From the Night Shift to Forever
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Annie Claydon
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CHAPTER ONE
IT WAS JUST another Friday night in A & E. Busy, sometimes frustrating, sometimes heart-rending. Tears, drunkenness and pain. But Dr Joel Mason wasn’t in any doubt that this was exactly where he wanted to be. He was hoping an angel might arrive at any moment.
North London Nightshifters was a local charity and one of the first things he’d been told about when he started work here, six weeks ago. If you were running low on something, they’d find it for you and deliver it. They worked at nights when the usual supply chains weren’t operating, and an emergency case might otherwise mean a set of frantic phone calls, trying to locate what you needed and get it sent over via a taxi service. Many of their couriers were medical professionals, and so they were able to check their cargo and get it to the right place with the minimum of fuss and the maximum of care.
He’d seen the couriers a few times already, coming in and out of the hospital. Two of them had been noticeable only for the Nightshifters logo on their courier bags, but the third had made him turn and look. A woman in motorcycle leathers, with blonde curls and pale skin, ethereal and glowing. Her smile was almost formidably bright, like a warrior angel’s...
His phone buzzed in his pocket. It really didn’t much matter which courier was coming, just as long as they were here. Nightshifters had located the blood he needed, which in itself was nothing short of a miracle since his current patient had such a rare blood group that most hospitals didn’t carry stocks of it.
‘It’s here.’ He turned to the nurse who had been monitoring the young woman he was treating. ‘I’ll go and collect it.’
He opened the door of the cubicle, just in time to see her. His thanks dried in his throat as the box was shoved into his hands, and the courier took off her motorcycle helmet, her blonde curls falling around her face. He could see now that she had sapphire-blue eyes.
‘Don’t just stand there.’ Her voice had a melodic quality about it and betrayed more than a trace of humour. ‘Check and sign.’ She unzipped her jacket, producing a docket.
Joel opened the box, looking inside, checking that the quantity and blood type were correct. Then he took the paperwork, scanning it and scribbling his name at the bottom.
‘Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.’
‘That’s the general plan.’ She gave him the merest hint of a smile and then turned her back on him and walked away.
Joel hesitated for one moment, resisting the urge to run after her and ask her name. Then he too turned, taking the lifesaving cargo back with him into the cubicle.
Robbie Hall walked back out of the A & E department, signalling a goodbye to the receptionist. Then she unzipped one of the pockets of her leather jacket, taking out her phone.
‘Hello, Nightshifters, how can we help?’
‘You can tell me I don’t have any more calls for tonight, Glen.’
Glen’s low chuckle sounded in her ear. ‘Nah, we’re done. Haven’t you seen the time?’
The traffic on the roads had gone from non-existent to light as she’d made her way here, and the sun had been up for a while. Robbie took a guess.
‘About seven o’clock?’
‘Nearer eight. And you’ve finished for the night. We’ve no more calls.’
‘Great, thanks. I’m going to the cafeteria to get some breakfast.’
‘You caught up with the new doctor?’
There wasn’t any particular doubt about where Glen was going with the question. In addition to daylighting as a paediatric physiotherapist and moonlighting at Nightshifters, Glen was a confirmed matchmaker. Lately he seemed to be viewing Robbie as his most troublesome challenge.
‘Two heads. Breath that would make a dragon faint, and I thought I spotted a tail under his white coat...’ Robbie sent up a silent apology for the undeserved injury to Dr Mason’s reputation.
‘You’re far too picky, Rob. Breakfast for two makes you see someone in a completely different light...’
Breakfast for two wasn’t on Robbie’s agenda. Not this morning or any morning. She’d seen Dr Joel Mason from afar, when he’d been given a whistle-stop tour of the paediatric A & E unit. A couple of the nurses who’d had the benefit of an introduction had told her his name and that he was the new doctor for general A & E, confirming at some length that he looked just as good close up as he did at a distance. Robbie could now privately confirm their assessment, but that was as far as it went.
‘I’m not thinking about getting lucky at this moment. I’m too hungry. Want me to bring you an egg-and-bacon sandwich?’
