East of Barryvale Read online

  "Thank goodness you came, Doctor," she said tiredly, her breath coming in uneven gasps. "Now Ben can relax and stop worrying."

  Jacqueline put her bag down on the chair beside the bed and opened it.

  ""Why don't you go and make yourself some coffee?" she told Ben Enslin who stood hovering uncertainly in the doorway. "When I've examined your wife you can come in again."

  "Sure." He nodded, disappearing down the passage.

  "Now, let's have a look at you." Jacqueline placed the stethoscope in her ears and smiled down at the woman.

  The examination did not take long and soon she stood washing her hands in a basin which stood on an old-fashioned, marble-topped stand in a corner of the dimly lit room.

  "You're doing fine, Mrs. Enslin," she remarked over her shoulder while drying her hands. "I'll just give you a small injection to help you relax and your baby should be born quite soon now."

  "Is everything going to be all right, Doctor?" Mrs. Enslin asked anxiously as she watched Jacqueline pre­paring the syringe.

  "There's nothing for you to worry about," Jacqueline told her calmly as she swabbed her arm and plunged the needle into the soft flesh. "Just relax now and soon it will all be over."

  "Thank you," Mrs. Enslin sighed, closing her eyes.

  Jacqueline opened the door and went in search of Ben Enslin. She found him pacing about the kitchen.

  "How is she?" he asked worriedly when he saw her. "How is Mary?"

  "She's going to be all right," she told him firmly.

  "Would you like some coffee?"

  "Please."

  Jacqueline sat down at the table and he placed a steam­ing cup of coffee in front of her.

  "Will it still be long?" he asked as the clock chimed one.

  "It shouldn't be too long now." She sugared her coffee and stirred it. "I think it would be best if you didn't go back to your wife now. I'll be returning to her shortly and in the interim you can put a big pot of water on the stove in case we need it."

  It was three o'clock in the morning before Ben Enslin heard the first resentful cry of a baby coming from the room. He crushed his half-finished cigarette into an ash­tray, brimful of cigarette stubs, and rushed out of the kitchen.

  "What is it?" he asked excitedly, rushing into the room, and then more seriously: "How is Mary?"

  "Your wife is tired, but quite well," Jacqueline told him, wrapping the baby in a soft woollen blanket and placing it in his arms. "Congratulations, Mr. Enslin, you have a son."

  He stood there looking awkward, and slightly bemused by the small, red-faced bundle that had been pushed al­most unceremoniously into his arms.

  Mary smiled up at her husband with a tired but proud look on her pale face. "Isn't he beautiful, Ben?"

  "Well—" he hesitated, examining the wrinkled little face so close to his own. He smiled happily. "I wouldn't call him beautiful, but I don't doubt that he's going to be a handsome little feller one day."

  Mary held her arms up and he placed the baby beside her on the bed. Kissing her gently on the lips, he said: "Thank you, darling."

  Jacqueline left them for a while when Ben Enslin sat down on the side of the bed, holding- his wife's hand firmly in his own. She smiled slightly as she walked into the kitchen and noticed the evidence of his anxiety in the overflowing ashtray. Placing a hand on the side of the coffee pot, she found it still hot and poured herself a cup of strong black coffee. The tiredness seemed to envelop her suddenly as she sipped at the hot liquid. It had been uncomfortably hot sitting there in the small room while Mary Enslin had been in labour, and it had frequently been necessary to wipe the perspiration from Mary's face with a cool, damp cloth.

  Rinsing out her empty cup, she went out on to the step. The stars still shone brightly in the sky as she leant against the rail. The air had cooled considerably and she drew it deeply into her lungs. She stood for a moment longer drinking in the stillness and absolute peace of her surroundings before going back indoors.

  "I would just like to make your wife comfortable, Mr. Enslin," she remarked, walking into the room, "then I must return to the hospital."

  "Wouldn't you care to stay until the morning?" Mary Enslin asked appealingly. "You could make yourself comfortable in our spare room and return to town in the morning."

  Ben fell in eagerly with his wife's offer, and Jacqueline thought it over, glancing at her wristwatch. It was already four o'clock and she supposed, tiredly, that it would not make much difference if she stayed over another two hours.

  "Thank you very much," she smiled thankfully down at Ben's wife, not realising the repercussions this decision

  of hers was to have.

  As the first rays of light lit up the sky and the sun sent its soft warmth over the dew-covered earth, Jacqueline said goodbye and started the short journey back to town. After a quick wash and a change, she hurried along to Men's Surgical to be met by a fresh-looking Sally Meyer who welcomed her with a smile filled with relief.

  "Thank goodness you've come! I've had Dr. Powers breathing fire at me and demanding to know where you were, and just recently Dr. Mason was here wanting to know the same thing." Sally's voice was breathless. "It appears there was some sort of crisis and Dr. Powers wants you in his office the minute you get in."

  "Oh, dear!" Jacqueline sighed, nervously fingering a button on her white coat. All she needed now was a verbal battle with Meldon Powers to end off the sleepless night she had endured, she thought miserably.

