Free E for England by Elisabeth Rose Page B

you.’
    â€˜Bye.’
    Hugh let himself into the apartment. James was asleep on the couch with the television blaring and a football match in progress. Hugh grabbed the remote and pressed mute. He could do with a sleep himself but it was too late in the day now. Better have an early night after last night’s marathon. How did Leonie do it? She seemed to be out most nights. James too.
    He was more inclined to stay home in the evenings. Like Annie. Walking home with her had been pleasantly relaxing. She was good company, easy to chat to. Floss was a little sweetheart. Pretty as every four year old and with no apparent ill effects from the family break-up. Mattie was suffering the most. Too young to fully understand what had happened but old enough to feel betrayed and confused by the situation. Missing his father and probably in some way blaming Annie for the man’s departure. Resentful of any other man becoming close to hismother or interfering in the family unit.
    Had he been that way all those years ago with his stepfather?
    Hugh went to make tea.
    Why had her husband left? Another woman? That was most likely, although Annie was a very special lady. The other woman must be something else to outdo her plus the children. Odd he hadn’t wanted to keep in touch with them. Unless he hadn’t wanted children in the first place and felt trapped. He wouldn’t be the first man in that situation. All it took was an attractive, available alternative as catalyst and they were gone.
    Hugh shook his head and sighed. Better not to get into that situation in the first place. He didn’t want the responsibility of children and there was absolutely no chance he would pretend anything else to a woman he was involved with. It was selfish and thoughtless in the extreme to do what Annie’s husband had done to her and, most of all, to their children. Annie would cope and move on. She already was. The children would be affected for life. A father, or mother, who clears off without a word leaves a wounded adult behind.
    Hugh strode into the Intensive Care Ward. Four patients had come in through Emergency within an hour of each other and he’d been called down to see them all. Two were elderly women with pneumonia. One with a collapsed lung. Both had been heavy smokers all their lives so the prognosis was not good. He’d sent both immediately to the High Dependency Unit. Another had come in with a severe asthma attack but was responding well and would be moved to a different ward soon; the last to present, a young man, had symptoms he couldn’t immediately diagnose. Could be any number of things ranging from the relatively trivial to life threatening.
    The nurse was checking his vitals; an efficient male nurse named Abdul who spoke English with a soft accent and treated the patients with gentle care. Hugh studied the information on the computer screen chart at the foot of the man’s bed. Lester Fuller. Twenty three years old, nonsmoker, no allergies, no prior health issues. Rapid shallow breathing, high fever and congestion in the lungs.
    â€˜Any change?’ Hugh asked.
    â€˜No. The fever is high and he has a bad headache.’
    â€˜Have the results come back yet from the tests I ordered?’
    â€˜Not yet, Doctor.’
    â€˜Call me, please, as soon as they come in.’
    â€˜Yes, of course.’
    Hugh approached the bed. ‘Hello, Lester. How are you feeling?’
    The pale blue eyes opened but with no understanding in them. He rolled his head to one side, breath scraping painfully in his lungs despite the oxygen tube in his nose.
    â€˜Are you in pain?’
    Hugh touched Lester’s arm to gain his attention. ‘Do you have any pain, Lester?’
    â€˜Ache all over…all over,’ he rasped. ‘Splitting headache.’
    He turned to Abdul. ‘How long has he been like this?’
    â€˜His sister was here, she’s just gone out for a cup of tea —