‘He’d be the one getting lucky, Rob. And no thanks to the sandwich, Carla’s packed me soup and pasties.’
‘Stop. Right now...’ Glen’s wife was a great cook and Robbie’s stomach began to growl with envy.
‘They smell pretty good. Even better when I warm them up in the microwave...’
‘I’m hanging up, Glen. Actually, I’m never speaking to you again, so have a nice life...’ Robbie heard Glen’s laughter as she ended the call.
The staff in the cafeteria were getting ready for the morning onslaught as the night shift came off duty. The toast was freshly made and when Pete saw the motorcycle helmet and leathers, he gave her extra bacon and eggs done the way she liked them.
‘Had a good night, Dr Hall?’
‘You’ve just made it a great night, thanks, Pete. A large coffee would round it off perfectly.’
Pete had the coffee ready and put it onto her tray, waving her away from the cash register. ‘It turns out that one of your visits last week was for the daughter of a posh bloke. He got in touch with the chairman of the hospital board and he’s set up a tab for the Nightshifters.’
Robbie nodded. The posh bloke was an MP and his daughter had needed a ventilator. ‘Use the tab for the others—I’ll pay.’
Pete looked affronted. ‘I’ve worked out a rota and everyone gets three free breakfasts. Don’t mess with my system.’
Upsetting Pete’s system was more important than Robbie’s embarrassment at being well able to afford to pay. She grinned, picking up her tray. ‘Okay, thanks, then. I’ll enjoy this even more.’
A table in one corner was free and she sat down, peeling off the thin protective gloves she wore underneath her motor cycle gloves. The small patch of eczema on the back of her hand was fading fast and didn’t itch at all now. And an egg-and-bacon sandwich was like a taste of heaven at the moment.
By the time she got to coffee, Robbie was beginning to relax. She’d go home and sleep, then let the rest of her Saturday take its course. Maybe spend a bit of time cooking, instead of just pulling something out of the freezer. She’d taken up cooking as her new and relaxing hobby, and if the results weren’t always great the making of mess and then cleaning it up again did the trick for the relaxing part. It was all sounding pretty perfect when a shadow blocked the light from the window and made her look up.
He really was handsome. Or, on closer inspection, not quite perfectly handsome, because then he would have had a symmetrical smile. The crooked grin that Joel Mason was giving her now was far, far more attractive than perfect features could ever be.
‘Hi. May I join you?’
She’d almost finished her breakfast so it would only be for a few minutes. Robbie leaned forward, catching her motorcycle helmet up from the seat opposite and tucking it next to her on the bench.
‘Sure. How’s your patient?’
‘Looking a lot better now. She’d lost a lot of blood and we were keeping her stable with fluids. Now we can risk sending her down for surgery to set her broken leg.’
His dark-eyed gaze seemed to be pulling her in, to a place of warmth. Robbie struggled to escape it and didn’t quite succeed. The mental effort was unsettling, because it made her want to jump to her feet and move, rather than just watch as he sat down and unloaded his tray onto the table.
‘Great. We’re here to help.’ Robbie toyed with the last crust of her sandwich, trying to use it to divert her attention.
‘I’m new here. Joel Mason.’ He reached across the table and Robbie picked up her coffee, nodding a hello instead of shaking his outstretched hand. Don’t touch what you can’t have...
‘I know. Robbie Hall. I work in the paediatric A & E department.’
‘Here? I’m sorry, you must be one of the million people I was introduced to.’ He shook his head slightly, as if wondering how he could have forgotten.
‘We weren’t introduced. I saw you from the other side of the room.’
That sounded as if she’d been staring at him across rooms. The slight quirk of Joel’s lips didn’t help Robbie’s discomfiture. ‘I was dealing with a four-year-old boy who’d swallowed a twenty-pence piece.’
‘Was he okay?’ The medical detail was enough to divert his attention.
‘Yes, we X-rayed him and it was in his stomach. When he came back a few days later for another X-ray it was gone.’ Robbie took a sip of her coffee and Joel grinned suddenly.
