The Secrets of the Glen (Scottish Highlands #2)

Chapter 12

Robyn thought she heard a whisper of voices; distant, then closer. She felt something heavy across her legs.

‘Shh!’

Robyn’s eyelids fluttered.

‘She’s stirring – look.’

The lights were too bright, hurting her eyes.

‘Good morning, sleepy head.’

Robyn rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. ‘Gayle! What are you doing here?’ Robyn squinted at the bright sunlight streaming through the hospital window. ‘Oh no! I’ve been here all night.’ Robyn stretched stiffly in the chair, making the woollen blanket draped over her legs slip down her knees on to the floor.

‘Yes – you have.’ Robyn heard another voice she thought she recognised. She held up her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight and saw Doris sitting in a chair by the window.

‘When I got up this morning and knocked at your door with a cup of tea, imagine my surprise when there was no answer,’ said Gayle. ‘Then I popped my head inside and your bed was still made, so I knew you’d been out all night.’ You can imagine what I thought.’

She paused, handing Robyn a takeaway cup. ‘Here’s a cuppa from the vending machine down the hall.’

Robyn took it gratefully.

‘You can imagine what I thought,’ Gayle said again.

Robyn didn’t know what she meant. She looked at her, bemused.

‘You and David have been getting along really well …’ Gayle grinned.

Robyn eyed her. ‘I still don’t get what you … oh. Oh, I see.’ She grinned too. ‘This wasn’t exactly how I thought we’d spend our first night together.’

‘I’ll bet,’ said Gayle, still grinning.

Thinking of David, Robyn sat up with a start, nearly spilling her tea. David’s bed was empty. ‘Where—?’

Gayle rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. ‘Relax. David is with the physio.’

‘He’s up and about already?’

‘The physio always gets them up and about, ensuring they start walking after knee replacement surgery as soon as possible. You’d be surprised how many people complain about that, but it’s in their own interests to get mobile, obviously. They’ve taken him to a room down the hall where they have some physio equipment to practise stairs.’

‘Well, that’s great news. Did they say when he’d be discharged?’

‘He’ll be out in two or three days, so at the weekend, I expect.’

Robyn thought that was for the best, because she wanted to ask Gayle if he could stay at Lark Lodge. However, with Gayle’s father’s funeral the next day – Friday – she wasn’t going to broach that idea until afterwards.

Preparations were already underway for the wake at Lark Lodge after the service. It sounded as though it was going to be quite a turnout from the local community – people wanting to pay their respects to the local GP who had served the community for decades. There was far too much going on with the funeral, and the wake, for Gayle to be expected to collect a new guest – David, no doubt on crutches – from the hospital before the weekend.

Robyn had no idea what David’s house was like – whether it was a new-build, or an old property – but she thought Lark Lodge would be a wonderful place to recuperate; if David wanted to stay there, and obviously if Gayle and her mother were agreeable.

‘How did you know I was here?’ Robyn asked.

‘David called me on his mobile. He told the nurse to let you sleep. I said I’d pop over, bring you home.’

Robyn’s next concern was Rose and George. ‘Oh, no. What’s the time? Rose will be expecting me.’

‘It’s fine. I’ve let them know that David had an accident, and you’re visiting him in hospital, but that you’ll pop along later, if you can. They were very understanding.’

Robyn sighed in relief, until something occurred to her. ‘I don’t know how I’m going to get over to their house now that David can’t drive me for the foreseeable.’ She didn’t know how long that would be.

‘Don’t you worry about that. I’ll take you.’

‘Oh, Gayle. I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

Their conversation was interrupted by Gayle’s mother. ‘I want to see Horatio now. Where is he?’

‘Who is Horatio?’ Robyn asked Gayle.

Gayle sigh heavily. ‘Horatio is my late father.’

‘Oh.’

‘What do you mean – late?’ Doris said indignantly. ‘He’s never late for anything. My husband is always so punctual. Isn’t that right, Gayle?’

Robyn looked at Gayle. Their eyes met. The funeral was tomorrow, and her poor mum had already forgotten he’d passed away.

Gayle whispered to Robyn, ‘I had to bring her with me to pick you up. But I’m afraid that the hospital visit must have stirred up memories of when we visited Dad before Christmas.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘It’s not your fault, Robyn.’ Gayle turned to Doris. ‘We’re leaving soon, going home.’

‘Is Horatio coming with us?’

‘No, Mum.’

Robyn gulped down her tea, anxious to leave, for Doris’s sake. She wanted to see David, but as Gayle had said, he was in physio.

‘Why didn’t he wake me?’

‘I told you. He wanted to let you sleep. It sounds as though it was a long night, what with David being rushed into theatre, and you spending the evening at his bedside.

‘It was my fault,’ Robyn admitted miserably. ‘All my fault,’ she said as they walked out of the room. She did take a long glance down the corridor, hoping that David was on his way back with the physio, but there was no sign of him.

‘What are you talking about?’ Gayle asked. ‘How could it be your fault? David slipped on the ice.’

‘Is that what he told you?’

‘Yes.’

‘But did he tell you he was playing ice hockey.’

‘Really?’

That answered Robyn’s question. ‘Yes, well, he was coaching some kids who are hoping to get into the junior league.’

‘Coaching? What a wonderful idea.’

Robyn frowned. She’d thought so too, until he’d fallen. She said as much. ‘One of the kids skated into him, knocked him over.’

‘These things happen, Robyn. I don’t see how that was your fault.’

‘Yes, but I encouraged him to coach the kids.’

‘Well, I still think it’s a brilliant idea. He does love ice hockey, even though it sounds as though he was forced into it, to begin with, by his father, who was pretty tough on him, I imagine. But that hasn’t dampened his love of the game.’

‘How do you know all this, Gayle?’

‘My father was his GP.’

‘Oh, I didn’t know that.’

‘Yeah, small town, small world. He saw him regularly afterwards.’

‘Did your dad ever say anything about how it happened?’

‘How what happened?’

‘The original accident that ended his career?’

Gayle shook her head. ‘Doctor/patient confidentiality. Although I imagine he was there to get regular prescriptions for pain medication. I overheard my father talking to himself once, saying, Why won’t that lad just have knee replacement surgery? It doesn’t make sense .’

Robyn knew why. She shared what she’d overheard. She couldn’t help herself. ‘I think that even though he knew that he still wouldn’t be able to play ice hockey again professionally even if he had the surgery, he did it to get back at his dad for being so hard on him when he was younger.’ Robyn thought of what she’d overheard when she’d locked herself in the bathroom, a fact she was not going to share with Gayle. ‘I … um, get the impression that his dad thought if he had the surgery, he’d get back in the game. I think he’d pressure him to try, even though it would have been futile.’

Gayle nodded.

Robyn slowed as they reached the hospital entrance. She glanced over her shoulder.

‘David is in good hands,’ said Gayle. ‘And so are you,’ she added, placing an arm around Robyn’s shoulders and steering her out the door. ‘What you need is a hot shower, a change of clothes, and a good breakfast.’

Robyn had to admit that a hot shower and a change of clothes sounded really good, as did the breakfast. She was starving after only eating a chocolate bar for tea last night.

‘Come on,’ said Gayle, ‘let’s get you home.’