Downshire
is a relatively small English county but like a pocket battleship it packs a
lot in, a short but beautiful coastline, a channel port, the Ancient forests of
Dancingdean and Pepperstock, the craggy ridges and manmade lakes of the
Pepperstock Hills National Park, the rolling hills of the Downshire Downs, the
beautiful Finchbottom Vale and farm land as far as the eye can see from the
Trotwood’s and the Grace’s in the south to the home of the Downshire Light
infantry, Nettlefield, and their affluent neighbour’s, Roespring and Tipton in
the north but our story begins slightly further south equidistant between
Nettlefield and the Oxley’s, in the beautiful village of Heathervale.
When Chris
Palmer moved to Nettlefield from Purplemere following a very acrimonious
divorce he had sworn off women for good.
But he was
a relatively good looking man who was fast approaching his 40th birthday, with
a good physique and short sandy hair, greying at the temples and was possessed
of piercing blue eyes, so he didn’t go unnoticed.
His reason
for moving to Nettlefield in particular, over all the other places he might
have chosen either in Downshire or beyond, was the Heatherlands District Health
Centre.
It was a
large practise that serviced a large area, covering Nettlefield itself, Oxley
Green, Heathervale, Oxley Ridge and Tipton and Chris had been fortunate enough
to land the job as practice manager and he also found himself a nice little
flat in Nettlefield.
The senior
partner, and Chris’s boss, at the Health Centre was Dr Clarisse Lowe, a tall
statuesque woman who dressed in tweed, with Chestnut hair, a voluptuous figure,
lovely long legs and a generous frontage, who was in her mid-forties and was
just the kind of woman Chris would have fallen for in his previous life.
Clarisse
had been married to Edward Lowe, who had been an eminent surgeon in Downshire,
he had also been twenty years older when he married her and he had two children
from his first marriage, Josie being the oldest.
The
marriage was a happy one but only lasted five years because Edward died
suddenly on the Tipton Twelve Trees Golf course after suffering a heart attack.
She had
been a widow for 10 years when Chris arrived in her life, her widowhood had
left her lonely but also afraid of risking her heart on someone who might end
that loneliness
But apart
from the fact that she had vowed not to risk her broken heart again she also
had instigated a policy at the practise forbidding fraternisation between
members of staff, so even if she were so inclined toward Chris she wouldn’t be
disposed to go against her own edict.
But the
heart wants what the heart wants which was why two people who despite their
reluctance to expose themselves to love again and who were very definitely not
looking for a relationship, let alone love, found it anyway.
As a
bi-product of the loving relationship between Chris and Clarisse, she scrapped
the “No Fraternizing policy” which meant that the surgical gloves were off in
regard to work place relationships which was just what the doctor ordered for
34 year old Linda Bowles who had the hots for one of the clerical staff,
Peter Butler.
She was
pretty, stick thin, flat chested, seriously ginger and tall so she looked like
an unstruck Swan Vesta.
She was
known rather unimaginatively as ginger Linda and she wanted nothing more in
life than to be Peter Butler’s significant other the problem was that Peter was
scared of her.
Not that he
didn’t like her or find her attractive, he did, very much so, but she scared
him, because she was everything that he was not.
She was a
confident, outgoing and feisty woman of the world whereas he was timid, mild
and extremely naïve about life, and in particular women.
Peter had
lived a very sheltered life and had spent much of his 32 years looking after
his elderly and invalid parents so all he had ever known was work and caring
from the time he left school.
And it was
from school that he first joined Heatherlands, although it wasn’t called that
then, and nor was it a health centre, it was just an orthopaedic outpatients
clinic.
But when it
took on its present guise, he was one of the few who made the transition.
Peter was
an only child and his parents had him late in life, his mother was 44 when she
gave birth and his father was ten years her senior.
Neither of
them were in good health while he was growing up, his mother never fully
recovered from her traumatic labour, Peter had just turned 25 when her heart
gave out and five years later his father lost his long battle with cancer.
