Worth the Risk (15 page)

‘Now, as far as treatment goes, we have two options. Firstly I could refer you to the Alcohol and Drug Dependence Centre for specialist treatment.’

Geoff pulled a face. ‘What’s the second option?’

‘We could detoxify you at home with the help of the community alcohol team, but that would put a lot of stress on Mary.’

Geoff thought for a minute. ‘Mary and I want to overcome this together, which we can do at home. Could we go that route?’

Ally nodded. ‘OK. I’ll need to do a physical examination and some blood tests.’

Geoff shuddered. ‘I hate having blood taken. What’s it for?’

‘I’m checking your general health, the state of your liver, that sort of thing.’ Ally pulled open a drawer and selected several different forms. ‘After you’ve finished here make an appointment with Sister to have your blood taken.’

She scribbled details of the various tests onto the forms and handed them to Geoff, then spent some time exploring his social circumstances, talking about his financial situation, his sex life and his job. She also spent time assessing his mood. Satisfied that he didn’t seem clinically depressed, she moved on to this current situation.

‘Do you need your car to do your job?’

‘Well, I’ve been lucky.’ Geoff gave a wry smile. ‘My boss is a pretty good chap and he’s found stuff for me to do in the office until I get my licence back.’

‘And you can reach the office by train.’ Ally nodded and scribbled on the notes again. ‘What I’m going to do is to give you a drug called chlordiazepoxide to take over ten days. You’ll need time off and very frequent monitoring at first.’

‘I can do all that, no problem.’

Ally watched him for a moment, feeling uneasy and not knowing why. Reaching for her phone book, she scribbled down a number and handed it to him. ‘That’s the number of Alcoholics Anonymous. Do call them because having the support of people in the same situation is invaluable.’

Geoff stared at the number, his jaw set.

‘You must realise that you can’t drink at all. Controlled drinking just doesn’t work when you have a dependence on alcohol.’

‘I know that.’ Geoff gave a short laugh. ‘I’m going to give it my best shot, Dr McGuire. I just hope it works.’

Reaching for the phone, Ally called the community alcohol team and chatted to them, arranging for them to share responsibility for the detoxification programme. Then she sorted out the details with Geoff and watched him go, his shoulders slumped. Would he have the will-power to carry it through?

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘I
CAN
’
T
believe you were so successful. Good on you!’ Will sank into one of the armchairs in the staffroom and smiled at Ally. ‘That chap’s been drinking for years.’

‘Who’s been drinking for years?’ Sean walked in and glanced at the coffee-pot.

‘Can I finish that?’

‘Go ahead.’ Will stretched his legs out. ‘We were talking about Geoff Thompson. Ally detoxed him at home and he’s done really well.’

Sean poured himself the last of the coffee and added some milk. ‘Did you use the community alcohol team?’

‘Oh, yes!’ Ally nodded fervently. ‘They were marvellous and, frankly, so was his wife. Now we just have to hope he keeps it up. I’m a bit worried about him, really.’

‘In what way?’ Will tore open a sandwich and started eating his lunch, glancing up as Lucy walked in.

‘I don’t know exactly.’ Ally frowned. ‘He doesn’t seem clinically depressed but, well, he worries me.’

‘Well, it’s been a big blow to his ego, that’s for sure. It’ll take some adjustment, living with what’s happened.’

Sean put his coffee on the table and flexed his long fingers. ‘I spoke to the burns unit today about Kevin Jones.’

Ally stared at him. ‘The boy who was burnt in the fire?’

Sean nodded. ‘He’s doing better than they hoped, although he’s in for a lot of grafting. They think his face should heal perfectly and he should have full use of his hands.’

‘Largely thanks to your heroics, I should think. Talking of which…’ Will stopped chewing and glanced at Sean quizzically. ‘How are yours?’

‘Fully recovered, thanks.’ Sean gave him a brief smile and held out his hands for inspection. ‘Jack found out the story, by the way. Apparently, he was mucking around with some friends on the waste ground behind the field, and one of them put a firework in his pocket.’

‘Oh, no!’ Ally clapped her hand over her mouth.

Sean gave a grim smile. ‘Oh, yes. Of course, when the thing went off they panicked and legged it, leaving him to sort himself out. It was lucky for him we were all so near.’

‘Poor, poor thing!’ Ally shook her head, horrified. ‘Still, it must have reassured Jack a bit. He was fretting that it was something to do with the mountain rescue function.’

