Summer Kisses

‘Oh, yes. Definitely.’

Flora washed her hands. ‘I’ll take a look, if that’s all right.’

‘I’m just going to take your T-shirt off, Harry.’ Diane reached forward and lifted his T-shirt carefully over his head. ‘I want to show Nurse Harris.’

Harry gave a moan of protest. ‘I’m really, really cold.’

‘That’s because you have a temperature,’ Flora said gently, lifting his arm slightly and turning him towards the light. ‘When did you first notice the rash, Mrs Gregg?’

‘Well, it didn’t look like this at first. It started with just one red spot under his arm and then it spread. Then his temperature shot up and he’s been feeling boiling hot ever since.’ Diane pushed her son’s hair away from his face and touched his forehead. ‘He’s hot now.’

Flora examined the rash carefully. It was scarlet and circular and she’d never seen anything like it before. ‘Did you see a doctor when you were away?’

‘Yes, but he said it was just a virus.’ Diane rolled her eyes, her worry evident. ‘Perhaps it is, but I wanted a proper opinion. It isn’t until you leave Glenmore that you realise how good the medical care is on this island. I was hoping to see Dr MacNeil, but Janet says his surgery is full.’

Flora checked Harry’s temperature and recorded it. ‘Logan isn’t the only doctor working at Glenmore now,’ she said carefully, and Diane pursed her lips.

‘If you’re talking about Conner MacNeil, I’m not interested. I remember the time he set off that firework in the school library.’

‘That was a long time ago, Mrs Gregg.’ Flora checked Harry’s pulse and blood pressure. ‘He trained in the army. His qualifications are excellent.’

‘I don’t care. I—’

‘Didn’t you ever do anything you shouldn’t when you were young?’

‘Well, I—I suppose…’

‘I know I did.’ Flora shrugged. ‘And I also know I wouldn’t want to be judged as an adult by how I was as a child. People change, Mrs Gregg. And everyone deserves to be given chances. Logan wouldn’t have taken Conner on if he didn’t trust him. I’d like him to see Harry. I don’t recognise this rash and the fact that he has a temperature makes it worth exploring further.’

Mrs Gregg hesitated and then glanced at Harry, clearly

torn. ‘I don’t suppose Conner will know any more than that doctor on the mainland.’

‘Let’s give it a try—see what he says? I’ll see if he’s free,’ Flora said cheerfully, trying not to reveal that the chances of Conner having a patient with him was extremely remote.

Hoping that she wasn’t making a mistake, she went across the corridor and tapped on his door. ‘Conner?’ She walked in and found him absorbed in a website on the internet. She peered closer. ‘Wetsuits?’

‘I’m planning to do some sailing. It looks as though I’m going to have plenty of time on my hands.’ He swivelled his head and looked at her. ‘Are you here to relieve my boredom?’

She flushed. ‘I have a patient that needs to be seen by a doctor.’

‘And?’

‘You’re a doctor.’

‘Am I?’ He lounged back in his chair, his ice-blue gaze disturbingly direct. ‘So why am I sitting in an empty consulting room?’

‘Because this is Glenmore and it takes folks a while to get used to change. The last time they saw you, you were stirring up trouble all over the island. I don’t suppose anyone imagined you’d become a doctor. So will you see Harry Gregg?’

Conner’s eyes narrowed. ‘Diane’s son?’

‘Yes. He’s eight years old and a really nice little boy. Very lively usually, but not today. Diane is frightened.’

‘She always did have a tendency to overreact. I remember she slapped my face once.’

‘You probably deserved it.’

He smiled. ‘I probably did. So what do you think, Flora? Paranoid mother?’