely pulling herself up a little to watch as the white house with the green shutters came into view. She had always loved her home. Low and long, flanked in the driveway by the cedar trees some long-ago Hislop bride had planted, it looked very attractive in the spring sunshine. Emma Thornton came to the door to greet them and Trudie was grateful to this kindly, cheerful woman who devoted as much care to the house and the family therein as if they were her own.

“
Oh, Miss Trudie!
”
she began as anxiety clouded her round, rosy cheeks and showed in her soft brown eyes.
“
Whatever were you doing? Mary didn
’
t say much on the telephone, only that you
’
d been in an accident and Dr. Malham was bringing you home. Where are you hurt, and how badly?
”

“
Now there
’
s nothing to worry about, Mrs. Thornton.
”
Philip descended from the car and came around to lay a reassuring hand on that lady
’
s arm as he introduced himself.
“
We
’
ve had her X-rayed and, thank goodness, there
’
s nothing more than severe bruising and shock for us to worry about. She saved a child
’
s life,
”
he ended seriously,
“
but she could well have lost her own. She is,
”
he smiled down at Trudie,
“
a very lucky young lady as well as a very brave one.
”

“
It isn
’
t being brave if you don
’
t stop to think before you act,
”
Trudie interposed.
“
If I
’
d stopped to think it might have been too late. As it was I just acted on the spur of the moment
... so that wasn
’
t being brave, not really.
”

“
We
’
ll argue when we get all the facts of the case and not before.
”

Philip turned as the newcomer descended the short flight of steps to the door and saw a tall young man with fair hair, almost as fair as Trudie
’
s own, but with gray eyes where hers were blue. All the same there was no mistaking him for anyone but Trudie
’
s brother. From inside the car Trudie performed the introductions, half-laughing as she ended,
“
But get me out of here first, Malcolm. You can go on being a lawyer once we
’
re inside, but I don
’
t want to be here when Dad gets in.
”

“
How do we start, sir?
”
Malcolm turned deferentially to Philip.
“
I can lift her—carry her—but I don
’
t want to hurt her.
”

“
I can carry her,
”
Philip said easily,
“
and I
’
m more accustomed
to this sort of thing than you are. If you
’
ll just lead the way.
”

Trudie had begun to protest that she could walk, perhaps with a little help. Philip silenced her smilingly, telling her that at the moment she was not the nurse but the patient, and she subsided into silence. Mrs. Thornton led the way into the comfortable lounge. A wide, long sofa had been drawn up before a cosy-looking fire of logs and cones, and Emma indicated that Philip should lay his burden there.

“
I
’
ve some coffee on the boil if you would care for a cup, sir?
”
she asked Philip. To Trudie
’
s surprise he accepted gratefully, just as he accepted Malcolm
’
s proffered cigarette.

“
Comfortable?
”
Malcolm asked, bending over her. Trudie nodded.
“
Then relax, and I
’
ll do the honors when Mrs. Emma brings in the coffee,
”
her brother offered. To Trudie
’
s immense surprise he and Philip, in no time at all, were chatting together as easily as if they had been friends for years. It did not occur to Trudie that Malcolm, having only recently passed his final examinations as a lawyer, was trying himself out by pretending Philip was a client. Whatever the magic it certainly appeared to be working, and after a few minutes or so, Trudie felt herself relax, listening to them discussing the differences in the training for their respective professions.

“
Here we are.
”
Mrs. Emma bustled in, pushing a laden trolley ahead of her. Malcolm poured the coffee. Philip, as though he did this sort of thing every day of his life, passed cookies and cakes, and conversation became general. For Philip the experience was completely new. He had been a lonely child and a lonely young man. Now he did not notice whether he was lonely or not, he simply accepted the state of being alone as part of daily living. He would never, in his wildest flights of imagination, have thought of himself sitting in a strange house and casually consuming coffee and cake and keeping up an interesting conversation with someone whom he had met only half an hour or so ago.