‘Well, they made a fortune apparently, despite the drama.’ Will screwed up the empty sandwich packet and tossed it into the bin. ‘Good thing, too. They need some new equipment. Anyway, what are you two up to this weekend, seeing as you’re both off?’

Ally rummaged in the fridge for her cheese roll, wishing Will would be more subtle. ‘I’m going walking. Mum’s having Charlie for the weekend to help fill the freezer for Christmas, so I’m off.’ She rocked back on her heels, her expression fierce as her eyes challenged Sean’s. ‘And don’t you dare lecture me!’

‘Would I?’ His dry tone made her smile and she sat back down in her chair and nibbled her roll.

‘I promise to leave my intended route with Jack.’

Sean was looking at her thoughtfully. ‘I don’t suppose you want company?’

The roll suddenly jammed in her throat. ‘Company?’

He gave a lopsided grin. ‘Well, if I promise not to make one single chauvinistic comment, can I join you?’

The sudden rush of pleasure she felt astonished and horrified her. She should be keeping her distance, not seeking his company. The answer had to be no.

‘Yes.’ His eyes held hers for a long moment and she read the surprise and the question in them. He was wondering why she’d said yes. The trouble was, so was she. Why on earth had she said yes when she meant no? ‘But be warned—the first big-brother comment you make, I push you over the edge.’

Sean laughed and raised his hands in a gesture of submission, his eyes gleaming. ‘I love a dominant woman!’

Will glanced at them curiously and then suddenly concentrated very hard on his sandwich. ‘You’d better take him, Ally, otherwise he’ll be staring at the fells waiting for you to come down, calling Jack and the team every ten minutes.’

Lucy beamed at them. ‘You can call me, too, if you like because Red and I passed our assessment last night.’

‘Oh, Lucy, that’s great!’ Ally leaped up and gave her a hug. ‘So she’s now an official search dog?’

‘She certainly is.’ Lucy peeled a banana and curled her slim legs under her bottom, a pleased expression on her pretty face.

Sean frowned. ‘Who calls you out if there’s an incident, then? Jack?’

Lucy nodded. ‘Either him or Howard Davies, the SARDA co-ordinator.’

SARDA, the Search And Rescue Dog Association—Ally knew how many lives they’d saved over the years.

She grinned. ‘So now you have your own pager?’

‘I do, indeed.’ Lucy cocked her head on one side and gave a flippant grin. ‘So I can dump my patients on you lot and dash off to the rescue.’

‘Well, I don’t want you rescuing us, thanks!’ Ally finished her apple and tossed the core into the bin.

‘Where are you planning to go?’ Sean stretched his long legs out and Ally tried not to notice how the fabric showed the hard muscle of his thighs. Since the bonfire party they’d hardly seen each other, mostly due to conflicting on-call demands, and she was horrified by how much the fact bothered her. Also, if she was honest, she was more than a little disappointed that he hadn’t really gone out of his way to seek her out. Maybe he’d changed his mind about her—maybe. She gave herself a sharp talking to. So what if he’d changed his mind? That was good, wasn’t it? That was exactly what she wanted.

Realising that Sean was waiting for an answer, Ally shook herself. ‘Um…depends on the weather.’

She removed a crumb from her lip with the tip of her tongue, colour seeping into her cheeks as she caught Sean’s eyes on her mouth. For a brief second their eyes held and her heart lurched as she read the message in his. He hadn’t changed his mind. He was biding his time. The knowledge made her nerve endings tingle.

‘You were saying?’ His eyes teased her and she looked away, flustered.

‘I don’t know—maybe the Fairfield Horseshoe.’

Will frowned and glanced out of the window. ‘Well, for goodness’ sake, check the weather and be careful, the pair of you.’

‘Yes, Uncle Will.’ Sean grinned and it occurred to Ally that he hadn’t said anything else about leaving. Had he changed his mind about that and decided to stay on in the practice for a while? She gave herself another sharp talking to. So what if he had? It wasn’t any of her business. It wouldn’t change the way he felt about relationships—or the way she felt about men who didn’t want commitment.

* * *

Her afternoon antenatal clinic was busy and her nerves were jangling by the time Felicity Webster walked in, two children strapped securely in their buggy.

‘I know you’re not supposed to bring buggies through to the consulting rooms, but Helen said it would be fine and I—’

‘Felicity,’ Ally interrupted gently, ‘it’s no problem. It’s a rule that’s meant to be broken in cases such as yours. I wouldn’t fancy trying to examine you with those two on the loose.’

Felicity dropped into a chair, clearly exhausted. ‘Well, I certainly can’t carry them.’

