‘I DON’T suppose you’ve seen Daniel, have you, Emma?’
Emma paused when Ruth called to her on her way into the surgery that afternoon. It was five minutes to four and she was keen to get to her room before her first patient arrived. ‘Not since lunchtime, I’m afraid.’
‘Oh, right.’ Ruth sighed.
Emma frowned. ‘Why? Is there a problem?’
‘No, not really. It’s just that he usually pops in with his notes after he’s finished the house calls, but he’s not been in yet this afternoon.’
‘Maybe he’s running late,’ Emma suggested.
‘Probably, although there weren’t that many calls to do today.’ Ruth shrugged when the phone rang. ‘Maybe he got held up. You know how some people love to talk—he probably couldn’t get away.’
‘I expect that’s it,’ Emma agreed as she carried on along the corridor, although she was surprised that Daniel would have allowed himself to be late. He was a stickler for punctuality and was usually at his desk well before his first appointment was due.
She booted up her computer then glanced through the list that Ruth had left on her desk. It wasn’t too long for a change so, hopefully, she could finish on time for once. She buzzed through for her first patient, smiling when Judith Fisher walked into the room.
‘Hello, Judith. How are you?’
‘I’m all right, Dr Roberts.’ The young woman sat down in front of the desk. ‘I had an appointment at the hospital on Wednesday. The consultant did a laparoscopy and confirmed that I have endometriosis, like you suspected.’
‘At least we know what we’re dealing with now,’ Emma said quietly.
‘I suppose so,’ Judith agreed wistfully.
Emma guessed that it had been a blow for Judith to have her suspicions confirmed and tried to focus on the positive aspects of the diagnosis. ‘What did the consultant suggest by way of treatment?’
‘He’s put me back on the Pill to prevent me menstruating. It will help to control the pain and, hopefully, stop the cysts from getting any bigger. He also said that he might surgically remove some of the larger cysts at a later date.’
‘And you’re worried about how that will affect your chances of having a baby?’
‘Yes.’ Tears rose in Judith’s eyes. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever have a baby now, will I?’
‘I haven’t received a copy of your consultant’s report yet, Judith, so there is no way that I can tell you that everything is going to be all right. However, what I can say is that between sixty and seventy per cent of women who suffer from endometriosis are able to have children.’
‘That sounds much better than how the consultant put it.’ Judith managed a watery smile. ‘He said that thirty to forty per cent of women with endometriosis are infertile.’
‘I suppose it’s the glass half full or half empty scenario,’ Emma said with a chuckle. ‘It depends which way you choose to look at the figures.’
‘Well, I prefer your way.’ Judith sounded more optimistic all of a sudden. ‘I have almost a seventy per cent chance of becoming a mum and that’s pretty good odds, I’d say.’
‘So would I.’ Emma smiled at her. ‘I know it must be hard but try to remain positive. Once you’ve completed the treatment, who knows what might happen? And the plus factor is that pregnancy is known to suppress the symptoms of endometriosis.’
‘A case of fingers crossed.’ Judith laughed as she stood up.
‘Exactly.’
Emma was still smiling as she buzzed through her next patient. It was always good to know that you had helped someone be more positive about their life. That was one of the reasons why she loved surgery, of course, although she hadn’t realised that she would derive the same pleasure from general practice work. No wonder Daniel enjoyed his job so much.
The thought startled her. Ever since Daniel had announced that he planned to go into private practice, she’d had a jaundiced view of his motives for becoming a GP. Now she could see that she may have misjudged him.
It didn’t necessarily mean that it was purely financial gain that drove him.
It was uncomfortable to find her view of Daniel knocked off kilter. Emma found it difficult to push the idea aside as she dealt with her next patient, an elderly man who suffered from chronic bronchitis. She renewed his prescription for an inhaler and gently suggested that he might benefit from oxygen therapy. Once she had explained that oxygen cylinders could be delivered to his home, he happily agreed. She made a note to ask Ruth to contact the nearest supplier and saw him out. She was just about to sit down again when Ruth, herself, hurried into the room.