Malcolm, for his part, was making his own appraisal of Philip. The Hislops were a united family, and all of them
knew that Trudie, in common with many of her fellow nurses at St. Catherine
’
s, thought the world of the young surgeon. Malcolm knew Trudie admired Philip
’
s work and his devotion to duty wholeheartedly, but whether her feelings for him went further than admiration, Malcolm had no means of knowing. He only knew that his young sister had suffered enough through the death of her twin in such unknown circumstances and surroundings, and that she had worried, if not openly, about how and where he had spent those last months. Malcolm watched Philip closely and vowed to himself that if this man meant more heartache for Trudie then out he should go. But if this were to be the beginnings of a lasting and more important association, then he would do all in his power to help. In addition, he liked Philip. It was obvious Philip liked him too, at least as much as he had ever accepted friendship so far. They talked on and the afternoon passed without any of them noticing the time.

It was only when the door opened to admit a big burly man in his late fifties that Philip realized with a sense of shock how the time must have flown.

“
I didn
’
t realize it was so late,
”
he began apologetically, rising to shake hands with Trudie
’
s father, whom he had met on previous occasions when Dr. Hislop had referred patient
’
s to Philip for consultation or surgery.
“
I must be going
...”

“
Not on my account, I hope,
”
Dr. Hislop said quickly.
“
I just looked in for a quick cup of tea before evening office hours. We don
’
t dine until after that is over. If you
’
d care to join us
...”

For a moment Philip hesitated. He was fearful of overstaying his welcome, but both Trudie and her brother added their invitation to their father
’
s, and he could no longer feel he might be intruding.

“
It
’
s most kind of you,
”
he began.
“
If I could let them know at home.
.
.?
”

“
Telephone in the hall,
”
Malcolm said quickly.
“
I
’
ll show you.
”
He broke off as the door opened again, and a whirlwind rushed into the room.

“
Ask Mrs. Emma to hold dinner a little while, will you, Malcolm?
”
the newcomer was saying.
“
There are some slides I must examine—Oh, sorry,
”
he broke off in confusion.
“
I didn
’
t see anyone here. I thought that was a patient
’
s car outside.
”

“
A patient arrived in it, anyway,
”
Malcolm grinned and went on to introduce Philip and to explain what had happened.
“
We were just persuading Dr. Malham to stay for dinner,
”
he ended.

“
Of course you
’
ll stay, won
’
t you, sir?
”
Geoffrey Hislop was as dark as his sister and brother were fair, but Philip had no means of knowing then that he resembled, his late mother more than any of the others. It was from her Geoffrey had inherited his dark eyes and coloring.
“
It was kind of you to bring Trudie home for us.
”
With the three men extending their invitation and Trudie
’
s gaze asking him not to refuse, Philip had the strangest sensation that this was truly genuine friendship, and that here was a warm and generous welcome such as he had seldom encountered. He had never known family life of any kind. Here, in this small circle, no one appeared to be pushing the invitation on Trudie
’
s account. He felt suddenly and sincerely that he was wanted for his own sake, and the thought was warming. They were all openly inviting him as a friend of the family, opening wide the door to their small circle and embracing him as one of them. To the man whose home life consisted of the efficient but somehow impersonal ministrations of an all-male staff, the sensation was by no means unpleasant.

“
If you are certain it won
’
t mean a great deal of extra trouble for Mrs. Thornton,
”
Philip began doubtfully, but Geoff did not give him time to continue.

“
Mrs. Emma likes what she calls
‘
a full house,
’
Dr. Malham,
”
he assured Philip.
“
The more the merrier.
”
He did not say it, but the look on the faces of the other three told Philip how much they still missed the other brother—Trudie
’
s twin—and how great was the gap left by his untimely death.

“
I
’
ll just go and look at these slides,
”
Geoff said abruptly.
“
Be back in a little while.
”

“
And I must see what or who is awaiting me in the office,
”
Dr. Hislop smiled.
“
Make yourself comfortable, Malham. Malcolm will look after you. See you at dinner,
”
he grinned suddenly, like a young boy,
“
unless I have one of those emergency calls you fellows only get to hear about later!
”

“
That
’
s the family,
”
Malcolm said lightly.
“
In and out like those little characters in a cuckoo clock. Come along, I
’
ll show you where the phone is. You
’
ll be able to find it yourself then, any time you come.
”

Smiling as he realized that, unless he so wished it, this need not be his only visit to The Cedars, Philip followed Malcolm, leaving Trudie alone, staring into the fire and wondering where this would—or could—lead in the days ahead.