âHow do I look?â
Elizabeth Jones glanced up at her daughter, and swallowed the lump in her throat. It was a big day for them all, but especially for Bron.
She forced herself to run her eye professionally and dispassionately over Bronwenâs slim, neat figure, from the glowing tumble of shining dark hair cut into becoming layers, down over the clean lines of the navy suit-jacket which hid the soft curves of her daughterâs slender figure and lent her an air of brisk efficiency, down the narrow navy skirt and the matching sheer tights to the neat navy pumps, and then back up again, to study the face, bravely confident and yet with a touch of uncertainty mirrored in the wide grey eyes.
âPerfect.â She cleared her throat, and tried again. âJust right. You look approachable and yet efficient. Have some breakfast.â
Bronwen shook her head. âNoâoh, Mum, I couldnât eat a thingâââ
âBron, you canât start your first day without a single calorie inside you. Now sit down and do as youâre told!â
âBully,â Bron said softly, but she smiled and obeyed, struggling with a piece of toast and a cup of coffee.
âLivvy still asleep?â Her motherâs gentle query brought a flush of guilt and anxiety to Bronwenâs pale cheeks.
âI didnât like to wake her just to say goodbye. Oh, Mum, Iâm sure she wonât really be scarred for life if I go back to work, but somehowâI just feel so wickedâââ
Her mother laid her hand gently over Bronwenâs slim fingers, and squeezed reassuringly. âDonât be sillyâI went back to work, and you arenât exactly scarred for life. She wonât go short of love, darling. Donât worry. Weâll be fine together. Now get off to work before youâre late.â
âI wasnât fifteen months old, and you only worked part-time. I suppose I can always hand in my notice if it doesnât workâââ
âOver my dead body!â her mother chided. âWithout your work youâre only half a person. You belong there, Bron. You need medicineâand medicine needs you.â She walked Bronwen to the door, and gave her a firm hug. âDid I ever tell you how proud I am of you?â
âOh, MumâI love you!â
Eyes misting with emotion, feeling the same tingling dread and anticipation as sheâd had on her first day on the wards, Bronwen started her car and drove carefully the three miles to the Audley Memorial Hospital.
A new day, and a new start. Another chapter in her life closed. She stifled a pang of regret and dragged her mind away from the memory of a pair of vivid blue eyes the colour of a Mediterranean dawn, burning with passionate intensity, and a gravelly voice saying over and over, âI love you, Bron, I love you â¦â
Lies, all of it. Yet even so, she wouldnât change a thing. And damn it, she still loved him, even after all this time and knowing the way he had lied. And there was Livvy, bright, vivacious, her tumble of gold curls framing a smiling face, and those incredible long-lashed blue eyes she had inherited from her father. For the thousandth time, Bron wondered where he was and how he wasânot that she ought to care, but somehow hearts tended to go their own way.
She parked in the area set aside for medical staff, using the plastic card Jim Harris had given her to raise the security gate, and, squaring her shoulders, made her way through the door marked âAccident and Emergencyâ.
The smell hit her as she walked in, a sort of busy antiseptic smell composed of polish and institutional food and Hibitane, totally familiar and very reassuring. Her mother was right, this was where she belonged.
She walked on, past the doors marked âStaff Onlyâ, round to the right, second door on the left. Here it wasâDr J E Harris. Drawing a deep breath, she rapped twice.
âCome in!â
She opened the door and did as she was bidden, smiling to herself at the huge man sprawled like a teddy-bear across the chair and desk. He grinned, covered the mouthpiece of the telephone with one large paw, and mouthed, âHave a seatâwonât be a tick.â
She perched on the edge of the desk while he terminated the call, and then dropped his feet to the floor and stood with surprising grace, coming out from behind the desk to wrap her hands warmly in his.
âGood to see you again, Bronwen. Welcome to the team. Come and get a cup of coffee and meet the others. Theyâll be glad to see youâweâve been awfully pushed just recently. Hell of a weekend, I gather. Pile-up on the A45âholiday traffic, I suppose. I was sailing.â
âVery sensible,â she said with a wry smile, and he laughed and patted her shoulder.
âNervous?â
She shrugged. âA bit. Itâs been eighteen months. Dr Harris?â
âCall me Jim, Bronwen. Whatâs the matter?â
She paused, unsure of how to word her unusual request. âIt may seem silly to you, but Iâd rather the others didnât know about my daughter, if you donât mind. Thereâs enough speculation about single women doctors without adding fuel to the fire. Of course, if youâve already told them, it doesnât matterâââ