‘I’m sorry to barge in, Emma, but Daniel still hasn’t appeared. I’m getting really worried now, because it just isn’t like him not to turn up,’ the receptionist told her anxiously.
‘No, it certainly isn’t,’ Emma agreed. ‘Have you tried his phone?’
‘Yes, but it goes straight to voice mail.’ Ruth bit her lip. ‘You don’t think he’s had an accident, do you? Some of the roads round here are a bit tricky if you don’t know them that well.’
‘I’m sure we’d have heard if he had,’ Emma assured her, although her heart had started to race at the thought of Daniel lying injured somewhere. She took a deep breath before panic could set in. ‘Do you have a list of the calls he was supposed to do this afternoon?’ When Ruth nodded, she hurried on. ‘Then I suggest you telephone everyone on the list and check what time he visited them. That way we’ll have a better idea of where he might be.’
‘Good idea!’ Ruth exclaimed. She hurried to the door then paused. ‘What about his patients, though? There’s a real backlog forming.’
‘I’ll have to see them,’ Emma told her. ‘I’ll see one of mine then one of Daniel’s—that will be fairer than making his patients wait till I finish my list.’
Emma picked up the phone as soon as Ruth left and dialled Daniel’s phone but the call went straight to voice mail again. She hung up, feeling her stomach churning with nerves. What could have happened to stop him even answering his phone? She had no idea but it was extremely worrying. Maybe they didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things but she couldn’t bear to think that he may have been hurt or worse even.
Her heart suddenly seemed to shrivel up inside her. The thought of never seeing Daniel again was more than she could bear.
Daniel heard his phone ring and guessed that it must be Ruth calling to see where he was. He glanced at his watch, realising with a start that it was almost four-thirty. How much longer was Dawson going to keep them here? he wondered, glancing at the old man, who was standing guard by the kitchen door. He had no idea but something needed to be done to resolve this situation soon.
‘Look, Mr Dawson, I know you’re upset but this is crazy. Keeping us here won’t achieve anything,’ he said in his most reasonable tone. ‘All you’ll do is find yourself in a whole load of trouble and I’m sure that isn’t what any of us wants.’
‘I don’t care how much trouble I’m in. It’ll be worth it to put a stop to what’s going on.’ Harold Dawson raised the shotgun and pointed it at Alistair Grant. ‘If him and his cronies think they can come here and tear up the countryside then they can think again!’
Daniel saw the colour drain from Alistair’s face and quickly interceded. ‘If that’s the way you feel, you need to talk to someone, see if you can get the decision to build this wind farm reversed.’
‘Talk! I’ve talked till I’m blue in the face and no one’s listened to me.’ Harold’s face flushed with anger. ‘No, it’s actions that will get their attention, nothing else.’
Daniel opened his mouth to try again to make him see sense when the telephone rang. Harold Dawson lifted the receiver off its rest. Daniel could tell from what the old man was saying that it was the surgery phoning and guessed that Ruth must be checking up on his whereabouts. He was tempted to shout out that he was there but Dawson must have realised he might do that and swung the gun towards him.
‘No, the doctor left a while ago. No, I don’t know what time it was. I’ve better things to do than keep a check on folk’s comings and goings.’
He went to slam the receiver back on its rest at the same moment that Daniel’s mobile phone rang again. He let it go to voice mail once more, knowing it would be foolish to try and answer it. Dawson’s mood was far too volatile to risk upsetting him any further. He glanced at Alistair and saw the fear in the younger man’s eyes.
‘What are we going to do?’ Alistair mouthed desperately.
Daniel shook his head. Reasoning with the old man obviously wasn’t going to work and using physical force was out of the question when Dawson had that gun. All he could hope was that Emma would call the police when he failed to turn up. So long as she didn’t try tracking him down herself, of course.
The air seemed to lock in his lungs at the thought of her following him to the farm and placing herself in danger. He knew if that happened he would have to do something, no matter how risky it was.