‘I imagine you see that kind of thing more often in Paediatrics than we do in general A & E.’ He picked up his knife and fork and started to tuck into the full English breakfast in front of him. ‘I’m interested in Nightshifters...’
That was good to hear. It took her mind off Joel’s square jaw and broad shoulders. His thick dark hair, cut short, which lent a touch of the unyielding to his soft, mesmerising eyes. And it was always nice when someone expressed an interest in Nightshifters because Robbie had put a lot of work into setting it up, and she financed most of its costs from her trust fund. It was her creation, although she didn’t want any credit for that, preferring to stay in the background and get on with the things she really wanted to do. Apart from Glen, even the volunteers didn’t know that Robbie provided most of the funding.
‘You’re thinking of helping us out?’ She might as well throw a challenge his way.
Joel’s fork paused in mid-air, halfway towards his mouth. ‘Maybe. What do you need?’
Good question. It was the one that the Nightshifters always asked. ‘Lots of things. People with some medical knowledge, who can find their way around the system and track down whatever’s needed. Drivers, who can check the consignment they’re carrying and make sure it’s right. It helps if you know London as well—we don’t usually have the time for getting lost.’
‘And that’s what you do? Someone like me calls you and asks for something, and you track it down and deliver it.’
‘It’s slightly different with blood—there are established channels that we use. At night we can often transport what’s needed quicker and more reliably, so that an urgent request like yours doesn’t have to rely on a regular taxi service. We’re not the only charity doing work of this kind, there are different groups all around the country. We’re locally based and serve the hospitals in this area.’
‘What hours do you work?’
‘We’re open from eight at night until eight in the morning, but everyone gives what time they can. I usually do either a whole night, or midnight until eight in the morning, because I work nights at the hospital. People who work days tend to prefer eight in the evening until midnight.’
‘How many nights a week?’
‘I work one, sometimes two. But Glen, our coordinator, makes sure that no one takes on more than they can comfortably sustain. Everyone has commitments and a lot of people do just one night every two weeks or a month.’ When she said it like that, it sounded as if she didn’t have a life outside the hospital during the week and Nightshifters at the weekends. That was largely true.
If that had occurred to Joel, then he wasn’t saying. If he was really interested in helping out, then they could always do with more volunteers. Robbie would just have to forgive him the good looks and the stomach-stirring sensuality.
‘And...you use motorbikes?’
‘That’s just me, actually. The charity owns a couple of cars for deliveries, but a lot of people prefer to use their own and claim a mileage allowance. A lot of our delivery teams work in pairs.’
He grinned suddenly. ‘But not you.’
‘I prefer to work alone.’ And the bike was a pretty good excuse for Robbie to do so.
He nodded, slicing into the toast on the side of his plate, and dipping a piece of it into the runny yolk of the eggs. Robbie waited as he chewed thoughtfully, and then gave in to her own impatience and asked the question that meant rather more to her than it should.
‘So, are you interested?’
‘I’d definitely like to know more.’
Good answer. In Robbie’s experience it was the people who wanted to know more before committing themselves who were really interested in helping. Plenty of people promised a lot, on the basis of a five-minute conversation, and then you never saw them again.
‘Then you should speak to Glen. He’s the boss.’ That was true, in terms of the day-to-day running of the operation. Glen had known Robbie’s father for years, working with him on a number of charitable projects, and he knew how wealthy Robbie’s family was. When Robbie had first started to develop her idea for Nightshifters, Dad had introduced her to Glen and they made a great team. He’d accepted Robbie’s offer to run North London Nightshifters, and allowed her to make her own safe place there, where she was valued for what she could contribute on a practical basis, rather than how much money she could spend.
‘And how do I get in contact with him?’
‘I can get him to call you. Or you’re welcome to pop into the office and see for yourself what we do.’
‘I’m free this evening. Any time after eight.’
Joel didn’t waste any time in putting his decisions into action. But Saturday night was a good time to come because Nightshifters was always busy and he’d see some of the challenges of what they did. And Robbie was planning to be in the office, as well.
