The Country Doctor's Choice Read Free Page A

of you to see me, sir—’ she began, conscious of his sharp though kindly eyes peering over the top of his gold-rimmed half-moons.
    ‘Not at all, my dear. I’ve thinking that we ought to have a little chat. Your work for the past six months has been quite splendid. I’ve been impressed by the way you have developed your skills, and I’d like to keep you on the team – but your next step should be to find a registrarship for a couple of years. I haven’t in fact got a vacancy until next year, but in any case you should go somewhere else now, to widen your experience – see how they do things in Birmingham or Liverpool!’ He beamed at her. ‘I’d be delighted to give you an excellent reference, you know that.’
    Shelagh hesitated. ‘Thank you, sir, I appreciate that, but I have a particular reason for wanting to stay in Everham just now.’
    The consultant frowned. ‘Oh, you women! People accuse me of male chauvinism, but it’s not my fault that so few women reach the top of our profession – you throw your careers away! Time enough to settle yourself in one place when you’ve got a husband and family to look after! I’m a firm believer that motherhood should take precedence over all othercareers, and that rearing the next generation is of top priority – but you’re young, intelligent and
free
, my dear girl. You’ve plenty of opportunity to advance yourself before you get tied down with a family. Why on earth should you stagnate in Everham just because some wretched man has decided to dig himself in and study for a fellowship, no doubt with an eye to stepping into Mr Fielding’s shoes!’
    Shelagh squirmed with embarrassment at his bluntness and accuracy.
    ‘I have to advise you to move on, Shelagh,’ he continued. ‘Of course you’re welcome to stay here if you really wish it, but you should go and find out some of these new ideas, like electric foetal monitoring with a sensor connected to the woman’s abdomen – they’re trying them out in some of the bigger medical training hospitals. Let your man wait a year or two, and he might appreciate you more!’
    Furious with herself for blushing crimson, Shelagh said, ‘It isn’t only because of – of Dr Sykes, sir. There is another consideration.’
    ‘Yes?’
    ‘It’s my mother, sir. I’m not too happy about her. She’s a widow and we live in Everham so that I can keep an eye on her, which is convenient.’
    ‘Go on. Why aren’t you happy about her?’
    ‘I suspect it’s your – our department, sir. She’s had a slight prolapse for years, and a tiresome discharge.I noticed by chance a smear of blood in the toilet the other day—’
    ‘Good God, woman! – and you call yourself a doctor?’ he said with untypical vehemence. ‘You’ve let your mother suffer for years, when all you had to do was bring her to my gynae clinic. I find it hard to believe, Shelagh.’
    She closed her eyes momentarily, and put a hand up to cover her face. ‘It’s not that simple, Mr Kydd. You don’t know her. She comes from an old-fashioned backwater in Donegal, I’m her only child, and we’ve never spoken of – of intimate matters. She can be very stubborn, and won’t consult anybody but her old GP, and I suspect she doesn’t even tell
him
everything. I think she might have a cervical erosion, in which case—’
    ‘How old is your mother?’ he interrupted.
    ‘Nearly fifty-one, sir.’
    ‘Now, listen to me, Shelagh. You are to bring Mrs Hammond to my gynae clinic at nine on Monday morning without fail – no, make it a quarter to, before we start – is that quite clear?’
    ‘Yes, sir. Thank you.’ Her eyes filled with helpless, shameful tears at his confirmation of her own suspicions; post-menopausal bleeding could mean uterine cancer.
    ‘Whatever must you think of me?’ she faltered.
    ‘Oh, my dear, I understand, perhaps better than you think,’ he said with a sigh of regret for someprivate memory. ‘We don’t always want to face