He took a deep breath and his mind was suddenly crystal clear. He would give up his life to protect Emma because he loved her.
It was seven o’clock before the last patient left. Emma hurried through to Reception, not needing to ask if there was any news when she saw the worry on Ruth’s face. ‘Still nothing,’ she said helplessly.
‘No. I just don’t know what to do next, Emma.’
‘You’ve called everyone who’d requested a home visit?’
‘Yes, and they all said that Dr Kennedy had left ages ago.’ Ruth shook her head. ‘Most of them were able to tell me almost to the minute what time he left too. It was only old Harold Dawson who refused to say what time Daniel left his farm but that’s typical of him. A really awkward old devil, he is.’
‘Harold Dawson from Niths Farm, you mean?’ Emma queried.
‘That’s right. He’s always been difficult but he’s got worse since his wife died. He doesn’t have any family and I doubt he’s got any friends either.’ Ruth paused and frowned.
‘What?’ Emma said quickly. ‘You’ve obviously thought of something.’
‘It’s just that when I was hanging up the phone after speaking to him I could have sworn I heard a mobile phone ringing in the background.’ Ruth shrugged. ‘It just seems odd. I wouldn’t have thought old Mr Dawson would be the sort to bother having a mobile.’
‘Maybe he had somebody visiting him,’ Emma suggested.
‘Could be, although I doubt they’d get much of a welcome. He’s not one to mix, believe me.’
Emma sighed. Although it did seem strange, it had nothing to do with what had happened to Daniel so there wasn’t time to worry about it right then. She came to a swift decision. ‘I’m going to phone the police and report Daniel missing. I’m not sure what they can do but we can’t just sit here, wondering what’s happened to him.’
‘I think you should call them,’ Ruth agreed, looking relieved. ‘Daniel would have let us know if his car had broken down or if he’d had some sort of minor accident.’
Emma bit her lip as she reached for the receiver. Ruth was right. Daniel would have contacted them—if he could. She put a call through to the police station and told them what had happened. They promised to check with the various agencies in case Daniel had been involved in an RTA and get back to her. Ruth insisted on staying while they waited for the police to phone back and went off to make them a cup of tea. Almost as soon as she’d gone, there was a loud banging on the surgery door and Emma felt her spirits soar in relief. That had to be Daniel!
Hurrying to the door, she swung it open. ‘And about time too—’ she began, then stopped abruptly when she found Mike Harding standing on the step. ‘Sorry, Mike. I thought you were someone else.’
Mike grimaced. ‘And I’m sorry to turn up like this too but I noticed the lights were still on as I was passing.’ He held up his hand, which was covered in a blood-soaked bandage. ‘We’ve been out on a training exercise tonight and I managed to get my thumb caught in one of the ratchets we use to haul people up the hillside. It needs a stitch or two and I was hoping you might do it to save me having to trail off to the hospital.’
‘I … um … yes, of course. Come in.’ Emma led the way inside. ‘Come straight through to my room while I take a look at it.’
Mike followed her along the corridor, glancing round when Ruth came rushing out of the staffroom. He must have seen her face fall because he grinned. ‘Obviously, I’m not the person you hoped to see either.’
‘No, you’re not,’ Ruth said bluntly.
Mike’s smile faded as he looked from her to Emma. ‘Is something wrong?’
‘Daniel failed to turn up for surgery this evening,’ Emma explained as she ushered him into her room. ‘He hasn’t phoned and he isn’t answering his mobile either.’
‘That’s odd.’ Mike frowned as he sat down and unwound the bandage. ‘I wouldn’t have thought there was a problem getting a signal in that part of the Dales.’
Emma stopped and stared at him. ‘What do you mean, that part of the Dales? Have you seen him?’
‘Yes, well not him but I’ve seen his car. It’s parked outside old man Dawson’s place—Niths Farm. You know.’
‘What time was this?’ Emma demanded.
‘Oh, around six-thirty, give or take a few minutes.’ Mike shrugged. ‘I did my hand in soon after that so it can’t have been much later.’