‘This evening’s fine. Glen’s expected at nine, so that’s the best time to come. I’ll be there too, so I can show you around.’ She reached into her jacket for her notepad, writing down the instructions to get to the office. That was generally the second stumbling block. If Joel could find his way to the office, then he was serious.
‘Great, thanks. I’ll see you later on this evening.’ He folded the paper without looking at it and put it into his pocket.
Robbie emptied her coffee cup, gathering up her jacket and helmet, ready to go. ‘Yeah. See you later.’
It was the strangest address that Joel had ever seen. He’d gone home and slept for eight hours, then found the piece of paper that Robbie had given him. Then he’d puzzled over it for a while, and decided that the only way he was going to arrive was by starting out.
Orton Road was easy, ten minutes’ walk from the Underground stop before the one for the hospital. Joel walked to the end of the road as instructed, and then turned left onto a footpath that led between a high wall and the side of the last house in the street. Then right onto a footbridge that spanned a small waterway, one of the tributaries of the Thames.
The steps at the other side of the bridge led down onto a wide riverside path, well lit and still busy, with a row of narrowboats moored on one side. Joel consulted the instructions again.
Walk down until you get to a corrugated iron building, painted turquoise.
Now that he was actually here, a corrugated iron building painted turquoise didn’t sound quite so impossible. He’d driven across the road bridge a little further down many times, and was vaguely aware of the fact that there were boats here. But this looked like a whole community, living in the heart of London and yet to all intents and purposes hidden. Joel kept walking and caught sight of a flash of colour up ahead, set back from the river path.
The one-storey building, with a pitched roof and a small porch over the door at the front, was painted a particularly bright shade of turquoise. As he got closer, it also looked as if it were made entirely of corrugated iron, but there was an arched wooden door, and the windows that stretched along the side had wooden frames and shutters. Joel had never seen anything quite like it, and the overall effect was both odd and enchanting.
There was a sign beside the door bearing the charity’s name, and, reassured that he was in the right place, he reached forward and knocked on the front door. He could hear the sounds of activity inside, and was just wondering whether he should wait or go inside when the door was flung open suddenly. Robbie was wearing a pair of jeans and a chunky knitted red sweater, which swamped her slim frame. Her hair curled around the side of her face, and she had a pencil propped behind her ear. The effect was enchanting and not even slightly odd.
‘Hi. Don’t bother about knocking, no one ever does. You made it, then?’ She stood back from the doorway, and let him into a large, open-plan space. Lights hung from wooden beams that supported the V-shape of the roof, and the walls were clad in white painted timber panels. She was quite alone, but the comfortable seating and the two L-shaped desks at the far end of the space indicated that the office was designed to hold more than just one person.
‘I said I would. What is this place?’
Robbie grinned, shutting the door behind him. ‘It’s a Tin Tabernacle. Haven’t you seen one before?’
‘No. You mean there’s more than one of these?’
She laughed suddenly. Joel wanted more of that. Her laughter seemed to brighten the well-lit space around her.
‘They were built in the mid-to late-eighteen hundreds and designed to provide low-cost churches and community halls, which could be taken down and put back up again to follow moving communities, such as construction workers on the rail and canal networks.’
‘Hence the wooden doors and windows.’ Joel turned to inspect the door. It was solid oak, and the dents and scratches were obviously touches of character that had been developed over many years.
‘Yes, they all have these really good quality doors. If they’re well maintained they’ll last for ever. This one was used as a community hall and it’s on brick footings so it’s survived pretty well. We were lucky to get it. They’re in quite a bit of demand as architectural curiosities, but the owners put a condition on the sale that said it had to be used for community purposes.’
‘And they let you paint it turquoise?’ It was a great colour, fitting in with the characterful nature of the building, but Joel wondered what the historians might think of that.
‘They’re all painted in these bright colours. Yellow, sky blue...a lot of them are various shades of turquoise—it’s all part of their charm...’ The phone rang and Robbie’s head spun around. ‘Uh, hang on a minute. Make yourself comfortable.’
