Her Miracle Twins. Margaret Barker
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She opened her eyes and looked at the travel clock on her bedside table. Eight o clock! She hadn’t set her alarm for once. No need for that this morning.
The phone rang. It was housekeeping asking if she would like breakfast. Dr Devine had left instructions for them to call. ‘Would you like a croissant?’
‘Yes, please.’
‘And a coffee with milk?’
‘Please’ She liked dipping her croissant in a large breakfast cup of milky coffee.
She got out of bed and went over to the window, pulling back the curtains. Wall-to-wall sunshine already. Well, it was almost summer. From her window she could see the main gate, the ambulances lined up for duty, one already speeding in from the seafront, making its way to Emergency where everybody would be hard at work by now. Including Michel. She swallowed hard as she thought of her embarrassing attempt to ask him out for supper yesterday evening. She’d been successful but she could tell he had only been polite with her. He would probably be relieved when it was all over. She couldn’t think why she’d set it up. Well, actually, she did have an idea but it was too complicated to analyse.
Was she testing herself to see if she really had changed into the ice maiden she tried to portray to the opposite sex? If that was her real reason for this date—if she could even call it that she’d have no problem sticking to the vows she’d made to herself last September. None whatsoever. Her emotions were completely surrounded by ice.
Someone was knocking on her door. She shrugged into her dressing gown and went to open it, taking the breakfast tray from the maid then climbing back into bed.
As she dipped her croissant in the coffee she reflected that her rendezvous with Michel this evening would be harmless as long as she remembered she’d arranged this meal together to thank a kind friend and colleague for all his help. That was the sole object of this evening out together.
‘Are you ready to go off duty, Chantal?’
The afternoon had flown by as she’d dealt with an influx of patients from a crash on the coastal road involving a coach and two cars. She was pulling back the curtains from her cubicle as her final patient was being taken away on a trolley to be admitted to Orthopaedics.
‘Have all the patients been seen, Michel?’
‘Treated, discharged, admitted and no fatalities. The evening staff have all arrived. I’ve even dealt with the police investigation and sent them on their way satisfied they’ve got all the medical details they need for their report. Excellent teamwork by everyone this afternoon, so let’s go!’
She wasn’t fooled by his bright and breezy attitude. He was as apprehensive as she was.
‘Give me ten minutes to clean myself up.’
‘Ten minutes? You look fine to me. OK. See you by the front entrance.’
She headed for the staff changing room to change into a pair of jeans and tee shirt, adding the white sweater she’d brought to tie around her neck in case it got chilly later on. Not that they were going to stay long enough for the evening chill to set in. A quick supper, a polite chat and they’d go their separate ways, wouldn’t they?
She glanced at her reflection. Mmm, not bad. A dash of lipstick and then she would be ready.
Michel was chatting to Sidonie by the main entrance and Chantal slowed her pace. Mustn’t seem too eager to be off.
Sidonie broke off the conversation. ‘Hi, Chantal. You look like you’re off out. Going anywhere nice?’
‘Off to the beach café for supper.’
‘Oh, that’s where you’re going Michel, isn’t it? Ah, so you’re going together? Keeping up the aftercare of your patient? Very commendable. Well, don’t let me keep you. Have fun but beware the killer of stones.’
Sidonie smiled at them as she moved away down the corridor.
Chantal was beginning to wish she’d never dreamed up this supper date. The entire medical staff would have heard about it by tomorrow morning.
‘So, shall we go?’
Michel was looking down at her, a wry grin on his face, probably knowing exactly what she was thinking but hoping he was covering up his apprehension better than she was.
CHANTAL WAS VERY pleased to see that the Café de la Plage was filling up with lots of happy people. She was glad to have got through a busy afternoon working in Emergency and was now ready for some leisure time. She noticed chattering families, a couple of small babies being rocked off to sleep in their pushchairs, one by a serene-looking, white-haired grandmother and the other by a harassed-looking young mother who was also coping with a lively, demanding toddler while Papa was completely engrossed in a dispute with the elder sister.
It was the sort of warm family atmosphere she remembered from when she had been brought in here as a small child by both her parents, before her father had died. She felt safe here, at home, relaxed—well, almost. There was still a nagging doubt at the back of her mind that she could have made a mistake, asking out the boss on the pretext—no, it hadn’t been a pretext! It had been a genuine desire to say thank you to a colleague, now a good friend, who’d been extremely helpful in her time of need.
What other possible reason could she have had? After the treatment she’d suffered at the hands of the duplicitous Jacques she didn’t trust any man, not even Michel, who was obviously still in love with his irreplaceable wife.
Michel was holding the back of her chair, politely intent on making sure she was comfortable. She hoped they would both relax a bit more when they settled into their table by the window. Their conversation as they had walked across the sand had seemed strained, contrived almost, as they’d talked about their work and barely glanced at the setting sun, which was low in the sky behind the hills, causing a pink blush over the clouds and strands of gold to weave in and out of the lovely scenery.
She’d had the urge to stop and admire it but hadn’t known whether Michel had time for such romantic elements in his busy life. His devotion to duty was legendary at the hospital. He seemed to live for his work and probably hadn’t got time for sunsets and sunrises.
She’d remarked on the sunset a couple of times but Michel had seemed to increase his pace and had appeared to be in a hurry to get the dutiful evening over and done with. Well, that’s what it seemed like to her and she was beginning to feel the same way herself now they were inside the café.
She’d arranged this outing so it was her responsibility to make sure it wasn’t too painful. She put on her dutiful-hostess smile as she looked across the table at Michel.
‘Always a good family atmosphere in here, don’t you think?’
‘Well, I can’t really judge because this is my first time here.’
Chantal decided to try again. ‘Of course. As I told you, it’s a favourite of mine from childhood.’
‘Chantal! My husband didn’t tell me you were here!’ A plump, rosy-cheeked lady was leaning over the table. ‘We haven’t had the pleasure of serving you in our restaurant this season. Are you still living in Paris?’
‘Ah, Florence. Lovely to see you again. Actually, I’ve left the Paris hospital. I’m a doctor in Emergency at the Hôpital de la Plage now.’
‘A doctor? It’s not possible that you’re all grown up now. Now, what can I get you and your charming companion?’
Michel extended his hand. ‘Michel Devine, Madame, a colleague of Chantal’s at the hospital.’
Chantal could see that Florence was much impressed by her handsome friend and colleague. He could be really charming when he put on that dazzling smile. Florence was