‘How’s the chickenpox?’

‘Oh, it’s cleared up nicely.’ She leaned forward and tugged a woolly hat off one of the children. ‘Tom’s still got scabs, but we’re managing to stop him scratching.’

Ally had a brief look. ‘Oh, that’s looking fine. And what about you?’

Felicity gave a short laugh. ‘What about me? I’m due tomorrow, and if it doesn’t come soon I’m sending it back.’

Ally grinned. ‘Any twinges?’

‘Plenty.’ Felicity shifted slightly, obviously uncomfortable. ‘But none that have made this baby pop out.’

‘When’s your next hospital appointment?’

‘Next week.’ Felicity pulled a face. ‘But it’s got to come before then. I’m stuffing myself with raspberry tea, pineapples—you name it, I’m doing it.’

‘Well, let’s have a look at you.’ Ally checked Felicity’s blood pressure, examined her ankles and fingers for signs of swelling and tested her urine. ‘That’s all fine, Felicity. Hop up on the couch and I’ll take a look at the baby.’

‘Hop?’ Felicity grinned and eased herself up, hobbling painfully over to the couch. ‘I could be wrong but I don’t think I’ll ever hop again.’

Ally laughed. ‘You will. With two under five and a new baby you’ll spend all day hopping.’

‘Don’t! I can’t even bear to think about how I’m going to manage.’ Felicity wriggled down and exposed her bump. ‘It feels huge.’

Ally slid her hands over Felicity’s abdomen, palpating the lie of the baby. ‘Not at all. I think it’s a nice size.’

‘That’s because you’re not the one who has to have it,’ Felicity said dryly.

‘True.’ Ally laughed and picked up the Sonicaid. ‘The baby’s in a good position. Let’s have a listen.’

The rhythmic galloping of the foetal heartbeat echoed around the room and they exchanged smiles.

‘Oh, lovely!’ Felicity grinned and then sobered. ‘I’m dreading it, Dr McGuire. I know you keep telling me not to panic but I keep thinking of the other two…’

‘I know you’ll be fine this time.’ Ally switched off the Sonicaid. ‘What are you doing with the other two when you go in with this one?’

‘Oh, my mum will come. She’s only ten minutes away.’

Ally helped her to sit up and scribbled on her notes while Felicity straightened her clothing.

‘Well, I don’t think this baby will be here for a few days yet.’

‘Really?’ Felicity chewed her lip. ‘I don’t know whether to be pleased or sorry. Sometimes you wonder whether they’re more trouble out than in.’

Ally laughed as she opened the door and helped her with the buggy. ‘Make sure you let me know if anything happens.’

Felicity grinned. ‘You’ll probably hear the yelling. Thanks, Dr McGuire.’

* * *

Ally tucked the map back into her pocket and lifted her face to the wind.

‘Fantastic, isn’t it?’ Sean stared at the view, his hard features relaxed and contented.

‘Yes. I love this time of year.’ Ally’s cheeks were pink from the cold and strands of blonde hair had escaped from her woolly hat, framing her face. ‘No tourists.’

Sean glanced up at the sky and frowned slightly. ‘I don’t like the look of that.’

Ally followed his gaze and shrugged. ‘The forecast was good.’

‘Yes.’ Sean didn’t seem convinced, staring at the sky with narrowed eyes.

‘Did you do a lot of outdoor stuff in the army?’

He turned to look at her with a smile that melted her bones. ‘Oh, yes. We used to have to spend days at a time outside under the stars. Survival training.’

‘You lucky thing—being paid to spend days in the mountains.’

He gave a short laugh. ‘Well, it wasn’t always a bed of roses. The Brecon Beacons covered in snow in the middle of winter isn’t the most inviting terrain.’

Ally carried on up the path, falling into step behind him. ‘It must have been dangerous.’

‘Oh, it was.’ Sean hitched his rucksack more comfortably on his back. ‘The army loses people on exercise far more often than they like to admit.’

‘When did you decide you wanted to be a doctor?’

He stopped walking and leaned against a rock, staring across the stark mountain scenery.

‘I don’t know, really. I suppose subconsciously I must have thought about it when I lived with Will and Molly. But I didn’t really get interested until I did some medic training in the army.’

‘How did you come to live with Will?’ Ally blushed as he turned to look at her. ‘Sorry. Forget I asked. I know you hate talking about it.’

He gave a short laugh. ‘I’m surprised the gossips haven’t given you the story already.’

Ally’s voice was quiet. ‘I’m not a gossip, Sean.’