She shot over to one of the desks, answering the phone. Joel sat down on one of the comfortable sofas, looking up as two men entered.
‘Hi. You’re Robbie’s doctor?’ One of them came forward, holding out his hand, and Joel got to his feet to shake it.
It would be nice to be Robbie’s anything and doctor would do for starters. Joel dismissed the thought, because belonging with someone had never been one of his goals. A wide and varied group of friends, colleagues and acquaintances was a good thing. Friends with benefits was an occasional option, but anything approaching a real relationship took a great deal more trust than he was comfortable with.
‘I’m Joel Mason. I work in A & E at the London Fitzrovia hospital and I met Robbie briefly this morning, when she brought some blood supplies we needed.’
‘Glen Taverner, I’m a paediatric physiotherapist over at St Stephen’s Hospital. And that’s Dan Wright, he works at St Stephen’s too.’ Glen jerked his thumb towards the other man, who signalled a hello.
Glen was tall and bulky, the kind of guy that looked as if he could dead-lift the average person. But he had the gentle air and ready smile that most kids responded to.
‘You have a great set-up here. And you came to my rescue this morning.’
Glen chuckled. ‘That’s the general plan. You’re thinking of joining us?’
Joel didn’t get a chance to answer. Robbie put the phone down, calling over to them.
‘Guys, sorry... I know you’ve only just got here but I’ve got someone from St Stephen’s who needs some milk for a preemie baby.’
‘I’ll go.’ Glen responded to Robbie and then turned to Joel. ‘Sorry about this, but Dan’s just done three deliveries without a break, so I should do this one. If you’d like to leave your contact details, I can get in touch with you during the week.’
‘We can talk later, maybe. I was hoping to be able to see a bit of what goes on here, if that’s okay?’ Joel replied.
‘You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.’ Glen turned towards Robbie, grinning at her. ‘Robbie can tell you all you need to know.’
Glen walked over to the desk, putting down the large plastic food box he was carrying, and taking the docket that Robbie had just filled out from her hand.
‘Thanks, Glen.’ Robbie tapped the box with her finger. ‘Carla hasn’t sent coffee and walnut cake, has she?’
‘Yep. And if it’s all gone by the time I get back, I’ll know who to blame.’
‘You’d better hurry up, then.’ Robbie chuckled, turning to Joel. ‘Glen’s wife, Carla, is the most amazing cook. I love her coffee and walnut cake.’
‘There’s banana bread in there too...’ Glen was halfway to the door, waving over his shoulder. ‘Never say that I don’t do anything for you.’
‘Tell Carla that if she ever gets tired of you, I’ll marry her,’ Dan called after him, and Glen’s easy laugh sounded as he closed the door behind him.
‘Right, then.’ Robbie turned to Joel. ‘Coffee and walnut cake or banana bread?’
‘Banana bread.’ He felt in his pocket. ‘Is there a kitty for cakes?’
‘No, that’s okay, you can put your money away until January. We have a whip-round for Carla’s birthday and I only take notes.’ She grinned. ‘The board makes sure that Glen and Carla aren’t out of pocket for all the baking she does for us.’
‘Okay, thanks. There’s a board in charge of all of this?’
‘Every charity has to have a board of trustees. But Glen’s the one who’s actually in charge here—whatever he says, goes. While we’re waiting for him to get back, I’ll show you the ropes and then you can talk to him about whether you want to join us or not.’
There wasn’t really any question about that. Joel had already seen the difference that the Nightshifters were making, and the easy camaraderie here made him feel instantly at home. And then there was the added bonus of Robbie’s smile.
He was already sold. He wanted to be a part of this.
It was turning into a busy night. The three women and five men who were on courier duty tonight barely had time to introduce themselves to Joel and grab a coffee before they were sent back out again. Robbie was expecting him to just watch, and wait until Glen returned, but instead he came to sit at the desk next to hers and offered to take over the phones while she located some equipment that was needed by one of the hospitals in the area.
