finally get to have that chat. I still have no idea what your wedding dress will look like.'
You and me both, Sophie thought with dismay. Maybe lunch wasn't such a good idea. It took only a minute to collect her white coat and check her supply of pens and notepaper. When she returned to the front desk she found Toni talking to someone else.
'I'm afraid Dr Spencer has been called out to visit a patient. He won't be back for some time. And Dr Cooper is out. He isn't starting his afternoon clinic until 2 p.m. Both the doctors are fully booked in any case. We could fit you in tomorrow morning.' Toni flipped the pages of the appointment book. 'Or is it something that our practice nurse, Janet, might be able to help you with?'
'No.' The woman looked tired. Sophie moved to collect the packet of sandwiches Toni had put aside for her, glancing into the reception area as she did so. The woman walked over to where her toddler was emptying the toy basket. 'It doesn't really matter,' she said quietly.
Sophie sensed that something mattered rather a lot. 'I have some time now, Toni,' she murmured. 'If it would help.'
Toni glanced pointedly at the wrapped sandwiches. Sophie shrugged. 'I can eat in the car.' She smiled and Toni nodded, turning back to the woman.
'Would you like to see our GP registrar, Dr Bennett, Mrs King?'
'Oh, yes—please. My mother thinks she's wonderful.'
Sophie ducked her head modestly at the grin which accompanied Toni's raised eyebrows.
'Leave Laura out here if you like,' Toni suggested. 'I'll keep an eye on her.' She tapped an entry into the computer, glanced at the patient number and moved with unerring accuracy to extract a file-from the huge shelf that covered the end wall.
Sophie took it on her way out. 'Come with me, Mrs King.' She looked down at the file. Felicity King. 'Oh!' she exclaimed. 'Are you Mrs Murdock's daughter?'
'That's right. I've been hearing wonderful things about you, Dr Bennett.'
Sophie laughed. 'Not half as wonderful as what I hear about you, I'm sure.' She ushered Felicity King into her consulting room. 'Please, sit down and tell me how I can help,' she invited.
Felicity sat down with a heavy sigh. 'I think I might be pregnant,' she said flatly.
It was clearly not a welcome possibility. 'What makes you think you might be, Mrs King?'
'Felicity,' her patient corrected. 'I've missed my period. That's never happened before except when I was pregnant.'
'Any other signs?'
'No.'
'Have you done a home test or anything?'
'No. I was putting it off. I really couldn't cope if it was bad news.'
'Well, the first thing to do is to test you. We can do that right now if you can give us a small urine specimen.'
Felicity nodded wearily. Sophie looked at her thoughtfully. The mental image she'd had of Ruby Murdock's extraordinary daughter, who dashed about and looked so much younger than her thirty-four years, did not match the woman before her. There was more to this visit than worry about a possible pregnancy.
'You have three children, don't you. Felicity?'
Her patient nodded.
'And you do a lot for your mother. It's a lot to cope with, isn't it?'
Felicity King looked at Sophie, her eyes rapidly filling with tears. 'I can't cope any more. I really can't... And I don't know what to do.' With that, Felicity King—Super daughter—burst into a fit of distraught sobbing.
Sophie passed tissues and waited for the storm to subside a little. 'Would you like to tell me about it, Felicity?' she suggested gently. 'Maybe I can help.'
It was a long story. Sophie heard about what a wonderful mother and grandmother Ruby had been. How Felicity had relied on her help when the boys were small.
'Even after Dad died, she coped. She couldn't do enough for us, really. Babysitting, cleaning, cooking and so on. And then she broke her ankle. She tripped over Nathan's bike. I felt like it was all my fault.'
'So you began helping your mother instead of her helping you?'
'It was the least I could do, and it
You and me both, Sophie thought with dismay. Maybe lunch wasn't such a good idea. It took only a minute to collect her white coat and check her supply of pens and notepaper. When she returned to the front desk she found Toni talking to someone else.
'I'm afraid Dr Spencer has been called out to visit a patient. He won't be back for some time. And Dr Cooper is out. He isn't starting his afternoon clinic until 2 p.m. Both the doctors are fully booked in any case. We could fit you in tomorrow morning.' Toni flipped the pages of the appointment book. 'Or is it something that our practice nurse, Janet, might be able to help you with?'
'No.' The woman looked tired. Sophie moved to collect the packet of sandwiches Toni had put aside for her, glancing into the reception area as she did so. The woman walked over to where her toddler was emptying the toy basket. 'It doesn't really matter,' she said quietly.
Sophie sensed that something mattered rather a lot. 'I have some time now, Toni,' she murmured. 'If it would help.'
Toni glanced pointedly at the wrapped sandwiches. Sophie shrugged. 'I can eat in the car.' She smiled and Toni nodded, turning back to the woman.
'Would you like to see our GP registrar, Dr Bennett, Mrs King?'
'Oh, yes—please. My mother thinks she's wonderful.'
Sophie ducked her head modestly at the grin which accompanied Toni's raised eyebrows.
'Leave Laura out here if you like,' Toni suggested. 'I'll keep an eye on her.' She tapped an entry into the computer, glanced at the patient number and moved with unerring accuracy to extract a file-from the huge shelf that covered the end wall.
Sophie took it on her way out. 'Come with me, Mrs King.' She looked down at the file. Felicity King. 'Oh!' she exclaimed. 'Are you Mrs Murdock's daughter?'
'That's right. I've been hearing wonderful things about you, Dr Bennett.'
Sophie laughed. 'Not half as wonderful as what I hear about you, I'm sure.' She ushered Felicity King into her consulting room. 'Please, sit down and tell me how I can help,' she invited.
Felicity sat down with a heavy sigh. 'I think I might be pregnant,' she said flatly.
It was clearly not a welcome possibility. 'What makes you think you might be, Mrs King?'
'Felicity,' her patient corrected. 'I've missed my period. That's never happened before except when I was pregnant.'
'Any other signs?'
'No.'
'Have you done a home test or anything?'
'No. I was putting it off. I really couldn't cope if it was bad news.'
'Well, the first thing to do is to test you. We can do that right now if you can give us a small urine specimen.'
Felicity nodded wearily. Sophie looked at her thoughtfully. The mental image she'd had of Ruby Murdock's extraordinary daughter, who dashed about and looked so much younger than her thirty-four years, did not match the woman before her. There was more to this visit than worry about a possible pregnancy.
'You have three children, don't you. Felicity?'
Her patient nodded.
'And you do a lot for your mother. It's a lot to cope with, isn't it?'
Felicity King looked at Sophie, her eyes rapidly filling with tears. 'I can't cope any more. I really can't... And I don't know what to do.' With that, Felicity King—Super daughter—burst into a fit of distraught sobbing.
Sophie passed tissues and waited for the storm to subside a little. 'Would you like to tell me about it, Felicity?' she suggested gently. 'Maybe I can help.'
It was a long story. Sophie heard about what a wonderful mother and grandmother Ruby had been. How Felicity had relied on her help when the boys were small.
'Even after Dad died, she coped. She couldn't do enough for us, really. Babysitting, cleaning, cooking and so on. And then she broke her ankle. She tripped over Nathan's bike. I felt like it was all my fault.'
'So you began helping your mother instead of her helping you?'
'It was the least I could do, and it
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