  The breakfast trays were being removed from the wards by the nurses in their white, starched uniforms, and they stopped their friendly chatter with the patients to greet politely as Jacqueline hurried by.

  Meldon Powers' secretary lifted her glance from her typewriter and smiled broadly as Jacqueline entered.

  "Good morning, Dr. Thornton."

  Jacqueline returned the greeting, letting her anxious glance rest on the closed door to Meldon Powers' office. "I believe Dr. Powers wanted to see me?"

  "Just a moment, dear." She flicked a switch.

  "Yes?" Meldon Powers' voice came briskly over the intercom.

  "Dr. Thornton to see you, Dr. Powers."

  "Send her in."

  She flicked the switch once more and turned to Jacqueline. "His bark is worse than his bite, my dear," she said comfortingly as she sensed Jacqueline's nervous­ness.

  Jacqueline flashed her a thankful smile and knocked on the door before entering.

  "You wanted to see me, Dr. Powers?" she asked ap­prehensively as she closed the door behind her.

  Meldon Powers sat behind his desk and raised his dark head as she entered. There was nothing in his expression that suggested the slightest sign of friendliness, and Jacqueline clasped her hands nervously behind her back, wondering what had warranted this unexpected and urgent request to call at his office.

  "Sit down," he said briefly, and Jacqueline did so, sinking into the leather-bound chair and feeling the blessed coolness of it against her back.

  She watched him twist the cap on to his pen with slow, deliberate movements before placing it on the blotter in front of him. He sat back, resting his hands on the arms of his chair, and Jacqueline looked up unflinchingly into his cold blue eyes. His lips were compressed firmly, the full, sensuous lower lip drawn in slightly, causing the deeply etched lines on the side of his mouth to stand out more prominently.

  "Where were you last night?" he asked quietly, "or to be more precise, where were you at five o'clock this morn­ing?"

  Jacqueline took a deep breath and not daring to ask the reason for this inquisition, explained briefly what had happened after she had been called out to Ben Enslin's farm. As she spoke she searched his face in vain for some sign of softening in his hard features. His expression re­mained austere throughout her explanation, and when she had finished he continued to look at her coldly as if he expected her to say something else. Shifting uncomfort­ably beneath his gaze, she wondered feverishly what this was leading up to.

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p; "I suppose it never occurred to you to inform the hos­pital of your whereabouts," he lashed out at her. "Nor did you consider picking up the telephone and informing us of your decision to remain overnight at the Enslins' farm?"

  "But surely the switchboard operator took down the particulars when the call came through?" she asked, astounded, and with a burning sense of guilt.

  "It's for you to take the call and to decide whether it's necessary for you to pay a visit to the caller's home," he told her firmly. "If you should decide on the latter, then it's once again your responsibility to take down particu­lars and to inform the hospital accordingly."

  "I'm sorry," she replied inadequately.

  "And so you should be," he continued tersely, pinning her down with his blue gaze. "Dr. Sanderson and Dr. Marais had to perform an emergency operation at five o'clock this morning and they needed you to assist them. Subsequently Dr. Mason had to be called out when you could not be located. This caused further delay as Dr. Mason was staying overnight with friends in town."

  Was the inconvenience forced upon Tanya Mason per­haps the true reason for this outburst? Jacqueline won­dered.

  "What a pity Dr. Mason's beauty sleep had to be inter­rupted," she retorted acidly, and could afterwards only think that lack of sleep had caused her to make so rash a statement.

  "Your sarcasm is uncalled for," he said harshly, lean­ing forward with his elbows on the desk, and clasping his well-shaped hands in front of him. "We wasted precious minutes trying to locate you, and that's something that could have been avoided had you followed the correct procedure. And as for Dr. Mason, she's an extremely effi­cient worker and deserves what rest she can get."

  "Do you suppose I don't work hard?"

  "You still have to prove yourself," came his blunt reply, and Jacqueline dropped her glance to where her hands were clenched tightly in her lap. She was amazed that she had had the temerity to ask such a question and realised too that she had deserved the reply she had re­ceived. What had she expected? A glowing report of her capabilities?

  She closed her eyes for a moment to relieve the ache behind them and swallowed at the sudden lump in her throat. The gentle throb of activity penetrated her fever­ish mind and soothed her. Perhaps Meldon Powers had every right to be angry with her, she decided as sanity re­turned. She had, after all, been negligent. Would she ever be able to please Meldon Powers? she wondered, a slight sigh escaping her.

  "Was there anything else, Dr. Powers?" she asked meekly, hoping he would allow her to return to her duties.

  "Just this," he said, rising to his feet. "If this situation ever occurs again, I shall have no alternative but to take drastic steps."

  She stared at him blankly for a moment. "What do you mean?"

  He stood regarding her for some minutes, taking in the slight dark smudges beneath the questioning brown eyes, and the vulnerability of her sensitive mouth. Suddenly his expression hardened.

  "I shall have to ask for your resignation."

