Page 8 of New Dreams for the Village Nurse
‘Yes. Did you sign up for that dating?—’
Ottilie didn’t get to finish her question. From across the room there was an ear-piercing squeal. Both women spun round to see one of the toddlers in the playpen trying to pull the other one around by the hair.
‘Oh, here’s trouble,’ Stacey said, handing Mackenzie to her and racing over to help sort the ruckus.
Ottilie watched her. In her arms, Mackenzie seemed to sense a less competent adult and was gearing up to cause a ruckus of his own. He grizzled and whined, and Ottilie had to get up and start walking up and down, feeling a bit desperate and knowing he could probably sense it.
Oh, please don’t…
Ottilie had once been nicknamed the patient whisperer by one of the consultants she’d worked for in Manchester, but if they could see her now, the moniker would definitely not stretch to baby whisperer.
‘Let’s go and see what’s out of the window, eh?’ she said, marching over to try and distract him.
Outside, the skies were a heavy gunmetal grey, the wind whipping around a bunch of daffodils that had sprung up in the grass next to the drystone wall that surrounded the community centre. Ottilie was ready for summer to arrive, and she was happy to see their sunny faces as a reminder that it wasn’t far away.
‘Look at the flowers, Mackenzie. Aren’t they pretty? And there…some big trees…’
Ottilie turned to see Stacey at her side. Everything seemed calm again, and she held out her hands to take Mackenzie back, gazing out of the window at the same time.
‘Wind’s getting up. Come on, Mackenzie…come to Nana. Let’s have my bestest boy before the wind blows him clean away…’
‘I’ve realised why you have Mackenzie way more than Chloe does,’ Ottilie said, smiling. ‘She can’t get near him for the fuss you make over him.’
‘That could be true, but at least I’m self-aware! You know, I might have had more children if Chloe’s dad hadn’t done the dirty on me. I suppose I always sort of felt like I wasn’t finished.’
‘So Mackenzie’s sort of a consolation prize?’
‘God no, he’s the star prize!’ She hugged him again, and he squirmed to get free. ‘Aren’t you, my little prince?’
Ottilie was still smiling as she checked her watch. ‘I ought to get back to work. Full clinic this afternoon.’
‘Won’t Fliss be offended that you didn’t have your usual lunch with them?’
‘I don’t think anyone had brought anything much in today,’ Ottilie lied, not wanting Stacey to know the real reason she’d missed out on lunch with Fliss and Lavender at the surgery was because she wanted to check up on her.
‘Oh,’ Stacey said, ‘I hope you weren’t thinking you’d get any decent food here – unless you’re a fan of mashed banana and Cow & Gate milk.’
Ottilie laughed lightly. ‘Tasty as that sounds, maybe I’ll give it a miss.’
They bid each other goodbye, and Ottilie was still laughing as she went to pick up her coat and bag from a hook by the door. She’d grown to love Stacey over the few months she’d been in Thimblebury. She was kind and funny and humble and hardworking, and she deserved so much better than the cards life had dealt her. Ottilie hoped one day she’d see Stacey get her reward because it really sounded as if she’d been waiting far too long as it was.
CHAPTER FOUR
The following morning Ottilie’s car had struggled up the muddy path to Hilltop Farm, so she’d given up and left it down at the bottom, choosing to walk up to the farmhouse. Ultimately, it would probably be a more efficient way to get there, even if in reality it was slower.
Hilltop was another one of her home visits, though this one was daily and in more of an unofficial capacity. It was more run-down than Daffodil Farm where Victor and Corrine lived with their family and a herd of alpaca that were almost like family too. But where Victor and Corrine had a large family and a mostly happy and warm home, poor Ann, now the sole owner of the farm since her husband died, had a more isolated and lonely existence, made more difficult still by the fact she struggled to care for Darryl, her grown-up son who had severe learning difficulties.
As she walked, she sent a quick text to Lavender.
Really sorry but I might be a couple of minutes late this morning. Up at Hilltop with Darryl. If you could stall the first couple of patients I’d love you forever. X
Lavender sent a thumbs-up emoji to show she’d got the message. Ottilie guessed that she might be too busy to reply with anything more.
Ottilie knocked once at the front door of the farmhouse and then let herself in. Ann and Darryl were used to her visits now to check on them and knew exactly what time to expect her, so they’d started to leave the door open with the invitation to let herself in. And the visits really were to check more than anything else. Ottilie wanted to make sure Darryl took his diabetic medication – he’d often been difficult about that in the past – and besides, she enjoyed chatting to Ann.
Ann was at the stove cooking bacon. The smell filled the air of the low-ceilinged kitchen and set Ottilie’s stomach gurgling.
‘Morning!’ Ann called over to Ottilie. ‘You’re just in time!’