For the two
years that followed he lived alone in what had been the family home all of his
life, he seldom went out, with the exception of the Heatherlands Christmas
Party as Clarisse wouldn’t take no for an answer on that one, and he had no
friends outside of work, and his job at Heatherlands was the only pleasure in
his life.
That was
until Dr Linda Bowles arrived just after Christmas and he had something else to
look forward to every working day, seeing Linda.
He thought
she was beautiful, especially when she smiled at him, but he couldn’t talk to
her when she said hello because his knees turned to jelly and his mouth went
dry.
She was
gorgeous and terrifying in one moment, she was so direct and bold and fearless
and she left him quivering, but he adored her more than anyone he had ever
known but because of his shyness he knew he would never find the courage to
speak to her.
So he
resigned himself to the fact that he would just have to watch her from a safe
distance.
When
singleton, Linda Bowles, first joined the Heatherlands District Health Centre,
she was hoping it would be the last time she would be the newbie.
She had
spent the previous three years as a locum, drifting in and out of various
surgeries in the four corners of Downshire as well as the bit in between.
It had been
a bit of a gypsy existence and she had been unable to put down any roots, but
when she applied for the permanent position at Heatherlands, and got the job
she hoped that she would finally have a normal life, her own home and someone
to share it with.
In the
short term she was able to rent a house in the village of Heathervale, or more
precisely the granny flat in the garden of a house in the village, but it
suited her needs very well.
But having
secured a permanent job and suitable accommodation she was not prepared to lose
her heart to a good looking man on her first day in her new job.
It happened
while the senior partner, Clarisse Lowe, was introducing her to the staff
around the building, and when they entered the administration office and she
saw Peter Butler standing by the photocopier she felt cupid’s arrow strike
home.
Peter was an
inch or two taller than Linda was, and she was almost six foot tall, with a
kind face, blue eyes and a mop of mousy hair and what endeared him to her even
more was his shyness, she thought it was cute.
Having
found someone for her to lavish her love upon she had to curb her desires
because of the “No Fraternizing” rule but after Easter when Clarisse and Chris
Palmer got together and she scrapped that particular edict Linda tackled her
crush in the same way she dealt with everything in her life, head on.
She let him
know in no uncertain terms what her intentions were and what her desires
consisted of, namely him,
Or at least
she thought she did, but if she had then her advances had fallen on stony
ground.
For almost
eleven months she flirted with him outrageously and flaunted herself
unashamedly at every opportunity, but to no avail.
“He’s just
not noticing me” she said to herself one day
Peter had
noticed her, he couldn’t fail to notice her, she was always there smiling and
looking good enough to eat he was just too scared to react, because he didn’t
know how to act with a woman, especially one as lovely as she was.
By the
autumn she was getting a little despondent so when in in November she was
invited to a dinner party at Clarisse Lowe’s house she took her chance, when
she got her alone to confide in her that she really fancied Peter.
“Well
everyone in Heatherlands knows that” she retorted and laughed
“Really?”
Linda said
“Well
you’re not subtle Linda”
“Well Peter
hasn’t noticed me or worse he has noticed and he’s horrified” she said and
grimaced
“Oh he’s
not horrified, he really likes you, he’s just scared of you” Clarisse said
“Scared?
Why? I’m not going to hurt him” Linda asked
“You have
to understand that he has led a very sheltered life”
Clarisse
said and then explained about him having to care for invalid parents and
missing out on his childhood and a normal young man’s social experiences.
“It’s like
he’s lived his whole life in monochrome and then you turn up and you broadcast
directly to him in technicolour” she said
“You are
larger than life Linda and Peter is a shadow dweller who is happy to be
anonymous, which of course he wouldn’t be if he was with you, and that’s why
he’s scared”
“So what
should I do?” Linda asked
“Well if I
were you I would wait until the Christmas Party” she replied
“Will he go
to the Christmas party?” she asked “I wouldn’t have thought it was his kind of
thing”
“It’s not,
but he goes because I tell him to” Clarisse replied
“Why?”
“Because
he’s scared of me” she said and laughed
It was true
that Clarisse did tell Peter that he had to attend the party and because of
that that was what he was going to do, but not out of fear he did what she
asked out of respect.