  Jacqueline stared at him aghast, her cheeks paling vis­ibly. "You can't be serious?"

  "I assure you I am." He walked round the desk and stopped beside her chair to look down upon her from his great height. "As Superintendent of this hospital I am responsible for the conduct of every individual under my supervision, and I shan't be doing my job properly if I allow such careless behaviour from a member of my staff."

  Jacqueline recovered her composure swiftly, but felt at a disadvantage with him towering above her. She could not get to her feet, for that would bring her in too close a proximity with him, so there was nothing for it but to remain seated and meet his eyes squarely.

  "Dr. Powers," she said wearily, "for some reason I have yet to discover, you disliked the idea of having to ap­point me to your staff. You made this fact painfully obvi­ous at our first meeting. But in spite of your antipathy to­wards me, you accepted my application and ever since then you've made it your business to swoop down on me with hawklike precision at every minor mistake I hap­pened to make."

  "You're exaggerating," he exclaimed angrily.

  "No, I'm not," Jacqueline persisted doggedly. "You pounced on me for arriving two minutes late for my ap­pointment with you on my first morning here. You ignore my existence when doing your rounds, yet at other times you watch me so closely that I have no option but to be aware of your silent disapproval."

  "That's enough!" His voice was ominously quiet.

  "No, it's not," she insisted, her voice rising in agitation as she ignored the danger signals. "Why you took me on in the first place I'll never know, because you're just itch­ing for a repetition of what happened last night so that you could ask for my resignation."

  "What occurred last night must never happen again," he insisted furiously, moving away from her.

  "What if my car breaks down while I'm out on a call?" Jacqueline continued angrily, taking this opportunity to rise to her feet. "Am I expected to sprout wings in order to get back to the hospital or else the great Dr. Meldon Powers might give me my walking ticket if I'm late?"

  "I shall not tolerate this insolence!" He breached the gap between them with a few quick strides and gripped her shoulders so tightly with his hands that an agonising pain shot into her arms. His eyes blazed down at her as he shook her violently. "You're twisting everything out of proportion, and you know it!"

  "Am I?" Jacqueline blinked furiously at the tears that had formed in her eyes from the hurt he was inflicting upon her.

  He released her with an exasperated exclamation and she fell back against the desk, rubbing her arms where his fingers had bruised her.

  He stood looking down at her broodingly. "Why is it that you and I are always at loggerheads? Lord knows, it's not what I want,"

  Jacqueline bit back a stinging reply and waited instead for him to continue, but he pushed a weary hand through his hair and resumed his seat behind the desk.

  "You're tired, Jacqueline, and so am I. Perhaps when you've rested you may discover that what I have insisted upon is not so impossible after all." He picked up his pen and proceeded to unscrew the cap. "You may go."

  Dismissed, she turned and left his office with as much dignity as she could muster. To her relief the outer office was empty and there was no one to see the helpless tears chasing each other down her cheeks. She dashed them away with the back of her hand and scolded herself angrily for being so weak as to let Meldon Powers upset her to such an extent.

  She was hurrying back to the ward when a hand gripped her arm firmly and swung her round.

  "Where's the fire?" Martin asked laughingly, then taking a closer look at her, his face sobered. "You've been crying!"

  "I have not!"

  "Oh, yes, you have," he insisted grimly as he walked along beside her taking in the trace of recent tears on her cheeks. "What's happened?"

  "Nothing."

  "Oh, come now! One doesn't go about crying for no reason at all,"

  Jacqueline remained silent and Martin came to his own conclusions.

  "You've just come from the Chief's office," he guessed shrewdly, and when she acknowledged the fact with a brief nod of her head, he murmured, "I thought so."

  They walked along in silence for a while and Martin was surprised when Jacqueline stopped in her tracks with­out warning and turned to face him.

  "Do you know of any reason why Dr. Powers should dislike so much the idea of having me on his staff?" she asked, determined to get to the bottom of this perplexing problem.

  Martin looked down into her serious face and shook his head.

  "I can't think of any reason why any man in his right mind shouldn't want you around, Jacky." He winked mischievously. "Unless the Chief is afraid that you might send the patients' temperatures soaring."

  "Be serious, Martin."

  "But I am serious, Jacky," he insisted adamantly. "You're a very attractive woman and a man would need his head read if he didn't find your beauty intoxicating."

  "Oh, Martin," she laug
hed heartily, shelving her pro­blems. "You're incorrigible, and so good for my morale!"

  "Dr. Thornton, you're wanted in Men's Surgical. Dr. Thornton," a voice rang out over the loudspeaker system, and Jacqueline said a hurried goodbye before disappear­ing from view.

  What Jacqueline had so inadvertently predicted came true several weeks later. The storm that had been threatening for so long broke loose in all its fury early one evening while she was returning from a visit to a patient on a farm several miles out of town. The distant rumble of thunder came closer and finally a brilliant flash of lightning lit the earth, followed by a violent clap of thunder. This was repeated in rapid succession until the skies seemed to open up, while the rain came down with a force that made travelling almost impossible.