‘But Ruth phoned Harold Dawson way before then and he told her that Daniel had already left!’ Emma exclaimed.
‘Well, it was definitely Dr Kennedy’s car. You don’t get many fancy motors like that round here and certainly not at Dawson’s place. There was another car there too, now that I think about it, a site vehicle from that wind farm they’re building on the edge of Dawson’s land.’ Mike looked worried now. ‘Why on earth did Dawson say the doc wasn’t there when he was?’
‘I don’t know but it needs checking.’ Emma picked up a dish and filled it with saline then gently bathed Mike’s thumb. She frowned when she saw the deep gash at its base. ‘That looks nasty. It’s going to need three or four stitches by the look of it.’
She numbed Mike’s thumb with an injection of local anaesthetic then set to work. It only took her only a few minutes to complete the job and Mike shook his head in admiration. ‘That was quick work. You’ve done that a time or two, by the look of it.’
‘Just a couple of times.’ Emma summoned a smile but it was hard to concentrate. She had a nasty feeling about what Mike had told her and wouldn’t rest until she had paid Harold Dawson a visit to see what was going on.
‘Dr Haynes told me that you’d gone into surgery.’ Mike smiled at her as he stood up. ‘He’s every right to be proud of you.’
Emma merely nodded, her mind too busy churning over possibilities to focus on the compliment. She looked up when Mike sighed. ‘If it’s hurting I can give you some painkillers,’ she offered, feeling guilty for neglecting her patient.
‘It’s fine. No, it’s obvious that you’re worried sick about Dr Kennedy, aren’t you? ‘
Emma flushed. ‘It just seems strange that he hasn’t called us,’ she demurred.
Mike gave her an old-fashioned look. ‘Hmm. It does. Why don’t we drive over there and see what’s going on? It’s the least I can do after you’ve saved me a long wait in Casualty.’
‘Oh, I couldn’t expect you to do that,’ she began, but Mike shook his head.
‘Of course you can. In fact, I’m going to get onto the rest of the team and tell them what’s happened. If the doc’s out there, we’ll find him. That’s a promise.’
He put a comforting arm around Emma’s shoulders and she sagged gratefully against him. ‘Thanks, Mike,’ she murmured huskily.
‘No sweat.’ He gave her a brotherly hug then went to the door. ‘I’ll put through that call and see you outside. OK?’
Emma nodded then hurried to find Ruth and tell her what had happened. They agreed that the police should be informed that Daniel’s car had been seen, although whether they would act on the information was open to question. Mike had the engine running when Emma hurried outside and as soon as she got into the Land Rover, they set off. It was a good thirty-minute drive to Niths Farm and Emma was on tenterhooks all the way. If Daniel had left the farm, she had no idea where to start looking for him.
They turned down the lane leading to the farm and Mike slowed as they reached the bottom. ‘Look,’ he said, pointing.
Emma’s heart leapt into her throat when she saw Daniel’s car parked in the yard alongside another vehicle, which bore the logo of the wind farm’s contractors. Obviously he was still there despite Harold Dawson’s assurances to the contrary. ‘What should we do?’ she asked anxiously.
‘I don’t know, but whatever we decide we need to be careful.’ Mike’s tone was sombre. ‘Old Dawson is a bit of a loose cannon lately. Folk have seen him walking round with a shotgun. Let’s not go rushing in until we know what’s happening, eh?’
‘But Daniel may be in danger!’ she protested.
‘Yes. And we don’t want to make matters worse by forcing Dawson’s hand.’ Mike picked up the radio receiver.
‘I’m going to call the police and get them over here right away.’
Emma opened her door and climbed out of the car while Mike made the call. There were only a few hundred yards between her and Daniel but the distance had never seemed greater. The fact that she had no idea what was happening to him was so painful that she felt tears well to her eyes. Maybe they weren’t destined to spend their lives together, as she had once hoped, but that didn’t matter. So long as she knew that he was safe and well somewhere in the world, that was enough. In that moment she was forced to acknowledge the truth. She loved him. She loved him with the whole of her heart and she always would.