So over the
course of the year Doctor Linda Bowles had set her cap firmly at shy and naïve
Peter Butler but she had struck out but then in December there was light at the
end of the tunnel in the shape of the
Heatherlands
District Health Centre staff Christmas Party which was held at The Foothills
Hotel in Oxley Ridge.
Clarisse
had been married to Edward Lowe, who had been an eminent surgeon in Downshire,
he had also been twenty years older when he married her and he had two children
from his first marriage, Josie being the oldest.
The
marriage was a happy one but only lasted five years because Edward died
suddenly on the Tipton Twelve Trees Golf course after suffering a heart attack.
On his
death however he had left her extremely well off so at Christmas Clarisse
always laid on transport for those who had to get back for baby sitters after
the part or alternatively they could stay overnight at the Hotel.
Unfortunately
on the day of the party Linda was on call until midnight and therefore couldn’t
indulge herself in the pursuit of Peter Butler.
And when
Linda had to go to Nettlefield for a suspected case of Meningitis at 10 o’clock
she thought she was going to miss her chance altogether.
However
half way to see the patient she got a phone call to say that an ambulance had
been called as there had been a deterioration of the patient’s condition and
she was now critically ill and the ambulance beat her to the patient by 15
minutes which meant she was not required to attend after all.
And as
Linda did a U-turn and headed towards Oxley Ridge she chastised herself for
being relieved and felt guilty because it was an outcome that benefitted her.
She would
have felt even worse if she’d known that the critically ill patient had died on
route to hospital.
It was a
little before midnight when she walked through the doors into the foyer of the
Foothills Hotel and was greeted by Clarisse.
“Linda
darling let me get you a drink” she suggested
“That will
be lovely” Linda replied “But I’m still on clock for another ten minutes”
Just at
that moment there was a commotion in the hall which prevented a slightly tipsy
Clarisse from telling her not to worry about ten minutes and to get a drink
down her neck.
They looked
around and saw Chris Palmer and his brother Darren carrying Peter Butler
between them who was holding his left foot.
“What’s
happened?” Clarisse asked
“He tripped
over his own feet” Chris replied and laughed
“I’m fine,
I just twisted my ankle” Peter said
“We’ll be
the judge of that” Linda said “After I’ve examined you”
“You can
use room 104” The night manager said
“Perfect”
Linda said “And can you arrange for some ice?”
“Time to
get him into my consulting room” she whispered to Clarisse as she followed the
casualty
“Just be
gentle with him” Clarisse retorted and laughed
When she
reached room 104 the door to the room was open and Chris and Darren had Peter
laying on the bed waiting for her and he had already shed his shoe and sock.
“Right
let’s have a look at you” Linda said
“It’s just
twisted” he said
“Really?
Remind me which one of us is the Doctor?” Linda asked
“Sorry
Doctor” he said meekly
“That
should reduce the swelling”
She said as
she packed the bags of ice around his ankle
“And now if
we can have some privacy I’ll give you a proper examination” she said
“We’ll
leave you to it then” Clarisse said and went out the door with Chris but they
didn’t close the door completely and stood peering in.
“Right then
let’s start with your blood pressure” she said
“Why are
you undoing my trousers?” he asked with alarm
“Are you
sure that you’re a proper doctor?”
“Just
relax” Linda said
“But I
don’t think that’s the way to check blood pressure” he said
“Trust me
I’m a professional” She said “you’re in safe hands”
“Whatever
you say doc” he answered and closed his eyes.
“Well
there’s definitely nothing wrong with your blood pressure”
She said
“Oh my”
Peter exclaimed
“Well I
think we can safely leave them to it” Clarisse said and quietly closed the door
“He doesn’t
know what he’s in for” Chris added
“All his
Christmas’s have come at one” she said and they both laughed
The next
morning, those who made it down to breakfast were a sorry looking lot, severely
hungover with bloodshot eyes and thumping heads, and among them were Clarisse
and Chris.
But the
exceptions to the rule were Linda and Peter who were both bright eyed and bushy
tailed and smiling from ear to ear.
