The Doctor's Engagement

‘Yes, although the vaccination only covers meningitis C,’ Holly told her, drawing up the injections quickly.

‘I’m afraid there still isn’t any protection against meningitis B so we all have to stay vigilant.’

‘You’ll think this is a silly question,’ Anna mumbled, ‘but he can’t catch meningitis from the injection, can he?’

Holly shook her head, her ponytail swinging. ‘No. And it isn’t a silly question at all. But the meningitis C vaccine isn’t what we call a “live” vaccine. In other words, there’s nothing in it that can cause the disease.’

‘Oh.’ Anna gave a weak smile. ‘Well, I’m happy for him to have it in that case.’

Holly gave the injections quickly and took advantage of Harry’s outraged yell to squeeze the polio drops onto his tongue. Then she helped Anna carry her belongings through to Mark’s consulting room.

‘Do you want me to tell your patients that there’ll be a wait?’ She spoke quietly to Mark and he shook his head.

‘I’ve finished surgery,’ he told her. ‘I’ve got some house calls but there’s nothing that can’t wait for half an hour. I’ve asked Tina to call them and let them know I’ll be delayed.’

* * *

By the time Holly arrived home that evening she felt exhausted and took advantage of Mark’s absence to strip off her uniform and climb straight into a hot bath.

By the time she heard his key in the door, she’d changed into jeans and a bright blue strappy top and was putting the finishing touches to an exotic salad.

‘Mmm. That looks delicious.’ He peered over her shoulder and reached down to steal an olive. ‘I can see why I’m marrying you.’

She thumped him playfully. ‘In your dreams, buster! You look hot and bothered. Go and change. Wine or beer?’

‘Oh, beer, please.’ He groaned and dropped his length onto one of the kitchen chairs. ‘I haven’t got the energy to get changed yet. What a day!’

‘So how was Anna in the end?’ Holly’s voice was soft and he gave a rueful smile.

‘In a pretty bad way. Bad enough for me to give her an antidepressant. I’ve spoken to Debra and she’s going to see her twice a week for counselling until she improves slightly. And I gather you’re going to try massage on the baby. That was nice of you.’

‘No problem. I thought I’d give her a call tomorrow to arrange it.’ Holly handed him a beer and then mixed oil and vinegar for the dressing, thinking how tired he looked. ‘I don’t know much about postnatal depression. How do you tell the difference between a normal reaction to suddenly having a new baby and proper depression?’

‘The answer is, with difficulty,’ Mark admitted, taking a mouthful of beer, ‘but in Anna’s case I’m totally confident that she’s suffering from a clinical depression. She has low mood, lack of interest, loss of enjoyment—she’s permanently tearful and she can’t concentrate. Fairly classic signs.’

Holly added a touch of mustard to her dressing. ‘And is it safe to take drugs if you’re breastfeeding?’

Mark pulled a face. ‘Well, all antidepressants are secreted in breast milk to some degree, but in this case it’s irrelevant because she never managed to breastfeed. And that gives her yet another thing to feel depressed and guilty about.’

‘Poor thing.’ Holly bit her lip and picked up the pepper mill. ‘Didn’t they help her in the hospital?’

‘The hospital,’ Mark said grimly, tapping the can on the table, ‘were hopeless in Anna’s case. In every way possible.’

‘No wonder she’s depressed.’ Holly added yoghurt to the mixture and poured it into a jar. ‘She was so upset today. And she seemed very lonely. You were lovely with her, Mark—she really trusts you.’

He gave a short laugh. ‘That’s probably because I was the only doctor who took notice of her original symptoms, poor thing. I’d only been with the practice for a couple of months, but I spent a lot of time with her after she was discharged because she was in such a mess. I suppose I got to know her quite well.’

‘It’s just as well you did,’ Holly said softly, ‘because she doesn’t trust anyone else yet.’

‘No. She’s very isolated at the moment.’ Mark leaned over again and stole a piece of salami. ‘Debra’s given her a list of groups she could join.’

Holly bit her lip and looked at him, feeling troubled. ‘But when you’re depressed it’s hard to make yourself do anything that proactive.’

‘That’s true, but Debra will keep an eye on her,’ Mark said confidently, unbuttoning his shirt and revealing a hint of tanned male chest covered in curling dark hairs. ‘And I’ll be seeing her every week, too.’

For some reason the brief glimpse made Holly feel oddly uncomfortable and she looked away quickly. What was the matter with her?

She put the oil and vinegar back in the cupboard and took a deep breath. It was this silly pretence, that was all. It was making her think about Mark in ways she’d never thought of him before. So it was best not to think of him at all. She forced her mind back to the subject of Anna.