nodded to Alison. ‘I’ll leave you to get on with the blood test. Call me if you need me again.’
‘Thank you.’
Alison picked up the dish containing the syringe and plastic vials and took it over to her desk. She smiled at Audrey. ‘I hope you’ve taken heed of all that.’
‘Oh, I have.’ Audrey raised an eyebrow. ‘He can be a bit stern, can Dr Tremayne, when he chooses, can’t he?’
‘Only because he has your best interests at heart,’ she assured her. She took the samples and sealed them into a plastic envelope bearing both the patient’s and the surgery’s details. ‘We should have the results back by the end of the week, so make an appointment to see Dr Donnelly on your way out.’
Alison cleared everything away, then buzzed for her next patient. However, as she waited for him to arrive she found herself comparing Nick’s approach to that of his son. Jack had exhibited none of the brusqueness that Nick occasionally showed towards a patient. In fact, he’d gone out of his way to put Becca at her ease on Saturday. It had been a surprise at the time, and Alison had found herself thinking about it more than once over the weekend. After reading all those articles in the magazines, she’d expected Jack to be full of his own importance, but he wasn’t like that at all.
It was exactly the same when it came to his son, too. It was obvious how much he cared about little Freddie, and that wasn’t what she had expected either. So which was the real Jack Tremayne? The handsome playboy surgeon who devoted his free time to partying, or the dedicated doctor and father?
She wished she knew, because it might help her decide how she felt about him. If she could slip Jack into one category or the other, it would make her life so much simpler.
Nick decided to walk down to the harbour after he finished surgery. It had been a busy morning and they’d been hard pushed to keep on top of all the work. It was a good job that Adam Donnelly had decided to take a permanent position with the practice, he thought, otherwise they would never have coped now that Marco had left. Although he was glad that Lucy didn’t intend to rush back to full-time work, they definitely missed her.
He walked along Harbour Road until he came to the lifeboat station and stopped. It was a cold, crisp day, the sun spark ling off the water. Shading his eyes, he peered out to sea, feeling the ache of loneliness nagging at him harder than ever that day. He missed Annabel, and still felt guilty about the way she had died. He should have paid more attention to what had been happening at home, instead of focusing all his energy on his job. If he’d done that then maybe his children would want to spend more time with him now, too, and he wouldn’t feel so alone.
He was glad that he had made his peace with Lucy, but the situation between him and Jack was no better. He needed to find a way to get through to him, but after what had happened on Saturday he was even more wary of putting his foot in it. Maybe he and Jack were destined to remain at loggerheads. The thought was dispiriting.
‘Penny for them?’
Nick swung round when he heard a familiar voice, summoning a smile when he saw Kate Althorp. He had missed Kate since she’d left the practice, missed their chats and missed seeing her around the place. However, he knew in his heart that it was better that she’d left. There was no chance of them ever being more than friends, and he didn’t like to think that he was holding her back. He wanted Kate to be happy because she certainly deserved to be.
‘Hello, Kate. How are you?’
‘Fine, thanks. How about you?’ She gave him a gentle smile. ‘You looked deep in thought when I spotted you just now.’
‘I was.’ Nick sighed. ‘I was thinking about Jack.’
Kate’s pretty face clouded. ‘Don’t tell me that you two still haven’t sorted out your differences.’
‘I’m afraid not.’
‘You need to make your peace with
‘Thank you.’
Alison picked up the dish containing the syringe and plastic vials and took it over to her desk. She smiled at Audrey. ‘I hope you’ve taken heed of all that.’
‘Oh, I have.’ Audrey raised an eyebrow. ‘He can be a bit stern, can Dr Tremayne, when he chooses, can’t he?’
‘Only because he has your best interests at heart,’ she assured her. She took the samples and sealed them into a plastic envelope bearing both the patient’s and the surgery’s details. ‘We should have the results back by the end of the week, so make an appointment to see Dr Donnelly on your way out.’
Alison cleared everything away, then buzzed for her next patient. However, as she waited for him to arrive she found herself comparing Nick’s approach to that of his son. Jack had exhibited none of the brusqueness that Nick occasionally showed towards a patient. In fact, he’d gone out of his way to put Becca at her ease on Saturday. It had been a surprise at the time, and Alison had found herself thinking about it more than once over the weekend. After reading all those articles in the magazines, she’d expected Jack to be full of his own importance, but he wasn’t like that at all.
It was exactly the same when it came to his son, too. It was obvious how much he cared about little Freddie, and that wasn’t what she had expected either. So which was the real Jack Tremayne? The handsome playboy surgeon who devoted his free time to partying, or the dedicated doctor and father?
She wished she knew, because it might help her decide how she felt about him. If she could slip Jack into one category or the other, it would make her life so much simpler.
Nick decided to walk down to the harbour after he finished surgery. It had been a busy morning and they’d been hard pushed to keep on top of all the work. It was a good job that Adam Donnelly had decided to take a permanent position with the practice, he thought, otherwise they would never have coped now that Marco had left. Although he was glad that Lucy didn’t intend to rush back to full-time work, they definitely missed her.
He walked along Harbour Road until he came to the lifeboat station and stopped. It was a cold, crisp day, the sun spark ling off the water. Shading his eyes, he peered out to sea, feeling the ache of loneliness nagging at him harder than ever that day. He missed Annabel, and still felt guilty about the way she had died. He should have paid more attention to what had been happening at home, instead of focusing all his energy on his job. If he’d done that then maybe his children would want to spend more time with him now, too, and he wouldn’t feel so alone.
He was glad that he had made his peace with Lucy, but the situation between him and Jack was no better. He needed to find a way to get through to him, but after what had happened on Saturday he was even more wary of putting his foot in it. Maybe he and Jack were destined to remain at loggerheads. The thought was dispiriting.
‘Penny for them?’
Nick swung round when he heard a familiar voice, summoning a smile when he saw Kate Althorp. He had missed Kate since she’d left the practice, missed their chats and missed seeing her around the place. However, he knew in his heart that it was better that she’d left. There was no chance of them ever being more than friends, and he didn’t like to think that he was holding her back. He wanted Kate to be happy because she certainly deserved to be.
‘Hello, Kate. How are you?’
‘Fine, thanks. How about you?’ She gave him a gentle smile. ‘You looked deep in thought when I spotted you just now.’
‘I was.’ Nick sighed. ‘I was thinking about Jack.’
Kate’s pretty face clouded. ‘Don’t tell me that you two still haven’t sorted out your differences.’
‘I’m afraid not.’
‘You need to make your peace with
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