He was still there at midnight, when the pressure suddenly lifted and there was a lull in the calls. Joel stood up, stretching his shoulders, and Robbie tried not to look at him. She reckoned she’d done a fine job of pretending not to notice when his fingers brushed hers as he passed the call information across to her to distribute amongst the drivers. But the way he’d snatched his hand back made it very clear that he’d noticed, and that he knew all about keeping his distance.
Everyone had their own reason for working nights, but maybe Joel’s were the same as hers. There wasn’t too much time for meeting people and if you did then the unsocial hours were enough to keep things uncomplicated. It seemed that Joel shared her reservations about acknowledging the moments when two desks hadn’t been a significant enough barrier to prevent Robbie from feeling that she was falling into the warmth of his gaze.
‘Shall I make coffee?’ He grinned at her.
‘You’re a...’ Sweetheart? Tower of strength? The available evidence was indicating that he was both, and that he could probably be a great lover as well. ‘Good timing. I could murder a coffee right now.’
Joel glanced around, including the four drivers who were sitting in the easy chairs in his offer, and took their orders. Glen ambled over towards her, sitting down on the other side of the desk and planting his elbows on it.
‘Is this a volunteer opportunity? Or a date?’
He murmured the words so quietly that even Robbie could hardly hear him. Joel was at the far end of the office, chatting amiably with Rosie as she showed him how to operate the cappuccino machine, so there was no chance that he could be privy to the conversation.
‘I’ve known him ten minutes. It’s a volunteer opportunity.’
Glen grinned. ‘When I met Carla it took me about ninety seconds to know.’
‘That’s you and Carla, you were made for each other. If I ever had a Prince Charming, I think he must have left my glass slipper on the train on his way home.’
‘Lost Property’s always an option.’ Robbie waved Glen’s suggestion away, and he abandoned it. ‘Whatever. So you’ll ask Joel if he can join us?’
‘That’s up to you. You’re the North London coordinator.’ Robbie pressed her lips together. She didn’t want to have anything to do with asking Joel to stay, because she wanted him to so much.
‘You’re the founder, Rob. And our largest source of funding...’ Glen practically mouthed the words at her, careful that none of the other volunteers should hear.
‘And you’re in charge, Glen.’
Robbie had said it enough times, but Glen was never slow in voicing the opinion that she should at least take some credit for her involvement. But he knew that Robbie was more comfortable with the way things were, and he went along with it.
‘If you’re so intent on me being the boss, then I should remind you that I’m allowed to delegate, Rob.’
Robbie shot him a smile. ‘But you’re so much better at it than I am, Glen.’
Glen clearly wasn’t convinced. He flapped his hand dismissively, muttering something about excuses as he got to his feet. Walking over to Joel, he started to chat to him, and, while Rosie took the coffees back to the group in the seating area, the two men seemed deep in conversation. Finally they shook hands, and Joel walked back to the desk next to Robbie’s.
‘Looks as if I’m on the team.’ His grin told Robbie that he was pleased about that, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.
‘That’s great.’ She smiled across at Glen, who had taken a moment to speak to one of the other drivers and was now heading back towards them. ‘When are you starting?’
‘I’ve got to get a copy of my driving licence and various other documents to Glen first, so he can do the paperwork, but he says next weekend would be fine.’
Glen joined them. ‘I’d like you to take Joel in hand and show him how everything works, if you would, Robbie. Since you’ll be here next weekend.’
Glen didn’t give up on an idea... But Robbie had told him that he was the boss, and she could hardly veto any of his decisions now. And something about the melting look in Joel’s eyes made her feel that she wouldn’t mind taking him in hand one bit.
‘Next Saturday, then...?’
Both Joel and Glen nodded, and suddenly the gap between now and next Saturday opened up into a wide chasm. Robbie reminded herself that counting days before she saw Joel again wasn’t on her agenda.
The phone rang and she reached for it. But Joel was quicker, grabbing it and giving her a delicious smile as he answered. ‘Hello, Nightshifters. How can we help?’
