.
don’t you just pack some things now and put them in my car?’ Steele said, and she hesitated because she’d been thinking exactly the same thing. ‘It would save us dashing back and forth all the time.’
She packed a case and they loaded it into his car and drove to work. It was all so new, so exciting that neither could help smiling.
As they pulled into the staff car park, Louise, a midwife who had done a stint in Emergency last year, was walking past. She and Candy had got on well. Louise was blonde and gorgeous and rather pregnant and she waved to Candy and gave a little wink.
‘We’re public knowledge now.’ Candy smiled as she waved back, because Louise was a terrible gossip, which was surprising, considering that she was married to Anton, an obstetrician whose middle name was discretion.
‘I’m fine with that,’ Steele said.
He had long ago stopped playing games and this felt nothing like a game with Candy.
‘We’ll keep it discreet on the ward, though,’ Candy said, because she was working on the geriatric unit today till lunchtime.
‘Yes,’ Steele said. ‘I just don’t want to be dropping you at another entrance and things. Come back to mine after work. I’ve got a meeting at six, though,’ he continued, ‘so I won’t be back till about eight.’
‘I’ll have bread waiting in the toaster for you,’ Candy said as he peeled off a key, which he had never done before. She snapped it onto her key ring as if it was no big deal.
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.
‘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?’
‘Sure.’
‘If she has any visitors …’
‘I’ll say that the doctor’s in with her.’
‘Thanks.’
He walked back behind the curtains. Macey had stopped crying and she gave Steele a watery smile.
‘Sorry about that,’ she said.
‘Why should you be sorry?’ Steele asked, handing her the glass of sherry. ‘I’m glad that you told me. Would you like to talk about it?’ he offered.
‘I don’t know how to,’ Macey admitted. ‘It’s been a secret for so long.’
‘Not any more,’ Steele said. ‘It might help to talk about it.’
‘I got pregnant when I was twenty-seven,’ Macey said. ‘He was married. I was never much of a looker and I suppose I was flattered. Anyway, my parents would have been horrified. They would have said that I was old enough to know better. We’re never old enough to know better when it comes to matters of the heart, though. Instead of telling them, I confided in one of the matrons here. I thought she’d be shocked but she was more than used to it and took care of things. I was sent down to Bournemouth to have him. Everyone thought that I had polio and that was the reason I was away so long. Instead, I had my son and he was handed over for adoption.’
‘I’m sorry, Macey,’ Steele said. ‘That must have been so painful.’
‘It